How Can You Check Whether an MCA Debt Relief Firm Is Real?
Key points
- Better Business Bureau complaint records from 2025 to 2026 describe MCA debt relief clients who paid large fees while no payment reached any lender.
- A firm’s legal name can be checked in its state business registry, usually run by the Secretary of State, which shows whether the entity exists and its status.
- Complaints should be searched under a firm’s legal name in Better Business Bureau records, state attorney general records, county court records, and federal PACER records.
- A request for money before the client has read and signed the agreement is one of the clearest red flags in MCA debt relief.
- A promised percentage off or a promised number of weeks, offered before anyone has read the contracts, is a reason to walk away from a debt relief firm.
A real debt relief firm can be checked, and it expects to be. Before you sign anything, run the same tests on every firm you talk to, including Anchor Resolve: find its legal name in a state business registry, confirm a physical address, get every fee in writing before you sign, ask who holds the money and who actually negotiates with your funders, refuse any guarantee, insist on the risks in writing, notice who called whom, and search complaint records under the firm’s legal name. Each test takes minutes. A firm that resists any of them has told you what you need to know.
Why does checking matter in this industry?
Because the worst documented harm in MCA debt relief comes from firms that looked legitimate. Better Business Bureau complaint records for MCA debt relief firms from 2025 to 2026 describe clients told to stop paying their funders who paid large fees while no payment reached any lender. In January 2024 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and seven state attorneys general sued StratFS LLC and related debt relief companies over fees and the handling of client money. A professional website proves nothing either way. The tests below check the things a website cannot fake.
Sources: Better Business Bureau complaint records for MCA debt relief firms, 2025 to 2026; Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and seven state attorneys general v. StratFS LLC, January 2024.What are the tests?
Nine of them, each with what a real firm does and how Anchor Resolve answers, so you can score us with the same sheet.
| The test | What a real firm does | Anchor Resolve’s answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A legal name you can look up | Gives its legal name and state registration details, which you can check in that state’s business registry | Anchor Resolve LLC. Registration details are available on request, and our facts page lists what is published |
| 2. A real address and phone | Publishes a physical address and a phone number that a person answers | Miami, Florida office, by appointment (address on the contact page); (561) 397-9829 |
| 3. Fees in writing before you sign | Puts every fee in the agreement you read before you sign, and asks for nothing before that | The program fee is set out in your program agreement. Anchor Resolve is compensated by the servicing partner from that fee. You do not pay Anchor Resolve separately. |
| 4. Who holds the money | Keeps client money out of the firm’s own accounts | A dedicated program account is set up for you and managed by an independent payment processor. Anchor Resolve never holds or handles your funds |
| 5. Who negotiates | Tells you plainly who talks to your funders and how they are paid | A dedicated negotiation team works with your funders on your behalf. Anchor Resolve does not negotiate with funders, does not hold client funds, and is not a law firm. |
| 6. Law firm or not | Says whether it is a law firm, and sends legal questions to a licensed attorney | Not a law firm; legal questions go to a licensed attorney in your state |
| 7. No guarantees | Quotes no reduction, timeline, or success rate before reading your contracts | No percentages, no promised timelines. Results vary. No outcome is guaranteed. |
| 8. Risks in writing first | Explains in writing what funders can still do, before any strategy, and never says "just stop paying" | The risks are stated before the plan, and our Disclosures list them in full |
| 9. Who called whom, and how fast | Waits for you to reach out and attaches no deadline to its offer | We never cold call, and there is no deadline on our side |
Apply every test to every firm, including this one. A firm’s answer to any of them should be the same in writing as on the phone.
How do I check a firm’s registration?
Ask for the firm’s legal name and the state where it is organized, then search that name in the state’s business registry. Every state publishes one, usually through the Secretary of State or a division of corporations. The record shows whether the entity exists, its status, and usually its registered agent and principal address. A firm that will not give you a legal name, or whose name cannot be found anywhere, has failed the first test.
How do I search for complaints?
Use the firm’s legal name, not only its brand name, and look in four places: the Better Business Bureau’s complaint records, the consumer complaint records of your own state attorney general and of the attorney general where the firm is based, the court records of the county where the firm is located, and federal court records through the PACER system. Read the complaints themselves and whether the firm answered them in writing. No record at all is not proof of anything, but a pattern of the same complaint is.
What should make me walk away?
- A request for money before you have read and signed the agreement.
- Any instruction to send program money to the firm’s own account.
- A promised percentage off, or a promised number of weeks, before anyone has read your contracts.
- "Just stop paying," with nothing in writing about default, frozen accounts, and lawsuits.
- A call you did not ask for, or an offer that expires today.
- Vague answers about who negotiates, who holds the money, or whether the firm is a law firm.
The full rubric for comparing firms that pass these tests is in our guide to how to choose an MCA debt relief company, and the patterns behind the worst outcomes are in our guide to MCA debt relief scams and red flags.
Common questions
How do I look up a debt relief firm’s state registration?
Ask the firm for its legal name and the state where it is organized, then search that name in the state’s business registry, usually run by the Secretary of State or a division of corporations. The record shows whether the entity exists, its status, and usually its registered agent and address. A firm that will not give you a legal name has failed the test.
What does it mean if a debt relief firm has no online reviews?
Not much on its own. A newer firm may have few reviews, and reviews can be manufactured. What matters more is what you can verify: a legal name in a state registry, a physical address, fees in writing before you sign, an independent account for client money, and a clean search of complaint and court records under the firm’s legal name.
Should a debt relief firm let me read the agreement before I pay anything?
Yes. A legitimate firm puts every term and fee in the agreement and lets you read it before you sign or pay anything. A request for money before you have read and signed the agreement is one of the clearest red flags in this industry.
Sources
- Better Business Bureau, complaint records for merchant cash advance debt relief firms, 2025 to 2026.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and seven state attorneys general v. StratFS LLC, January 2024.
- Anchor Resolve, Facts, How it works, and Disclosures, 2026.
This article is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Anchor Resolve is not a law firm. If you are facing a lawsuit, a UCC lien, a frozen account, or a default notice, consider speaking with a licensed attorney in your state. If you want an honest read on your MCA situation, a consultation with us is free and carries no obligation.
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