BlackRock TCP Capital (TCPC) 10-K2021 FY Annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

______________________

FORM 10-K

Commission File Number: 814-00899

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BLACKROCK TCP CAPITAL CORP.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

______________________

(310) 566-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

______________________

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act: Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days: Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☐ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with a new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant at June 30, 2021 (the last business day of the Registrant’s most recently completed second quarter) was $798.3 million based upon the last sales price reported for such date on The NASDAQ Global Select Market. For purposes of this disclosure, shares of common stock beneficially owned by executive officers and directors of the Registrant and members of their families have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily conclusive for other purposes. The Registrant has no non-voting common stock.

The number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value, outstanding as of February 23, 2022 was 57,767,264.

Documents Incorporated by Reference: Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to the Registrant’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Report.

BLACKROCK TCP CAPITAL CORP.

FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Part I

Summary of Risk Factors

The risk factors described below are a summary of the principal risk factors associated with an investment in us. These are not the only risks we face. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with the risk factors set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other reports and documents filed by us with the SEC.

Risks Related to Our Business

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Risks Related to Our Investments

Risks Related to Our Operations as a BDC

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock and Other Securities

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General

In this annual report in Form 10-K, except as otherwise indicated, the terms:

“Company,” "we," "us" and "our" refer to Special Value Continuation Fund, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, for the periods prior to the consummation of the Conversion described elsewhere in this report and to BlackRock TCP Capital Corp., formerly known as TCP Capital Corp., for the periods after the consummation of the Conversion;

“SVCP” refers to Special Value Continuation Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

“TCPC Funding” refers to TCPC Funding I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

“TCPC Funding II” refers to TCPC Funding II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

The “SBIC” refers to TCPC SBIC, LP, a Delaware limited partnership;

The “Advisor” refers to Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the investment manager; and

“Administrator” refers to Series H of SVOF/MM, LLC, a series of a Delaware limited liability company, an affiliate of the Advisor and administrator of the Company.

The Company is a Delaware corporation formed on April 2, 2012 and is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. We have elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Our investment objective is to achieve high total returns through current income and capital appreciation, with an emphasis on principal protection. We seek to achieve our investment objective primarily through investments in debt securities of middle-market companies, which we typically define as those with enterprise values between $100 million and $1.5 billion. While we intend to primarily focus on privately negotiated investments in debt of middle-market companies, we may make investments of all kinds and at all levels of the capital structure, including in equity interests such as preferred or common stock and warrants or options received in connection with our debt investments. Our investment activities will benefit from what we believe are the competitive advantages of our Advisor, including its diverse in-house skills, proprietary deal flow, and consistent and rigorous investment process focused on established, middle-market companies. We expect to generate returns through a combination of the receipt of contractual interest payments on debt investments and origination and similar fees, and, to a lesser extent, equity appreciation through options, warrants, conversion rights or direct equity investments.

Investment operations are conducted through the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, SVCP, TCPC Funding, TCPC Funding II and the SBIC. SVCP was organized as a limited partnership and had elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act through July 31, 2018. On August 1, 2018, SVCP withdrew its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and withdrew the registration of its common limited partner interests under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, on August 2, 2018, terminated its general partner, Series H of SVOF/MM, LLC, and converted to a Delaware limited liability company. The managing member of SVOF/MM is Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC (the “Advisor”), which serves as the investment manager to the Company, TCPC Funding, TCPC Funding II and the SBIC. On August 1, 2018, the Advisor merged with and into a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. with the Advisor as the surviving entity. BlackRock, Inc., along with its subsidiaries is referred to herein as “BlackRock”.

The Company has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a RIC, we will not be taxed on our income to the extent that we distribute such income each year and satisfy other applicable income tax requirements. SVCP was treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes through August 1, 2018, and upon its conversion to a limited liability company on August 2, 2018 and thereafter is and will be treated as a disregarded entity.

On April 2, 2012, the Company converted from a limited liability company to a corporation (the “Conversion”). At the time of the Conversion, all limited liability company interests of Special Value Continuation

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Fund, LLC (“SVCF”) were exchanged for 15,725,635 shares of common stock in the Company. As a result of the Conversion, the books and records of SVCF became the books and records of the Company.

On April 3, 2012, the Company priced its initial public offering (the “Offering”), selling 5,750,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $14.75 per share.

To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and timely distribute to our stockholders generally at least 90% of our investment company taxable income, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for each year. Pursuant to this election, we generally will not have to pay corporate level taxes on any income that we distribute to our stockholders provided that we satisfy those requirements.

The Advisor

Our investment activities are managed by the Advisor. The Advisor is a Delaware limited liability company and is registered as an investment advisor under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Advisor is a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock is the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firm, with approximately $10 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2021. BlackRock manages assets on behalf of institutions and individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, real estate, cash management and alternative investment products. BlackRock serves clients in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East. Headquartered in New York, BlackRock maintains offices in over 30 countries, including 25 primary investment centers. BlackRock’s institutional knowledge includes proprietary valuation techniques, market outlook, competitive evaluation and structuring and operational expertise. In addition, BlackRock provides risk management, investment system outsourcing and financial advisory services to a growing number of institutional investors. Through BlackRock Solutions^®, BlackRock provides risk management and advisory services that combine capital markets expertise with internally-developed systems and technology.

The investment professionals of the Advisor have significant industry experience, including experience investing in middle-market companies. Together, they have invested approximately $37.0 billion in 840 companies since the Advisor’s inception in 1999, through multiple business and credit cycles, across all segments of the capital structure and through a broad set of credit-oriented strategies including leveraged loan origination, secondary investments of discounted debt securities, and distressed and control opportunities. We believe that the Advisor's investment perspectives, complementary skills, and collective investment experience along with BlackRock’s resources, relationships and global platform provide the Advisor with a strategic and competitive advantage in middle-market investing.

As our investment advisor, the Advisor is responsible for sourcing potential investments, conducting research, analyzing investment opportunities and structuring our investments and monitoring our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. We believe that the Advisor has a proven long-term track record of positive performance, notwithstanding some periods during which losses were incurred, of sourcing deals, originating loans and successfully investing in middle-market companies and that the relationships of its investment professionals are integral to the Advisor’s success. The Advisor’s investment professionals have long-term working relationships with key sources of investment opportunities and industry expertise, including investment bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, private equity sponsors, other senior lenders, high-yield bond specialists, research analysts, accountants, and senior management teams. Additionally, BlackRock’s broad and established sourcing network along with the Advisor’s board of advisors and senior executive advisors from a variety of industries extend the reach of the Advisor’s relationships and can enhance our deal sourcing and due diligence activities.

We also benefit from the existing infrastructure and administrative capabilities of an established investment manager. The Administrator, an affiliate of the Advisor, provides us with office space, equipment and office services. The tasks of our Administrator include overseeing our financial records, preparing reports to our stockholders and reports filed with the SEC and generally monitoring the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others.

Since the beginning of 2011, the Advisor executed across its funds approximately $24.7 billion in direct origination leveraged loans primarily to middle-market companies, of which approximately $5.6 billion was for our account. There can be no assurance that similar deal flow or terms will be available in the future for loans in which we may invest.

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Operating and Regulatory Tax Structure

The Company elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under the Code. As a RIC, the Company generally does not have to pay corporate-level federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gain that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends if we meet certain source-of-income, distribution and asset diversification requirements. The Company has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. As a BDC we are required to invest at least 70% of our total assets primarily in securities of private and certain public U.S. companies (other than investment companies and certain financial institutions), cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities, and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less and to comply with other regulatory requirements, including limitations on our use of debt.

Investment Strategy

To achieve our investment objectives, we intend to focus on a subset of the broader investment strategies historically pursued by the Advisor. Our primary investment focus is the ongoing origination of and investments in leveraged loans of performing middle-market companies, building on the Advisor’s established track record of origination and participation in the original syndication of approximately $28.5 billion of leveraged loans to 615 companies since 1999, of which we invested over $6.2 billion in 335 companies. For the purposes of this filing, the term “leveraged loans” refers to senior debt investments that rank ahead of subordinated debt and that generally have the benefit of security interests in the assets of the borrower. Our investments generally range from $10 million to $50 million per company, the size of which may grow over time in proportion with our capital base. We expect to generate current returns through a combination of the receipt of contractual interest payments on debt investments and origination and similar fees, and, to a lesser extent, equity appreciation through options, warrants, conversion rights or direct equity investments. We often receive equity interests such as preferred or common stock and warrants or options in connection with our debt investments. From time to time we may also use other investment strategies, which are not our primary focus, to attempt to enhance the overall return of our portfolio. These investment strategies may include, but are not limited to, the purchase of discounted debt, opportunistic investments, and financial instruments to hedge currency or interest rate risk associated with our portfolio.

Our typical investments are in performing middle-market companies. We believe that middle-market companies are generally less able to secure financing than larger companies and thus offer better return opportunities for those able to conduct the necessary diligence to appropriately evaluate these companies. We focus primarily on U.S. companies where we believe our Advisor’s perspective, complementary skills and investment experience provides us with a competitive advantage and in industries where our Advisor sees an attractive risk reward profile due to macroeconomic trends and existing Advisor industry expertise.

Investment Portfolio

At December 31, 2021, our investment portfolio of $1,841.1 million (at fair value) consisted of 115 portfolio companies and was invested 88.8% in debt investments, primarily in senior secured debt. In aggregate, our investment portfolio was invested 85.1% in senior secured loans, 3.5% in senior secured notes, 0.2% in junior notes and 11.2% in equity investments. Our average portfolio company investment at fair value was approximately $16.3 million. Our largest portfolio company investment by value was approximately 4.1% of our portfolio and our five largest portfolio company investments by value comprised approximately 17.3% of our portfolio at December 31, 2021.

The following charts summarize our portfolio mix by industry and type based on the fair value of our investments as of December 31, 2021.

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Investment Process

The Advisor’s investment process is designed to maximize its strategic advantages: a strong brand name as a specialty lender to the middle-market and diverse in-house expertise and skills. The Advisor seeks out opportunities by conducting a rigorous and disciplined investment process that combines the following characteristics:

Deal Sourcing

As a leading middle-market corporate debt investment manager with approximately $20.3 billion in committed capital as of December 31, 2021 (approximately 10.8% of which consists of the Company’s committed capital) and which has invested on behalf of institutions since 1999, the Advisor is active in new deal financing opportunities in the middle-market segment. However, we believe that the Advisor’s real deal flow advantage comes from the proprietary network of established relationships of its investment professionals and synergies among its professionals and portfolio companies. Members of the Advisor’s Investment Committee for the Company (the “Investment Committee”) have long-term relationships with deal sources including investment bankers, restructuring professionals, bankruptcy attorneys, senior lenders, high yield bond specialists, research analysts, accountants, fund management teams, the Advisor’s advisory board, senior executive advisors, board members of former clients, former colleagues and other operating professionals to facilitate deal flow. The Investment Committee is currently comprised of four voting members. In total, the Investment Committee consists of approximately 30 members from the Advisor. The number of voting and non-voting members of the Investment Committee is subject to increase or decrease in the sole discretion of the Advisor. All members of the Investment Committee attend investment meetings and are encouraged to participate in discussions. In addition, members of the Investment Committee have relationships with other investors, including insurance companies, bond funds, mezzanine funds, private equity funds, hedge funds and other funds which invest in similar assets. Further, the Advisor regularly calls on both active and recently retired senior executives from the relevant industries to assist with the due diligence of potential investments. Historically, these relationships with retired senior executives have also been a valuable source of transactions and information. The Advisor anticipates that they will continue to provide future opportunities. We believe the Advisor’s strong relationships with its portfolio companies facilitate positive word-of-mouth recommendations to other companies seeking the Advisor’s expertise. The Advisor’s relationships often result in the ability to access investment opportunities earlier than many of its competitors and in some cases on an exclusive basis.

Due Diligence Process

The foundation of the Advisor’s investment process is intensive investment research and analysis by its experienced staff of investment professionals. The Advisor’s senior professionals have worked together for numerous years and we believe that they have a superior level of credit investing knowledge relative to other credit investors. The Advisor supplements its in-house knowledge with industry experts, including CEO/CFO-level executives, with direct management experience in the industries under consideration. The Advisor prefers these

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industry experts to consultants because of the practical business advice that comes from having managed businesses. The Advisor rigorously and comprehensively analyzes issuers of securities of interest. The process includes a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the issuer’s business, an evaluation of its management, an analysis of the business strategy and industry trends, and an in-depth examination of the company’s capital structure, financial results and projections. The Advisor’s due diligence process includes:

As a part of its due diligence process, the Advisor considers sustainability-related factors that can affect the future prospects of the issuer.  Since sustainable investment options have the potential to offer better outcomes, the Advisor integrates sustainability considerations into the way the it manages risk, constructs portfolios, designs products, and engages with companies.

Structuring Originations

As an early non-bank participant in the leveraged loan market, we believe that loan origination is a core competency of the Advisor. Supplementing industry deal teams’ experience and competency, the Advisor has a number of professionals with legal experience, including significant experience in bankruptcy and secured credit. Deal teams work with the Advisor’s in-house legal specialists and outside counsel to structure over-collateralized loans with what we believe to be strong creditor protections and contractual controls over borrower operations. In many cases, the Advisor works to obtain contractual governance rights and board observer seats to protect principal and maximize post-investment returns. Deals usually include original issue discounts, upfront fees, exit fees and/or equity participations through warrants or direct equity stakes.

Trading and Secondary Market Purchases

A key element in maximizing investment returns in secondary purchases is buying and selling investments at the best available prices. The Advisor has a dedicated trading staff for both the highly specialized traded loan market and for high-yield bonds. Through its trading operations, the Advisor maintains its established relationships with a network of broker-dealers in the debt securities markets. These relationships provide the Advisor with access to the trading dynamics of existing or potential investments and assist it in effectively executing transactions. These relationships may also lead to the early identification of potential investment opportunities for the Company.

Portfolio Management & Monitoring

The Advisor actively monitors the financial performance of its portfolio companies and market developments. This constant monitoring permits the Advisor to update position risk assessments, seek to address potential problems early, refine exit plans, and make follow-on investment decisions quickly. We view active portfolio monitoring as a vital part of our investment process.

We consider board observation and information rights, regular dialogue with company management and sponsors, and detailed internally generated monitoring reports to be critical to our performance. We have developed a monitoring template that seeks to ensure compliance with these standards and that is used as a tool by the Investment Committee to assess investment performance relative to plan.

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Investment Committee and Decision Process

The Advisor’s investment process is organized around the Investment Committee that provides for a centralized, repeatable decision process. The Investment Committee meets weekly and, with respect to each fund the Advisor advises, certain members of the Investment Committee are voting members. The voting members of the Investment Committee for the Company are currently Philip M. Tseng, Rajneesh Vig, Rob DiPaulo and Brad Pritchard. Approval by a simple majority vote of the voting members of the Investment Committee for each respective fund is required for the purchase or sale of any investment, with certain de-minimis exceptions. No voting member has veto power. The Advisor’s investment process is designed to maximize risk-adjusted returns and preserve downside protection.

Regulation

We have filed an election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates (including any investment advisors or co-advisors), principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters and requires that a majority of the directors be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by “a majority of our outstanding voting securities”, which is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of a majority of the outstanding voting securities or 67% or more of the securities voting if a quorum of a majority of the outstanding voting securities is present.

We may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired directly from issuers in privately negotiated transactions. With respect to such securities, we may, for the purpose of public resale, be deemed an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We do not intend to acquire securities issued by any investment company that exceed the limits imposed by the 1940 Act. Under these limits, except for registered money market funds we generally cannot acquire more than 3% of the voting stock of any investment company, invest more than 5% of the value of our total assets in the securities of one investment company or invest more than 10% of the value of our total assets in the securities of more than one investment company. With regard to that portion of our portfolio invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should be noted that such investments might indirectly subject our stockholders to additional expenses as they will indirectly be responsible for the costs and expenses of such companies. None of our investment policies are fundamental and any may be changed without stockholder approval.

Qualifying assets

Under the 1940 Act, a BDC may not acquire any asset other than assets of the type listed in section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, which are referred to as qualifying assets, unless, at the time the acquisition is made, qualifying assets represent at least 70% of the Company’s total assets. The principal categories of qualifying assets relevant to our proposed business are the following:

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Asset Coverage Requirement

Under Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act, prior to March 23, 2018, a BDC was generally not permitted to issue senior securities unless after giving effect thereto the BDC met a coverage ratio of total assets, less liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, to total senior securities, which includes all borrowings of the BDC, of at least 200%.  On March 23, 2018, the Small Business Credit Availability Act (“SBCAA”) was signed into law, which among other things, amended Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act to add a new Section 61(a)(2) that reduces the asset coverage requirement applicable to BDCs from 200% to 150% so long as the BDC meets certain disclosure requirements and obtains certain approvals. The reduced asset coverage requirement permits a BDC to have a ratio of total outstanding indebtedness to equity of 2:1 as compared to a maximum of 1:1 under the 200% asset coverage requirement.

In accordance with the 1940 Act, with certain limited exceptions, we were allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, equaled at least 200% after such borrowing. Effective November 7, 2018, the Company's board of directors, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our board of directors, approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act, as amended by the SBCAA (the “Asset Coverage Ratio Election”), which would have resulted (had the Company not received earlier stockholder approval) in our asset coverage requirement applicable to senior securities being reduced from 200% to 150%, effective on November 7, 2019.  On February 8, 2019, the stockholders of the Company approved the Asset Coverage Ratio Election, and, as a result, effective on February 9, 2019, our asset coverage requirement applicable to senior securities was reduced from 200% to 150%.

Managerial assistance to portfolio companies

A BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in “Qualifying assets” above. However, in order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, the BDC must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities significant managerial assistance. Where the BDC purchases such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, the BDC will satisfy this test if one of the other persons in the group makes available such managerial assistance, although reliance on other investors may not be the sole method by which the BDC satisfies the requirement to make available managerial assistance. Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its investment manager, directors, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company.

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Small Business Administration Regulations

On April 22, 2014, the SBIC received a license from the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) to operate as a small business investment company. The SBIC license allows us to borrow funds from the SBA against eligible investments. The Small Business Investment Company regulations currently limit the amount that is available to borrow by any SBIC to $175.0 million. There is no assurance that we will draw up to the maximum limit available under the Small Business Investment Company program.

Small business investment companies are designed to stimulate the flow of private equity capital to eligible small businesses. Under present Small Business Administration regulations, eligible small businesses include businesses that have a tangible net worth not exceeding $19.5 million and have average annual fully taxed net income not exceeding $6.5 million for the two most recent fiscal years. In addition, a small business investment company must devote 25% of its investment activity to “smaller” concerns as defined by the Small Business Administration. A smaller concern is one that has a tangible net worth not exceeding $6.0 million and has average annual fully taxed net income not exceeding $2.0 million for the two most recent fiscal years. Small Business Administration regulations also provide alternative size standard criteria to determine eligibility, which depend on the industry in which the business is engaged and are based on such factors as the number of employees and gross sales. According to Small Business Administration regulations, small business investment companies may make long-term loans to small businesses, invest in the equity securities of such businesses and provide them with consulting and advisory services. We plan to provide long-term loans to qualifying small businesses, and in connection therewith, make equity investments.

The SBIC is periodically examined and audited by the Small Business Administration’s staff to determine its compliance with small business investment company regulations.

Taxation of the Company

We have elected to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To continue to qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90 percent of our gross income from dividends, interest (including tax-exempt interest), payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, other income (including but not limited to gain from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to our business of investing in stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (a “QPTP”); and (b) diversify our holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year (i) at least 50 percent of the market value of our total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, with other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than five percent of the value of our total assets and not more than 10 percent of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer (subject to the exception described below), and (ii) not more than 25 percent of the market value of our total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and the securities of other regulated investment companies) (A) of any issuer, (B) of any two or more issuers that we control and that are determined to be engaged in the same business or similar or related trades or businesses, or (C) of one or more QPTPs. The Code provides for certain exceptions to the foregoing diversification requirements. We may generate certain income that might not qualify as good income for purposes of the 90% annual gross income requirement described above. We monitor our transactions to endeavor to prevent our disqualification as a RIC.

If we fail to satisfy the 90% annual gross income requirement or the asset diversification requirements discussed above in any taxable year, we may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the asset diversification requirements where we correct the failure within a specified period. If the applicable relief provisions are not available or cannot be met, all of our income would be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax as described below. We cannot provide assurance that we would qualify for any such relief should we fail the 90% annual gross income requirement or the asset diversification requirements discussed above.

As a RIC, in any taxable year with respect to which we timely distribute at least 90% of the sum of our (i) investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest and the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss and other taxable income (other than any net capital gain), reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends and distributions paid and (ii) net tax exempt interest income (which is the excess of our gross tax exempt interest income over certain disallowed deductions) (the “Annual Distribution Requirement”), we (but not our stockholders) generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on investment company taxable income and net capital gain (generally, net long-

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term capital gain in excess of short-term capital loss) that we distribute to our stockholders. We intend to distribute annually all or substantially all of such income on a timely basis. To the extent that we retain our net capital gain for investment or any investment company taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate income tax rates. We may choose to retain our net capital gains for investment or any investment company taxable income, and pay the associated federal corporate income tax, including the federal excise tax described below.

Certain amounts not distributed during a calendar year are subject to a nondeductible four percent U.S. federal excise tax payable by us. To avoid this tax, we would need to distribute (or be deemed to have distributed) during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of:

While we intend to distribute any income and capital gains in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the four percent federal excise tax, sufficient amounts of our taxable income and capital gains may not be distributed to avoid entirely the imposition of the tax. In that event, we will be liable for the tax only on the amount by which we do not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

If, in any particular taxable year, we do not satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement or otherwise were to fail to qualify as a RIC (for example, because we fail the 90% annual gross income requirement described above), and relief is not available as discussed above, all of our taxable income (including our net capital gains) will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to stockholders, and distributions generally will be taxable to the stockholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

We may decide to be taxed as a regular corporation even if we would otherwise qualify as a RIC if we determine that treatment as a corporation for a particular year would be in our best interests.

As a RIC, we are permitted to carry forward a net capital loss realized in a taxable year beginning on or after December 23, 2010 to offset capital gain indefinitely. For net capital losses realized in taxable years beginning on or after December 23, 2010, the excess of our net short-term capital loss over our net long-term capital gain is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of our next taxable year and the excess of our net long-term capital loss over our net short-term capital gain is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of our next taxable year. If future capital gain is offset by carried forward capital losses, such future capital gain is not subject to fund-level U.S. federal income tax, regardless of whether they are distributed to stockholders. Accordingly, we do not expect to distribute any such offsetting capital gain. A RIC cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.

