In Re Lehman Brothers Inc. [Again] - Affiliate Set-Off

UBS terminated its ISDA Master and FX transactions with Lehman Brothers Inc., was obligated to return about $23 million in collateral, wanted to set-off against that $23 million amounts owing by LBI to UBS affiliates as contemplated by the cross-affiliates set-off provision. Judge Peck said no. These types of clauses are enforceable pre-bankruptcy, but not once a proceeding is commenced. Mutuality is a requirement for post-petition set-off. He said, "Contractual provisions that purport to create synthetic mutuality are not a substitute for the real thing."

Section 553(a) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code requires mutuality as a condition of preserving a right of set-off. UBS argued that contractual set-off was an exception to the mutuality requirement. Judge Peck disagreed simply on the basis that the statute did not provide for that exception.