Professional Documents
Culture Documents
7 Revision SL2022
7 Revision SL2022
7 Revision SL2022
LW4657/LW5657 Company Law II
Revision
Professor Alexander Loke
School of Law
City University of Hong Kong
April 2022
Company law from the perspective of …
the relative priority of claims
Asset value
Secured debt V1
$20m $30m V2
$50m
Unsecured debt
Debt
$60m
Senior debt $40m V3
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ $100m
Subordinated debt
Preferred shares
Equity
Common shares
100 shares
1
4/12/2022
The competing interests in a corporation
Preferred shares
Common shares
Secured debt
Directors and officers
Company
Unsecured debt
Senior debt
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Subordinated debt
Assets
3
The competing interests in a corporation
Class B shares
Preferred shares
Class A shares
Common shares
Common shares
Company Company
2
4/12/2022
Equity
Convertible
Preferred shares Class A shares (preferred/class)
shares
Class B Shares
Some issues relating to equity
1. Transfer of interests in equity
2. Competition between equity holders
3. Strategic action by majority holders against
minority holders
Statutory checks e.g. CO s. 180
Greenhalgh v Arderne Cinemas (1946)
Cumbrian Newspapers v Cumberland Co. (1987)
4. Capital maintenance norms in:
Reduction of capital
Self‐acquisition of shares
Financial assistance in acquisition of shares
Dividends
3
4/12/2022
Debt
Secured Debt
Senior Debt Convertible?
Subordinated
Debt
Private investment
Parties
Process
Investor A
Shares
Corporation Investor B
Investor C
4
4/12/2022
Public offering
Parties
Process
Investor A
Shares Reg
Investor A
Investor A
Investor A
Investor A
Investor A
Corporation Investor A
Investor B Investor A
Investor B Investor A
Investor B Investor A
Investor B Investor A
Investor B Investor A
Investor
Investor B
Investor B A1002
Investor B
Investor B
Investor C Investor B
Investor C Investor B
Investor C
Investor Investor B
Investor
C32 B3045
Why disclosure?
1. The policy tension between disclosure and
exemption.
2. Consequences for non‐disclosure or
misleading statements
3. Disclosure (a) initial public offer; (b)
continuous disclosure.
Caution: be careful to distinguish between the two.
10
5
4/12/2022
The requirement for a full prospectus
vs exemptions (safe‐harbours)
How do these dovetail with HK’s aim to be
an international financial centre?
USA EU
AU
CHINA
HK
11
Exemptions 1:
Exclusions from the definition of ‘prospectus’
i.e. these offer documents are not considered
prospectuses: para (b) in definition of
‘’prospectus”+ Seventeenth Schedule
Small Offering Offers to no more
(≤ $5m) than 50 persons
6
4/12/2022
Exemptions 2
Exemption from the prescribed
requirements found in s. 38
Securities equiv.
Rights issue to currently listed
securities
Continuing Listing Obligations under SFO Pt XIVA
The norm: s. 307B
(1)‐A listed corporation must, as soon as reasonably
practicable after any inside information has come to its
knowledge, disclose the information to the public.
Exception 1 Exception 2
Exception 3
Prohibited Incomplete Other exceptions
Trade secret
disclosure proposal
7
4/12/2022
Debt (lenders):
The scramble for higher priority
1. The fundamental nature of loans ‐
the debtor‐creditor relationship
Lender promises to lend ($P )
Borrower promises to repay ($P + i )
Debt (owing to trade creditors):
The scramble for higher priority
1. The fundamental nature of the
debtor‐creditor relationship
Supplier provides goods
Borrower promises to pay ($P)
8
4/12/2022
Debt: different types of loan
agreements
It’s not difficult and really quite simple.
Consider the following:
(a)Term loan
(b) Revolving credit
(c) Syndicated loan
(d) Club loan
Debt (lenders and trade creditors):
The scramble for higher priority
Priority through proprietary interest
over assets
What assets?
