On 22 July 2022, judgment was handed down in relation to the sanction of the first Part 26A restructuring plan to be proposed by a small–medium enterprise (SME) in Re Houst Limited [2022] EWHC 1941 (Ch). The restructuring plan (RP) procedure set out in Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) has been widely considered to be out of the reach of SMEs due to excessive cost. The decision is also an interesting one for other reasons, notably the cram-down of HMRC as a dissenting creditor.
In brief
In Chan WS and Chan CNP v. CC Bank [2022] HKCA 1037 ("CA Decision"), the Court of Appeal (CA) recently overturned a decision in the Court of First Instance (CFI) to set aside two statutory demands (SDs) on the ground of overstatement of the debt in the SDs ("CFI Decision").
The 8th edition of Baker McKenzie's Global Restructuring & Insolvency Guide has been compiled by Baker McKenzie lawyers experienced in the practical aspects of restructuring and insolvency. It should provide you with a helpful reference tool to understand the numerous insolvency and restructuring regimes that may affect your business.
Covering 38 jurisdictions, we review the following topics:
Today’s insolvency statistics contained few surprises, creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs) have continued to outnumber other types of company insolvencies by some margin and have distorted the overall picture, which is that (putting aside CVLs where directors/shareholders elect to pull the plug themselves on a company’s survival) figures for other types of company insolvencies remain below pre-pandemic figures.
In brief
On 15 July 2022, a new law ("Law") amending inter alia the Luxembourg law of 5 August 2005 on financial collateral arrangements, as amended ("2005 Law"), was adopted.
For those who missed it the Insolvency Service published an excellent research report at the end of June which focuses on the treatment of landlords in company voluntary arrangements (CVAs). This was against the backdrop of a large number of "landlord" CVAs in recent years – particularly in the retail and casual dining sectors – where landlords have often complained that they have been unfairly treated compared to other compromised creditors. The report concludes that landlords are, broadly speaking, equitably treated compared to other classes of unsecured creditors.
The Insolvency Service has published a consultation on the implementation of two UNCITRAL "model laws" relating to insolvency: the Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Insolvency-Related Judgments (MLIJ), and the Model Law on Enterprise Group Insolvency (MLEG). The UK has already enacted legislation based on the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency, in the form of the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006 (CBIR).
The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020, commonly referred to as the "Breathing Space Regulations", came into force on 4 May 2021. The Regulations provide eligible individuals with problem debt a period of protection from their creditors known as a "breathing space moratorium".
What effect will government proposals have on insurers, policyholders and other stakeholders?
The Insolvency Service has published an interim report which evaluates three permanent changes to the insolvency regime as introduced by The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA): restructuring plans; the standalone moratorium and the restriction on contractual termination rights (so-called ipso facto clauses). The takeaway messages are as follows: