Key Points
The High Court has approved the sale of a portfolio of securities owned by Sova Capital Limited (Sova) to an unsecured creditor in consideration of the release of that creditor’s claim. The court’s approval of the transaction in this case marks the first reported decision on an unsecured credit bid for the assets of a company in administration (Re Sova Capital Limited (in special administration) [2023] EWHC 452 (Ch)).
Facts
Summary
This article provides information regarding what will now happen to the operations and business of the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB UK) after the sale (the Sale) of SVB UK to HSBC’s ring-fenced UK subsidiary, HSBC UK Bank plc (HSBC).
Summary
The Bank of England (the BoE) will apply to put the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB UK) into Bank Insolvency, which is a modified version of liquidation under Part 2 of the Banking Act 2009, on Sunday 12 March 2023 unless a buyer can be found for SVB UK’s business and assets.
The situation remains fluid and this represents our advice based on public announcements by the BoE and SVB UK that we are aware of as at 12pm on 12 March 2023.
On Friday March 10, 2023, the Bank of England moved to put the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank into insolvency after it applied for £1.8bn of liquidity as its parent company was collapsing. The situation remains fluid, and the following Q&A reflects our understanding as of Sunday, March 12.
UK resolution authority and powers
On March 10, 2023, the Bank of England published the following statement regarding Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited (SVB UK):
As we continue to work with clients regarding the Bank of England’s statement as to its intention to apply to place Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited (SVB UK) into a bank insolvency procedure, please see below for responses to some frequently asked questions surrounding the current situation. Please note that this list covers general topics related to rapidly changing circumstances.
Miles J’s judgment in Re Sova Capital Ltd [2023] EWHC 452 (Ch) will, like that of Jonathan Hilliard QC in Re Petropavlovsk Plc,be welcomed as a further example of the courts acting to assist insolvency practitioners selling assets in unusual circumstances.
The UK High Court has considered and granted permission for a so called “credit bid” in an application by the Special Administrators of Sova Capital Ltd (in special administration) for a substantial portfolio of illiquid Russian securities. The transaction structure, involving the transfer of securities in exchange for the release of a £233m claim against the estate, is unprecedented in the UK where ‘credit bidding’ has no technical recognition.