Floating Charge - Remedies - Crystallisation

Crystallisation

Strictly speaking, it is not possible to enforce a floating charge at all - the charge must first crystallise into a fixed charge. In the absence of any special provisions in the relevant document, a floating charge crystallises either upon the appointment of a receiver or upon the commencement of liquidation. It has also been suggested, relying upon obiter dictum comments by Lord Macnaghten in Government Stocks and Securities Investments Co Ltd v Manila Rly Co that a charge should also crystallise upon the company ceasing to trade as a going concern. However, this view is not yet supported by judicial authority.

In certain countries, notably Australia and New Zealand, it was for a time very common to include "automatic crystallisation" provisions which would provide that the floating charge would crystallise upon an event of default automatically and without action from the chargee. Automatic crystallisation provisions have been upheld in New Zealand but there are judicial comments suggesting they may not be recognised as effective in Canada. In the United Kingdom there is some inferential support for the validity of automatic crystallisation provisions, but they have never been subject to full judicial consideration.