For the benefit of our clients and friends investing in European distressed opportunities, our European Network is sharing some current developments.

Recent Developments

Background

Administration

Administration is a procedure by which a company can be reorganised and its assets realised whilst being protected by a moratorium from actions brought by creditors (explained below).  

Objectives

A company can be put into administration if the objectives of administration are likely to be achieved. These are set out in the Insolvency Act 1986 (the “Act”)4 as:  

The rapid evolution of a robust secondary market for claims against the three largest failed Icelandic banks provides a powerful example of the prompt adaptation of an existing secondary-market legal framework -- originally developed in the US and Europe -- to a complex and novel bankruptcy regime and trading environment.

DURING THE PAST YEAR, many investors in the distressed debt market have received postreorganization private equity1 either through a confirmed plan of reorganization or through participation in a rights offering. Unlike publicly traded equity, each new issuance of postreorganization equity leaves recipients, issuers, and agents potentially facing uncharted territory in terms of how the instrument is to trade and settle.

Greece is proceeding with the largest sovereign debt restructuring in history after its bondholders accepted a significant debt reduction in the face of mounting evidence that a Greek default was inevitable without such relief. In a related market development garnering only slightly less attention than the debt restructuring itself, the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.

Extrajudicial Debt Settlement Procedure and Officers’ Liability in Debt Restructuring June 21, 2017 The long anticipated extrajudicial debt settlement procedure (the “EDS Procedure” or “EDS”) was introduced by Law 4469/2017 to provide an additional option for the rescue of indebted businesses at an early insolvency stage. The current pre-insolvency regime includes the rehabilitation procedure of Law 3588/2007 (the “Greek Bankruptcy Code” or the “GBC”), most recently revised at the end of 2016, and the special administration procedure of Law 4307/2014.

Clients who desire to participate in the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”) 2008 Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (“Lehman”) Credit Default Swap (“CDS”) Settlement Protocol (the “Settlement Protocol”) must do so by Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. (New York time). The period to join the Settlement Protocol opens on Monday, October 6, 2008; accordingly, there is a relatively narrow window for clients to elect to participate.

The memorandum has been prepared on the basis of the law and practice in Guernsey as at 1 April 2010.

Introduction  

In a recent case1 the High Court held that the purported out of court appointment of administrators over a Guernsey registered limited partnership was void because the appointor used the incorrect form when giving notice of its intention to appoint.

Background

Introduction