A successful purchase depends not just on negotiating a two-party transaction, but rather navigating the applicable process and dealing with all the competing interests successfully to allow a bid to succeed and closing to occur.

Q: Do opportunities exist for asset buyers in times of distress?

Creditors risk losing important rights in bankruptcy cases if deadlines are not met. Unfortunately, sometimes the existence or relevance of a deadline is not obvious to a creditor. Indeed, bankruptcy notices can be indecipherable and tempting to ignore, but failing to abide by deadlines comes at a high price. A recent opinion from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts underscores the need for creditors to take timely action to preserve rights, which is especially noteworthy given the current coronavirus pandemic and the expected increase in bankruptcy filings.

In In re Fortin, 598 B.R. 689 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2019), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts considered whether a lender may enforce a mortgage despite the unenforceability of the underlying promissory note. The court held that a lender’s inability to collect on a note due to the expiration of the statute of limitation for enforcement of the note does not adversely affect enforcement of the mortgage so long as the debt remains unpaid.

"When licensing trademark rights, you need to think about a host of issues at the outset including the impact of a licensor declaring bankruptcy."

Two recent opinions concerning the law of substantive consolidation should be of interest to business owners and commercial real estate market participants. The doctrine of substantive consolidation allows a bankruptcy court, in certain circumstances, to augment the assets of a debtor’s bankruptcy estate with the assets of others affiliated with the debtor. The two decisions both involved efforts by chapter 7 trustees to substantively consolidate the assets of related, non-debtor entities with the bankruptcy estate administered by each trustee.

Headlines 1. OCC to Consider Fintech Applications for Special Purpose National Bank Charters 2. Federal Banking Agencies Publish Guidance on New Credit Loss Accounting Standard 3. Federal Banking Agencies Issue Final Rule on Extended Exam Cycles 4. Division of Banks Amends Foreclosure Prevention and ATM/EFT Rules 5. Other Developments: Marijuana Guidance and Bank Fraud

1. OCC to Consider Fintech Applications for Special Purpose National Bank Charters

Landlords contemplating terminating a lease with a distressed tenant in advance of a possible tenant bankruptcy will want to consider carefully a recent decision from the Seventh Circuit. The decision, In re Great Lakes Quick Lube LP, reversed and remanded a bankruptcy court decision in favor of a landlord.

Every Massachusetts homeowner should be aware of the opportunities that are available for protecting the equity in the family home. A recent bankruptcy case, In re: Nealon, reminds us of one such opportunity – the Massachusetts homestead exemption — and its power to stave off creditors, especially when the homeowner takes the simple steps necessary to maximize the amount entitled to protection.

Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a decision in the case of Cyber Solutions International LLC v. Pro Marketing Sales, Inc. Although the decision blazes no new legal territory, the facts of the case and rulings offer important lessons for both lenders and licensees.

The Nutter Bank Report is a monthly electronic publication of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services Group and contains regulatory and legal updates with expert commentary from our banking attorneys.