In an October 13, 2009 decision involving bankrupt homebuilder TOUSA, Inc. (“TOUSA”), the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida (the “Court”) avoided as fraudulent transfers certain liens given and debt obligations incurred by several of TOUSA’s subsidiaries to a syndicate of lenders who provided $500 million of new loans to TOUSA. In addition, the Court ordered those lenders, and others that received the proceeds of the new loans, to repay hundreds of millions of dollars to the bankrupt estates of these subsidiaries.

The bankruptcy court's opinion exemplifies the second guessing that can confront solvency opinion providers and highlights issues that providers should carefully vet with experienced legal counsel.

Lenders are often counseled about fraudulent conveyance risks when they engage in financing transactions. It is usual, customary and the norm for steps to be taken to attempt to reduce such risks, including obtaining solvency and fairness opinions and using so-called savings clauses in loan documents. These undertakings and features notwithstanding, when a borrower or guarantor files a chapter 11 petition, often fraudulent conveyance claims are threatened, used as leverage, and settled within the context of a plan of reorganization.

Today, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida, headquartered in Fort Meyers, Florida, and the FDIC was appointed as receiver. As receiver, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Central Bank, headquartered in Stillwater, Minnesota, to assume all of the deposits of Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida.

Tampa Enclave 52 LLC recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and, although no sale has been announced, the Debtor’s assets may be available for acquisition under the right circumstances. The Debtor owns 144 unsold units in a condominium development known as “The Promenade at Tampa Palms” located in Tampa, Florida, valued at $5 million. The Debtor’s gross rent and income from the sale of apartments for 2007 was $7.3 million; for 2008 it was $2.6 million; and the gross rent for 2009 to date is $607,349.

To promote equal treatment of creditors, the US Congress has armed debtors with the power to bring suit to recover a variety of pre-bankruptcy transfers. Prominent among these is a debtor’s ability under Section 548 of the Bankruptcy Code to recover constructively fraudulent transfers — i.e., transfers made without fair consideration when a debtor is insolvent.

To promote equal treatment of creditors, the US Congress has armed debtors with the power to bring suit to recover a variety of pre-bankruptcy transfers. Prominent among these is a debtor’s ability under Section 548 of the Bankruptcy Code to recover constructively fraudulent transfers — i.e., transfers made without fair consideration when a debtor is insolvent.

In a recently published opinion, Judge John K. Olson of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida permitted the bankruptcy estates of TOUSA, Inc. and its debtor subsidiaries to avoid and recover more than $1 billion of liens and cash that the debtors had transferred to secured lenders in a transaction entered into six months prior to the debtors’ chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of TOUSA, Inc. v. Citicorp North America, Inc., 2009 Bankr. LEXIS 3311 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. Oct. 13, 2009).

On Friday, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed Florida Community Bank , headquartered in Immokalee, Florida and the FDIC was named receiver. As receiver, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Premier American Bank, National Association, headquartered in Miami, Florida, to assume all of the deposits of Florida Community Bank.

The South Florida Bankruptcy Court in the Tousa case ordered various creditors that had benefitted from a fraudulent conveyance to disgorge $421,000,000 to the jointly-administered Tousa bankruptcy estates. The court also ordered the avoidance of liens on the assets of various Tousa subsidiary entities who were also debtors in the bankruptcy proceedings. This case may raise increased focus upon the legal theory of fraudulent conveyance, which was the rationale used by the bankruptcy court to order the money returned.