Your Judgment Is Only Worth What You Collect
When a debtor’s bank account comes up empty, their investment portfolio might not. We execute brokerage account levies across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — so you can collect what the court already said you’re owed.
What Makes This Office Different
Mayoral Appointment, Badge #14
We’re appointed by the Mayor of New York City after a full DOI background check — not a collection agency, a court-authorized public officer.
Family Legacy Since 1988
Edward F. Guida Sr. built this office. Edward Jr. and the same long-tenured staff carry it forward — decades of institutional knowledge behind every enforcement action.
All Five Boroughs, One Office
One relationship covers the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — no juggling multiple marshal offices for different debtors or accounts.
$100,000 Public Officer Bond
Every NYC Marshal is bonded for $100,000 — a mandatory financial accountability backstop that collection agencies simply don’t carry.
NYC Marshal Financial Portfolio Levy
The Assets You Haven’t Looked at Yet
Most creditors start with bank accounts. When those come up short, they assume collection is over. But in New York City — especially in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn — a significant share of judgment debtors hold assets in taxable brokerage accounts. Stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds. Accounts at Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, and others.
These assets are reachable under New York law, and a bank levy that turned up nothing doesn’t change that. Under CPLR § 5232, a judgment creditor can direct a NYC Marshal to levy on a debtor’s personal property — including investment accounts. We serve the execution on the brokerage firm, the account is frozen, and the securities are liquidated to satisfy your judgment.
It’s not a different legal universe from a bank levy. It’s the same enforcement authority applied to a different kind of asset.
Seize Brokerage Funds, Satisfy Judgments
What a Brokerage Levy Actually Gets You
When the obvious collection routes fail, investment account enforcement gives you a second path to the money you’re already owed.
- You reach assets that bank levies miss — publicly traded securities are among the most liquid and executable assets available to judgment creditors.
- Your judgment stops sitting on paper — a successful brokerage levy converts a court order into actual dollars recovered.
- You work with one marshal office across all five boroughs, so enforcement doesn’t stall when a debtor’s accounts span the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island.
- You’re protected by proper procedure — every step we take follows CPLR Article 52, so the levy holds up and your case stays clean.
- You get an enforcement officer whose income depends on successful collection — we retain 5% of amounts recovered, so our incentive is aligned with yours.
- You move before the debtor does — our office acts quickly, which matters when a 90-day levy window is the only thing standing between you and a dissipated portfolio.
Investment Account Garnishment NYC Law
The 90-Day Window Changes Everything
Under New York law, a levy on personal property — including a brokerage account — expires after 90 days unless a turnover proceeding is commenced or a court order extends it. That window starts the moment the execution is served. It doesn’t pause while you decide whether to move forward.
This matters more in New York City than almost anywhere else. A debtor in Manhattan’s financial district, a professional in Park Slope, or a business owner in Flushing can move assets quickly. Accounts can be liquidated and transferred before a slow-moving enforcement action catches up.
The creditors who collect are usually the ones who acted while the window was open — not the ones who waited to see if the debtor would pay voluntarily. We understand the urgency. When you bring us an active judgment, we move on it. The paperwork gets processed, the execution gets served, and the brokerage firm gets notified — without the delays that cost creditors their shot at collection.
Portfolio Levy NYC — What’s Reachable
Not All Accounts Are Protected — Here’s What We Can Reach
One of the most common misconceptions we encounter is that brokerage accounts are somehow off-limits to creditors. They’re not — at least not the ones that matter most. Standard taxable brokerage accounts holding publicly traded stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds are reachable under CPLR § 5201(b), which authorizes enforcement against “any property which could be assigned or transferred.” That language is broad for a reason.
Retirement accounts — IRAs, 401(k)s — are a different story. Federal and state protections generally shield those from ordinary creditor levies. But a debtor who has shifted assets into a retirement account to avoid collection is a separate legal matter. For standard investment portfolios, the legal path is clear.
Different brokerage firms also have different service-of-process requirements. Some require the execution to be served at a specific branch location. Others accept service at any office. Getting this wrong can invalidate the levy entirely. Our office has the institutional knowledge — built across two generations of marshal practice — to navigate these differences correctly the first time.
