A deferral agreement is a legally binding document between parties that agree to postpone a specific action or obligation to a later date.
The act of deferring or putting something off until later; postponement: If you are unable to take the exam, you can request a deferral of your registration fees to the next exam date.
A deferred payment is one that is delayed, either completely or in part, in order to give the person or business making the payment more time to meet their financial obligations. In accounting terms, any merchant allowing customers to set up a deferred payment agreement will be dealing with accrued revenue.
Here are some examples of deferrals: Insurance premiums. Subscription based services (newspapers, magazines, television programming, etc.) Prepaid rent.
Avoiding the “whole company” effect of a successful prosecution – not only the wrongdoers are affected, but employees, shareholders and even trading partners could suffer significantly.
DPAs - Disadvantages A DPA can be extremely demanding as the court can impose enforceable undertakings, which would not be the case on conviction following trial. Companies who accept a DPA may therefore be subject to more scrutiny of their corporate governance than those who do not cooperate.
The agreement allows a prosecution to be suspended for a defined period, provided the organisation meets certain specified conditions. DPAs can be used for fraud, bribery and other economic crime. They apply to organisations, never individuals.
In many respects, a DPA for a company mimics elements of plea agreements and probation for individual defendants, combining penalties with rehabilitative efforts. However, probation is a form of sentencing, and in a DPA, the company is not convicted of a crime.
Eight of 12 existing DPAs in the UK relate to the corporate bribery offence, demonstrating their popularity among regulators seeking more efficient investigation, remediation and case closure.