On June 10, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held in the Quebecor World (USA) Inc. bankruptcy that payments made by a company in purchasing notes issued by an affiliate constituted transfers made in connection with a securities contract. Therefore, the payments were protected from avoidance by a "safe harbor" under section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code. Orrick covered the Quebecor decision in depth in the linked client memo.
Pre-financial crisis, interest rate derivatives were widely recognized as a valuable part of the municipal issuer’s financial toolkit. Post-crisis, they have been a thorn in the side of many issuers, resulting in expensive litigation with failed swap providers – most notably the Lehman and Ambac derivatives trading subsidiaries – and public criticism of municipal issuers said to have fallen prey to more sophisticated providers.
Patriot Coal became the third major debtor in the last year to modify benefits or reject a CBA under sections 1113 and 1114 of the Bankruptcy Code. Following similar rulings in the Hostess and AMR Corporation bankruptcies, Bankruptcy Judge Kathy Surratt-States on May 29, 2013, granted Patriot authorization to modify agreements with the United Mine Workers of America and reject union CBAs.
On May 28, Freddie Mac issued Bulletin 2013-9, which extends for two months the date by which servicers must adhere to certain new requirements related to the management of law firms for default servicing, bankruptcies, and related litigation.
On May 29, Patriot Coal (Patriot) became the third major debtor in the last year to receive court approval to modify union benefits or reject a CBA under sections 1113 and 1114 of the Bankruptcy Code. Following similar rulings in the Hostess and AMR Corporation bankruptcies, Judge Kathy Surratt-States granted Patriot authorization to modify certain benefits and reject collective bargaining agreements.
The EU Court of Justice held that Directive 2008/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2008 (“Directive 2008/94”) applies to pension benefits under a supplementary pension scheme, regardless of the cause of the employer’s insolvency, and without taking into account state pension benefits. Directive 2008/94 provides that member states must protect the pension interests of retirees when an employer becomes insolvent.
On April 15, Freddie Mac issued Bulletin Number 2013-6, which announces numerous revisions to servicing requirements. The bulletin updates the allowable amounts for attorney fees for default-related legal services and details changes to the reimbursement process for such fees. Freddie Mac also reminds servicers about changes to foreclosure sale bidding on first lien mortgages.
On April 19, the Second Circuit ruled that a lawsuit brought by American International Group (AIG) against several Bank of America entities involving alleged fraud in connection with $28 billion in RMBS had been improperly removed from state to federal court.
On March 1, the Court of Appeals of Maryland, answering a question of law certified to it by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, held that the sale of repossessed automobiles at an auction where individuals had to pay a refundable $1,000 cash deposit was a "private sale", and not a "public auction," under the provisions of Maryland's Creditor Grantor Closed End Credit Act (CLEC). Gardner v. Ally Fin. Inc., Misc. No. 10, 2013 WL 765013 (Md. Mar. 1, 2013).
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied a petition for writ of certiorari by United Healthcare Insurance Company (“UHC”), which had requested judicial review of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, whose jurisdiction includes the State of Texas. The Fifth Circuit’s opinion had held that ERISA did not preempt state claims brought by Access Mediquip (“Access”), a medical device provider, against UHC for negligent misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, and violations of the Texas Insurance Code (see Access Mediquip L.L.C. v. UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co., No.