How We Execute a Marshal Financial Levy
From Judgment to Recovery — Here’s the Process
Locate the Debtor’s Accounts
We help identify where the debtor’s investment assets are held — through information subpoenas served on financial institutions across NYC and beyond.
Serve the Execution
We deliver the property execution to the correct brokerage firm in compliance with CPLR § 5232 — freezing the account before the debtor can act.
Collect and Satisfy the Judgment
The brokerage liquidates the securities and turns over the proceeds. Your judgment gets satisfied — not just enforced on paper, but actually paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a NYC Marshal actually levy a brokerage or investment account?
Yes. NYC Marshals have the same civil enforcement authority as the Sheriff’s Office for money judgment enforcement within the five boroughs, and that authority extends to brokerage accounts under CPLR § 5232. When we serve a property execution on a brokerage firm — whether that’s a Fidelity branch in Manhattan, a Schwab office in another borough, or a firm with accounts tied to a Queens or Brooklyn debtor — the firm is legally required to freeze the account and, in due course, turn over the proceeds to satisfy the judgment. This is not a gray area. It’s a well-established enforcement mechanism that creditors in New York have used for decades.
What’s the difference between a bank levy and a brokerage account levy in New York?
The legal authority is the same — CPLR § 5232 — but the mechanics differ. A bank levy targets a deposit account: cash sitting in a checking or savings account. A brokerage account levy targets investment assets: stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and similar securities. Because brokerage accounts hold securities rather than cash, the process involves restraining the account, liquidating the holdings at market value, and transferring the proceeds to satisfy the judgment. It’s a slightly more involved process than a standard bank levy, but for debtors who hold significant investment portfolios — which is common across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens given NYC’s financial industry concentration — it’s often where the real money is.
How do I find out if a judgment debtor has a brokerage account?
Asset discovery is one of the most important steps in post-judgment enforcement, and it’s something many creditors overlook. The primary tool is an information subpoena — a legal document served on financial institutions requiring them to disclose whether they hold accounts in the debtor’s name. These can be served on multiple institutions simultaneously, including major brokerage firms operating in New York City. Public records, prior litigation history, and other post-judgment discovery tools can also surface leads. If you have a judgment and suspect the debtor has investment assets but don’t know where, that’s exactly the kind of situation our office can help you navigate. Don’t assume a debtor has no assets just because their bank account was empty.
Are there any brokerage account assets that are protected from a levy in NYC?
Standard taxable brokerage accounts holding publicly traded securities are generally reachable by judgment creditors in New York. The broader exemption protections that apply to bank accounts — particularly the Exempt Income Protection Act, which shields a minimum of $1,920 per banking institution when certain conditions are met — don’t apply the same way to investment accounts holding non-exempt assets. Where it gets more complicated is retirement accounts. IRAs and 401(k)s carry federal and state protections that generally shield them from ordinary creditor levies. If you’re unsure whether a specific account type is reachable, that’s a question worth discussing with your attorney before we proceed with enforcement — we work alongside legal counsel, not in place of it.
How quickly does a brokerage account levy need to happen after I get my judgment?
As quickly as possible, and that’s not an exaggeration. Under CPLR § 5232, a levy on personal property expires after 90 days if a turnover proceeding hasn’t been commenced and no court extension has been obtained. More practically, a debtor who learns a levy is coming can attempt to liquidate their investment portfolio and move the cash before the execution is served. In a city like New York — where debtors in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island all have easy access to online trading platforms and can move money in minutes — the window to act is real and finite. Our office processes enforcement matters efficiently, because we understand that delay is one of the most common reasons creditors walk away empty-handed.
Does your office handle brokerage levies across all five NYC boroughs?
Yes — our authority as a NYC Marshal covers the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Our office is based in Corona, Queens, which puts us in a central position within the city, but our enforcement reach runs across every borough and every NYC Civil Court that issues money judgments. Whether your debtor’s investment account is tied to a firm with offices in Midtown Manhattan, a branch in downtown Brooklyn, or an institution serving clients across the boroughs, we can serve the execution where it needs to go. For creditors managing multiple judgments across different parts of the city, having one trusted marshal office that covers all five boroughs is a meaningful practical advantage.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at guidajr@nycmarshal14.com to see how we can help you.