To find the best business debt settlement companies Fort Worth, TX, know what can be done before vs. after an MCA funder sues in Tarrant County. Once suit is filed you need a Texas-licensed lawyer, and the settlement should ideally close before a turnover receiver's order issues.
How does an MCA funder's claim reach a Fort Worth business?
Usually an MCA funder will get an out-of-state judgment against you since confessions of judgment are not allowed in Texas, see Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 30.001 and Tex. Fin. Code § 398.055 (effective Sept. 1, 2025). The funder will sue in New York (under the forum clause) or Texas. Then the judgment is filed with a Texas clerk and treated as local under Chapter 35, and notice must be mailed to you.
In Tarrant County it will normally be filed in one of the 10 civil district courts at the District Clerk's Office, 100 N Calhoun St., or for smaller cases in a County Court at Law. Texas Business Court's 8th Division is in Fort Worth, but it generally only hears contract cases over $5 million. For Dallas County, see Best Business Debt Settlement Companies Dallas, TX.
What happens after the judgment in Tarrant County, Texas?
The first main method of collection is filing an abstract of judgment with the Tarrant County Clerk's office, which creates a lien under Tex. Prop. Code § 52.001 on all your non-exempt real estate in Tarrant County for 10 years, including any you buy in the future. That makes a rental or shop building hard to sell or refinance. The lien does not apply to exempt property like your homestead.
The second is a turnover order: the court can order you to turn over non-exempt property, or appoint a receiver to take and sell it, under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 31.002. The order does not have to specify any property, and the law changed so it does not have to show that a levy was unsuccessful. The funder also recovers attorney's fees, and noncompliance is contempt.
Will I get a notice before the receiver serves my bank?
You may not get a notice before a turnover receiver is appointed. Tarrant County JP Precinct 1 states in its Receivership Information Sheet that Section 31.002 does not require courts to notify defendants of a hearing to appoint a receiver, and that it sends notice only as a courtesy. Under § 31.002(g), the receiver's rights attach once your bank is served with the certified order.
Then the payoff grows by the funder's turnover fees plus the receiver's fee, which TexasLawHelp states is sometimes as much as 25%, paid out of your property.
What property is exempt from a turnover receiver in Texas?
Texas has good personal exemptions, but a company's accounts have none. For an owner who signed a personal guarantee:
| Your property | Protected? | Statute |
|---|
| Your home in an urban area, up to 10 acres, including a business location | Yes, no limit | Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 51 & Tex. Prop. Code § 41.002 |
| Proceeds from the sale of your homestead | Yes, for 6 months | Tex. Prop. Code § 41.001(c) |
| Current wages | Yes, they cannot even turn over proceeds | Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 28; CPRC §§ 31.0025 & 31.002(f) |
| Retirement plans & IRAs | Yes | Tex. Prop. Code § 42.0021 |
| Tools, vehicles for your trade, furnishings | $50,000 if single, $100,000 if family, but cannot claim against a UCC lien | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 42.001 & 42.002(b) |
| Company's bank accounts & receivables | No exemptions | CPRC § 31.002(a) |
Texas Rules of Civil Procedure 679a & 679b, effective May 1, 2022, require that an individual get a Notice of Protected Property Rights within 3 business days of an account freeze. The hold is for 14 days, or 17 if mailed, and a hearing on your exemption claim has to be decided within 10 days. A corporation or LLC does not have this protection.
How should you pick a business debt settlement company in Fort Worth?
It depends on how far along your file is. Pre-judgment, pick a company with a good negotiating track record. It may help to check whether the funder has registered with the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (see our page on the best business debt settlement companies in Austin, Texas). Even though there is no private right of action, HB 700 will give you an edge when negotiating. Also, as of July 9, 2026 there are limits on what they can take from your account by automatic debit.
After a judgment or abstract, a company that is not a law firm cannot seek a Chapter 35 stay or contest a turnover order. Ask whether a Texas licensed attorney will file your case, and if so, who? If a turnover or receiver is already applied for, you need someone who can get before the Calhoun courts immediately and settle before the order is certified and sent to the banks.
Next, make sure the company will get:
- a release of judgment;
- a release of the abstract recorded with the county clerk's office;
- a release of any turnover or order appointing a receiver;
- a UCC-3 terminating any UCCs that were filed; and
- a release from any personal guarantee you signed.
For installment plans, check for an agreed judgment. CPRC 30.001 only bars confessions signed before suit. Once the suit is pending, they can get you to sign an agreed judgment, and if you miss one payment they can get a turnover order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do they have to notify me before they get a receiver?
No. The statute (Sec. 31.002) does not require the courts to notify you before a hearing to appoint a receiver. Tarrant County JP Precinct 1 says it notifies you only as a courtesy.
My LLC's account was frozen by a receiver. Do I get the 14-day hold?
Rules 679a and 679b only apply to individual judgment debtors. A personal guarantor gets a notice, an exemption claim form and a 14-day hold. They do not, however, have to hold your company's bank accounts.
Can the receiver sell my truck that I use for work, or my tools?
They are exempt up to $50,000 single or $100,000 family, but Property Code Sec. 42.002(b) states that these exemptions do not defeat a Chapter 9 security interest. So if you signed a UCC and gave them a security interest in these items, they are not exempt.
How long is a judgment good for in Texas?
The lien of the abstract is good for 10 years from recording. The judgment goes dormant if no writ of execution issues within 10 years, but writs keep it alive.