The merchant cash advance (“MCA”) industry recently provided two different bankruptcy courts with an opportunity to consider the characterization of MCA funding transactions as either “true sales” of receivables or “disguised loans”.
Business rates liability is complex and the question of who is liable if occupiers become insolvent is one that often arises during periods of economic uncertainty, such as the pandemic.
Business rates liability for insolvent companies
Business rates liability attaches to specific units of property known as “hereditaments”.
There is a common misconception that lender liability is a thing of the past. However, a recent decision provides a warning to lenders that they can be held liable and face substantial damages if they exercise excessive control over a debtor’s business affairs.
Does a claim for a balance of sale of shares, originally owed by one of the two entities that amalgamated to become the debtor, constitute an equity claim pursuant to section 2(1) of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act1 (hereafter the BIA) in the context of a proposal of that same debtor?
If so, what are the consequences for the Seller?
Background
Questions en litige
Est ce qu’une créance relative à un solde de prix de vente d’actions, initialement due par une des deux entités ayant fusionné pour devenir la débitrice, constitue une réclamation relative à des capitaux propres au sens de l’article 2 (1) de la Loi sur la faillite et l’insolvabilité1 (ci après la « LFI ») dans le cadre de la proposition de cette même débitrice?
Le cas échéant, quelles sont les conséquences pour le Vendeur?
Trame factuelle
A recent decision by Bankruptcy Judge Stacey Jurnigan in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas is being touted as the new Farah Manufacturing lender liability opinion for the 2020s.
Background
When the validity of an agreed interest rate is the subject of a dispute between the parties to a loan agreement in Germany, the insolvency courts do not have jurisdiction to deal with the dispute. This is something only the civil courts can do.
Impact
If lenders provide sufficient evidence of the loan interest amount, ie usually the loan agreement, the debtor is required to prove that the interest rate contradicts public policy or is unreasonably high.
Introduction
Can the foreclosure of a property tax lien on real estate be avoided as a fraudulent transfer under § 584 of the Bankruptcy Code?
That’s the issue before the District Court, on a bankruptcy appeal, in Duvall v. County of Ontario, New York, Case No. 21-cv-06236 in U.S. District Court, WDNY (issued 11/9/2021).
Courts have gone both ways on the issue.
The Difficulty
On 21 October 2021, the Cayman Islands' legislature gazetted the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2021 (Bill) which introduced a new corporate restructuring process in the Cayman Islands (Cayman). The Bill represents a welcome development to the restructuring regime in the Cayman Islands and once again fortifies the Cayman Islands' standing reputation as a leading offshore financial hub and a popular destination for foreign investment opportunities.