A trust is a legal relationship in which a trustee is obliged to administer or dispose of the trust property in accordance with the trust terms governing the relationship to benefit a beneficiary. In view of global standards, starting from methods of ...
A trust is a legal relationship in which a trustee is obliged to administer or dispose of the trust property in accordance with the trust terms governing the relationship to benefit a beneficiary. In view of global standards, starting from methods of transferring properties within family, trusts have been developed commercially as wealth managements methods and furthermore utilized as methods of financing or even a kind of business organization.
In Korea the New Trust Act, which revised on the whole in order to modernize and meet global standards, will be effected July 26, 2012. In line with New Trust Act, Financial Services Commission submitted the amendments of Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act(hereinafter “FSCMA”) to the nation assembly in August 6, 2012. Especially New Trust Act introduced trust created by self-declaration, business trust, trust issuing beneficiary certificates, trust bond, limited-liability trust, etc. in order to trusts be used more effectively, especially in the field of financing. In this paper I review these various new kind of trusts in respect of financing vehicles focusing on trust created by self-declaration.
In respect to trust issuing beneficiary certificates which is created by self-declaration, legal issues are as following;
First, it is required to make exemption from no profit rule(Article 36 of New Trust Act) with regard to trust created by self-declaration. So during creating of trust issuing beneficiary certificates trustee can own all beneficiary certificates originally despite of doctrine of merger and therefore trustee can sell beneficiary certificates gradually to finance more easily.
Second, it is better to allow collective management in all trust business or at least in trusts issuing beneficiary certificates in order to achieve economies of scale in trust business and give investors more methods of investment to select.
Third, Amendment of FSCMA does not regulate disclosure regulations of trust issuing beneficiary certificates. Therefore, it is necessary to improve disclosure regulation of FSCMA with regard to trust issuing beneficiary certificates.
With regard to business trust which is created by self-declaration of stock company, legal issues are as following;
First, business trusts created by self-declaration is similar with ‘transfer of business’ in respect of Commercial Act. Therefore, the company should obtain special resolution of shareholders meeting and give appraisal rights to dissenting shareholders in regard to creating business trust to protect minority shareholders.
Second, directors of settlor company owe a duty of loyalty to the stock company as agent of the company and a duty of loyalty to the beneficiaries of trust concurrently. In this case a duty of loyalty to the beneficiaries must be preferred to a duty of loyalty to the company. But for directors, who do business judge day-by-day basis, the guideline on allocating business opportunity(management and allocation policies) between trust and company itself should also be made and approved by the shareholders’ meeting, at which creation of relevant business trust is approved.
Third, New Trust Act allows merger between trusts on the assumption that trustees of two relevant trusts are same. But it is necessary to allow merger of business trusts in the case of different trustees in order to enhance the possibility of trusts being used as business organizations. Furthermore, it is better to allow merger between business trust and other business organization like stock company, limited liability company, etc..
In the other hand, trusts can be used for various financing methods utilizing flexibility in design and bankruptcy remoteness. Trusts issuing trust bonds can be used as alternative method of covered bonds. Business trusts created by self-declaration can be used as alternative method of tracking stock more effectively. Business trusts created by self-declaration can also be used as alternative method of whole business securitization more effectively.