The principle of acquirer's liability

The Pension Protection Fund’s (PPF) restructuring and insolvency team has issued interim guidance on its approach to the new moratorium and restructuring plan (RP) provisions that came into force in the UK in 2020.

The PPF has statutory step in rights, meaning it can vote on certain aspects of both the moratorium and RPs to the exclusion of scheme trustees. This guidance represents the PPF’s take on use of RPs and what they expect to see.  However this is only the PPF’s position – this article looks to critically evaluate whether the guidance is tenable. 

HMRC clamping down on furlough fraud by companies in Danger Zone

The latest statistics show that over 11 million workers have been furloughed in the UK as part of the government's job retention scheme (that equates to 16% of the population or one in six people) and 41% of employers had staff furloughed. The scheme has so far cost the government over £40 billion and this figure will continue to rise until the end of September this year when the scheme is set to wind down.

Will your business be financially viable at the end of lockdown? What challenges does 2021 pose? What are the next steps

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) recently issued its draft guidance on its approach to investigating and prosecuting the new criminal offences under the Pension Schemes Act 2021. In this blog post, we share our thoughts on the level of comfort that might be gleaned in relation to criminal risk if the draft guidance were finalised in its current form, focusing on the particular concerns that would remain for restructuring activity.

Background

Mr. O’Neill held a Buy-Out-Bond (BOB) with a pension provider. The retirement options were standard for such a product; allowing for the purchase of annuity, or investment in an Approved Retirement Fund (ARF) or Approved (Minimum) Retirement Fund (AMRF) as well as providing for taxable and non-taxable lump sum entitlements. Mr. O’Neill denied any entitlement of his official assignee (OA) in bankruptcy in exercising the retirement options provided by his pension where a Bankruptcy Payment Order (BPO) pursuant to s85 of the Bankruptcy Act 1988 (Act) had not been obtained.

In civil disputes — including bankruptcy litigation — it is not uncommon for questions to arise about a client’s potential exposure to criminal liability, whether the client is a party or a witness. Civil litigators must therefore understand the role of the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination in the civil context.

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act) introduced significant changes to insolvency law, including permitting companies to propose a “restructuring plan”. The restructuring plan offers a flexible option for companies that sponsor defined benefit pension schemes to compromise their obligations to creditors and, potentially, to the pension scheme itself.

In the final part of our predictions for 2021 for the UK insolvency market we look at pensions, the National Security and Investment Bill and cross border matters.

The Pension Schemes Act 2021 (the Act) introduces new criminal offences which could potentially capture actions taken by anyone involved in planning and advising on corporate restructuring and insolvency, including insolvency practitioners and turnaround professionals, as well as (potentially) financiers and other stakeholders.  The Act received Royal Assent in February, and is expected to come into force by the autumn of 2021.