On Thursday 9 November, Macfarlanes hosted a webinar which focused on the role of directors and in particular navigating those stresses and strains placed upon them in the uncertainties of the current markets.
The webinar was given by an expert panel comprising of finance partner and head of Macfarlanes’ restructuring and insolvency group, Jat Bains, finance partner and qualified insolvency practitioner, Paul Keddie, and litigation partner, Lois Horne.
The panel discussed the following three principal themes.
On 13 October 2023, the Insolvency Service (IS), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, discontinued the disqualification proceedings which it had initiated against five former non-executive directors (NEDs) of Carillion plc, the construction and outsourcing giant that collapsed into liquidation in 2018.
Any restructuring where there are multiple tiers of debt and lenders with different interests and views can be tricky. Lenders will try to anticipate these difficulties by entering into an intercreditor agreement (an ICA) setting each lender’s ranking and rights to enforce. Typically, an ICA will allow the senior lenders at least the option of taking the lead on an enforcement or a restructuring.
This week:
On 14 September 2023, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released Consultation Paper 372 "Guidance on insolvent trading safe harbour provisions: Update to RG 217".
Restructuring plans under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006 are a powerful tool for restructuring the debts of a company.
This week:
Court imposes compensation order on disqualified director
The court has ordered a disqualified director of an insolvent company to pay personal compensation to creditors.
The court orders a disqualified director of an insolvent company to pay personal compensation to creditors.
This is only the second time the courts have considered a personal compensation order against a disqualified director since their introduction in 2015.
What happened?
Secretary of State v Barnsby [2023] EWHC 2284 (Ch) concerned an individual who was the sole director and majority shareholder of a company that sold package holidays.
Insolvency practitioners and other potentially affected stakeholders, such as company directors and corporate trustees, should watch this space carefully to keep abreast of any changes to their obligations.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services Corporate insolvency in Australia was released on 12 July 2023.
The Report states that the construction industry is experiencing one of the highest rates of insolvencies compared to other sectors. The Report cited ASIC data which shows that the number of companies entering external administration has increased relative to the same month in the previous two financial years, with the construction industry being the most highly represented.