One year ago, we wrote that, unlike in 2019, when the large business bankruptcy landscape was generally shaped by economic, market, and leverage factors, the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the narrative in 2020. The pandemic may not have been responsible for every reversal of corporate fortune in 2020, but it weighed heavily on the scale, particularly for companies in the energy, retail, restaurant, entertainment, health care, travel, and hospitality industries.
As the pandemic continues to create uncertainty we look at what this means for the retail and consumer landscape. We consider the options and the warning signs.
Restructuring a Multinational Corporation to Optimize Profitability and Efficiency A Case Study By Owen D. Kurtin Kurtin PLLC, New York, NY 2022 Revised Edition T:212.554.3373|E: [email protected] | W:kurtinlaw.com 2 The TO Project A few years ago, I was asked to serve as lead outside legal counsel to a U.S.-basedpublic corporationinanindustrialbusiness sector withoperations in over thirty countries in the reorganization of its global corporate structure and operations.
With many businesses headed towards a ‘winter of discontent,’ dealing with a combination of the after effects of Covid19 related disruption, supply chain issues, soaring inflation and labour shortages, we are undoubtedly going to see a continued rise in insolvencies over the coming months which will emerge in many different and often unpredictable forms.
What could happen this winter?
End of CIGA restrictions
On 1 October 2021 the temporary changes to corporate insolvency law, brought about by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) and which seriously curtailed creditors’ ability to present winding-up petitions between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2021, changed.
The offshore industry is thriving but ESG is adding new priorities both to transactions and to the way firms are being run, according to a new report by Reports Legal featuring Ogier's global managing partner Edward Mackereth.
With record deal activity across service lines this year, Ogier has been busier than ever in the past 12 months.
"Corporate has had a stellar year with all the M&A transactions and SPACs," said Edward.
The European distressed market has been quiet this year. This is a function of ongoing government support, supportive sponsors and lenders, and a huge amount of liquidity in the market. Many companies which we and our clients identified as potential restructuring candidates have managed to complete successful refinancing transactions and have avoided the restructuring negotiation table.
Fewer Insolvencies for More Opportunities
At the end of 2021, corporate bankruptcies (for most company sizes and in most sectors) were at their lowest level compared to the pre-COVID-19 figures from 2019, with a 50% drop in insolvency proceedings and a 10% decrease in pre-insolvency situations. This was largely due to the temporary impact of government emergency measures and support, including:
Credit risk issues permeate supply chain relationships in both directions. Current circumstances seem to exacerbate these considerations as the supply chain and pervasive pandemic effects continue to impact all sectors at all levels. The following outline identifies some potential problems and possible solutions related to selling to and buying from companies that are insolvent, or in danger of becoming so.
THE GAMES
With Customers: Should you sell on a secured or unsecured basis?
On 29 October 2021, the UK Insolvency Service published its insolvency statistics for Q3 2021. Notably, the number of company insolvencies was 17% higher than in Q2 2021 and 43% higher than in Q3 2020. This was driven by an increase in company voluntary liquidations (CVLs) to the highest quarterly level for 12 years.