We all know that statutory demand can be issued for undisputed debts in excess of £750, and if not satisfied for 21 days, the stat demand is prima facie evidence of insolvency. What happens where there are multiple dents of less than £750 each however? Howell v Lerwick Commercial Mortgage Corporation Ltd [2015] EWHC 1177 (Ch) provides an insight.
The background
Introduction:
Wide ranging changes to insolvency law will come into force on 1 October 2015 that will have repercussions for insolvency practitioners, directors and D&O insurers alike. One of the more significant - and controversial - changes allows office holders in insolvency proceedings to assign claims deriving from those proceedings to third parties. The implications of this are potentially far reaching and are discussed below.
New powers of assignment
Credit Today reports that recent statistics from the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB), the government agency that administers the insolvency regime in Scotland, have revealed that:
It cannot have escaped the attention of anyone involved in the aviation finance industry that the UK is currently in the process of ratifying the Cape Town Convention (being the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment and related Protocol on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment). Here, we will look at that ratification process and consider the principal legal and practical implications for our clients.
Ratification Process
On 1 October 2015, several changes to UK insolvency legislation are coming into force. Insolvency practitioners and stakeholders should take note of the following key amendments to make sure they are up to date with these changes.
The English High Court has again considered whether by itself the choice of English law and court jurisdiction in legal documentation establishes a “sufficient connection” with England to enable a foreign company to avail itself of an English scheme of arrangement.
Background
Introduction
In The STX Mumbai [2015] SGCA 35, a five-member Court of Appeal sat to hear an admiralty case for the first time. The case involved a novel issue of an anticipatory breach of an executed contract. The significance of this case is two-fold: under what circumstances may legal action be brought before the credit period expires and also, whether insolvency of a parent company has an impact on its subsidiary, possibly disregarding the corporate veils.
In Winnington Networks Communications Ltd v HMRC[1], the Chancery Division Companies Court (Nicholas Le Poidevin QC) refused the taxpayer company's application to have HMRC's winding-up petitions dismissed, as it had failed to provide evidence that it had a real prospect of successfully disputing the debt claimed by HMRC.
Background
Latest Lehman judgment reassures end users on Close-out Rights
It is undeniable that the legal complexities, and unprecedented facts, of the long running Lehman Brothers saga have generated a wealth of legal principal, most notably through the Waterfall series of litigation.
Summary
English insolvency law is about to change, making it harder for IT suppliers to stop supplying when a customer goes into an insolvency procedure. The aim is to help administrators and others to secure the supply of IT products and services that might be needed to rescue failing businesses.