Earnest payment
An earnest payment or earnest money, also known as EMD is a specific form of security deposit made in some major transactions such as real estate dealings or required by some official procurement processes to demonstrate that the applicant is serious and willing to demonstrate an earnest of good faith about wanting to complete the transaction. In the Middle Ages, the earnest payment was called variously an earnest penny, Arles penny, or God's silver (in Latin Argentum Dei).