Investment Structure

Once we determine that a prospective portfolio company is suitable for a direct investment, we work with the management of that company and its other capital providers, including senior and junior lenders, and equity holders, to structure an investment. We negotiate among these parties to agree on how our investment is expected to be structured relative to the other capital in the portfolio company’s capital structure.

Leveraged Loans

We structure our investments primarily as secured leveraged loans. Leveraged loans are generally senior debt instruments that rank ahead of subordinated debt of the portfolio company. Leveraged loans generally have the benefit of security interests on the assets of the portfolio company, which may rank ahead of, or be junior to, other security interests.

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High-Yield Securities

The Company’s portfolio currently includes high-yield securities and the Company may invest in high-yield securities in the future. High-yield securities have historically experienced greater default rates than has been the case for investment grade securities and are generally rated below investment grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations or will be unrated but of comparable credit quality to obligations rated below investment grade, and have greater credit and liquidity risk than more highly rated obligations. High-yield securities are generally unsecured and may be subordinate to other obligations of the obligor and are often issued in connection with leveraged acquisitions or recapitalizations in which the issuers incur a substantially higher amount of indebtedness than the level at which they had previously operated. The Company’s portfolio may also include mezzanine investments which are generally unsecured and rated below investment grade. Mezzanine investments of the type in which the Company invests in are primarily privately negotiated subordinated debt securities often issued in connection with leveraged transactions, such as management buyouts, acquisitions, re-financings, recapitalizations and later stage growth capital financings, and are generally accompanied by related equity participation features such as options, warrants, preferred and common stock. In some cases, our debt investments may provide for a portion of the interest payable to be paid-in-kind interest. To the extent interest is paid-in-kind, it will be payable through the increase of the principal amount of the obligation by the amount of interest due on the then-outstanding aggregate principal amount of such obligation.

Warrants, Options and Minority Equity

In some cases, we will also receive nominally priced warrants or options to buy a minority equity interest in the portfolio company in connection with a loan. As a result, if a portfolio company appreciates in value, we may achieve additional investment return from this equity interest. We may structure such warrants to include provisions protecting our rights as a minority-interest holder, as well as a “put,” or right to sell such securities back to the issuer, upon the occurrence of specified events. In many cases, we may also seek to obtain registration rights in connection with these equity interests, which may include demand and “piggyback” registration rights.

Distressed Debt

The Company’s portfolio currently includes distressed debt investments and the Company is authorized to continue to invest in the securities and other obligations of distressed and bankrupt issuers, including debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. As of December 31, 2021, five of the Company’s debt investments were on non-accrual status. The Company does not anticipate distressed debt to be a significant part of its investment strategy. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.

Opportunistic Investments

Opportunistic investments may include, but are not limited to, investments in debt securities of all kinds and at all levels of the capital structure and may include equity securities of public companies that are thinly traded, emerging market debt, structured finance vehicles such as collateralized loan obligation, or CLO, funds and debt of middle-market companies located outside the United States. We do not intend such investments to be our primary focus.

We tailor the terms of each investment to the facts and circumstances of the transaction and the prospective portfolio company, negotiating a structure that protects our rights and manages our risk while creating incentives for the portfolio company to achieve its business plan and improve its operating results. We seek to limit the downside potential of our investments by:

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We expect to hold most of our investments to maturity or repayment, but we may sell some of our investments earlier if a liquidity event occurs, such as a sale, recapitalization or worsening of the credit quality of the portfolio company.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and all amendments to these reports and other information with the SEC. We make available free-of-charge, on or through our website at http://investors.tcpcapital.com/, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and all amendments to those filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. We also make available on our website the charters for the Audit Committee and the Governance and Compensation Committee, as well as our Code of Ethics required under the 1940 Act and our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (our “SOX Code of Ethics”). Further, we will provide, without charge, upon written request, a copy of the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and all amendments to those filings as well as the committee charters, our Code of Ethics and our SOX Code of Ethics. Requests for copies should be addressed to: BlackRock TCP Capital Corp., 2951 28th Street, Suite 1000, Santa Monica, CA 90405, Attention: Investor Relations. Reports, proxy statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including our filings, are also available to the public from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Compliance Policies and Procedures

We and the Advisor have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent violation of the federal securities laws. We are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation and to designate a chief compliance officer to be responsible for their administration. Charles Park currently serves as our chief compliance officer.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

We have delegated our proxy voting responsibility to our investment adviser. A summary of the Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures of the Advisor are set forth below. The guidelines are reviewed periodically by the adviser and our non-interested directors, and, accordingly, are subject to change.

The Advisor is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of its clients. As part of this duty, it recognizes that it must vote securities held by its clients in a timely manner free of conflicts of interest. These policies and procedures for voting proxies for investment advisory clients are intended to comply with Section 206 of, and Rule 206(4)-6 under, the Advisers Act.

Our investment adviser votes proxies relating to our portfolio securities in the best interest of our stockholders. The Advisor reviews on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted for a proxy vote to determine its impact on our investments. Although it generally votes against proposals that may have a negative impact on our investments, it may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so.

The proxy voting decisions of the Advisor are made by the senior officers who are responsible for monitoring each of our investments. To ensure that our vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, it requires that: (i) anyone involved in the decision making process disclose to the managing member any potential conflict that he or she is aware of and any contact that he or she has had with any interested party regarding a proxy vote; and (ii) employees involved in the decision making process or vote administration are generally prohibited from revealing how we intend to vote on a proposal in order to reduce any attempted influence from interested parties.

You may obtain information about how we voted proxies by making a written request for proxy voting information to: BlackRock TCP Capital Corp., 2951 28^th Street, Suite 1000, Santa Monica, CA 90405, Attention: Investor Relations.

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Privacy Principles

We are committed to maintaining the privacy of our stockholders and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information we collect, how we protect that information and why, in certain cases, we may share information with select other parties.

Generally, we do not receive any non-public personal information relating to our stockholders, although certain non-public personal information of our stockholders may become available to us. We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our stockholders or former stockholders to anyone, except as permitted by law or as is necessary in order to service stockholder accounts (for example, to a transfer agent or third-party administrator).

We restrict access to non-public personal information about our stockholders to employees of the Advisor and its affiliates with a legitimate business need for the information. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to protect the non-public personal information of our stockholders.

Investment Management Agreement

The Company has entered into an investment management agreement with the Advisor, under which the Advisor, subject to the overall supervision of our board of directors, manages the day-to-day operations and provides investment advisory services to the Company. For providing these services, the Advisor receives a base management fee and may receive incentive compensation. Prior to August 1, 2018, SVCP was regulated as a BDC and was also party to an investment management agreement with the Advisor. On January 29, 2018, SVCP amended and restated its limited partnership agreement (the "LPA"), effective as of January 1, 2018, to convert its then existing incentive compensation structure from a profit allocation and distribution to its general partner into a fee payable to the Advisor pursuant to such investment management agreement. The amendment had no impact on the amount of the incentive compensation paid or services received by the Company. Accordingly, prior to January 1, 2018, incentive compensation was allocated to SVCP’s general partner as a distribution. Our board of directors held in-person meetings on October 28, 2021, in order to consider and reapprove our investment management agreement.

Prior to August 1, 2018, the base management fee and the incentive compensation, if any, were paid by SVCP to the Advisor. The Company, therefore, indirectly bore these amounts, which are reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

Under the terms of our investment management agreement, the Advisor:

The Advisor’s services under the investment management agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities so long as its services to us are not impaired.

Pursuant to our investment management agreement, we pay the Advisor compensation for investment advisory and management services consisting of base management compensation and a two-part incentive compensation.

Management Fee. The base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.5% of our total assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) payable quarterly in arrears; provided, however, that, effective as of February 9, 2019, the base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.0% of our total assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) that exceed an amount equal to 200% of the net asset value of the Company. For purposes of calculating the base management fee, “total assets” is determined without deduction for any borrowings or other liabilities. The base management fee is calculated based on the value of our total assets and net asset value (in each case, excluding cash and cash equivalents) at the end of the most recently completed calendar quarter. The base management fee for any partial quarter is appropriately prorated.

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Incentive Compensation. We also pay incentive compensation to the Advisor pursuant to the investment management agreement. Prior to January 1, 2018, incentive compensation was allocated to SVCP's general partner as a distribution under the LPA. Under the then-existing investment management agreements and the LPA (pursuant to which incentive compensation was distributed to SVCP’s general partner prior to January 1, 2018), no incentive compensation was incurred until after January 1, 2013.

Incentive Compensation pursuant to investment management agreements prior to February 9, 2019

Beginning January 1, 2013, the incentive compensation equaled the sum of (1) 20% of all ordinary income since that date and (2) 20% of all net realized capital gains (net of any net unrealized capital depreciation) since that date, with each component being subject to a total return requirement of 8% of contributed common equity annually. Through December 31, 2017, the incentive compensation was an equity allocation to SVCP’s general partner under the LPA. Effective as of January 1, 2018, the LPA was amended to remove the incentive compensation distribution provisions therein, and the incentive compensation became payable as a fee to the Advisor pursuant to the then-existing investment management agreements. The amendment had no impact on the amount of the incentive compensation paid or services received by the Company.

The incentive compensation had two components, ordinary income and capital gains. Each component was payable or distributable quarterly in arrears (or upon termination of the Advisor as the investment manager or SVCP’s general partner as its general partner, as of the termination date) beginning January 1, 2013 and calculated as follows:

Each of the two components of incentive compensation was separately subject to a total return limitation. Thus, notwithstanding the following provisions, we were not be obligated to pay or distribute any ordinary income incentive compensation or any capital gains incentive compensation if our cumulative total return did not exceed an 8% annual return on daily weighted average contributed common equity. If our cumulative annual total return was above 8%, the total cumulative incentive compensation we paid was not more than 20% of our cumulative total return, or, if lower, the amount of our cumulative total return that exceeded the 8% annual rate.

Subject to the above limitation, the ordinary income component was the amount, if positive, equal to 20% of the cumulative ordinary income before incentive compensation, less cumulative ordinary income incentive compensation previously paid or distributed.

Subject to the above limitation, the capital gains component was the amount, if positive, equal to 20% of the cumulative realized capital gains (computed net of cumulative realized losses and cumulative net unrealized capital depreciation), less cumulative capital gains incentive compensation previously paid or distributed. For assets held on January 1, 2013, capital gain, loss and depreciation are measured on an asset by asset basis against the value as of December 31, 2012. The capital gains component was paid or distributed in full prior to payment or distribution of the ordinary income component.

For purposes of the foregoing computations and the total return limitation, the following definitions apply:

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If our total return did not exceed the total return limitation, the limitation would not have had the effect of eliminating the possibility of paying such incentive compensation, but rather would have postponed any incentive compensation until our cumulative annual total return exceeded the 8% threshold. The nature of the total return limitation may have also made it easier for the Advisor to earn incentive compensation in higher interest rate environments or if our net asset value had increased.

Total Return Limitation  

(based on cumulative annual total return)

Percentage of ordinary income and net realized capital gain separately payable at various levels of total return.

The financial highlights in the notes to our financial statements for the relevant periods include a calculation of total return based on the change in the market value of our shares. The financial highlights in the notes to our financial statements for the relevant periods also include a calculation of total return based on the change in our net asset value from period to period. The total return limitation for purposes of the incentive compensation calculations was based on the stated elements of return: ordinary income before incentive compensation, realized capital gain and loss and unrealized capital appreciation and depreciation. It differs from the total return based on the market value or net asset value of our shares in that it was a cumulative measurement that is compared to our daily weighted-average contributed common equity rather than a periodic measurement that is compared to our net asset value or market value, and in that it excludes incentive compensation.

Incentive Compensation pursuant to the current investment management agreement

Under the current investment management agreement, dated February 9, 2019, the incentive compensation equals the sum of (1) 20% of all ordinary income since January 1, 2013 through February 8, 2019 and 17.5% thereafter and (2) 20% of all net realized capital gains (net of any net unrealized capital depreciation) since January 1, 2013 through February 8, 2019 and 17.5% thereafter, less ordinary income incentive compensation and capital gains incentive compensation previously paid. However, incentive compensation will only be paid to the extent the cumulative total return of the Company after incentive compensation and including such payment would equal or exceed a 7% annual return on daily weighted average contributed common equity.

Total Return Limitation  

(based on cumulative annual total return)

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Percentage of ordinary income and net realized capital gain separately payable at various levels of total return.

The incentive compensation is payable quarterly in arrears (or upon termination of the Advisor as the investment manager, as of the termination date).

For assets held on January 1, 2013, capital gain, loss and depreciation are measured on an asset by asset basis against the value as of December 31, 2012. The capital gains component is paid or distributed in full prior to payment or distribution of the ordinary income component.

For purposes of the foregoing computations, the following definitions apply:

The financial highlights in the notes to our financial statements include a calculation of total return based on the change in the market value of our shares. The financial highlights in the notes to our financial statements also include a calculation of total return based on the change in our net asset value from period to period. The total return hurdle for purposes of the incentive compensation calculations is based on the stated elements of return as defined above, and differs from the total return based on the market value or net asset value of our shares in that it is a cumulative measurement that is compared to our daily weighted-average contributed common equity rather than a periodic measurement that is compared to our net asset value or market value, and in that it excludes incentive compensation.

Examples of Incentive Compensation Calculation

Example 1: Income Portion of Incentive Compensation:

Assumptions

Alternative 1

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Alternative 2

b.Tentative incentive compensation = 17.5% x ordinary income before incentive compensation

= 17.5% x 7.5%

= 1.3%

c.Total return after incentive compensation = 8.5% - 1.3%

= 7.2%

d.Cumulative ordinary income before incentive compensation is positive and the cumulative total return after    incentive compensation exceeds the total return hurdle, therefore incentive compensation is fully payable.

Alternative 3

Represents 1.5% annualized management fee, assuming no liabilities and no leverage above 1.0x debt to equity.

Excludes organizational and offering costs.

b. Tentative incentive compensation = 17.5% x ordinary income before incentive compensation

= 17.5% x 7.5%

= 1.3%

c. Total return after tentative incentive compensation = 8.0% - 1.3%

= 6.7%

d. Cumulative ordinary income before incentive compensation is positive and the total return hurdle is less than total return but greater than total return after tentative incentive compensation, therefore incentive compensation is partially payable and = Total return – total return hurdle

= 8.0% - 7.0%

= 1.0%

Example 2: Capital Gains Portion of Incentive Compensation:

Alternative 1:

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Alternative 2

Payment of our expenses

All investment professionals and staff of the Advisor, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services, and the compensation and routine overhead expenses of such personnel allocable to such services (including health insurance, 401(k) plan benefits, payroll taxes and other compensation related matters), are provided and paid for by the Advisor. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, including those relating to:

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From time to time, the Advisor may pay amounts owed by us to third party providers of goods or services. We will subsequently reimburse the Advisor for such amounts paid on our behalf.

Limitation of liability and indemnification

The investment management agreement provides that the Advisor and its officers, directors, employees and affiliates are not liable to us or any of our stockholders for any act or omission by it or its employees in the supervision or management of our investment activities or for any loss sustained by us or our stockholders, except that the foregoing exculpation does not extend to any act or omission constituting willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations under the investment management agreement. The investment management agreement also provides for indemnification by us of the Advisor’s members, directors, officers, employees, agents and control persons for liabilities incurred by it in connection with their services to us, subject to the same limitations and to certain conditions.

Board and stockholder approval of the investment management agreement

Our board of directors held in-person meetings on October 28, 2021, in order to consider and reapprove our investment management agreement. In its consideration of the investment management agreement, the board of

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directors focused on information it had received relating to, among other things: (a) the nature, quality and extent of the advisory and other services to be provided to us by the Advisor; (b) comparative data with respect to advisory fees or similar expenses paid by other business development companies with similar investment objectives; (c) our financial performance, operating expenses and expense ratio compared to business development companies with similar investment objectives; (d) any existing and potential sources of indirect income to the Advisor from its relationships with us and the profitability of those relationships; (e) information about the services performed and the personnel performing such services under the investment management agreement; (f) the organizational capability and financial condition of the Advisor and its affiliates; (g) the Advisor’s practices regarding the selection and compensation of brokers that execute our portfolio transactions and the brokers’ provision of brokerage and research services to our investment advisor; and (h) the possibility of obtaining similar services from other third party service providers or through an internally managed structure.

Based on the information reviewed and the discussions, the board of directors, including a majority of the non-interested directors, concluded that the investment management fee rates are reasonable in relation to the services to be provided.

Duration and termination

The investment management agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years from the date of stockholder approval and thereafter will remain in effect from year to year if approved annually by our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, including, in either case, approval by a majority of our directors who are not interested persons. The investment management agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The investment management agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon not less than 60 days written notice to the other. Any termination by us must be authorized either by our board of directors or by vote of our stockholders. See “Risk Factors — Risks related to our business — We are dependent upon senior management personnel of the Advisor for our future success, and if the Advisor is unable to retain qualified personnel or if the Advisor loses any member of its senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objective could be significantly harmed.”

Administration Agreement

We have entered into an administration agreement with the Administrator, which we refer to as the administration agreement, under which the Administrator provides administrative services to us. The Administrator provides services including, but not limited to, the arrangement for the services of, and the overseeing of, custodians, depositories, transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, other stockholder servicing agents, accountants, attorneys, underwriters, brokers and dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks, stockholders and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary or desirable. The Administrator also makes reports to the board of its performance of obligations under the administration agreement and furnishes advice and recommendations with respect to such other aspects of our business and affairs that we determine to be desirable. The Administrator is responsible for our financial and other records that are required to be maintained and prepares all reports and other materials required by any agreement or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory authority, including reports on Forms 8-K, 10-Q, 10-K and periodic reports to stockholders, determining the amounts available for distribution as dividends and distributions to be paid by us to our stockholders, reviewing and implementing any share purchase programs authorized by the board, maintaining or overseeing the maintenance of our books and records as required under the 1940 Act, and maintaining (or overseeing maintenance by other persons) such other books and records required by law or for our proper operation. For providing these services, facilities and personnel, we reimburse the Administrator for expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including our allocable portion of overhead under the administration agreement and the cost of certain of our officers and the Administrator’s administrative staff and providing, at our request and on our behalf, significant managerial assistance to our portfolio companies to which we are required to provide such assistance. From time to time, the Administrator may pay amounts owed by us to third-party providers of goods or services. We subsequently reimburse the Administrator for such amounts paid on our behalf.

Leverage

Our leverage program is comprised of $300.0 million in available debt under a revolving, multi-currency credit facility issued by SVCP (the “Operating Facility”), $200.0 million in available debt under a senior secured revolving credit facility issued by TCPC Funding II (“Funding Facility II”), $140.0 million in convertible senior unsecured notes issued by the Company maturing in 2022 (the “2022 Convertible Notes”), $250.0 million in senior unsecured notes issued by the Company maturing in 2024 (the “2024 Notes”), $325.0 million in senior unsecured

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notes issued by the Company maturing in 2026 (the "2026 Notes") and $160.0 million in committed leverage from the SBA (the “SBA Program” and, together with the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II, the 2022 Convertible Notes, the 2024 Notes and the 2026 Notes, the “Leverage Program”). Prior to being repaid on September 17, 2021, leverage included $175.0 million in unsecured notes due August 2022 issued by the Company (the "2022 Notes"). Prior to being replaced by Funding Facility II on August 4, 2020, leverage included $300.0 million in available debt under a senior secured revolving credit facility issued by TCPC Funding (“Funding Facility I”). Prior to its maturity on December 15, 2019, leverage also included convertible senior unsecured notes due December 2019 issued by the Company (the “2019 Convertible Notes”).

The Operating Facility matures on May 6, 2026, subject to extension by the lenders at the request of SVCP, and bears interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.75% or 2.00%. In addition to amounts due on outstanding debt, the Operating Facility accrues commitment fees of 0.375% per annum on the unused portion above the minimum utilization of the facility, or 0.50% per annum on the unused portion that is below the minimum utilization of the total facility until the earlier of (i) March 1, 2022 or (ii) the date on which the March 2022 Convertible Notes are terminated in full, after which time they will accrue at a rate of 2.00% per annum. The Operating Facility includes a $100 million accordion feature which allows for expansion of the facility to up to $400.0 million subject to consent from the lender and other customary conditions.

The Funding Facility II matures on August 4, 2025, subject to extension by the lender at the request of TCPC Funding II, and contains an accordion feature which allows for expansion of the facility up to $250.0 million subject to consent from the lender and other customary conditions. Borrowings under Funding Facility II bear interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.00% per annum, subject to certain funding requirements, plus a 0.35% fee on drawn amounts and an administrative fee of 0.15% per annum on the facility. The facility also accrues commitment fees of 0.35% per annum on the unused portion of the facility.

On June 11, 2014, the Company issued $108.0 million of convertible senior unsecured notes that matured on December 15, 2019. The 2019 Convertible Notes were general unsecured obligations of the Company, and ranked structurally junior to the SVCP Facility, the TCPC Funding Facility and the SBA Debentures, and ranked pari passu with the 2022 Convertible Notes, 2024 Notes and 2022 Notes. The Company did not have the right to redeem the 2019 Convertible Notes prior to its maturity on December 15, 2019. The 2019 Convertible Notes bore interest at an annual rate of 5.25% and were redeemed in full at maturity.

On August 30, 2016, the Company issued $140.0 million of convertible senior unsecured notes that mature on March 1, 2022, unless previously converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms. The 2022 Convertible Notes are general unsecured obligations of the Company, and rank structurally junior to the SVCP Facility, the TCPC Funding Facility and the SBA Debentures, and rank pari passu with the 2022 Notes and 2024 Notes. The Company does not have the right to redeem the 2022 Convertible Notes prior to maturity. The 2022 Convertible Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 4.625%, payable semi-annually.

On August 4, 2017, the Company issued $125.0 million of unsecured notes that mature on August 11, 2022, unless previously repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. On November 3, 2017, the Company issued an additional $50.0 million of unsecured notes as a follow-on issuance of the 2022 Notes for a total outstanding aggregate principal amount of $175.0 million.  The 2022 Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 4.125% and were redeemed at a price equal to par plus a "make whole" premium, and accrued and unpaid interest on September 17, 2021.

