In several Commonwealth jurisdictions, the corporate legislation allows creditors to petition a court to order the winding up of a debtor in circumstances where that debtor is unable to pay its debts as they fall due. Such legislation generally presumes that the debtor is insolvent if it has failed to comply with a statutory notice requiring the debtor to pay a certain debt within a given period of time (a statutory demand).
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act received royal assent on 25 June 2020 and comes into force immediately.
The Act introduces a range of new corporate restructuring tools and suspends, temporarily, parts of the existing insolvency regime. The purpose of this note is to update you on two key aspects of the Act: the moratorium on legal action and the temporary changes in relation to statutory demands and winding-up petitions.
Moratorium on legal action
Hogan Lovells Publications | 06 July 2020
Contracts and Insolvency – a transformational change
New statutory provisions retrospectively change the way many existing and future contracts work. Businesses urgently need to look afresh not just at supply arrangements but also many other significant transactions of which the supply of goods or services forms part.
Real Estate Quarterly
Summer 2020
Contents
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Die anstehende Marktkonsolidierung birgt fusionskontrollrechtliche Herausforderungen
Die COVID-19-Pandemie ist schon lange nicht mehr nur eine Gesundheitskrise, sondern hat sich zu einer globalen Wirtschaftskrise entwickelt, die viele Unternehmen in massive wirtschaftliche Schwierigkeiten bringt. Erwartet wird eine Konsolidierung, bei der finanziell angeschlagene oder insolvente Unternehmen übernommen werden. Auch der Präsident des Bundeskartellamtes, Andreas Mundt, hält eine Übernahmewelle in Folge der Corona-Krise für ein mögliches Szenario.
In this article we consider how the current challenging environment is impacting M&A in the insurance sector
We are living in volatile times. As a consequence of the COVID-19 virus, our equity and high-yield markets have witnessed large swings, making it difficult to value assets. Uncertainty over the timing and extent of the recovery has also made it difficult to value income streams. Moreover, debt financing has become more challenging. All of these factors are contributing to a challenging environment for M&A.
Although the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have, and continue to, put exceptional pressure on supply chains, the reality is that the insolvency of a business partner is a risk even in normal times. When that business partner is on the other side of pending arbitration proceedings, questions arise as to how the insolvency affects the substantive claim as well as the underlying procedure.
Clearly there are some major economic challenges ahead. Many businesses may be able to withstand the challenges ahead but it may very well be that their trading counterparties (whether suppliers, customers or other stakeholders) will not. Whilst these times can represent an opportunity for some, such as potential acquirers (whether of businesses, assets or distressed debt), in most cases, the climate represents a threat to businesses.
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill (the "Bill") was published on 20 May 2020. The Bill introduces a new type of ‘moratorium’ whereby eligible companies can take 40 days to restructure without the threat of enforcement action from creditors.
Hogan Lovells Publications | 15 June 2020
Navigating distress and insolvency in the oil and gas industry
Following the success of our three-part webinar series produced together with Houlihan Lokey in Spring 2020, we have developed reports summarizing how companies and investors can better navigate distress and insolvency in the oil and gas industry.