The Court of Appeal has decided an important question affecting choices around methods of debt enforcement. In ACC Loan Management v Rickard,1 it looked at whether a receiver by way of equitable execution can be appointed to receive future sums to which the debtor may become entitled.

The Bankruptcy (Amendment) Act 2015 reduced the normal duration of bankruptcy from three years to one year. Up until December 2013 the standard period had been twelve years - so the reduction was a fundamental change and it was seen as a very "pro-debtor" reform of law, which was also aimed at reducing "bankruptcy tourism".

Extending the Period of Bankruptcy

www.dilloneustace.com April 2018 Recent Cases on Enforcement of Security of interest to Owners and Prospective Purchasers of Irish NPL Portfolios Introduction It is anticipated that a number of significant non-performing loan (NPL) portfolios will be divested by banks operating in the Irish market over the coming year. The likely cost and timing of realising security over secured real estate assets is a significant consideration for potential buyers of NPL portfolios when assessing entry into this market and the pricing of proposed bids.

In a recent judgment, the High Court has held that unfair prejudice to an investment fund creditor under a proposed Personal Insolvency Arrangement should be assessed in light of likely investment returns and not the cost of its future capital needs.

Following a High Court decision of 1 November 2017 , it seems that the High Court will assess an objection by a secured creditor to a personal insolvency arrangement (PIA) differently depending on whether the creditor is a bank (or other originating lender) or a loan purchaser that is not a bank.

Two significant decisions in relation to personal insolvency applications were made recently in the Dublin Circuit Court and the High Court. The decisions relate to “locus standi”, which means who has the right to bring an application before a court.

Circuit Court case

In Wingview Limited t/a Elphin Public House v Ennis Property Finance DAC the High Court granted an interlocutory injunction prohibiting the defendant from appointing a receiver over Elphin Public House, the Dublin pub which featured in the film "The Van" (1996).

The Irish High Court has recently ruled on the test for determining whether the transfer of a debt is a "true sale" or is by way of a charge. It has, helpfully, adopted the well-established test taken in a long line of English cases which emphasises that the legal form of the contract adopted by the parties will determine its nature, provided the contract is not a "sham".

Introduction

The Companies (Accounting) Act, 2017 (the Act) was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 17 May 2017 and came into operation on 9 June 2017. Sections 92 and 98(d) of the Act provide clarity and certainty on the issue of whether the claim of the holder of a floating charge, once crystallised, ranks in priority to the claim of a preferential creditor following the High Court and the Supreme Court decisions of In the Matter of Re In the Matter of JD Brian Limited (In Liquidation) (the JD Brian case).[1]

Background

Any disposition of a company's property made after the commencement of its winding up, without the approval of the liquidator, is void. In a 2001 case (Re Industrial Services Company (Dublin) Ltd [2001] 2 I.R.118), the High Court held that the transfer by an account bank of monies from an in-credit account of a company in liquidation to third parties constituted a disposition and the bank could be liable to repay the value of such transfers despite not being aware of the winding up order for the Company.