Office of Fair Trading’s Insolvency Recommendations are Long Overdue

Last month, the Insolvency Service released a review paper on the regulation of insolvency practitioners (IPs) and asked the public for feedback. The consultation, which can be read here, follows an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigation into corporate insolvency and practitioner fees. The investigation found inconsistencies in the way complaints about IPs were handled…

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Top UK Director Sir Clive Thompson Facing Disqualification Proceedings

The Insolvency Service (IS) is to launch disqualification proceedings against one of Britain’s leading businessmen, Sir Clive Thompson, over his role in the failure of Christmas savings club Farepack, according to the Daily Mail newspaper. More than 116,000 people lost a total of £40m when Farepack collapsed in 2006 – after lending around £35m to…

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Premier League and HMRC Court Battle Set for 15 February

HMRC and Premier League

Next month, HMRC and the Football Association Premier League will battle in court over the taxman’s claim that the ‘football creditor rule’ is unlawful. Under the football creditor rule, when a club enters administration creditors such as players and managers are paid in full, whilst any remaining money is divided between unsecured creditors including HMRC. Football as…

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Remedies for Struggling Directors: CVAs and Renegotiating with Creditors

Company directors experiencing financial difficulties often consider terminating agreements and contracts to reduce the burden of their debts. A director in this position must avoid delaying decisions and rectify the situation as soon as possible; otherwise the business will experience a rapid decline in trade and become insolvent. Reducing staff and rented equipment will lower costs,…

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Supermarkets Beating Pubs and Bars in the UK Alcohol War

Small and independent alcohol retailers should be concerned by a new study which found the number of failing bar and pub companies has risen by over 30 per cent. According to accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy, 130 bar and pub companies went bust during the third quarter of 2010, compared with 99 during the same period…

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