On October 13 2008 the Amsterdam District Court declared the emergency regulations underthe Financial Supervision Act applicable to the Dutch branch of Landsbanki (Icesave).(1) This update looks at:

In cross border financing transactions, a secured creditor should be aware of Dutch law specifics when dealing with a Dutch obligor in financial distress. Below is a highlighted list of specifics for a secured creditor planning to foreclose on its security or when seeking to improve its security position.

Improving security position

Existing Dutch security documents typically provide for possibilities for improving the position of a secured creditor in case of an event of default.

Getting a tighter grip on collateral

Summary

Providing financial support to related parties that are in financial distress may be in the interest of the group as a whole, but is not necessarily in the direct interest of the individual group company providing such support. This client briefing discusses that issue from a Dutch corporate law and tax law perspective, including the potential consequences if there is a material difference between the financial risks assumed by the Dutch company and the benefits of entering into such a transaction.

Introduction  

Introduction

On September 23 2009 the Amsterdam District Court granted the holder of a pledge over the shares in the capital of Schoeller Arca Systems Services BV authorization for foreclosure on the pledge by way of a private sale. Foreclosure on a pledge over Dutch shares is rare. The decision introduces the possibility for a secured lender either to wipe out subordinated mezzanine debt or to implement a loan-to-own strategy.

Facts

In 2007 Schoeller Arca Systems, its parent and subsidiaries (known as the SAS Group) entered into:

A recent insolvency law case in the Dutch Supreme Court could have serious consequences for software licensees faced with a bankrupt supplier or licensor. The effect of the judgment may be to render traditional software escrow agreements insufficient and to require additional protective measures.

Summary

On November 1 2007 the State Commission for Insolvency Law presented the Preliminary Bill for an Insolvency Act to the minister of justice. The most important changes to the existing Bankruptcy Act are outlined in this update.

Tax treatment in the hands of the creditor

The Commissioner of Inland Revenue (Commissioner) appealed a decision of Associate Judge Christiansen to approve a payment proposal by Mr Wilson to discharge a debt he owed the Commissioner and thereby avoid a declaration of bankruptcy. 

The Supreme Court’s decision in McIntosh v Fisk has confirmed how the courts will deal with claw back claims under the voidable transactions regime in the context of Ponzi schemes. Liquidators’ recoveries will be limited to the fictitious profits for which there was no value given.