Insurance Regulatory Briefing

HM Treasury Consults on Amendments to Insurer Insolvency Regime

2 AUGUST 2021

London

Table of contents

Recent proposals to amend insolvency rules applying to insurers aim to enhance and clarify existing powers for a court-ordered write-down of an insurer's policy and other contractual liabilities under Section 377 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA"). Other proposed measures include:

1. The Case for Change 2. The Proposed Changes 3. Contacts

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A recent England and Wales High Court decision demonstrates the increasingly litigious nature of Court-supervised restructuring processes. It also addresses the Court’s approach to whether foreign recognition risks represent a ‘blot’ on a proposed scheme of arrangement so that the Court should decline sanction ('the recognition/blot question').

An interview with Mark Byers, Partner and Head of Strategic Relationships, Grant Thornton

What insolvency trends were you seeing before the pandemic?

OVERVIEW

Welcome to the second edition of the insolvency insight bulletin from the insolvency specialists at Quadrant Chambers. All cases link to the relevant judgments.

Case Law

At the recent R3 Scotland Forum[1], experts in the hospitality and leisure sector came together with the restructuring and insolvency profession to discuss the issues the sector is facing as the country emerges from lockdown. The panel discussion which was chaired by Judith Howson, Senior Manager at French Duncan and member of the R3 Scotland Committee was led by Steven Fyfe, head of the Scotland Hotels Divisions within Savills.

For several decades, domestic international bankruptcy laws in many countries are becoming more similar – convergence – and have been changing from a liquidation model to a rescue model. In a liquidation model, the failing of the business is assumed to be the consequence of fraud and mismanagement, and early displacement of management, liquidation of assets under supervision, and distribution of the proceeds to creditors honors creditors rights and protects creditors from further loss.

Given the global pandemic, it's somewhat unsurprising that the UK's loss of access to the EU Regulation on Insolvency Proceedings (EUIR) has received relatively little press.

After all, what with the state support of furlough and loan schemes along with the temporary suspension of winding up petitions and wrongful trading rules, as well as the ban on landlords evicting commercial tenants formal insolvencies in the UK have "just dried up" says HFW fraud and insolvency co-head Rick Brown.

Prior to the end of the transition period (31 December 2020), U.K. restructuring tools enjoyed universal and automatic recognition throughout the European Union. However, the legal landscape is now tainted with uncertainty and the legal position regarding recognition is more complex. Recognition is important to ensure that a scheme of arrangement, a restructuring plan, or a company voluntary arrangement (“CVA”) is fully binding on parties and to minimise the risk of challenge.

Almost a year has now passed since the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) first entered force on 26 June 2020. According to the Explanatory Notes that accompanied CIGA, “the overarching objective of [the Act] is to provide businesses with the flexibility and breathing space they need to continue trading during this difficult time”. To this end, CIGA introduces a number of permanent and temporary amendments to the UK’s insolvency landscape which are aimed at ensuring businesses can maximise their chances of survival against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Christopher Loxton has written an article on the mutual recognition and enforcement of insolvencies in the EU post-Brexit.