As with many retail businesses, the Nero Group has been seriously impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company is the tenant of 619 stores and in November 2020 the directors proposed a Company Voluntary Arrangement, which is a statutory compromise voted on by creditors. The CVA proposal was principally focused on the company’s landlords, seeking to compromise the terms of the leases as to arrears of rent, future rent, service charges and insurance.
The creditors voted in favour of the CVA in December 2020.
The Third Circuit recently held, in a case from the Energy Future Holdings bankruptcy, that a losing stalking horse bidder can provide sufficient value to the debtor’s estate to receive an administrative claim for a break-up fee and expenses. In re Energy Future Holdings Corp., 990 F.3d 728, 748 (3rd Cir. 2021). This represents an expansive view of potential administrative claims related to those costs, providing bidders significant potential protections for their bids.
On 14 May 2021, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice and the Vice-President of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) signed a record of meeting concerning mutual recognition of and assistance to insolvency proceedings between the courts of Mainland China and Hong Kong (Record of Meeting), which signifies the consensus on the mutual recognition of and assistance to insolvency proceedings between the two jurisdictions in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and with a view to promoting closer cross-border judicial cooperation on insolvency matters.
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.
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’.
Introduction
COVID-19
Government Intervention Schemes
Current as of 21 May 2021
Government Intervention Schemes
COVID-19 Government Intervention Schemes 2
Countries around the globe are facing unprecedented and rapid change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This guide provides a summary of key government interventions around the globe in relation to: EU State Aid Approvals (for EMEA region), foreign investment restrictions, debt, equity and taxation.
On May 31, 2021, Kumtor Gold Company CSJC, a Kyrgyz Republic-based operator of the Kumtor mine located in the Kyrgyz Republic, along with Kumtor Operating Company CSJC, filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (Case No. 21-11051). The company estimated $1 billion to $10 billion in assets and $100 million to $500 million in liabilities.