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When your bank account is frozen, you need an attorney who can file emergency motions — today, not next week. The firms below are ranked by their ability to unfreeze accounts, vacate MCA judgments, and resolve the underlying debt. Your search is over.
Important: Delancey Street is not a law firm. They are a specialized MCA debt settlement company that works with a nationwide network of licensed attorneys — attorneys who file emergency motions to unfreeze bank accounts, vacate MCA judgments, challenge restraining notices under CPLR §5222, and settle MCA debt at 30–60% of the outstanding balance. When your bank account is frozen, their attorney network moves within 24–48 hours.
Here is exactly how it works. You call Delancey Street. Their team identifies the judgment behind the freeze — is it a COJ or a default judgment? They determine the court, the county, and the funder. Then their attorneys file an emergency Order to Show Cause with a request for a temporary restraining order to lift the bank freeze. Simultaneously, they attack the underlying judgment — challenging defective COJs under CPLR §3218, improper service under CPLR §308, or lack of jurisdiction.
While the legal fight unfolds, the settlement team opens negotiations with the funder. Frozen bank accounts give the funder leverage — but a vacatur motion takes that leverage away. Funders prefer to settle at 30–60% rather than risk losing the judgment entirely. That is the play. That is how your account gets unfrozen and the debt gets resolved.
Important: National Debt Relief is not a law firm and does not file emergency motions, challenge restraining notices, or handle MCA-specific litigation. They are the largest debt settlement company in the United States — A+ Better Business Bureau rating, 550,000+ clients served. If you carry additional unsecured business debt alongside the MCA — credit cards, vendor accounts, lines of credit — National Debt Relief can address those after the emergency is resolved.
Important: CuraDebt is not a law firm and does not file emergency motions, challenge restraining notices, or handle MCA judgment defense. They handle business debt and IRS/state tax resolution. If the bank freeze has caused you to miss payroll tax deposits or you are facing IRS penalties, CuraDebt can address the tax side while Delancey Street handles the emergency. They are IAPDA certified with 25+ years of experience.
This distinction matters. It changes everything about your strategy.
A UCC-1 financing statement is a public filing with the Secretary of State that gives a creditor a security interest in your business assets — receivables, equipment, inventory. It does not authorize the creditor to take any enforcement action. It does not freeze your bank account. It does not garnish your wages. It does not seize your property. It is a claim — not an action.
A restraining notice under CPLR §5222 is a post-judgment enforcement tool. After the MCA funder obtains a court judgment — through a COJ, a default judgment, or a litigated judgment — the funder’s attorney serves a restraining notice on your bank. The bank is legally required to freeze your account up to the judgment amount. The bank has no choice. The bank is not doing this to you — the bank is following a court order.
An execution under CPLR §5232 goes further. An execution directs the bank to turn over the frozen funds to the judgment creditor. If you do not act before the execution is served, the money is gone.
So what happened? The MCA funder filed a UCC lien when you took the advance. Then you defaulted. The funder obtained a judgment — probably a COJ or a default judgment. Then the funder’s attorney served a restraining notice on your bank. The bank froze your account. The UCC lien and the freeze are related — they are both part of the MCA funder’s collection strategy — but the lien did not cause the freeze. The judgment did.
Your account is frozen. Here is the step-by-step path to unfreezing it.
Step 1: Identify the judgment. Call your bank and ask for a copy of the restraining notice or execution. The notice will identify the judgment creditor, the court, the index number, and the judgment amount. This tells your attorney exactly where the judgment was entered and how to attack it.
Step 2: File an emergency Order to Show Cause. Your attorney prepares an Order to Show Cause to vacate the judgment and lift the restraining notice, with a request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to unfreeze the account immediately. The OSC is presented directly to a judge — not filed with the clerk’s office to wait in line. This is emergency relief.
Step 3: Claim exempt funds. If your frozen account contains exempt funds — payroll, Social Security, pension, disability, veterans benefits — your attorney files a claim of exemption. Under federal and state law, these funds cannot be seized even with a valid judgment. The bank must release exempt funds once the exemption is established.
