Key Points

• Paragraph 13 of Schedule 4 to the Insolvency Act 1986 ("Paragraph 13") permits a liquidator to do all acts "necessary" for the winding up and distribution of property.
• The decision as to what action is "necessary" is one for the liquidators (albeit subject to sanction).
• Nothing in FSMA 2000 prevented the investors from assigning their claims against the former operators..

The facts

Key Point

The Court has given guidance on when a company in administration has possession of third party assets allowing an administrator to apply for an order allowing him to sell them.

The Facts

The administrators of a company applied to Court under paragraphs 72 and 68 of Schedule B1 to the Insolvency Act 1986 for permission to sell assets located on its freehold premises pursuant to a chattel hire contract with a group company (the "Assets").

The Decision

The recent case of Husky Group Ltd  (“Husky”) underlines the importance of following your lawyer’s advice and not pursuing the defense of the indefensible.

Key Points 

• Phones 4U went into administration in September 2014.
• Technology companies in the US have also faced a difficult market.
• Phones 4U’s complicated financing structure contributed to its downfall, as did its reliance on one or two key suppliers.
• The Protection of Essential Supplies Order will have considerable ramifications for tech suppliers when it comes into force.

PHONES 4U COLLAPSE: PART 1

The Commission has published its rating system and an advice note to operators on the requirements to segregate customer funds and disclose to customers the level of protection offered in the event of insolvency.

This ratings category must be included in operator’s terms and conditions by 31 December 2014.

Anyone using arbitration clauses should note the Court of Appeal decision made on Monday 8 December, to the effect that a winding up petition is not automatically stayed because the petition debt arises from a contract containing a mandatory arbitration clause.

This important  development could  assist creditors  enforcing strong  claims against  debtors incorporated in many offshore financial centres as well as in England.

Invoice finance has dominated the lending landscape in 2014 and has outperformed all other types of business lending in the UK.  We examine below many issues which may arise in the restructuring of those businesses funded by invoice discounters.

1. Isn’t invoice discounting just a form of finance like any other?

When undergoing a restructuring, a borrower/officeholder's main focus is often the company's lenders. However, there are occasions when HMRC's agreement can be just as key to ensuring any process runs smoothly. In this article, Sonia Jordan and Hayley Çapani discuss some key areas where HMRC's agreement is essential to ensuring a smooth restructuring or insolvency process.

It is now settled law that when an Administrator retains occupation of leasehold property on the basis that it will benefit of the company’s creditors, rent that relates to that period of occupation must be paid by the Administrator as an expense of the administration.

The English Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal brought against a recent High Court decision to stay a winding-up petition in favour of arbitration proceedings, in Salford Estates (No. 2) Limited v Altomart Limited [2014] EWCA 575 Civ.