The freeze always happens at the worst possible moment. A wire from a new client triggers a compliance review. A KYC refresh window expired. A chargeback rate spiked. Your account is frozen and you have a 50,000 EUR payroll due in 72 hours. Hour 1: confirm the scope of the freeze. Is it just incoming, just outgoing, or full? Hour 2: contact your relationship manager (you should have

one for any account holding more than 25,000 EUR). Hour 3: activate your backup business account at a different provider and route urgent payments through it. Hour 4-8: prepare written documentation in response to the compliance request. Avoid phone-only conversations. Everything in writing creates a paper trail. Most freezes resolve within 5 to 10 business days when you respond.