On August 23, 2019, the Company issued $150.0 million of unsecured notes that mature on August 23, 2024, unless previously repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. On November 26, 2019, the Company issued an additional $50.0 million of unsecured notes as a follow-on issuance of the 2024 Notes and on October 2, 2020, the Company issued an additional $50.0 million of the 2024 Notes for a total outstanding aggregate principal amount of $250.0 million. The 2024 Notes are general unsecured obligations of the Company and rank structurally junior to the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II and the SBA Debentures, and rank pari passu with the 2022 Convertible Notes and 2026 Notes. The 2024 Notes may be redeemed in whole or part at the Company's option at a redemption price equal to par plus a "make whole" premium, as determined pursuant to the indenture governing the 2024 Notes, and any accrued and unpaid interest. The 2024 Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 3.900%, payable semi-annually.

On February 9, 2021, the Company issued $175.0 million of unsecured notes that mature on February 6, 2026, unless previously repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. On August 27, 2021, the Company issued an additional $150.0 million of the 2026 Notes, at a premium to par, for a total outstanding aggregate principal amount of $325.0 million. The 2026 Notes are general unsecured obligations of the Company and rank

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structurally junior to the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II and the SBA Debentures, and rank pari passu with the 2022 Convertible Notes and 2024 Notes. The 2026 Notes may be redeemed in whole or part at the Company's option at a redemption price equal to par plus a "make whole" premium, as determined pursuant to the indenture governing the 2026 Notes, and any accrued and unpaid interest. The 2026 Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 2.850%, payable semi-annually.

The SBIC is able to issue up to $160.0 million in debt under the SBA Debentures, subject to funded regulatory capital and other customary regulatory requirements. SVCP has committed $87.5 million of regulatory capital to the SBIC, all of which had been funded at December 31, 2021. Debt issued under the SBA Debentures is non-recourse and may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The interest rate on such debt is fixed at the time of issuance at a market-driven spread over 10-year U.S. Treasury Notes.

The Leverage Program is subject to certain financial or other covenants. As of December 31, 2021, we were in full compliance with such covenants.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. Many of these requirements affect us. For example:

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires us to review our current policies and procedures to determine whether we comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance therewith.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves certain risks relating to our structure and investment objectives. The risks set forth below are not the only risks we face, and we face other risks which we have not yet identified, which we do not currently deem material or which are not yet predictable. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

Events outside of our control, including public health crises, may negatively affect the results of our operations.

COVID-19, and concern about its spread has resulted in severe disruptions to global financial markets, restrictions on travel and gatherings of any measurable amount of people, including quarantines, expedited and enhanced health screenings, business and school closings, disruptions to employment and supply chains and reduced productivity, all of which have severely impacted business activity in virtually all economies, markets and sectors and negatively impacted the value of many financial and other assets. The current economic situation and the unprecedented measures taken by state, local and national governments around the world to combat the spread of COVID-19, as well as various social, political and psychological tensions in the United States and around the world, may continue to contribute to severe market disruptions and volatility and reduced economic activity, may have long-term negative effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economy and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide. It is difficult to predict how long the financial markets and economic activity will continue to be impacted by these events and the Company cannot predict the effects of

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these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. Potential consequences of the current unprecedented measures taken in response to the spread of COVID-19, and current market disruptions and volatility that may impact our business include, but are not limited to:

The COVID-19 pandemic (including the preventative measures taken in response thereto) has to date (i) created significant business disruption issues for certain of our portfolio companies, and (ii) materially and adversely impacted the value and performance of certain of our portfolio companies. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing as of the filing date of this Annual Report, and its extended duration may have further adverse impacts on our portfolio companies after December 31, 2021, including for the reasons described below. Although on March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), which contains provisions intended to mitigate the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is uncertain whether, or how much, our portfolio companies will be able to benefit from the CARES Act or any other subsequent legislation intended to provide financial relief or assistance. Additionally, the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson is currently authorized for emergency use, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to the vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which will now be marketed as Comirnaty and Spikevax, respectively. As a result of this disruption and the pressures on their liquidity, certain of our portfolio companies have been, or may continue to be, incentivized to draw on most, if not all, of the unfunded portion of any revolving or delayed draw term loans made by us, subject to availability under the terms of such loans.

The effects described above on our portfolio companies could impact their ability to make payments on their loans on a timely basis and may impact their ability to continue making their loan payments on a timely basis or meeting their loan covenants. The inability of portfolio companies to make timely payments or meet loan covenants may in the future require us to undertake amendment actions with respect to our investments or to restructure our investments, which may include the need for us to make additional investments in our portfolio companies (including debt or equity investments) beyond any existing commitments, exchange debt for equity, or change the payment terms of our investments to permit a portfolio company to pay a portion of its interest through payment-in-kind, which would defer the cash collection of such interest and add it to the principal balance, which would generally be due upon repayment of the outstanding principal.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Advisor instituted a work from home policy. Although certain employees are currently allowed to return to their offices in certain circumstances, subject to health and safety

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protocols, it is expected that most employees will continue to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Extended periods of remote working could strain our technology resources and introduce operational risks, including heightened cybersecurity risk. Remote working environments may be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks, including phishing and social engineering attempts that seek to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors has contributed to significant volatility and declines in the global public equity markets and global debt capital markets, including the market price of shares of our common stock and the trading prices of our issued debt securities. [Shares of our common stock are trading below our net asset value as of the filing date of this Annual Report.] Market conditions and our trading discount to net asset value may make it difficult for us to raise equity capital because, even though we have approval from our stockholders to sell shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value, we must first obtain approval for such sales from our independent directors and the approval we have obtained from our stockholders for such sales is only effective until May 26, 2022, unless approved again by our stockholders for another 12-month period. Absent such stockholder and independent director approval, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC we are generally not able to sell shares of our common stock at a price less than net asset value. Moreover, these market conditions may make it difficult to access or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms to our existing indebtedness or otherwise have a negative effect on our cost of capital. See “–Risks Relating to Our Business-Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.”

It is virtually impossible to determine the ultimate impact of COVID-19 at this time. Further, the extent and strength of any economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic abates, including following any “second wave,” “third wave” or other intensifying of the pandemic, is uncertain and subject to various factors and conditions. Accordingly, an investment in the Company is subject to an elevated degree of risk as compared to other market environments.

Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability. Such market conditions may materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which may have a negative impact on our business and operations.

From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which may be evidenced by a lack of liquidity in debt capital markets, write-offs in the financial services sector, re-pricing of credit risk and failure of certain major financial institutions. An example of such disruption and instability occurred between 2008 and 2009. During that period, despite actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, such disruption and instability contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular. While capital markets have improved in recent years, these conditions could deteriorate again and global financial markets could experience significant volatility. During such market disruptions, we may have difficulty raising debt or equity capital especially as a result of regulatory constraints. There can be no assurance that adverse market conditions will not repeat themselves or worsen in the future.

Equity capital may be difficult to raise because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. We generally seek approval from our stockholders so that we have the flexibility to issue up to 25% of our then outstanding shares of our common stock immediately prior to any such sale at a price below net asset value. Pursuant to approval granted at our annual meeting of stockholders held on May 26, 2021, we currently are permitted to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value, subject to certain limitations and determinations that must be made by our board of directors. Such stockholder approval expires on May 26, 2022. In addition, our ability to incur indebtedness (including by issuing preferred stock) is limited by applicable regulations such that our asset coverage ratio, as calculated in accordance with the 1940 Act, must equal at least 150% immediately after each time we incur indebtedness. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than our current leverage. Any inability to raise capital could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Market conditions may in the future make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The re-appearance of market conditions similar to those experienced from 2008 through 2009 for any substantial length of time could

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make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than what we currently experience. Further, if we are unable to raise or refinance debt, then our equity investors may not benefit from the potential for increased returns on equity resulting from leverage and we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies.

The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if required. As a result, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments. In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including the disruption and volatility, have had, and may in the future have, a negative effect on the valuations of our investments and on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. An inability to raise capital, and any required sale of our investments for liquidity purposes, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Price declines and illiquidity in the corporate debt markets have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the fair value of our portfolio investments, reducing our net asset value through increased net unrealized depreciation.

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation, which reduces our net asset value. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in legal, tax and regulatory regimes could negatively impact our business, financial condition and earnings.

The global financial crisis of 2007-2009 led the U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments, to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility. The withdrawal of Federal Reserve or other U.S. or non-U.S. governmental support could negatively affect financial markets generally and reduce the value and liquidity of certain securities. Additionally, with continued economic recovery and the cessation of certain market support activities, we may face a heightened level of interest rate risk as a result of a rise or increased volatility in interest rates.

Changes enacted by the current presidential administration could significantly impact the regulation of financial markets in United States. Areas subject to potential change, amendment or repeal include trade and foreign policy, corporate tax rates, energy and infrastructure policies, the environment and sustainability, criminal and social justice initiatives, immigration, healthcare and the oversight of certain federal financial regulatory agencies and the Federal Reserve. Certain of these changes can, and have, been effectuated through executive order. For example, the current administration has taken steps to address the COVID-19 pandemic, rejoin the Paris climate accord of 2015, cancel the Keystone XL pipeline and change immigration enforcement priorities. Other potential changes that could be pursued by the current presidential administration could include an increase in the corporate income tax rate; changes to regulatory enforcement priorities; and spending on clean energy and infrastructure. It is not possible to predict which, if any, of these actions will be taken or, if taken, their effect on the economy, securities markets or the financial stability of the United States. The Company may be affected by governmental action in ways that are not foreseeable, and there is a possibility that such actions could have a significant adverse effect on the Company and its ability to achieve its investment objective.

Additional risks arising from the differences in expressed policy preferences among the various constituencies in the branches of the U.S. government has led in the past, and may lead in the future, to short-term or prolonged policy impasses, which could, and has, resulted in shutdowns of the U.S. federal government. U.S. federal government shutdowns, especially prolonged shutdowns, could have a significant adverse impact on the economy in general and could impair the ability of issuers to raise capital in the securities markets. Any of these effects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the rules dealing with the U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made substantial changes to the Code. Among those changes were a significant permanent reduction in the generally applicable corporate tax rate, changes in the taxation of individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers that generally

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but not universally reduce their taxes on a temporary basis subject to “sunset” provisions, the elimination or modification of various previously allowed deductions (including substantial limitations on the deductibility of interest and, in the case of individuals, the deduction for personal state and local taxes), certain additional limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, certain preferential rates of taxation on certain dividends and certain business income derived by non-corporate taxpayers in comparison to other ordinary income recognized by such taxpayers, and significant changes to the international tax rules. In addition, the Biden administration has indicated that it intends to modify key aspects of the Code, including by increasing corporate and individual tax rates. The effect of these and other changes is uncertain, both in terms of the direct effect on the taxation of an investment in the Company’s shares and their indirect effect on the value of the Company’s assets, the Company’s shares or market conditions generally.

Market disruptions and other geopolitical or macroeconomic events could create market volatility that negatively impact our business, financial condition and earnings.

Periods of market volatility remain, and may continue to occur in the future, in response to various political, social and economic events both within and outside of the United States. These conditions have resulted in, and in many cases continue to result in, greater price volatility, less liquidity, widening credit spreads and a lack of price transparency, with many securities remaining illiquid and of uncertain value. Such market conditions may adversely affect the Fund, including by making valuation of some of the Fund’s securities uncertain and/or result in sudden and significant valuation increases or declines in the Fund’s holdings. If there is a significant decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, this may impact the asset coverage levels for the Fund’s outstanding leverage.

Risks resulting from any future debt or other economic crisis could also have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, the financial condition of financial institutions and our business, financial condition and results of operation. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may in the future affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, among other factors. To the extent uncertainty regarding the U.S. or global economy negatively impacts consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected. Downgrades to the credit ratings of major banks could result in increased borrowing costs for such banks and negatively affect the broader economy. Moreover, Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. Market volatility, rising interest rates and/or a return to unfavorable economic conditions could impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

The occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as localized wars, instability, new and ongoing pandemics (such as COVID-19), epidemics or outbreaks of infectious diseases in certain parts of the world, natural/environmental disasters, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the United States and a number of foreign countries, new and continued political unrest in various countries, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the EU or the EMU, continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, government shutdowns, among others, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide.

The current political climate has intensified concerns about a potential trade war between China and the United States, as each country has recently imposed tariffs on the other country’s products. These actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry, which could have a negative impact on our performance. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future. Any of these effects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes to United States tariff and import/export regulations may have a negative effect on our portfolio companies and, in turn, harm us.

There has been ongoing discussion and commentary regarding potential significant changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs. There remains uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States

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and other countries with respect to the trade policies, treaties and tariffs. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the United States. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict our portfolio companies’ access to suppliers or customers and have a material adverse effect on their business, financial condition and results of operations, which in turn would negatively impact us.

Uncertainty regarding the impact of the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union could negatively impact our business, financial condition and earnings.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”.  Following a transition period, the  United Kingdom and the EU signed a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“UK/EU Trade Agreement”), which came into full force on May 1, 2021 and set out the foundation of the economic and legal framework for trade between the United Kingdom and the EU. As the UK/EU Trade Agreement is a new legal framework, the implementation of the UK/EU Trade Agreement may result in uncertainty in its application and periods of volatility in both the United Kingdom and wider European markets. The United Kingdom’s exit from the EU is expected to result in additional trade costs and disruptions in this trading relationship. Furthermore, there is the possibility that either party may impose tariffs on trade in the future in the event that regulatory standards between the EU and the UK diverge. The terms of the future relationship may cause continued uncertainty in the global financial markets, and adversely affect our ability, and the ability of our portfolio companies, to execute our respective strategies and to receive attractive returns.

Rising interest rates may adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our debt investments may be based on floating rates, such as London Interbank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”), EURIBOR, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, the value of our common stock and our rate of return on invested capital. A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could also have an adverse impact on our net interest income. An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold which earn fixed interest rates, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans and high yield bonds, and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock.

Because we have borrowed money, and may issue preferred stock to finance investments, our net investment income depends, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay distributions on preferred stock and the rate that our investments yield. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase except to the extent we have issued fixed rate debt or preferred stock, which could reduce our net investment income.

You should also be aware that a change in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to a change in the interest rate we receive on many of our debt investments. Accordingly, a change in the interest rate could make it easier for us to meet or exceed the performance threshold and may result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive compensation payable to our Advisor with respect to the portion of the incentive compensation based on income.

The risk of interest rates rising is more pronounced in the current market environment with certain rates at history lows and recent inflationary movements.

Changes relating to the LIBOR calculation process, the phase-out of London Interbank Offer Rate (“LIBOR”) and the use of replacement rates for LIBOR may adversely affect the value of our portfolio securities.

In July 2017, the head of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority announced the desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. LIBOR can no longer be used to calculate new deals as of December 31, 2021. Since December 31, 2021, all sterling, euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen LIBOR settings and the 1-week and 2-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings have ceased to be published or are no longer representative, and after June 30, 2023, the overnight, 1-month, 3-month, 6-month and 12-month U.S. dollar LIBOR settings will cease to be published or will no longer be representative. Various financial industry groups have begun planning for the

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transition away from LIBOR, but there are challenges to converting certain securities and transactions to a new reference rate (e.g., the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, which is intended to replace the U.S. dollar LIBOR). Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates will become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, although the U.S. Federal Reserve, in connection with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, is considering replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). Given the inherent differences between LIBOR and SOFR, or any other alternative benchmark rate that may be established, there are many uncertainties regarding a transition from LIBOR, including but not limited to the need to amend all contracts with LIBOR as the referenced rate and how this will impact the cost of variable rate debt and certain derivative financial instruments. In addition, SOFR or other replacement rates may fail to gain market acceptance. Any failure of SOFR or alternative reference rates to gain market acceptance could adversely affect the return on, value of and market for securities linked to such rates.

We may not replicate the Company’s historical performance or the historical performance of other entities managed or supported by the Advisor.

We may not be able to replicate the Company’s historical performance or the historical performance of the Advisor’s investments, and our investment returns may be substantially lower than the returns achieved by the Company in the past. We can offer no assurance that the Advisor will be able to continue to implement our investment objective with the same degree of success as it has had in the past.

Our business model depends upon the development and maintenance of strong referral relationships with other asset managers and investment banking firms.

We are substantially dependent on our informal relationships, which we use to help identify and gain access to investment opportunities. If we fail to maintain our relationships with key firms, or if we fail to establish strong referral relationships with other firms or other sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our portfolio of equity investments and achieve our investment objective. In addition, persons with whom we have informal relationships are not obligated to inform us of investment opportunities, and therefore such relationships may not lead to the origination of equity or other investments. Any loss or diminishment of such relationships could effectively reduce our ability to identify attractive portfolio companies that meet our investment criteria, either for direct equity investments or for investments through private secondary market transactions or other secondary transactions.

The Advisor’s liability is limited under the investment management agreement, and we are required to indemnify the Advisor against certain liabilities, which may lead the Advisor to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

The Advisor has not assumed any responsibility to us other than to render the services described in the investment management agreement, and it will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors in declining to follow the Advisor’s advice or recommendations. Pursuant to the investment management agreement, the Advisor and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it will not be liable to us for their acts under the investment management agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect the Advisor and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of the Advisor not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties under the investment and management agreement. These protections may lead the Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

We may suffer credit losses.

Investment in middle-market companies is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk of credit loss, and therefore our securities may not be suitable for someone with a low tolerance for risk. These risks are likely to increase during an economic recession.

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Our use of borrowed funds, including under the Leverage Program, to make investments exposes us to risks typically associated with leverage.

The Company borrows money, both directly and indirectly through SVCP, TCPC Funding and the SBIC. As a result:

The use of leverage creates increased risk of loss and is considered a speculative investment technique. The use of leverage magnifies the potential gains and losses from an investment and increases the risk of loss of capital. To the extent that income derived by us from investments purchased with borrowed funds is greater than the cost of borrowing, our net income will be greater than if borrowing had not been used. Conversely, if the income from investments purchased from these sources is not sufficient to cover the cost of the leverage, our net investment income will be less than if leverage had not been used, and the amount available for ultimate distribution to the holders of common stock will be reduced. The extent to which the gains and losses associated with leveraged investing are increased will generally depend on the degree of leverage employed. We may, under some circumstances, be required to dispose of investments under unfavorable market conditions in order to maintain our leverage, thus causing us to recognize a loss that might not otherwise have occurred. In the event of a sale of investments upon default under our borrowing arrangements, secured creditors will be contractually entitled to direct such sales and may be expected to do so in their interest, rather than in the interests of the holders of common stock. Holders of common stock will incur losses if the proceeds from a sale in any of the foregoing circumstances are insufficient, after payment in full of amounts due and payable on leverage, including administrative expenses, to repay such holders investments in our common stock. As a result, you could experience a total loss of your investment. Any decrease in our revenue would cause our net income to decline more than it would have had we not borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions on our common stock. The ability to service any debt that we have or may have outstanding depends largely on our financial performance and is subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. There is no limitation on the percentage of portfolio investments that can be pledged to secure borrowings. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on our Advisor’s and our board of director’s assessments of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing.

In addition to regulatory restrictions that restrict our ability to raise capital, the Leverage Program contains various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment under the SVCP Facility and TCPC Funding II Facility, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the Leverage Program, we must comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include:

In addition, by limiting the circumstances in which borrowings may occur under the SVCP Facility and TCPC Funding II Facility, the credit agreements related to such facilities (the “Credit Agreements”) in effect provide for various asset coverage, credit quality and diversification limitations on our investments. Such limitations may cause us to be unable to make or retain certain potentially attractive investments or to be forced to sell investments at an

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inappropriate time and consequently impair our profitability or increase losses or result in adverse tax consequences. As of February 24, 2022, we were in compliance with these covenants. However our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control.

Accordingly, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with the covenants in the Credit Agreements. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default under the Credit Agreements which, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the respective lenders thereunder, could result in an acceleration of repayments under the Credit Agreements.

The Operating Facility also has certain “key man” provisions. For example, it is an event of default if the Advisor is controlled by any person or group other than (i) a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. or (ii) any two of Howard Levkowitz, Michael Leitner, Philip Tseng and Rajneesh Vig (or any replacement manager or individual reasonably acceptable to the administrative agent and approved by the required lenders), provided that if the Advisor is no longer under the control of at least two of such four individuals (or their previously approved replacements) through an event resulting in the death or disability of such individuals, the Advisor has 60 calendar days to replace such individuals with other managers or individuals reasonably acceptable to the administrative agent and approved by the required lenders, provided further that a default (but not an event of default) shall be deemed to exist during such period.

The Operating Facility matures on May 6, 2026, subject to extension by the lenders at the request of SVCP, and the Funding Facility II matures on August 4, 2025, subject to extension by the lender at the request of TCPC Funding II. Any inability to renew, extend or replace the Operating Facility and/or Funding Facility II could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to find new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

The Operating Facility matures on May 6, 2026, subject to extension by the lenders at the request of SVCP. Borrowings under the Operating Facility generally bear interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.75% per annum, subject to certain limitations. The Funding Facility II matures on August 4, 2025, subject to extension by the lender at the request of TCPC Funding II. Borrowings under the Funding Facility II generally bear interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.00% per annum, subject to certain funding requirements, plus an administrative fee of 0.15% per annum. We do not currently know whether we will renew, extend or replace the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II upon their maturities or whether we will be able to do so on terms that are as favorable as the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II. In addition, we will be required to liquidate assets to repay amounts due under the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II if we do not renew, extend or replace the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II prior to their respective maturities.

Upon the termination of the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II, there can be no assurance that we will be able to enter into a replacement facility on terms that are as favorable to us, if at all. Our ability to replace the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II may be constrained by then-current economic conditions affecting the credit markets. In the event that we are not able to replace the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II at the time of their maturity, this could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and ability to fund new investments, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and our ability to qualify as a RIC.

The creditors under the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II have a first claim on all of the Company’s assets included in the collateral for the respective facilities.

Lenders have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders. Substantially all of our current assets have been pledged as collateral under the SVCP Facility and TCPC Funding II Facility. If an event of default occurs under either of the SVCP Facility and TCPC Funding II Facility, the respective lenders would be permitted to accelerate amounts due under the respective facilities and liquidate our assets to pay off amounts owed under the respective facilities and limitations would be imposed on us with respect to the purchase or sale of investments. Such limitations may cause us to be unable to make or retain certain potentially attractive investments or to be forced to sell investments at an inappropriate time and consequently impair our profitability or increase our losses or result in adverse tax consequences.