• Fixed assets (e.g. real property,
equipment)
• Inventory
• Accounts receivable
• Intellectual property
9
4/12/2022
Company law from the perspective of …
the relative priority of claims
Asset value
Secured debt V1
$20m $30m V2
$50m
Unsecured debt
Debt
$60m
Senior debt $40m V3
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ $100m
Subordinated debt
Preferred shares
Equity
Common shares
100 shares
Secured Debt
Charges and other security interests
1. Types of consensual security interests
Cf. quasi security interests e.g. retention of title
clauses
2. The analytical structure
1. Agreement
2. Attachment
3. Perfection
4. Priorities
20
10
4/12/2022
Secured Debt
Charges ‐ registration
1. Why the statutory requirement for
registration?
2. What is registrable?
E.g. compare (a) assignment of a debt; (b) charge
over a debt.
3. Why do parties desire a particular
characterisation of the security interest?
(Hint: consider the vulnerabilities of the
floating charge.)
21
Secured Debt
Charges ‐ priorities
1. Type of property
2. Whether legal or equitable
3. Whether fixed or floating
22
11
4/12/2022
Debt
Contractual protections
Examples
1. Negative pledge clauses
2. Restrictive covenants
liquidity ratios
debt ratios etc
3. Subordination agreements
4. Provision for receiver/ receiver and
manager
23
Liquidation and winding up
1. Types of winding up
2. Winding up for inability to pay debts
under s. 177(1)(d)
3. The liquidator’s role
24
12
4/12/2022
Augmenting the assets available for
distribution
For example:
s. 182 Void property dispositions
s. 265D Transactions at an undervalue
S 266 Unfair preferences
s. 267 Invalidate vulnerable floating charges
s. 268 Disclaim onerous contracts etc
s. 275 Directors’ liability for fraudulent trading
Note amendments to Part V Div. 5 Subdiv. 2
effected by Ord. No. 14/2016
• Commencement date: 13 Feb 2017
• Saving provisions in Cap. 32 s. 328 and
Schedule 26 (s. 30) (inserted by Ord. 14/2016 ss. 176 and 177
respectively)
Broadly, the new provisions do not apply to transactions entered into
before the commencement date of the amendments.
Therefore, the old law continues to apply.
E.g. 1. Transactions at an undervalue entered into before commencement
date not affected by s 265D
E.g. 2. Floating charge created before effective date governed by old s 267
26
13
4/12/2022
Ambit of clawback provisions
“Associate”:
s. 265B/265C
• Individual
• Company
“Connected person”: Cf. Non‐connected
s. 265A(3). person
Impacts on:
(a) Time covered in Relevant Time: s. 266B(1)
(b) Presumptions. E.g.
(a) Element of ‘unable to pay its debts’: s. 266B(2)
(b) Element of ‘Desire to prefer’ in U/P: s. 266(4)
27
The competing interests in a corporation
Preferred shares
Common shares
Secured debt
Directors and officers
Company
Unsecured debt
Senior debt
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Subordinated debt
Assets
28
14
4/12/2022
Schemes of Arrangement
1. Avoids the tyranny of the minority
2. Statutorily provided court sanctioned
procedure for cram‐down on minority.
Understand the rationale behind the various
requirements e.g.
notice and disclosure
classification of members/creditors
29
Getting from…
Proposal to enter
into arrangement
Number >50%
Value > 75%
to … Court sanction
(s. 673)
30
15
4/12/2022
The unique use of the provision liquidation
regime for the moratorium (stay)
Cap 32 s. 186
• Re Legend International Resorts Ltd [2005] 3 HKLRD 16 at 92 (CFI,
Kwan J):
“… it is within the jurisdiction of the court to appoint provisional
liquidators to explore, formulate and pursue a corporate rescue.”
• Re Legend International Resorts Ltd [2006] 2 HKLRD 192 at 203 (CA,
Rogers V‐P):
“The power of the court under s.192 is to appoint a liquidator or
liquidators for the purposes of the winding‐up not for the purposes
of avoiding the winding‐up.
• Re China Solar Energy Holdings Ltd (No. 2)
[2018] 2 HKLRD 338 (CFI)
Purposes of winding‐up include securing the assets; reorganization
may continue even if the asset have been secured.
31
16