A frozen bank account occurs when you owe a debt to a creditor that you have not paid; the creditor will then sue you in court. If you do not respond to the lawsuit, the creditor can then receive a judgment from the court and freeze the bank account. Laws differ in different states and countries, but in most cases, the money cannot immediately be taken out of the frozen bank account; this will require a second turnover order from a judge. Usually, the funds will simply remain frozen until the case is resolved.
Unfortunately, in many cases there is nothing you personally can do about a frozen bank account. Going into the bank will not make a difference, because they are required by law to keep the account frozen. It will be necessary to hire a lawyer and go into court to unfreeze the bank account, and to deal with the creditor who has frozen the account. Keep in mind that creditors cannot freeze a bank account without notice; you will first be notified that you are being sued in court.
To prevent your bank account from being frozen, always try to pay bills on time, and always notify creditors if you move. If you cannot pay bills on time, contact the creditors to determine if you can work out a payment plan in exchange for closing the account, for example. Finally, if you receive notice that you are being sued in court by a creditor, respond to the lawsuit before it escalates to a frozen bank account. If you do receive notice from the bank that your account has been frozen, it will usually be accompanied by a letter with contact information for a lawyer; call that lawyer as soon as possible to begin reversing the process.
In the meantime, there are some things to keep in mind while the bank account is frozen. First, in many cases, public assistance or some other funds are exempt from being frozen; this might include veteran's benefits, social security income, unemployment, alimony, or other state benefits, among others. Proof will be required to release these funds. In addition, immediately stop any direct deposits to the account, as well as any automatic bill payments, and find somewhere else to cash your paychecks in the meantime. If checks were written that have not yet cleared the account, contact the people to whom the checks were written and ask them not to cash them.