In the event of the dissolution of the Company or otherwise, if the proceeds of the Company’s assets (after payment in full of obligations to any such debtors) are insufficient to repay capital invested in us by the holders of the common stock, no other assets will be available for the payment of any deficiency. None of our board of directors, the Advisor or any of their respective affiliates, have any liability for the repayment of capital contributions made to the Company by the holders of common stock. Holders of common stock could experience a total loss of their investment in the Company.

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Lenders under the Operating Facility may have a veto power over the Company’s investment policies.

If a default has occurred under the Operating Facility, the lenders under the Operating Facility may veto changes in investment policies. The Operating Facility also has certain limitations on unusual types of investments such as commodities, real estate and speculative derivatives, which are not part of the Company’s investment strategy or policies in any event.

The SBIC may be unable to make distributions to us that will enable us to meet or maintain RIC status, which could result in the imposition of an entity-level tax.

In order for us to continue to qualify for RIC tax treatment and to minimize corporate-level taxes, we will be required to distribute substantially all of our net ordinary income and net capital gain income, including income from certain of our subsidiaries, which includes the income from the SBIC. We will be partially dependent on the SBIC for cash distributions to enable us to meet the RIC distribution requirements. The SBIC may be limited by the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and SBA regulations governing SBICs, from making certain distributions to us that may be necessary to enable us to maintain our status as a RIC. We may have to request a waiver of the SBA’s restrictions for the SBIC to make certain distributions to maintain our eligibility for RIC status. We cannot assure you that the SBA will grant such a waiver and if the SBIC is unable to obtain a waiver, compliance with the SBA regulations may result in loss of RIC tax treatment and a consequent imposition of an entity-level tax on us.

The SBIC is subject to SBA regulations, and any failure to comply with SBA regulations could have an adverse effect on our operations.

On April 22, 2014, the SBIC received an SBIC license from the SBA. The SBIC license allows the SBIC to obtain leverage by issuing SBA-guaranteed debentures, subject to the issuance of a capital commitment by the SBA and other customary procedures. SBA-guaranteed debentures are non-recourse, interest only debentures with interest payable semi-annually and have a ten year maturity. The principal amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures is not required to be paid prior to maturity but may be prepaid at any time without penalty. The interest rate of SBA-guaranteed debentures is fixed on a semi-annual basis at a market-driven spread over U.S. Treasury Notes with 10-year maturities. The SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to the SBIC’s assets over our stockholders in the event we liquidate the SBIC or the SBA exercises its remedies under the SBA-guaranteed debentures issued by the SBIC upon an event of default.

Under current SBA regulations, a licensed SBIC can provide capital to those entities that have a tangible net worth not exceeding $19.5 million and an average annual net income after Federal income taxes not exceeding $6.5 million for the two most recent fiscal years. In addition, a licensed SBIC must devote 25% of its investment activity to those entities that have a tangible net worth not exceeding $6.0 million and an average annual net income after Federal income taxes not exceeding $2.0 million for the two most recent fiscal years. The SBA regulations also provide alternative size standard criteria to determine eligibility, which depend on the industry in which the business is engaged and are based on factors such as the number of employees and gross sales. The SBA regulations permit licensed SBICs to make long term loans to small businesses, invest in the equity securities of such businesses and provide them with consulting and advisory services. The SBA also places certain limitations on the financing terms of investments by SBICs in portfolio companies and prohibits SBICs from providing funds for certain purposes or to businesses in a few prohibited industries. Compliance with SBA requirements may cause the SBIC to forego attractive investment opportunities that are not permitted under SBA regulations.

Further, the SBA regulations require that a licensed SBIC be periodically examined and audited by the SBA to determine its compliance with the relevant SBA regulations. The SBA prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a “change of control” of an SBIC or any transfers of the capital stock of a licensed SBIC. If the SBIC fails to comply with applicable SBA regulations, the SBA could, depending on the severity of the violation, limit or prohibit its use of debentures, declare outstanding debentures immediately due and payable, and/or limit it from making new investments. In addition, the SBA can revoke or suspend a license for willful or repeated violation of, or willful or repeated failure to observe, any provision of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder. The Advisor, as the SBIC’s investment adviser, does not have any previous experience managing an SBIC. Its limited experience in complying with SBA regulations may hinder its ability to take advantage of the SBIC’s access to SBA-guaranteed debentures. Any failure to comply with SBA regulations could have an adverse effect on our operations.

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SBA regulations limit the outstanding dollar amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures that may be issued by an SBIC or group of SBICs under common control.

The SBA regulations currently limit the dollar amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures that can be issued by any one SBIC to $175.0 million or to a group of SBICs under common control to $350.0 million.

An SBIC may not borrow an amount in excess of two times (and in certain cases, up to three times) its regulatory capital. As of December 31, 2021, the SBIC had $150.0 million in SBA-guaranteed debentures outstanding. If we reach the maximum dollar amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures permitted, and if we require additional capital, our cost of capital may increase, and there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms.

Moreover, the current status of the SBIC as an SBIC does not automatically assure that the SBIC will continue to receive SBA-guaranteed debenture funding. Receipt of SBA leverage funding is dependent upon the SBIC continuing to be in compliance with SBA regulations and policies and available SBA funding. The amount of SBA leverage funding available to SBICs is dependent upon annual Congressional authorizations and in the future may be subject to annual Congressional appropriations. There can be no assurance that there will be sufficient debenture funding available at the times desired by the SBIC.

The debentures guaranteed by the SBA have a maturity of ten years and require semi-annual payments of interest. The SBIC will need to generate sufficient cash flow to make required interest payments on the debentures. If the SBIC is unable to meet their financial obligations under the debentures, the SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to the SBIC’s assets over our stockholders in the event we liquidate the SBIC or the SBA exercises its remedies under such debentures as the result of a default by us.

If we incur additional leverage, it will increase the risk of investing in shares of our common stock.

As a BDC regulated under the 1940 Act, we are generally required to maintain a certain asset coverage for senior securities representing indebtedness (i.e., debt) or stock (i.e., preferred stock).

Following receipt of the necessary stockholder and Board approvals, effective February 9, 2019, the minimum asset coverage ratio requirement was reduced from 200% to 150%, pursuant to Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act (i.e., from a 1:1 debt to equity ratio to a 2:1 debt to equity ratio). Therefore, we may be able to issue an increased amount of senior securities and incur additional indebtedness in the future and, therefore, your risk of an investment in us may increase.

If our asset coverage falls below the required limit, we will not be able to incur additional debt until we are able to comply with the asset coverage applicable to us. This could have a material adverse effect on our operations, and we may not be able to make distributions to stockholders. The actual amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our and our Board of Directors’ assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain credit at all or on terms acceptable to us.

The Company has indebtedness pursuant to the Leverage Program and expects, in the future, to borrow additional amounts under the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II and may increase the size of the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II or enter into other borrowing arrangements.

In the case of a liquidation event, those lenders would receive proceeds before our stockholders. In addition, borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in our common stock. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to decline more than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any increase in our revenue in excess of interest expense on our borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage. Any decrease in our revenue would cause our net income to decline more than it would have had we not borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions on our common stock. Our ability to service any debt that we incur depends largely on our financial performance and is subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures.

Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are

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hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below. The calculation is based on our level of leverage at December 31, 2021, which represented borrowings equal to 53.8% of our total assets. On such date, we also had $1,894.2 million in total assets; $1,841.1 million in total investments; an average cost of funds of 3.26% based on contractual terms at December 31, 2021; $1,019.3 million aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding; and $829.5 million of total net assets. In order to compute the “Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders,” the “Assumed Return on Portfolio (Net of Expenses Other than Interest)” is multiplied by the total value of our investment portfolio at December 31, 2021 to obtain an assumed return to us. From this amount, interest expense (calculated by multiplying the weighted-average interest rate of 3.26% by the $1,019.3 million of debt) is subtracted to determine the return available to stockholders. The return available to stockholders is then divided by the total value of our net assets at December 31, 2021 to determine the “Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders.” Actual interest payments may vary.

The assumed portfolio return in the table is based on SEC regulations and is not a prediction of, and does not represent, our projected or actual performance. The table also assumes that we will maintain a constant level of leverage. The amount of leverage that we use will vary from time to time.

The lack of liquidity in substantially all of our investments may adversely affect our business.

Our investments generally are made and will continue to be made in private companies. Substantially all of these securities will be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will be otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded our investments. Further, we may face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we or an affiliated manager has material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.

A substantial portion of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our board of directors, who also approve in good faith the valuation of such securities and, as a result, there may be uncertainty regarding the value of our portfolio investments.

The debt and equity investments that we make for which market quotations are not readily available will be valued at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our board of directors, who also approve in good faith the valuation of such securities. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments, and the differences could be material. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values ultimately realized upon the disposal of such investments.

We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates.

General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, the value of our common stock and our rate of return on invested capital. A reduction in the interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on current investments could also have an adverse impact on our net investment income. An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold that earn fixed interest rates, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans and high-yield bonds, and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock. The risk of interest rates rising is more pronounced in the current market environment with certain rates at historic lows and recent inflationary price movements.

Our Advisor and its affiliates and employees may have certain conflicts of interest.

As a global provider of investment management, risk management and advisory services to institutional and retail clients, BlackRock, the Advisor and their respective affiliates (for purposes of this discussion of potential

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conflicts, the “BlackRock Entities”), engage in a broad spectrum of activities, including sponsoring and managing a variety of public and private investment funds, funds of funds and separate accounts across fixed income, liquidity, equity, alternative investment and real estate strategies; providing financial advisory services; providing technology infrastructure and analytics under the BlackRock Solutions® brand and engaging in certain broker-dealer activities and other activities. Although the relationships and activities of the BlackRock Entities should help enable these entities to offer attractive opportunities and services to the Company, such relationships and activities create certain inherent actual and potential conflicts of interest. In the ordinary course of business, the BlackRock Entities engage in activities where their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with the interests of the Company, certain investors or a group of investors, or the Company’s investments. The following discussion enumerates certain potential and actual conflicts of interest.

Allocation of Investment Opportunities. The BlackRock Entities manage and advise numerous accounts for clients around the world, such as registered and unregistered funds and owners of separately managed accounts (collectively, “Client Accounts”). Client Accounts include funds and accounts in which the BlackRock Entities or their personnel have an interest (“BlackRock Accounts”). Certain of these Client Accounts have investment objectives, and utilize investment strategies, that are similar to the Company’s. As a result, certain investments may be appropriate for the Company and also for other Client Accounts. The BlackRock Entities’ allocation of investment opportunities among various Client Accounts presents inherent potential and actual conflicts of interest, particularly where an investment opportunity is limited. These potential conflicts are exacerbated in situations where BlackRock is entitled to higher fees and incentive compensation from certain Client Accounts than from other Client Accounts (including the Company), where the portfolio managers making an allocation decision are entitled to an incentive fee, carried interest or other similar compensation from such other Client Accounts, or where there are differences in proprietary investments in the Company and other Client Accounts. The prospect of achieving higher compensation or greater investment return from another investment vehicle or separate account than from the Company provides incentives for the Advisor or other BlackRock Entities to favor the other investment vehicle or separate account over the Company when, for example, allocating investment opportunities that the Advisor believes could result in favorable performance. It is the policy of BlackRock not to make decisions based on the foregoing interests or greater fees or compensation.

Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities or is managed by the Advisor will generally be an affiliate of the Company for purposes of the 1940 Act and the Company is generally prohibited from participating in certain transactions such as co-investing with, or buying or selling any security from or to, such affiliate, absent the prior approval of the Independent Directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. However, the Advisor and the funds managed by the Advisor have received an order providing an exemption from certain SEC regulations prohibiting transactions with affiliates (the “Order”). The Order requires that certain procedures be followed prior to making an investment subject to the Order and such procedures could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by the Company or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by the Company. The Advisor may also face conflicts of interest in making investments pursuant to the Order.

The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of the Company’s affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of the Independent Directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. The Company is prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of the Company’s voting securities and from or to certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC (other than certain limited situations pursuant to current regulatory guidance). The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the particular transaction. Similar restrictions limit the Company’s ability to transact business with its officers or directors or their affiliates.

To address actual and potential conflicts associated with allocation of investments, BlackRock has developed an investment allocation policy (the “Investment Allocation Policy”) and related guidelines. In addition, certain BlackRock Entities and business units have supplemental allocation policies for making allocation decisions among Client Accounts managed by such BlackRock Entities (together with the Investment Allocation Policy and related guidelines, the “Allocation Policy”). The Allocation Policy is intended to ensure that investment opportunities are allocated on a fair and equitable basis among Client Accounts over time, taking into account various factors including the Client Account’s investment objective, guidelines and restrictions and other portfolio construction considerations; available capital and liquidity needs; tax, regulatory and contractual considerations; risk or investment concentration parameters; supply or demand for a security at a given price level; size of available investment; unfunded capital commitments or cash availability and liquidity requirements; leverage limitations; regulatory restrictions; contractual restrictions (including with other clients); minimum investment size; relative

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size; and such other factors as may be relevant to a particular transaction or Client Account. The BlackRock Entities reserve the right to allocate investment opportunities appropriate for the investment objectives of the Company and other Client Accounts in any other manner deemed fair and equitable by the BlackRock Entities consistent with the Allocation Policy, the Order and applicable law. The application of the Allocation Policy, the Order and the foregoing considerations may result in a particular Client Account, including the Company, not receiving an allocation of an investment opportunity that has been allocated to other Client Accounts following the same or similar strategy, or receiving a smaller allocation than other Client Accounts or an allocation on an other than pro rata basis. Furthermore, as the investment programs of the Company and the other applicable Client Accounts change and develop over time, additional issues and considerations may affect the Allocation Policy and the expectations of the BlackRock Entities with respect to the allocation of investment opportunities to the Company and other Client Accounts. BlackRock and the Advisor reserve the right to change the Allocation Policy and guidelines relating thereto from time to time without the consent of or notice to stockholders, subject to the disclosure requirements of applicable law.

As a general matter, it is expected the Company will participate in investments deemed appropriate for the Company’s strategy and either sourced by the investment personnel directly responsible for managing the Company (though investments sourced by such personnel may also be allocated to other Client Accounts that may be managed by other investment teams) or made available for investment by the Company pursuant to the terms of the Order.

Allocation of Expenses. Side-by-side management by the BlackRock Entities of the Company and Client Accounts raises other potential and actual conflicts of interest, including those associated with allocating expenses attributable to the Company and one or more other Client Accounts. The Advisor and its affiliates will attempt to make such allocations on a basis that they consider to be fair and equitable to the Company under the circumstances over time and considering such factors as it deems relevant. The allocations of such expenses may not be proportional, and any such determinations involve inherent matters of discretion, e.g., in determining whether to allocate pro rata based on number of Client Accounts or proportionately in accordance with asset size, or in certain circumstances determining whether a particular expense has a greater benefit to the Company, other Client Accounts or the Advisor and/or its affiliates.

Activities of Other Client Accounts. The BlackRock Entities will, from time to time, be actively engaged in transactions on behalf of other Client Accounts in the same investments, securities, derivatives and other instruments in which the Company will directly or indirectly invest. Trading for certain other Client Accounts is carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Company and may have an effect on the value or liquidity of the positions so held or may result in another Client Account having an interest in an issuer adverse to that of the Company.

Under certain circumstances and subject to the Order and applicable law, the Company may invest directly or indirectly in a transaction in which one or more other Client Accounts are expected, or seek, to participate or already have made, or concurrently will make or seek to make, an investment. The Company and the other Client Accounts may have conflicting interests and objectives in connection with such investments, including with respect to views on the operations or activities of the project or company involved, the targeted returns from the investment and the timeframe for, and method of, exiting the investment. For example, the Advisor’s decisions on behalf of other Client Accounts to sell, redeem from or otherwise liquidate a security in which the Company is invested may adversely affect the Company, including by causing such investment to be less liquid or more concentrated, or by causing the Company to no longer participate in a controlling position in the investment or to lose the benefit of certain negotiated terms, including, without limitation, fee discounts. Conflicts will also arise in cases where the Company, directly or indirectly, and other Client Accounts invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, including circumstances in which one or more Client Accounts may own private securities or obligations of an issuer and other Client Accounts may own public securities of the same issuer. If an issuer in which the Company, directly or indirectly, and one or more other Client Accounts hold different classes of securities (or other assets, instruments or obligations issued by such issuer) encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms of any workout will raise potential conflicts of interests (including, for example, conflicts regarding the terms of recapitalizations and proposed waivers, amendments or enforcement of debt covenants). As a result, one or more Client Accounts may pursue or enforce rights with respect to a particular issuer in which the Company has directly or indirectly invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Company. Because of the different legal rights associated with debt and equity of the same portfolio company, BlackRock expects to face a potential conflict of interest in respect of the advice given to, and the actions taken on behalf of, the Company versus another Client Account (e.g., the terms of debt instruments, the enforcement of covenants, the terms of recapitalizations and the resolution of workouts or bankruptcies). For example, if the Company holds debt securities of an issuer and a Client Account directly or indirectly holds equity securities of the same issuer, then, if the issuer experiences financial or operational challenges, the Company may seek a liquidation of the issuer in which it may be paid in full, whereas the Client

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Account, as a direct or indirect equity holder, might prefer a reorganization that holds the potential to create value for the equity holders. Similarly, if additional capital is necessary as a result of financial or other difficulties, or to finance growth of other opportunities, subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, a Client Account may not provide such additional capital and the Company may do so, or vice versa. In the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or similar proceeding of an issuer, the Company may be limited (by applicable law, courts or otherwise) in the positions or actions it may be permitted to take due to other interests held or actions or positions taken by other Client Accounts. In negotiating the terms and conditions of any such investments, or any subsequent amendments or waivers, the Advisor and the other BlackRock Entities may find that their own interests, the interests of the Company and/or the interests of one or more other Client Accounts could conflict. Any of the foregoing conflicts of interest will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis. The resolution of such conflicts will take into consideration the interests of the relevant parties, the circumstances giving rise to the conflict, the Order to the extent applicable and applicable law. Stockholders should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of the Company and that the Company could be adversely affected by the actions taken by BlackRock Entities on behalf of Client Accounts.

In order to avoid or reduce the conflicts that may arise in cases where the Company, directly or indirectly, and other Client Accounts invest in different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, or for other reasons, the Company may choose not to invest in issuers in which other Client Accounts hold an existing investment, even if the Advisor believes such investment opportunity to be attractive and otherwise appropriate for the Company and is permitted under applicable law and regulation, which may adversely affect the performance of the Company.

Other transactions by one or more Client Accounts also may have the effect of diluting the values or prices of investments held directly or indirectly by the Company or otherwise disadvantaging the Company. This may occur when portfolio decisions regarding the Company are based on research or other information that is also used to support portfolio decisions for other Client Accounts. When a BlackRock Entity implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of a Client Account other than the Company ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar portfolio decisions or strategies for the Company (whether or not the portfolio decisions emanate from the same research analysis or other information), market impact, liquidity constraints or other factors could result in the Company receiving less favorable investment results, and the cost of implementing such portfolio decisions or strategies for the Company could increase, or the Company could otherwise be disadvantaged.

Additionally, if the Company makes an investment in a portfolio company in conjunction with an investment made by another Client Account, the Company may not invest through the same investment vehicles, have the same access to credit or employ the same hedging or investment strategies as such other Client Account. This likely will result in differences in investment cost, investment terms, leverage and associated expenses between the Company and any other Client Account. There can be no assurance that the Company and the other Client Accounts will exit the investment at the same time or on the same terms, and there can be no assurance that the Company’s return on such an investment will be the same as the returns achieved by any other Client Accounts participating in the transactions. Given the nature of these conflicts, there can be no assurance that the resolution of these conflicts will be beneficial to the Company.

The BlackRock Entities may also, in certain circumstances and subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, pursue or enforce rights or take other actions with respect to a particular issuer or investment jointly on behalf of the Company and other Client Accounts. In such circumstances, the Company may be adversely impacted by the other Client Accounts’ activities, and transactions for the Company may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case had the other Client Accounts not pursued a particular course of action with respect to the issuer or investment. For example, one or more Client Accounts may dispose of or make an in kind distribution of its portion of an investment that is also held by the Company and other Client Accounts, and such action may adversely affect the Company and such other Client Accounts that continue to hold such investment.

Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions made by the Advisor on behalf of the Company may benefit other BlackRock Entities or Client Accounts, including BlackRock Accounts. For example, subject to the Order and applicable law and regulation, the Company may invest directly or indirectly in the securities, bank loans or other obligations of issuers in which a Client Account has an equity, debt or other interest, or vice versa. In certain circumstances, the Advisor may be incentivized not to undertake certain actions on behalf of the Company in connection with such investments, in view of a BlackRock Entity’s or Client Account’s involvement with the relevant issuer or investment. Further, the Company may also engage in investment transactions that result in other Client Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divesting of investments that the Company also holds or which cause the Company to have to divest certain investments. The purchase, holding and sale of investments by

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the Company may enhance the profitability of another Client Account’s own investments in and activities with respect to such investments.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company may invest, directly or indirectly, in equity of investments or issuers affiliated with the BlackRock Entities or in which a BlackRock Entity or a Client Account has a direct or indirect debt or other interest, or vice versa, and may acquire such equity or debt either directly or indirectly through public or private acquisitions. Such investments may benefit the BlackRock Entities or Client Accounts. In addition, the Advisor may be incentivized not to undertake certain actions on behalf of the Company in connection with such investments, in view of a BlackRock Entity’s or Client Account’s involvement with the relevant issuer or investment.

Moreover, the Advisor’s investment professionals, its senior management and employees serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as the Company. Accordingly, these individuals may have obligations to investors in those entities or funds, the fulfillment of which might not be in the best interests of the Company or stockholders. In addition, certain of the personnel employed by the Advisor or focused on the Company’s business may change in ways that are detrimental to the Company’s business.

