How It Works
How we work an MCA file
We start with the file on the table: the advances, the debits, the liens, the guarantee, and what "done" has to look like for you. You get a dedicated team — capital markets, cash-flow, and negotiation — not a call center and not a one-person shop. Licensed counsel is brought in when the path is legal.
We do not start with a threat letter. We start with options that can leave the business standing. The sequence is four steps, in this order:
- Rapid diagnosis — cash including daily ACH, the stack, the contracts, and UCC filings
- Refinance package first
- Negotiation file if we cannot refinance
- Legal-path prep with licensed counsel if the funder will not cooperate
That is how we work an MCA file for US business owners. See also MCA debt relief, refinance, negotiate, and stacked merchant cash advances.
Rapid diagnosis
Diagnosis is cash-flow first. We look at what daily ACH is taking before payroll, vendors, and operating cash. We map the stack: how many advances, who is in position, and whether a new advance is servicing an old one. We read the contracts. We look at UCC-1 filings against the business and any personal guarantee.
If you have been served, if the account is frozen, or if there is a confession of judgment, that is a lawyer today. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We will say so and help you prepare to work with licensed counsel.
Refinance package first
If the stack can be refinanced or consolidated into a facility the business can actually service, that is the first move. The goal is a payment cash flow can hold — not another short-term debit on top of the last one.
Stacking a new advance to pay an old one is not a refinance. A refinance package is the takeout question: balances, debits, UCC-1 position, and whether capital markets can replace the stack. Read how we refinance a merchant cash advance.
Negotiation file if we cannot refinance
If refinance is not on the table, we work a negotiation file with the funder. That means the real numbers: remaining balances, ACH, UCC position, personal guarantee, and what done has to look like for the owner.
We are not a settlement company. We do not hold client funds. You stay the owner. You stay in control of the money. See how we negotiate a merchant cash advance.
Legal-path prep with licensed counsel
If the funder will not cooperate, the next step is not a threat letter from a call center. It is a file licensed counsel can actually use. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice.
We do not file. We do not stop ACH as the actor. We do not promise a percentage. When a file needs counsel, we will say so and help you prepare to work with them. That is legal-path prep — not a lawsuit pitch and not a claim about what a funder will accept. More on how to get out of a merchant cash advance.
What we need from you
A file that can move needs the real documents, not a summary of how the week felt:
- The contracts
- Bank statements that show the ACH
- The stack: funder, remaining balance, debit
- UCC filings you know about
- Personal guarantee copies if you have them
- What done has to look like for the business
What you are / what we are
You are the owner. You stay in control of the money.
We are a consulting firm, not a one-person shop and not a call center. We are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice, and we are not a debt settlement company. We do not hold client funds. We work with US business owners only.
What done looks like
Relief is the MCA gone, or a payment the cash flow can live with. A UCC-3 where that is part of the deal. A personal guarantee release where that is part of the deal. No new stack to service the old one.
That is also what MCA debt relief has to mean on this site — not another advance, and not a slogan.
Related: MCA debt relief · Business debt relief
Speak With Us
If you want the file on the table — the advances, the debits, the liens, the guarantee, and what done has to look like — that is the conversation we have.
FAQs
How do we start a file?
Put the file on the table. We need the advances, the ACH, the stack, the contracts, the UCC position, and what done has to look like. Then we diagnose. Speak With Us to start.
Do you always refinance first?
Yes. Refinance is the first move, not the last. If takeout is not available, we do not invent it. We move to a negotiation file, and if the funder will not cooperate, to legal-path prep with licensed counsel.
How long does this take?
We talk in ranges, not a date we cannot hold. Diagnosis starts when the file is complete. Refinance then depends on underwriting. Negotiation depends on the funder. Legal-path prep depends on licensed counsel. Those clocks are different. We will say which range applies to your file.
Do you work one MCA or a stacked file?
Both. One expensive contract is a problem. A stack is the trap: new ACH servicing old ACH, UCC-1s, and personal guarantees. See stacked merchant cash advances.
Should I talk to the funder?
Not as a substitute for a file. If you have been served, if the account is frozen, or if there is a confession of judgment, that is a lawyer today — not a call to the funder to "work it out" without counsel. Otherwise we work from the documents, not from a hallway conversation.
Do you guarantee a payout?
No. We do not promise a percentage. We do not promise what a funder will accept. We do not stop ACH as the actor. The work is a refinance package, a negotiation file, or legal-path prep — not a guaranteed number.
When do I need a lawyer?
If you have been served, if the account is frozen, or if there is a confession of judgment, that is a lawyer today. We are not a law firm. When a file needs licensed counsel, we will say so and help you prepare to work with them.
Do you file Chapter 11?
No. We do not file. We do not file Chapter 11. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. If the path is legal, licensed counsel files what counsel decides to file.
What if my documents are incomplete?
We still start with what you have, but a file that can move needs the contracts, the ACH, the stack, and the liens. Incomplete documents mean diagnosis is incomplete. Bring what you have. We will tell you what is missing.
St. Germain Strategy is an advisory firm. We are not a law firm, we do not provide legal advice, and we are not a debt settlement company. We do not hold client funds. When a file needs licensed counsel, we will say so and help you prepare to work with them.
