Tag: Siby Antony

“IBC is not the right solution. It is a resolution tool. If there is no resolution, automatically it goes to liquidation. That is a big problem. Resolution can be made if the underlying business is robust, says Siby Antony, chairman of the ARC Association of India.

He says banks feel that they are not getting the right price in IBC.

“Alok Industries was thought to be a very good asset but went for 17%. Binani Cement, Essar Steel were robust businesses and saw interest from strategic investors. But there are hundreds of assets where there is no interest from investors. These are smaller assets,” he said.

The status of IBC cases

Out of the total 3,774 cases or corporate insolvency resolution processes (CIRPs) filed since the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) came into existence in 2016, 1,604 cases, or 43 percent have closed, by way of resolution, liquidation or other means. The rest 57 percent are ongoing with many overshooting the 330-day maximum time limit.

Of the 1,604 closed cases, only 14 percent have found a resolution, whereas 57 percent have ended in the liquidation of the companies.

Interestingly, the 72% cases of CIRPs ending in liquidation were already defunct and under the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction.

About 312 cases have been closed on appeal or review or settled, 157 have been withdrawn; 914 ordered for liquidation and 221, saw approval of resolution plans.

The recovery rate for resolved cases under IBC is 44% with Rs 1.84 lakh crore recovered so far of the Rs 4.13 lakh crore admitted claims.

In case of the 12 large defaulters identified by RBI, the creditors recovered Rs 1.36 lakh crore from eight cases that have been resolved so far, with recoveries ranging from as low as 17 percent of claims in the case of Alok Industries, to almost 100 percent for Jaypee Infratech.

N Kamakodi, MD & CEO of Citi Union Bank said he preferred the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act (SARFESI) over IBC.

“Since our focus is more on SME lending, we have control over the assets of the borrower. Hence, most of our resolution plans are through SARFAESI action more than the IBC.”

He added, “What is more important is whether the borrower has the skin in the game. When you want to sell it as a going concern and when there is a sufficient value, then IBC is preferable. But if the borrowers’ skin in the game is less, then the SARFAESI is a better option.”

The delays in NCLT

The 221 CIRPs that saw resolutions took an average of 375 days for the conclusion, exceeding the maximum 330 days permitted. The 914 cases under liquidation took on an average 309 days for the conclusion.

As on September 30, 2021, out of the 1,942 ongoing insolvency resolution cases, as many as 1,442 have been stretched beyond 270 days, while 349 such cases have been pending for periods of more than 180 days but less than 270 days.

Recently, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) directed to initiate the liquidation process of edible oil company K S Oils Ltd and set aside an NCLT order passed against it. Terming it “unfortunate”, the appellate tribunal observed that even after the lapse of 981 days and repeated compliance by the Resolution Professional to initiate the liquidation process, the NCLT had not considered it.

Leading bank State Bank of India, one of the Committee of Credit (CoC) Member, on behalf of joint lenders forum who collectively holds 76.53 per cent had moved NCLAT based on which the appellate tribunal had on November 18, 2019, directed lenders to consider revised plans if any within two weeks and directed NCLT to pass appropriate order in accordance with the law.

Bad bank challenge

The government is planning to set up a bad bank and an asset management company (AMC). Loans greater than Rs 500 crore which have not been declared fraudulent will be transferred to the bad bank. It is likely that the assets would not be subjected to IBC in the first instance, and the AMC will first try and revive these companies or package the loans to an investor.

Also, creditors of several companies had signed the Inter Creditor Agreements (ICA) and may continue negotiation under the framework roping in distressed asset investors. Also, most of the ICA cases will have loans greater than Rs 500 crore, which will be transferred to the bad bank. MSME will be outside the scope of IBC pending notification of the designated framework.