Transactions Between Client Accounts. Each of the BlackRock Entities and the Advisor reserve the right to conduct cross trades between the Company and other Client Accounts in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Advisor may cause the Company to purchase securities or other assets from or sell securities or other assets to, or engage in other transactions with, other Client Accounts or vehicles when the Advisor believes such transactions are appropriate and in the participants’ best interest, subject to applicable law and regulation. The Company may enter into “agency cross transactions,” in which a BlackRock Entity may act as broker for the Company and for the other party to the transaction, to the extent permitted under applicable law and regulation and the relevant Client Account governing documents. In such cases, the Advisor and such other Client Accounts or BlackRock Entities, as applicable, may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities regarding both parties to the transaction. To the extent that any provision of Section 11(a) of the Exchange Act, or any of the rules promulgated thereunder, is applicable to any transactions effected by the Advisor, such transactions will be effected in accordance with the requirements of such provisions and rules.

Proxy Voting. The Board of Directors has delegated to the Advisor discretion with respect to voting and consent rights of the assets of the Company. Consistent with applicable rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), BlackRock has adopted and implemented written proxy voting policies and procedures with respect to individual securities held by the Company that are reasonably designed: (i) to ensure that proxies are voted, consistent with its fiduciary obligations, in the best interests of Client Accounts under the circumstances over time; and (ii) to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions made on behalf of clients. Nevertheless, when votes are cast in accordance with BlackRock’s proxy voting policy and in a manner that BlackRock believes to be consistent with its fiduciary obligations, actual proxy voting decisions made on behalf of one Client Account may have the effect of favoring or harming the interests of other Client Accounts, including the Company. Stockholders may receive a copy of BlackRock’s proxy voting policy, upon request, and may also obtain a copy at: http://www.blackrock.com/corporate/en-us/about-us/responsible-investment/responsible-investment-reports.

Investment Terms of Other Client Accounts. The investment terms offered to other Client Accounts or to investors in other Client Accounts with similar investment objectives as the Company may be different than those applicable to our stockholders and may create conflicts. In particular, with respect to investors in other Client Accounts that are managed as dedicated funds or with respect to other Client Accounts investing through separate accounts with similar investment objectives to the Company, information sharing may, to the extent permitted under applicable law and regulation, be more extensive, detailed and timely as compared to information available to our stockholders, and the other Client Accounts’ liquidity may not be subject to the restrictions that apply to our stockholders.

Management of the Company. In connection with the management of the Company, the Board of Directors and/or the Advisor will have the right to make certain determinations on behalf of the Company, in its discretion. Any such determinations may affect stockholders differently and some stockholders may be adversely affected by such determinations by the Board of Directors or Advisor. Stockholders may be situated differently in a number of ways, including being resident of, or organized in, various jurisdictions, being subject to different tax rules or regulatory structures and/or having different internally- or externally-imposed investment policies, restrictions or guidelines. As a result, conflicts of interest may arise in connection with decisions made by the Board of Directors or the Advisor that may be more beneficial for certain stockholders. In making determinations on behalf of the

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Company, including in structuring and completing investments, the Advisor intends to consider the investment and tax objectives of the Company and the stockholders as a whole, not the investment, tax or other objectives of any stockholder individually.

Subject to applicable law, including the 1940 Act, and the terms of the applicable contracts with the Company, BlackRock Entities may from time to time, and without notice to the Company or stockholders, insource or outsource to third-parties, including parties which are affiliated with BlackRock, certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that they provide to the Company in their administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to potential conflicts of interest.

Limited Access to Information; Information Advantage of Certain BlackRock Clients. As a result of receiving client reports, service on a Client Account’s advisory board, affiliation with the Advisor or otherwise, one or more BlackRock clients may have access to different information regarding the BlackRock Entities’ transactions, strategies or views, and may act on such information in accounts not controlled by the BlackRock Entities, which may have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company. The Company and its investments may also be adversely affected by market movements or by decreases in the pool of available securities or liquidity arising from purchases and sales by, as well as increases of capital in, and withdrawals of capital from, other Client Accounts and other accounts of BlackRock clients not controlled by BlackRock. These effects can be more pronounced in respect of investments with limited capacity and in thinly traded securities and less liquid markets.

Furthermore, our stockholders’ rights to information regarding the Advisor or the Company generally will be limited to applicable reporting obligations and information requirements under the Exchange Act and applicable state law. It is anticipated that the Advisor and its affiliates will obtain certain types of material information from or relating to the Company’s investments that will not be disclosed to stockholders because such disclosure is prohibited, including as a result of contractual, legal or similar obligations outside of BlackRock’s control. Such limitations on the disclosure of such information may have adverse consequences for stockholders in a variety of circumstances and may make it difficult for a stockholder to monitor the Advisor and its performance.

Advisor Decisions May Benefit BlackRock Entities and BlackRock Accounts. BlackRock Entities may derive ancillary benefits from certain decisions made on behalf of the Company. While the Advisor will make decisions for the Company in accordance with its obligations to manage the Company appropriately, the fees, allocations, compensation and other benefits to the BlackRock Entities (including benefits relating to business relationships of the BlackRock Entities) may be greater as a result of certain portfolio, investment, service provider or other decisions made by the Advisor for the Company than they would have been had other decisions been made which also might have been appropriate for the Company. In addition, BlackRock Entities may invest in Client Accounts and therefore may indirectly derive ancillary benefits from certain decisions made by the Advisor. The Advisor may also make decisions and exercise discretion with respect to the Company that could benefit BlackRock Entities that have invested in the Company.

Temporary Investments in Cash Management Products. Subject to applicable law, the Company may invest, on a temporary basis, in short-term, high-grade assets or other cash management products, including SEC-registered investment funds (open-end or closed-end) or unregistered funds, including any such funds that are sponsored, managed or serviced by advisory BlackRock Entities. In connection with any of these investments, the Company will bear all fees pertaining to the investment, including advisory, administrative or 12b-1 fees, and no portion of any fees otherwise payable by the Company will be offset against fees payable in accordance with any of these investments (i.e., there could be “double fees” involved in making any of these investments which would not arise in connection with a stockholder’s direct investment in such money market or liquidity funds, because a BlackRock Entity could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Company, on one hand, and such cash management products, on the other). In these circumstances, as well as in other circumstances in which any BlackRock Entities receive any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, subject to the Company’s Governing Documents, no accounting, repayment to the Company or offset of the Advisory Fee will be required.

Management Responsibilities. The employees and directors of the Advisor or its affiliates are not under any obligation to devote all of their professional time to the affairs of the Company, but will devote such time and attention to the affairs of the Company as BlackRock determines in its discretion is necessary to carry out the operations of the Company effectively. Employees and directors of the Advisor engage in other activities unrelated to the affairs of the Company, including managing or advising other Client Accounts, which presents potential conflicts in allocating management time, services and functions among the Company and other Client Accounts. These potential conflicts will be exacerbated in situations where employees may be entitled to greater incentive

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compensation or other remuneration from certain Client Accounts than from other Client Accounts (including the Company).

The Advisor may, subject to applicable law, utilize the personnel or services of its affiliates in a variety of ways to make available to the Company BlackRock’s global capabilities. Although the Advisor believes this practice generally is in the best interests of its clients, it is possible that conflicts with respect to allocation of investment opportunities, portfolio execution, client servicing or other matters may arise due to differences in regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions, time differences or other reasons. The Advisor will seek to ameliorate any conflicts that arise and may determine not to utilize the personnel or services of a particular affiliate in circumstances where it believes the potential conflict outweighs the potential benefits.

Investments by Directors, Officers and Employees of BlackRock Entities. The directors, officers and employees of BlackRock Entities are permitted to buy and sell public or private securities, commingled vehicles or other investments held by the Company for their own accounts, or accounts of their family members and in which such BlackRock Entity personnel may have a pecuniary interest, including through accounts (or investments in funds) managed by BlackRock Entities, in accordance with BlackRock’s personal trading policies. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions taken by BlackRock Entity directors, officers, and employees may be the same as or different from, or made contemporaneously or at different times than, positions taken for the Company.

Such persons and/or investment vehicles they manage also may invest in companies in the same industries as companies in which the Company expects to invest, and may compete with the Company for investment opportunities, and their investments may compete with the Company’s investments.

In addition, BlackRock personnel may serve on the boards of directors of companies in the same industries as companies in which the Company expects to invest, which can give rise to conflicting obligations and interests.

As these situations may involve potential conflicts of interest, BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures relating to personal securities transactions, insider trading and other ethical considerations. These policies and procedures are intended to identify and reduce actual conflicts of interest with clients and to resolve such conflicts appropriately if they do occur.

Issues Relating to the Valuation of Assets. While securities and other property held by the Company generally will be valued by reference to an independent third-party source, in certain circumstances holdings may be valued at fair value based upon the principles and methods of valuation set forth in policies adopted by the Board of Directors. Moreover, a significant portion of the assets in which the Company may directly or indirectly invest may not have a readily ascertainable market value and, subject to applicable law, may be valued at fair value based upon the principles and methods of valuation set forth in policies adopted by the Board of Directors.

Potential Restrictions on the Advisor’s Activities on Behalf of the Company. From time to time, the Advisor expects to be restricted from purchasing or selling securities or taking other actions on behalf of the Company because of regulatory and legal requirements applicable to BlackRock Entities, other Client Accounts and/or the Advisor’s internal policies designed to comply with or limit the applicability of, or which otherwise relate to, such requirements. An investment fund not advised by BlackRock Entities may not be subject to the same considerations. There may be periods when the Advisor (on behalf of the Company) may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, may limit or delay purchases, may sell or redeem existing investments, forego transactions or other investment opportunities, restrict or limit the exercise of rights (including voting rights), or may otherwise restrict or limit their advice with respect to securities or instruments issued by or related to issuers for which BlackRock Entities are performing advisory or other services. Such policies may restrict the Company’s activities more than required by applicable law. For example, when BlackRock Entities are engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for an issuer, the Company may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling interests of that issuer, particularly in cases where BlackRock Entities have or may obtain material non-public information about the issuer. Similar prohibitions or limitations could also arise if: (i) BlackRock Entity personnel serve as directors or officers of issuers, the securities or other interests of which the Company wishes to purchase or sell, (ii) the Advisor on behalf of the Company participates in a transaction (including a controlled acquisition of a U.S. public company) that results in the requirement to restrict all purchases, sales and voting of equity securities of such target issuer, or (iii) regulations, including portfolio affiliation rules or stock exchange rules, prohibit participation in offerings by an issuer when other Client Accounts have prior holdings of such issuer’s securities or desire to participate in such a public offering, or where other Client Accounts have or may have short positions in such issuer’s securities. However, where permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with the BlackRock Entities’ policies and procedures, the BlackRock Entities may, but are not obligated to, seek to avoid such prohibitions or

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limitations (such as through the implementation of appropriate information barriers), and in such cases, the Advisor on behalf of the Company may purchase or sell securities or instruments that are issued by such issuers. In addition, certain activities and actions may also be considered to result in reputational risk or disadvantage for the management of the Company and/or for the Advisor and its affiliates, and the Advisor may decline or limit an investment opportunity or dispose of an existing investment as a result.

In addition, in regulated industries and in certain markets, and in certain futures and derivative transactions, there are limits on the aggregate amount of investment by affiliated investors that may not be exceeded without a regulatory filing, the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent. For example, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the U.S. commodities exchanges and certain non-U.S. exchanges have established limits referred to as “speculative position limits” or “position limits” on the maximum long or short (or, for some commodities, the gross) positions which any person or group of persons may own, hold or control in certain futures or options on futures contracts, and such rules generally require aggregation of the positions owned, held or controlled by related entities. Any such limits may prevent the Company from acquiring positions that might otherwise have been desirable or profitable. Under certain circumstances, the Advisor may restrict a purchase or sale of securities, derivative instruments or other assets on behalf of Client Accounts in anticipation of a future conflict that may arise if such purchase or sale would be made. Any such determination will take into consideration the interests of the relevant Client Accounts, the circumstances that would give rise to the future conflict and applicable law. Such determination will be made on a case by case basis.

Other Services and Activities of the BlackRock Entities. The BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) will, from time to time, provide financial, consulting and other services to, and receive compensation from, an entity which is the issuer of a security or other investment held by the Company, counterparties to transactions with the Company or third parties that also provide services to the Company. In addition, the BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) may purchase property (including securities) from, sell property (including securities) or lend funds to, or otherwise deal with, any entity which is the issuer of a security held by the Company, counterparties to transactions with the Company or third parties that also provide services to the Company. It is also likely that the Company will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which BlackRock Entities perform or seek to perform certain financial services. Conflicts are expected to arise in connection with the foregoing.

The BlackRock Entities may derive ancillary benefits from providing investment advisory, administrative and other services to the Company, and providing such services to the Company may enhance the BlackRock Entities’ relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development, and enable the BlackRock Entities to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.

Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by BlackRock. The Advisor may not have access to information and personnel of all BlackRock Entities, including as a result of informational barriers constructed between different investment teams and groups within BlackRock focusing on alternative investments and otherwise. Therefore, the Advisor may not be able to manage the Company with the benefit of information held by one or more other investment teams and groups within the BlackRock Entities. However, although it is under no obligation to do so, if it is permitted to do so, the Advisor may consult with personnel on other investment teams and in other groups within BlackRock, or with persons unaffiliated with BlackRock, or may form investment policy committees composed of such personnel, and in certain circumstances, personnel of affiliates of the Advisor may have input into, or make determinations regarding, portfolio management transactions for the Company, and may receive information regarding the Advisor’s proposed investment activities for the Company that generally is not available to the public. There will be no obligation on the part of such persons to make available for use by the Company any information or strategies known to them or developed in connection with their own client, proprietary or other activities. In addition, BlackRock will be under no obligation to make available any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination.

The Advisor makes decisions for the Company based on the Company’s investment program. The Advisor from time to time may have access to certain fundamental analysis, research and proprietary technical models developed by BlackRock Entities and their personnel. There will be no obligation on the part of the BlackRock Entities to make available for use by the Company, or to effect transactions on behalf of the Company on the basis of, any such information, strategies, analyses or models known to them or developed in connection with their own proprietary or other activities. In certain cases, such personnel will be prohibited from disclosing or using such information for their own benefit or for the benefit of any other person, including the Company and other Client Accounts. In other cases, fundamental analyses, research and proprietary models developed internally may be used by various BlackRock Entities and their personnel on behalf of different Client Accounts, which could result in purchase or sale transactions in the same security at different times (and could potentially result in certain

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transactions being made by one portfolio manager on behalf of certain Client Accounts before similar transactions are made by a different portfolio manager on behalf of other Client Accounts), or could also result in different purchase and sale transactions being made with respect to the same security. The Advisor may also effect transactions for the Company that differ from fundamental analysis, research or proprietary models issued by the BlackRock Entities or by the Advisor itself in various contexts. The foregoing transactions may negatively impact the Company and its direct and indirect investments through market movements or by decreasing the pool of available securities or liquidity, which effects can be more pronounced in thinly traded securities and less liquid markets.

The BlackRock Entities and different investment teams and groups within the Advisor have no obligation to seek information or to make available to or share with the Company any third-party manager with which the Company invests any information, research, investment strategies, opportunities or ideas known to BlackRock Entity personnel or developed or used in connection with other clients or activities. The BlackRock Entities and different investment teams and groups within the Advisor may compete with the Company or any third-party manager with which the Company invests for appropriate investment opportunities on behalf of their other Client Accounts. The results of the investment activities of the Company may differ materially from the results achieved by BlackRock Entities for other Client Accounts. BlackRock Entities may give advice and take action with respect to other Client Accounts that may compete or conflict with the advice the Advisor may give to the Company, including with respect to their view of the operations or activities of an investment, the return of an investment, the timing or nature of action relating to an investment or the method of exiting an investment.

BlackRock Entities may restrict transactions for themselves, but not for the Company, or vice versa. BlackRock Entities and certain of their personnel, including the Advisor’s personnel or other BlackRock Entity personnel advising or otherwise providing services to the Company, may be in possession of information not available to all BlackRock Entity personnel, and such personnel may act on the basis of such information in ways that have adverse effects on the Company. The Company could sustain losses during periods in which BlackRock Entities and other Client Accounts achieve significant profits.

Material, Non-Public Information. The Advisor and its personnel may not trade for the Company or other Client Accounts or for their own benefit or recommend trading in financial instruments of a company while they are in possession of material, non-public or price sensitive information (“Inside Information”) concerning such company, or disclose such Inside Information to any person not entitled to receive it. The BlackRock Entities (including the Advisor) may have access to Inside Information. The Advisor has instituted an internal information barrier policy designed to prevent securities laws violations based on access to Inside Information. Accordingly, there may be certain cases where the Advisor may be restricted from effecting purchases and/or sales of interests in securities or other financial instruments, or entering into certain transactions or exercising certain rights under such transactions on behalf of the Company and/or the other Client Accounts. There can be no assurance that the Advisor will not receive Inside Information and that such restrictions will not occur. At times, the Advisor, in an effort to avoid restriction for the Company or the other Client Accounts, may elect not to receive Inside Information, which may be relevant to the Company’s portfolio, that other market participants are eligible to receive or have received and could affect decisions that would have otherwise been made.

Any partner, officer or employee of the BlackRock Entities may serve as an officer, director, advisor or in comparable management functions for the investments of other Client Accounts, and any such person may obtain Inside Information in connection therewith, or in connection with such partner’s, officer’s or employee’s other activities in the financial markets. In an effort to manage possible risks arising from the internal sharing of material non-public information, BlackRock maintains a list of restricted securities with respect to which it has access to material non-public information and in which Client Accounts are restricted from trading. If partners, officers or employees of BlackRock obtain such material non-public information about a portfolio company which is an investment of a Client Account, the Company may be prohibited by law, policy or contract, for a period of time, from (i) unwinding a position in such company, (ii) establishing an initial position or taking any greater position in such company and/or (iii) pursuing other investment opportunities, which could impact the returns to the Company. In addition, in certain circumstances, particularly during the liquidation of a Client Account, the Company may be prohibited from trading a position that it holds, directly or indirectly, in the Client Account because BlackRock determines that one or more partners, officers or employees of BlackRock holds material non-public information with respect to one or more remaining positions held by the Client Account.

Transactions with Certain Stockholders. The Company is permitted to enter into transactions with certain stockholders, subject to applicable law. For example, the Advisor may be presented with opportunities to receive financing and/or other services in connection with the Company’s operations and/or the Company’s investments

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from certain stockholders or their affiliates that are engaged in lending or related business, which subjects the Advisor to conflicts of interest.

The Company’s Use of Investment Consultants and BlackRock’s Relationship with Investment Consultants. Stockholders may work with pension or other institutional investment consultants (collectively, “Investment Consultants”). Investment Consultants provide a wide array of services to pension plans and other institutions, including assisting in the selection and monitoring of investment advisers such as the Advisor. From time to time, Investment Consultants who recommend the Advisor to, and provide oversight of the Advisor for, stockholders may also provide services to or purchase services from the BlackRock Entities. For example, the BlackRock Entities purchase certain index and performance-related databases and human resources-related information from Investment Consultants and their affiliates. The BlackRock Entities also utilize brokerage execution services of Investment Consultants or their affiliates, and BlackRock Entities personnel may attend conferences sponsored by Investment Consultants. Conversely, from time to time, the BlackRock Entities may be hired by Investment Consultants and their affiliates to provide investment management and/or risk management services, creating possible conflicts of interest.

Other Relationships with BlackRock Entities, Clients and Market Participants. The BlackRock Entities have developed, and will in the future develop, relationships with (or may invest in) a significant number of clients and other market participants (e.g., financial institutions, service providers, managers of investment funds, banks, brokers, advisors, joint venturers, consultants, finders (including executive finders), executives, attorneys, accountants, institutional investors, family offices, lenders, current and former employees, and current and former portfolio investment executives, as well as certain family members or close contacts of these persons), including those that may hold or may have held investments similar to the investments intended to be made by the Company, that may themselves represent appropriate investment opportunities for the Company, or that may compete with the Company for investment opportunities. Furthermore, the Advisor generally exercises its discretion to recommend to the Company or to an investment thereof that it contract for services with such clients and market participants, and/or with other BlackRock Entities. It is difficult to predict the circumstances under which these relationships could become material conflicts for the Company, but it is possible that as a result of such relationships (or agreements with other Client Accounts) the Advisor may refrain from making all or a portion of any investment or a disposition on behalf of the Company, which may materially adversely affect the performance of the Company. Certain of these persons or entities will invest (or will be affiliated with an investor) in, engage in transactions with and/or provide services (including services at reduced rates) to, the BlackRock Entities and/or Client Accounts and/or their affiliates. BlackRock expects to be subject to a potential conflict of interest with the Company in recommending the retention or continuation of a third-party service provider to such Company or a portfolio investment if such recommendation, for example, is motivated by a belief that the service provider or its affiliate(s) will continue to invest in the Company or one or more Client Accounts, will provide the BlackRock Entities information about markets and industries in which the BlackRock Entities operate (or are contemplating operations) or will provide other services that are beneficial to the BlackRock Entities, the Company or one or more Client Accounts. The Advisor expects to be subject to a potential conflict of interest in making such recommendations, in that Advisor has an incentive to maintain goodwill between it and clients and other market participants, while the products or services recommended may not necessarily be the best available or most cost effective to the Company or its investments.

Legal Representation. The Company, as well as the Advisor and/or other BlackRock Entities, have engaged several counsel to represent them. In connection with such representation, counsel has relied upon certain information furnished to them by the Advisor and the BlackRock Entities, and has not investigated or verified the accuracy or completeness of such information. Such counsel’s engagement is limited to the specific matters as to which they are consulted and, therefore, there may exist facts or circumstances that could have a bearing on the Company’s or BlackRock’s financial condition or operations with respect to which counsel has not been consulted and for which they expressly disclaim any responsibility. Counsel has not represented and will not be representing stockholders. No independent counsel has been retained (or is expected to be retained) to represent stockholders. No attorney-client relationship exists between any counsel and any stockholder solely by such stockholder making an investment in the Company. As a result, stockholders are urged to retain their own counsel.

Resolution of Conflicts. Any conflicts of interest that arise between the Company or particular stockholders, on the one hand, and other Client Accounts or BlackRock Entities or affiliates thereof, on the other hand, will be discussed and resolved on a case-by-case basis by business, legal and compliance officers of the Advisor and its affiliates, as applicable. Any such discussions will take into consideration the interests of the relevant parties and the circumstances giving rise to the conflicts. Stockholders should be aware that conflicts will not necessarily be resolved in favor of the interests of the Company or any affected stockholder. There can be no assurance that any

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actual or potential conflicts of interest will not result in the Company receiving less favorable investment or other terms with respect to investments, transactions or services than if such conflicts of interest did not exist.

