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Insolvency

This Month

Young renters to bear the brunt of personal insolvency surge

People aged 24 to 45 comprise the majority of people who declare personal insolvency, and a new wave is coming.

  • Max Mason
Phillip Kingston, founder of Sargon, in better times in 2019.

Sargon’s Kingston bankrupted over $154m China financier debt

Phillip Kingston, founder of superannuation technology venture Sargon Capital, did not appear at a court hearing about money. He says he’s in Ukraine.

  • Liam Walsh and Max Mason

Eyes on Forrest, IGO as nickel’s nightmare year claims Panoramic

A surfeit of Indonesian nickel and weather disruptions have forced a former takeover target into administration. Will a fire sale lure IGO or Andrew Forrest?

  • Peter Ker and Brad Thompson
Little room for error: Profit margins are already shrinking for many builders.

Home builders will compete for business in 2024

Profit margins are already weakening for many of Australia’s home builders and greater competition will make that worse.

  • Michael Bleby
Builder Alpine Projects Australia went into liquidation while building the 8-level, 35-unit Vista apartment project at 8-10 Moore Street, Gosford in NSW.

Trilogy $700m fund races to restart work on Gosford apartment project

The Trilogy Monthly Income Trust says it will finish the 35-unit NSW project despite a three-month delay caused by liquidation of its contractor.

  • Michael Bleby
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November

Private equity firm Crescent Capital has put swimwear business Tigerlily up for sale via Deloitte, three years after voluntary administration.

Iconic swimwear brand Tigerlily has plenty of US growth, buyers told

Deloitte was appointed to sell the label by private equity owner Crescent Capital in October, three years after emerging from voluntary administration.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Shadow banks like Zhongzhi are loosely regulated firms that pool household savings to offer loans and invest in real estate, stocks, bonds and commodities.

China’s troubled shadow bank Zhongzhi warns of insolvency

Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, with debts totalling more than twice its assets, told investors that efforts at a “self-rescue” failed to live up to expectations.

  • Bloomberg News
Ultimate Kitchens customer Sam Martin.

More failures to follow upmarket reno firm that owes $4.6m

Ultimate Kitchens & Bathrooms went under without having the compulsory insurance for some customers; construction will see more collapses, CreditorWatch says.

  • Michael Bleby
Commercial builders say some cost pressures are starting to ease.

Multiplex heir’s profit plunge may have a silver lining for builders

After profit margins in Australia’s commercial construction industry fell by one-third, bosses say the worst has passed. But cost challenges remain.

  • Michael Bleby
A part-built Warwick Constructions home in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs.

Builder failures hit Melbourne’s leafy inner suburbs

The latest collapse of boutique builders comes with new data showing insolvencies in the home building sector are set to rise further.

  • Michael Bleby
Walker Wayland, the previous auditors, told the board in March they should seek “safe-harbour” provisions

Exclusive Sydney car club faces collapse as it posts $770,000 loss

The warning comes after eight directors resigned this year from the Royal Automobile Club of Australia and its prior auditors, Walker Wayland, quit.

  • Lucas Baird

October

An office project at 2 Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne, that NPM completed for ASX-listed GPT Group.

Sydney construction firm NPM calls in administrators

The construction, design and refurbishment firm completed commercial projects for some of the country’s biggest property groups.

  • Larry Schlesinger
Former building company Dome director Scott Wilcox.

I’m not responsible for Dome collapse, former director says

The former head of a high-end building company put into liquidation last week says he’s not to blame - and that his offers to help the company were rejected.

  • Michael Bleby
Dome Building Projects last year completed this luxury home in Erica Avenue, Glen Iris, designed by Pandolfini Architects.

Melbourne builder Dome goes into liquidation as $6.5m loan unravels

While there are some signs that home builders are through the worst of the crunch, many remain vulnerable.

  • Michael Bleby
Tyson Scholz, in one post from mid 2022 saying he was in Greece.

ASX Wolf faces bankruptcy threat over $450,000 in court costs

The financial woes continue for share trader and social media influencer Tyson Scholz, who just a few months ago was posting images of himself on a private jet.

  • Liam Walsh
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James Mawhinney talks up the Dunk Island tourism project in a Mayfair promotion.

Bankruptcy threat for Mayfair 101 visionary Mawhinney

A Sydney-based marketing entrepreneur has alleged in Federal Court filings that James Mawhinney owed a debt of $3.5 million.

  • Liam Walsh and Jonathan Shapiro

US funds poised to swoop on troubled ASX companies

White & Case restructuring partner Timothy Sackar said he expected Australia’s sharemarket to become a hunting ground for cashed-up private funds.

  • Emma Rapaport
Building supplies and equipment at the Quelle building.

The German property crisis claims its first big victims

While investor fears during the real estate crisis have centred on landlords, it’s the developers that are the ones in imminent danger.

  • Libby Cherry and Jack Sidders
Nature’s Care was pitched as Australia’s third-largest vitamins company when it came up for sale in 2017.

Vitamin maker Nature’s Care up for sale; KordaMentha on hand

The company’s lenders, led by Singapore’s UOB,  have appointed KordaMentha partner Ryan Rabbitt to oversee a potential deal.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Bradley Hall: “This is a systemic issue. It was an absolute bugbear and a major risk.”

Builder blames hidden commissions for his company’s collapse

Home owners were often unaware they were also paying agents’ commissions worth tens of thousands of dollars, the former Chatham Homes owner said.

  • Michael Bleby