INSOLVENCY AND REHABILITATION LAW 201822 Apr 2020 12:19
Hi all,
Not posted for a while, well no reason to. Please see information below ref Insolvency & Rehabilitation law. It's easily accessible online.
The Israeli parliament passed the Insolvency and Rehabilitation Law, 2018 (the law) on March 5, 2018, and it will come into force on September 15, 2019. The law offers a comprehensive reform and provides Israel with modern insolvency legislation dealing with both individual and corporate insolvency.
Aims
For individuals, the law promotes the economic rehabilitation of the individual as the fundamental goal of the insolvency proceedings, emphasising effective reintroduction into the economy.
For corporate insolvency, the focus, where possible, is also on rehabilitation.
Another principal objective of the law is to increase the amount to be repaid to creditors, with additional emphasis on the amount to be paid to unsecured creditors.
Proceedings for corporations
Under the law, a creditor or a debtor wishing to initiate insolvency proceedings must file a standard application to obtain a commencement of insolvency proceedings order. The court will determine whether to channel the corporate entity into a course of rehabilitation or winding up. This decision depends on the economic status of the entity and is independent of the manner in which the application has been drafted.
Upon issue of the order by the court for the initiation of insolvency proceedings, an automatic stay of proceedings will apply. If the court chooses to operate the corporate entity with a view to its economic rehabilitation, a stay of proceedings will also apply against the secured creditors, subject to adequate protection in order to safeguard the value of their security.
Simultaneously with the issue of the order, the court will appoint a trustee to be entrusted with full control of the company’s assets.
As part of the legislative processes, certain parties proposed that a corporation’s assets remain in place and the insolvency process resemble the United States’ debtor in possession (DIP) mechanism, but this was ultimately vetoed by the Knesset.
Nevertheless, the law does create a new mechanism entitled protective negotiations, with traits not dissimilar to the DIP, although this is a temporary provision to be in effect for four years. This mechanism allows a public company to initiate out-of-court protective negotiations with its creditors while allowing it to remain active and without appointment of a trustee. During the period of the protective negotiations, a complete stay of proceedings shall not apply but the creditors may not file an application for an initiation of insolvency proceedings order against the corporation and may not call for the immediate repayment of debt.
Proceedings for individuals
Under the updated law, a substantial part of the administration of insolvency proceedings relative to individuals passes from the court to administrative authorities.
Insolvency proceed