Direct answer

Banks freeze on a court notice — they do not freeze on a PDF from foreign counsel.

Account preservation is the most used commercial lock. You apply to the court with a claim, security, and as specific an account lead as you can (bank, branch, number, or at least the company’s open-account bank). The court issues an assist-execution notice to the bank. Joint accounts and payroll accounts create overbreadth fights. This is the bank related pages of asset preservation. Investigating where the account is sits in batch-2 asset investigation. Do not call the bank ‘as the lawyer’ and expect a freeze.

The classification screen

4 questions before you choose the route.

This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.

01

Do you have an account lead?

Number or at least the bank.

Lead
02

Case or pre-suit?

Clock to file.

When
03

Security amount?

Often tied to the freeze.

Security
04

Payroll/third-party funds?

Overbreadth.

Scope

Working rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.

What changes the answer

The signal ledger.

These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.

Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
Letter to the bank
Foreign firm letterhead.
Ignored.
Guess every Big Four bank
Spray-and-pray.
Court may refuse.
Freeze the LR’s personal card
Without a veil-pierce theory.
Wrong target.
Prepare before you escalate

Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.

Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.

01Account cluesInvoices, SWIFT, WeChat payee.
02Claim documentsContract, invoices.
03Security instrumentReady to lodge.
Common confusions

Questions people ask before they build.

Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.

Can I freeze Alipay/WeChat Pay?

Sometimes, with a court notice to the platform. Treat it as a lead plus preservation, not a self-help PIN.

How long does a freeze last?

The order states a period; renewal practice exists. Confirm the current order.

Primary authorities

Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.