When goods are delivered to a professional storage operator (“Warehouseman”) for safe keeping or storage, it is usual practice that the parties will enter into express terms which often contain a right of lien in favour of the Warehouseman. The benefit of having an express right of lien is that the terms are clear and unequivocal, especially those relating to enforcement of the lien and sale of the assets.

When you are not the only lender to a company or group, it can be daunting trying to fairly balance the commercial needs of the other creditors and at the same time make sure you are protecting your own position. Below are Gateley’s top tips for dealing with intercreditor arrangements.

1. Get the terminology right

A recent case shows how a company’s Articles of Association, a document which defines the duties and responsibilities of members, must be adhered to when directors are exercising their powers.

The court had to consider whether a sole director of a company, whose articles required two directors for its board meeting to be quorate, could validly pass a resolution to appoint administrators under the Insolvency Act 1986 and, if not, whether the Duomatic principle could validate the appointment.

Remuneration schemes involving Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) have become more prevalent over the last 20 years, often as a way of seeking to remunerate key employees without making pay as you earn or national insurance contributions. Given the developments highlighted below, insolvency practitioners are advised to investigate such schemes in matters coming across their desks to see whether funds can be clawed back for the benefit of creditors.

HM Revenue and Customs’ opinion on EBT schemes

Key Points

Key Points

• Statutory powers are to be exercised in accordance with a company’s articles of association
• The Duomatic principle cannot simply be used as a bandage to cure a company’s procedural errors

The Facts

This appeal considered whether the sole director of a company, whose articles required two directors for its board meeting to be quorate, could validly appoint administrators under paragraph 22 Schedule B1 of the Insolvency Act 1986.

A New Regime

From 1 October 2017 a new pre-action protocol has come in to force which applies to claims brought by a business claiming a debt from an individual. The protocol sets out the conduct expected by the Court prior to legal proceedings being commenced against the debtor. It does not apply to business-to-business debts unless the debtor is a sole trader.

When faced with bankruptcy proceedings, it is paramount that you act quickly in order to avoid unnecessary costs and stress.

The bankruptcy proceedings

Shortly after the last ever Monarch Airlines flight landed at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Monday morning, the airline entered administration, prompting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to launch its "biggest ever peacetime repatriation" to bring home the 110,000 Monarch customers stranded abroad.

The impact on those travellers should be minimal, but an estimated 750,000 customers' future flights and holidays have been cancelled. Where they stand primarily comes down to whether their booking is protected by the UK's Air Travel Organisers' Licence (ATOL) scheme.

In this article the authors consider the practical aspects of the UK-wide rules for registration of company charges, including features of the new e-filing regime. Statute references are to the Companies Act 2006.

WHY REGISTER?