CAPITAL SOUTHWEST CORP - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018

OR

[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                                              to

 

Commission File Number: 814-00061

 

CAPITAL SOUTHWEST CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:  (214) 238-5700

 

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. YES ☐ NO ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  YES ☐ NO ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). YES ☐ NO ☐

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer,  smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of  “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer ◻                  Accelerated filer ☒

 

Non-accelerated filer   ◻       (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

 

Smaller reporting company ◻           Emerging growth company ◻

 

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

 

Indicate by check  mark  whether  the   registrant  is  a  shell  company  (as defined in Rule 12b-2  of  the  Act).

YES ☐ NO ☒      

 

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of September 30, 2017 was $258,610,103 based on the last sale price of such stock as quoted by The Nasdaq Global Select Market on such date.

 

The number of shares of common stock, $0.25 par value per share, outstanding as of June 1, 2018 was 16,161,786.

 

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the registrant’s Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held August 1, 2018 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations.  Any such forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements, which involve assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations are generally identifiable by use of the words “may,” “predict,” “will,” “continue,” “likely,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “estimate,” “indicate,” “seek,” “believe,” “target,” “intend,” “plan,” or “project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology.  These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and we cannot assure you that the projections included in these forward-looking statements will come to pass.  Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We believe these factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

For a discussion of these and other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report, please see the discussion under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.    We have based the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K on information available to us on the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should carefully consider all of the factors identified in this report that could cause actual results to differ. We assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements, unless we are required to do so by applicable law.

 

PART I

Item 1.     Business

 

ORGANIZATION

 

Capital Southwest Corporation, which we refer to as “we,” “our,” “us,” “CSWC,” or the “Company” is an internally managed closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company, or BDC, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act. We specialize in providing customized financing to middle market companies in a broad range of industry segments located primarily in the United States. Our common stock currently trades on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “CSWC.”

 

We were organized as a Texas corporation on April 19, 1961.  Until September 1969, we operated as a small business investment company, or SBIC, licensed under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.  At that time, we transferred to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Capital Southwest Venture Corporation, or CSVC, certain assets including our SBIC license.  CSVC was a closed-end, non-diversified investment company registered under the 1940 Act.  Effective June 14, 2016, CSVC was dissolved and its SBIC license was surrendered. All assets held in CSVC were transferred to us upon dissolution. Prior to March 30, 1988, we were registered as a closed-end, non-diversified investment company under the 1940 Act.  On that date, we elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our assets in “qualifying assets,” including securities of private or thinly traded public U.S. companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. In addition, we are allowed to borrow money such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% (or, pursuant to recent legislation, 150% if certain requirements are met as described in the Business Section under “Regulation as a Business Development Company—Senior Securities”) after such borrowing, with certain limited exceptions.

 

We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company, or RIC, under Subchapter M of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the Code. As such, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our shareholders as dividends. To continue to maintain our RIC status, we must meet specified source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and distribute annually at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year that generated such taxable income.

 

Capital Southwest Management Corporation, or CSMC, our wholly-owned subsidiary, is our management company.  CSMC generally incurs all normal operating and administrative expenses, including, but not limited to, salaries and related benefits, rent, equipment and other administrative costs required for day-to-day operations.

 

We also have a direct wholly-owned subsidiary that has been elected to be a taxable entity (the “Taxable Subsidiary”). The primary purpose of the Taxable Subsidiary is to permit us to hold certain interests in portfolio companies that are organized as limited liability companies, or LLCs (or other forms of pass-through entities) and still allow us to satisfy the RIC tax requirement that at least 90% of our gross income for federal income tax purposes must consist of qualifying investment income. The Taxable Subsidiary is taxed at normal corporate tax rates based on its taxable income.

 

On September 30, 2015, we completed the spin-off, which we refer to as the Share Distribution, of CSW Industrials, Inc., or CSWI. CSWI is now an independent publicly traded company. The Share Distribution was effected through a tax-free, pro-rata distribution of 100% of CSWI’s common stock to our shareholders. Each of our shareholders received one share of CSWI common stock for every one share of our common stock on the record date, September 18, 2015. Cash was paid in lieu of any fractional shares of CSWI common stock.

 

Following the Share Distribution, we have maintained operations as an internally managed BDC and pursue a credit-focused investing strategy akin to similarly structured organizations. We intend to continue to provide capital to middle-market companies. We invest primarily in debt securities, including senior debt, second lien and subordinated debt, and may also invest in preferred stock and common stock alongside our debt investments or through warrants.

 

The following diagram depicts our organizational structure:

 

Employees

 

As of March 31, 2018, we had nineteen employees, each of whom was employed by our management company, CSMC.  These employees include our corporate officers, investment and portfolio management professionals and administrative staff. All of our employees are located in our principal executive offices in Dallas, Texas.

 

Corporate Information

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75240.  We maintain a website at www.capitalsouthwest.com.  You can review the filings we have made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, free of charge on EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System of the SEC, accessible at http://www.sec.gov.  We also make available free of charge on our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, any amendments to those reports and any other reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing these reports with the SEC. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and you should not consider that information to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

The public may read and copy materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549.  Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-732-0330.  The SEC also maintains a website that contains the reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. 

 

The charters adopted by the committees of our Board of Directors are also available on our website.  Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you should not consider that information to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

OVERVIEW OF OUR BUSINESS

 

We are an internally managed closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. We specialize in providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market, or LMM, companies and debt capital to upper middle market, or UMM, companies in a broad range of industry segments located primarily in the United States. Our investment objective is to produce attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments.  Our investment strategy is to partner with business owners, management teams and financial sponsors to provide flexible financing solutions to fund growth, changes of control, or other corporate events. We invest primarily in senior debt securities, secured by security interests in portfolio company assets, and in secured and unsecured subordinated debt securities. We also invest in equity interests in our portfolio companies alongside our debt securities.

 

We focus on investing in companies with histories of generating revenues and positive cash flow, established market positions and proven management teams with strong operating discipline. We target senior debt, subordinated debt, and equity investments in LMM companies, as well as first and second lien syndicated loans in UMM companies. Our target LMM companies typically have annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, between $3.0 million and $15.0 million, and our LMM investments generally range in size from $5.0 million to $25.0 million. Our UMM investments generally include syndicated first and second lien loans in companies with EBITDA generally greater than $50.0 million, and our UMM investments typically range in size from $5.0 million to $15.0 million.

 

We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM companies, which, historically, have had more limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms, including equity participation. Our ability to invest across a LMM company’s capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options. Providing customized financing solutions is important to LMM companies. We generally seek to partner directly with financial sponsors, entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM debt investments typically include senior loans with a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company, as well as subordinated debt which may either be secured or unsecured subordinated loans. Our LMM debt investments typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date. We also often seek to invest in the equity securities of our LMM portfolio companies.

 

Our investments in UMM companies primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the LMM companies included in our portfolio. Our UMM debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

 

We offer managerial assistance to our portfolio companies and provide them access to our investment experience, direct industry expertise and contacts. Our obligation to offer to make available significant managerial assistance to our portfolio companies is consistent with our belief that providing managerial assistance to a portfolio company is important to its business development activities.

 

Because we are internally managed, we do not pay external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms which are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our investment portfolio.

 

Recent Developments

 

On April 2, 2018, CSWC paid regular dividends declared on February 28, 2018 in the amount of $4.5 million, or $0.28 per share.

 

On April 16, 2018 and May 11, 2018, CSWC entered into Incremental Assumption Agreements, which increased the total commitments under our senior secured credit facility, dated as of August 30, 2016 and amended as of November 16, 2017, or the Credit Facility, by $20 million and $10 million, respectively. The increases were executed under the accordion feature of the Credit Facility and increased total commitments from $180 million to $210 million.

 

On April 25, 2018, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the application of the recently modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the Company will be decreased from 200% to 150%, effective April 25, 2019. The Board of Directors also approved a resolution which limits the Company’s issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, effective April 25, 2019.