Step 4: Attack the underlying judgment. Challenge the judgment itself. If it was a COJ filed against an out-of-state defendant, it is voidable under CPLR §3218. If it was a default judgment based on improper service, it is void for lack of jurisdiction under CPLR §308. If the judgment was obtained through fraud or misrepresentation, it can be vacated at any time under CPLR §5015(a)(3).
Step 5: Negotiate while fighting. Once the vacatur motion is filed, the funder’s leverage evaporates. They had a judgment. Now that judgment is being challenged. They had your money frozen. Now a judge may order it released. This is the moment to negotiate — settlement at 30–60% of the balance, with a condition that the funder release the restraining notice and file a satisfaction of judgment. That is the endgame.
1. Call Delancey Street immediately. Call (212) 210-1851. This is an emergency. Their attorneys begin working the same day — identifying the judgment, preparing the OSC, and contacting the funder. Do not wait until Monday. Do not wait until tomorrow.
2. Call your bank. Ask for a copy of the restraining notice or execution. Ask the bank to identify the judgment creditor and the court where the judgment was entered. This information is critical for your attorney.
3. Identify exempt funds. If your account contains payroll funds, Social Security, pension, disability, or veterans benefits, document those deposits. Your attorney can file an immediate claim of exemption to release those funds even before the judgment is challenged.
4. Do not deposit new funds into the frozen account. Any money you deposit will be subject to the restraining notice and frozen immediately. If you have incoming payments, redirect them to a different account — but understand that the funder’s attorneys will eventually locate that account too. The real solution is to challenge the judgment and get the restraint released.
5. Do not contact the MCA funder directly. The funder knows your account is frozen. That is by design. They are waiting for you to call in desperation and agree to unfavorable terms. Do not give them that satisfaction. Let your attorney negotiate from a position of strength.
Only one firm on this list — Delancey Street — actually files emergency motions to unfreeze bank accounts and challenge MCA judgments. The other two handle broader debt categories. They are not built for this emergency.
The only firm on this list that files emergency motions to unfreeze bank accounts — OSC filings within 24–48 hours, TRO requests, judgment vacatur, COJ challenges, and MCA settlement at 30–60%. Not a law firm, but their attorney network delivers emergency relief when your business is on life support. Over $100M settled. No upfront fees. All 50 states.
Not an emergency bank unfreeze specialist. National Debt Relief handles general unsecured business debt — no emergency motions, no judgment challenges, no restraining notice defense. But if you have traditional unsecured debt alongside the MCA, they are a strong option after the emergency is resolved.
Not an emergency bank unfreeze specialist. CuraDebt handles business debt and IRS/state tax resolution. If the frozen account caused you to miss payroll tax deposits, CuraDebt can address the IRS consequences while Delancey Street handles the emergency.
You cannot run a business with a frozen bank account. Delancey Street’s attorney network files emergency motions within 24–48 hours to lift bank freezes and challenge MCA judgments. Over $100M settled. Free consultation. Call now.
Call for Emergency HelpThis page is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. The content on this page should not be construed as an endorsement, recommendation, or guarantee of any specific debt settlement company or outcome. Individual results may vary based on the nature of the debt, creditor policies, and the specific circumstances of each case.
The rankings and evaluations presented reflect the independent editorial judgment of our review team based on publicly available information. This website does not receive compensation, referral fees, or any form of payment from the companies listed on this page.
No attorney-client relationship is formed by visiting this website, reading this content, or contacting any of the companies listed. Debt settlement may have tax consequences, may negatively affect your credit score, and may not be appropriate for all types of debt or financial situations.
Delancey Street is not a law firm. Delancey Street works with a nationwide network of attorneys and debt specialists who handle MCA defense, business debt settlement, and related services. Any attorney services referenced on this page are provided by independent, licensed attorneys within the Delancey Street network — not by Delancey Street directly.
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