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Bulletins | January 30, 2018
Assignment by way of security – beware of giving away more than you bargained for.
Construction
Assignment by way of security is a concept that comes up on many construction projects; typically as a condition of providing finance a funder will require an assignment by way of security of key construction documents, including building contracts and appointments, with the intention that if the borrower defaults on the loan, the assignment will be perfected and the funder will be entitled to enforce its rights under the constructions documents. How and when exactly such assignment takes place and the interplay with an employer’s rights under its contracts on a project was brought into focus in last year’s case of Mailbox (Birmingham) Limited v Galliford Try Construction Limited ([2017] EWHC 67 (TCC)).
Mailbox (Birmingham) Limited (“Mailbox”), the claimant special purpose vehicle set up to develop the Mailbox in Birmingham (“the Property”), a high-end mixed used development, boasting a Harvey Nichols and the base for BBC Birmingham, engaged Galliford Try Construction Limited (“Galliford”) for refurbishment works at the Property under a building contract dated 23 December 2013. A dispute arose between the parties regarding responsibility for delay, the final account, liquidated damages and Mailbox’s termination which was referred to adjudication, where Galliford were ordered to pay Mailbox £2,477,152.86 plus 75% of the adjudicator’s costs. Galliford did not pay the sums ordered, so Mailbox sought enforcement of the adjudicator’s decision in the High Court.
Did Mailbox have a right to bring an adjudication?
Galliford’s primary defence to the enforcement was that Mailbox had no right to bring the claim, as it had assigned the benefit of the building contract with Galliford to Aareal Bank AG Wiesbaden (“Aareal”) in accordance with the requirements of a debenture dated 10 May 2011. Mailbox raised three defences:
- The building contract was not in existence at the time of the assignment referred to in the debenture. Therefore there could be no assignment;
- Alternatively, any assignment was by way of charge rather than a legal assignment; or
- The contract had been re-assigned from Aareal to Mailbox before Mailbox commenced adjudication proceedings.
Mailbox failed on the first two defences, but won on the third so was able to enforce the adjudicator’s award. However, it was the analysis of the first and second defences and Mrs Justice O’Farrell’s review of the requirements for legal assignment under Section 138 of the Law of Property Act 1925 that are of particular note.
It was held that the wording of the debenture covered future contracts, including the building contract in question. The wording “each chargor with full title guarantee assigns absolutely by way of security in favour of the security trustee” amounted to a full legal assignment rather than an assignment by way of charge and/or a conditional assignment. Further, there was a requirement for notice of the assignment to be served and specific reference to rights being re-assigned, both of which were more akin to an absolute assignment. Express notice was given to Galliford, again consistent with an absolute assignment. Thankfully for Mailbox, on the day it commenced the adjudication, Aareal had re-assigned the rights under the building contract to Mailbox. If it had not done so, or done so after the adjudication had been commenced, Mailbox would not have been entitled to commence the adjudication.
Practical Tips
When obtaining finance for a project it is crucial to understand what the funder really requires in relation to security over construction documents. If all rights are assigned, the employer no longer has the ability to enforce such rights and may have given away more than he bargained for.
It may be that the use of collateral warranties or third party rights together with a charge will suffice but if not (which is unfortunately still the common position), it is important that any such rights are re-assigned before the employer commences an adjudication or any other proceedings.
Assignments by way of security
Published by a lexisnexis banking & finance expert.
Assignments by way of security can take different forms and it is important to understand how they are created and their effect. Security over choses in action such as debts and other contractual rights is often taken by way of an equitable or statutory assignment by way of security.
This Practice Note explains:
what assignments by way of security are
which types of assets they are used for
whether they take legal, statutory or equitable form and the advantages of the statutory form
why it is important to serve notice of an assignment by way of security
What is an assignment by way of security?
Assignments by way of security are a type of mortgage. They involve:
an assignment (ie transfer) of rights by the Assignor to the assignee
subject to:
an obligation to reassign those rights back to the assignor upon the discharge of the obligations which have been secured
When the obligations that have been secured have been discharged, the assigned rights have
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Related legal acts:
- Law of Property Act 1925 (1925 c 20)
- Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (2015 c 26)
Key definition:
Assignor definition, what does assignor mean.
The entity disposing of an asset by an assignment .
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This document is from Thomson Reuters Practical Law, the legal know-how that goes beyond primary law and traditional legal research to give lawyers a better starting point. We provide standard documents, checklists, legal updates, how-to guides, and more. 650+ full-time experienced lawyer editors globally create and maintain timely, reliable ...
There are two types of assignment: legal and equitable. Legal assignments by way of security involve a transfer of legal ownership, with a proviso for re-assignment on satisfaction of the secured liabilities. A legal assignment is only possible in relation to assets which already exist (this excludes future assets). A sum becoming due
Assignment by way of security is a concept that comes up on many construction projects; typically as a condition of providing finance a funder will require an assignment by way of security of key construction documents, including building contracts and appointments, with the intention that if the borrower defaults on the loan, the assignment ...
Assignments by way of security are a type of mortgage. They involve: •. an assignment (ie transfer) of rights by the Assignor to the assignee. subject to: •. an obligation to reassign those rights back to the assignor upon the discharge of the obligations which have been secured. When the obligations that have been secured have been ...
Lenders commonly take security over "choses in action" (such as debts or rights under contracts) by way of assignment. An assignment involves the transfer of either legal ownership (legal ...
Xxxx of Sale means the Initial Xxxx of Sale or an Additional Xxxx of Sale, as applicable. Assignment Form means the assignment form attached as Annex 2 hereto. Define Assignment by way of Security. means the assignment pursuant to which any rents deriving from the real estate assets subject to Mortgage have been assigned as security for the Loan.
It is also possible to carry out an assignment by way of security over a borrower's choses in action – rights the borrower is entitled to under contracts – as security for that borrower's debts. As with any assignment, an assignment by way of security can be either legal or equitable. An assignment will be legal if it is:
other way. 6. Can a security assignment be re-characterised as a floating charge (and does giving notice to the debtor make any difference)? Yes, a conditional security assignment, and some other security assignments, can be re-characterised as floating charges. Giving a notice of assignment to the debtor would not,
an absolute assignment, with no equity of redemption, over receivables such that there is an outright disposal of the receivable from the seller to the financier; and • in the case of secured borrowing base (BB) facilities, take security (typically an absolute assignment by way of security) over the receivables.
(i) Assignment by way of security In the case of an assignment by way of security, the customer expresses to transfer to the financier its rights, title and interests in the receivables subject to an equity of redemption (i.e. the customer has the right to have the receivables re-assigned to it if the secured liabilities are satisfied). An ...