 

On June 1, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a $0.29 dividend per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. The record date for the dividend is June 26,  2018. The payment date for the dividend is July 2, 2018.

 

Our Business Strategy

 

Our business strategy is to achieve our investment objective of producing attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating current income from our debt investments and realizing capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments. We have adopted the following business strategies to achieve our investment objective:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INVESTMENT CRITERIA AND OBJECTIVES

 

Our investment team has identified the following investment criteria that we believe are important in evaluating prospective investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been or will be met in connection with each of our investments: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have an investment committee that is responsible for all aspects of our investment process relating to investments made by us.  The current members of the investment committee are Bowen Diehl, Chief Executive Officer, Michael Sarner, Chief Financial Officer, Douglas Kelley, Managing Director, Josh Weinstein, Managing Director, and David Brooks, Chairman of the Board.

 

Investment Process

 

Our investment strategy involves a team approach, whereby our investment team screens potential transactions before they are presented to the investment committee for approval.  Transactions that are either above a certain hold size or outside our general investment policy will also be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.  Our investment team generally categorizes the investment process into six distinctive stages: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We utilize an internally developed investment rating system to rate the performance and monitor the expected level of returns for each debt investment in our portfolio.  The investment rating system takes into account both quantitative and qualitative factors of the portfolio company and the investments held therein, including each investment’s expected level of returns and the collectability of our debt investments, comparisons to competitors and other industry participants and the portfolio company’s future outlook.  The ratings are not intended to reflect the performance or expected level of returns of our equity investments.

 

 

 

 

 

Determination of Net Asset Value and Portfolio Valuation Process

 

We determine our net asset value, or NAV, per share on a quarterly basis.  The NAV per share is equal to our total assets minus liabilities divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

 

We determine in good faith the fair value of our portfolio investments pursuant to a valuation policy in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”) and a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Our valuation policy is intended to provide a consistent basis for determining the fair value of the portfolio.

 

We undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter in connection with determining the fair value of our investments.  The valuation process is led by the finance department in conjunction with the investment teams and senior management.  Valuations of each portfolio security are prepared quarterly by the finance department using updated portfolio company financial and operational information.  Each investment valuation is also subject to review by the executive officers and investment teams. 

 

In conjunction with the internal valuation process, we have engaged multiple independent consulting firms that specialize in financial due diligence, valuation and business advisory services to provide third-party valuation reviews of the majority of our investments on a quarterly basis.  Our Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio. 

 

COMPETITION

 

We compete for attractive investment opportunities with other financial institutions, including BDCs, junior capital lenders, and banks. We believe we are able to be competitive with these entities primarily on the basis of the experience and contacts of our management team and our responsive and efficient investment analysis and decision-making processes.  However, many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do.  Furthermore, our competitors may have a lower cost of funds and many have access to funding sources that are not available to us.  In addition, certain of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and build their market shares.  Likewise, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and valuation requirements that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.  See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.”

 

We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, because of this competition, we may be unable to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and may be unable to identify and make investments that satisfy our investment objectives or meet our investment goals.

 

LEVERAGE

 

We may from time to time borrow funds to make investments, a practice known as “leverage,” in an attempt to increase returns to our shareholders. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% (or, pursuant to recent legislation, 150% if certain requirements are met as described in the Business Section under “Regulation as a Business Development Company—Senior Securities”) after such borrowing. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on management’s and our Board of Directors’ assessments of portfolio mix, prevailing market advance rates and other market factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business and Structure – Because we borrow money to make investments, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.”

 

We intend to continue borrowing under the Credit Facility in the future and we may increase the size of the Credit Facility, add additional credit facilities or otherwise issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness in the future, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.

 

See "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Liquidity and Capital Resources" as well as Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2018 for information regarding the Credit Facility and the issuance of the December 2022 Notes.

 

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

 

Since we generally acquire and dispose of our investments in privately negotiated transactions, we infrequently use brokers in the normal course of our business. Our investment team is primarily responsible for the execution of the publicly traded securities portion of our portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage commissions. We do not expect to execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but will seek to obtain the best net results for us, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, and operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While we will generally seek reasonably competitive trade execution costs, we will not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available. Subject to applicable legal requirements, we may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to us. In return for such services, we may pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if we determine in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided. We did not pay any brokerage commissions during the three years ended March 31, 2018.

 

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

 

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, that provides for the reinvestment of dividends on behalf of our shareholders. Under the DRIP, if we declare a dividend, registered shareholders who have opted into the DRIP as of the dividend record date will have their dividend automatically reinvested into additional shares of our common stock. The share requirements of the DRIP are satisfied through open market purchases of common stock by the DRIP plan administrator. Shares purchased in the open market to satisfy the DRIP requirements will be valued based upon the average price of the applicable shares purchased by the DRIP plan administrator, before any associated brokerage or other costs.

 

ELECTION TO BE REGULATED AS A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

 

We are a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. In addition, we have elected, and intend to qualify annually, to be treated as a RIC. Our election to be regulated as a BDC and our election to be treated as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes have a significant impact on our operations. Some of the most important effects on our operations of our election to be regulated as a BDC and our election to be treated as a RIC are outlined below.

 

 

In accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and Article 6 of Regulation S-X, we report all of our investments, including debt investments, at market value or, for investments that do not have a readily available market value, at their “fair value” as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. Changes in these values

are reported through our consolidated statements of operations under the caption of “net change in unrealized appreciation on investments.” See “Determination of Net Asset Value and Portfolio Valuation Process” above.

 

 

As a RIC, so long as we meet certain minimum distribution, source of income and asset diversification requirements, we generally are required to pay U.S. federal income taxes only on the portion of our taxable income and gains we do not distribute (actually or constructively) and certain built-in gains. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year that generated such taxable income. We intend to distribute to our shareholders substantially all of our income. We may, however, make deemed distributions to our shareholders of any retained net long-term capital gains. If this happens, our shareholders will be treated as if they received an actual distribution of the net capital gains and reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in us. Our shareholders also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable share of the corporate-level U.S. federal income tax we pay on the deemed distribution. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” We met the minimum distribution requirements for tax years 2015, 2016 and 2017 and continually monitor our distribution requirements with the goal of ensuring compliance with the Code.   

 

In addition, we have a Taxable Subsidiary that holds a portion of one or more of our portfolio investments that are listed on the Consolidated Schedule of Investments. The Taxable Subsidiary is consolidated for financial reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, so that our consolidated financial statements reflect our investments in the portfolio companies owned by the Taxable Subsidiary. The purpose of the Taxable Subsidiary is to permit us to hold certain interests in portfolio companies that are organized as limited liability companies, or LLCs (or other forms of pass-through entities) and still satisfy the RIC tax requirement that at least 90% of our gross income for federal income tax purposes must consist of qualifying investment income. Absent the Taxable Subsidiary, a proportionate amount of any gross income of a partnership or LLC (or other pass-through entity) portfolio investment would flow through directly to us. To the extent that such income did not consist of investment income, it could jeopardize our ability to qualify as a RIC and therefore cause us to incur significant amounts of corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes. Where interests in LLCs (or other pass-through entities) are owned by the Taxable Subsidiary, the income from those interests is taxed to the Taxable Subsidiary and does not flow through to us, thereby helping us preserve our RIC status and resultant tax advantages. The Taxable Subsidiary is not consolidated for U.S. federal income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense as a result of its ownership of the portfolio companies. This income tax expense, if any, is reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

 

 

As a BDC, we are required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities of at least 200% (or, pursuant to recent legislation, 150% if certain requirements are met as described in the Business Section under “Regulation as a Business Development Company—Senior Securities”). For this purpose, senior securities include all borrowings and any preferred stock we may issue in the future. Additionally, our ability to utilize leverage as a means of financing our portfolio of investments may be limited by this asset coverage test. While the use of leverage may enhance returns if we meet our investment objective, our returns may be reduced or eliminated if our returns on investments are less than the costs of borrowing.

 

 

As a BDC, we are required to have a majority of directors who are not “interested persons” as such term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act. In addition, we are required to comply with other applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, including those requiring the adoption of a code of ethics, maintaining a fidelity bond and placing and maintaining its securities and similar investments in custody. See “Regulation as a Business Development Company” below.

 

Regulation as a Business Development Company

 

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act.  The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates and principal underwriters as well as their respective affiliates.  The 1940 Act requires that a majority of the members of the board of directors of a BDC be persons other than “interested persons,” as defined in the 1940 Act.  In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

 

The 1940 Act defines “a majority of the outstanding voting securities” as the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of holders present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy or (2) more than 50% of our voting securities.

 

The following is a brief description of the 1940 Act provisions applicable to BDCs, which is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 1940 Act and rules issued thereunder by the SEC.

 

 

 

 

 

Qualifying Assets

 

The 1940 Act provides that we may not make an investment in non-qualifying assets unless at the time of the investment at least 70% of the value of our total assets (measured as of the date of our most recently filed financial statements) consists of qualifying assets. Qualifying assets include: (1) securities of eligible portfolio companies; (2) securities of certain companies that were eligible portfolio companies at the time we initially acquired their securities and in which we retain a substantial interest; (3) securities of certain controlled companies; (4) securities of certain bankrupt, insolvent or distressed companies; (5) securities received in exchange for or distributed in or with respect to any of the foregoing; and (6) cash items, U.S. government securities and high-quality short-term debt. 

 

Significant Managerial Assistance to Portfolio Companies

 

As a BDC, we must offer, and must provide upon request, significant managerial assistance to the issuer whose securities we consider qualifying assets.

 

Temporary Investments

 

Pending investment in other types of “qualifying assets,” as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, short-term investments in secured debt investments, independently rated debt investments and diversified bond funds, which we refer to as temporary investments.

 

Senior Securities

 

We are generally permitted by the 1940 Act, under specific conditions, to issue multiple classes of debt and one class of stock senior to our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined by the 1940 Act, is at least 200% immediately after each such issuance. However, recent legislation has modified the 1940 Act by allowing a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur by reducing the minimum asset coverage ratio from 200% to 150%, if certain requirements are met. Under the requirements of the legislation, we are allowed to increase our leverage capacity if shareholders representing at least a majority of the votes cast, when a quorum is present, approve a proposal to do so. If we receive shareholder approval, we would be allowed to increase our leverage capacity on the first day after such approval. Alternatively, the legislation allows the majority of our independent directors to approve an increase in our leverage capacity, but such approval would not become effective until the one-year anniversary of the 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 our use of leverage. As of March 31, 2018, we had $40.0 million and $57.5 million in total aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding under our Credit Facility and December 2022 Notes, respectively. As of March 31, 2018, our asset coverage was 416%.

 

On April 25, 2018, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the application of the recently modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the Company will be decreased from 200% to 150%, effective April 25, 2019. The Board of Directors also approved a resolution which limits the Company’s issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, effective April 25, 2019.

 

In addition, while any preferred stock or publicly traded debt securities are outstanding, we may be prohibited from making distributions to our shareholders or the repurchasing of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes without regard to asset coverage.  Under specific conditions, we are also permitted by the 1940 Act to issue warrants.

 

Common Stock

 

As a BDC, the 1940 Act generally limits our ability to issue and sell our common stock at a price below our NAV per share, exclusive of any distributing commission or discount, without shareholder approval. Shares of our common stock have traded below our NAV per share. While our common stock continues to trade at a price below our NAV per share, there are no assurances that we can issue or sell shares of our common stock if needed to fund our business.

 

Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

 

We adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions.  Personnel subject to the code may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as those investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements. We have also adopted a code of conduct that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer (or persons performing similar functions), our Board, and all other employees. This code sets forth policies that these executives and employees must follow when performing their duties.

 

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

 

We vote proxies relating to our portfolio securities in a manner in which we believe is consistent with the best interest of our shareholders. We review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted to a shareholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by us. Although we generally vote against proposals that we expect would have a negative impact on our portfolio securities, we may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so. Our proxy voting decisions are made by the investment team that is responsible for monitoring the investments. To ensure that our vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, we require that anyone involved in the decision-making process discloses to our Chief Compliance Officer any potential conflict of which he or she is aware. Shareholders may obtain information, without charge, regarding how we voted proxies with respect to our portfolio securities by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Chief Financial Officer c/o Capital Southwest Corporation, 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75240.

 

 

Compliance Policies and Procedures

 

We have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the U.S. federal securities laws, and are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, and to designate a Chief Compliance Officer to be responsible for administering these policies and procedures. Michael S. Sarner serves as our Chief Compliance Officer.

 

Exemptive Relief

 

On October 26, 2010, we received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting us to issue restricted stock to our executive officers and certain key employees, or the Original Order. On August 22, 2017, we received an exemptive order that supersedes the Original Order, or the Exemptive Order, and in addition to the relief granted under the Original Order, allows us to withhold shares to satisfy tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of restricted stock granted pursuant to the 2010 Restricted Stock Award Plan, or the 2010 Plan, and to pay the exercise price of options to purchase shares of our common stock granted pursuant to the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, or the 2009 Plan.

 

Other

 

We may also be prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our Board of Directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval by the SEC. The prior approval of the SEC is not required, however, where a transaction involves no negotiation of terms other than price.

 

We expect to periodically be examined by the SEC for compliance with the 1940 Act.

 

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following discussion is a general summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to us and to an investment in our shares. This summary does not purport to be a complete description of the income tax considerations applicable to us or to investors in such an investment. For example, we have not described tax consequences that we assume to be generally known by investors or certain considerations that may be relevant to certain types of holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, including shareholders subject to the alternative minimum tax, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, dealers in securities, pension plans and trusts, financial institutions, U.S. shareholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, persons who mark-to-market our shares and persons who hold our shares as part of a “straddle,” “hedge” or “conversion” transaction. This summary assumes that investors hold shares of our common stock as capital assets (within the meaning of the Code). The discussion is based upon the Code, Treasury regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations, each as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and all of which are subject to change, possibly retroactively, which could affect the continuing validity of this discussion. This summary does not discuss any aspects of U.S. estate or gift tax or foreign, state or local tax. It does not discuss the special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws that could result if we invested in tax-exempt securities or certain other investment assets.

 

For purposes of our discussion, a “U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

 

 

 

 

For purposes of our discussion, a “Non-U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is neither a U.S. shareholder nor a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes).

 

If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a “partnership”) holds shares of our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner or member of the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner or member and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder that is a partner or member in a partnership holding shares of our common stock should consult his, her or its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of our common stock.

 

Tax matters are very complicated and the tax consequences to an investor of an investment in our shares will depend on the facts of his, her or its particular situation. We encourage investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the specific consequences of such an investment, including tax reporting requirements, the applicability of U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax laws, eligibility for the benefits of any applicable tax treaty and the effect of any possible changes in the tax laws.

 

Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company

 

Election to be Taxed as a RIC

 

We have elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally are not subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any income that we distribute to our shareholders from our tax earnings and profits. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, in order to obtain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute to our shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our net ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of realized net short-term capital gain over realized net long-term capital loss, or the Annual Distribution Requirement. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year that generated such taxable income. Even if we qualify as a RIC, we generally will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on our undistributed taxable income and could be subject to U.S. federal excise, state, local and foreign taxes.

 

Taxation as a RIC

 

Provided that we qualify as a RIC, we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain (which we define as net long-term capital gain in excess of net short-term capital loss) that we timely distribute to shareholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gain not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our shareholders.

 

We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible U.S. federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for each calendar year,

(2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one year period ended October 31 and (3) any income and gains recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax.

 

In order to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must, among other things:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the extent that we invest in entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”), we generally must include the items of gross income derived by the partnerships for purposes of the 90% Income Test, and the income that is derived from a partnership (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”) will be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test only to the extent that such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if realized by us directly. In addition, we generally must take into account our proportionate share of the assets held by partnerships (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”) in which we are a partner for purposes of the Diversification Tests.

