The English High Court in Powertrain Ltd, Re [2015] EWHC B26 considered the issue of whether a liquidator should be authorised to effect further distributions in favour of a company's known creditors without regard to possible further claims that could emerge against the company. 

The Court noted that there is a balance to be struck between the desirability of distributing assets to known creditors sooner rather than later and the potential injustice of leaving someone who has a valid claim with no effective remedy.

Tough trading conditions

Introduction

Generally, directors are focused on making a success of the business to which they are appointed and the prospect of insolvency and the potential for personal liability often seems remote. Indeed, many directors will never have to face the difficult decisions associated with a struggling business. However, when they do, they often rely on the advice of experienced insolvency professionals.

More than a decade after the enactment of chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code, issues pertaining to recognition of a foreign debtor’s bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding under chapter 15 have, in large part, shifted from the purely procedural inquiry (such as the foreign debtor’s center of main interests, or “COMI”) to more substantive challenges regarding the limits, if any, that chapter 15 places on U.S. bankruptcy courts. But as demonstrated by the recent ruling in In re Creative Finance Ltd. (In Liquidation), 2016 BL 8825 (Bankr. S.D.N.Y. Jan. 13, 2016), U.S.

From April 2016 companies and limited liability partnerships (“LLPs”) (except for publicly traded companies) will be required to create and maintain a register of persons with “significant control” over the company (“PSC Register”) and in due course send that information to Companies House where it will be publically searchable.

What’s the purpose of the new regulations?

From 6 April 2016 an application for an individual resident in England and Wales to go bankrupt will be an online procedure (in Northern Ireland, the changes will apply from November 2016). This change was brought about by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.

A debtor will complete an online application to be reviewed by a newly created “Adjudicator”, where previously an application was made in person to the Court. As a result of the changes the court will only be involved in a minority of cases involving an appeal or a post-order application, thus freeing up court time.

Summary

Editor’s Note: Our good London colleague Ed Marlow recently published this as a Bryan Cave client advisory.

The case of K/S Victoria Street v House of Fraser (Stores Management) Ltd in 2011 clarified several important points under the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 relating to the release of covenants and the responsibilities of tenant and guarantor on assignment of a lease.

In giving the judgement for K/S Victoria Street Lord Neuberger commented obiter that the anti-avoidance provisions of the 1995 Act may prevent an assignment from a tenant to its guarantor, even if both parties wished it.

For all corporate insolvencies starting on or after 6 April 2016 insolvency office-holders are now required to submit a report on the conduct of anyone who was a director of the insolvent company in the 3 years leading up to the insolvency, irrespective of their conduct. Currently, reports are only required where office-holders consider a director’s conduct makes them unfit to be involved in a company’s management in the future.