By Northern Virginia Lawyer Robert Weed 703-335-7793
Robert Weed ยท 1 min read
How to Avoid a Bank Account Garnishment
Virginia courts have jurisdiction over people and businesses located in Virginia. So it is easy for a Virginia court to garnish your bank account if that bank has a location in Virginia. (It’s the location of the bank, NOT the location of the account, that matters. Maybe you opened an account at Bank of America when you lived in Maryland. A Virginia court can easily garnish that account, because Bank of America also has banks located in Virginia.)
It’s very hard–I can’t say impossible–for a Virginia court to garnish a bank that’s NOT located in Virginia. But how easy is it open a bank account at a bank that’s NOT in Virginia? Yeah, that’s now easy. We are now seeing these online banks that don’t seem to be located anywhere. (Obviously they do have a headquarters somewhere, like New York or San Francisco, but NOT Richmond.)
The two online banks my clients have mentioned to me the most are Chime and Greendot. Neither of those seem to be listed as best with the consumer recommendation articles I’ve read. Some people report Chime freezing their credit builder account.
Nerdwallet has this list. Discover. One, Varo. Monifi. TIAA. Ally. Alliant Credit Union.
Money Lists Axos. Ally. Varo. Quantic. Discover.
We are now seeing online banks that don’t seem to be located anywhere. They are very difficult for a Virginia court to garnish.
Got a garnishment? Call Robert Weed at 703-335-7793 for a free Zoom consultation. Bankruptcy can stop a garnishment, and sometimes get the money back.
We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code. This article is general information, not legal advice. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.