The majority of investors in the UK hold their interests through an intermediated chain of securities. The relationships between the investors in the chain are governed by the contracts they have entered into, and the system is largely operated on a “no look through” basis, meaning investors only have rights against their own counterparties. The Law Commission has considered whether to reform the law in this area, in order to give greater rights to ultimate investors. This article considers the impact of any such reform in a securities class action context.
13 June 2024In this article Professor Suzanne Rab responds to the Financial Market Law Commission’s clarion call to consider key competition issues arising from a move to Risk Free Rates (RFR) or similar. She identifies challenges for the competition law regulation of banking benchmarking practices that need to be addressed.
13 June 2024Two recent circuit commercial court decisions have considered the scope of a Payment Service Provider’s duty of care to its customer when executing payment instructions (Quincecare duty) in the contexts of identity fraud: Hamblin v World First Limited [2020] EWHC 2383 (Comm) and authorised push payment fraud: Philipp v Barclays Bank UK Plc [2021] EWHC 10 (Comm). This article speculates in the light of these two decisions whether, where scheme funds lent under the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan Scheme have been misapplied, the British Business Bank could escape liability under the Scheme guarantee on the grounds that the lender has breached its Quincecare duty.
13 June 2024The EU directive on financial collateral (EU Directive 2002/47/EC) (Directive), as implemented in the UK remains (with amendments) on the statute book and has not been directly impacted in any meaningful sense by Brexit. However, given the latitude inherent in the Directive, a marginally fractured legislative landscape has resulted across the member states.
13 June 2024In this article the authors consider a parent bank’s liability for the torts of its subsidiary in light of the Supreme Court decision in Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell [2021] UKSC 3.
13 June 2024Clive Wolman explains why there may no longer be a valid legal basis for a company to be able to restrain the presentation, advertisement or pursuit of a winding-up petition against it merely by showing that it is genuinely and substantially disputing the petition debt. Changes in UK insolvency and company legislation, reinforced by changes in accounting standards and by judicial rulings, have led to a broader definition of a “contingent” debt or liability. It now includes the contingency of a court finding that the disputed debt or liability does exist.
13 June 2024In this article the authors consider the structure of loan buybacks with a consideration of the documentary changes made by the Loan Market Association (LMA) as well as some of the approaches that have evolved in the market to address buybacks.
13 June 2024Traditionally, in a financial product mis-selling context, claims against financial institutions involving allegations of fraud, LIBOR manipulation and unlawful means conspiracy have not been amenable to strike out or summary determination. However, the English courts are increasingly demonstrating a willingness to deal with opportunistic claims against banks (and other third parties) involving allegations of fraud without the need for a full trial, in “appropriate” cases. Two recent High Court judgments provide guidance on when the court will consider it appropriate to do so: Boyse (International) Limited v Natwest Markets plc & Anor3 and Elite Properties and Ors v BDO LLP.4
13 June 2024The impact on the aviation sector of the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental restrictions on air travel and other movement controls has been severe and has resulted in a number of airline restructurings. This article examines the use by an airline of a scheme of arrangement under Pt 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (2006 Act), as a mechanism for effecting a compromise with certain of its creditors, and the interplay between a scheme and those creditors’ rights under the Cape Town Convention and associated Aircraft Protocol (CTC), as implemented in the UK by The International Interests in Aircraft Equipment (Cape Town Convention) Regulations 2015 (Regulations). These considerations arose in the decisions of the English court in MAB Leasing Limited.1
13 June 2024This article outlines how risks relating to defined benefit pension scheme liabilities affect financing transactions, the relevant provisions of the new Pension Schemes Act 2021 and the extent to which these provisions might result in changes in practice.
13 June 2024