Potential Impact on the Company. It is difficult to predict the circumstances under which one or more of the foregoing conflicts could become material, but it is possible that such relationships could require the Company to refrain from making all or a portion of any investment or a disposition in order for BlackRock to comply with its fiduciary duties, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act or other applicable law. The Advisor may, under certain circumstances, seek to have conflicts or transactions involving conflicts approved in accordance with the governing agreements of the Company. Copies of Part 2A of the Advisor’s Form ADV, which includes additional detail regarding conflicts of interest that are relevant to BlackRock’s investment management business, are available at www.sec.gov and will be provided to current and prospective stockholders upon request.

The foregoing list of potential and actual conflicts of interest does not purport to be a complete enumeration of the conflicts attendant to an investment in the Company. Additional conflicts may exist that are not presently known to the Advisor, BlackRock or their respective affiliates or are deemed immaterial. Prospective investors should consult with their independent advisors before deciding whether to invest in the Company. In addition, as the investment program of the Company develops and changes over time, an investment in the Company may be subject to additional and different actual and potential conflicts of interest.

Our incentive compensation may induce our Advisor to make certain investments, including speculative investments.

The incentive compensation payable by us to the Advisor may create an incentive for the Advisor to make investments on our behalf that are risky or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive compensation is determined may encourage the Advisor to increase the use of leverage or take additional risk to increase the return on our investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor the holders of our common stock, or of securities convertible into our common stock or warrants representing rights to purchase our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock. A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to certain of our debt investments and may accordingly result in a substantial increase in the amount of incentive compensation payable to the Advisor with respect to our cumulative investment income. Although the incentive compensation is subject to a total return hurdle, the Advisor may have some ability to accelerate the realization of gains to obtain incentive compensation earlier than it otherwise would when it may be in our best interests to not yet realize gains. Our directors monitor our use of leverage and the Advisor’s management of our investment program in the best interests of our common stockholders.

We may invest, to the extent permitted by law, in the securities and instruments of other investment companies, including private funds, and, to the extent we so invest, we will bear our ratable share of any such investment company’s expenses, including management and performance fees. We will also remain obligated to pay management and incentive compensation to the Advisor with respect to the assets invested in the securities and instruments of other investment companies. With respect to each of these investments, each of our common stockholders will bear his or her share of our management and incentive compensation as well as indirectly bear the management and performance fees and other expenses of any investment companies in which we invest.

We may be obligated to pay the Advisor incentive compensation payments in excess of the amounts we would have paid if such compensation was subject to clawback arrangements.

The Advisor is entitled to incentive compensation for each fiscal quarter after January 1, 2013 in an amount equal to a percentage of our ordinary income (before deducting incentive compensation) since that date and, separately, a percentage of our realized capital gains (net of realized capital losses and unrealized depreciation) since that date, in each case subject to a cumulative total return requirement. If we pay incentive compensation and thereafter experience additional realized capital losses or unrealized capital depreciation such that we would no longer have been required to provide incentive compensation, we will not be able to recover any portion of the incentive compensation previously paid or distributed because our incentive compensation arrangements do not contain any clawback provisions. As a result, the incentive compensation could exceed 17.5% of our cumulative total return, depending on the timing of unrealized appreciation, net unrealized depreciation and net realized capital losses. For example, part of the incentive compensation payable or distributable by us that relates to our ordinary income is computed on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan, it is possible that accrued interest previously used in the calculation of the incentive compensation will become uncollectible. Similarly, the income component is measured against a total return limitation that includes unrealized gains. Such gains may not be realized or may be realized at a lower

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amount. Consequently, we may have paid incentive compensation on income in circumstances where we otherwise would not have done so and with respect to which we do not have a clawback right against the Advisor.

We are dependent upon senior management personnel of the Advisor for our future success, and if the Advisor is unable to retain qualified personnel or if the Advisor loses any member of its senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objective could be significantly harmed.

The success of the Company is highly dependent on the financial and managerial expertise of the Advisor. The loss of one or more of the voting members of the Investment Committee could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company. Although the Advisor and the voting members of the Investment Committee devote a significant amount of their respective efforts to the Company, they actively manage investments for other clients and are not required to (and will not) devote all of their time to the Company’s affairs.

The Advisor can resign on 60 days’ notice, and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement within that time, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.

The Advisor has the right, under our investment management agreement, to resign at any time upon not more than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If the Advisor resigns, we may not be able to find a new investment advisor or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 days, or at all. If we are unable to do so quickly, our operations are likely to experience a disruption, our financial condition, business and results of operations as well as our ability to pay distributions are likely to be adversely affected and the market price of our common stock may decline. In addition, the coordination of our internal management and investment activities is likely to suffer if we are unable to identify and reach an agreement with a single institution or group of executives having the expertise possessed by the Advisor and its affiliates. Even if we are able to retain comparable management, whether internal or external, the integration of such management and their lack of familiarity with our investment objective may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.

We may in the future determine to fund a portion of our investments by issuing preferred stock, which would magnify the potential gains or losses and the risks of investing in us in the same manner as our borrowings.

The issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, preferred stock, which is another form of leverage, has the same risks to our common stockholders as borrowings because the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of such dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of preferred stock are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference(other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock).

We may experience fluctuations in our periodic operating results.

We could experience fluctuations in our periodic operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rates payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such securities, the level of our expenses (including the interest rates payable on our borrowings), the dividend rates payable on preferred stock we issue, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

If we fail to maintain our status as a business development company, our business and operating flexibility could be significantly reduced.

We qualify as business development companies under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of business development companies. For example, BDCs are prohibited from making any unqualifying investments unless at least 70% of their total assets are invested in qualifying investments which are primarily securities of private or thinly-traded U.S. companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Failure to comply with the

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requirements imposed on business development companies by the 1940 Act could cause the SEC to bring an enforcement action against us and/or expose us to claims of private litigants. In addition, any such failure could cause an event of default under the Leverage Program, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial conditions or results of operations.

Because we intend to distribute substantially all of our income to our stockholders to maintain our status as a RIC, we will continue to need additional capital to finance growth. If additional funds are unavailable or not available on favorable terms, our ability to grow will be impaired.

In order for the Company to qualify for the tax benefits available to RICs and to minimize payment of excise taxes, we intend to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our annual taxable income, except that we may retain certain net capital gains for reinvestment in common interests of SVCP, and treat such amounts as deemed distributions to our stockholders. If we elect to treat any amounts as deemed distributions, we must pay income taxes at the corporate rate on such deemed distributions on behalf of our stockholders and our stockholders will receive a tax credit for such amounts and an increase in basis. A stockholder that is not subject to U.S. federal income tax or otherwise is not required to file a U.S. federal income tax return would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return on the appropriate form in order to claim a refund for the taxes we paid. As a result of these requirements, we will likely need to raise capital from other sources to grow our business. Unfavorable economic or capital market conditions may increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or could result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. An inability to successfully access the capital markets could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and could decrease our earnings, if any.

As a BDC, we are not able to incur senior securities unless after giving effect thereto we meet a coverage ratio of total assets, less liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, to total senior securities, which includes all of our borrowings, of at least 150%. This means that for every $100 of net assets, we may raise $200 from senior securities, such as borrowings or issuing preferred stock. These requirements limit the amount that we may borrow. On July 13, 2015, we obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit us to exclude the debt of TCPC SBIC LP guaranteed by the SBA from our 150% asset coverage test under the 1940 Act. The exemptive relief provides us with increased flexibility under the 150% asset coverage test by permitting the SBIC to borrow up to $160.0 million more than it would otherwise be able to absent the receipt of this exemptive relief.

Because we will continue to need capital to grow our investment portfolio, these limitations may prevent us from incurring debt and require us to raise additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. While we expect we will be able to borrow and to issue additional debt securities and expect that we will be able to issue additional equity securities, we cannot assure you that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. In addition, as a business development company, we generally will not be permitted to issue equity securities priced below net asset value without stockholder approval. If additional funds are not available to us, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and our net asset value or common stock price could decline.

The highly competitive market in which we operate may limit our investment opportunities.

A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make. We compete with other BDCs, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Additionally, because competition for investment opportunities generally has increased among alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, those entities now invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in middle-market private companies. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities intensified over the past several years and may intensify further in the future. Some of our existing and potential competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and valuation requirements that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC and that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this existing and potentially increasing competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

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We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we offer, and we believe that some of our competitors make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer.

We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of credit loss. As a result of operating in such a competitive environment, we may make investments that are on better terms to our portfolio companies than what we may have originally anticipated, which may impact our return on these investments.

Our board of directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.

Our board of directors has the authority to modify or waive our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results or value of our stock. Nevertheless, the effects could adversely affect our business and impact our ability to make distributions and cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Risks related to our investments

Our investments are risky and highly speculative, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

We invest primarily in middle-market companies primarily through leveraged loans.

Risks Associated with middle-market companies. Investing in private middle-market companies involves a number of significant risks, including:

Little public information exists about private middle-market companies, and we expect to rely on the Advisor’s investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information are not subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules that govern disclosures and financial controls of public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investment.

Lower Credit Quality Obligations. Most of our debt investments are likely to be in lower grade obligations. The lower grade investments in which we invest may be rated below investment grade by one or more nationally-recognized statistical rating agencies at the time of investment or may be unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The debt that

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we invest in typically is not rated prior to our investment by any rating agency, but we believe that if such investments were rated, they would be below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, lower than “BBB-” by Fitch Ratings or lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor’s). We may invest without limit in debt of any rating, as well as debt that has not been rated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

Investment in lower grade investments involves a substantial risk of loss. Lower grade securities or comparable unrated securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to pay interest and principal and are susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments. The market values for lower grade debt tend to be very volatile and are less liquid than investment grade securities. For these reasons, your investment in our company is subject to the following specific risks:

Adverse changes in economic conditions are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of a lower grade issuer to make principal payments and interest payments than an investment grade issuer. The principal amount of lower grade securities outstanding has proliferated in the past decade as an increasing number of issuers have used lower grade securities for corporate financing. An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Similarly, downturns in profitability in specific industries could adversely affect the ability of lower grade issuers in that industry to meet their obligations. The market values of lower grade debt tend to reflect individual developments of the issuer to a greater extent than do higher quality investments, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of lower grade debt may have an adverse effect on our net asset value and the market value of our common stock. In addition, we may incur additional expenses to the extent we are required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal of or interest on our portfolio holdings. In certain circumstances, we may be required to foreclose on an issuer’s assets and take possession of its property or operations. In such circumstances, we would incur additional costs in disposing of such assets and potential liabilities from operating any business acquired.

The secondary market for lower grade debt is unlikely to be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated debt, a factor which may have an adverse effect on our ability to dispose of a particular instrument. There are fewer dealers in the market for lower grade securities than investment grade obligations. The prices quoted by different dealers may vary significantly and the spread between the bid and asked price is generally larger than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for lower grade debt could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become highly illiquid. As a result, we could find it more difficult to sell these instruments or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such instruments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating our net asset value.

Since investors generally perceive that there are greater risks associated with lower grade debt of the type in which we may invest a portion of our assets, the yields and prices of such debt may tend to fluctuate more than those for higher rated instruments. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income markets, changes in perceptions of issuers’ creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility.

Distressed Debt Securities Risk. At times, distressed debt obligations may not produce income and may require us to bear certain extraordinary expenses (including legal, accounting, valuation and transaction expenses) in order to protect and recover our investment. Therefore, our ability to achieve current income for our stockholders may be diminished. We also will be subject to significant uncertainty as to when and in what manner and for what value the distressed debt we invest in will eventually be satisfied (e.g., through a liquidation of the obligor’s assets, an exchange offer or plan of reorganization involving the distressed debt securities or a payment of some amount in satisfaction of the obligation). In addition, even if an exchange offer is made or plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to distressed debt we hold, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by us in

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connection with such exchange offer or plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated when the investment was made. Moreover, any securities received by us upon completion of an exchange offer or plan of reorganization may be restricted as to resale. As a result of our participation in negotiations with respect to any exchange offer or plan of reorganization with respect to an issuer of distressed debt, we may be restricted from disposing of such securities.

Payment-in-kind Interest Risk. Our loans may contain a payment-in-kind, or PIK, interest provision. PIK investments carry additional risk as holders of these types of securities receive no cash until the cash payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold. If the issuer defaults the Company may obtain no return on its investment. The PIK interest, computed at the contractual rate specified in each loan agreement, is added to the principal balance of the loan and recorded as interest income. To avoid the imposition of corporate-level tax on us, this non-cash source of income needs to be paid out to stockholders in cash distributions or, in the event that we determine to do so and in certain cases, in shares of our common stock, even though we have not yet collected and may never collect the cash relating to the PIK interest. As a result, we may have to distribute a taxable stock dividend to account for PIK interest even though we have not yet collected the cash.

Preferred Stock Risk. To the extent we invest in preferred securities, there are special risks, including:

Deferral. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. If we own a preferred security that is deferring its distributions, we may be required to report income for tax purposes although we have not yet received such income.

Subordination. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than more senior debt instruments.

Liquidity. Preferred securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as common stocks or U.S. Government securities.

Limited Voting Rights. Generally, preferred security holders have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights.

Equity Security Risk. We may have exposure to equity securities. Although equity securities have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, equity securities also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. The equity securities that we acquire may fail to appreciate and may decline in value or become worthless.

Hedging Transactions. We may employ hedging techniques to minimize currency exchange rate risks or interest rate risks, but we can offer no assurance that such strategies will be effective. If we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to risks associated with such transactions. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of such positions decline. Moreover, it may not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. Additionally, engaging in certain hedging transactions could result in adverse tax consequences, e.g. giving rise to income that does not qualify for the 90% annual gross income requirement applicable to RICs.

Because our investments are generally not in publicly traded securities, there will be uncertainty regarding the value of our investments, which could adversely affect the determination of our net asset value.

Our portfolio investments will generally not be in publicly traded securities. As a result, although we expect that some of our equity investments may trade on private secondary marketplaces, the fair value of our direct investments in portfolio companies will often not be readily determinable. Under the 1940 Act, investments for which there are no readily available market quotations, including securities that while listed on a private securities exchange have not actively traded, will be valued at fair value as determined using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our board of directors, who also approve in good faith the valuation of such securities. In connection with that approval, the board

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of directors utilizes the services of an independent valuation firm, which prepares valuation reports on a quarterly basis for most of our portfolio investments that are not publicly traded or for which we do not have readily available market quotations, including securities that while listed on a private securities exchange, have not actively traded. However, the board of directors retains ultimate authority as to the appropriate valuation of each such investment. The types of factors that the board of directors takes into account in approving fair value with respect to such non-traded investments includes, as relevant and, to the extent available, the portfolio company’s earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to valuations of publicly traded companies, comparisons to recent sales of comparable companies, the discounted value of the cash flows of the portfolio company and other relevant factors. This information may not be available because it is difficult to obtain financial and other information with respect to private companies, and even where we are able to obtain such information, there can be no assurance that it is complete or accurate. Because such valuations are inherently uncertain and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would be assessed if a readily available market for these securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations with respect to any non-traded investments we hold may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize on one or more of our investments. As a result, investors purchasing our securities based on an overstated net asset value may pay a higher price than the value of our investments might warrant. Conversely, investors selling securities based on a net asset value that understates the value of our investments may receive a lower price for their securities than the value of our investments might warrant.

Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets may increase and the value of our portfolio may decrease during these periods as we are required to record the values of our investments. Adverse economic conditions also may decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we or one of our affiliates may have structured our interest in such portfolio company as senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt holding as equity and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to claims of other creditors.

We may not be in a position to exercise control over our portfolio companies or to prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies that could decrease the value of our investments.

We do not generally intend to take controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. To the extent that we do not hold a controlling equity interest in a portfolio company, we are subject to the risk that such portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of such portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity for the debt and equity investments that we typically hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company, and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments.

In addition, we may not be in a position to control any portfolio company by investing in its debt securities. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

The portfolio companies we invest in usually have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the

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holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share any distributions on an equal and ratable basis with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

Additionally, certain loans that we make to portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing senior secured debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of and be entitled to receive proceeds from any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from the sale or sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds are not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the loans we make to our portfolio companies with senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements, including agreements governing “first out” and “last out” structures, that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be in good faith under the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: the ability to cause the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the collateral; the ability to control the conduct of such proceedings; the approval of amendments to collateral documents; releases of liens on the collateral; and waivers of past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected.

When we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company, we are often not in a position to exert influence on the entity, and other equity holders and management of the company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

When we make debt or minority equity investments, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree and the other equity holders and management of such company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our investment.

We may also make unsecured loans to portfolio companies, meaning that such loans will not benefit from any interest in collateral of such companies. Liens on such portfolio companies’ collateral, if any, will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under its outstanding secured debt and may secure certain future debt that is permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under its secured loan agreements. The holders of obligations secured by such liens will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of such collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of such collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of such collateral would be sufficient to satisfy our unsecured loan obligations after payment in full of all secured loan obligations. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay the outstanding secured loan obligations, then our unsecured claims would rank equally with the unpaid portion of such secured creditors’ claims against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any.

There may be circumstances in which our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability claims.

If one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have structured our interest as senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt holding as

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an equity investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over the borrower. For example, we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, if, among other things, we actually render significant managerial assistance.

Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies’ ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies’ flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company’s income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used. Additionally, these companies may not be able to get a full tax deduction for such borrowings.

Our portfolio companies may prepay loans, which prepayment may reduce stated yields in the future if capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.

Certain of the loans we make are prepayable at any time, some of them of them at no premium to par. We cannot predict when such loans may be prepaid. Whether a loan is prepaid will depend both on the continued positive performance of the portfolio company and the existence of favorable financing market conditions that permit such company to replace existing financing with less expensive capital. As market conditions change frequently, it is unknown when, and if, this may be possible for each portfolio company. In the case of some of these loans, having the loan prepaid early may reduce the achievable yield for the Company in the future below the current yield disclosed for our portfolio if the capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields.

Our failure to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.

Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments in order to: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or (3) attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our initial investment.

We may elect not to make follow-on investments or otherwise lack sufficient funds to make those investments. Our failure to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make such follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities, because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or because we desire to maintain our tax status.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our investment strategy contemplates that a portion of our investments may be in securities of foreign companies in order to provide diversification or to complement our U.S. investments, although we are required generally to invest at least 70% of our assets in companies organized and having their principal place of business within the U.S. and its possessions. Accordingly, we may invest on an opportunistic basis in certain non-U.S. companies, including those located in emerging markets, that otherwise meet our investment criteria. In regards to the regulatory requirements for business development companies, some of these investments may not qualify as investments in “eligible portfolio companies,” and thus may not be considered “qualifying assets.” “Eligible portfolio companies” generally include U.S. companies that are not investment companies and that do not have securities listed on a national exchange. If at any time less than 70% of our gross assets are comprised of qualifying assets, including as a result of an increase in the value of any non-qualifying assets or decrease in the value of any qualifying assets, we would generally not be permitted to acquire any additional non-qualifying assets until such time as 70% of our then current gross assets were comprised of qualifying assets. We would not be required, however, to dispose of any non-qualifying assets in such circumstances. In addition, investing in foreign companies, and particularly those in emerging markets, may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability,

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expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. These risks may be more pronounced for portfolio companies located or operating primarily in emerging markets, whose economies, markets and legal systems may be less developed. Further, we may have difficulty enforcing our rights as equity holders in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, to the extent we invest in non-U.S. companies, we may face greater exposure to foreign economic developments.

Although it is anticipated that most of our investments will be denominated in U.S. dollars, our investments that are denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency may change in relation to the U.S. dollar. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political developments. We may employ hedging techniques to minimize these risks, but we can offer no assurance that we will, in fact, hedge currency risk or, that if we do, such strategies will be effective. As a result, a change in currency exchange rates may adversely affect our profitability.

Our investments in the Internet software and services sector are subject to various risks, including intellectual property infringement issues and rapid technological changes, which may adversely affect our performance. Internet software and services is our largest industry concentration. Each industry contains certain industry related credit risks.

General risks of companies in the Internet software and services industry sector include intellectual property infringement liability issues, the inability to protect Internet software and other proprietary technology, extensive competition and limited barriers to entry. Generally, the market for Internet software and services is characterized by rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, changes in customer requirements and frequent new product introduction and enhancements. If a portfolio company in the Internet software and services sector cannot develop new products and enhance its current products in response to technological changes and competing products, its business and operating results will be negatively affected. In addition, there has been a substantial amount of litigation in the Internet software and services industry relating to intellectual property rights. Regardless of whether claims that a company is infringing patents or other intellectual property have any merit, these claims are time-consuming and costly. Moreover, an Internet software and services company must monitor the unauthorized use of its intellectual property, which may be difficult and costly. A company’s failure to protect its intellectual property could put it at a disadvantage to its competitors and harm its business, results of operations and financial condition. If an internet software and services company in which we invest is unable to navigate these risks, our performance may be adversely affected.

The effect of global climate change may impact the operations of our portfolio companies.

There may be evidence of global climate change. Climate change creates physical and financial risk and some of our portfolio companies may be adversely affected by climate change. For example, the needs of customers of energy companies vary with weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity. To the extent weather conditions are affected by climate change, energy use could increase or decrease depending on the duration and magnitude of any changes. Increases in the cost of energy could adversely affect the cost of operations of our portfolio companies if the use of energy products or services is material to their business. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect some of our portfolio companies’ financial condition, through decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions.

Risks related to our operations as a BDC

While our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted under the 1940 Act, we have received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting certain affiliated investments subject to certain conditions. As a result, the Advisor may face conflicts of interests and investments made pursuant to the exemptive order conditions could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by us or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by us.

Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities or is managed by the Advisor will generally be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we are generally prohibited from participating in certain transactions such as co-investing with, or buying or selling any security from or to, such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. However, the

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Advisor and the funds managed by the Advisor have received an exemption from certain SEC regulations prohibiting transactions with affiliates. The exemptive order requires that certain procedures be followed prior to making an investment subject to the order and such procedures could in certain circumstances adversely affect the price paid or received by us or the availability or size of the position purchased or sold by us. The Advisor may also face conflicts of interest in making investments pursuant to the exemptive order. See “Risks related to our business - We have limited operating history as a BDC, and if the Advisor is unable to manage our investments effectively, we may be unable to achieve our investment objective. In addition, the Advisor may face conflicts in allocating investment opportunities between us and certain other entities that could impact our investment returns.”

