As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 23, 2019
Securities Act File No. 333-222419
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-2
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
¨ Pre-Effective Amendment No.
x Post-Effective Amendment No. 3
OFS CAPITAL CORPORATION
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter)
10 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60606
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Registrant’s telephone number, including Area Code: (847) 734-2000
Bilal Rashid
10 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60606
(Name and address of agent for service)
COPIES TO:
Cynthia M. Krus
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
700 Sixth Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 383-0100
Approximate date of proposed public offering: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box. x
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
x when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c).
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. |
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED April 23, 2019
$200,000,000
OFS CAPITAL
CORPORATION
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Debt Securities
We are an externally managed, closed-end management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). Our investment objective is to provide our stockholders with both current income and capital appreciation primarily through debt investments and, to a lesser extent, equity investments.
We may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings or series, up to $200.0 million in shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, subscription rights or debt securities which we refer to, collectively, as the “securities.” There is $151,475,000 of securities available for issuance under this prospectus as a result of our issuance of $48,525,000 in aggregate principal amount of 6.50% notes in October 2018. We may sell our securities directly or through underwriters or dealers, “at-the-market” to or through a market maker into an existing trading market or otherwise directly to one or more purchasers or through agents or through a combination of methods of sale. The identities of such underwriters, dealers, market makers or agents, as the case may be, will be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. The securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus.
The securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers, or through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to an offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of shares of our securities, and will disclose any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell any securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this prospectus and a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of the securities.
Substantially all of the debt securities in which we invest are rated below investment grade or would be rated below investment grade if rated, which are often referred to as “high yield” or “junk” securities. Exposure to below investment grade securities involves certain risk, and those securities are viewed as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. A material amount of our debt investments contain floating interest rate provisions that may make it more difficult for the borrowers to make interest payments on our debt investments. Further, our debt investments generally will not pay down principal during their term which could result in a substantial loss to us if the portfolio company is unable to refinance or repay the debt at maturity.
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “OFS.” On April 22, 2019, the last reported sales price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for our common stock was $12.16 per share. We are required to determine the net asset value per share of our common stock on a quarterly basis. Our net asset value per share of our common stock as of December 31, 2018 was $13.10.
Please read this prospectus before investing and keep it for future reference. It contains important information about us that a prospective investor ought to know before investing in our securities. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information is available free of charge, and stockholder inquiries may be made, by contacting Investor Relations of OFS Capital Corporation, 10 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60606, or by calling us at (847) 734-2000 or on our website at www.ofscapital.com. The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, maintains a website at www.sec.gov where such information is available without charge. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this prospectus.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk, including credit risk and the risk of the use of leverage. Before buying any of our securities, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our securities in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 18 of this prospectus.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Prospectus dated April 23, 2019
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page | |
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to this prospectus. We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to provide you with different information or to make representations as to matters not stated in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus and any such supplement do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities by any person in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful for that person to make such an offer or solicitation or to any person in any jurisdiction to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. The information in this prospectus and any such supplement is accurate only as of its date, and under no circumstances should the delivery of this prospectus and any such supplement or the sale of any securities imply that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any later date or that the affairs of OFS Capital Corporation have not changed since such date. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement will be updated to reflect material changes.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission using the “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, which constitutes a delayed offering in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, we may offer, from time to time, up to $200 million of shares of our common stock, preferred stock, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, subscription rights, or debt securities on the terms to be determined at the time of the offering. We may sell our securities through underwriters or dealers, “at-the-market” to or through a market maker, into an existing trading market or otherwise directly to one or more purchasers or through agents or through a combination of methods of sale. The identities of such underwriters, dealers, market makers or agents, as the case may be, will be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. Our securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement provides you with a general description of our securities that we may offer. Each time we use this prospectus to offer our securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Please carefully read this prospectus and any such supplements together with the additional information described under “Available Information” and “Risk Factors” sections before you make an investment decision.
A prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus. It is not complete and may not contain all of the information that you may want to consider before investing in our securities. Throughout this prospectus, we refer to OFS Capital Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries as the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our;” OFS Capital Management, LLC as “OFS Advisor” or the “Advisor;” and OFS Capital Services, LLC as “OFS Services” or the “Administrator.”
Defined Terms
We have used "we," "us," "our," "our company," and "the Company" to refer to OFS Capital Corporation in this prospectus. We also have used several other terms in this report, which are explained or defined below:
1940 Act | Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended |
Administration Agreement | Administration agreement between the Company and OFS Services dated November 7, 2012 |
Advisers Act | Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended |
Annual Distribution Requirement | Distributions to our stockholders, for each taxable year, of at least 90% of our ICTI |
ASC | Accounting Standards Codification, as issued by the FASB |
ASC Topic 606 | ASC Topic 606, "Revenue From Contracts With Customers" |
ASC Topic 820 | ASC Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" |
ASC Topic 946 | ASC Topic 946, "Financial Services-Investment Companies" |
ASU | Accounting Standards Updates, as issued by the FASB |
BDC | Business Development Company under the 1940 Act |
BLA | Business Loan Agreement, as amended, with Pacific Western Bank, as lender, which provides the Company with a senior secured revolving credit facility |
Board | The Company's board of directors |
CLO | Collateralized loan obligation |
Code | Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended |
DRIP | Distribution reinvestment plan |
EBITDA | Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization |
Exchange Act | Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended |
FASB | Financial Accounting Standards Board |
FDIC | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
GAAP | Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States |
HPCI | Hancock Park Corporate Income, Inc., a non-traded BDC with an investment strategy similar to the Company for whom OFS Advisor serves as investment adviser |
ICTI | Investment company taxable income, as defined in the Code, which is generally net ordinary income plus net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses |
Investment Advisory Agreement | Investment advisory agreement between the Company and OFS Advisor dated November 7, 2012 |
IPO | Initial Public Offering |
LIBOR | London Interbank Offered Rate |
Net Loan Fees | The cumulative amount of fees, such as discounts, premiums and amendment fees that are deferred and recognized as income over the life of the loan. |
OCCI | OFS Credit Company, Inc., a closed-end management investment company that has registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act that primarily invests in CLO debt and subordinated (i.e., residual or equity) securities |
Offering | Follow-on public offering of 3,625,000 shares of our common stock in April 2017 |
OFS Advisor | OFS Capital Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of OFSAM and registered investment adviser under the Advisers Act |
OFSC | Orchard First Source Capital, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of OFSAM |
OFS Capital WM | OFS Capital WM, LLC, a wholly owned investment-company subsidiary of the Company |
OFS Services | OFS Capital Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of OFSAM and affiliate of OFS Advisor |
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OFSAM | Orchard First Source Asset Management, LLC, a full-service provider of capital and leveraged finance solutions to U.S. Corporations |
Prime Rate | United States Prime interest rate |
PWB Credit Facility | Senior secured revolving credit facility between the Company and Pacific Western Bank, as lender |
RIC | Regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Code |
SBA | U.S. Small Business Administration |
SBIC | A fund licensed under the SBA small business investment company program |
SBIC Acquisition | The Company's acquisition of the remaining ownership interests in SBIC I LP and SBIC I GP, LLC on December 4, 2013, making SBIC I LP a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company |
SBIC Act | Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended |
SBIC I LP | OFS SBIC I, LP, a wholly owned SBIC subsidiary of the Company |
SEC | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |
The Order | We received exemptive relief from the SEC to permit us to co-invest in portfolio companies with certain funds managed by Affiliated Funds in a manner consistent with our investment objective, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors, subject to compliance with certain conditions. |
Transaction Price | The cost of an arm's length transaction occurring in the same security |
Unsecured Notes | The combination of the Unsecured Notes Due April 2025 and the Unsecured Notes Due October 2025 |
Unsecured Notes Due April 2025 | The Company's $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.375% notes due April 30, 2025 |
Unsecured Notes Due October 2025 | The Company's $48.5 million aggregate principal amount of 6.5% notes due October 30, 2025 |
Valuation Methodology Change | We changed the primary method used to value certain of our investments as of December 31, 2016, from the income approach to the market approach |
WM Credit Facility | Secured revolving line of credit with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A, terminated on May 28, 2015 |
OFS Capital Corporation
We are an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company and have elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, which imposes certain investment restrictions on our portfolio. Our investment objective is to provide our stockholders with both current income and capital appreciation primarily through debt investments and, to a lesser extent, equity investments. Our investment strategy focuses primarily on investments in middle-market companies in the United States. We use the term “middle-market” to refer to companies that may exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: number of employees between 150 and 2,000; revenues between $15 million and $300 million; annual EBITDA between $3 million and $50 million; generally, private companies owned by private equity firms or owners/operators; and enterprise value between $10 million and $500 million. For additional information about how we define the middle-market, see “The Company - Investment Criteria/Guidelines.”
As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of our debt investment portfolio totaled $363.6 million in 44 portfolio companies, of which 88% was comprised of senior secured loans and 12% of subordinated loans. Additionally, as of December 31, 2018, we held approximately $33.2 million in equity investments, at fair value, in 13 portfolio companies in which we also held debt investments and six portfolio companies in which we solely held an equity investment.
Our investment strategy focuses primarily on middle-market companies in the United States, including senior secured loans, which includes first-lien, second-lien and unitranche loans, as well as subordinated loans and, to a lesser extent, warrants and other equity securities. We also may invest up to 30% of our portfolio in opportunistic investments of portfolio companies not otherwise eligible under BDC regulations. Specifically, as part of this 30% basket, we may consider investments in investment funds that are operating pursuant to certain exceptions to the 1940 Act and in advisers to similar investment funds, as well as in debt of middle-market companies located outside of the United States and debt and equity of public companies that do not meet the definition of eligible portfolio companies because their market capitalization of publicly traded equity securities exceeds the levels provided for in the 1940 Act.
We execute our investment strategy, in part, through SBIC I LP, a licensee under the SBA's SBIC program. The SBIC license allows SBIC I LP to receive SBA-guaranteed debenture funding, subject to the issuance of a leverage commitment by the SBA and other customary procedures. SBA leverage funding is subject to SBIC I LP’s payment of certain fees to the SBA, and the ability of SBIC I LP to draw on the leverage commitment is subject to its compliance with
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SBA regulations and policies, including an audit by the SBA. For additional information regarding the regulation of SBIC I LP, see “Regulation—Small Business Investment Company Regulation.”
On a stand-alone basis, SBIC I LP held approximately $251.1 million and $251.6 million in assets, or approximately 57% and 70% of our total consolidated assets, at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Our investment activities are managed by OFS Advisor and supervised by our Board a majority of whom are independent of us, OFS Advisor and its affiliates. Under the Investment Advisory Agreement we have agreed to pay OFS Advisor an annual base management fee based on the average value of our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds and including assets owned by any consolidated entity) as well as an incentive fee based on our investment performance. We have elected to exclude from the base management fee calculation any base management fee that would be owed in respect of the intangible asset and goodwill resulting from the SBIC Acquisition. OFS Advisor also serves as the investment adviser or collateral manager to CLOs and other assets, including HPCI, a non-traded BDC with an investment strategy similar to the Company's, and OCCI, a newly organized, externally managed, closed-end management investment company that has registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act that primarily invests, in the CLO debt and subordinated (i.e., residual or equity) securities. Additionally, OFS Advisor expects to provide sub-advisory services to CIM Real Assets & Credit Fund, a newly organized externally managed registered investment company that intends to operate as an interval fund that expects to invest primarily in a combination of real estate, credit and related investments. OFS Advisor will seek to allocate investment opportunities among eligible accounts in a manner that is fair and equitable over time and consistent with its allocation policy.
We have also entered into an Administration Agreement with OFS Services. Under our Administration Agreement, we have agreed to reimburse OFS Services for our allocable portion (subject to the review and approval of our independent directors) of overhead and other expenses incurred by OFS Services in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement.
As a BDC, we must not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our assets, as defined by the 1940 Act, are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions). Qualifying assets include investments in “eligible portfolio companies.” Under the relevant SEC rules, the term “eligible portfolio company” includes all private companies, companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange, and certain public companies that have listed their securities on a national securities exchange and have a market capitalization of less than $250 million, in each case organized in the United States.
As a BDC, generally we are not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage ratio for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). Provisions of the Small Business Credit Availability Act (the "SBCAA"), permit BDCs to be subject to a minimum asset coverage ratio of 150%, if specific conditions are satisfied, when issuing senior securities (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 66 2/3% of the value of our assets). As an approximation, prior to the enactment of the SBCAA, the most that a BDC could borrow for investment purposes was $1 for every $1 of investor equity. Now, for those BDCs that satisfy the SBCAA’s approval and disclosure requirements and become subject to the reduced asset coverage ratio, the BDC can borrow $2 for investment purposes for every $1 of investor equity.
The SBCAA provides that in order for a BDC whose common stock is traded on a national securities exchange to be subject to 150% asset coverage, the BDC must either obtain: (i) approval of the required majority of its non-interested directors who have no financial interest in the proposal, which would become effective one year after the date of such approval, or (ii) obtain stockholder approval (of more than 50% of the votes cast for the proposal at a meeting in which quorum is present), which would become effective on the first day after the date of such stockholder approval.
On May 3, 2018, the Board, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board, approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements and, as a result, the asset coverage ratio test applicable to us will be decreased from 200% to 150%, effective May 3, 2019. Additionally, we received exemptive relief from the SEC effective November 26, 2013, which allows us to exclude our SBA guaranteed debentures from the definition of senior securities in the statutory asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act.
We may borrow money when the terms and conditions available are favorable to do so and are aligned with our investment strategy and portfolio composition. The use of borrowed funds or the proceeds of preferred stock to make investments would have its own specific benefits and risks, and all of the costs of borrowing funds or issuing preferred stock would be borne by holders of our common stock.
We have elected to be treated for tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To continue to qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. Pursuant to this election, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level taxes on any income we distribute to our stockholders.
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Organizational Structure
About OFS and Our Advisor
OFS (which refers to the collective activities and operations of OFSAM, its subsidiaries, and certain affiliates) is a full-service provider of capital and leveraged finance solutions to U.S. companies.
As of December 31, 2018, OFS had 46 full-time employees. OFS is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and also has offices in New York, New York and Los Angeles, California.
Our investment activities are managed by OFS Advisor, our investment adviser. OFS Advisor is responsible for sourcing potential investments, conducting research and diligence on potential investments and equity sponsors, analyzing investment opportunities, structuring our investments and monitoring our investments and portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. OFS Advisor is a registered investment adviser under the Advisers Act and a wholly-owned subsidiary of OFSAM.
Our relationship with OFS Advisor is governed by and dependent on the Investment Advisory Agreement and may be subject to conflicts of interest. OFS Advisor provides us with advisory services in exchange for a base management fee and incentive fee; see “Management and Other Agreements—Investment Advisory Agreement”. The base management fee is based on our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents, and the intangible asset and goodwill resulting from the SBIC Acquisition, but including assets purchased with borrowed funds and assets owned by any consolidated entity) and, therefore, OFS Advisor will benefit when we incur debt or use leverage. Our board of directors is charged with protecting our interests by monitoring how OFS Advisor addresses these and other conflicts of interest associated with its management services and compensation. While our board of directors is not expected to review or approve each borrowing or incurrence of leverage, our independent directors periodically review OFS Advisor’s services and fees as well as its portfolio management decisions and portfolio performance.
OFS Advisor has entered into a Staffing Agreement (the "Staffing Agreement") with OFSC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OFSAM. Under the Staffing Agreement, OFSC makes experienced investment professionals available to OFS Advisor and provides access to the senior investment personnel of OFS and its affiliates. The Staffing Agreement provides OFS Advisor with access to deal flow generated by OFS and its affiliates in the ordinary course of their businesses and commits the members of OFS Advisor’s investment committee to serve in that capacity. As our investment adviser, OFS Advisor is obligated to allocate investment opportunities among us and any other clients fairly and equitably over time in accordance with its allocation policy.
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OFS Advisor capitalizes on the deal origination and sourcing, credit underwriting, due diligence, investment structuring, execution, portfolio management and monitoring experience of OFS’s professionals. The senior management team of OFS, including Bilal Rashid, Jeff Cerny and Mark Hauser, provides services to OFS Advisor. These managers have developed a broad network of contacts within the investment community, and possess an average of over 20 years of experience investing in debt and equity securities of middle-market companies. In addition, these managers have extensive experience investing in assets that constitute our primary focus and have expertise in investing across all levels of the capital structure of middle-market companies. See "Portfolio Management" for additional information regarding our portfolio managers.
Our Administrator
We do not have any direct employees, and our day-to-day investment operations are managed by OFS Advisor. We have a chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, chief accounting officer, corporate secretary and, to the extent necessary, our board of directors may elect to appoint additional officers going forward. Our officers are employees of OFSC, an affiliate of OFS Advisor, and a portion of the compensation paid to our officers is paid by us pursuant to the Administration Agreement. All of our executive officers are also officers of OFS Advisor.
OFS Services, an affiliate of OFS Advisor, provides the administrative services necessary for us to operate. OFS Services furnishes us with office facilities and equipment, necessary software licenses and subscriptions and clerical, bookkeeping and recordkeeping services at such facilities. OFS Services oversees our financial reporting as well as prepares our reports to stockholders and all other reports and materials required to be filed with the SEC or any other regulatory authority. OFS Services also manages the determination and publication of our net asset value and the preparation and filing of our tax returns and generally monitors the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others. OFS Services may retain third parties to assist in providing administrative services to us. To the extent that OFS Services outsources any of its functions, we will pay the fees associated with such functions at cost, on a direct basis.
Market Opportunity
Our investment strategy is focused primarily on investments in middle-market companies in the United States. We find the middle-market attractive for the following reasons:
Large Target Market. According to the National Center for the Middle Market, there were approximately 200,000 companies in the United States with annual revenues between $10 million and $1.0 billion, compared with approximately 1,300 companies with revenues greater than $2.5 billion. We believe that these middle-market companies represent a significant growth segment of the U.S. economy and often require substantial capital investments to grow. Middle-market companies have historically constituted the vast bulk of OFS’s portfolio companies since its inception, and constituted the majority of our portfolio as of December 31, 2018. We believe that this market segment will continue to produce significant investment opportunities for us.
Specialized Lending Requirements with High Barriers to Entry. We believe that several factors render many U.S. financial institutions ill-suited to lend to U.S. middle-market companies. For example, based on the experience of our management team, lending to private middle-market companies in the United States (a) is generally more labor-intensive than lending to larger companies due to the smaller size of each investment and the fragmented nature of information for such companies, (b) requires due diligence and underwriting practices consistent with the demands and economic limitations of the middle-market and (c) may also require more extensive ongoing monitoring by the lender. As a result, middle-market companies historically have been served by a limited segment of the lending community. As a result of the unique challenges facing lenders to middle-market companies, we believe that there are high barriers to entry that a new lender must overcome.
Robust Demand for Debt Capital. We believe that private equity firms have significant committed but uncalled capital, a large portion of which is still available for investment in the United States. Subject to market conditions, we expect the large amount of unfunded buyout commitments will drive demand for leveraged buyouts over the next several years, which should, in turn, create leveraged lending opportunities for us.
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Competitive Strengths and Core Competencies
Deep Management Team Experienced in All Phases of Investment Cycle and Across All Levels of the Capital Structure. We are managed by OFS Advisor, which has access to the resources and expertise of OFS’s investment professionals through the Staffing Agreement with OFSC. As of December 31, 2018, OFS’s credit and investment professionals (including all investment committee members) employed by OFSC had an average of over 15 years of investment experience with strong institutional backgrounds.
Significant Investment Capacity. The net proceeds of equity and debt offerings and borrowing capacity under our credit facilities will provide us with a substantial amount of capital available for deployment into new investment opportunities in our targeted asset class.
Scalable Infrastructure Supporting the Entire Investment Cycle. We believe that our loan acquisition, origination and sourcing, underwriting, administration and management platform is highly scalable (that is, it can be expanded on a cost-efficient basis within a timeframe that meets the demands of business growth). Our platform extends beyond origination and sourcing and includes a regimented credit monitoring system. We believe that our careful approach, which involves ongoing review and analysis by an experienced team of professionals, should enable us to identify problems early and to assist borrowers before they face difficult liquidity constraints.
Extensive Loan Sourcing Capabilities. OFS Advisor gives us access to the deal flow of OFS. We believe OFS’s 20-year history as a middle-market lending platform, extensive relationships with potential borrowers and other lenders, and its market position make it a leading lender to many sponsors and other deal sources, especially in the currently under-served lending environment.
Structuring with a High Level of Service and Operational Orientation. We provide client-specific and creative financing structures to our portfolio companies. Based on our experience in lending to and investing in middle-market companies, we believe that the middle-market companies we target, as well as sponsor groups we may pursue, require a higher level of service, creativity and knowledge than has historically been provided by other service providers more accustomed to participating in commodity-like loan transactions.
Rigorous Credit Analysis and Approval Procedures. OFS Advisor utilizes an established, disciplined investment process of OFS for reviewing lending opportunities, structuring transactions and monitoring investments. Using a disciplined approach to lending, OFS Advisor seeks to minimize credit losses through effective underwriting, comprehensive due diligence investigations, structuring and, where appropriate, the implementation of restrictive debt covenants.
Structure of Investments
We anticipate that our loan portfolio will continue to contain investments of the following types with the following characteristics:
Senior Secured First-Lien Loans. First-lien senior secured loans comprise, and will continue to comprise, a significant portion of our investment portfolio. We obtain security interests in the assets of these portfolio companies as collateral in support of the repayment of these loans (in certain cases, subject to a payment waterfall). The collateral takes the form of first-priority liens on specified assets of the portfolio company borrower and, typically, first-priority pledges of the ownership interests in the borrower. Our first lien loans may provide for moderate loan amortization in the early years of the loan, with the majority of the amortization deferred until loan maturity. These loans are categorized as Senior Secured Loans in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
Senior Secured Unitranche Loans. Unitranche loans are loans that combine both senior and subordinated debt into one loan under which the borrower pays a single blended interest rate that is intended to reflect the relative risk of the secured and unsecured components. We typically structure our unitranche loans as senior secured loans. We obtain security interests in the assets of these portfolio companies as collateral in support of the repayment of these loans. This collateral takes the form of first-priority liens on the assets of a portfolio company and, typically, first-priority pledges of the ownership interests in the company. We believe that unitranche lending represents a significant growth opportunity for us, offering the borrower the convenience of dealing with one lender, which may result in a higher blended rate of interest to us than we might realize in a traditional multi-tranche structure. Unitranche loans typically provide for moderate loan amortization in the initial years of the facility, with the majority of the amortization deferred until loan maturity. Unitranche loans generally allow the borrower to make a large lump sum payment of principal at the end of the loan term, and there is a risk of loss if the borrower is unable to pay the lump sum or refinance the amount owed at maturity. In many cases, we will be the sole lender, or we, together with our affiliates, will be the sole lender, of unitranche loans, which can afford us additional influence with a borrower in terms of monitoring and, if necessary, remediation in the event of under performance. These loans are categorized as Senior Secured Loans in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
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Senior Secured Second-lien Loans. Second-lien senior secured loans obtain security interests in the assets of these portfolio companies as collateral in support of the repayment of such loans. This collateral typically takes the form of second-priority liens on the assets of a portfolio company, and we may enter into an inter-creditor agreement with the holders of the portfolio company’s first-lien senior secured debt. These loans typically provide for no contractual loan amortization in the initial years of the facility, with all amortization deferred until loan maturity. These loans are categorized as Senior Secured Loans in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
Broadly Syndicated Loans. Broadly Syndicated Loans (whose features are similar to those described under “Senior Secured First-Lien Loans” and “Senior Secured Second-Lien Loans” above) are typically originated and structured by banks on behalf of large corporate borrowers with employee counts, revenues, EBITDAs and enterprise values larger than the middle-market characteristics described above. The proceeds of Broadly Syndicated Loans are often used for leveraged buyout transactions, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings, and financing capital expenditures. Broadly Syndicated Loans are typically distributed by the arranging bank to a diverse group of investors primarily consisting of: CLOs; senior secured loan and high yield bond mutual funds; closed-end funds, hedge funds, banks, and insurance companies; and finance companies. The Broadly Syndicated Loans in which we invest may include loans that are considered “covenant-lite” loans, because of their lack of a full set of financial maintenance covenants.
Subordinated (“Mezzanine”) Loans. These investments are typically structured as unsecured, subordinated loans that typically provide for relatively high, fixed interest rates that provide us with significant current interest income. These loans typically will have interest-only payments (often representing a combination of cash pay and payment-in-kind ("PIK") interest) in the early years, with amortization of principal deferred to maturity. Mezzanine loans generally allow the borrower to make a large lump sum payment of principal at the end of the loan term, and there is a risk of loss if the borrower is unable to pay the lump sum or refinance the amount owed at maturity. Mezzanine investments are generally more volatile than secured loans and may involve a greater risk of loss of principal. Mezzanine loans often include a PIK feature (meaning a feature allowing for the payment of interest in the form of additional principal amount of the loan instead of in cash), which effectively operates as negative amortization of loan principal, thereby increasing credit risk exposure over the life of the loan. These loans are categorized as Subordinated Loans in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
Equity Securities. Equity securities typically consist of either a direct minority equity investment in common or membership/partnership interests or preferred stock of a portfolio company, and are typically not control-oriented investments. Our preferred equity investments typically contain a fixed dividend yield based on the par value of the equity security. Preferred equity dividends may be paid in cash at a stipulated date, usually quarterly, and are participating and/or cumulative. We may structure such equity investments 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, which grants us the right to register our equity interest when either the portfolio company or another investor in the portfolio company files a registration statement with the SEC to issue securities. Our equity investments typically are made in connection with debt investments to the same portfolio companies. These securities are categorized as a Preferred Equity or Common Equity in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
Warrants. In some cases, we may receive nominally priced warrants to buy a minority equity interest in the portfolio company in connection with a loan. As a result, as 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 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. These securities are categorized as Warrants in our consolidated schedule of investments included in this prospectus.
Structured Finance Notes. We may purchase interests in the equity securities of CLOs collateralized by portfolios consisting primarily of below investment grade U.S. senior secured loans with a large number of distinct underlying borrowers across various industry sectors. The equity of a CLO is unrated and subordinated to the debt tranches and typically represents approximately 8% to 11% of a CLO’s capital structure. A CLO’s equity represents the first loss position in the CLO. The holders of CLO equity interests are typically entitled to any cash reserves that form part of the structure when such reserves are permitted to be released. Structured Finance Notes are considered CLO subordinated debt positions. CLO subordinated debt positions are entitled to recurring distributions which are generally equal to the remaining cash flow of payments made by underlying securities less contractual payments to debt holders and fund expenses. Economically, CLO equity benefits from gains and suffers from losses and generally receive the difference between the interest received from the investment portfolio and the interest paid to the holders of debt tranches of the CLO structure. In addition, the CLO equity securities in which we
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may invest in the future are highly leveraged (with CLO equity securities typically being leveraged 9 to 13 times), which magnifies our risk of loss on such investments.
General Structuring Considerations. 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:
• | selecting investments that we believe have a very low probability of loss; |
• | requiring a total return on our investments (including both interest and potential equity appreciation) that we believe will compensate us appropriately for credit risk; and |
• | negotiating covenants in connection with our investments that afford our portfolio companies as much flexibility in managing their businesses as possible, consistent with the preservation of our capital. Such restrictions may include affirmative and negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change of control provisions and board rights, including either observation or rights to a seat on the board of directors under some circumstances. |
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.
Investments
We pursue an investment strategy focused primarily on investments in middle-market companies in the United States. We focus on investments in loans, in which OFS Advisor’s investment professionals have expertise, including investments in first-lien, unitranche, second-lien, and mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, on warrants and other equity securities. We seek to create a diverse portfolio by making investments in the securities of middle-market companies that we expect to range generally from $3.0 million to $25.0 million each, although we expect this investment size will vary proportionately with the size of our capital base.
Competition
Our primary competitors include public and private funds, other BDCs, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance companies and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do. Some competitors may have 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. Further, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC, or to the distribution and other requirements we must satisfy to maintain our RIC status.
We expect to continue to use the expertise of the investment professionals of OFS to which we have access, to assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our investments in portfolio companies. In addition, we expect that the relationships of the senior members of OFS and its affiliates will enable us to learn about, and compete effectively for, financing opportunities with attractive middle-market companies in the industries in which we seek to invest. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Structure — We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities, which could reduce returns and result in losses” in this prospectus.
Conflicts of Interests
BDCs generally are prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with their affiliates without the prior approval of their independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. Those transactions include purchases and sales, and so-called “joint” transactions, in which a BDC and one or more of its affiliates engage in certain types of profit-making activities. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, five percent or more of a BDC’s outstanding voting securities will be considered an affiliate of the BDC for purposes of the 1940 Act, and a BDC generally is prohibited from engaging in purchases or sales of assets or joint transactions with such affiliates, absent the prior approval of the BDC’s independent directors. Additionally, without the approval of the SEC, a BDC is prohibited from engaging in purchases or sales of assets or joint transactions with the BDC’s officers, directors, and employees, and advisor (and its affiliates).
BDCs may, however, invest alongside certain related parties or their respective other clients in certain circumstances where doing so is consistent with current law and SEC staff interpretations. For example, a BDC may invest alongside such accounts consistent with guidance promulgated by the SEC staff permitting us and such other accounts to purchase interests in
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a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that the BDC’s advisor, acting on the BDC’s behalf and on behalf of other clients, negotiates no term other than price. Co-investment with such other accounts is not permitted or appropriate under this guidance when there is an opportunity to invest in different securities of the same issuer or where the different investments could be expected to result in a conflict between the BDC’s interests and those of other accounts.
On October 12, 2016, we received the Order from the SEC that permits us to co-invest in portfolio companies with certain affiliates, provided that we comply with the conditions of the Order. Pursuant to the Order, we are generally permitted to co-invest with BDCs, registered investment companies and private funds managed by OFS Advisor or any adviser that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, OFS Advisor, and is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act, in a manner consistent with our investment strategy as well as applicable law, including the terms and conditions of the Order. Under the terms of the Order, a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors must make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our stockholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our stockholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our stockholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies.
When we invest alongside clients of OFSAM and its affiliates or their respective other clients, OFS Advisor will, to the extent consistent with applicable law, regulatory guidance, or the Order, allocate investment opportunities in accordance with its allocation policy. Under this allocation policy, if two or more investment vehicles with similar or overlapping investment strategies are in their investment periods, an available opportunity will be allocated based on the provisions governing allocations of such investment opportunities in the relevant organizational, offering or similar documents, if any, for such investment vehicles. In the absence of any such provisions, OFS Advisor will consider the following factors and the weight that should be given with respect to each of these factors:
• | investment guidelines and/or restrictions, if any, set forth in the applicable organizational, offering or similar documents for the investment vehicles; |
• | the status of tax restrictions and tests and other regulatory restrictions and tests; |
• | risk and return profile of the investment vehicles; |
• | suitability/priority of a particular investment for the investment vehicles; |
• | if applicable, the targeted position size of the investment for the investment vehicles |
• | level of available cash for investment with respect to the investment vehicles; |
• | total amount of funds committed to the investment vehicles; and |
• | the age of the investment vehicles and the remaining term of their respective investment periods, if any. |
When not relying on the Order, priority as to opportunities will generally be given to clients that are in their “ramp-up” period over the accounts that are outside their ramp-up period but still within their investment or re-investment periods. However, application of one or more of the factors listed above, or other factors determined to be relevant or appropriate, may result in the allocation of an investment opportunity to a fund no longer in its ramp-up period over a fund that is still within its ramp-up period.
In situations where co-investment with other accounts is not permitted or appropriate, OFS Advisor will need to decide which account will proceed with the investment. The decision by OFS Advisor to allocate an opportunity to another entity could cause us to forego an investment opportunity that we otherwise would have made. These restrictions, and similar restrictions that limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates, may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us. See “Related-Party Transactions and Certain Relationships.”
Corporate Information
Our principal executive offices are located at 10 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL, 60606, and our telephone number is (847) 734-2000. Information contained in our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider that information to be part of this prospectus.
We file annual, quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act. You may read and copy these reports at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information about the operation of the SEC’s public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet website, at www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, who file documents electronically with the SEC.
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Risks
Investing in our securities may be speculative and involves certain risks relating to our structure and our investment objective that you should consider before deciding whether to invest. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 18 of this prospectus for a more detailed discussion of material risks you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our securities.
Recent Developments
On March 5, 2019, our Board declared a distribution of $0.34 per share for the first quarter of 2019, payable on March 29, 2019 to stockholders of record as of March 22, 2019.
On April 10, 2019, we executed an amendment (the “Secured Revolver Amendment”) to our PWB Credit Facility.
The Secured Revolver Amendment, among other things: (i) increases the maximum amount available under the PWB Credit Facility from $50.0 million to $100.0 million; (ii) changes the interest rate from a variable rate of Prime Rate plus a 0.75% margin to a variable rate of Prime Rate plus a 0.25% margin (with a floor of 5.25%); (iii) extends the maturity date from January 31, 2020 to February 28, 2021; (iv) increases the minimum quarterly net investment income covenant from $2.0 million to $3.0 million; (v) reduces the statutory asset coverage ratio test from 200% to 150%; and (vi) adds a total liabilities to Net Asset Value (as defined in the Secured Revolver Amendment) covenant of 300%.
In connection with the Secured Revolver Amendment, we incurred a 1.0% upfront fee on the $50.0 million incremental increase in the maximum amount available under the PWB Credit Facility, which equates to $500,000.
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FEES AND EXPENSES
The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that you will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “us,” “the Company” or “OFS Capital,” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, you will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as an investor in OFS Capital.
Stockholder transaction expenses: | ||||
Sales load borne by us (as a percentage of offering price) | — | % | (1) | |
Offering expenses borne by us (as a percentage of offering price) | — | % | (2) | |
Dividend reinvestment plan fees (per sales transaction fee) | $15.00 | (3) | ||
Total Stockholder transaction expenses (as a percentage of offering price) | — | % | ||
Annual expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock)(9): | ||||
Base Management fees payable under the Investment Advisory Agreement | 4.37 | % | (4) | |
Incentive fees payable under the Investment Advisory Agreement | 2.51 | % | (5) | |
Interest payments on borrowed funds | 8.08 | % | (6) | |
Other expenses | 2.47 | % | (7) | |
Acquired fund fees and expenses | — | % | (8) | |
Total annual expenses | 17.43 | % | ||
(1) | In the event that the securities to which this prospectus relates are sold to or through underwriters, a corresponding prospectus supplement will disclose the applicable sales load and the following Example will be updated accordingly. |
(2) | The related prospectus supplement will disclose the applicable offering expenses and total stockholder transaction expenses. |
(3) | The expenses of the dividend reinvestment plan are included in “other expenses.” The plan administrator’s fees will be paid by us. There will be no brokerage charges or other charges to stockholders who participate in the plan except that, if a participant elects by written notice to the plan administrator to have the plan administrator sell part or all of the shares held by the plan administrator in the participant’s account and remit the proceeds to the participant, the plan administrator is authorized to deduct a $15.00 transaction fee plus a $0.10 per share brokerage commission from the proceeds. For additional information, see “Distribution Reinvestment Plan.” |
(4) | Our base management fee is 1.75% of the average value of our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents, and the intangible asset and goodwill resulting from the SBIC Acquisitions; but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts, and including assets owned by any consolidated entity). This item represents projected base management fees for the year ended December 31, 2019. See “Management and Other Agreements — Investment Advisory Agreement”. |
(5) | Assumes a Part One and Part Two incentive fee, as defined below, of $4.4 million and $-0-, respectively. The Part One and Part Two incentive fee was calculated based on our projected results from our statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. The Part Two incentive fee is accrued, but not paid, if, on a cumulative basis, the sum of net realized capital gains and losses plus net unrealized appreciation and depreciation is positive. Net realized and unrealized capital gains or losses can vary substantially from period to period. |
The incentive fee consists of two parts:
The first ("Part One"), payable quarterly in arrears, equals 20.0% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income initially calculated based on values at the closing of this offering (including income that is accrued but not yet received in cash), subject to a 2.0% quarterly (8.0% annualized) hurdle rate and a “catch-up” provision measured as of the end of each calendar quarter. Under this provision, in any calendar quarter, OFS Advisor receives no incentive fee until our pre-incentive fee net investment income equals the hurdle rate of 2.0% but then receives, as a “catch-up,” 100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 2.5%. The effect of this provision is that, if pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds 2.5% in any calendar quarter, OFS Advisor will receive 20.0% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income as if a hurdle rate did not apply.
The hurdle rate is fixed at 2.0% quarterly (8% annualized), which means that, if interest rates rise, it will be easier for our pre-incentive fee net investment income to surpass the hurdle rate, which could lead to the payment of fees to OFS Advisor
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in an amount greater than expected. There is no accumulation of amounts on the hurdle rate from quarter to quarter and accordingly there is no clawback of amounts previously paid if subsequent quarters are below the quarterly hurdle rate and there is no delay of payment if prior quarters are below the quarterly hurdle rate.
The second part ("Part Two"), payable annually in arrears, equals 20.0% of our realized capital gains on a cumulative basis, if any (or upon the termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement, as of the termination date), computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gain incentive fees. The incentive fee is determined on a consolidated basis. We accrue the Part Two incentive fee if, on a cumulative basis, the sum of net realized capital gains and losses plus net unrealized appreciation and depreciation is positive. See “Management and Other Agreements — Investment Advisory Agreement.”
(6) | The borrowing costs included in the table above are based on our current intention (which is subject to change) to employ borrowed funds at a level equivalent to a debt-to-equity ratio of up to 1.6x (equivalent to $1.60 of debt outstanding for each $1 of equity) which is also equivalent to having an asset coverage ratio of 231% (which excludes the SBA debentures as a result of exemptive relief granted to us by the SEC), and assuming a weighted average interest rate for total outstanding debt of 5.04%, which is equal to the weighted average interest rate for total outstanding debt as of December 31, 2018 of 4.90%, adjusted for additional borrowings of $24.6 million at 6.61%, which was the interest rate in effect on our outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2018. Our actual borrowing costs as a percentage of net assets attributable to common stock on our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2018, which consisted of $149.9 million of SBA debentures outstanding with an effective interest rate of 3.43%, which includes amortization of deferred debt issuance costs, $50 million in aggregate principal of 6.375% Notes due 2025, with an effective interest rate of 6.875%, including amortization of deferred debt issuance costs, and $48.5 million in aggregate principal of 6.5% Notes due 2025, with an effective interest rate of 7.01%, including amortization of deferred debt issuance costs, and an outstanding balance of $12 million on the PWB Credit Facility with an effective interest rate of 6.61%, which includes amortization of deferred debt issuance costs and unused fee. |
We may borrow additional funds from time to time to make investments to the extent we determine that the economic situation is conducive to doing so. We do not expect to issue any preferred stock during the next twelve months and, therefore, have not included the cost of issuing and servicing preferred stock in the table. Availability under the PWB Credit Facility as of December 31, 2018 was $38.0 million based on the stated advance rate of 50% under the borrowing base, and the $12.0 million outstanding as of December 31, 2018. Our stockholders will bear directly or indirectly the costs of borrowings under any debt instruments we may enter into.
(7) | Includes our overhead expenses, including payments under the Administration Agreement based on our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by OFS Services. See “Management and Other Agreements — Administration Agreement.” These expenses are based on estimated amounts for the next 12 months. |
(8) | Our stockholders indirectly bear the expenses of underlying funds or other investment vehicles that would be investment companies under section 3(a) of the 1940 Act but for the exceptions to that definition provided for in sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act (“Acquired Funds”) in which we invest. We do not currently invest in underlying funds or other investment companies and therefore do not expect to incur any acquired fund fees and expenses. |
(9) | Estimated. |
Example
The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our common stock. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed we would have no additional leverage and that our annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above. The expense amounts assume an annual base management fee 1.75% for each year. Transaction expenses are not included in the following example.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return | $142 | $385 | $582 | $927 | |||
While the example assumes, as required by the applicable rules of the SEC, a 5.0% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5.0%. The incentive fee under the Investment Management Agreement, which, assuming a 5.0% annual return, would either not be payable or would have an insignificant impact on the expense amounts shown above, is not included in the above example. The above illustration assumes that we will not realize any capital gains (computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation) in any of the indicated time periods. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments, including through
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the realization of capital gains, to trigger an incentive fee of a material amount, our expenses and returns to our investors would be higher. For example, if we assumed that we received our 5.0% annual return completely in the form of net realized capital gains on our investments, computed net of all cumulative unrealized depreciation on our investments, the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses set forth in the above illustration would be as follows:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||
You would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming a 5.0% annual return | $151 | $405 | $607 | $948 | |||
While the examples assume reinvestment of all distributions at net asset value, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan will receive a number of shares of our common stock determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the distribution payable to a participant by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the dividend payment date. The market price per share of our common stock may be at, above or below net asset value. See “Distribution Reinvestment Plan” for additional information regarding the dividend reinvestment plan.
The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses, and actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown.
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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA
The following selected financial and other data for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 are derived from our consolidated financial statements that have been audited by BDO USA, LLP, our former independent auditors. The data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Senior Securities,” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere herein (dollar amounts in thousands).
For the Years Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data: | |||||||||||||||||||
Investment income | |||||||||||||||||||
Interest income | $ | 38,607 | $ | 28,124 | $ | 26,400 | $ | 27,764 | $ | 20,653 | |||||||||
PIK interest income | 1,193 | 1,508 | 1,194 | 1,206 | 683 | ||||||||||||||
Dividend income | 315 | 482 | 475 | 245 | 124 | ||||||||||||||
Preferred equity PIK dividend income | 906 | 1,399 | 1,433 | 1,116 | 446 | ||||||||||||||
Fee income | 1,813 | 1,913 | 1,592 | 1,933 | 914 | ||||||||||||||
Total investment income | 42,834 | 33,426 | 31,094 | 32,264 | 22,820 | ||||||||||||||
Expenses | |||||||||||||||||||
Management fees | 6,335 | 4,999 | 4,516 | 5,225 | 2,916 | ||||||||||||||
Incentive fees, net of waiver | 4,387 | 2,962 | 3,333 | 2,627 | 1,253 | ||||||||||||||
Other expenses | 13,727 | 9,588 | 9,100 | 11,001 | 9,516 | ||||||||||||||
Total expenses, net | 24,449 | 17,549 | 16,949 | 18,853 | 13,685 | ||||||||||||||
Net investment income | 18,385 | 15,877 | 14,145 | 13,411 | 9,135 | ||||||||||||||
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | (4,779 | ) | 6,833 | 2,404 | (1,562 | ) | (3,359 | ) | |||||||||||
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | (4,034 | ) | (14,800 | ) | (2,721 | ) | 6,382 | 4,164 | |||||||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 9,572 | 7,910 | 13,828 | 18,231 | 9,940 | ||||||||||||||
Per share data: | |||||||||||||||||||
Net asset value | $ | 13.10 | $ | 14.12 | $ | 14.82 | $ | 14.76 | $ | 14.24 | |||||||||
Net investment income | 1.38 | 1.28 | 1.46 | 1.39 | 0.95 | ||||||||||||||
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | (0.36 | ) | 0.55 | 0.25 | (0.17 | ) | (0.35 | ) | |||||||||||
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | (0.30 | ) | (1.19 | ) | (0.29 | ) | 0.66 | 0.42 | |||||||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 0.72 | 0.64 | 1.43 | 1.89 | 1.03 | ||||||||||||||
Distributions declared (1) | 1.73 | 1.36 | 1.36 | 1.36 | 1.36 | ||||||||||||||
Total return based on market value (7) | 3.5 | % | (4.7 | )% | 32.3 | % | 9.0 | % | 2.4 | % | |||||||||
Balance sheet data at period end: | |||||||||||||||||||
Investments, at fair value | $ | 396,797 | $ | 277,499 | $ | 281,627 | $ | 257,296 | $ | 312,234 | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 38,172 | 72,952 | 17,659 | 32,714 | 12,447 | ||||||||||||||
Other assets | 6,452 | 7,327 | 5,744 | 4,666 (2) | 11,823 (2) | ||||||||||||||
Total assets | 441,421 | 357,778 | 305,030 | 294,676 (2) | 336,504 (2) | ||||||||||||||
Debt | 254,826 | 164,823 | 156,343 | 146,460 (2) | 194,935 (2) | ||||||||||||||
Total liabilities | 266,398 | 169,442 | 161,252 | 151,664 (2) | 199,033 (2) | ||||||||||||||
Total net assets | 175,023 | 188,336 | 143,778 | 143,012 | 137,471 | ||||||||||||||
Other data (unaudited): | |||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average yield on performing debt investments (3) (6) | 11.50 | % | 12.11 | % | 12.08 | % | 11.89 | % | 9.53 | % | |||||||||
Weighted average yield on total debt investments (4) (6) | 11.12 | % | 11.59 | % | 11.72 | % | 11.84 | % | 9.41 | % | |||||||||
Weighted average yield on total investments (5) (6) | 10.49 | % | 10.35 | % | 10.88 | % | 10.79 | % | 8.99 | % | |||||||||
Number of portfolio companies at end of year | 50 | 37 | 41 | 39 | 62 | ||||||||||||||
(1) | The return of capital portion of these distributions for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014, was $0, $0, $0.09, $0.23, and $0.72, respectively. |
(2) | On January 1, 2016, we adopted ASU 2015-03 which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the debt liability rather than as an asset. Adoption of ASU 2015-03 requires the changes to be applied retrospectively. |
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(3) | The weighted average yield on our performing debt investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest on our debt investments at the balance sheet date, plus the annualized accretion of loan origination fees, original issue discount, market discount or premium, and loan amendment fees divided by (b) amortized cost of our debt investments, excluding debt investments in non-accrual status as of the balance sheet date. |
(4) | The weighted average yield on our total debt investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest on our debt investments at the balance sheet date, plus the annualized accretion of loan origination fees, original issue discount, market discount or premium, and loan amendment fees divided by (b) amortized cost of our debt investments, including debt investments in non-accrual status as of the balance sheet date. |
(5) | The weighted average yield on total investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest on our debt investments at the balance sheet date, plus the annualized accretion of loan origination fees, original issue discount, market discount or premium, and loan amendment fees, plus the cash effective yield on our performing preferred equity investments divided by (b) amortized cost of our total investment portfolio, including debt investments in non-accrual status basis as of the balance sheet date. |
(6) | The weighted average yield of our investments is not the same as a return on investment for our stockholders but, rather, the gross investment income from our investment portfolio before the payment of all of our fees and expenses. There can be no assurance that the weighted average yield will remain at its current level. |
(7) | Calculation is ending market value less beginning market value, adjusting for dividends and distributions reinvested at prices obtained in the Company’s dividend reinvestment plan for the respective distributions. |
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SELECTED QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA
Three Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, 2018 | September 30, 2018 | June 30, 2018 | March 31, 2018 | ||||||||||||
(dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
Total investment income | $ | 12,571 | $ | 10,982 | $ | 10,278 | $ | 9,003 | |||||||
Net investment income | 5,321 | 4,690 | 4,558 | 3,816 | |||||||||||
Net gain (loss) on investments | (9,416 | ) | 489 | 437 | (323 | ) | |||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | (4,095 | ) | 5,179 | 4,995 | 3,493 | ||||||||||
Net investment income per share – basic and diluted (1) | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.35 | $ | 0.34 | $ | 0.29 | |||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per share – basic and diluted (1) | $ | (0.30 | ) | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.37 | $ | 0.26 | ||||||
Net asset value per share (2) | $ | 13.10 | $ | 13.75 | $ | 13.70 | $ | 13.67 | |||||||
Three Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, 2017 | September 30, 2017 | June 30, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||
(dollar amounts in thousands) | |||||||||||||||
Total investment income | $ | 8,292 | $ | 9,122 | $ | 7,978 | $ | 8,034 | |||||||
Net investment income | 3,819 | 4,402 | 4,316 | 3,340 | |||||||||||
Net gain (loss) on investments | 331 | (3,227 | ) | (6,597 | ) | 1,526 | |||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | 4,150 | 1,175 | (2,281 | ) | 4,866 | ||||||||||
Net investment income per share – basic and diluted (1) | $ | 0.28 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.34 | |||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations per share – basic and diluted (1) | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.09 | $ | (0.17 | ) | $ | 0.50 | ||||||
Net asset value per share (2) | $ | 14.12 | $ | 14.15 | $ | 14.40 | $ | 14.98 | |||||||
(1) | Based on weighted average shares outstanding for the respective period. |
(2) | Based on shares outstanding at the end of the respective period. |
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RISK FACTORS
Before you invest in our securities, you should be aware of various risks, including those described below. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, and any prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not presently deemed material by us might also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and 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. The risk factors described below, together with those set forth in any prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, are the principal risk factors associated with an investment in our securities, as well as those factors generally associated with an investment company with investment objectives, investment policies, capital structure or trading markets similar to ours.
Risks Related to Our Business and Structure
We are dependent upon the OFS senior professionals for our future success and upon their access to the investment professionals and partners of OFS and its affiliates.
We do not have any internal management capacity or employees. We will depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the OFS senior professionals to achieve our investment objective. Our future success will depend, to a significant extent, on the continued service and coordination of the OFS senior management team, particularly Bilal Rashid, Senior Managing Director and President of OFSC, Jeffrey Cerny, Senior Managing Director and Treasurer of OFSC, and Mark Hauser, Senior Managing Director of OFSC. Each of these individuals is an employee at will of OFSC. In addition, we rely on the services of Richard Ressler, Chairman of the executive committee of OFSAM and Chairman of certain of the Advisor Investment Committees, pursuant to a consulting agreement with Orchard Capital Corporation. The departure of Mr. Ressler or any of the senior managers of OFSC, or of a significant number of its other investment professionals, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective.
We expect that OFS Advisor will continue to evaluate, negotiate, structure, close and monitor our investments in accordance with the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement. We can offer no assurance, however, that OFS senior professionals will continue to provide investment advice to us. If these individuals do not maintain their existing relationships with OFS and its affiliates and do not develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio or achieve our investment objective. In addition, individuals with whom the OFS senior professionals have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities. Therefore, we can offer no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.
OFS Advisor is a subsidiary of OFSAM that has no employees and depends upon access to the investment professionals and other resources of OFS and its affiliates to fulfill its obligations to us under the Investment Advisory Agreement. OFS Advisor also depends upon OFS to obtain access to deal flow generated by the professionals of OFS and its affiliates. Under a Staffing Agreement between OFSC, a subsidiary of OFSAM that employs OFS’s personnel, and OFS Advisor, OFSC has agreed to provide OFS Advisor with the resources necessary to fulfill these obligations. The Staffing Agreement provides that OFSC will make available to OFS Advisor experienced investment professionals and access to the senior investment personnel of OFSC for purposes of evaluating, negotiating, structuring, closing and monitoring our investments. We are not a party to this Staffing Agreement and cannot assure stockholders that OFSC will fulfill its obligations under the agreement. If OFSC fails to perform, we cannot assure stockholders that OFS Advisor will enforce the Staffing Agreement or that such agreement will not be terminated by either party or that we will continue to have access to the investment professionals of OFSC and its affiliates or their information and deal flow.
The investment committees that oversee our investment activities are provided by OFS Advisor under the Investment Advisory Agreement. The loss of any member of the Advisor Investment Committees or of other OFS senior professionals could limit our ability to achieve our investment objective and operate as we anticipate. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.
Our business model depends to a significant extent upon strong referral relationships with financial institutions, sponsors and investment professionals. Any inability of OFS Advisor to maintain or develop these relationships, or the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.
We depend upon OFS Advisor to maintain relationships with financial institutions, sponsors and investment professionals, and we will continue to rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. If OFS Advisor fails to maintain such relationships, or to develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the principals of OFS Advisor have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, we can offer no assurance that these relationships will generate investment opportunities for us in the future.
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Our financial condition and results of operation will depend on our ability to manage our business effectively.
Our ability to achieve our investment objective and grow will depend on our ability to manage our business. This will depend, in turn, on the ability of the Advisor Investment Committees to identify, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. The achievement of our investment objectives on a cost-effective basis will depend upon the Advisor Investment Committees' ability to execute our investment process, their ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us and, to a lesser extent, our access to financing on acceptable terms. OFS Advisor has substantial responsibilities under the Investment Advisory Agreement. OFS Advisor's senior professionals and other personnel of OFS Advisor's affiliates, including OFSC, may be called upon to provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. These activities may distract them or slow our rate of investment. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
To the extent PIK interest and PIK dividends constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash representing such income.
Our investments may include contractual PIK interest or PIK dividends, which represents contractual interest or dividends added to a loan balance or equity security and due at the end of such loan’s or equity security’s term. To the extent PIK interest and PIK dividends constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with such income being required to be included in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash. Such risks include:
• | The higher interest or dividend rates of PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased risk associated with these instruments, and PIK instruments often represent a significantly higher risk than non-PIK instruments. |
• | Even if the accounting conditions for income accrual are met, the borrower could still default when our actual collection is supposed to occur at the maturity of the obligation. |
• | PIK instruments may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require continuing judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. PIK income may also create uncertainty about the source of our cash distributions. |
• | For accounting purposes, any cash distributions to stockholders representing PIK income are not treated as coming from paid-in capital, even though the cash to pay them comes from the offering proceeds. As a result, despite the fact that a distribution representing PIK income could be paid out of amounts invested by our stockholders, the 1940 Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact by reporting it as a return of capital. |
PIK interest or dividends have the effect of generating investment income at a compounding rate, thereby further increasing the incentive fees payable to OFS Advisor. Similarly, all things being equal, the deferral associated with PIK interest or dividends also decreases the investment principal-to-value ratio at a compounding rate.
Many of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.
Many of our portfolio investments take the form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value of securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable. We value these securities at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors, including to reflect significant events affecting the value of our securities. All of our investments (other than cash and cash equivalents) are classified as Level 3 under Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement and Disclosures (ASC Topic 820). This means that our portfolio valuations are based on unobservable inputs and our own assumptions about how market participants would price the asset or liability in question. Inputs into the determination of fair value of our portfolio investments require significant management judgment or estimation. Even if observable market data are available, such information may be the result of consensus pricing information or broker quotes, which include a disclaimer that the broker would not be held to such a price in an actual transaction. The non-binding nature of consensus pricing and/or quotes accompanied by disclaimers materially reduces the reliability of such information. We presently retain the services of an independent service provider to prepare the valuation of these securities.
The types of factors that the board of directors takes into account in determining the fair value of our investments generally include, as appropriate, comparison to third-party yield benchmarks and comparison to publicly traded securities including such factors as yield, maturity and measures of credit quality, the enterprise value of a portfolio company, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the
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fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such securities.
We adjust quarterly the valuation of our portfolio to reflect our board of directors’ determination of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio. Any changes in fair value are recorded in our statement of income as net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation.
SBA regulations limit the outstanding dollar amount of SBA guaranteed debenture funding that may be received by an SBIC or group of SBICs under common control.
SBA regulations currently limit the amount that an SBIC may borrow to up to a maximum of $150 million (or $175 million with SBA approval) when it has at least $75 million in regulatory capital (or $87.5 million with approval to borrow up to $175 million), receives a leverage commitment from the SBA and has been through an examination by the SBA subsequent to licensing. For two or more SBICs under common control, the maximum amount of outstanding SBA debentures cannot exceed $350 million.
We cannot presently predict whether or not we will borrow the maximum permitted amount; if we reach the maximum dollar amount of SBA guaranteed debentures permitted, and thereafter 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, SBIC I LP’s status as an SBIC does not automatically assure that it will receive SBA guaranteed debenture funding. Receipt of SBA leverage funding is dependent upon whether SBIC I LP is and continues to be in compliance with SBA regulations and policies and whether funding is available. 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 SBIC I LP. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had fully funded its $75.0 million commitment to SBIC I LP. As of December 31, 2018, SBIC I LP had leverage commitments of approximately $149.9 million from the SBA, and $149.9 million of outstanding SBA-guaranteed debentures, leaving no incremental borrowing capacity under present SBA regulations.
SBIC I LP is subject to SBA regulations.
Our investment strategy includes SBIC I LP, which is regulated by the SBA. 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. If SBIC I LP 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 its ability to make new investments. The SBA, as a creditor, will have a superior claim to SBIC I LP’s assets over SBIC I LP’s limited partners and our stockholders in the event SBIC I LP is liquidated or the SBA exercises its remedies under the SBA debentures issued by SBIC I LP in the event of a default. 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. These actions by the SBA would, in turn, negatively affect us because of our ownership interest in SBIC I LP.
The SBA places certain limitations on the financing terms of investments by SBICs in portfolio companies and prohibits an SBIC from providing funds to small businesses for certain purposes, such as relending, real estate or investing in companies outside of the United States, and providing funds to businesses engaged in a few prohibited industries and to certain “passive” (i.e., non-operating) companies. In addition, without prior SBA approval, an SBIC may not invest an amount equal to more than approximately 30% of the SBIC’s regulatory capital in any one company and its affiliates. Compliance with SBIC requirements may cause SBIC I LP to forego attractive investment opportunities that are not permitted under SBA regulations.
SBIC I LP is subject to ongoing regulation and oversight by the SBA, including requirements with respect to maintaining certain minimum financial ratios and other covenants. In addition, SBIC I LP may also be limited in its ability to make distributions to us if it does not have sufficient accumulated net profit, in accordance with SBA regulations. These requirements may make it more difficult for us to achieve our investment objectives.
We finance our investments with borrowed money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us.
The use of leverage magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested. The use of leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique and increases the risks associated with investing in our securities. We may pledge up to 100% of our assets and may grant a security interest in all of our assets, other than assets held in SBIC I LP and our ownership interest in SBIC I LP and SBIC I GP, under the terms of any debt instruments we may enter into with lenders. In addition, under the terms of any credit facility or other debt instrument we enter into, we are likely to be required by its terms to use the net proceeds of any investments that we sell to repay a portion of the amount borrowed under such facility or instrument before applying such net proceeds to any other uses. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net
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asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged, thereby magnifying losses or eliminating our equity stake in a leveraged investment. Similarly, any decrease in our revenue or income will cause our net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline would also negatively affect our ability to make dividend payments on our common stock or preferred stock. Our ability to service our debt will depend largely on our financial performance and will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. Moreover, because the management fee payable to OFS Advisor is payable based on our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents and goodwill and intangible assets related to the SBIC Acquisition but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including assets owned by any consolidated entity), OFS Advisor has a financial incentive to incur leverage which may not be consistent with our stockholders’ interests. In addition, our common stockholders will bear the burden of any increase in our expenses as a result of our use of leverage, including interest expenses and any increase in the management fee payable to OFS Advisor.
As a BDC, generally we are not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage ratio for total borrowings of at least 200% (or 150% if certain requirements are met) (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% or 66 2/3% of the value of our assets). See "Regulation". In addition, we may not be permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on our outstanding common shares, or purchase any such shares, unless, at the time of such declaration or purchase, we have asset coverage of at least 200% (or 150% if certain requirements are met) after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution, or purchase price. If this ratio declines below the applicable threshold, we may not be able to incur additional debt and may need to sell a portion of our investments to repay some debt when it is disadvantageous to do so, and we may not be able to make distributions. As of December 31, 2018, our asset coverage ratio was 231%, excluding the debt held by SBIC I LP.
On May 3, 2018, the Board, including a "required majority" (as such item is determined in section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board, approved the application of a reduced 150% asset coverage ratio to us; therefore provided certain conditions are met, we will be subject to the reduced asset coverage ratio as of May 3, 2019.
The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming that we employ leverage such that our asset coverage equals (1) our actual asset coverage as of December 31, 2018 and (2) 150%, various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing in the table below.
Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (Net of Expenses) | |||||||||
(10)% | (5)% | —% | 5% | 10% | |||||
Corresponding return to common stockholder assuming actual asset coverage as of December 31, 2018 (1) | (30.00)% | (18.67)% | (7.33)% | 4.01% | 15.34% | ||||
Corresponding return to common stockholder assuming 150% asset coverage(2) | (53.92)% | (35.28%) | (16.63)% | 2.01% | 20.65% | ||||
(1) Assumes $396.8 million in investments at fair value, $260.4 million in debt outstanding, $175.0 million in net assets, and an average cost of funds of 4.9%. Assumptions are based on our financial condition and our average cost of funds at December 31, 2018.
(2) Assumes $630.1 million in investments at fair value, $484.2 million in debt outstanding, $169.0 million in net assets, and an average cost of funds of 5.8%. Assumptions are based on our financial condition and our average cost of funds, assuming 150% asset coverage, as of December 31, 2018.
Based on our outstanding indebtedness of $260.4 million as of December 31, 2018 and the average cost of funds of 4.9% as of that date, our investment portfolio must experience an annual return of at least 3.2% to cover interest payments on the outstanding debt. Based on our outstanding indebtedness of $484.2 million on an assumed 150% asset coverage and an average cost of funds of 5.8% as of that date, our investment portfolio must experience an annual return of at least 4.5% to cover interest payments on the outstanding debt.
These examples are for illustrative purposes only, and actual interest rates on our borrowings are likely to fluctuate. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources— Borrowings” for additional information.
The amount of our debt outstanding increased due to the issuance of the Unsecured Notes.
Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow in the future is, to some extent, subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors as well as other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations to meet the payment obligations of our debt.
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Because we have received the approval of our Board, we will be subject to 150% Asset Coverage beginning on May 3, 2019.
The 1940 Act generally prohibits us from incurring indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our assets). However, the SBCAA has modified the 1940 Act by allowing a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur from an asset coverage ratio of 200% to an asset coverage ratio of 150%, if certain requirements are met. Under the SBCAA, we are allowed to increase our leverage capacity if stockholders representing at least a majority of the votes cast, when quorum is met, approve a proposal to do so. If we receive stockholder approval, we would be allowed to increase our leverage capacity on the first day after such approval. Alternatively, the legislation allows a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our directors to approve an increase in our leverage capacity, and such approval would become effective after one year from the date of approval. In either case, we would be required to make certain disclosures on our website and in SEC filings regarding, among other things, the receipt of approval to increase our leverage, our leverage capacity and usage, and risks related to leverage.
On May 3, 2018 our Board approved the application of the reduced asset coverage ratio to us. As a result, we will be able to increase our leverage up to an amount that reduces our asset coverage ratio from 200% to 150% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 66 2/3% of the value of our assets) beginning on May 3, 2019, assuming that additional borrowings are available. Leverage magnifies the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and on invested equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. If the value of our assets increases, then the additional leverage would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not increased our leverage. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, the additional leverage would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not increased our leverage. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without the additional leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not increased our leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique. See “- Risks Related to Our Business and Structure - We finance our investments with borrowed money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us.”
In addition, the ability of BDCs to increase their leverage will increase the capital available to BDCs and thus competition for the investments that we seek to make. This may negatively impact pricing on the investments that we do make and adversely affect our net investment income and results of operations.
Changes in interest rates will affect our cost of capital and net investment income.
To the extent we borrow money or issue preferred stock to make investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay dividends on preferred stock and the rate at which we invest those funds. 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 the event we use debt to finance our investments. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net investment income. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Such techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.
A rise in the general level of interest rates typically leads to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates may result in an increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to OFS Advisor.
We may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which are another form of leverage.
We may enter into reverse repurchase agreements as part of our management of our temporary investment portfolio. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, we will effectively pledge our assets as collateral to secure a short-term loan. Generally, the other party to the agreement makes the loan in an amount equal to a percentage of the fair value of the pledged collateral. At the maturity of the reverse repurchase agreement, we will be required to repay the loan and correspondingly receive back our collateral. While used as collateral, the assets continue to pay principal and interest which are for the benefit of us.
Our use of reverse repurchase agreements, if any, involves many of the same risks involved in our use of leverage, as the proceeds from reverse repurchase agreements generally will be invested in additional securities. There is a risk that the market value of the securities acquired in the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities that we have sold but remain obligated to purchase. In addition, there is a risk that the market value of the securities retained by us may decline. If a buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement were to file for bankruptcy or experience insolvency, we may be adversely affected. Also, in entering into reverse repurchase agreements, we would bear the risk of loss to the extent that the proceeds of such agreements at settlement are less than the fair value of the underlying securities being pledged. In
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addition, due to the interest costs associated with reverse repurchase agreements transactions, our net asset value would decline, and, in some cases, we may be worse off than if we had not used such instruments.
We may in the future determine to fund a portion of our investments with preferred stock, which would magnify the potential for gain or loss and the risks of investing in us in the same way as our borrowings.
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 such preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and preferred stockholders 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.
We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities, which could reduce returns and result in losses.
A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we plan to make. We compete with public and private funds, other BDCs, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance companies and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity and hedge funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some of our competitors may have 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 than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or the source of income, asset diversification and distribution requirements we must satisfy to maintain our RIC tax treatment. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of instruments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to. The competitive pressures we face may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we may not be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.
With respect to the investments we make, we will not seek to compete based primarily on the interest rates we will offer, and we believe that some of our competitors may make loans with interest rates that will be lower than the rates we offer. In the secondary market for acquiring existing loans, we expect to compete generally on the basis of pricing terms. With respect to all investments, we may lose some investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. However, if we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income, lower yields and increased risk of credit loss. We may also compete for investment opportunities with OFSAM and its other affiliates or accounts managed by OFSAM or one of its other affiliates. Although OFS Advisor will allocate opportunities in accordance with its policies and procedures, allocations to such other accounts will reduce the amount and frequency of opportunities available to us and may not be in the best interests of us and our stockholders. Moreover, the performance of investments will not be known at the time of allocation.
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 volatile economic periods, such as the U.S. and many other economies have recently been experiencing.
We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax if we are unable to maintain our qualification as a RIC.
We have elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, but no assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain RIC status. As a RIC, we are not required to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on our income and capital gains distributed (or deemed distributed) to our stockholders, provided that we satisfy certain distribution and other requirements. To continue to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC under the Code and to be relieved of federal taxes on income and gains distributed to our stockholders, we must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. The distribution requirement for a RIC is satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders on an annual basis. Because we use debt financing, and may, in the future, issue preferred stock, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants under loan and credit agreements or preferred stock that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to maintain our qualification for the tax benefits available to RICs and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. To maintain our qualification as a RIC, we 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 most of our investments are in private or thinly traded public companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses. If we fail to continue to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC for any reason and become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for
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distributions to stockholders and the amount of our distributions and the amount of funds available for new investments. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders. See "Material Federal Income Tax Considerations—Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company."
Our subsidiaries and portfolio companies may be unable to make distributions to us that will enable us to meet RIC requirements, which could result in the imposition of an entity-level tax.
In order for us to maintain our tax treatment as a RIC and to minimize corporate-level taxes, we are required to distribute on an annual basis substantially all of our taxable income, which includes income from our subsidiaries and portfolio companies. As a substantial portion of our investments are made through SBIC I LP, we are significantly dependent on that entity for cash distributions to enable us to meet the RIC distribution requirements. SBIC I LP may be limited by the SBIC Act and SBA regulations governing SBICs from making certain distributions to us that may be necessary to enable us to continue to qualify as a RIC. We may have to request a waiver of the SBA’s restrictions for SBIC I LP to make certain distributions to maintain our tax treatment as a RIC and we cannot assure stockholders that the SBA will grant such waiver. If our subsidiaries and portfolio companies are unable to make distributions to us, this may result in loss of RIC tax treatment and a consequent imposition of a corporate-level federal income tax on us.
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 will include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as the accretion of OID. This may arise if we purchase assets at a discount, receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan or in other circumstances, or through contracted PIK interest or dividends (meaning interest or dividends paid in the form of additional principal amount of the loan or equity security instead of in cash), which represents contractual interest or dividends added to the loan balance or equity security and due at the end of the investment term. Such OID, which could be significant relative to our overall investment activities, or increases in loan or equity investment balances as a result of contracted PIK arrangements, will be included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash.
Since in certain cases 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 net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to maintain the tax benefits available to RICs. In such a case, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations and sourcings to meet these distribution requirements. If we sell built-in-gain assets, we may be required to recognize taxable income in respect of the built-in-gain on such assets. In such a case, we would have to distribute all of our taxable gain (including the built-in-gain) in respect of such sale to avoid the imposition of entity-level tax on such gain. If we are not able to obtain such cash from other sources, we may fail to maintain the tax benefits available to RICs and thus be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax.
We may in the future choose to pay distributions in our own stock, in which case stockholders may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash they receive.
We distribute taxable distributions that are payable in cash or shares of our common stock at the election of each stockholder. In accordance with guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service, a publicly traded RIC should generally be eligible to treat a distribution of its own stock as fulfilling its RIC distribution requirements if each stockholder is permitted to elect to receive his or her distribution in either cash or stock of the RIC (even where there is a limitation on the percentage of the distribution payable in cash, provided that the limitation is at least 20%), subject to the satisfaction of certain guidelines. If too many stockholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, each such stockholder would receive a pro rata share of the total cash to be distributed and would receive the remainder of their distribution in shares of stock. If this and certain other requirements are met, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the amount of the distribution paid in stock generally will be a taxable distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of stock. If we decide to make any distributions consistent with this guidance that are payable in part in our stock, stockholders receiving such distribution would be required to include the full amount of the distribution (whether received in cash, our stock, or a combination thereof) as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such distribution is properly designated as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for United States federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, it may be subject to transaction fees (e.g., broker fees or transfer agent fees) and the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.
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Because we expect to distribute substantially all of our net investment income and net realized capital gains to our stockholders, we may need additional capital to finance our growth and such capital may not be available on favorable terms or at all.
We have elected to be taxed for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. If we meet certain requirements, including source of income, asset diversification and distribution requirements, and if we continue to qualify as a BDC, we will continue to qualify for tax treatment as RIC under the Code and will not have to pay corporate-level taxes on income we distribute to our stockholders as dividends, allowing us to substantially reduce or eliminate our corporate-level U.S. federal tax liability. As a BDC, we are generally required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities, which includes all of our borrowings and any preferred stock we may issue in the future, of at least 200% at the time we issue any debt or preferred stock, or 150%, if certain requirements are met. This requirement limits the amount that we may borrow. Because we will continue to need capital to grow our investment portfolio, this limitation may prevent us from incurring debt or preferred stock and require us to raise additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. We cannot assure investors that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, and debt financings may be restricted by the terms of any of our outstanding borrowings. In addition, as a BDC, we are generally not permitted to issue common stock 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 lending and investment activities, and our net asset value could decline.
Our PWB Credit Facility contains various covenants and restrictions which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations under the credit facility or limit its use, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions.
As of April 10, 2019, the PWB Credit Facility provides us with a senior secured revolving line of credit of up to $100.0 million, with maximum availability equal to 50% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount of eligible loans included in the borrowing base and otherwise specified in the PWB Credit Facility. The PWB Credit Facility is guaranteed by our subsidiaries OFS Capital WM and OFSC-MB, Inc. and secured by all of our current and future assets excluding assets held by SBIC I LP and our SBIC I LP and SBIC I GP partnership interests and certain other financing subsidiaries. The PWB Credit Facility contains customary terms and conditions, including, without limitation, affirmative and negative covenants such as information reporting requirements, a minimum tangible net asset value, a minimum quarterly net investment income after incentive fees, a statutory asset coverage test and a total liabilities to net asset value covenant. The PWB Credit Facility also contains customary events of default, including, without limitation, nonpayment, misrepresentation of representations and warranties in a material respect, breach of covenant, cross-default to other indebtedness, bankruptcy, change in investment advisor, and the occurrence of a material adverse change in our financial condition. The PWB Credit Facility permits us to fund additional investments as long as we are within the conditions set out in the PWB Credit Facility. Our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, and there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. Our failure to satisfy these covenants could result in foreclosure by our lender, which would accelerate our repayment obligations under the PWB Credit Facility and thereby have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions to our stockholders. We had $12.0 million outstanding under the PWB Credit Facility as of December 31, 2018. Availability under the PWB Credit Facility as of December 31, 2018 was $38.0 million based on the stated advance rate of 50% under the borrowing base.
Global capital markets could enter a period of severe disruption and instability. These conditions have historically affected and could again materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and around the world and our business.
The current worldwide financial market situation, as well as various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world, may contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets and may cause economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. The impact of downgrades by rating agencies to the United States government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness as well as potential government shutdowns could adversely affect the United States and global financial markets and economic conditions. Since 2010, several European Union, or EU, countries have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the Euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union member countries. In addition, the fiscal policy of foreign nations, such as Russia and China, may have a severe impact on the worldwide and United States financial markets. The decision made in the United Kingdom referendum to leave the EU (the so-called “Brexit”) has led to volatility in global financial markets and may lead to weakening in consumer, corporate and financial confidence in the United Kingdom and Europe. While the United Kingdom is currently expected to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, uncertainty remains as to the exact timing and process, which may lead to continued volatility. Additionally, volatility in the Chinese stock markets and global markets for commodities may affect other financial markets worldwide. We cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the United States
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and global economies and securities markets or on our investments. We monitor developments in economic, political and market conditions and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.
Adverse developments in the credit markets may impair our ability to secure debt financing.
During the economic downturn in the United States that began in mid-2007, many commercial banks and other financial institutions stopped lending or significantly curtailed their lending activity. In addition, in an effort to stem losses and reduce their exposure to segments of the economy deemed to be high risk, some financial institutions limited routine refinancing and loan modification transactions and even reviewed the terms of existing facilities to identify bases for accelerating the maturity of existing lending facilities. As a result, should we experience another economic downturn in the United States, it may be difficult for us to obtain desired financing to finance the growth of our investments on acceptable economic terms, or at all.
If we are unable to consummate credit facilities on commercially reasonable terms, our liquidity may be reduced significantly. If we are unable to repay amounts outstanding under any facility we may enter into and are declared in default or are unable to renew or refinance any such facility, it would limit our ability to initiate significant originations or to operate our business in the normal course. These situations may arise due to circumstances that we may be unable to control, such as inaccessibility of the credit markets, a severe decline in the value of the U.S. dollar, a further economic downturn or an operational problem that affects third parties or us, and could materially damage our business. Moreover, we are unable to predict when economic and market conditions may become more favorable. Even if such conditions improve broadly and significantly over the long term, adverse conditions in particular sectors of the financial markets could adversely impact our business.
Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may impact the businesses in which we invest and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Terrorist acts, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest. Such acts have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to global economic instability. Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic/global economies and create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impact the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition. Losses from terrorist attacks and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.
The failure in cybersecurity 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 cyberattack, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, 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 cyberattacks 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.
Third parties with whom we do business may also be sources of cybersecurity or other technological risks. We outsource certain functions and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information, as well as customer, counterparty, employee and borrower information. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure or destruction of data, or other cybersecurity incidents, with increased costs and other consequences, including those described above.
We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results.
We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such securities, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, distributions from our subsidiaries and portfolio companies, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. In light of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.
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Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business, or changes in the interpretations thereof, and any failure by us to comply with these laws or regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our, and our portfolio companies’, business, results of operations or financial condition.
We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation by laws at the U.S. federal, state and local levels, including those that govern BDCs, SBICs, RICs, or non-depository commercial lenders. These laws and regulations, including applicable accounting standards, as well as their interpretation, may change from time to time, and new laws, regulations, accounting standards and interpretations may also come into effect. Any such new or changed laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are also 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. 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.
In addition, changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations related to permitted investments may cause us to alter our investment strategy, including making investments in entities such as SBIC I LP, in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities. Such changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans set forth in this prospectus and our accounting practices described in this prospectus, and may shift our investment focus from the areas of expertise of OFS Advisor to other types of investments in which OFS Advisor may have little or no expertise or experience. Any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of a stockholder’s investment.
Over the last several years, there has been an increase in regulatory attention to the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, raising the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new or different regulation. While it cannot be known at this time whether these regulations will be implemented or what form they will take, increased regulation of non-bank credit extension could negatively impact our operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or otherwise adversely affect our business.
Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us.
Significant U.S. federal tax reform legislation was recently enacted that, among other things, permanently reduces the maximum federal corporate income tax rate, reduces the maximum individual income tax rate (effective for taxable years 2018 through 2025), restricts the deductibility of business interest expense, changes the rules regarding the calculation of net operating loss deductions that may be used to offset taxable income, expands the circumstances in which a foreign corporation will be treated as a “controlled foreign corporation” and, under certain circumstances, requires accrual method taxpayers to recognize income for U.S. federal income tax purposes no later than the income is taken into account as revenue in an applicable financial statement. The impact of this new legislation on us, our stockholders and the entities in which we may invest is uncertain. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the effects of the new legislation on an investment in us.
We cannot predict with certainty how any future changes in the tax laws might affect us, our investors or our portfolio investments. New legislation and any U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions interpreting such legislation could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to us and our investors of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding tax legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our securities.
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 on-going discussion and commentary regarding potential significant changes to United States trade policies, treaties and tariffs. There is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States 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.
The effect of global climate change may impact the operations of our portfolio companies.
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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 systems backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stresses, including service interruptions.
Loss of status as a RIC would reduce our net asset value and distributable income.
We have qualified as a RIC under the Code. As a RIC we do not have to pay federal income taxes on our income (including realized gains) that we distribute to our stockholders, provided that we satisfy certain distribution and other requirements. Accordingly, we are not permitted under accounting rules to establish reserves for taxes on our unrealized capital gains. If we fail to qualify for RIC status in any year, to the extent that we had unrealized gains, we would have to establish reserves for taxes, which would reduce our net asset value and the amount potentially available for distribution. In addition, if we, as a RIC, were to decide to make a deemed distribution of net realized capital gains and retain the net realized capital gains, we would have to establish appropriate reserves for taxes that we would have to pay on behalf of stockholders. It is possible that establishing reserves for taxes could have a material adverse effect on the value of our common stock.
Our board of directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.
Our board of directors has the authority, except as otherwise provided in the 1940 Act, to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. However, absent stockholder approval, we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or withdraw our election as, a BDC. Under Delaware law, we also cannot be dissolved without prior stockholder approval except by judicial action. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and the price value of our common stock. Nevertheless, any such changes could adversely affect our business and impair our ability to make distributions.
We incur significant costs as a result of being a publicly traded company.
As a publicly traded company, we incur legal, accounting and other expenses, including costs associated with the periodic reporting requirements applicable to a company whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, as well as additional corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules implemented by the SEC.
Efforts to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may adversely affect us and the market price of our securities.
Under current SEC rules, we are required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules and regulations of the SEC. We are required to review our internal control over financial reporting on an annual basis, and evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting on a quarterly and annual basis.
As a result, we expect to continue to incur additional expenses that may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. This process also results in a diversion of management’s time and attention. In the event that we are unable to maintain compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we and the market price of our securities may be adversely affected.
We previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, which has since been remediated. Any future failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have an adverse effect on our business and stock price.
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.
We previously identified a material weakness related to the design and operating effectiveness of controls over the reliability of financial information reported by portfolio companies that is used as financial inputs in the Company’s investment valuations. We addressed the material weakness through, among other things, adding new and/or enhanced existing controls surrounding the valuation process and financial reporting oversight of various controlled/affiliated portfolio companies.
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Although we have remediated this material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, any failure to improve our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting to address any identified weaknesses in the future, if and when they are identified, could prevent us from maintaining accurate accounting records and discovering material accounting errors. Any of these results could adversely affect our business and the value of our common stock.
Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability and we cannot predict when these conditions will occur. Such market conditions could materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The global capital markets have experienced a period of disruption as evidenced by a lack of liquidity in the debt capital markets, write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk and the failure of certain major financial institutions. While the capital markets have improved, these conditions could deteriorate again in the future. During such market disruptions, we may have difficulty raising debt or equity capital, especially as a result of regulatory constraints.
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 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.
Various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world, including in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia, may continue to contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. Several EU countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, continue to face budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is also continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union member countries. The recent United States and global economic downturn, or a return to the recessionary period in the United States, could adversely impact our investments. We cannot predict the duration of the effects related to these or similar events in the future on the United States economy and securities markets or on our investments. We monitor developments and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.
Risks Related to OFS Advisory and its Affiliates
We have potential conflicts of interest related to obligations that OFS Advisor or its affiliates may have to other clients.
OFS Advisor and its affiliates manage other assets, including those of other BDCs, registered investment companies, separately managed accounts, accounts for which OFS Advisor or its affiliates may serve as a subadvisor and CLOs, and may manage other entities in the future, and these other funds and entities may have similar or overlapping investment strategies. Our executive officers, directors and members of the Advisor Investment Committees serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds or other investment vehicles managed by OFS Advisor or its affiliates. Accordingly, they may have obligations to investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which might not be in our or our stockholders’ best interests or may require them to devote time to services for other entities, which could interfere with the time available to provide services to us. For example, OFS Advisor currently serves as the investment adviser to HPCI, a non-traded BDC, that invests in senior secured loans of middle-market companies in the United States, similar to those we target for investment, including first-lien, second-lien and unitranche loans as well as subordinated loans and, to a lesser extent, warrants and other equity securities. OFS Advisor also serves as the investment adviser to OCCI, a closed-end management investment company that primarily invests in CLO debt and subordinated securities. Therefore, many investment opportunities will satisfy the investment criteria for both HPCI and us and, in certain instances, investment opportunities may be appropriate for OCCI and us. HPCI operates as a distinct and separate entity and any investment in our common stock will not be an investment in HPCI. In addition, our executive officers and certain of our independent directors serve in substantially similar capacities for HPCI and OCCI. Similarly, OFS Advisor and/or its affiliates may have other clients with, similar, different or competing investment objectives. In serving in these multiple capacities, our executive officers and directors, OFS Advisor and/or its affiliates, and members of the Advisor Investment Committees may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders.
OFS Advisor and OFSAM have procedures and policies in place designed to manage the potential conflicts of interest between OFS Advisor’s fiduciary obligations to us and its fiduciary obligations to other clients. For example, such policies and procedures are designed to ensure that investment opportunities are allocated in a fair and equitable manner among us and other clients of OFS Advisor. An investment opportunity that is suitable for clients of OFS Advisor may not be capable of being
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shared among some or all of such clients due to the limited scale of the opportunity or other factors, including regulatory restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to participate in all investment opportunities that are suitable to us.
Our independent directors may face conflicts of interest related to their obligations to the affiliated BDC for which they also serve as independent directors.
The independent directors of our board of directors also comprise the independent directors of the board of directors of HPCI, an affiliated BDC that is also managed by OFS Advisor. In their capacities as directors for a BDC board, the independent directors have a duty to make decisions on behalf of that BDC that are in the best interests of that BDC and its stockholders. Accordingly, our independent directors may face conflicts of interest when making a decision on behalf of one BDC that may not be in the best interest of the other BDC. For example, the SEC has granted exemptive relief to us, OFS Advisor, HPCI, and certain other of our affiliates to co-invest in certain transactions that would otherwise be prohibited by the 1940 Act. In accordance with that relief, the independent directors must make certain findings on behalf of each BDC with respect to initial co-investment transactions, including that the terms of the proposed transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to the BDC and its stockholders and do not involve overreaching in respect of the BDC or its stockholders on the part of any of the other participants in the proposed transaction. Under such circumstances, the independent directors may face conflicts of interest when making these determinations on behalf of us and HPCI.
Members of the Advisor Investment Committees, OFS Advisor or its affiliates may, from time to time, possess material non-public information, limiting our investment discretion.
OFS senior professionals and members of the Advisor Investment Committees may serve as directors of, or in a similar capacity with, companies in which we invest, the securities of which are purchased or sold on our behalf. In the event that material nonpublic information is obtained with respect to such companies, or we become subject to trading restrictions under the internal trading policies of those companies or as a result of applicable law or regulations, we could be prohibited for a period of time from purchasing or selling the securities of such companies, and this prohibition may have an adverse effect on us and our stockholders.
The valuation process for certain of our portfolio holdings may create a conflict of interest.
Many of our portfolio investments are made in the form of securities that are not publicly traded. As a result, our board of directors will determine the fair value of these securities in good faith as described below in “Many of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.” In connection with that determination, investment professionals from OFS Advisor may provide our board of directors with portfolio company valuations based upon the most recent portfolio company financial statements available and projected financial results of each portfolio company. In addition, the members of our board of directors who are not independent directors have a substantial indirect pecuniary interest in OFS Advisor. The participation of the OFS Advisor’s investment professionals in our valuation process, and the indirect pecuniary interest in OFS Advisor by those members of our board of directors, could result in a conflict of interest since OFS Advisor’s management fee is based, in part, on our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including assets owned by any consolidated entity).
We may have additional conflicts related to other arrangements with OFS Advisor or its affiliates.
We have entered into a license agreement with OFSAM under which OFSAM has granted us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the name “OFS.” See “Management and Other Agreements—License Agreement.” In addition, we rent office space from a subsidiary of OFSAM and pay to that subsidiary our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement, such as rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our officers, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief compliance officer and chief accounting officer. This will create conflicts of interest that our board of directors must monitor.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with the OFS Advisor and the Administration Agreement with OFS Services were not negotiated on an arm’s length basis and may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.
The Investment Advisory Agreement and the Administration Agreement were negotiated between related parties. Consequently, their terms, including fees payable to OFS Advisor, may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party. In addition, we could choose not to enforce, or to enforce less vigorously, our rights and remedies under these agreements because of our desire to maintain our ongoing relationship with OFS Advisor, OFS Services and their respective affiliates. Any such decision, however, would breach our fiduciary obligations to our stockholders.
Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted, which may limit the scope of investments available to us.
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BDCs generally are prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with their affiliates without the prior approval of their independent directors and, in some cases, of the SEC. Those transactions include purchases and sales, and so-called “joint” transactions, in which a BDC and one or more of its affiliates engage in certain types of profit-making activities. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, five percent or more of a BDC’s outstanding voting securities will be considered an affiliate of the BDC for purposes of the 1940 Act, and a BDC generally is prohibited from engaging in purchases or sales of assets or joint transactions with such affiliates, absent the prior approval of the BDC’s independent directors. Additionally, without the approval of the SEC, a BDC is prohibited from engaging in purchases or sales of assets or joint transactions with the BDC’s officers, directors, and employees, and advisor (and its affiliates).
BDCs may, however, invest alongside certain related parties or their respective other clients in certain circumstances where doing so is consistent with current law and SEC staff interpretations. For example, a BDC may invest alongside such accounts consistent with guidance promulgated by the SEC staff permitting us and such other accounts to purchase interests in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that the BDC’s advisor, acting on the BDC’s behalf and on behalf of other clients, negotiates no term other than price. Co-investment with such other accounts is not permitted or appropriate under this guidance when there is an opportunity to invest in different securities of the same issuer or where the different investments could be expected to result in a conflict between the BDC’s interests and those of other accounts.
On October 12, 2016, we received the Order from the SEC that permits us to co-invest in portfolio companies with certain affiliates, provided that we comply with the conditions of the Order. Pursuant to the Order, we are generally permitted to co-invest with BDCs, registered investment companies and private funds managed by OFS Advisor or any adviser that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, OFS Advisor, and is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act, in a manner consistent with our investment strategy as well as applicable law, including the terms and conditions of the Order. Under the terms of the Order, a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors must make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our stockholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our stockholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our stockholders and is consistent with our investment objective and strategies.
When we invest alongside clients of OFSAM and its affiliates or their respective other clients, OFS Advisor will, to the extent consistent with applicable law, regulatory guidance, or the Order, allocate investment opportunities in accordance with its allocation policy. Under this allocation policy, if two or more investment vehicles with similar or overlapping investment strategies are in their investment periods, an available opportunity will be allocated based on the provisions governing allocations of such investment opportunities in the relevant organizational, offering or similar documents, if any, for such investment vehicles. In the absence of any such provisions, OFS Advisor will consider the following factors and the weight that should be given with respect to each of these factors:
• | investment guidelines and/or restrictions, if any, set forth in the applicable organizational, offering or similar documents for the investment vehicles; |
• | the status of tax restrictions and tests and other regulatory restrictions and tests; |
• | risk and return profile of the investment vehicles; |
• | suitability/priority of a particular investment for the investment vehicles; |
• | if applicable, the targeted position size of the investment for the investment vehicles |
• | level of available cash for investment with respect to the investment vehicles; |
• | total amount of funds committed to the investment vehicles; and |
• | the age of the investment vehicles and the remaining term of their respective investment periods, if any. |
When not relying on the Order, priority as to opportunities will generally be given to clients that are in their “ramp-up” period over the accounts that are outside their ramp-up period but still within their investment or re-investment periods. However, application of one or more of the factors listed above, or other factors determined to be relevant or appropriate, may result in the allocation of an investment opportunity to a fund no longer in its ramp-up period over a fund that is still within its ramp-up period.
In situations where co-investment with other accounts is not permitted or appropriate, OFS Advisor will need to decide which account will proceed with the investment. The decision by OFS Advisor to allocate an opportunity to another entity could cause us to forego an investment opportunity that we otherwise would have made. These restrictions, and similar restrictions that limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates, may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.
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Our base management fee may induce OFS Advisor to cause us to incur leverage.
Our base management fee is payable based upon our total assets, other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including assets owned by any consolidated entity. This fee structure may encourage OFS Advisor to cause us to borrow money to finance additional investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of borrowed money may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor holders of our common stock. Given the subjective nature of the investment decisions made by OFS Advisor on our behalf, our board of directors may not be able to monitor this potential conflict of interest effectively.
Our incentive fee may induce OFS Advisor to make certain investments, including speculative investments.
The incentive fee payable by us to OFS Advisor may create an incentive for OFS Advisor to make investments on our behalf that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to OFS Advisor is determined may encourage OFS Advisor to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor our stockholders.
OFS Advisor receives an incentive fee based, in part, upon net capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike that portion of the incentive fee based on income, there is no hurdle rate applicable to the portion of the incentive fee based on net capital gains. As a result, OFS Advisor may have a tendency to invest more capital in investments that are likely to result in capital gains as compared to income producing securities. Such a practice could result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise be the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during economic downturns.
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, will bear our ratable share of any such investment company’s expenses, including management and performance fees. We remain obligated to pay management and incentive fees to OFS 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 stockholders will bear his or her share of the management and incentive fee of OFS Advisor as well as indirectly bearing the management and performance fees and other expenses of any investment companies in which we invest.
Our board of directors is charged with protecting our interests by monitoring how OFS Advisor addresses these and other conflicts of interests associated with its management services and compensation. While our board of directors is not expected to review or approve each borrowing or incurrence of leverage, our independent directors will periodically review OFS Advisor’s services and fees. In connection with these reviews, our independent directors will consider whether our fees and expenses (including those related to leverage) remain appropriate.
Our incentive fee structure may create incentives for OFS Advisor that are not fully aligned with the interests of our stockholders.
In the course of our investing activities, we will pay management and incentive fees to OFS Advisor. The base management fee is based on our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents and the intangible asset and goodwill resulting from the SBIC Acquisition, but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including assets owned by any consolidated entity). As a result, investors in our common stock will invest on a “gross” basis and receive distributions on a “net” basis after expenses, resulting in a lower rate of return than one might achieve through direct investments. Because these fees are based on our total assets, other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including any assets owned by any consolidated entity, OFS Advisor will benefit when we incur debt or use leverage. Our board of directors is charged with protecting our interests by monitoring how OFS Advisor addresses these and other conflicts of interests associated with its management services and compensation. While our board of directors is not expected to review or approve each borrowing or incurrence of leverage, our independent directors will periodically review OFS Advisor’s services and fees as well as its portfolio management decisions and portfolio performance. In connection with these reviews, our independent directors will consider whether our fees and expenses (including those related to leverage) remain appropriate. As a result of this arrangement, OFS Advisor or its affiliates may from time to time have interests that differ from those of our stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.
We may pay an incentive fee on income we do not receive in cash.
The part of the incentive fee payable to OFS Advisor that relates to our pre-incentive fee net investment income is computed and paid on income that may include interest income that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. This fee structure may be considered to involve a conflict of interest for OFS Advisor to the extent that it may encourage OFS Advisor to favor debt financings that provide for deferred interest, rather than current cash payments of interest. OFS Advisor may have an incentive to invest in deferred interest securities in circumstances where it would not have done so but for the opportunity to continue to earn the incentive fee even when the issuers of the deferred interest securities would not be able to make actual cash payments to us on such securities. This risk could be increased because OFS Advisor is not obligated to reimburse us for any
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incentive fees received even if we subsequently incur losses or never receive in cash the deferred income that was previously accrued.
OFS Advisor’s liability is limited under the Investment Advisory Agreement, and we have agreed to indemnify OFS Advisor against certain liabilities, which may lead OFS Advisor to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, OFS Advisor will not assume any responsibility to us other than to render the services called for under that agreement, and it will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors in following or declining to follow OFS Advisor’s advice or recommendations. Under the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, OFS Advisor and its affiliates’ respective officers, directors, members, managers, stockholders and employees will not be liable to us, any subsidiary of ours, our directors, our stockholders or any subsidiary’s stockholders or partners for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, except those resulting from acts constituting gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of such person’s duties under the Investment Advisory Agreement. In addition, we have agreed to indemnify OFS Advisor and its affiliates’ respective officers, directors, members, managers, stockholders and employees from and against any claims or liabilities, including reasonable legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred, arising out of or in connection with our business and operations or any action taken or omitted on our behalf pursuant to authority granted by the Investment Advisory Agreement, except where attributable to gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of such person’s duties under the Investment Advisory Agreement. These protections may lead OFS Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.
OFS 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.
OFS Advisor has the right, under the Investment Advisory Agreement, to resign at any time upon not less than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If OFS 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 value of our shares 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 OFS 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 objectives may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.
OFS Services can resign from its role as our Administrator under the Administration Agreement, and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.
OFS Services has the right to resign under the Administration Agreement, whether we have found a replacement or not. If OFS Services resigns, we may not be able to find a new administrator or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms, 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 value of our shares may decline. In addition, the coordination of our internal management and administrative activities is likely to suffer if we are unable to identify and reach an agreement with a service provider or individuals with the expertise possessed by OFS Services. Even if we are able to retain a comparable service provider or individuals to perform such services, whether internal or external, their integration into our business and lack of familiarity with our investment objectives may result in additional costs and time delays that may adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations.
Risks Related to BDCs
Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to and the way in which we raise additional capital. As a BDC, we will need to raise additional capital, which will expose us to risks, including the typical risks associated with leverage.
We may issue debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted as a BDC to issue senior securities in amounts such that our asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% (or 150% if certain conditions are satisfied) of gross assets less all liabilities and
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indebtedness not represented by senior securities, after each issuance of senior securities. If the value of our assets decline, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous. Also, any amounts that we use to service our indebtedness would not be available for distributions to our common stockholders. If we issue senior securities, we will be exposed to typical risks associated with leverage, including an increased risk of loss.
On May 3, 2018, the Board, including a "required majority" (as such item is determined in section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board, approved the application of a reduced 150% asset coverage ratio to us; therefore provided certain conditions are met, we will be subject to the reduced asset coverage ratio as of May 3, 2019.
As of December 31, 2018, we had $260.4 million of debt outstanding. Our ability to incur additional debt and remain in compliance with the asset coverage test will be limited. We may seek an additional credit facility to finance investments or for working capital requirements. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such financing on favorable terms or at all. We have received an exemptive order from the SEC to permit us to exclude the debt of SBIC I LP guaranteed by the SBA from our definition of senior securities in our statutory asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act.
If we issue preferred stock, the preferred stock would rank “senior” to common stock in our capital structure, preferred stockholders would have separate voting rights on certain matters and might have other rights, preferences or privileges more favorable than those of our common stockholders, and the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or otherwise be in our stockholders’ best interest. Holders of our common stock will directly or indirectly bear all of the costs associated with offering and servicing any preferred stock that we issue. In addition, any interests of preferred stockholders may not necessarily align with the interests of holders of our common stock and the rights of holders of shares of preferred stock to receive dividends would be senior to those of holders of shares of our common stock. We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current net asset value per share of our common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale is in the best interests of us and our stockholders, and if our stockholders approve any such sale. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price that, in the determination of our board of directors, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). If we raise additional funds by issuing common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, then the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time will decrease, and our stockholders might experience dilution.
Our ability to invest in public companies may be limited in certain circumstances.
To maintain our status as a BDC, we are not permitted to acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our assets, as defined by the 1940 Act, are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions). Subject to certain exceptions for follow-on investments and distressed companies, an investment in an issuer that has outstanding securities listed on a national securities exchange may be treated as a qualifying asset only if such issuer has a common equity market capitalization that is less than $250 million at the time of such investment and meets the other specified requirements.
If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could fail to continue to qualify as a BDC or be precluded from investing according to our current business strategy.
As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our assets, as defined by the 1940 Act, are qualifying assets.
We believe that most of the investments that we may acquire in the future will constitute qualifying assets. However, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 1940 Act. If a sufficient portion of our assets are not qualifying assets, we could violate the 1940 Act provisions applicable to BDCs. As a result of such violation, specific rules under the 1940 Act could prevent us, for example, 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 inappropriate times in order to come into compliance with the 1940 Act. If we need to dispose of such investments quickly, it could be difficult to dispose of such investments on favorable terms. We may not be able to find a buyer for such investments and, even if we do find a buyer, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial loss. Any such outcomes would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations
If we do not maintain our status as a BDC, we would be subject to regulation as a registered closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act. As a registered closed-end fund, we would be subject to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act which would significantly decrease our operating flexibility.
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Risks Related to Our Investments
Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.
Many of our portfolio companies are susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions 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 our 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 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, lenders in certain cases can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them when they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over a borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender liability claim, including as a result of actions taken if we render significant managerial assistance to the borrower. Furthermore, if one of our portfolio companies were to file for bankruptcy protection, even though we may have structured our investment as senior secured debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt holding and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to claims of other creditors.
Our investments in the debt instruments of leveraged portfolio companies may be risky and, due to the significant volatility of such companies, we could lose all or part of our investment in bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise.
Investment in leveraged companies involves a number of significant risks. Leveraged companies in which we invest may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold due to the significant volatility of such companies. Negative developments may be accompanied by deterioration of the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing any guarantees that we may have obtained in connection with our investment. Such developments may ultimately result in the leveraged companies in which we invest entering into bankruptcy proceedings, which have a number of inherent risks. Many events in a bankruptcy proceeding are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer. If the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is also difficult to predict, and a creditor’s return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization or liquidation ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtor’s estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, our influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations we own may be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process, it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial. In addition, since our mezzanine loans are generally subordinated to senior loans and are generally unsecured, other creditors may rank senior to us in the event of a bankruptcy proceeding.
Our investments in debt instruments may include “covenant-lite” loans. Covenants are contractual restrictions that lenders place on companies to limit the corporate actions a company may pursue. Generally, the loans in which we expect to invest will have financial maintenance covenants, which are used to proactively address materially adverse changes in a portfolio company’s financial performance. However, to a lesser extent, we may invest in “covenant-lite” loans. We use the term “covenant-lite” to refer generally to loans that do not have a complete set of financial maintenance covenants. Generally, “covenant-lite” loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Accordingly, to the extent we invest in “covenant-lite” loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants.
Our investments in private and middle-market portfolio companies are generally considered lower credit quality obligations, are risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.
Investment in private and middle-market companies involves a number of significant risks. Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we rely on the ability of OFS Advisor’s investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. If we are unable to uncover all
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material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Middle-market companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment. Such companies typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns.
Middle-market companies are more likely to be considered lower grade investments, commonly called “junk bonds,” which are either 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 OFS Advisor to be of comparable quality. Lower grade securities or comparable unrated securities are considered predominantly speculative regarding 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, an investment in our company is subject to the following specific risks: increased price sensitivity to a deteriorating economic environment; greater risk of loss due to default or declining credit quality; adverse company specific events are more likely to render the issuer unable to make interest and/or principal payments; and if a negative perception of the lower grade debt market develops, the price and liquidity of lower grade securities may be depressed. This negative perception could last for a significant period of time.
Additionally, middle-market companies are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons. Therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our portfolio company and, in turn, on us. Middle-market companies also may be parties to litigation and may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence. In addition, our executive officers, directors and OFS Advisor may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies.
Investments in equity securities involve a substantial degree of risk.
We have purchased, and may purchase in the future, common stock and other equity securities, including warrants, in various portfolio companies. Although equity securities historically have generated higher average total returns than debt securities over the long term, equity securities may experience more volatility in those returns than debt securities. The equity securities we acquire may fail to appreciate, decline in value or lose all value, and our ability to recover our investment will depend on our portfolio company's success. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including the risk of further dilution in the event the portfolio company issues additional securities. Investments in preferred securities involve special risks, such as the risk of deferred distributions, illiquidity and limited voting rights.
Our equity ownership in a portfolio company may represent a control investment. Our ability to exit a control investment in a timely manner could result in a realized loss on the investment.
If we obtain a control investment in a portfolio company, our ability to divest ourselves from a debt or equity investment could be restricted due to illiquidity in a private stock, limited trading volume on a public company’s stock, inside information on a company’s performance, insider blackout periods, or other factors that could prohibit us from disposing of the investment as we would if it were not a control investment. Additionally, we may choose not to take certain actions to protect a debt investment in a control investment portfolio company. As a result, we could experience a decrease in the value of our portfolio company holdings and potentially incur a realized loss on the investment.
Our investments in CLOs carry additional risks to the risks associated with investing in private debt.
In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities and structured products discussed herein, CLOs carry additional risks, including, but not limited to (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the investments in CLOs are subordinate to other classes or tranches thereof, (iv) the potential of spread compression in the underlying loans of the CLO, which could reduce credit enhancement in the CLOs and (v) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. CLO equity securities that we may acquire are subordinated to more senior tranches of CLO debt. CLO equity securities are subject to increased risks of default relative to the holders of superior priority interests in the same securities. In addition, at the time of issuance, CLO equity securities are under-collateralized in that the liabilities of a CLO at inception exceed its total assets. When we invest in CLOs, we may be in a first loss or subordinated position with respect to realized losses on the assets of the CLOs in which it is invested. We may recognize phantom taxable income from our investments in the subordinated tranches of CLOs.
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Between the closing date and the effective date of a CLO, the CLO collateral manager will generally expect to purchase additional collateral obligations for the CLO. During this period, the price and availability of these collateral obligations may be adversely affected by a number of market factors, including price volatility and availability of investments suitable for the CLO, which could hamper the ability of the collateral manager to acquire a portfolio of collateral obligations that will satisfy specified concentration limitations and allow the CLO to reach the initial par amount of collateral prior to the effective date. An inability or delay in reaching the target initial par amount of collateral may adversely affect the timing and amount of interest or principal payments received by the holders of the CLO debt securities and distributions of the CLO on equity securities and could result in early redemptions which may cause CLO debt and equity investors to receive less than the face value of their investment.
In addition, the portfolios of certain CLOs in which we may invest may contain “covenant-lite” loans. Accordingly, to the extent we are exposed to “covenant-lite” loans, we may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants. The failure by a CLO in which we invest to satisfy financial covenants, including with respect to adequate collateralization and/or interest coverage tests, could lead to a reduction in the payments we receive from the CLO. In the event that a CLO fails certain tests, holders of CLO senior debt may be entitled to additional payments that would, in turn, reduce the payments we would otherwise be entitled to receive. Separately, we may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting CLO or any other investment we may make. If any of these occur, it could adversely affect our operating results and cash flows.
Our CLO investments will be exposed to leveraged credit risk. If a CLO does not meet certain minimum collateral value ratios and/or interest coverage ratios, primarily due to senior secured loan defaults, then cash flow that otherwise would have been available to pay us distributions may instead be used to redeem any senior notes or to purchase additional senior secured loans, until the ratios again exceed the minimum required levels or any senior notes are repaid in full.
We may suffer a loss if a portfolio company defaults on a loan and the underlying collateral is not sufficient.
We will at times take a security interest in the available assets of our portfolio companies, including the equity interests of their subsidiaries and, in some cases, the equity interests of our portfolio companies held by their stockholders. In the event of a default by a portfolio company on a secured loan, we will only have recourse to the assets collateralizing the loan. There is a risk that the collateral securing our loans may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise, and may fluctuate in value based upon the success or deterioration of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of a portfolio company to raise additional capital. Additionally, in the case of certain of our investments, we do not have a first lien position on the collateral and may not receive the full value of the collateral upon liquidation. If the underlying collateral value is less than the loan amount, we will suffer a loss.
In the event of bankruptcy of a portfolio company, we may not have full recourse to its assets in order to satisfy our loan, or our loan may be subject to equitable subordination. In addition, certain of our loans are subordinate to other debt of the portfolio company. If a portfolio company defaults on our loan or on debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a portfolio company bankruptcy, our loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt receives payment. Where debt senior to our loan exists, the presence of inter-creditor arrangements may limit our ability to amend our loan documents, assign our loans, accept prepayments, exercise our remedies (through “standstill” periods) and control decisions made in bankruptcy proceedings relating to the portfolio company. Bankruptcy and portfolio company litigation can significantly increase collection losses and the time needed for us to acquire the underlying collateral in the event of a default, during which time the collateral may decline in value, causing us to suffer losses.
Borrowers of Broadly Syndicated Loans may be permitted to designate unrestricted subsidiaries under the terms of their financing agreements, which would exclude such unrestricted subsidiaries from restrictive covenants under the financing agreement with the borrower. Without restriction under the financing agreement, the borrower could take various actions with respect to the unrestricted subsidiary including, among other things, incur debt, grant security on its assets, sell assets, pay dividends or distribute shares of the unrestricted subsidiary to the borrower’s shareholders. Any of these actions could increase the amount of leverage that the borrower is able to incur and increase the risk involved in our investments in Broadly Syndicated Loans accordingly.
If the value of collateral underlying our loan declines or interest rates increase during the term of our loan, a portfolio company may not be able to obtain the necessary funds to repay our loan at maturity through refinancing. Decreasing collateral value and/or increasing interest rates may hinder a portfolio company’s ability to refinance our loan because the underlying collateral cannot satisfy the debt service coverage requirements necessary to obtain new financing. If a borrower is unable to repay our loan at maturity, we could suffer a loss which may adversely impact our financial performance.
The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.
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All of our assets are presently invested in illiquid securities, and a substantial portion of our investments in leveraged companies is subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or is otherwise less liquid than more broadly traded public securities. The illiquidity of these 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 have previously recorded these investments. We may also face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we, OFS Advisor, OFSAM or any of its other affiliates have material nonpublic information regarding such portfolio company.
Price declines and illiquidity in the corporate debt markets may 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 our board of directors. As part of the valuation process, we may take into account the following types of factors, if relevant, in determining the fair value of our investments:
• | a comparison of the portfolio company’s securities to publicly traded securities; |
• | the enterprise value of a portfolio company; |
• | the nature and realizable value of any collateral; |
• | the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow; |
• | the markets in which the portfolio company does business; and |
• | changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets generally that may affect the price at which similar investments may be made in the future and other relevant factors. |
When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we will use the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation. We will record decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments as unrealized depreciation. Declines in prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets may result in significant net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio may reduce our net asset value by increasing net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. 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 effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are a non-diversified management investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we are not limited with respect to the proportion of our assets that may be invested in securities of a single issuer.
We are classified as a non-diversified management investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, which means that we are not limited by the 1940 Act with respect to the proportion of our assets that we may invest in securities of a single issuer. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company. Beyond our asset diversification requirements as a RIC under the Code, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and our investments could be concentrated in relatively few portfolio companies.
Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies and industries, which will subject us to a risk of significant loss if any of these companies defaults on its obligations under any of its debt instruments or if there is a downturn in a particular industry.
Although we believe our portfolio is well-diversified across companies and industries, our portfolio is, and may in the future be, concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies and industries. Beyond the asset diversification requirements associated with our qualification as a RIC under the Code, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification. As a result, the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if a small number of investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one investment. Additionally, while we are not targeting any specific industries, our investments may be concentrated in relatively few industries. As a result, a downturn in any particular industry in which we are invested could also significantly impact the aggregate returns we realize.
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 seeking to:
• | increase or maintain in whole or in part our position as a creditor or equity ownership percentage in a portfolio company; |
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• | exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or |
• | preserve or enhance the value of our investment. |
We have discretion to make follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources. Failure on our part 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 a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our level of risk, because we prefer other opportunities or because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or the desire to maintain our RIC status. Our ability to make follow-on investments may also be limited by OFS Advisor’s allocation policy.
Because we generally do not hold controlling equity interests in our portfolio companies, we may not be able 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 generally do not hold controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. For portfolio companies in which we do not hold a controlling equity interest, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and that the management and/or stockholders of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the lack of liquidity of 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.
Defaults by our portfolio companies will 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 assets. This could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize such portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.
Our portfolio companies may incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.
We have invested a substantial portion of our capital in senior secured, unitranche, second-lien and mezzanine loans issued by our portfolio companies. The portfolio companies 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 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 senior creditors, the 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 first-priority debt of such companies. The senior-secured 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 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 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 were 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, would 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 more senior debt outstanding may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements that we enter into with the holders of such senior debt. Under a typical 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 at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first-priority liens:
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• | 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.
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.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents may adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies by causing a disruption to our operations or the operations of our portfolio companies, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information or the confidential information of our portfolio companies and/or damage to our business relationships or the business relationships of our portfolio companies, all of which could negatively impact the business, financial condition and operating results of us or our portfolio companies.
A cyber incident is considered to be any adverse event that threatens the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the information resources of us or our portfolio companies. These incidents may be an intentional attack or an unintentional event and could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems or those of our portfolio companies for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing confidential information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. We and OFS Advisor’s employees have been and expect to continue to be the target of fraudulent calls, emails and other forms of activities. The result of these incidents may include disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation and damage to business relationships. The costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means. As our and our portfolio companies’ reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those provided by OFS Services and third-party service providers, and the information systems of our portfolio companies. OFS Advisor has implemented processes, procedures and internal controls to help mitigate cybersecurity risks and cyber intrusions, but these measures, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber incident, do not guarantee that a cyber incident will not occur and/or that our financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. In addition, cybersecurity has become a top priority for regulators around the world, and some jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data. If we fail to comply with the relevant laws and regulations, we could suffer financial losses, a disruption of our businesses, liability to investors, regulatory intervention or reputational damage.
If we make subordinated investments, the obligors or the portfolio companies may not generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations to us.
We make subordinated investments that rank below other obligations of the obligor in right of payment. Subordinated investments are subject to greater risk of default than senior obligations as a result of adverse changes in the financial condition of the obligor or in general economic conditions. If we make a subordinated investment in a portfolio company, the portfolio company may be highly leveraged, and its relatively high debt-to-equity ratio may create increased risks that its operations might not generate sufficient cash flow to service all of its debt obligations.
The disposition of our investments may result in contingent liabilities.
A significant portion of our investments involve private securities. In connection with the disposition of an investment in private securities, we may be required to make representations about the business and financial affairs of the portfolio company typical of those made in connection with the sale of a business. We may also be required to indemnify the purchasers of such investment to the extent that any such representations turn out to be inaccurate, or with respect to potential liabilities. These arrangements may result in contingent liabilities that ultimately result in funding obligations that we must satisfy through our return of distributions previously made to us.
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We may be subject to additional risks if we engage in hedging transactions and/or invest in foreign securities.
The 1940 Act generally requires that 70% of our investments be in issuers each of whom is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in, any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or any other possession of the United States. Our investment strategy does not presently contemplate investments in securities of non-U.S. companies. We expect that these investments would focus on the same debt investments that we make in U.S. middle-market companies and accordingly would be complementary to our overall strategy and enhance the diversity of our holdings. Investing in securities of emerging market issuers involves many risks, including economic, social, political, financial, tax and security conditions in the emerging market, potential inflationary economic environments, regulation by foreign governments, different accounting standards and political uncertainties. Economic, social, political, financial, tax and security conditions also could negatively affect the value of emerging market companies. These factors could include changes in the emerging market government’s economic and fiscal policies, the possible imposition of, or changes in, currency exchange laws or other laws or restrictions applicable to the emerging market companies or investments in their securities and the possibility of fluctuations in the rate of exchange between currencies.
Engaging in either hedging transactions or investing in foreign securities would entail additional risks to our stockholders. We could, for example, use instruments such as interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors and, if we were to invest in foreign securities, we could use instruments such as forward contracts or currency options and borrow under a credit facility in currencies selected to minimize our foreign currency exposure. In each such case, we generally would seek to hedge against fluctuations of the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in market interest rates or currency exchange rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions would not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of the positions declined. However, such hedging could establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions could also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions increased. Moreover, it might not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that was so generally anticipated that we would not be able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price.
While we may enter into such transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates could result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged could vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we might not seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation could prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it might not be possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those securities would likely fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations.
We may not realize gains from our equity investments.
When we invest in senior secured, unitranche, second-lien and Mezzanine loans, we may acquire warrants or other equity securities of portfolio companies as well. We may also invest in equity securities directly. To the extent we hold equity investments, except as described below, we will attempt to dispose of them and realize gains upon our disposition of them. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and may decline in value. As a result, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. In the case of SBIC I LP, our wholly-owned subsidiary, we will not receive direct benefits from the sale of assets in their portfolios. Rather, our return on our investment in such assets will depend on the ability of SBIC I LP’s portfolio to generate cash flow in excess of payments required, as appropriate, to be made to other parties under the terms of the SBA debentures, and distribution, subject to SBA regulation, of the excess to us.
Uncertainty relating to the LIBOR calculation process may adversely affect the value of any portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities.
Concerns have been publicized that some of the member banks surveyed by the British Bankers' Association (“BBA”) in connection with the calculation of LIBOR across a range of maturities and currencies may have been under-reporting or otherwise manipulating the inter-bank lending rate applicable to them in order to profit on their derivatives positions or to avoid an appearance of capital insufficiency or adverse reputational or other consequences that may have resulted from reporting inter-bank lending rates higher than those they actually submitted. A number of BBA member banks have entered into settlements with their regulators and law enforcement agencies with respect to alleged manipulation of LIBOR, and investigations by regulators and governmental authorities in various jurisdictions are ongoing.
Actions by the BBA, regulators or law enforcement agencies may result in changes to the manner in which LIBOR is determined. Uncertainty as to the nature of such potential changes may adversely affect the market for LIBOR-based securities, including our potential portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities. In addition, any further changes or reforms to
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the determination or supervision of LIBOR may result in a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in reported LIBOR, which could have an adverse impact on the market for LIBOR-based securities or the value of our potential portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities.
On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is unclear if at that time whether or not LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large US financial institutions, is considering replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. The future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain. If LIBOR ceases to exist, we may need to renegotiate the credit agreements extending beyond 2021 with our portfolio companies that utilize LIBOR as a factor in determining the interest rate to replace LIBOR with the new standard that is established. Any such renegotiated agreements or methodology of the new standard may not be as favorable to us as the current agreements and LIBOR, which may adversely affect our net investment income.
Risks Related to Our Securities
There is a risk that stockholders 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 have made distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure stockholders 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 prospectus. 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. Our ability to make distributions may also be affected by our ability to receive distributions from SBIC I LP, which is governed by SBA regulations.
When we make distributions, we will be required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of an investor’s basis in our stock and, assuming that an investor holds our stock as a capital asset, thereafter as a capital gain. A return of capital is a return to stockholders of a portion of their original investment in us rather than income or capital gains.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.
As with any stock, the market price of our common stock will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. Our common stock is intended for long-term investors and should not be treated as a trading vehicle. Shares of BDCs frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value. The market price and liquidity of the market for shares of 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:
• | significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of BDCs or other companies in our sector, which is not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies; |
• | exclusion of our common stock from certain market indices, such as the Russell 2000 Financial Services Index, which could reduce the ability of certain investment funds to own our common stock and put short-term selling pressure on our common stock; |
• | changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs, SBICs or BDCs; |
• | loss of RIC or BDC status; |
• | failure of SBIC I LP to maintain its status as an SBIC; |
• | our origination activity, including the pace of, and competition for, new investment opportunities; |
• | changes or perceived changes in earnings or variations in operating results; |
• | changes or perceived changes in the value of our portfolio of investments; |
• | changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments; |
• | any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors or securities analysts; |
• | the inability to secure additional debt or equity capital; |
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• | potential future sales of common stock or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our common stock or the conversion of such securities; |
• | departure of OFS Advisor’s, OFSC’s or any of their affiliates’ key personnel; |
• | operating performance of companies comparable to us; |
• | general economic trends and other external factors; and |
• | loss of a major funding source. |
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
The shares of our common stock beneficially owned by our principal stockholders, including OFSAM, are generally available for resale, subject to the provisions of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act unless registered for sale under the Securities Act. We have entered into a registration rights agreement granting OFSAM the right to require us to register its shares for resale. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of such common stock for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities should we desire to do so.
Certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.
The Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us. We have also adopted measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our certificate of incorporation dividing our board of directors into three classes with the term of one class expiring at each annual meeting of stockholders. These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change in control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the market price of our common stock.
Our common stock may trade below its net asset value per share, which limits our ability to raise additional equity capital.
If 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 the approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. Shares of BDCs, including shares of our common stock, have traded at discounts to their net asset values. As of December 31, 2018, our net asset value per share was $13.10. The daily average closing price of our shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $11.49. If our common stock trades below net asset value, the higher the cost of equity capital may result in it being unattractive to raise new equity, which may limit our ability to grow. The risk of trading below net asset value is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade above, at or below our net asset value.
If we issue preferred stock, debt securities or convertible debt securities, the net asset value and market value of our common stock may become more volatile.
We cannot assure you that the issuance of preferred stock and/or debt securities would result in a higher yield or return to the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, debt securities or convertible debt would likely cause the net asset value and market value of our common stock to become more volatile. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock, or the interest rate on the debt securities, were to approach the net rate of return on our investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the holders of our common stock would be reduced. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock, or the interest rate on the debt securities, were to exceed the net rate of return on our portfolio, the use of leverage would result in a lower rate of return to the holders of common stock than if we had not issued the preferred stock or debt securities. Any decline in the net asset value of our investment would be borne entirely by the holders of our common stock. Therefore, if the market value of our portfolio were to decline, the leverage would result in a greater decrease in net asset value to the holders of our common stock than if we were not leveraged through the issuance of preferred stock. This decline in net asset value would also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price for our common stock.
There is also a risk that, in the event of a sharp decline in the value of our net assets, we would be in danger of failing to maintain required asset coverage ratios which may be required by the preferred stock, debt securities, convertible debt or units or of a downgrade in the ratings of the preferred stock, debt securities, convertible debt or units or our current investment income might not be sufficient to meet the dividend requirements on the preferred stock or the interest payments on the debt securities. If we do not maintain our required asset coverage ratios, we may not be permitted to declare dividends. In order to counteract such an event, we might need to liquidate investments in order to fund redemption of some or all of the preferred stock, debt securities or convertible debt. In addition, we would pay (and the holders of our common stock would bear) all costs and expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of the preferred stock, debt securities, convertible debt or any
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combination of these securities. Holders of preferred stock, debt securities or convertible debt may have different interests than holders of common stock and may at times have disproportionate influence over our affairs.
Holders of any preferred stock that we may issue will have the right to elect members of the board of directors and have class voting rights on certain matters.
The 1940 Act requires that holders of shares of preferred stock must be entitled as a class to elect two directors at all times and to elect a majority of the directors if dividends on such preferred stock are in arrears by two years or more, until such arrearage is eliminated. In addition, certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of the holders of any issued and outstanding preferred stock, including changes in fundamental investment restrictions and conversion to open-end status and, accordingly, preferred stockholders could veto any such changes. Restrictions imposed on the declarations and payment of dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock and preferred stock, both by the 1940 Act and by requirements imposed by rating agencies, might impair our ability to maintain our tax treatment as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Your interest in us may be diluted if you do not fully exercise your subscription rights in any rights offering. In addition, if the subscription price is less than our net asset value per share, then you will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of your shares.
In the event we issue subscription rights, stockholders who do not fully exercise their subscription rights should expect that they will, at the completion of a rights offering pursuant to this prospectus, own a smaller proportional interest in us than would otherwise be the case if they fully exercised their rights. We cannot state precisely the amount of any such dilution in share ownership because we do not know at this time what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering.
In addition, if the subscription price is less than the net asset value per share of our common stock, then our stockholders would experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of their shares as a result of the offering. The amount of any decrease in net asset value is not predictable because it is not known at this time what the subscription price and net asset value per share will be on the expiration date of a rights offering or what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering. Such dilution could be substantial.
The trading market or market value of our publicly issued debt securities may fluctuate.
Our publicly issued debt securities may or may not have an established trading market. We cannot assure you that a trading market for our publicly issued debt securities will ever develop or be maintained if developed. In addition to our creditworthiness, many factors may materially adversely affect the trading market for, and market value of, our publicly issued debt securities. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
• | the time remaining to the maturity of these debt securities; |
• | the outstanding principal amount of debt securities with terms identical to these debt securities; |
• | the ratings assigned by national statistical ratings agencies; |
• | the general economic environment; |
• | the supply of debt securities trading in the secondary market, if any; |
• | the redemption or repayment features, if any, of these debt securities; |
• | the level, direction and volatility of market interest rates generally; and |
• | market rates of interest higher or lower than rates borne by the debt securities. |
You should also be aware that there may be a limited number of buyers when you decide to sell your debt securities. This too may materially adversely affect the market value of the debt securities or the trading market for the debt securities.
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, if we or any of our securities are rated, 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
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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.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In addition to factors previously identified elsewhere in this prospectus, including the “Risks” section of this prospectus, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance:
• | the introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of business initiatives and strategies; |
• | changes in political, economic or industry conditions, the interest rate environment or financial and capital markets, which could result in changes in the value of our assets; |
• | the relative and absolute investment performance and operations of our investment adviser; |
• | the impact of increased competition; |
• | the impact of future acquisitions and divestitures; |
• | the unfavorable resolution of legal proceedings; |
• | our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies; |
• | the impact, extent and timing of technological changes and the adequacy of intellectual property protection; |
• | the impact of legislative and regulatory actions and reforms and regulatory, supervisory or enforcement actions of government agencies relating to us or OFS Advisors; |
• | the ability of OFS Advisors to identify suitable investments for us and to monitor and administer our investments; |
• | our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties; |
• | any future financings by us, including a second SBIC license; |
• | the ability of OFS Advisors to attract and retain highly talented professionals; |
• | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; and |
• | the impact of changes to tax legislation and, generally, our tax position. |
This prospectus and any prospectus supplement, and other statements that we may make, may contain forward-looking statements with respect to future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “trend,” “opportunity,” “pipeline,” “believe,” “comfortable,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “current,” “intention,” “estimate,” “position,” “assume,” “potential,” “outlook,” “continue,” “remain,” “maintain,” “sustain,” “seek,” “achieve” and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we assume no duty to and do not undertake to update forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements do not meet the safe harbor for forward-looking statements pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements and future results could differ materially from historical performance.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities for general corporate purposes, which include investing in debt and equity securities, repayment of any outstanding indebtedness, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes. The supplement to this prospectus relating to an offering will more fully identify the use of proceeds from such offering.
We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds from any offering of our securities will be used as described above within twelve months, but in no event longer than two years, depending on the availability of attractive opportunities and market conditions. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve this goal.
Pending such uses and investments, we will invest the remaining net proceeds primarily in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment. The management fee payable by us to our investment adviser will not be reduced while our assets are invested in such securities. Our ability to achieve our investment objective may be limited to the extent that the net proceeds of any offering, pending full investment, are held in lower yielding short-term instruments.
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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DISTRIBUTIONS
Our common stock began trading on November 8, 2012 on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "OFS". Effective January 2, 2014, our common stock was included in the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The following table lists the high and low closing sale price for our common stock, net asset value per share, and the cash distributions per share that we have declared on our common stock for each fiscal quarter during the last two most recently completed fiscal years. The stock quotations are inter-dealer quotations and do not include markups, markdowns or commissions.
NAV Per Share(1) | Price Range | Premium (Discount) of High Sales Price to NAV | Premium (Discount) of Low Sales Price to NAV | Cash Distribution per Share(2) | |||||||||||||||||||
Period | High | Low | |||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Second Quarter(3) | * | $ | 12.34 | $ | 11.79 | * | * | * | |||||||||||||||
First Quarter | * | $ | 12.52 | $ | 10.77 | * | * | $ | 0.34 | ||||||||||||||
Fiscal 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 13.10 | $ | 11.95 | $ | 9.89 | -8.8 | % | -24.5 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
Third Quarter | $ | 13.75 | $ | 12.70 | $ | 11.48 | -7.6 | % | -16.5 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
Second Quarter | $ | 13.70 | $ | 12.20 | $ | 10.65 | -10.9 | % | -22.3 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 13.68 | $ | 12.5 | $ | 10.98 | -8.6 | % | -19.7 | % | $ | 0.71 | (4) | ||||||||||
Fiscal 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 14.12 | $ | 13.18 | $ | 11.85 | -6.7 | % | -16.1 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
Third Quarter | $ | 14.15 | $ | 14.34 | $ | 12.67 | 1.3 | % | -10.5 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
Second Quarter | $ | 14.40 | $ | 14.58 | $ | 13.50 | 1.3 | % | -6.3 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
First Quarter | $ | 14.98 | $ | 15.24 | $ | 13.55 | 1.7 | % | -9.5 | % | $ | 0.34 | |||||||||||
(1) | Net asset value per share is determined as of the last day in the relevant quarter and therefore may not reflect the net asset value per share on the date of the high and low sales prices. The net asset values shown are based on outstanding shares at the end of each period. |
(2) | The distribution during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 was declared on February 12, 2018 by the Company's Board of Directors on, and paid on March 31, 2019, to stockholders of record as of March 17, 2019. The determination of the tax attributes of distributions is made annually as of the end of each fiscal year based upon taxable income for the full year and distributions paid for the full year. If the tax characteristics of the Company’s distributions paid during 2019 were determined as of March 31, 2019, none of the Company’s distributions would have represented a return of capital. The return of capital portion of these distributions for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014, was $0, $0, $0.09, $0.23, and $0.72, respectively. |
(3) | Period from April 1, 2019 through April 22, 2019. |
(4) | Includes a special dividend of $0.37 per share representing undistributed net long-term capital gains realized by the Company in 2017. |
* Not determinable at the time of filing.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with the Selected Consolidated Financial Data and our Financial Statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking information due to the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” appearing elsewhere herein.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Critical accounting policies are those that require management to make subjective or complex judgments about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. Changes that may be required in the underlying assumptions or estimates in these areas could have a material impact on our current and future financial condition and results of operations.
Our critical accounting policies and estimates are those relating to revenue recognition and fair value estimates. Management has discussed the development and selection of each critical accounting policy and estimate with the Audit Committee of the Board. For a descriptions of our revenue recognition and fair value policies, see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus.
Revenue recognition
Our investment activities frequently involve the acquisition of multiple financial instruments or rights either in an initial transaction, or in subsequent or "follow-on" transactions, including amendments to existing securities. These financial instruments can include loans, preferred and common stock, warrants, or membership interests in limited liability companies. Acquired rights can include fixed or variable fees that can be either guaranteed or contingent upon operating performance of the underlying portfolio companies. Moreover, these fees may be payable in cash or additional securities. Acquired rights and financial instruments together, referred to as Instruments.
The revenue recognized on these instruments is a function of the fee or other consideration allocated to them, including amounts allocated to capital structuring fees, at the time of acquisition. Additionally, subsequent amendments to these instruments can involve both:
• | a determination as to whether the amendment is |
◦ | of such significance to deem it the consummation of the initial investment transaction and the acquisition of new Instruments (i.e., a "significant modification"), or |
◦ | a modification of those Instruments to be recognized over their remaining lives, and |
• | an additional allocation of consideration among newly acquired Instruments. |
These allocations are generally based on the relative fair value of the instruments at the time of the transaction, a process involving fair value estimates which is also a critical accounting policy and significant estimate. Moreover, these allocations and determinations can differ between GAAP and federal income tax bases. Once determined, these allocations directly affect the discount/premium and yield on debt securities, the cost and net gains/losses on equity securities, and capital structuring fees recognized in the statements of operations; and ICTI. These allocations require an understanding of the terms and conditions of the underlying agreements and requires significant management judgment.
Fair value estimates
As of December 31, 2018, total investments representing approximately 90% of our total assets were carried on the consolidated balance sheet at fair value. As discussed more fully in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, GAAP requires us to categorize fair value measurements according to a three-level valuation hierarchy. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted, active market prices for identical assets and liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to valuation techniques that require significant management judgment because one or more of the significant inputs are unobservable in the market place (Level 3). All of our investments carried at fair value are classified as Level 3; we typically do not hold equity securities or other instruments that are actively traded on an exchange.
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As described in Note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we follow a process, under the supervision and review of the Board, to determine these unobservable inputs used to calculate the fair values of our investments. The most significant unobservable inputs in these fair value measurements are the discount rates, EBITDA multiples and projected cash flows contractually due from the investment.
Our discounted cash flow valuations involve a determination of discount rate commensurate with the risk inherent in the investment. We use two methods to estimate discount rates: the weighted-average cost of capital method, which is a method based upon a hypothetical recapitalization of the entity given its current operating performance and current market conditions; and a hypothetical debt rating method, which assigns a surrogate debt rating to the entity based on known industry standards for assigning such ratings and estimates the discount rate based on observed market conditions for similar rated debt. These methods generally produces a range of discount rates, and we generally select the midpoint of the range for use in fair value measures, subject to limitations on the basis of the borrowers' ability to prepay the debt without penalty.
Our market approach valuations, generally applied to equity investments and investments in non-performing debt, involve a determination of an enterprise value multiple to a financial performance metric of the portfolio company, generally EBITDA. These determinations are based on identification of a comparable set of publicly traded companies and determination of a public-to-private liquidity adjustment factor. This method generally produces a range of multiplier values and we generally select the midpoint of the range for fair value measures.
The following table illustrates the impact of our fair value measures if we selected the low or high end of the range for all investments at December 31, 2018 (dollar amounts in thousands):
Fair Value at December 31, 2018 | Range of Fair Value | ||||||||||||
Investment Type | Low-end | High-end | |||||||||||
Debt investments: | |||||||||||||
Senior Secured | $ | 295,087 | $ | 289,637 | $ | 300,772 | |||||||
Subordinated | $ | 44,540 | 43,891 | 45,189 | |||||||||
Equity investments: | |||||||||||||
Preferred equity | $ | 14,613 | 13,528 | 15,057 | |||||||||
Common equity and warrants | $ | 18,627 | 15,113 | 22,540 | |||||||||
The above tables excludes $23,930, $-0-, and $-0-, of senior secured debt investments, subordinated debt investments and equity investments, respectively, valued at Transaction Prices.
Related Party Transactions
We have entered into a number of business relationships with affiliated or related parties, including the following:
• | The Investment Advisory Agreement with OFS Advisor to manage our operating and investment activities. Under the Investment Advisory Agreement we have agreed to pay OFS Advisor an annual base management fee based on the average value of our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed amounts and including assets owned by any consolidated entity) as well as an incentive fee based on our investment performance. See “Management and Other Agreements”. |
• | The Administration Agreement with OFS Services, an affiliate of OFS Advisor, to provide us with the office facilities and administrative services necessary to conduct our operations. See “Management and Other Agreements”. |
• | A license agreement with OFSAM, the parent company of OFS Advisor, under which OFSAM has agreed to grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the name “OFS.” Under this agreement, we have a right to use the “OFS” name for so long as OFS Advisor or one of its affiliates remains our investment adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no legal right to the “OFS” name. This license agreement will remain in effect for so long as the Investment Advisory Agreement with OFS Advisor is in effect. |
OFS Advisor’s services under the Investment Advisory Agreement are not exclusive to us and OFS Advisor is free to furnish similar services to other entities, including other BDCs managed by OFS Advisor, so long as its services to us are not impaired. OFS Advisor also serves as the investment adviser or collateral manager to CLOs and other assets, including HPCI, a non-traded BDC with an investment strategy similar to ours, as well as OCCI, a newly organized, non-diversified, externally
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managed, closed-end management investment company that has registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act that primarily invests in the debt and subordinated securities of CLOs.
Portfolio Composition and Investment Activity
Portfolio Composition
As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of our debt investment portfolio totaled $363.6 million in 44 portfolio companies, of which 88% and 12% were senior secured loans and subordinated loans, respectively, and approximately $33.2 million in equity investments, at fair value, in 13 portfolio companies in which we also held debt investments and six portfolio companies in which we solely held an equity investment. We had unfunded commitments of $8.2 million to four portfolio companies at December 31, 2018. Set forth in the tables and charts below is selected information with respect to our portfolio as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.
The following table summarizes the composition of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 (dollar amounts in thousands):
December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||
Amortized Cost | Fair Value | Amortized Cost | Fair Value | ||||||||||||
Senior secured debt investments (1) | $ | 325,873 | $ | 319,017 | $ | 196,020 | $ | 195,112 | |||||||
Subordinated debt investments | 56,212 | 44,540 | 63,031 | 51,198 | |||||||||||
Preferred equity | 19,620 | 14,613 | 24,103 | 19,200 | |||||||||||
Common equity and warrants | 11,606 | 18,627 | 6,821 | 11,989 | |||||||||||
Total | $ | 413,311 | $ | 396,797 | $ | 289,975 | $ | 277,499 | |||||||
Total number of portfolio companies | 50 | 50 | 37 | 37 | |||||||||||
(1) | Includes debt investments in which we have entered into a contractual arrangement with co‑lenders whereby, subject to certain conditions, we have agreed to receive our principal payments after the repayment of certain co-lenders pursuant to a payment waterfall. The aggregate amortized cost and fair value of these investments was $68,207 and $67,480 at December 31, 2018, respectively, and $21,709 and $21,919, at December 31, 2017, respectively. |
The following table shows the portfolio composition by geographic region at amortized cost and fair value, and as a percentage of total investments. The geographic composition is determined by the location of the portfolio companies' corporate headquarters (dollar amounts in thousands):
Amortized Cost | Fair Value | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
South - US | $ | 124,795 | 30.2 | % | $ | 126,123 | 43.5 | % | $ | 123,344 | 31.1 | % | $ | 124,699 | 44.9 | % | |||||||||||
Northeast - US | 109,899 | 26.6 | 106,506 | 36.7 | 92,570 | 23.4 | 91,012 | 32.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
West - US | 124,991 | 30.2 | 32,976 | 11.4 | 120,788 | 30.4 | 33,097 | 11.9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Midwest - US | 53,626 | 13.0 | 20,431 | 7.0 | 60,095 | 15.1 | 24,621 | 8.9 | |||||||||||||||||||
Canada | — | — | 3,939 | 1.4 | — | — | 4,070 | 1.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 413,311 | 100.0 | % | $ | 289,975 | 100.0 | % | $ | 396,797 | 100.0 | % | $ | 277,499 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||||
As of December 31, 2018, our investment portfolio’s three largest industries by fair value, were (1) Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (13.7%), (2) Manufacturing (13.5%), and (3) Information (10.4%), totaling approximately 37.6% of the investment portfolio. For a full summary of our investment portfolio by industry, see Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
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The following table presents our debt investment portfolio by investment size as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 (dollar amounts in thousands):
Amortized Cost | Fair Value | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | December 31, 2018 | December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Up to $4,000 | $ | 24,785 | 6.4 | % | $ | 28,403 | 10.9 | % | $ | 25,117 | 6.9 | % | $ | 24,745 | 10.1 | % | |||||||||||
$4,001 to $7,000 | 66,756 | 17.5 | 53,271 | 20.5 | 60,151 | 16.5 | 45,765 | 18.6 | |||||||||||||||||||
$7,001 to $10,000 | 92,389 | 24.2 | 84,596 | 32.7 | 92,687 | 25.5 | 84,026 | 34.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
$10,001 to $13,000 | 44,527 | 11.7 | 37,706 | 14.6 | 34,032 | 9.4 | 38,033 | 15.4 | |||||||||||||||||||
Greater than $13,000 | 153,628 | 40.2 | 55,075 | 21.3 | 151,570 | 41.7 | 53,741 | 21.8 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 382,085 | 100.0 | % | $ | 259,051 | 100.0 | % | $ | 363,557 | 100.0 | % | $ | 246,310 | 100.0 | % | |||||||||||
The following table displays the composition of our performing debt investment portfolio by weighted average yield as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:
December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
2018 | 2017 | |||||||||||||||||
Weighted Average Yield - Performing Debt Investments (1) | Senior Secured Debt | SubordinatedDebt | Total Debt | Senior Secured Debt | SubordinatedDebt | Total Debt | ||||||||||||
Less than 8% | 0.7 | % | — | % | 0.7 | % | 2.0 | % | — | % | 1.6 | % | ||||||
8% – 10% | 22.5 | — | 19.8 | 26.7 | — | 21.1 | ||||||||||||
10% – 12% | 42.9 | 26.9 | 41.0 | 38.4 | 11.5 | 32.7 | ||||||||||||
12% – 14% | 29.5 | 56.5 | 32.7 | 10.1 | 50.8 | 18.6 | ||||||||||||
Greater than 14% | 4.4 | 16.6 | 5.8 | 22.8 | 37.7 | 26.0 | ||||||||||||
Total | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||
Weighted average yield – performing debt investments (1) | 11.33 | % | 12.74 | % | 11.50 | % | 11.76 | % | 13.40 | % | 12.11 | % | ||||||
Weighted average yield – total debt investments (2) | 11.33 | % | 9.93 | % | 11.12 | % | 11.76 | % | 11.05 | % | 11.59 | % | ||||||
(1) The weighted average yield on our performing debt investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest plus the annualized accretion of Net Loan Fees divided by (b) amortized cost of our debt investments, excluding debt investments in non-accrual status as of the balance sheet date.
(2) | The weighted average yield on our total debt investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest plus the annualized accretion of Net Loan Fees divided by (b) amortized cost of our debt investments, including debt investments in non-accrual status as of the balance sheet date. |
The weighted average yield on total investments was 10.49% and 10.35%, at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Weighted average yield on total investments is computed as (a) the annual stated accruing interest on our debt investments at the balance sheet date, plus the annualized accretion of Net Loan Fees, plus the effective yield on our performing preferred equity investments, divided by (b) amortized cost of our total investment portfolio, including assets in non-accrual status as of the balance sheet date. The weighted average yield of our investments is not the same as a return on investment for our stockholders but, rather, the gross investment income from our investment portfolio before the payment of all of our fees and expenses. There can be no assurance that the weighted average yield will remain at its current level.
The weighted average yield on our performing debt decreased from 12.11% at December 31, 2017 to 11.50% at December 31, 2018, primarily due to approximately $138.0 million in sales and repayments of debt investments with a weighted average yield of 12.49%, and the deployment of $247.9 million in new originations with a weighted average yield of 11.19% during the year ended December 31, 2018. This decline was partly offset by increases in weighted average yield due to LIBOR on existing loan investments held at December 31, 2017.
As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, floating rate loans at fair value were 87% and 76% of our debt investment portfolio, respectively, and fixed rate loans at fair value were 13% and 24% of our debt investment portfolio, respectively.
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Non-Accrual Loans
At December 31, 2018, we had three loans (Community Intervention Services, Inc., Master Cutlery, LLC and Southern Technical Institute, LLC) on non-accrual status with respect to all interest and Net Loan Fee amortization, with an amortized cost and fair value of $12.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively. In August 2018, the Elgin Fasteners Group senior secured loan became contractually due. The lending group entered into a forbearance agreement with respect to the maturity date through September 26, 2019, subject to other terms and conditions. The investment continues to accrue interest as the borrower has continued to make interest and amortization payments.
At December 31, 2017, we had two loans (Community Intervention Services, Inc. and Southern Technical Institute, LLC) on non-accrual status with respect to all interest and unamortized Net Loan Fees with an amortized cost and fair value of $11.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively. Our loan investment in My Alarm Center, LLC, which was on non-accrual status at June 30, 2017, was restructured and exchanged for a new class of preferred equity securities and common equity securities in July 2017. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further information.
PIK and Cash Dividend Accruals
Payment-in-kind dividends on preferred equity securities are recognized at fair value when earned. However, at December 31, 2018, we owned four preferred equity securities (Master Cutlery, LLC, Stancor, L.P., My Alarm Center, LLC and TRS Services, LLC), with an aggregate amortized cost and fair value of $9.9 million and $3.8 million, respectively, for which, notwithstanding the fair value on certain of the preferred equity securities, the fair value of the most-recent PIK dividend as of December 31, 2018, was recognized at $0. At December 31, 2017, we owned four preferred equity securities (Master Cutlery, LLC, Stancor, L.P., Southern Technical Institute, LLC and TRS Services, LLC), with an aggregate amortized cost and fair value of $10.5 million and $3.7 million, respectively, for which the fair value of the most-recently recognized PIK dividend as of December 31, 2017, was $0. In addition, beginning June 30, 2017, the Company discontinued recognition of the cash preferred dividend from its investment in Master Cutlery, LLC.
Investment Activity
The following is a summary of our cash investment activity for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 (dollar amounts in millions):
Year Ended December 31, 2018 | Year Ended December 31, 2017 | ||||||||||||||
Debt Investments | Equity Investments | Debt Investments | Equity Investments | ||||||||||||
Investments in new portfolio companies | $ | 196.4 | $ | 4.7 | $ | 114.5 | $ | 4.4 | |||||||
Investments in existing portfolio companies: | |||||||||||||||
Follow-on investments | 63.6 | 1.3 | 19.0 | 1.4 | |||||||||||
Delayed draw funding | 6.2 | — | 3.6 | — | |||||||||||
Total investments in existing portfolio companies | 69.8 | 1.3 | 22.6 | 1.4 | |||||||||||
Total investments in new and existing portfolio companies | $ | 266.2 | $ | 6.0 | $ | 137.1 | $ | 5.8 | |||||||
Number of new portfolio company investments | 28 | 4 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||||
Number of existing portfolio company investments | 20 | 4 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||
Proceeds/distributions from principal payments/equity investments | $ | 100.7 | $ | — | $ | 105.1 | $ | — | |||||||
Proceeds from investments sold or redeemed | 39.1 | 8.3 | 17.8 | 19.2 | |||||||||||
Total proceeds from principal payments, equity distributions and investments sold | $ | 139.8 | $ | 8.3 | $ | 122.9 | $ | 19.2 | |||||||
Non-cash Investment Activity
In June 2018, our investment in Southern Technical Institute, LLC was restructured. We converted our subordinated note, SP-1 preferred shares, and warrants for a $1.5 million subordinated loan and 1,764,720 shares of Class A-1 common units. Subsequent to the conversion, we sold our Class A-1 common units but retained a significant economic interest in the units. The cost and fair value of the subordinated loan and economic interest were $0 and $0 as of December 31, 2018. We recognized a realized loss on the restructuring of $5.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, of which $4.4 million was recognized as unrealized losses as of December 31, 2017.
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In December 2017, our investment in Jobson Healthcare Information, LLC ("Jobson") was restructured, whereby the lender group, including us, purchased all the outstanding equity of Jobson for a nominal purchase price. Immediately after the restructuring, and as of December 31, 2017, we owned approximately 12.6% of the common equity of Jobson. In February 2018, in connection with the restructuring, we sold our warrant investment, on a pro-rata basis, to the other members of the lender group for a nominal amount. As of December 31, 2017, the amortized cost and fair value of our common equity investment in Jobson was $0; the amortized cost and fair value of our warrant investment in Jobson was $0.5 million and $0, respectively; and the amortized cost and fair value of our debt investment in Jobson was $15.2 million and $12.9 million, respectively.
In July 2017, our senior secured debt investment with a cost basis of $6.7 million, and preferred equity investments, with an aggregate cost basis of $0.3 million, in My Alarm Center, LLC ("My Alarm"), were restructured and exchanged for common equity and a new class of preferred equity securities with a fair value of $0 and $1.8 million, respectively. As of June 30, 2017, we had recognized cumulative unrealized losses of $5.2 million on our pre-restructured securities of My Alarm Center, LLC, which upon restructuring, were recognized as realized losses during the quarter ended September 30, 2017.
Our level of investment activity may vary substantially from period to period depending on various factors, including, but not limited to, 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.
We categorize debt investments into seven risk categories based on relevant information about the ability of borrowers to service their debt. For additional information regarding our risk categories, see “The Company—Portfolio Review/Risk Monitoring.” The following table shows the classification of our debt investments portfolio by risk category as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 (dollar amounts in thousands):
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||
2018 | 2017 | |||||||||||||
Risk Category | Debt Investments, at Fair Value | % of Debt Investments | Debt Investments, at Fair Value | % of Debt Investments | ||||||||||
1 (Low Risk) | $ | — | — | % | $ | — | — | % | ||||||
2 (Below Average Risk) | 3,788 | 1.0 | 3,755 | 1.5 | ||||||||||
3 (Average) | 329,635 | 90.7 | 222,027 | 90.1 | ||||||||||
4 (Special Mention) | 29,284 | 8.1 | 16,454 | 6.7 | ||||||||||
5 (Substandard) | — | — | 2,873 | 1.2 | ||||||||||
6 (Doubtful) | 850 | 0.2 | 1,201 | 0.5 | ||||||||||
7 (Loss) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
$ | 363,557 | 100.0 | % | $ | 246,310 | 100.0 | % | |||||||
During the year ended December 31, 2018, we reclassified three debt investments (TRS Services, LLC, GGC Aerospace Topco L.P. and MTE Holdings Corp.) from risk category 3 to risk category 4, with an aggregate fair value of $21.46 million at December 31, 2017, primarily due to declining performance in the underlying businesses of the portfolio companies. We also reclassified our debt investment in Master Cutlery, LLC, with a fair value of $2.87 million at December 31, 2017, from risk category 5 to risk category 6 and classified the investment as non-accrual with respect to PIK interest and Net Loan Fees. All other year over year changes in the fair value of our debt investments within each category, were a result of new debt investments, the receipt of amortization payments on existing debt investments, repayment of certain debt investments in full, changes in the fair value of our existing debt investments within the categories, and other investment activity.
Results of Operations
Key Financial Measures
The following is a discussion of the key financial measures that management employs in reviewing the performance of our operations.
Total Investment Income. We generate revenue primarily in the form of interest income on debt investments, and dividend income from our equity investments. Our debt investments typically have a term of three to eight years and bear interest at fixed and floating rates. As of December 31, 2018, floating rate and fixed rate loans comprised 87% and 13%, respectively, of our current debt investment portfolio at fair value; however, in accordance with our investment strategy, we expect that over time the proportion of fixed rate loans will continue to increase. In some cases, our investments provide for
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PIK interest, or PIK dividends (meaning interest or dividends paid in the form of additional principal amount of the loan or equity security instead of in cash). We also generate revenue in the form of management, valuation, and other contractual fees, which is recognized as the related services are rendered. In the general course of business, we receive certain fees from portfolio companies which are non-recurring in nature. Such non-recurring fees include prepayment fees on certain loans repaid prior to their scheduled due date, which are recognized as earned when received, and fees for capital structuring services from certain portfolio companies, which are recognized as earned upon closing of the investment. Net Loan Fees are capitalized, and accreted or amortized over the life of the loan as interest income. When we receive principal payments on a loan in an amount that exceeds its amortized cost, we recognize the excess principal payment as income in the period it is received.
Expenses. Our primary operating expenses include interest expense due under our outstanding borrowings, the payment of fees to OFS Advisor under the Investment Advisory Agreement, our allocable portion of overhead expenses under the Administration Agreement and other operating costs described below. Additionally, we will pay interest expense on any outstanding debt under any new credit facility or other debt instrument we may enter into. We will bear all other out-of-pocket costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, whether incurred by us directly, OFS Services or its affiliates, or on our behalf by a third party, including:
• | the cost of calculating our net asset value, including the cost of any third-party valuation services; |
• | the cost of effecting sales and repurchases of shares of our common stock and other securities; |
• | fees payable to third parties relating to making investments, including out-of-pocket fees and expenses associated with performing due diligence and reviews of prospective investments; |
• | transfer agent and custodial fees; |
• | out-of-pocket fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts; |
• | federal and state registration fees and any stock exchange listing fees; |
• | U.S. federal, state and local taxes; |
• | independent directors’ fees and expenses; |
• | brokerage commissions; |
• | fidelity bond, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and other insurance premiums; |