 

In order to meet the 90% Income Test, we have established the Taxable Subsidiary to hold assets from which we do not anticipate earning dividend, interest or other income under the 90% Income Test. We may establish additional subsidiaries for the same purpose in the future. Any investments held through a Taxable Subsidiary generally are subject to U.S. federal income and other taxes, and therefore we can expect to achieve a reduced after-tax yield on such investments.

 

We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (including debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount or payment-in-kind interest that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash.

 

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to obtain and maintain RIC tax treatment under

the Code. 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 forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax.

 

Furthermore, a portfolio company in which we invest may face financial difficulty that requires us to work-out, modify or otherwise restructure our investment in the portfolio company. Any such restructuring may result in unusable capital losses and future non-cash income. Any restructuring may also result in our recognition of a substantial amount of non-qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test, such as cancellation of indebtedness income in connection with the work-out of a leveraged investment (which, while not free from doubt, may be treated as non-qualifying income) or the receipt of other non-qualifying income.

 

Gain or loss realized by us from warrants acquired by us as well as any loss attributable to the lapse of such warrants generally will be treated as capital gain or loss. Such gain or loss generally will be long-term or short-term, depending on how long we held a particular warrant.

 

Investments by us in non-U.S. securities may be subject to non-U.S. income, withholding and other taxes, and therefore, our yield on any such securities may be reduced by such non-U.S. taxes. Shareholders will generally not be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to non-U.S. taxes paid by us.

 

We are authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. Under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our shareholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests are met. See “Regulation as a Business Development Company” above. Moreover, our ability to dispose of assets to meet our distribution requirements may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or to avoid the excise tax, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

 

If we fail to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement or otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, we will be subject to tax in that year on all of our taxable income, regardless of whether we make any distributions to our shareholders. In that case, all of such income will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax, reducing the amount available to be distributed to our shareholders. See “Failure To Obtain RIC Tax Treatment” below.

 

As a RIC, we are not allowed to carry forward or carry back a net operating loss for purposes of computing our investment company taxable income in other taxable years. U.S. federal income tax law generally permits a RIC to carry forward (1) the excess of its net short-term capital loss over its net long-term capital gain for a given year as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the following year and (2) the excess of its net long-term capital loss over its net short-term capital gain for a given year as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the following year. Future transactions we engage in may cause our ability to use any capital loss carryforwards, and unrealized losses once realized, to be limited under Section 382 of the Code. Certain of our investment practices may be subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (1) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (2) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain and qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (3) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (4) cause us to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (5) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (6) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (7) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test. We will monitor our transactions and may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these provisions.

 

As described above, to the extent that we invest in equity securities of entities that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the effect of such investments for purposes of the 90% Income Test and the Diversification Tests will depend on whether or not the partnership is a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (as defined in the Code). If the entity is a “qualified publicly traded partnership,” the net income derived from such investments will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test and will be “securities” for purposes of the Diversification Tests. If the entity is not treated as a “qualified publicly traded partnership,” however, the consequences of an investment in the partnership will depend upon the amount and type of income and assets of the partnership allocable to us. The income derived from such investments may not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test and, therefore,

could adversely affect our qualification as a RIC. We intend to monitor our investments in equity securities of entities that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes to prevent our disqualification as a RIC.

 

We may invest in preferred securities or other securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to re-characterization by the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the expected tax treatment, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized, requiring us to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change our portfolio, in order to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the Code.

 

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in cash or shares of our common stock at the election of each shareholder. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable in cash or in shares of stock at the election of shareholders are treated as taxable dividends. The IRS has issued a revenue procedure indicating that this rule will apply where the total amount of cash to be distributed is not less than 20% of the total distribution. Under this revenue procedure, if too many shareholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, each such shareholder 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 we decide to make any distributions consistent with this revenue procedure that are payable in part in our stock, taxable shareholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (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 reported 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. shareholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. shareholder sells the stock it receives in order to pay this tax, 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. shareholders, 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. If a significant number of our shareholders 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.

 

Failure to Obtain RIC Tax Treatment

 

If we fail to satisfy the 90% Income Test or the Diversification Tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a RIC for that year if certain relief provisions are applicable (which may, among other things, require us to pay certain corporate-level U.S. federal taxes or to dispose of certain assets).

 

If we were unable to obtain tax treatment as a RIC, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to shareholders, nor would they be required to be made. Distributions would generally be taxable to our shareholders as dividend income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits (in the case of non-corporate U.S. shareholders, generally at a maximum federal income tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income of 20%). Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate distributees would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the shareholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain.

 

If we fail to meet the RIC requirements for more than two consecutive years, and then seek to re-qualify as a RIC, we would be subject to corporate-level taxation on any built-in gain recognized during the succeeding 5-year period unless we made a special election to recognize all that built-in gain upon our re-qualification as a RIC and to pay the corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on that built-in gain.

 

Taxation of U.S. Shareholders

 

Whether an investment in shares of our common stock is appropriate for a U.S. shareholder will depend upon that person’s particular circumstances. An investment in shares of our common stock by a U.S. shareholder may have adverse tax consequences. The following summary generally describes certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in shares of our common stock by taxable U.S. shareholders and not by U.S. shareholders that are generally exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. U.S. shareholders should consult their own tax advisors before making an investment in our common stock.

 

Distributions by us generally are taxable to U.S. shareholders as ordinary income or capital gains. Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” (which generally is our ordinary income excluding net capital gains) will be taxable as ordinary income to U.S. shareholders to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional common stock. To the extent such distributions paid by us to non-corporate U.S. shareholders (including individuals) are attributable to dividends from U.S. corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, such distributions generally will be eligible for taxation at rates applicable to “qualifying dividends” at a maximum federal income tax rate of 20% provided that we properly report such distribution as “qualified dividend income” in a written statement furnished to our shareholders and certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied. In this regard, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of distributions paid by us will be attributable to qualifying dividends; therefore, our distributions generally will not qualify for the preferential rates applicable to qualified dividend income. Distributions of our net capital gains (which generally is our net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses) properly designated by us as “capital gain dividends” will be taxable to a U.S. shareholder as long-term capital gains (at a maximum federal income tax rate of 20% in the case of individuals, trusts or estates), regardless of the U.S. shareholder’s holding period for his, her or its common stock and regardless of whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional common stock. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits first will reduce a U.S. shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in such shareholder’s common stock and, after the adjusted basis is reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to such U.S. shareholder.

 

In lieu of actually distributing our realized net capital gains, we may retain some or all of our long-term capital gain and elect to be deemed to have made a distribution of the retained portion to our shareholders (a “deemed distribution”) under the “designated undistributed capital gains” rule of the Code. In that case, among other consequences, we will pay tax on the retained amount, each U.S. shareholder will be required to include his, her or its proportionate share of the deemed distribution in income as if it had been actually distributed to the U.S. shareholder, and the U.S. shareholder will be entitled to claim a credit equal to his, her or its allocable share of the tax paid thereon by us. The amount of the deemed distribution, net of such tax, will be added to the U.S. shareholder’s tax basis for his, her or its common stock. If the amount of U.S. federal income tax credit received by a shareholder exceeds the U.S. federal income tax such shareholder owes on the retained net capital gain, such excess generally may be claimed as a credit against the U.S. shareholder’s other U.S. federal income tax obligations or may be refunded to the extent it exceeds a shareholder’s liability for U.S. federal income tax. A shareholder that is not subject to U.S. federal income tax or otherwise required to file a U.S. federal income tax return would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return on the appropriate form in order to claim a refund for the taxes we paid. In order to utilize the deemed distribution approach, we must provide written notice to our shareholders prior to the expiration of 60 days after the close of the relevant taxable year. We cannot treat any of our investment company taxable income as a “deemed distribution.”

