The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 came into force on 26 June 2020 introducing a number of temporary and more permanent reforms, summarised in my colleague Jess’ post here.
On 26 June 2020 the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the Act) came into force. The Act included far-reaching wholescale reforms to the UK’s restructuring toolbox, including the introduction of the restructuring plan, which has the potential to be a gamechanger for restructurings.
It also included temporary measures dealing with COVID-19 impacts on companies. The two most significant temporary measures for companies facing financial difficulties as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic were:
Regulations laid before Parliament yesterday seek to extend the current restrictions on the presentation of winding up petitions to 31 December 2020. However, there will inevitably come a time when these temporary restrictions are lifted.
We recently acted for the successful respondent in an appeal against a winding up petition. Arnold Ayoo of 23 Essex Street was instructed.
There has been much speculation, but little certainty, as to whether the government intended to extend the provisions of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (the 2020 Act).
Today (24th September) the Government has laid before parliament regulations designed to extend the protection offered to struggling businesses by the 2020 Act, beyond the original 30 September deadline.
While announcements have been made, and measures extended, to help corporate Britain, directors faced with the difficult decision of whether to trade on through the crisis could suddenly very exposed once again.
When someone dies, it is not always clear whether or not their estate is insolvent. It can take time, particularly with complex estates, for assets and liabilities to be identified and claims by creditors to be brought. Personal representatives (“PRs”) and their advisors need to be alive to the prospect of an estate being insolvent and take action swiftly to ensure their financial exposure is minimised and consider how best to administer the estate for the benefit of estate creditors rather than beneficiaries.
The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act came into force on 26 June 2020 introducing a number of reforms aimed at providing protection to companies in financial distress, particularly as a result of the COVID19 pandemic.
However, the reforms present a number of potential problems to suppliers. Specifically, a permanent provision has been added to the Insolvency Act 1986 which:
The new UK Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act (CIGA), which took effect in June 2020, ushers in permanent changes to the English insolvency and restructuring landscape as well as temporary, and largely retrospective, measures to help mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three permanent additions are:
We now have major new legislation – the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (“CIGA”) – to sit alongside existing tools and processes for restructurings and insolvencies. As litigators, we anticipate how its use may play out in contentious restructurings.
The focus on Modern Methods of Construction, or MMC, sharpened throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with many wondering whether the outbreak and the consequential delays to existing construction projects would propel MMC forward as the future of construction.