Top Companies to Fight UCC Liens & Bank Freezes — 2026

When an MCA funder freezes your bank account, every hour counts. You need an attorney who can file an emergency motion today — not next week. These are the three firms that can help, ranked by their ability to unfreeze accounts and resolve the underlying MCA debt.

UCC-1 Liens vs. Restraining Notices — What Actually Froze Your Account

Business owners call us every day saying “a UCC lien froze my bank account.” That is close — but the mechanics matter because they determine how you fight back.

The UCC-1 filing. When you signed the MCA agreement, you granted the funder a security interest in all business assets — equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, and yes, bank accounts. The funder perfected that interest by filing a UCC-1 financing statement with the Secretary of State under UCC Article 9. This filing is a public notice of the funder’s claim. But the UCC-1 alone does not freeze anything. It is a claim, not an enforcement action.

The restraining notice. To actually freeze your account, the funder needs a judgment. In MCA cases, that judgment usually comes from a confession of judgment filed in New York court. Once the funder has a judgment, they send a restraining notice to your bank under CPLR §5222. The bank is legally required to freeze the account — no discretion, no exceptions. Your money is locked.

Why the distinction matters. You challenge these differently. The UCC-1 is challenged through a UCC-3 termination or court order. The restraining notice is challenged by vacating the underlying judgment. You need to attack both. An emergency Order to Show Cause can vacate the judgment and lift the restraining notice simultaneously — unfreezing your account within 24–48 hours.

How to Challenge a UCC Lien Under Article 9

UCC liens filed by MCA funders are not bulletproof. Here are the grounds for challenge:

1. Unauthorized filing. If the security agreement was not properly executed — you did not sign it, it was forged, or it was obtained through fraud — the UCC-1 is unauthorized. You can demand termination under UCC §9-513. If the funder refuses, your attorney files a court action to compel termination.

2. Material errors in the filing. UCC-1 filings must accurately identify the debtor by exact legal name. Under UCC §9-503, even minor errors in the debtor’s name can render the filing ineffective. If the funder misspelled your business name, used a trade name instead of the legal entity name, or listed the wrong state of organization — the filing is defective and the lien is unperfected.

3. Overbroad collateral description. Some MCA funders file UCC-1 liens claiming “all assets” when the MCA agreement only granted a security interest in accounts receivable. If the filing exceeds the scope of the security agreement, it can be challenged as overbroad.

4. Underlying debt paid or settled. If the MCA has been paid in full or settled, the funder is required to file a UCC-3 termination statement within 20 days of your written demand under UCC §9-513. If they refuse, you can recover $500 in statutory damages plus actual damages caused by the failure to terminate.

5. Void underlying agreement. If the MCA agreement itself is void — due to usury, fraud, or unconscionability — the security interest granted under that agreement is also void. No valid agreement means no valid lien. Period.

Emergency Steps to Unfreeze Your Bank Account

Here is exactly what to do — right now, today:

Step 1: Call an MCA defense attorney. Call (212) 210-1851 to speak with Delancey Street. Tell them your bank account is frozen. They will begin working immediately.

Step 2: Get the restraining notice from your bank. Ask your bank for a copy of the restraining notice. It identifies the judgment, the court, the case number, and the creditor. Your attorney needs this to file the emergency motion.

Step 3: File an Order to Show Cause. Your attorney prepares an emergency OSC to vacate the judgment and requests a TRO to lift the restraining notice. The OSC is presented directly to a judge — not filed in the clerk’s office to sit in a queue. If the judge finds sufficient grounds, the TRO is signed immediately and your bank releases the funds.

Step 4: Challenge the UCC-1 filing. While the emergency motion addresses the bank freeze, your attorney simultaneously challenges the UCC-1 lien. This removes the funder’s claim on your business assets and prevents future enforcement.

Step 5: Negotiate settlement. With the freeze lifted and the judgment challenged, the funder’s position collapses. Settlement negotiations typically resolve the debt at 30–60% of the outstanding balance.

Top Companies to Fight UCC Liens & Bank Freezes — 2026

Only one firm on this list — Delancey Street — provides emergency bank account recovery with attorney-coordinated UCC lien challenges and MCA debt settlement. The other two handle broader debt categories.