In the recent decision of Re JD (a debtor), the High Court upheld a debtor’s challenge to a lender’s decision to reject a Personal Insolvency Agreement (“PIA”) proposal.

Section 115A of the Personal Insolvency Acts 2012- 2015 (“the Acts”) provides a new mechanism by which a debtor may seek the Court’s approval of a PIA notwithstanding its rejection by creditors.

This case is particularly significant as:

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".

The High Court has refused a challenge by a liquidator to an invoice discounting agreement entered into by the Company prior to liquidation.

The liquidator argued that the invoice discounting agreement was in fact a loan agreement under which the Bank took a charge over the Company’s book debts. If that was the case, then those funds would be funds in the liquidation and the Bank an unsecured creditor, because the loan agreement was not registered and therefore void as against the liquidator.

Alternative A of the Cape Town Convention [1] now has the force of law in Ireland, following signing of an Order by the Irish Government on 10 May 2017.

The Cape Town Convention was designed to establish a uniform set of rules to provide greater certainty and predictability around the protection, prioritisation and enforcement of rights in aircraft and aircraft engines. The Convention has a commercial objective, namely to facilitate efficient forms of asset-based financing.

Alternative A

Introduction

The Irish government has signed an order pursuant to the State Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014 (the "Order") giving immediate legal effect to the "Alternative A" insolvency provisions ("Alternative A") of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (the "Cape Town Convention") and the associated Aircraft Protocol (the "Protocol").

In positive news for financiers and lenders, the Irish Government has signed an order which gives immediate effect to the “Alternative A” insolvency provisions of the Cape Town Convention.

In a High Court decision of 22 May 2017 Baker J rejected a proposal by a secured lender to write down a portion of a debtor couple's mortgage debt and warehouse half of the debt as future repayment of the warehoused part of the loan was not predicated on an ability to repay. Thus, the proposal was capable of creating circumstances amounting to insolvency at the end of the mortgage term in approximately 23 years.

Facts

In a significant judgment, the High Court has held that there is no bar on a personal insolvency arrangement including a split-mortgage. The court also held that while a Personal Insolvency Practitioner is required to have regard to a creditor’s proposed solution for resolution of mortgage debt (eg a split-mortgage), the PIP will not be acting unreasonably by failing to adopt that solution and instead adopting another reasonable solution (eg debt write-down).

The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by the Edward Holdings group of companies against a decision of O’Connor J in the High Court refusing to appoint an examiner to four of the seven group companies in respect of which an examiner was sought to be appointed. The group, which is controlled by Gerry Barrett, owns, amongst other assets, the Meyrick and G hotels in Galway.

Baker J in the High Court has given three recent judgments in matters concerning Section 115A(9) of the Personal Insolvency Acts 2012 – 2015 (the Acts). This Section gives a Court power to review and approve a Personal Insolvency Application (PIA) rejected at a meeting of creditors.

Re JD (a debtor) [2017] IEHC 119, High Court, 21 February 2017