The temporary restrictions on winding-up petitions brought in under the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (“CIGA”) are wider than originally envisaged when first announced by the government in April 2020 and have now been extended until 31 March 2021.

The restrictions initially related to the period 1 March 2020 – 30 September 2020 (referred to as the ‘relevant period’). On 24 September, it was announced that the relevant period would be extended until 31 December 2020 and it has now been extended again until 31 March 2021.

Brexit’s transition process will pose a number of challenges for businesses. We have created this tracking tool to help our clients manage and avoid issues as new developments take shape. Over the coming months, we will continue updating this tool to include additional information and topics that come to light. By tracking developments and explaining how they impact businesses like yours, we will help you assess your position and determine your priorities as we move to the end of the transition period.

The facts of this case were somewhat unusual although it serves as a reminder of the principles involved in the trading of a business by a trustee in bankruptcy.

Background

The Irish Government continues to prepare for the consequences of the UK withdrawal from the EU through the enactment of recent legislation.

Introduction

Editor, Jonathan Spearing

Welcome to the ninth edition of Commodities in Focus (CIF); our bulletin for clients engaged in the production, trading, carriage, storage and financing of commodities.

In the third (and final) of our blog series on recent CVA cases, in Rhino Enterprises Properties Ltd & Anor [2020] EWHC 2370 (Ch), the High Court gave permission for misfeasance proceedings to be brought against two former joint administrators. This was despite an approved Company Voluntary Arrangement (“CVA”) containing a clause releasing the joint administrators from liability.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problems faced by high-street retailers. Store closures during lockdown, changing consumer behaviour and the resultant loss of turnover and profits have caused many businesses to seek to reduce their rent payments. Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVAs”) have become fashionable tools for trying to secure such rent reductions.

The United Kingdom’s Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA) shifted the focus of the United Kingdom’s insolvency regime from administration and liquidation to rescue and recovery and introduced a number of interesting new features that apply to companies experiencing financial difficulties. This article considers how certain of these features fit into the insolvency regime of the Cape Town Convention.1

Increasing pressures placed on those operating in the retail and hospitality sectors as a result of COVID-19, means there is likely to be an increasing use of CVAs in these sectors. The intention would be to help support and restructure businesses in distress, but could retailers use a CVA as a mechanism to re-write the terms of its leases?

Part 1: termination rights

The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA 2020) introduces important changes to the operation of cross-border insolvency regulations and impacts more broadly on the potential remedies available in the maritime sector to recover debts. In this two-part series, we consider first CIGA 2020, the Cross-Border Insolvency Regulations 2006 (CBIR) and termination rights, and in the second part, we review CIGA 2020, liens and set-off claims.