Summary  

The international banking crisis has hit hard. German banks and companies are also affected. This briefing provides an insight on questions that are typically raised when persons are exposed to insolvency situations which involve proceedings initiated in Germany or abroad but have a connection to Germany in certain aspects.  

When does German Insolvency Law apply?  

Before 1993, the question of whether a creditor of a corporation being wound up had received an unfair preference from that corporation was determined under section 122 of the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth). In 1993, a new Part 5.7B was inserted into the Corporations Act to deal with voidable transactions such as unfair preferences. Since then two lines of divergent judicial authority have developed:

The lengthening of the restoration period for dormant companies may make a solvent liquidation an attractive option for some companies. James Stonebridge examines the impact of changes introduced under the Companies Act 2006.

Summary

The briefing provides an overview of the reorganisation plan introduced by the new Greek Bankruptcy Code. Its purpose is to set out the more important mechanics of the reorganisation plan and examine its more important ramifications within the bankruptcy process.

The new Greek Bankruptcy Code

The European Commission has published a paper on its study covering pre-insolvency, early intervention, reorganisation and liquidation.

On 25 March 2010, HM Treasury published a consultation paper which proposes improvements to the protection and payment of benefits for policyholders of insurers in financial difficulty. In particular, the proposals address certain gaps in the regime for insurers in administration in contrast to the regime applied in liquidation.

Introduction