RE:RE:defer the payment of one half of the earn-out payment owing That is 4 months at the ANNUAL rate of 8%, not 8% for 3 months! Obviously this gets them past the year end with a full year after acquisition. Considering it is less than their current blended rate of 9.25%, this is a reasonable deal for both parties. Should be plenty of cash available at that time and debt to earnings ratio down to 5.5 or less.