 

For purposes of determining (1) whether the Annual Distribution Requirement is satisfied for any year and (2) the amount of capital gain dividends paid for that year, we may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a dividend that is paid during the following taxable year as if it had been paid during the taxable year in question. If we make such an election, the U.S. shareholder will still be treated as receiving the dividend in the taxable year in which the distribution is made. However, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in any such month and actually paid during January of the following year, will be treated as if it had been received by our U.S. shareholders on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

 

If an investor purchases shares of our common stock shortly before the record date of a distribution, the price of the shares will include the value of the distribution, and the investor will be subject to tax on the distribution even though it represents a return of his, her or its investment.

 

A U.S. shareholder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss if the shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of his, her or its shares of our common stock. The amount of gain or loss will be measured by the difference between such shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock sold and the amount of the proceeds received in exchange. Any gain arising from such sale or disposition generally will be treated as long-term capital gains or losses if the shareholder has held his, her or its shares for more than one year. Otherwise, it will be classified as short-term capital gains or losses. However, any capital loss arising from the sale or disposition of shares of our common stock held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of capital gain dividends received, or undistributed capital gain deemed received, with respect to such shares. In addition, all or a portion of any loss recognized upon a disposition of shares of our common stock may be disallowed if other substantially identical shares are purchased (whether

through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) within 30 days before or after the disposition. The ability to otherwise deduct capital losses may be subject to other limitations under the Code.

 

In general, non-corporate U.S. shareholders, including individuals, trusts and estates, are subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum rate of 20% on their net capital gains, or the excess of realized net long-term capital gains over realized net short-term capital losses for a taxable year, including a long-term capital gain derived from an investment in our shares. Such rate is lower than the maximum rate on ordinary income currently payable by individuals. Corporate U.S. shareholders currently are subject to U.S. federal income tax on net capital gains at the maximum 21% rate also applied to ordinary income. Non-corporate shareholders with net capital losses for a year (which we define as capital loss in excess of capital gain) generally may deduct up to $3,000 of such losses against their ordinary income each year; any net capital loss of a non-corporate shareholder in excess of $3,000 generally may be carried forward and used in subsequent years as provided in the Code. Corporate shareholders generally may not deduct any net capital loss for a year, but may carry back such losses for three years or carry forward such losses for five years.

 

Certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts generally are subject to a 3.8% Medicare surtax on the lesser of (1) the U.S. shareholder’s “net investment income” (or “undistributed net investment income” in the case of an estate or trust) for the relevant taxable year and (2) the excess of the U.S shareholder’s modified adjusted gross income for the taxable year over a certain threshold (which in the case of individuals is between $125,000 and $250,000, depending on the individual’s circumstances). A U.S. shareholder’s net investment income generally includes its dividends on, and capital gain from the sale or other disposition of, shares of our common stock.

 

A “publicly offered” RIC is a RIC whose shares are either (1) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (2) regularly traded on an established securities market or (3) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the taxable year. If we are not a publicly offered RIC for any period, a non-corporate shareholder’s pro rata portion of our affected expenses, including our management fees, will be treated as an additional dividend to the shareholder and will be deductible by such shareholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For non-corporate shareholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain expenses of a non-publicly offered RIC, including advisory fees. In particular, these expenses, referred to as miscellaneous itemized deductions, are deductible only to individuals to the extent they exceed 2% of such a shareholder’s adjusted gross income, and are not deductible for AMT purposes. These expenses are not deductible by U.S. shareholders for tax years beginning 2018 through 2025. Because we anticipate that shares of our common stock will continue to be regularly traded on an established securities market, we believe that we will continue to qualify as a “publicly offered regulated investment company.”

 

We (or the applicable withholding agent) will send to each of our U.S. shareholders, as promptly as possible after the end of each calendar year, a written statement detailing the amounts includible in such U.S. shareholder’s taxable income for such year as ordinary income and as long-term capital gain. In addition, the U.S. federal tax status of each year’s distributions generally will be reported to the IRS. Distributions paid by us generally will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction or the preferential tax rate applicable to qualifying dividends. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on a U.S. shareholder’s particular situation.

 

We may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax, or backup withholding at a rate of 24%, from all taxable distributions to any U.S. shareholder (1) who fails to furnish us with a correct taxpayer identification number or a certificate that such shareholder is exempt from backup withholding (e.g., because it is a corporation) or (2) with respect to whom the IRS notifies us that such shareholder has failed to properly report certain interest and dividend income to the IRS and to respond to notices to that effect. An individual’s taxpayer identification number is his or her social security number. Backup withholding tax is not an additional tax, and any amount withheld may be refunded or credited against the U.S. shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided that proper information is timely provided to the IRS.

 

Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to shares of our stock of $2.0 million or more for an individual, S corporation, trust or a partnership with at least one non-corporate partner or $10.0 million or more for a shareholder that is either a corporation or a partnership with only corporate partners in any single taxable year (or a greater loss over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886 (or successor form). Direct shareholders of portfolio securities in many cases are exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper.

Significant monetary penalties apply to a failure to comply with this reporting requirement. States may also have a similar reporting requirement. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

 

Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders

 

Whether an investment in the shares is appropriate for a Non-U.S. shareholder will depend upon that person’s particular circumstances. An investment in the shares by a Non-U.S. shareholder may have adverse tax consequences. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisers before investing in our common stock.

 

Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” to Non-U.S. shareholders that are not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the Non-U.S. shareholder, will generally be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, unless an applicable exception applies. No withholding is required with respect to distributions of (i) net U.S. source interest income that the Company properly reports as “interest-related dividends”, or (ii) net short term capital gains in excess of net long term capital losses that the Company properly reports as “short-term capital gain dividends.”  The Company anticipates that a portion of its distributions will be eligible for this exception from withholding; however, the Company cannot determine what portion of its distributions (if any) will be eligible for this exception until after the end of their taxable year. No certainty can be provided that any distributions will be reported as eligible for this exception.

 

Actual or deemed distributions of our net capital gain to a Non-U.S. shareholder, and gains realized by a Non-U.S. shareholder upon the sale of our common stock, that are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the Non-U.S. shareholder, will generally not be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax and generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless the Non-U.S. shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% on capital gain of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax.

 

If we distribute our net capital gain in the form of deemed rather than actual distributions (which we may do in the future), a Non-U.S. shareholder will be entitled to a U.S. federal income tax credit or tax refund equal to the shareholder’s allocable share of the tax we pay on the capital gain deemed to have been distributed. In order to obtain the refund, the Non-U.S. shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and file a U.S. federal income tax return even if the Non-U.S. shareholder would not otherwise be required to obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number or file a U.S. federal income tax return. Accordingly, investment in the shares may not be appropriate for a Non-U.S. shareholder.

 

Distributions of our “investment company taxable income” and net capital gain (including deemed distributions) to Non-U.S. shareholders, and gain realized by Non-U.S. shareholders upon the sale of our common stock that is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the Non-U.S. shareholder (or if an income tax treaty applies, attributable to a “permanent establishment” in the United States), will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Corporate Non-U.S. shareholders may also be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a rate of 30% imposed by the Code (or lower rate provided by an applicable treaty).

 

The tax consequences to a Non-U.S. shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in our shares.

 

Non-U.S. shareholders may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding of U.S. federal income tax on dividends unless the Non-U.S. shareholder provides us or the dividend paying agent with an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable (or an acceptable substitute form) or otherwise meets documentary evidence requirements for establishing that it is a Non-U.S. shareholder or otherwise establishes an exemption from backup withholding. To claim a credit or refund for any taxes paid by the Company on any undistributed long-term capital gains

(as discussed above) or any taxes collected through withholding or to claim a benefit under an applicable tax treaty, a Non-U.S. shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and may be required to file a federal income tax return even if the Non-U.S. shareholder would not otherwise be required to obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number or file a U.S. income tax return.

 

Non-U.S. persons should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the U.S. federal income tax and withholding tax, and state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in the shares.

 

FATCA

 

Legislation commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act,” or “FATCA,” generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on payments of certain types of income to foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) unless such FFIs either (i) enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to report certain required information with respect to accounts held by U.S. persons (or held by foreign entities that have U.S. persons as substantial owners) or (ii) reside in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) with the United States to collect and share such information and are in compliance with the terms of such IGA and any enabling legislation or regulations. The types of income subject to the tax include U.S. source interest and dividends and the gross proceeds from the sale of any property that could produce U.S.- source interest or dividends received after December 31, 2018. The information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder that is a U.S. person and transaction activity within the holder’s account. In addition, subject to certain exceptions, this legislation also imposes a 30% withholding on payments to foreign entities that are not FFIs unless the foreign entity certifies that it does not have a greater than 10% U.S. owner or provides the withholding agent with identifying information on each greater than 10% U.S. owner. Depending on the status of a Non-U.S. shareholder and the status of the intermediaries through which they hold their shares, Non-U.S. shareholders could be subject to this 30% withholding tax with respect to distributions on their shares and proceeds from the sale of their shares.  Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. shareholder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes.

 

Possible Legislative or Other Actions Affecting Tax Considerations

 

Prospective investors should recognize that the present U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our stock may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, and that any such action may affect investments and commitments previously made. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department, resulting in revisions of regulations and revised interpretations of established concepts as well as statutory changes. Revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could affect the tax consequences of an investment in our stock.

 

State and Local Tax Treatment

 

The state and local tax treatment may differ from federal income tax treatment.

 

The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice, and potential investors should consult their own tax advisors concerning the tax considerations relevant to their particular situation.

 

THE NASDAQ GLOBAL SELECT MARKET CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REGULATIONS

 

The NASDAQ Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, has adopted corporate governance listing standards with which listed companies must comply in order to remain listed.  We believe that we are in compliance with these corporate governance listing standards.  We intend to monitor our compliance with future listing standards and to take all necessary actions to ensure that we remain in compliance.

 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AND SARBANES-OXLEY ACT COMPLIANCE

 

We are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Exchange Act, including the filing of quarterly, annual and current reports, proxy statements and other required items.  In addition, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley

Act of 2002 and regulations promulgated thereunder, which imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders.  For example:

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1A.     Risk Factors

 

Investing in our common stock involves a number of significant risks.  In addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, investors should consider the following information before making an investment in our common stock.  The risks and uncertainties described below could materially adversely affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations. Risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or not presently deemed material by us, may also impair our operations and performance.  If any of the following risks, or risks not presently known to us, actually occur, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND STRUCTURE

 

Our financial condition and results of operations will depend on our ability to effectively allocate and manage capital.

 

Our ability to achieve our investment objective of maximizing risk-adjusted returns to shareholders depends on our ability to effectively allocate and manage capital.  Capital allocation depends, in part, upon our investment team’s ability to identify, evaluate, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria.

 

Accomplishing our investment objectives is largely a function of our investment team’s management of the investment process and our access to investments offering attractive risk adjusted returns.  In addition, members of our investment team are called upon, from time to time, to provide managerial assistance to some of our portfolio companies. 

 

The results of our operations depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible short and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Our ability to make new investments at attractive relative returns is also a function of our marketing and our management of the investment process, as well as conditions in the private credit market in which we invest. If we fail to invest our capital effectively, our return on equity may be negatively impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of the shares of our common stock.

 

Any unrealized losses we experience may be an indication of future realized losses, which could reduce our income available to make distributions.

 

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at the fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors pursuant to a valuation methodology approved by our Board of Directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments will be recorded as unrealized losses. An unrealized loss could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to generate cash flow or meet its repayment obligations. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available to pay dividends or interest and principal on our securities and could have a material adverse effect on your investment.

 

Our business model depends to a significant extent upon strong referral relationships.  Our inability to maintain or develop these relationships, as well as the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

 

We expect that members of our management team will maintain their relationships with financial sponsors, intermediaries, financial institutions, investment bankers, commercial bankers, financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, consultants and other individuals within our network, and we will rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities.  If our management team fails to maintain its existing relationships or develop new relationships with sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to effectively invest our capital.  Individuals with whom members of our management team have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities; therefore, there is no assurance that these relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.    

 

In addition to regulatory limitations on our ability to raise capital, our current debt obligations contain various covenants, which, if not complied with, could accelerate our repayment obligations under the Credit Facility or the December 2022 Notes, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions.

 

We will have a continuing need for capital to finance our investments. We are party to a senior secured credit facility, dated as of August 30, 2016 and amended as of November 16, 2017, which we refer to as the Credit Facility. As of March 31, 2018, the Credit Facility provides us with a revolving credit line of up to $180.0 million of which $40.0 million was drawn. On April 16, 2018 and May 11, 2018, CSWC entered into Incremental Assumption Agreements, which increased the total commitments under the Credit Facility by $20 million and $10 million, respectively. The increases were executed under the accordion feature of the Credit Facility and increased total commitments from $180 million to $210 million.

 

The Credit Facility contains customary terms and conditions, including, without limitation, affirmative and negative covenants such as information reporting requirements, minimum consolidated net worth, minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio, minimum asset coverage, and maintenance of RIC tax treatment and BDC status. The Credit Facility also contains customary events of default with customary cure and notice provisions, including, without limitation, nonpayment, misrepresentation of representations and warranties in a material respect, breach of covenants, bankruptcy, and change of control. The Credit Facility permits us to fund additional loans and investments as long as we are within the conditions set out in the Credit Facility.

 

In December 2017, we issued $57.5 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.95% Notes due 2022, or the December 2022 Notes. The indenture governing the December 2022 Notes contains certain covenants including but not limited to (i) a requirement that we comply with the asset coverage requirement of Section 61 of the 1940 Act or any successor provisions thereto, after giving effect to any exemptive relief granted to us by the SEC, (ii) a requirement, subject to a limited exception, that we will not declare any cash dividend, or declare any other cash distribution, upon a class of our capital stock, or purchase any such capital stock, unless, in every such case, at the time of the declaration of any such dividend or distribution, or at the time of any such purchase, we have the minimum asset coverage required pursuant to Section 61 of the 1940 Act or any successor provisions thereto after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase price, as the case may be, giving effect to any exemptive relief granted to us by the SEC and (iii) a requirement to provide financial information to the holders of the December 2022 Notes and the trustee under the indenture if we should no longer be subject to the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act. The indenture and supplement relating to the December 2022 Notes also provides for customary events of default.

 

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 lenders, which would accelerate our repayment obligations under the facility and thereby have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions to our shareholders.

 

All of our assets are subject to security interests under our secured Credit Facility and if we default on our obligations under the Credit Facility, we may suffer adverse consequences, including foreclosure on our assets.

 

All of our assets are currently pledged as collateral under our Credit Facility. If we default on our obligations under the Credit Facility, the lenders party thereto may have the right to foreclose upon and sell, or otherwise transfer, the collateral subject to their security interests. In such event, we may be forced to sell our investments to raise funds to repay our outstanding borrowings in order to avoid foreclosure and these forced sales may be at times and at prices we would not consider advantageous. Moreover, such deleveraging of our company could significantly impair our ability to effectively operate our business in the manner in which we have historically operated. As a result, we could be forced to curtail or cease new investment activities and lower or eliminate the dividends that we have historically paid to our shareholders. In addition, if the lenders exercise their right to sell the assets pledged under our Credit Facility, such sales may be completed at distressed sale prices, thereby diminishing or potentially eliminating the amount of cash available to us after repayment of the amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility. These distressed prices could be materially below our most recent valuation of each security, which could have a significantly negative effect on NAV.

 

Because we borrow money to make investments, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.

 

Borrowings to fund investments, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and gain or loss on investments in our equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. We may borrow from banks and other lenders, including under our Credit Facility, and may issue debt securities or enter into other types of borrowing arrangements in the future. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged our business. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. Use of leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

 

As of March 31, 2018, we had $40.0 million debt outstanding under our Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest, on a per annum basis at a rate equal to the applicable LIBOR rate plus 3.00%, with a step-down to LIBOR plus 2.75% at the time the Company’s net worth exceeds $325 million. We pay unused commitment fees of 0.50% to 1.00% per annum, based on utilization, on the unused lender commitments under the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our assets. If we are unable to meet the financial obligations under the Credit Facility, the lenders under the Credit Facility may exercise its remedies under the Credit Facility as the result of a default by us. On April 16, 2018 and May 11, 2018, CSWC entered into Incremental Assumption Agreements, which increased the total commitments under the Credit Facility by $20 million and $10 million, respectively. The increases were executed under the accordion feature of the Credit Facility and increased total commitments from $180 million to $210 million.

 

As of March 31, 2018, the carrying amount of the December 2022 Notes was $55.3 million. The December 2022 Notes mature on December 15, 2022 and may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time, or from time to time, at our option on or after December 15, 2019. The December 2022 Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.95% per year, payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year. The December 2022 Notes are an unsecured obligation, rank pari passu with our other outstanding and future unsecured unsubordinated indebtedness and are effectively subordinated to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, including borrowings under our Credit Facility.

 

Our ability to achieve our investment objective may depend in part on our ability to access additional leverage on favorable terms by borrowing from banks or insurance companies or by issuing debt securities and there can be no assurance that such additional leverage can in fact be achieved.

Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below.

Assumed Return on Our Portfolio(1)

(net of expenses)

 

 

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could fail 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 total assets are qualifying assets.

 

Currently, more than 70% of our assets consist of qualifying assets. However, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if those investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 1940 Act. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies or we could be required to dispose of investments at inappropriate times to comply with the 1940 Act (which could result in the dilution of our position).

 

A failure on our part to maintain our status as a BDC would significantly reduce our operating flexibility.

 

If we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company that is required to register under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to additional regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility. In addition, any such failure could cause an event of default under our outstanding indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. Federal income tax if we are unable to qualify as a Regulated Investment Company under Subchapter M of the Code.

 

To maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code, we must meet the following annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements:

 

 

 

 

Failure to meet these requirements may result in us having to dispose of certain unqualified investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC tax treatment. If we fail to maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.  In addition, to the extent we had unrealized gains, we would have to establish deferred tax liabilities for taxes, which would reduce our NAV accordingly. In addition, our shareholders would lose the tax credit realized when we, as a RIC, decide to retain the net realized capital gain and make deemed distributions of net realized capital gains, and pay taxes on behalf of our shareholders at the end of the tax year.  The loss of this pass-through tax treatment could have a material adverse effect on the total return of an investment in our common stock.

 

Even if the Company qualifies as a Regulated Investment Company, it may face tax liabilities that reduce its cash flow.

 

Even if we qualify for taxation as a RIC, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets. In addition, we may hold some of our assets through our Taxable Subsidiary, which is not consolidated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or any other taxable subsidiary we may form. Any taxes paid by our subsidiary corporations would decrease the cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

 

Our historical financial statements are not necessarily representative of the results we would have achieved as a stand-alone publicly-traded company and therefore may not be indicative of our future performance.

 

As part of the Share Distribution, we spun off 63.5% of our NAV to our shareholders and divested other major investments during the past three years. We emerged from these divestitures and the Share Distribution with a significantly different company profile.  Our historical financial statements included in this Form 10-K for historical periods are not necessarily representative of the results we would have achieved as a stand-alone publicly traded company with a smaller market footprint.  Accordingly, this data may not be indicative of our future performance, or necessarily reflect what our financial position and results of operations or cash flows would have been, had we operated as a separate, stand-alone publicly-traded entity during all of the periods presented.  

 

Our investment portfolio is and will continue to be recorded at fair value.  Our Board of Directors has final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our fair value determination. As a result of recording our investments at fair value, there is and will continue to be subjectivity as to the value of our portfolio investments.

 

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value as determined by us, with our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our fair value determination.  Typically, there is not a public market for the securities of the privately held companies in which we have invested and will continue to invest.  As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value based on inputs from management and our investment team, along with the oversight, review and approval of our Board of Directors.

 

The determination of fair value and, consequently, the amount of unrealized gains and losses in our portfolio, are to a certain degree, subjective and dependent on a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors.  Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include external events, such as private mergers, sales and acquisitions involving comparable companies.  Because of the inherent uncertainty of the valuation of portfolio securities that do not have readily ascertainable market values, our fair value determinations may differ materially from the values a third party would be willing to pay for our portfolio securities or the values which would be applicable to unrestricted securities having a public market.  Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations may cause our NAV on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize on one or more of our investments.  As a result, investors purchasing our common stock based on an overstated NAV may pay a higher price

than the value of our investments might warrant.  Conversely, investors selling shares during a period in which the NAV understates the value of our investments may receive a lower price for their shares than the value of our investments might warrant.

 

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

 

From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability.  For example, between 2008 and 2009, the global capital markets were unstable as evidenced by periodic disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major financial institutions.  These events contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular.  While market conditions have largely recovered from the events of 2008 and 2009, there have been continuing periods of volatility, some lasting longer than others. There can be no assurance these market conditions will not repeat themselves or worsen in the future.   The reappearance of market conditions similar to those experienced from 2008 through 2009 for any substantial length of time could make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms.  Additionally, the debt capital that will be available to us in the future may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms than what we currently experience due to the existence of a rising interest rate environment.  If any of these conditions appear, they may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.  These events could limit our investment originations, limit our ability to increase returns to equity holders through the effective use of leverage, and negatively impact our operating results.

 

In addition, significant changes or volatility in the capital markets may also have a negative effect on the valuations of our investments. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity). Significant changes in the capital markets may also affect the pace of our investment activity and the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. Thus, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell our investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes. An inability to raise or access capital could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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 negatively affect the profitability of our operations.

 

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

 

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

 

We compete for attractive investment opportunities with other financial institutions, including BDCs, junior capital lenders, and banks.  Some of these competitors are substantially larger and have greater financial, technical and marketing resources, and some are subject to different, and frequently less stringent, regulations.  Our competitors may have a lower cost of funds and may have access to funding sources that are not available to us.  Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.  As a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and there can

be no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that satisfy our objectives.  A significant increase in the number and/or size of our competitors in our target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms.  We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

 

Adverse market and economic conditions could cause harm to our operating results.

 

Past recessions have had a significant negative impact on the operating performance and fair value of many middle market companies. Many of our portfolio companies could be adversely impacted again by any future economic downturn or recession and may be unable to be sold at a price that would allow us to recover our investment, or may be unable to operate during a recession. Such portfolio company performance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our success depends on attracting and retaining qualified personnel in a competitive environment.

 

Sourcing, selection, structuring and closing our investments depends upon the diligence and skill of our management.  Our management’s capabilities may significantly impact our results of operations.  Our success requires that we retain investment and operations personnel in a competitive environment.  Our ability to attract and retain personnel with the requisite credentials, experience and skills depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to offer competitive wages, benefits and professional growth opportunities.

 

The competitive environment for qualified personnel may require us to take certain measures to ensure that we are able to attract and retain experienced personnel.  Such measures may include increasing the attractiveness of our overall compensation packages, altering the structure of our compensation packages through the use of additional forms of compensation or other steps.  The inability to attract and retain experienced personnel could potentially have an adverse effect on our business.

 

In connection with CSWI’s separation from us, CSWI has indemnified us for certain liabilities.  However, there can be no assurance that these indemnities will be sufficient to insure us against the full amount of such liabilities or that CSWI’s ability to satisfy its indemnification obligation will not be impaired in the future.

 

CSWI agreed to indemnify us for certain liabilities, including certain tax liabilities.  However, third parties could seek to hold us responsible for any of the liabilities that CSWI has agreed to retain, and there can be no assurance that CSWI will be able to fully satisfy its indemnification obligations.  Moreover, even if we ultimately succeed in recovering from CSWI any amounts for which we are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses while seeking recovery from CSWI.

 

Potential indemnification liabilities of us to CSWI could materially adversely affect us.

 

Agreements relating to the Share Distribution between us and CSWI provide for indemnification obligations designed to make us financially responsible for liabilities that may exist relating to or arising out of our business activities, whether incurred prior to or after the Share Distribution. 

