The classification screen
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
01
What transaction and when?
Timeline.
When02
Preference, undervalue, or fraud theory?
Label.
Theory03
Counterparty good-faith defence?
Defence.
Defence04
Litigation by administrator started?
Case.
CaseWorking rule: Test whether any pre-bankruptcy transfer, payment or security grant falls within an applicable avoidance ground and look-back period.
What changes the answer
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
Repay related party on eve of filing
Preference bait.
Stop.
Grant new mortgage to friendly bank late
Avoidance risk.
Counsel.
Ignore lookback when buying assets
Buyer risk.
DD.
Prepare before you escalate
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
01Payment/transfer recordsWhat moved.
02Dates vs acceptanceLookback.
03Related-party mapPreference story.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Are ordinary course payments safe?
Safer, not automatic. Facts and timing matter.
Where is distressed M&A?
Open /distressed-manda-in-china.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.