A recent judgment finds a Personal Insolvency Arrangement (the PIA) is not permissible where the term of the restructured loan is likely to exceed the lifespan of the debtor.

The key facts

The PIA in question involved a mortgage term extension of 372 months (ie 31 years) which would have required the Debtor to continue making repayments until she was 98 years of age which is well beyond the Central Bank's recommended age of 70 years of age.

General Scheme Published.

The General Scheme of the Companies (Small Company Administrative Rescue Process and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 was published this month. When enacted, this Bill will provide the legislative basis for a new corporate restructuring process that will be available to small companies: it is the Small Company Administrative Process (SCARP).

A General Scheme sets out the proposals for the text of a forthcoming Bill and the Government has granted approval for the priority drafting of this legislation (as discussed here).

In the recent decision of Badendoch Integrated Logging Pty Ltd v Bryant, in the matter of Gunns Limited (in Liquidation) (receivers and managers appointed) [2021] FCAFC 64 (Badendoch) the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia effectively abolished the “peak indebtedness” rule for liquidators pursuing unfair preference claims.

The High Court has released its judgment in Re Halifax NZ Limited (In liq) [2021] NZHC 113, involving a unique contemporaneous sitting of the High Court of New Zealand and Federal Court of Australia.

Suffering with mental health problems and being in financial difficulty are often strongly linked, with one frequently causing or worsening the other. The introduction of The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (referred to in this article as the ‘debt respite regulations’), which, with very limited exceptions, came into force on 4 May 2021, allows an eligible individual breathing space from any action a creditor may take for a ‘problem debt’.

Not only was 4 May Star Wars Day this year, it was also the day The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 (referred to in this article as the ‘debt respite regulations’) came into force.

Introduction

With the global economic downturn, businesses may begin to show signs of insolvency. Indeed, we have seen an increasing number of applications for compulsory winding-up processed by Hong Kong courts. 

The English High Court has sanctioned the restructuring plans proposed by the Virgin Active group following a hearing contested by a group of the gym chain's landlords. The decision represents the first use of the restructuring plan procedure, introduced during the summer of 2020, to restructure a lease portfolio, demonstrating the utility of the tool for debtors when implementing a significant restructuring across the capital structure, and as an alternative to the much-used company voluntary arrangement.

着全球经济陷入低迷，企业无力偿债的迹象开始浮现。事实上，我们看到香港法院处理的强制清盘申请数目正在增加。

若您是债权人一方，当您的债务人无法还款时，很自然地您会考虑应采取哪些行动。如果债务人是离岸公司，情况或会变得复杂。近期有数宗个案涉及在香港联交所上市的公司，其注册地位于其他司法管辖区，而资产和主要业务则位于中国內地。这些个案显示，债权人在处理拥有类似分层架构的公司时需要考虑一些重要问题。这份客户简报就这些问题和应考虑的事项进行讨论。

将一家公司清盘

如您的债务人无法还款，您会开始考虑各种选项，而选项之一可能是将该公司清盘。然而，在展开有关行动前，您应该先评估一些事项。

在香港进行清盘

债务人能否就债务提出有实质理由的争辩？

在对债务人公司进行清盘时，您会以债务人无力偿还债务作为理由1，而常见用以支持这个理由的依据是债务人在收到法定要求偿债书后三个星期内仍未能清偿债务。