Welcome to the month of double lockdowns and Americas Cup racing.
February is typically the first month of the year where we see a steep uptake in all insolvency appointments across the board after the lower months of December and January. Directors will take a hard look at their company after a quiet Christmas period and January break and make the call on whether they want to continue through another year or pack it in. Individuals will often go through a similar process after having spent up large over the Christmas period and having little to show for it and no prospects of paying off the debts they may have racked up and will need to assess their insolvency options.
So aside from staying indoors and watching boat racing what else happened in the month of February on the insolvency stats front:
• Winding up applications for the month beat all individual 2020 months.
• IRD finally began pulling the trigger on winding up applications.
• Personal insolvency figures were up to the 2020 high point levels.
• February figures were still down on prior years.
We continue to hear grumblings from businesses around the country with the upcoming minimum wage increases to $20 per hour and the additional pressure this will put on already tight margins. Banks have not eased up stringency with which they are lending to small to medium size businesses making it increasingly difficult for new businesses to get the necessary funding, while residential lending powers are forward fuelling the property market. We are also seeing increasing material and shipping/logistic costs as product shortages continue as goods cannot be brought into the country fast enough with backlogs at ports across the country.
The latest two lockdowns have done no favours for businesses with the government maintaining some level of support for those businesses negatively affected the most by the lockdowns if they manage to meet the application criteria.
If you want to have a free chat about any issues your business is experiencing or about any other insolvency matters, please contact us on 0800 30 30 34 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Graphs
Corporate Insolvencies
While the February numbers are still behind the previous year’s February figures, they have begun to approach the higher points of 2020. The bulk of the 129 appointments were made up by shareholder resolution liquidations at 87 followed by court appointments making up 31. This is a reflection on the lower winding up applications figures seen over the closing months of 2020 and the slow January start where the courts remain closed for a time and people remain on holiday. This will likely flow through to later months of the year.
Personal Insolvencies
While the personal insolvency figures remain down on the past 4 years Februarys, similar to the corporate insolvency figures, they come close to the higher points of 2020 levels. Bankruptcies and No Asset Procedures continue at similar levels respectively of 73 & 72, with Debt Repayment Orders dragging up third contributing 27.
Corporate Winding Up Applications
Finally, a graph and figures showing figures higher than 2020 levels across the board. This was boosted hugely by the IRD finally chasing some overdue debts and progressing to winding up applications of 18 for the month compared to non IRD applications of 15. Given IRD had only advertised 7 total applications in the prior 6 months they were long due to pull the trigger on these delinquent debts. Will this be a sign for the remainder of 2020 and the increased winding up applications will flow through to actual appointments? Only time will tell.
McDonald Vague have a team of licenced insolvency practitioners with experience across corporate insolvencies and assisting individuals with alternative options to bankruptcy. We can assist with company compromises, voluntary administrations, receiverships, liquidations, and personal proposals.