Friday, July 25, 2014

With A Chapter 11 Reorganization NJ Companies Can Gain Time To Recover Their Finances

By Sharron Cantu


There are many reasons why companies fold. In some cases, economic conditions simply make it impossible to cope. Others make mistakes or miscalculate trading situations. Yet others become the victims of aggressive competitors. Whatever the reason, when a company becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, it is in serious trouble and may even be bankrupted. The laws governing insolvency are complex. For a chapter 11 reorganization NJ businesses need to fulfill very strict criteria.

There are different sections of the bankruptcy law. Section eleven is much different from the better known section seven. In the latter case the applicant will have to forfeit all assets. If the applicant is a business all trading is stopped and in most cases the assets are sold to pay the debts of the applicant. The court appoints a trustee to handle the matter and the interests of the creditors are deemed to be the only important consideration.

In the case of a section eleven application the business remains in operation and the owners even retain control, albeit under strict supervision of the court. These applications are only considered when the court is convinced that the applicant will recover and become able to honor its financial obligations. Many large corporates have used this form of application for temporary relief when they experience financial pressure.

The purpose of this section is to not only protect the applicant, but also its employees and contractors that depend upon it for their own survival. However, applicants must convince the court that there are real and compelling reasons to believe that they will recover. For this reason applicants are allowed to enter into contracts and to even apply for finance. In some extreme cases previous agreements can be canceled.

Applicants are protected in different way too. Their creditors are not allowed to lodge court cases for debts while they are being administrated. Creditors that are under financial pressure themselves must approach the bankruptcy court. Many other types of legal action are also prohibited. In some cases the applicant is even allowed to cancel previous agreements, especially if those agreements will hinder the recovery process.

While successful applicants are under an obligation to reorganize their enterprises in order to make them profitable once more, this is not always that easy. Applicants are not allowed to institute changes as they see fit. They have to submit detailed plans to the court and the court will often ask experts to evaluate those plans. Creditors have access to the plans and they may petition the court if they have objections.

Critics say that this law allows applicants to dodge their responsibilities. They say that contractors and clients of the applicant are sidelined and that their needs are not taken into account. Many smaller companies therefore go under and many people lose their jobs whilst a major debtor is enjoying the protection of the federal courts.

It makes sense that everything possible is done to protect organizations that provide employment to large numbers of people. Certain industries perform key functions and manufacture strategically important products. Such organizations must be protected when they experience financial crises.




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