Facts
In 2006, a subsidiary of a Brazilian company issued US$100 million in principal amount of notes, guaranteed by its parent and constituted by a trust deed.
BBA has published a briefing paper setting out its position on the Commission’s proposal for a bank recovery and resolution directive. It suggests that certain powers, such as appointing a Special Manager or requiring a plan for debt restructuring, are more akin to resolution tools and should not be used until the firm has reached its point of non-viability. This also applies to the bail-in tool, which cannot be used as the first or default option.
The Bankruptcy Fees etc (Scotland) Regulations 2012 recently implemented some significant changes to the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB)’s fees structure. Key changes include:
- The 1992 ISDA Master Agreement: Court of Appeal provides clarity on payment obligations owed to insolvent counterparties
Lomas v JFB Firth Rixson Inc [2012] EWCA Civ 419
This summer has seen several pension issues making the news. They show how essential it is for employers and trustees to keep abreast of how developments impact on their arrangements.
Jay Doraisamy looks at five areas which have made the headlines this summer:
Whether rent due should be treated as an insolvency expense (paid in preference to unsecured creditors and the insolvency practitioner's fees/expenses) remains controversially topical. With the economic recovery being more of a marathon than a sprint, and more insolvencies anticipated, both landlords and insolvency practitioners (IP) are calling for greater clarity over when rent is an insolvency expense and over what period.
Financial support directions and insolvency: the Regulator's statement
The Pensions Regulator has today issued a Statement on its power to issue financial support directions (“FSDs”) against companies after an insolvency event has occurred. The Statement follows longstanding concerns of insolvency practitioners, which have arisen from ongoing court proceedings brought by the Lehman Brothers and Nortel administrators.
Background
FSA has made a statement explaining how the bank’s failure to comply with FSA’s liquidity guidelines as they applied to it was critical. It says that while the bank’s downfall was not directly due to the breaches, the breaches happened at a critical period for the financial markets and at a time FSA needed banks to keep it up to date on their liquidity. (Source: FSA Explains Liquidity Importance)
As noted in our July 2010 newsletter, lawyers are not immune from the recession.