Insolvency
Creditors

Creditor change after claim filing: assignment, evidence and voting right

Review a creditor change after filing: assignment, evidence, timing and voting rights under sections 93 and 94 of the Austrian Insolvency Code.

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BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte

Insolvency law, Salzburg and throughout Austria

We review the procedural status, contracts, payment records and security, then explain which legal question needs to be addressed next.

9 September 2026, Mag. Bernhard Brandauer, Rechtsanwalt

When an already filed insolvency claim is assigned after proceedings have opened, the new creditor’s position at the creditors’ meeting changes. The assignment must be traceable through the assignment deed, the original filing and the procedural status.

Section 94 of the Austrian Insolvency Code generally excludes an insolvency creditor who acquired the claim by legal assignment after the opening from voting. An exception applies where the claim was taken over on the basis of an obligation entered into before the opening.

This article addresses a creditor change after filing. It separates that issue from an initial filing, a dispute about the claim and an ordinary assignment outside insolvency proceedings. It explains which records are needed to assess evidence, participation and voting rights.

Creditor change in proceedings

Review assignment, evidence and voting separately

The claim, timing of acquisition and procedural effect must fit together in one chronology.

Review fields for a creditor change
Review field Legal connection Records needed Core question
Original claim The filing, examination and claim amount establish the starting point. Filing, exhibits, examination result, interest and cost schedule. Which claim was filed and in what amount?
Assignment Section 94 addresses acquisition by legal assignment after the opening of proceedings. Assignment deed, date, scope, consideration and amendments. Which claim was transferred, when and to whom?
Exception An assumption based on an obligation entered into before the opening may avoid the exclusion under section 94. Pre-opening obligation, assignment agreement and chronology. Did the relevant obligation already exist before the opening?
Voting right Sections 92 and 93 determine calculation, claim status and special voting rules. Notice, agenda, claim status and authority. May the vote be counted and with what weight?

The result depends on the complete file, the wording of the agreements and the date on which proceedings opened.

Choose the next review step

What must be clarified first after an assignment?

This check organises the evidence and the timing exception in section 94. It does not determine the validity of a specific assignment.

Discuss the specific matter with the firm.

01 Question 1

Are the original filing and assignment fully documented?

Your answers

Review the documents

01

Document the assignment and claim status completely

Arrange the original filing, exhibits, examination result, assignment deed, date and amendments. Without this connection the creditor change cannot be reliably allocated in the insolvency file.

02

Reconstruct the transfer chain and partial amounts

Where there are several assignments, each transfer must connect to the next by claim scope, date and legal basis. Prepare a complete chain before the new creditor approaches the court or insolvency administrator.

03

Review the pre-opening obligation and voting right

Section 94 excludes the voting bar where the claim was taken over on the basis of an obligation entered into before the opening. Show the original obligation and its later implementation through the assignment.

04

Take the section 94 voting exclusion into account

If the claim was acquired by legal transaction only after the opening and the statutory exception does not apply, section 94 provides no voting right to the acquirer. Evidence of the claim remains a separate issue.

05

Establish timing and the original obligation first

For section 94, the label assignment is not enough. The relevant points are the acquisition date, the agreement’s content and whether a binding obligation to take over the claim already existed before proceedings opened.

Connect the original filing with the new creditor role

The creditor change starts with the claim that was already filed. The claim basis, amount, ancillary claims, exhibits and examination result form the starting point. An assignment should not replace that starting point with a new and uncertain description of the claim.

Prepare a short chronology covering the claim’s origin and filing, the opening of proceedings, the assignment, notices to the participants and the next hearing. This shows whether the acquirer asserts the same claim or whether the amount itself has also changed.

Prove the assignment with the deed and transfer chain

The assignment agreement, signature, claim concerned, scope of transfer and any consideration belong together for the review. A partial assignment must identify the transferred amount and ancillary rights. Amendments, reassignments and further transfers should each be recorded separately.

Communications also matter in practice. Keep notices to the insolvency administrator and insolvency court, proof of receipt and the response to who will appear as creditor at the next hearing. The records should explain the transfer of the particular claim without assuming an approval that is not documented.

Classify the assignment date under section 94

Section 94 applies to insolvency creditors who acquired the claim by legal assignment only after proceedings opened. Such an acquirer generally has no voting right. The statute focuses on acquisition and the opening date, not on when the original claim arose.

The exception requires an obligation entered into before the opening, on the basis of which the claim was taken over. A free purchase or assignment agreement concluded only after the opening does not meet that wording by itself. Whether a binding earlier obligation existed must be shown by the original contracts and their mechanism of performance.

Assess voting weight and claim status separately

Section 93(1) generally allows participation in votes for admitted insolvency claims. Section 93(2) contains special rules for secured creditors and certain creditors of a registered partnership, including a request requirement and a limitation to the expected uncovered part. Section 93(3) also addresses unexamined, disputed and conditional claims.

The section 94 rule comes before that assessment for a creditor change. Even if the claim was originally admitted, an acquirer who obtained it by legal transaction after the opening must separately establish the exception to the voting bar. Only then can the specific voting weight be assessed under sections 92 and 93.

Document the notice and vote in the procedural file

Under section 91, the insolvency court convenes and leads the creditors’ meeting. The notice must publicly state the subject matter. A resolution generally cannot be passed on an item that was not announced. Check whether the creditor change and proposed vote belong to the specific meeting.

Section 92 calculates resolutions by an absolute majority of votes based on claim amounts, counting the insolvency creditors who appear. If the result depends on whether an uncertain vote is counted, section 93(4) allows the insolvency court to decide provisionally after review and hearing the parties. A complete file note should connect claim status, transfer evidence, authority, attendance and the actual voting result.

An assignment does not replace proof of the claim: Keep the original filing, transfer chain, opening date and any pre-opening obligation together. Participation and a possible voting right must then be assessed separately.
FAQ

Common questions about a creditor change

Does the buyer of a filed claim automatically have a voting right? +

No. Section 94 generally denies a voting right to an insolvency creditor who acquired the claim by legal assignment only after the opening. An exception may apply where the assumption was based on an obligation entered into before the opening.

Which records prove the creditor change? +

Keep the original filing, examination result, assignment deed, date and scope of transfer and any amendments together. If there were several transfers, the entire chain to the current creditor must be traceable.

What applies to a partial assignment? +

The transferred part must be identifiable by amount and ancillary rights. The filing, assignment agreement and current claim statement should show the same partial amount.

Who decides if an uncertain vote affects the result? +

If the result depends on whether and to what extent a vote is counted, section 93(4) allows the insolvency court to decide after a preliminary review and hearing the parties.

Topics
Creditor changeAssignmentClaim filingVoting rightCreditors’ meeting

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