Agency witholding funds and threatening to go insolvent

[barely_pointless]

Not at all, particularly if it is a large amount.

Contact Safe Collections - they are best placed to suggest how to proceed.

fair enough, as I don't know the OP's circumstances nor appetite for a barney or what their war chest is like, but this could drag for months/years and if they(the Pimp's) go insolvent this will grind to a halt, and be put in a backlog (no not the sprint kind, the civil debt/register kind) in court and yawn, I'm almost falling asleep thinking about this and what the OP will have to do, or indeed those unfortunate safe collection people, they'll have to apply for a statement of claim and loss, have it assessed and wait in queue with other larger creditors (i.e. banks, who will use william shatner from boston legal or a similar to work through it) anyway , you get where I'm going. I don't wish to be adversarial and will settle outside of court for any amount, including equity on humiliation

I do know however what legal barriers and delaying tactics and debt collection/hassle can cumulatively wear on the OP, from my experience it's (assuming it's not a very large amount, say 30-50K) better to go for certainty than uncertainty, given the current situation, the agency/Nonce's/pimps are very likely to bring into play the COVID card, thereby reducing the effectiveness of safe collections, or at least delaying them. Safe collections may or may not have a huge backlog and once the pimp's figure out that they can delay, they will that is the only certainty I can predict.

you honour, my credentials 3 years contractor in criminal courts (serious crime - lol) , 2 years in civil litigation, and yes, before you ask, there is a real Lionel Hutz, he exists, I saw him in court and even googled the "surprise witnesses" from the simpsons for Judge when she asked.

I also have a selfie from the seat that the Lehmans nonce sat in at a major law firm and announced OOPs and triggered the first global financial crisis.......