Manley Toys Limited once claimed to be the seventh largest toy company in the world. Due to ongoing litigation and declining sales, it entered into a voluntary liquidation in Hong Kong. On March 22, 2016, the debtor’s appointed liquidators and foreign representatives filed a motion for recognition under chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code. The motion was opposed by ASI Inc., f/k/a Aviva Sports, Inc. (“Aviva”) and Toys “R” Us, Inc. (“TRU”).
Accountability is the major theme of the recent government consultation regarding ‘Insolvency and Corporate Governance’, which follows high profile failures such as BHS and Carillion. The consultation contains proposals relating to four main areas as set out below.
Sales of businesses in distress
The proposal represents a significant extension of the current duties owed by directors. Under the proposal, a director of a parent company may be held liable for losses following a sale of a subsidiary if:
La reciente Sentencia de la Sala de lo Civil del TS de 15 de diciembre de 2017 se pronuncia sobre el criterio temporal de aplicación del Real Decreto-Ley 6/2013, para la protección de los créditos adquiridos por la SAREB frente a una eventual subordinación. Según el Tribunal Supremo, si la calificación del crédito era definitiva antes de la entrada en vigor de la norma, no puede modificarse posteriormente.
Date
6/22/2017
Action
Testimony of Keith Noreika, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Key Provisions
The Comptroller made a series of recommendations for regulatory reforms directed at promoting economic growth and reducing regulatory burden. He stated that the OCC’s recommendations are consistent with the Treasury Report.
Key recommendations include:
La Sala de lo Civil del Tribunal Supremo ha dictado recientemente una sentencia (STS 693/2017, de 20 de diciembre) que, si bien trae causa de un procedimiento concursal, establece conclusiones muy interesantes desde el punto de vista del derecho societario, en materia de conflictos de interés en el seno de los grupos de sociedades.
La Sala de lo Civil del Tribunal Supremo reconoce legitimación para interponer recursos al acreedor coadyuvante en un incidente concursal de acción de reintegración.
The Bankruptcy Code allows trustees, as well as debtors-in-possession and in some circumstances creditors’ committees, to set aside and recover certain transfers for the benefit of the bankruptcy estate. The purpose of the avoidance powers is to maximize funds available for creditors and to ensure equality of distribution among creditors’ claims. The avoidance powers are not without bounds, however, as the Code sets forth a number of exceptions — most notably, the so-called “securities contract safe harbor” under Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code.
LA DGRN limita el control por notarios y registradores de la aplicación del 160.f) LSC (venta de activos esenciales) y establece que la norma no será aplicable en operaciones realizadas por las sociedades en liquidación.
The Delaware Bankruptcy Court recently dismissed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case pending before it and recognized, under Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, the debtor’s bankruptcy proceeding in Belgium. Exelco NV (“Exelco”), a Belgian diamond distributor, owed KBC Bank NV (“KBC”) approximately US$14 million. KBC’s debt was secured by a pledge on essentially all of Exelco’s assets. Exelco’s debt was also guaranteed by an affiliated company and certain individuals. When Exelco defaulted on its debt obligations, KBC commenced a sort of involuntary insolvency proceeding in Belgium.
In recent months certain restructuring processes have gained quite some notoriety in press headlines in connection with a number of UK businesses. This article provides secured lenders with a brief recap on the key points to note in relation to CVAs (Company Voluntary Arrangements) and what Liquidation means in the context of Carillion.
Retail CVAs