Frozen bank accounts

A frozen bank account is a bank account that you cannot access because a creditor has placed a hold on it.  When your bank account is frozen, you can put money into it, but you can’t take money out.

Why is my bank account frozen?

A frozen bank account means that a creditor or debt collector went to court, won a lawsuit, and got a court judgment against you (or your joint account holder, if you have a joint bank account).  A creditor or debt collector cannot freeze your bank account unless it has a judgment from the court. Judgment creditors freeze people’s bank accounts as a way of pressuring people to make payments.

The law protects government benefits like SSI and unemployment. You can protect this income from creditors.

Learn more about what to do if your bank account has been frozen.