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Debt Arrangement Scheme: a debt management tool introduced by the Scottish Government and accessed through an approved money advisor. It may help you if you have one or more debts and want to pay what you owe by giving more time for repayments free from the threat of enforcement (diligence) or bankruptcy.

Debtor: any person who owes money to another.

Debtor's Dwellinghouse: a house which is the sole or main residence of the debtor.

Decree: a formal order of court which says the debtor must pay money to a creditor. This might follow court action such as: a small claim up to £750; summary cause £750-£1500 or ordinary action, more than £1500.

Decree of Adjudication: adjudication is an action in the Court of Session where property you own which can be inherited, usually a house or similar, is transferred to a creditor to pay a debt.

Demise Charter: a maritime term: a demise charter is the lease of a vessel in which all control is relinquished by the owner (to the charterer), and the charterer bears all expenses of operation. For example, sole control of crew and cargo, command and navigation. If the charterer may appoint his own crew, it is known as a bareboat charter, rather than a demise charter.

Depreciation: the measure of the value of a fixed asset that has been consumed during a period whether arising from use, passage of time or obsolescence. The term amortisation is used in relation to intangible assets.

Diligence: various forms of legal process taken by creditors to enforce repayment of overdue debts.

Diligence Against Earnings: legal process which allows a creditor to instruct a debtor's employer to make a deduction from the debtor's earnings.

Diligence on the Dependence: a measure which prevents the debtor from disposing of funds, goods or property while a legal action is ongoing.

Discharge: the formal termination of a legal office or state, e.g. trustees may apply to be formally discharged once their functions are completed. A debtor is also discharged from bankruptcy, usually one year after the date of sequestration.

Dividend: the distribution of funds to creditors in a sequestration. Also, the proportion of the debt repaid to a creditor in a sequestration; expressed as x pence in the £.