The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. We are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of our voting securities and from or to certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC (other than certain limited situations pursuant to current regulatory guidance). The analysis of whether a particular transaction constitutes a joint transaction requires a review of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the particular transaction. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC may limit our ability to, and the way in which we raise additional capital, which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations and may hinder the Advisor's ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective.

Our business requires a substantial amount of capital. We may acquire additional capital from the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or from the additional issuance of senior securities (including debt and preferred stock). However, we may not be able to raise additional capital in the future on favorable terms or at all. We may issue debt securities or preferred securities, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” and we may borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act permits us to issue senior securities or incur indebtedness only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% after such issuance or incurrence. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our investments and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our investments and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business or the business of our portfolio companies, or changes in the interpretations thereof or newly enacted legislation and regulations, and any failure by us or our

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portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies.

We are subject to changing rules and regulations of federal and state governments, as well as the stock exchange in which our common stock is listed. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and The Nasdaq Global Select Market, have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations.

Changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretations of the laws and regulations that govern BDCs, RICs or non-depository commercial lenders could significantly affect our operations and our cost of doing business. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations and are subject to judicial and administrative decisions that affect our operations, including our loan originations, maximum interest rates, fees and other charges, disclosures to portfolio companies, the terms of secured transactions, collection and foreclosure procedures and other trade practices. If these laws, regulations or decisions change, or if we expand our business into jurisdictions that have adopted more stringent requirements than those in which we currently conduct business, we may have to incur significant expenses in order to comply, or we might have to restrict our operations. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws, regulations and decisions, we may lose licenses needed for the conduct of our business and may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, results of operations of financial condition.

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could be precluded from investing in certain assets or could be required to dispose of certain assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As a BDC, we are prohibited from acquiring any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. As of December 31, 2021, approximately $258.2 million, or approximately 13.7%, of our adjusted total assets were not “qualifying assets.” If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we will be prohibited from investing in additional non-qualifying assets, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies (which could result in the dilution of our position) or could require us to dispose of investments at inopportune times in order to come into compliance with the 1940 Act. If we need to dispose of these investments quickly, it may be difficult to dispose of such investments on favorable terms. For example, we may have difficulty in finding a buyer and, even if a buyer is found, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial loss.

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on all of our income if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under the Code, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.

Although we are currently qualified as a RIC, no assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain RIC status. To maintain RIC status and be relieved of U.S. federal income taxes on income and gains distributed to its stockholders, we generally must meet the annual distribution, source-of-income and asset diversification requirements described below. In addition, our Leverage Program prohibits us from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or the Leverage Program.

To qualify as a RIC under the Code, we generally must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. The annual distribution requirement for a RIC will generally be satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, if any, to our stockholders. Since we use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements and other financial covenants under the terms of the Leverage Program, and we are, in some circumstances, also subject to similar requirements under the 1940 Act. The requirements could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax. To qualify as a RIC, we generally must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because we anticipate that most of our investments will be in private companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses.

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If we fail to qualify as a RIC for any reason and become subject to corporate-level income tax, the resulting corporate-level income taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.

We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which may arise if we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan or possibly in other circumstances, or PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due in the future, often only at the end of the loan. Such original issue discount, which could be significant relative to our overall investment activities, or increases in loan balances as a result of PIK arrangements are generally included in our taxable income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we do not receive in cash. Similarly, newly enacted tax legislation contains rules that may in certain other circumstances require the recognition of non-cash taxable income or may limit the deductibility of certain of our cash expenses.

Since we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income or may be subject to limitations on the deductibility of our income, if we invest to a substantial extent in non-cash paying debt instruments we may have difficulty meeting the tax requirement to distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, if any, to maintain our status as a RIC. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations to meet these distribution requirements.

There is a risk that you may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital.

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this filing. Due to the asset coverage test applicable to us under the 1940 Act as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. Additionally, a portion of such distributions may include a return of stockholder capital. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits are considered nontaxable distributions and serve to reduce the basis of our shares in the hands of the common stockholders rather than being currently taxable. As a result of the reduction of the basis of our shares, common stockholders may incur additional capital gains taxes or may have lower capital losses.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, stockholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our common stock.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm (when undertaken, as noted below), may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our consolidated financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors and lenders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We may experience cyber-security incidents and are subject to cyber-security risks.

Our business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data processing, storage and reporting. Despite careful security and controls design, implementation and updating, our information technology systems could become subject to cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (e.g., through “hacking” or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried

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out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Network, system, application and data breaches could result in operational disruptions or information misappropriation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Cyber-security failures or breaches by the Advisor, any sub-adviser(s) and other service providers (including, but not limited to, accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), and the issuers of securities in which we invest, have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with our ability to calculate our net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of our stockholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While we have established a business continuity plan in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyberattacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, we cannot control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by our service providers and issuers in which we invest. We and our stockholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

The failure in cyber-security systems, as well as the occurrence of events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems and management continuity planning could impair our ability to conduct business effectively.

The occurrence of a disaster such as a cyber-attack, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, a terrorist attack or war, events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems, or a support failure from external providers, could have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct business and on our results of operations and financial condition, particularly if those events affect our computer-based data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems or destroy data. If a significant number of our managers were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct our business could be severely compromised.

We depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, such as physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. Like other companies, we may experience threats to our data and systems, including malware and computer virus attacks, unauthorized access, system failures and disruptions. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in damage to our reputation, financial losses, litigation, increased costs, regulatory penalties and/or customer dissatisfaction or loss.

We are dependent on information systems and systems failures could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends.

Our business is dependent on our and third parties’ communications and information systems. Further, in the ordinary course of our business we or the Advisor may engage certain third party service providers to provide us with services necessary for our business. Any failure or interruption of those systems or services, including as a result of the termination or suspension of an agreement with any third-party service providers, could cause delays or other problems in our business activities. Our financial, accounting, data processing, backup or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control and adversely affect our business. There could be:

These events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

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Risks Related to Our Common Stock and Other Securities

Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount from net asset value and may do so again in the future, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital.

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including business development companies, may trade at a market discount from net asset value. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies and business development companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. In the past, the stocks of BDCs as an industry, including shares of our common stock, have traded below net asset value and at historic lows as a result of concerns over liquidity, leverage restrictions and distribution requirements. When our common stock is trading below its net asset value per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional shares of our common stock at its market price without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. At our annual meeting of stockholders held on May 26, 2021, subject to certain conditions and Board of Directors determinations, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below its then current net asset value per share for a 12-month period expiring on the anniversary of the date of stockholder approval, unless approved again by our stockholders for another 12-month period.

Investing in our common stock may involve an above average degree of risk.

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and a higher risk of volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies involve higher levels of risk, and therefore, an investment in our common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and liquidity of the market for our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

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Stockholders will likely incur dilution if we sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock or securities to subscribe for or convertible into shares of our common stock at prices below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock.

We generally seek approval from our stockholders so that we have the flexibility to issue up to 25% of our then outstanding shares of our common stock immediately prior to any such sale at a price below net asset value. Pursuant to approval granted at our annual of stockholders held on May 26, 2021, we currently are permitted to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value, subject to certain limitations and determinations that must be made by our board of directors. Such stockholder approval expires on May 26, 2021. We also received authority from our stockholders at our 2013 annual meeting to issue warrants, options or other rights to subscribe for, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock, which may include convertible preferred stock and convertible debentures. This authorization has no expiration date.

In addition, we may also issue shares of common stock in certain limited circumstances under our dividend reinvestment plan and under interpretive advice issued by the Internal Revenue Service, and we may also issue subscription rights exercisable for shares of common stock at a price below net asset value per share in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Any sale or other issuance of shares of our common stock at a price below net asset value per share would result in an immediate dilution to the net asset value per share. This dilution would occur as a result of a proportionately greater decrease in a stockholder’s interest in our earnings and assets and voting interest in us than the increase in our assets resulting from such issuance. Because the number of shares of common stock that could be so issued and the timing of any issuance is not currently known, the actual dilutive effect cannot be predicted. Such effects may be material, and we undertake to describe material risks and dilutive effects of any offering that we make at a price below our then current net asset value in the future in a prospectus supplement issued in connection with any such offering. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade above, at or below our net asset value. If we were to sell our common stock at prices below net asset value for a sustained period of time, such sales may result in an increased risk of our common stock trading at a discount to its net asset value.

Terms relating to redemption may materially adversely affect your return on any debt securities that we may issue.

If your debt securities are redeemable at our option, we may choose to redeem your debt securities at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In addition, if your debt securities are subject to mandatory redemption, we may be required to redeem your debt securities also at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on your debt securities. In this circumstance, you may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as your debt securities being redeemed.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Our credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to market conditions generally or other factors discussed above on the market value of or trading market for the publicly issued debt securities.

None

We do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. Our executive offices are located at 2951 28^th Street Suite 1000, Santa Monica, CA 90405, and are provided by the Advisor in accordance with the terms of the Administration Agreement. We believe that our office facilities are suitable and adequate for our business as it is contemplated to be conducted.

We and the Advisor are not currently subject to any material pending or threatened legal proceedings against us. From time to time, we may be a party to certain legal proceedings incidental to the normal course of our business including the enforcement of our rights under contracts with our portfolio companies. While the outcome of these

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legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not expect that these proceedings will have a material effect upon our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Not applicable.

Price Range of Common Stock

Our common stock began trading on April 5, 2012 and is currently traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “TCPC.” The following table lists the high and low closing sale price for our common stock, the closing sale price as a percentage of net asset value, or NAV, and quarterly distributions per share in each fiscal quarter for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Our common stock historically has traded at prices both above and below its net asset value. There can be no assurance, however, that such premium or discount ranges, as applicable, to net asset value will be maintained.

As of February 24, 2022, we had approximately 30,000 beneficial owners whose shares are held in the names of the brokers, dealers and clearing agencies, and we had 16 stockholders of record. On February 23, 2022, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $13.47 per share.

The table below sets forth each class of our outstanding securities as of February 23, 2022.

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Distributions

Our quarterly dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date and are determined by our board of directors. Distributions are declared considering our estimate of annual taxable income available for distribution to stockholders and the amount of taxable income carried over from the prior year for distribution in the current year. We do not have a policy to pay distributions at a specific level and expect to continue to distribute substantially all of our taxable income. Changes in investment results or focus, expense levels and other factors may have an effect on the amount of distributions we pay in the future. We cannot assure stockholders that they will receive any distributions or distributions at a particular level.

The following table summarizes the Company’s dividends declared and paid for the year ended December 31, 2021:

The following table summarizes the Company’s dividends declared and paid for the year ended December 31, 2020:

Tax characteristics of all dividends are reported to stockholders on Form 1099-DIV or Form 1042-S after the end of the calendar year.

We have elected to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to maintain favorable RIC tax treatment, we must distribute annually to our stockholders at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, out of the assets legally available for distribution. In order to avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we must distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of:

We may, at our discretion, carry forward taxable income in excess of calendar year distributions and pay a 4% excise tax on this income. If we choose to do so, all other things being equal, this would increase expenses and reduce the amounts available to be distributed to our stockholders. We will accrue excise tax on estimated taxable income as required. In addition, although we currently intend to distribute realized net capital gains (i.e., net long-term capital gains in excess of short-term capital losses), if any, at least annually, out of the assets legally available for such distributions, we may in the future decide to retain such capital gains for investment.

We may not be able to achieve operating results that will allow us to make dividends and distributions at a specific level or to increase the amount of these dividends and distributions from time to time. Also, we may be limited in our ability to make dividends and distributions due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC under the 1940 Act and due to provisions in our existing and future credit facilities. If we do not distribute a certain percentage of our income annually, we will suffer adverse tax consequences, including possible loss of favorable RIC tax treatment. In addition, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and tax regulations,

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we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance that becomes due at the end of the loan term, or the accrual of original issue or market discount. Since we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to obtain tax benefits as a RIC and may be subject to an excise tax.

In order to satisfy the annual distribution requirement applicable to RICs, we have the ability to declare a large portion of a dividend in shares of our common stock instead of in cash. As long as a portion of such dividend is paid in cash (which portion can be as low as 10% for dividends paid with respect to any taxable year) and certain requirements are met, the entire distribution would be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN AMONG BLACKROCK TCP CAPITAL CORP.,   S&P 500 TOTAL RETURN INDEX AND WELLS FARGO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY INDEX

Total Return Performance

NOTES:    Assumes $100 invested April 4, 2012 in BlackRock TCP Capital Corp., the S&P 500 Total Return Index, the S&P LSTA Leveraged Loan Index and the S&P Business Development Company Index. Assumes all dividends are reinvested on the respective dividend payment dates without commissions.

Fees and Expenses

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that an investor in a potential offering of our common stock would bear directly or indirectly. The following table and example should not be considered a representation of our future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than shown. The

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following table and example represent our best estimate of the fees and expenses that we expect to incur during the next twelve months.

For assets held on January 1, 2013, capital gain, loss and depreciation are measured on an asset by asset basis against the value thereof as of December 31, 2012. The capital gains component is paid or distributed in full prior to payment or distribution of the ordinary income component.

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Example

The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses (including stockholder transaction expenses and annual expenses) that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common stock. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed that our annual operating expenses remain at the levels set forth in the table above.

While the example assumes, as required by the SEC, a 5% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5%. There is no incentive compensation either on income or on capital gains under our investment management agreement assuming a 5% annual return and therefore it is not included in the example. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments, including through the realization of capital gains, to trigger an incentive compensation of a material amount, our distributions to our common stockholders and our expenses would likely be higher. In addition, the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value.

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. Some of the statements in this report (including in the following discussion) constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which relate to future events or the future performance or financial condition of BlackRock TCP Capital Corp. (the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), formerly known as TCP Capital Corp. The forward-looking statements contained in this report involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements concerning:

We use words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “plan” and similar words to identify forward-looking statements. The forward looking statements contained in this quarterly report involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those implied or expressed in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth as “Risk Factors” in this report.

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this report on information available to us on the date of this report, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we have filed or in the future may file with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, registration statements on Form N-2, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

Overview

The Company is a Delaware corporation formed on April 2, 2012 and is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. The Company was formed through the conversion of a pre-existing closed-end investment company. The Company elected to be regulated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Our investment objective is to seek to achieve high total returns through current income and capital appreciation, with an emphasis on principal protection. We invest primarily in the debt of middle-market companies as well as small businesses, including senior secured loans, junior loans, mezzanine debt and bonds. Such investments may include an equity component, and, to a lesser extent, we may make equity investments directly. Certain investment operations are conducted through the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, Special Value Continuation Partners LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SVCP”), TCPC Funding I, LLC (“TCPC Funding”), TCPC Funding II, LLC ("TCPC Funding II") and TCPC SBIC, LP (the “SBIC”). SVCP was organized as a limited partnership and had elected to be regulated as a

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BDC under the 1940 Act through July 31, 2018. On August 1, 2018, SVCP withdrew its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and withdrew the registration of its common limited partner interests under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, on August 2, 2018, terminated its general partner, Series H of SVOF/MM, LLC, and converted to a Delaware limited liability company. Series H of SVOF/MM, LLC (“SVOF/MM”) serves as the administrator (the “Administrator”) of the Company. The managing member of SVOF/MM is Tennenbaum Capital Partners, LLC (the “Advisor”), which serves as the investment manager to the Company, TCPC Funding, TCPC Funding II and the SBIC. On August 1, 2018, the Advisor merged with and into a wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. with the Advisor as the surviving entity. The SBIC was organized as a Delaware limited partnership in June 2013. On April 22, 2014, the SBIC received a license from the United States Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) to operate as a small business investment company under the provisions of Section 301(c) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.

The Company has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a RIC, the Company will not be taxed on its income to the extent that it distributes such income each year and satisfies other applicable income tax requirements. TCPC Funding, TCPC Funding II and the SBIC have elected to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. SVCP was treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes through August 1, 2018 and upon its conversion to a limited liability company on August 2, 2018, and thereafter is and will be treated as a disregarded entity.

Our leverage program is comprised of $300.0 million in available debt under a revolving, multi-currency credit facility issued by SVCP (the “Operating Facility”), $200.0 million in available debt under a senior secured revolving credit facility issued by TCPC Funding II (“Funding Facility II”), $140.0 million in convertible senior unsecured notes issued by the Company maturing in 2022 (the “2022 Convertible Notes”), $250.0 million in senior unsecured notes issued by the Company maturing in 2024 (the “2024 Notes”), $325.0 million in senior unsecured notes issued by the Company maturing in 2026 (the “2026 Notes”) and $160.0 million in committed leverage from the SBA (the “SBA Program” and, together with the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II, the 2022 Convertible Notes, the 2024 Notes and the 2026 Notes, the “Leverage Program”). Prior to being repaid on September 17, 2021, debt included $175.0 million in unsecured notes due August 2022 issued by the Company (the "2022 Notes"). Prior to being replaced by Funding Facility II on August 4, 2020, leverage included $300.0 million in available debt under a senior secured revolving credit facility issued by TCPC Funding (“Funding Facility I”). Prior to its maturity on December 15, 2019, leverage also included convertible senior unsecured notes due December 2019 issued by the Company (the “2019 Convertible Notes”).

To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and timely distribute to our stockholders generally at least 90% of our investment company taxable income, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for each year. Pursuant to this election, we generally will not have to pay corporate level taxes on any income that we distribute to our stockholders provided that we satisfy those requirements.

Investments

Our level of investment activity can and does vary substantially from period to period depending on many factors, including the amount of debt and equity capital available to middle-market companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity, the general economic environment and the competitive environment for the types of investments we make.

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our total assets in “qualifying assets,” including securities and indebtedness of private U.S. companies, public U.S. operating companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange or registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, public domestic operating companies having a market capitalization of less than $250.0 million, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. We are also permitted to make certain follow-on investments in companies that were eligible portfolio companies at the time of initial investment but that no longer meet the definition. As of December 31, 2021, 86.3% of our total assets were invested in qualifying assets.

Revenues

We generate revenues primarily in the form of interest on the debt we hold. We also generate revenue from dividends on our equity interests, capital gains on the disposition of investments, and certain lease, fee, and other income. Our investments in fixed income instruments generally have an expected maturity of three to five years,

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although we have no lower or upper constraint on maturity. Interest on our debt investments is generally payable quarterly or semi-annually. Payments of principal of our debt investments may be amortized over the stated term of the investment, deferred for several years or due entirely at maturity. In some cases, our debt investments and preferred stock investments may defer payments of cash interest or dividends or PIK. Any outstanding principal amount of our debt investments and any accrued but unpaid interest will generally become due at the maturity date. In addition, we may generate revenue in the form of prepayment fees, commitment, origination, structuring or due diligence fees, end-of-term or exit fees, fees for providing significant managerial assistance, consulting fees and other investment related income.

Expenses

Our primary operating expenses include the payment of a base management fee and, depending on our operating results, incentive compensation, expenses reimbursable under the management agreement, administration fees and the allocable portion of overhead under the administration agreement. The base management fee and incentive compensation remunerates the Advisor for work in identifying, evaluating, negotiating, closing and monitoring our investments. Our administration agreement with the Administrator provides that the Administrator may be reimbursed for costs and expenses incurred by the Administrator for office space rental, office equipment and utilities allocable to us under the administration agreement, as well as any costs and expenses incurred by the Administrator or its affiliates relating to any non-investment advisory, administrative or operating services provided by the Administrator or its affiliates to us. We also bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions (and the Company’s common stockholders indirectly bear all of the costs and expenses of the Company, SVCP, TCPC Funding and the SBIC), which may include those relating to:

The investment management agreement provides that the base management fee be calculated at an annual rate of 1.5% of our total assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) payable quarterly in arrears; provided, however, that, effective as of February 9, 2019, the base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.0% of our total assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) that exceed an amount equal to 200% of the net asset value of the

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Company. For purposes of calculating the base management fee, “total assets” is determined without deduction for any borrowings or other liabilities. The base management fee is calculated based on the value of our total assets and net asset value (excluding cash and cash equivalents) at the end of the most recently completed calendar quarter.

Additionally, the investment management agreement provides that the Advisor or its affiliates may be entitled to incentive compensation under certain circumstances. According to the terms of such agreement, no incentive compensation was incurred prior to January 1, 2013. Under the current investment management agreement, dated February 9, 2019, the incentive compensation equals the sum of (1) 20% of all ordinary income since January 1, 2013 through February 8, 2019 and 17.5% thereafter and (2) 20% of all net realized capital gains (net of any net unrealized capital depreciation) since January 1, 2013 through February 8, 2019 and 17.5% thereafter, less ordinary income incentive compensation and capital gains incentive compensation previously paid. However, incentive compensation will only be paid to the extent the cumulative total return of the Company after incentive compensation and including such payment would equal or exceed a 7% annual return on daily weighted-average contributed common equity. The determination of incentive compensation is subject to limitations under the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act.

Through December 31, 2017, the incentive compensation was an equity allocation to SVCP’s general partner under the LPA. Effective as of January 1, 2018, the LPA was amended to remove the incentive compensation distribution provisions therein, and the incentive compensation became payable as a fee to the Advisor pursuant to the then-existing investment management agreements. The amendment had no impact on the amount of the incentive compensation paid or services received by the Company.

Critical accounting policies and estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining such estimates could cause actual results to differ. Management considers the following critical accounting policies important to understanding the financial statements. In addition to the discussion below, our critical accounting policies are further described in the notes to our financial statements.

Valuation of portfolio investments

We value our portfolio investments at fair value based upon the principles and methods of valuation set forth in policies adopted by our board of directors. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Market participants are buyers and sellers in the principal (or most advantageous) market for the asset that (i) are independent of us, (ii) are knowledgeable, having a reasonable understanding about the asset based on all available information (including information that might be obtained through due diligence efforts that are usual and customary), (iii) are able to transact for the asset, and (iv) are willing to transact for the asset or liability (that is, they are motivated but not forced or otherwise compelled to do so).

Investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at such market quotations unless the quotations are deemed not to represent fair value. We generally obtain market quotations from recognized exchanges, market quotation systems, independent pricing services or one or more broker-dealers or market makers. However, short term debt investments with original maturities of generally three months or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. Debt and equity securities for which market quotations are not readily available, which is the case for many of our investments, or for which market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value, are valued at fair value using a consistently applied valuation process in accordance with our documented valuation policy that has been reviewed and approved by our board of directors, who also approve in good faith the valuation of such securities as of the end of each quarter. Due to the inherent uncertainty and subjectivity of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a readily available market value existed for such investments and may differ materially from the values that we may ultimately realize. In addition, changes in the market environment and other events may have differing impacts on the market quotations used to value some of our investments than on the fair values of our investments for which market quotations are not readily available. Market quotations may be deemed not to represent fair value in certain circumstances where we believe that facts and circumstances applicable to an issuer, a seller or purchaser, or the market for a particular security cause current market quotations to not reflect the fair value of the security. Examples of these events could include cases where a security trades infrequently causing a quoted purchase or sale price to

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become stale, where there is a “forced” sale by a distressed seller, where market quotations vary substantially among market makers, or where there is a wide bid-ask spread or significant increase in the bid-ask spread.

The valuation process approved by our board of directors with respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available or for which market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value is as follows:

Those investments for which market quotations are not readily available or for which market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value are valued utilizing one or more methodologies, including the market approach, the income approach, or in the case of recent investments, the cost approach, as appropriate. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities (including a business). The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts (for example, cash flows or earnings) to a single present amount (discounted). The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. In following these approaches, the types of factors that we may take into account in determining the fair value of our investments include, as relevant and among other factors: available current market data, including relevant and applicable market trading and transaction comparable, applicable market yields and multiples, security covenants, call protection provisions, information rights, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, its earnings and discounted cash flows, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public, merger and acquisition comparable, our principal market (as the reporting entity) and enterprise values.

When valuing all of our investments, we strive to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Inputs refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset, including assumptions about risk. Inputs may be observable or unobservable. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of us. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect our assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

Our investments may be categorized based on the types of inputs used in their valuation. The level in the GAAP valuation hierarchy in which an investment falls is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the valuation of the investment in its entirety. Investments are classified by GAAP into the three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 — Investments valued using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

Level 2 — Investments valued using other unadjusted observable market inputs, e.g. quoted prices in markets that are not active or quotes for comparable instruments.

Level 3 — Investments that are valued using quotes and other observable market data to the extent available, but which also take into consideration one or more unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation taken as a whole.

As of December 31, 2021, 0.1% of our investments were categorized as Level 1, 6.4% were categorized as Level 2, 93.2% were Level 3 investments valued based on valuations by independent third-party sources, and 0.3% were Level 3 investments valued based on valuations by the Advisor.

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As of December 31, 2020, 0.2% of our investments were categorized as Level 1, 4.1% were categorized as Level 2, 95.6% were Level 3 investments valued based on valuations by independent third-party sources, and 0.1% were Level 3 investments valued based on valuations by the Advisor.

Determination of fair value involves subjective judgments and estimates. Accordingly, the notes to our consolidated financial statements express the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in such valuations, on the financial statements.

Revenue recognition

Interest and dividend income, including income paid in kind, is recorded on an accrual basis, when such amounts are considered collectible. Origination, structuring, closing, commitment and other upfront fees, including original issue discounts, earned with respect to capital commitments are generally amortized or accreted into interest income over the life of the respective debt investment, as are end-of-term or exit fees receivable upon repayment of a debt investment. Other fees, including certain amendment fees, prepayment fees and commitment fees on broken deals, are recognized as earned. Prepayment fees and similar income due upon the early repayment of a loan or debt security are recognized when earned and are included in interest income.

Certain of our debt investments are purchased at a discount to par as a result of the underlying credit risks and financial results of the issuer, as well as general market factors that influence the financial markets as a whole. Discounts on the acquisition of corporate bonds are generally amortized using the effective-interest or constant-yield method assuming there are no questions as to collectability. When principal payments on a loan are received in an amount in excess of the loan’s amortized cost, the excess principal payments are recorded as interest income.

Net realized gains or losses and net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation

We measure realized gains or losses by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific identification method. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation reflects the change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including the reversal of previously recorded unrealized appreciation or depreciation when gains or losses are realized.

Portfolio and investment activity

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we invested approximately $757.1 million, comprised of new investments in 43 new and 26 existing portfolio companies, as well as draws made on existing commitments and PIK received on prior investments. Of these investments, $719.1 million, or 95.0% of total acquisitions, were in senior secured loans, $5.8 million, or 0.7% of total acquisitions, were in senior secured notes, and $6.5 million, or 0.9% of total acquisitions, were in unsecured debt securities. The remaining $25.7 million (3.4% of total acquisitions) was comprised of equity investments, including $13.3 million in equity interest in a portfolio of lease assets. Additionally, we received approximately $622.6 million in proceeds from sales or repayments of investments during the year ended December 31, 2021.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we invested approximately $460.2 million, comprised of new investments in 18 new and 23 existing portfolio companies, as well as draws made on existing commitments and PIK received on prior investments. Of these investments, $387.9 million, or 84.3% of total acquisitions, were in senior secured debt comprised of senior secured loans ($366.8 million, or 79.7% of total acquisitions), senior secured notes ($21.1 million, or 4.6% of total acquisitions) and $4.2 million (0.9% of total acquisitions) in unsecured notes. The remaining $68.1 million (14.8% of total acquisitions) was comprised of equity investments, including $54.4 million in equity interest in Edmentum, $7.2 million in equity interests in portfolios of debt and lease assets and $6.4 million in equity positions received in connection with debt investments. Additionally, we received approximately $480.7 million in proceeds from sales or repayments of investments during the year ended December 31, 2020.

At December 31, 2021, our investment portfolio of $1,841.1 million (at fair value) consisted of 115 portfolio companies and was invested 88.8% in debt investments, primarily in senior secured debt. In aggregate, our investment portfolio was invested 85.1% in senior secured loans, 3.5% in senior secured notes, 0.2% in junior notes and 11.2% in equity investments. Our average portfolio company investment at fair value was approximately $16.0

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million. Our largest portfolio company investment by value was approximately 4.1% of our portfolio and our five largest portfolio company investments by value comprised approximately 17.3% of our portfolio at December 31, 2021.

At December 31, 2020, our investment portfolio of $1,629.6 million (at fair value) consisted of 96 portfolio companies and was invested 88.7% in debt investments, primarily in senior secured debt. In aggregate, our investment portfolio was invested 82.8% in senior secured loans, 5.9% in senior secured notes and 11.3% in equity investments. Our average portfolio company investment at fair value was approximately $17.0 million. Our largest portfolio company investment by value was approximately 4.5% of our portfolio and our five largest portfolio company investments by value comprised approximately 18.0% of our portfolio at December 31, 2020.

The industry composition of our portfolio at fair value at December 31, 2021 was as follows:

The weighted average effective yield of our debt portfolio was 9.2% at December 31, 2021 and 9.6% at December 31, 2020. The weighted average effective yield of our total portfolio was 8.7% at December 31, 2021 and 9.2% at December 31, 2020. At December 31, 2021, 94.9% of debt investments in our portfolio bore interest based on floating rates, such as LIBOR, EURIBOR, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate, and 5.1% bore interest at fixed rates. The percentage of floating rate debt investments in our portfolio that were subject to an interest rate floor was 92.3% at December 31, 2021. Debt investments in three portfolio companies were on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2021, representing 0.9% of the portfolio at fair value and 1.7% at cost. At December 31, 2020, 95.4% of debt investments in our portfolio bore interest based on floating rates, such as LIBOR, EURIBOR, the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate, and 4.6% bore interest at fixed rates. The percentage of floating rate debt investments in our portfolio that were subject to an interest rate floor was 79.7% at December 31, 2020. Debt investments in three portfolio companies were on non-accrual status as of December 31, 2020, representing 0.5% of the portfolio at fair value and 1.2% at cost.

Results of operations

Investment income

Investment income totaled $165.1 million, $172.1 million and $195.2 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, of which $155.7 million, $161.7 million and $191.6 million were

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attributable to interest and fees on our debt investments, $7.8 million. $2.5 million and $2.4 million to dividend income, $0.0 million, $0.1 million and $0.3 million to lease income and $1.6 million, $7.9 million and $0.9 million to other income, respectively. Included in interest and fees on our debt investments were $7.0 million, $8.4 million and $11.9 million of non-recurring income related to prepayments for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Included in other income were $0.0 million, $4.5 million and $0.0 million in amendment fees during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease in investment income for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily reflects a decrease in interest income due to the decline in LIBOR rates and the lower other income received, partially offset by the higher dividend income during the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in investment income in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily reflects a decrease in interest income due to the decline in LIBOR rates and the lower prepayment income partially offset by the higher other income received during the year ended December 31, 2020.

Expenses

Total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $92.6 million, $88.9 million and $100.3 million, respectively, comprised of $41.0 million, $41.2 million and $46.4 million in interest expense and related fees, $25.7 million, $23.8 million and $24.9 million in base management fees, $17.7 million, $15.3 million and $20.3 million in incentive fee expense, $1.9 million, $2.2 million and $2.3 million in administrative expenses, $1.7 million, $1.8 million and $1.8 million in professional fees, and $4.6 million, $4.5 million and $4.6 million in other expenses, respectively. The increase in expenses in the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 reflects the higher base management fees and incentive fee expense during the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in expenses in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily reflects the deferral of incentive fees related to the first quarter of 2020 and the lower interest expense due to lower LIBOR rates during the year ended December 31, 2020.

Net investment income

Net investment income was $72.5 million, $83.2 million and $94.9 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The decrease in net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily reflects the decrease in total investment income and increase in expenses in the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in net investment income in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily reflects the decrease in total investment income, partially offset by the decrease in expenses in the year ended December 31, 2020.

Net realized and unrealized gain or loss

Net realized gain (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $4.3 million, $(5.5) million and $(76.6) million, respectively. Net realized gains for the year ended December 31, 2021 reflect a $8.8 million gain from the dispositon of our One Sky equity position and a $6.5 million gain on the partial sale of our equity investment in Edmentum, partially offset by a $7.1 million loss from the disposition of our debt investment in GlassPoint and a $5.5 million loss from the sale of a portion of our investment in Credit Suisse AG. Net realized loss for the year ended December 31, 2020 was comprised primarily of a $15.6 million loss from the restructuring of AGY and a $2.4 million loss on the disposition of our investment in V Telecom, partially offset by the $9.3 million gain from the disposition of a portion of our investment in Edmentum and a $4.9 million gain on the disposition of our investment in STG-Fairway (First Advantage), exclusive of prepayment income earned. Our loans to AGY generated significant interest income prior to the restructuring. Net realized loss for the year ended December 31, 2019 was comprised primarily of $56.6 million loss on the restructuring of our investment in Fidelis and $20.5 million loss on the disposition of our investment in Green Biologics. Both Fidelis and Green Biologics had generated significant income prior to their dispositions.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) was $63.2 million, $(3.9) million and $12.3 million, respectively. The change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily driven by $45.0 million in unrealized gains on our investment in Edmentum, $9.8 million in unrealized gains on CORE Entertainment, $6.8 million in unrealized gains on our investment in Razor and a $7.0 million reversal of previously recognized unrealized losses from the sale of Credit Suisse AG, partially offset by a $11.1 million reversal of previously recognized unrealized gains on One Sky and $9.1 million in reversal of previously recognized unrealized gains on Amteck. The change in net unrealized appreciation(depreciation) for the year ended December 31, 2020 was

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primarily driven by net spread widening and volatility across our portfolio related to the market impact of COVID-19 including a $9.2 million unrealized loss on Fishbowl, a $6.7 million unrealized loss on our investment in Credit Suisse notes and a $5.5 million loss on GlassPoint Solar, partially offset by a gain of $8.9 million on our investment in Amteck, $8.7 million on our investment in Aventi, $5.9 million on our investment in Domo and a gain of $5.0 million on our investment in One Sky. The change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) for the year ended December 31, 2019 was comprised primarily of a gain of $13.4 million on our investment in Edmentum, a gain of $6.3 million on our investment in 36th Street, and reversals of previously recognized unrealized losses of $14.9 million from Green Biologics and $3.5 million from Fidelis, partially offset by markdowns of $12.5 million on our investment in Securus and $7.7 million on our investment in AGY.

Incentive compensation

Incentive fees for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $17.7 million, $15.3 million and $20.3 million, respectively, and were payable due to our performance exceeding the cumulative total return threshold. Because our incentive compensation is computed on a cumulative basis, the incentive compensation for any period may include amounts not earned in prior periods (due to our cumulative total return falling below the total return hurdle in such period), but subsequently earned when our cumulative total return again exceeds the total return hurdle (such amount, a “Catchup Amount”). Due to portfolio volatility related to the market impact of COVID-19, $3.9 million of incentive fees related to net investment income for the first quarter of 2020 were deferred (the “First Quarter 2020 Catchup Amount”) and subsequently earned when our performance again exceeded the cumulative total return hurdle during the second quarter of 2020. However, rather than receiving all incentive compensation earned as of June 30, 2020, the Advisor voluntarily deferred 5/6 of the First Quarter Catchup Amount to subsequent quarters such that 1/6 of the First Quarter Catchup Amount would be paid in each subsequent quarter to the extent that the Company’s cumulative performance exceeds the cumulative total return hurdle in such quarter. Accordingly, incentive fees for the year ended December 31, 2021 included $1.9 million (3/6) of the First Quarter 2020 Catchup Amount.

Income tax expense, including excise tax

The Company has elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code”) and operates in a manner so as to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify as a RIC, the Company must, among other things, timely distribute to its stockholders generally at least 90% of its investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. The Company has made and intends to continue to make the requisite distributions to its stockholders which will generally relieve the Company from U.S. federal income taxes.

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year dividend distributions from such current year taxable income into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any excise tax expense is recorded at year end as such amounts are known. No excise tax was incurred for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

The net increase in net assets applicable to common shareholders resulting from operations was $133.8 million, $71.4 million and $30.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The higher net increase in net assets resulting from operations during the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to the realized and unrealized gains compared to the realized and unrealized losses during the year ended December 31, 2020, partially offset by the $6.2 million realized loss on the extinguishment of the 2022 Notes. The higher net increase in net assets resulting from operations during the year ended December 31, 2020 was primarily due to the lower net realized and unrealized losses, partially offset by the lower net investment income during the year ended December 31, 2020 and a $2.4 million loss on the extinguishment of Funding Facility I compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.

Liquidity and capital resources

Since our inception, our liquidity and capital resources have been generated primarily through the initial private placement of common shares of Special Value Continuation Fund, LLC (the predecessor entity) which were subsequently converted to common stock of the Company, the net proceeds from the initial and secondary public offerings of our common stock, amounts outstanding under our Leverage Program, and cash flows from operations, including investments sales and repayments and income earned from investments and cash equivalents. The primary

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uses of cash have been investments in portfolio companies, cash distributions to our equity holders, payments to service our Leverage Program and other general corporate purposes.

Prior to its discontinuance effective July 7, 2020, we had offered an “opt in” dividend reinvestment plan to our common stockholders, pursuant to which the dividends payable to those shareholders who so elected would be reinvested in shares of common stock. The following table summarizes the total shares issued and proceeds received in connection with the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan for the year ended December 31, 2020:

On February 24, 2015, the Company’s board of directors approved a stock repurchase plan (the “Company Repurchase Plan”) to acquire up to $50.0 million in the aggregate of the Company’s common stock at prices at certain thresholds below the Company’s net asset value per share, in accordance with the guidelines specified in Rule 10b-18 and Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company Repurchase Plan is designed to allow the Company to repurchase its common stock at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so under insider trading laws. The Company Repurchase Plan requires an agent selected by the Company to repurchase shares of common stock on the Company’s behalf if and when the market price per share is at certain thresholds below the most recently reported net asset value per share. Under the plan, the agent will increase the volume of purchases made if the price of the Company’s common stock declines, subject to volume restrictions. The timing and amount of any stock repurchased depends on the terms and conditions of the Company Repurchase Plan, the market price of the common stock and trading volumes, and no assurance can be given that any particular amount of common stock will be repurchased. The Company Repurchase Plan was re-approved on February 17, 2022, to be in effect through the earlier of two trading days after our first quarter 2022 earnings release, unless further extended or terminated by our board of directors, or such time as the approved $50.0 million repurchase amount has been fully utilized, subject to certain conditions. The following table summarizes the total shares repurchased and amounts paid by the Company under the Company Repurchase Plan, including broker fees, for the for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020:

Total leverage outstanding and available under the combined Leverage Program at December 31, 2021 were as follows:

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Under Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act, prior to March 23, 2018, a BDC was generally not permitted to issue senior securities unless after giving effect thereto the BDC met a coverage ratio of total assets, less liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, to total senior securities, which includes all borrowings of the BDC, of at least 200%. On March 23, 2018, the Small Business Credit Availability Act (“SBCAA”) was signed into law, which among other things, amended Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act to add a new Section 61(a)(2) that reduces the asset coverage requirement applicable to BDCs from 200% to 150% so long as the BDC meets certain disclosure requirements and obtains certain approvals. The reduced asset coverage requirement would permit a BDC to have a ratio of total consolidated assets to outstanding indebtedness of 2:1 as compared to a maximum of 1:1 under the 200% asset coverage requirement.

Effective November 7, 2018, the Company’s board of directors, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our board of directors, approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act, as amended by the SBCAA (the “Asset Coverage Ratio Election”), which would have resulted (had the Company not received earlier stockholder approval) in our asset coverage requirement applicable to senior securities being reduced from 200% to 150%, effective on November 7, 2019.  On February 8, 2019, the stockholders of the Company approved the Asset Coverage Ratio Election, and, as a result, effective on February 9, 2019, our asset coverage requirement applicable to senior securities was reduced from 200% to 150%. As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s asset coverage ratio was 198%.

On July 13, 2015, we obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit us to exclude debt outstanding under the SBA Debentures from our asset coverage test under the 1940 Act. The exemptive relief provides us with increased flexibility under the 150% asset coverage test by permitting the SBIC to borrow up to $150.0 million more than it would otherwise be able to absent the receipt of this exemptive relief.

Net cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $82.6 million, consisting primarily of the settlement of acquisitions of investments (net of dispositions) of $128.7 million, offset by net investment income (net of non-cash income and expenses) of approximately $46.1 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $82.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, consisting primarily of $326.6 million in net proceeds from the issuance of unsecured debt, $10.0 million in credit facility draws (net of repayments), offset by $180.7 million in repayment of unsecured notes, $69.3 million in dividends paid to common shareholders, and $4.4 million in payments of debt issuance costs.

At December 31, 2021, we had $19.6 million in cash and cash equivalents.

The Operating Facility and Funding Facility II are secured by substantially all of the assets in our portfolio, including cash and cash equivalents, and are subject to compliance with customary affirmative and negative covenants, including the maintenance of a minimum shareholders’ equity, the maintenance of a ratio of not less than 150% of total assets (less total liabilities other than indebtedness) to total indebtedness, and restrictions on certain payments and issuance of debt. Unfavorable economic conditions may result in a decrease in the value of our investments, which would affect both the asset coverage ratios and the value of the collateral securing the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II, and may therefore impact our ability to borrow under the Operating Facility and Funding Facility II. In addition to regulatory restrictions that restrict our ability to raise capital, the Leverage Program contains various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment of debt, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations. At December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with all financial and operational covenants required by the Leverage Program.

Unfavorable economic conditions, such as those caused by COVID-19, while potentially creating attractive opportunities for us, may decrease liquidity and raise the cost of capital generally, which could limit our ability to renew, extend or replace the Leverage Program on terms as favorable as are currently included therein. If we are unable to renew, extend or replace the Leverage Program upon the various dates of maturity, we expect to have sufficient funds to repay the outstanding balances in full from our net investment income and sales of, and repayments of principal from, our portfolio company investments, as well as from anticipated debt and equity capital

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raises, among other sources. Unfavorable economic conditions may limit our ability to raise capital or the ability of the companies in which we invest to repay our loans or engage in a liquidity event, such as a sale, recapitalization or initial public offering. The 2022 Convertible Notes, the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II, the 2024 Notes and the 2026 Notes, mature in March 2022, May 2026, August 2025, August 2024 and February 2026, respectively. Any inability to renew, extend or replace the Leverage Program could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to find new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

Challenges in the market are intensified for us by certain regulatory limitations under the Code and the 1940 Act. To maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must satisfy, among other requirements, an annual distribution requirement to pay out at least 90% of our ordinary income and short-term capital gains to our stockholders. Because we are required to distribute our income in this manner, and because the illiquidity of many of our investments may make it difficult for us to finance new investments through the sale of current investments, our ability to make new investments is highly dependent upon external financing. While we anticipate being able to continue to satisfy all covenants and repay the outstanding balances under the Leverage Program when due, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so, which could lead to an event of default.

Contractual obligations

In addition to obligations under our Leverage Program, we have entered into several contracts under which we have future commitments. Pursuant to an investment management agreement, the Advisor manages our day-to-day operations and provides investment advisory services to us. Payments under the investment management agreement are equal to a percentage of the value of our total assets (excluding cash and cash equivalents) and an incentive compensation, plus reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by the Advisor. Under our administration agreement, the Administrator provides us with administrative services, facilities and personnel. Payments under the administration agreement are equal to an allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its obligations to us and may include rent and our allocable portion of the cost of certain of our officers and their respective staffs. We are responsible for reimbursing the Advisor for due diligence and negotiation expenses, fees and expenses of custodians, administrators, transfer and distribution agents, counsel and directors, insurance, filings and registrations, proxy expenses, expenses of communications to investors, compliance expenses, interest, taxes, portfolio transaction expenses, costs of responding to regulatory inquiries and reporting to regulatory authorities, costs and expenses of preparing and maintaining our books and records, indemnification, litigation and other extraordinary expenses and such other expenses as are approved by the directors as being reasonably related to our organization, offering, capitalization, operation or administration and any portfolio investments, as applicable. The Advisor is not responsible for any of the foregoing expenses and such services are not investment advisory services under the 1940 Act. Either party may terminate each of the investment management agreement and administration agreement without penalty upon not less than 60 days’ written notice to the other.

Distributions

Our quarterly dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are declared considering our estimate of annual taxable income available for distribution to stockholders and the amount of taxable income carried over from the prior year for distribution in the current year. We do not have a policy to pay distributions at a specific level and expect to continue to distribute substantially all of our taxable income. We cannot assure stockholders that they will receive any distributions or distributions at a particular level.

The following tables summarize dividends declared for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020: