IPA exclusive industry update from Insolvency Insider
IPA Insolvency Practitioner newsletter, August 2026
A specially curated selection of the top stories for IPA members from Insolvency Insider Editor, Dina Kovacevic. More information on all the stories and the link to subscribe to the newsletter is here.
Appointments
Woodville Litigation Funding, a litigation funder with almost £250 million advanced to law firms pursuing more than 300,000 consumer claims, has entered administration after investors holding unpaid loan notes secured a contested court order. Robert Goodhew and Andrew Stoneman of Kroll Advisory were appointed joint administrators on 16 July and are seeking to preserve the company’s loan book, assess the status and collectability of claims handled by approximately six law firms, and explore potential external funding amid low cash resources. The collapse follows delays affecting motor finance claims and the FCA’s suspended redress scheme, which disrupted the recoveries needed to service Woodville’s fixed investor returns and redemptions. Crowell & Moring has been retained to support the administration and recovery process.
Blue Motor Finance has entered administration and sold its operating business to Hodge Bank in a pre-pack that preserved all 168 jobs and ensured the continued servicing of more than 100,000 customer loans, while leaving historic motor finance compensation liabilities behind in the insolvent company. The FCA said the lossmaking lender could not meet its potential redress obligations, warned claimants are unlikely to recover the full amounts owed and indicated that Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection is unlikely to be available.
Superbike Factory Group and Superbike Factory have entered administration and ceased trading, leading to approximately 273 redundancies and the closure of six sites across one of the UK’s largest used-motorcycle retail operations. Michael Lennon, James Saunders and Robert Halliday of KR8 Advisory were appointed joint administrators on 20 July 2026 and will assess the group’s inventory, property interests, intellectual property and other assets for possible sale. Founded in 2010, the Macclesfield-based business expanded rapidly through online sales, consumer bike purchases and destination showrooms, but mounting losses, weaker discretionary spending, higher financing costs and uncertainty over motor finance placed growing pressure on its working-capital-intensive model.
Recent Articles
Philip Lis and Peter Thompson of HSF Kramer share that the High Court has confirmed administrators may pay administration expenses and litigation funders from litigation proceeds ahead of super-priority moratorium debts where the arrangement advances the purpose of the administration and complies with their duties.
The team at Squire Patton Boggs provides an overview of the evolving litigation funding landscape for insolvency practitioners and explores the range of funding structures available to support insolvency claims where estate funds are limited.
Sayan Bhattacharyya, Helena Potts, Amrit Khosa, Matt Friedrick and Maria Staiano-Kolaitis of Paul Hastings describe how New Fortress Energy used two English restructuring plans to cut roughly $5.7 billion of funded debt to under $1 billion, with subsequent Chapter 15 recognition providing both a roadmap and a warning for US-listed groups considering the English process instead of Chapter 11.