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Insolvency Act 1986
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Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
- Act amendment to earlier affecting provision S.I. 1986/1999, art. 3, Sch. 1 Pt. 2 by S.I. 2017/1119 Sch. 3 para. 1
- Act extended (N.I.) for specified purposes (except for ss. 13-15) by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 4(3)
- Act savings and transitional provisions for amendments by S.I. 2022/1166 by S.I. 2022/1172 Regulations
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 21(5) inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(12)(b)
- s. 22(2B) inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(13)
- s. 22H(1)(a) words inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(14)(a)
- s. 22H(1)(aa) inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(14)(b)
- s. 22H(4)(j) words inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(14)(c)
- s. 22H(4)(k) inserted by 2024 c. 3 Sch. 13 para. 2(14)(d)
- s. 41HB(2) words substituted by 2018 c. 14 s. 1(3)(b)
74 Liability as contributories of present and past members.E+W+S
(1)When a company is wound up, every present and past member is liable to contribute to its assets to any amount sufficient for payment of its debts and liabilities, and the expenses of the winding up, and for the adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
(2)This is subject as follows—
(a)a past member is not liable to contribute if he has ceased to be a member for one year or more before the commencement of the winding up;
(b)a past member is not liable to contribute in respect of any debt or liability of the company contracted after he ceased to be a member;
(c)a past member is not liable to contribute, unless it appears to the court that the existing members are unable to satisfy the contributions required to be made by them F1. . . ;
(d)in the case of a company limited by shares, no contribution is required from any member exceeding the amount (if any) unpaid on the shares in respect of which he is liable as a present or past member;
(e)nothing in [F2the Companies Acts] or this Act invalidates any provision contained in a policy of insurance or other contract whereby the liability of individual members on the policy or contract is restricted, or whereby the funds of the company are alone made liable in respect of the policy or contract;
(f)a sum due to any member of the company (in his character of a member) by way of dividends, profits or otherwise is not deemed to be a debt of the company, payable to that member in a case of competition between himself and any other creditor not a member of the company, but any such sum may be taken into account for the purpose of the final adjustment of the rights of the contributories among themselves.
(3)In the case of a company limited by guarantee, no contribution is required from any member exceeding the amount undertaken to be contributed by him to the company’s assets in the event of its being wound up; but if it is a company with a share capital, every member of it is liable (in addition to the amount so undertaken to be contributed to the assets), to contribute to the extent of any sums unpaid on shares held by him.
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 74(2)(c) omitted (1.10.2009) by virtue of The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/1941), arts. 2(1), 8, Sch. 1 para. 75(3)(a) (with art. 10, Sch. 1 para. 84)
F2Words in s. 74(2)(e) substituted (1.10.2009) by The Companies Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/1941), arts. 2(1), 8, Sch. 1 para. 75(3)(b) (with art. 10, Sch. 1 para. 84)
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Pt. 4 applied (with modifications) (S.) by S.S.I. 2001/128, reg. 4, Schs. 2, 3) (as modified) (temp.) (retrospective to 27.4.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), Sch. 10 paras. 8(1)(2), 14 (with ss. 2(2), 5(2))
C2Pts. 1-4 applied (with modifications) (8.7.2021) by The Payment and Electronic Money Institution Insolvency Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/716), reg. 2, Sch. 1 para. 3 (with reg. 5) (as amended (4.1.2024) by S.I. 2023/1399, regs. 1(2), 4)
C3S. 74 applied (with modifications) (8.7.2021) by The Payment and Electronic Money Institution Insolvency Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/716), regs. 2, 37, Sch. 1 para. 3 (with reg. 5) (as amended (4.1.2024) by S.I. 2023/1399, regs. 1(2), 4, 11)
C4S. 74(2)(a) modified (temp.) (retrospective to 27.4.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), Sch. 10 paras. 8(1)(2), 10 (with ss. 2(2), 5(2))
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