The Fiduciary Duties of Directors
When a company enters the zone of insolvency (the so-called “twilight zone”), conflicts of interest between the company, its shareholders and the different stakeholders, such as creditors, are ignited and the pressure on directors for contradictory forms of action is intensified.
An unresolved question - and one that generates disparate opinions - is addressed in this paper concerning whether and how conditional or litigating creditors should be acknowledged in terms of quorum and voting under the Fourth Additional Provision of the Insolvency Act.
La Propuesta de Directiva de 22 de noviembre del 2016 aborda (ofreciendo nuevas perspectivas de desarrollo del Derecho español) la cuestión de la necesidad del consentimiento de los socios para proceder a la capitalización de créditos en un escenario preconcursal.
Se explora la posibilidad de que los acreedores financieros de la masa del concurso puedan solicitar una homologación judicial de un acuerdo de refinanciación de sus créditos contra la empresa ya consursada.
Las Sentencias del Tribunal Supremo de 10 de julio y 31 de octubre de 2018 [RJ 2018/2814 y RJ 2018/4729] han debido decidir si una sociedad (TIP) ostentaba el control sobre otra (TRECAM) a los efectos de determinar si esta segunda pertenecía al grupo de la socia única (CAM) de la primera (lo que resultaba relevante para la calificación en el concurso de TRECAM de los créditos de CAM y de otra filial íntegramente participada de esta ultima entidad).
On 12 December 2017, creditors in the long running special administration of failed stockbroking firm, MF Global UK Limited (“MF Global”), approved a company voluntary arrangement (“CVA”). This case demonstrates the flexibility of the CVA procedure and the role it can play in complex financial services cases.
What is a CVA?
To a layperson this may came as a surprise. But, to those familiar with the secondary loan market, it is confirmation of existing law.
A “vulture fund”– including a newly incorporated company with a share capital of only £1 that has not traded and has been established for the purpose of acquiring a defaulted loan with a view to realising more by enforcing than had been expended on acquiring the debt can be a “financial institution” for the purposes of the transfer provisions of a loan agreement.
Mr Justice Zacaroli has handed down his judgment in Hurricane Energy plc [2021] EWHC 1759 (Ch).
Summary
The Court declined to approve the cross-class cram down of Hurricane’s shareholders as part of the Part 26A restructuring plan because the available evidence did not demonstrate that the shareholders were “no worse off” as a result of the restructuring plan. On that basis the restructuring plan failed.
We saw important amendments to the Bulgarian Commerce Act (the “Act”) come to life at the very end of 2016, most notably regarding:
Notary certifications – currently in effect
Summary
The much anticipated judgement of Mr Justice Snowden in relation to a restructuring plan proposal (the “Plans”) made by Virgin Active Holdings Limited, Virgin Active Limited and Virgin Active Health Clubs Limited (the “Plan Companies”) was handed down on 12 May 2021.