Company Security Interests

Companies often grant charges and other security interests over their assets to secure loans. This project looked at how such security interests should be registered. It also considered how to resolve conflicts between different secured lenders and between lenders and buyers.

We published a final report* on 31 August 2005. A press release is also available.
* An intermittent problem has affected some users from accessing the report easily. If you have any difficulties, please contact us, and we will email the report to you.

We recommend:

a new online system to register charges cheaply and instantaneously;
lenders will only be required to send brief details of the charge - not the documents themselves. Companies House staff will no longer check through lengthy paperwork;
the 21-day time-limit for registration will be removed, and it will be possible to register in advance of the transaction;
a simpler system of priority rules, based on 'the first to register' principle; and
Companies House and the Land Registry will share information, so properties will need to be registered only once.

The report also recommends extending the scheme to the sale of receivables, such as factoring. At present, a factor can only be sure of its priority if it writes to each account debtor. In future it will be able to secure its position more cheaply and easily by registering with Companies House.

The final report followed a Consultation paper, in July 2002 (Law Com No 164) and a Consultative Report, in August 2004 (Law Com No 176).

In July 2005, the Department of Trade and Industry published a consultation paper about our scheme, which elicited both support and opposition. The Government decided not to include specific powers to implement our recommendations in the Company Law Reform Bill, which was introduced into the House of Lords on 1 November 2005.

The DTI has not yet reached a final decision on whether to accept our recommendations. We have been told that discussions will continue with interested parties about the merits of the proposals.

For more information, contact the commercial and common law team or go to the team page.

NOTE - We are happy to provide information about our projects. However, we cannot give legal advice or deal with individual cases. Nor do we provide legal research to assist with student assignments. This does not affect your rights under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request information.