The Supreme Court rescinded a payment made to the creditor that petitioned for compulsory insolvency in a case where the creditor withdrew its petition and the debtor applied for voluntary bankruptcy several weeks later.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court made the following significant assertions in respect of insolvency rescission of payments:

Under Additional Provision Four of the Insolvency Act,¹ which regulates the courts’ sanction of refinancing agreements, the effects of the moratorium established in the agreement will be extended to dissenting financial entities, provided that the conditions specified in that precept are fulfilled (where the requisites imposed under article 71.6 of the Insolvency Act regarding the agreement itself are met and where it has been signed by creditors representing at least 75% of the financial entities’ liabilities at the time of the agreement).

Presentación

El análisis de la Ley 9/2012, de 14 de noviembre, de Reestructuración y Resolución de Entidades de Crédito y de la aplicación de algunos de sus preceptos en supuestos con elementos internacionales exige partir de dos premisas:

El justiprecio expropiatorio que no podrán pagar las concesionarias de autopistas en concurso lo debe pagar el Estado, que será a su vez titular de un crédito concursal contra la concesionaria por este concepto.

1. Introduction

1. Introduction

Given the situation of Spanish market generally —and the latest reforms on restructuring of the financial sector more particularly— it seems that cash flow shortage may be ongoing in the near to mid term future for some Spanish corporations. Upon this situation stressed or distressed companies may consider rescue financing alternatives in substitution —or in addition to— other traditional funding. Generally within a broadest restructuring deal, non-bank lenders may have an interesting role to play in providing for liquidity facilities.

This paper aims to briefly describe the scenarios where acts or actions might be rescinded (particularly in the context of refinancing or debt restructuring of Spanish companies) pursuant to the Spanish Insolvency Act (“SIA”) and the consequences of rescission from a legal standpoint. Procedural questions related to the subject matter are not analyzed in this document.

What acts can be rescinded?

En la SAP de Madrid (secc. 28ª) de 7 de diciembre de 2012 y la SAP de Barcelona (secc. 15ª) de 4 de octubre de 2012 se discutía la calificación concursal de un crédito que había sido calificado por la administración concursal como subordinado por entender que la sociedad acreedora pertenecía al mismo grupo de sociedades que la concursada. En ambos casos las Audiencias realizan un análisis del concepto de grupo a efectos concursales antes y después de la reforma de la Ley Concursal introducida por la Ley 38/2011.

The Spanish Insolvency Act (hereinafter, the SIA) establishes two simple and straightforward options designed to bring a solution to the Debtor’s insolvency: 1) either enter into a legal transaction with the creditors in which the free will of the parties is evidenced (this is known as composition of creditors or creditor’s agreement) or; 2) commence the winding-up of the company.

Se rechaza la inscripción del nombramiento de liquidador acordado por la junta general ante la aparición de un activo sobrevenido de una sociedad cuya hoja registral había sido cerrada por el juzgado de lo mercantil ante la conclusión del concurso por inexistencia de bienes.

La DGRN se cuestiona si es posible inscribir el acuerdo de nombramiento de liquidador de una sociedad cuya hoja registral fue cerrada por auto del Juez de lo Mercantil que decretó la conclusión del concurso de acreedores de la sociedad por inexistencia de bienes²⁸.