On March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court decided Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corp., holding that a bankruptcy court may not approve a structured dismissal of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case if the order does not comply with the priority rules of the Bankruptcy Code. 580 U.S. __ (2017).
In a ruling of much consequence to secured lenders everywhere, the Delaware Supreme Court held in Motors Liquidations v. JPMorgan Chase Bank that filing an incorrect UCC-3 termination statement can be a costly mistake.
THE UCC-3 TERMINATION STATEMENT
The Delaware Supreme Court ruled last fall that a UCC termination statement inadvertently releasing collateral on a $1.5 billion term loan was valid. The creditor could not later claim it did not intend to include the collateral in its release of other collateral with regard to a different credit facility. Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA (Del. 2014).
Receiverships and assignments for the benefit of creditors (ABCs) can be important tools for banks and other lenders when a borrower is suffering financial distress. Because they are often cost-effective and efficient, receiverships are being used increasingly throughout the country, and ABCs are commonly utilized in many states. In Minnesota, however, the statutes regarding receiverships and ABCs were outdated or largely ignored; as a result, receivership practices and procedures are not uniform, and ABCs are almost never used.