Introduction

As we mentioned before, the Greek debt crisis has reached the Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof).

The current insolvency regime in Greece regulated by L. 3588/2007 (the “Greek Bankruptcy Code” or the “GBC”) had already undergone a number of revisions; these were mainly to adapt throughout the nearly ten-year life of the GBC to the constantly changing needs, dictated by the financial circumstances, and to address issues arisen from its application in practice. The latest revision (L.

Extrajudicial Debt Settlement Procedure and Officers’ Liability in Debt Restructuring June 21, 2017 The long anticipated extrajudicial debt settlement procedure (the “EDS Procedure” or “EDS”) was introduced by Law 4469/2017 to provide an additional option for the rescue of indebted businesses at an early insolvency stage. The current pre-insolvency regime includes the rehabilitation procedure of Law 3588/2007 (the “Greek Bankruptcy Code” or the “GBC”), most recently revised at the end of 2016, and the special administration procedure of Law 4307/2014.

The Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel has held that a bankruptcy trustee appointed in a non-U.S. bankruptcy case did not need authority from a U.S. court to take possession and control of a foreign debtor’s assets located in the United States, and transfer them.

Zone of insolvency - directors in the firing line

Happy New Year?

2018 saw a number of high profile insolvencies around the world, including in Guernsey. The climate for many sectors remains extremely challenging with the UK further hindered by continuing uncertainty around Brexit. EY's Profit Warning Stress Index hit its joint highest level for two years in the third quarter of 2018 with 68 UK quoted companies issuing profit warnings.

Not for a long time has the importance of understanding and managing a director’s duties in times of financial distress been so overwhelming. Here, Carey Olsen partner David Jones and associate Tim Molton examine those duties in greater detail, particularly in relation to Guernsey’s company law.

This briefing note provides an outline of the different processes of voluntary winding up and striking off under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) (the “Law”). It does not cover compulsory winding up or the specific provisions on winding up of protected cell companies and incorporated cell companies. Further information on the effect of the Law on the winding up of these company structures can be found in our separate briefing notes on those subjects.

Voluntary Winding Up

What is the Guernsey solvency test?

The solvency test, found in section 527 of the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 as amended ("the Law"), is used to determine whether a Guernsey company is solvent. For non-regulated companies, it is a two-part test. For regulated companies there is a third part to the test[1] which concerns compliance with the solvency requirements imposed by their specific regulatory regimes. The test is cumulative, meaning that a company is insolvent if it fails any applicable part of the test.

Cash flow solvency

This briefing note provides an outline of the different processes of voluntary and compulsory winding up under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) (the “Law”). It does not cover striking off companies or the specific provisions on winding up of protected cell companies and incorporated cell companies. Further information on the effect of the Law on the winding up of these company structures can be found in our separate briefing notes on those subjects.

The mechanics of a voluntary winding up