 

 

Potential liabilities may arise due to fraudulent transfer considerations, which would adversely affect our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

In connection with the Share Distribution, we undertook several corporate restructuring transactions which, along with the Share Distribution, may be subject to federal and state fraudulent conveyance and transfer laws. If, under these laws, a court were to determine that, at the time of the Share Distribution, any entity involved in these restructuring transactions or the Share Distribution: (1) was insolvent; (2) was rendered insolvent by reason of the Share Distribution; (3) had remaining assets constituting unreasonably small capital; or (4) intended to incur, or believed it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay these debts as they matured, then the court could void the Share Distribution, in whole or in part, as a fraudulent conveyance or transfer, the court could require us to fund liabilities of the other company for the benefit of creditors.

 

Recent legislation may allow us to incur additional leverage, which could increase the risk of investing in the Company.  

 

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 total assets). However, on March 23, 2018, the Small Business Credit Availability Act (the “SBCA”) was signed into law, which included various changes to regulations under the federal securities laws that impact BDCs. The SBCA included changes to the 1940 Act to allow BDCs to decrease their asset coverage requirement from 200% to 150%, if certain requirements are met. Under the SBCA, we are allowed to reduce our asset coverage requirement to 150%, and thereby increase our leverage capacity, if shareholders representing at least a majority of the votes cast, when a quorum is present, approve a proposal to do so. If we receive shareholder approval, we would be allowed to reduce our asset coverage requirement to 150% on the first day after such approval. Alternatively, the SBCA allows the majority of our independent directors to approve the reduction in our asset coverage requirement to 150%, and such approval would become effective on the one-year anniversary of such 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 reduce our asset coverage requirement to 150%, our leverage capacity and usage, and risks related to leverage.

 

On April 25, 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 set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the Company will be decreased from 200% to 150%, effective April 25, 2019. The Board also approved a resolution which limits the Company’s issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account such issuance, would not be less than 166%, effective April 25, 2019.

 

Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique and increases the risk of investing in our securities. 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 leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. 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 leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. If we incur additional leverage, you will experience increased risks of investing in our common stock.

 

Efforts to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may adversely affect us.

 

We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Among other requirements, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, our management is required to report on our internal controls over financial reporting. We are required to review on an annual basis our internal controls over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose significant changes in our internal controls over financial reporting. We have and expect to continue to incur significant expenses related to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. In addition, this process results in a diversion of management’s time and attention. In the event that we are unable to maintain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we may be adversely affected.

 

Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.

 

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities is our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we generally are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to an affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our

independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to that person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with that person, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

 

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital.

 

Our business will require capital to operate and grow. We may acquire such additional capital from the following sources:

 

Senior Securities. We may issue debt securities and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as senior securities. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will be exposed to additional risks, including the following:

 

 

Additional Common Stock. The 1940 Act prohibits us from selling shares of our common stock at a price below the current NAV per share of such stock, with certain exceptions. One such exception is prior shareholder approval of issuances below current NAV per share provided that our Board of Directors makes certain determinations. We did not seek shareholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock below the then current NAV per share of our common stock at our 2017 annual meeting of shareholders. We do not anticipate seeking such authorization in the future. However, in the event we change our position, we will seek the requisite approval of our common shareholders. If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, the percentage ownership of our shareholders at that time would decrease, and they may experience dilution. Moreover, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to issue and sell additional equity securities in the future, on favorable terms or at all.

 

We cannot predict how tax reform legislation will affect us, our investments, or our shareholders, and any such legislation could adversely affect our business. 

 

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S.

Treasury Department. The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate recently passed tax reform legislation, which the President recently signed into law. Such legislation will make many changes to the Code, including significant changes to the taxation of business entities, the deductibility of interest expense, and the tax treatment of capital investment. We cannot predict with certainty how any changes in the tax laws might affect us, our shareholders, 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 shareholders of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences. Shareholders 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.

 

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

 

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

 

 

If we are unable to maintain the availability of our electronic data systems and safeguard the security of our data, our ability to conduct business may be compromised, which could impair our liquidity, disrupt our business, damage our reputation and cause losses.

 

Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes, and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack, or damage. We are subject to cybersecurity risks. Information cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years and, while we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches, we could suffer such losses in the future. Our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including nonpublic personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our customers or counterparties. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In the future, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks. In addition, we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are not fully insured.

 

Third parties with which 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.

 

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may affect any market for our common stock, impact the businesses in which we invest and harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest.  These events 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 or global economy.  These events could 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.

 

We may be negatively affected by securities litigation or shareholder activism, which could cause us to incur significant expense and impact our results of operations.

 

We may be the target of securities litigation in the future, particularly if the trading price of our common stock and our debt securities fluctuates significantly. We could also generally be subject to litigation, including derivative actions by our shareholders or shareholder activism for a variety of other reasons. Any litigation or shareholder activism may result in substantial costs and divert management's and our Board of Directors’ attention and resources from our business.  Significant legal fees and other expenses may cause a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INVESTMENTS

 

Our investments in portfolio companies involve a number of significant risks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, in the course of providing significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies, certain of our officers and directors may serve as directors on the boards of these companies. To the extent that litigation arises out of our investments in these companies, our officers and directors may be named as defendants in such litigation, which could result in an expenditure of funds for claims in excess of our directors’ and officers’ insurance coverage (through our indemnification of our officers and directors) and the diversion of management’s time and resources.

 

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

 

We invest, and will continue to invest, in portfolio companies whose securities are not publicly traded. These securities are generally subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. As a result, we do not expect to achieve liquidity in our investments in the near-term. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

 

Defaults by our portfolio companies could harm our operating results.

 

Portfolio companies may fail to satisfy financial, operating or other covenants imposed by us or other lenders, which could lead to a default and, potentially, acceleration of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets.  These events could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize the portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations, including under the debt or equity securities we hold.  We may also incur expenses to the extent necessary to recover upon a default or to negotiate new terms with the defaulting portfolio company.

 

Our investments in equity securities involve a substantial degree of risk.

 

We may purchase common stock and other equity securities, including warrants. Although equity securities have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, equity securities have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. The equity securities we acquire may fail to appreciate and may decline in value or become worthless, and our ability to recover our investment depends on our portfolio company’s success. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including the risk of further dilution as a result of additional issuances, inability to access additional capital and failure to pay current distributions. Investments in preferred securities involve special risks, such as the risk of deferred distributions, credit risk, illiquidity and limited voting rights.

 

We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

 

Certain investments that we have made in the past and may make in the future include warrants or other equity securities. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including the risk of further dilution as a result of additional issuances, inability to access additional capital and failure to pay current distributions. Investments in preferred securities involve special risks, such as the risk of deferred distributions, credit risk, illiquidity and limited voting rights. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity investments in portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of these equity interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, 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. We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We often seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company issuer; however, we may be unable to exercise these put rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

 

Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

 

From time to time, certain portfolio companies may prepay our debt investments in our portfolio companies prior to maturity, the specific timing of which we do not control. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our return on equity, which could result in a decline in the market price of our securities.

 

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital, the value of investments and net investment income.

 

Some of our debt investments will bear interest at variable rates and the interest income from these investments could be negatively affected by decreases in market interest rates. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive for us to use debt to finance our investments. As a result, a significant increase in market interest rates could increase our cost of capital, which would reduce our net investment income. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make an investment in our securities less attractive than alternative investments, a situation which could reduce the value of our securities. Conversely, a decrease in interest rates may have an adverse impact on our returns by requiring us to seek lower yields on our debt investments and by increasing the risk that our portfolio companies will prepay our debt investments, resulting in the need to redeploy capital at potentially lower rates. A decrease in market interest rates may also adversely impact our returns on temporary investments, which would reduce our net investment income.  In addition, certain of our debt investments and debt liabilities may bear interest at fixed rates.  To the extent that our fixed rate assets and liabilities are not perfectly hedged, our net investment income may decrease based on changes in market interest rates.  An increase in market interest rates may also decrease the fair value of our fixed rate investments, as these may be less attractive securities in a rising rate environment. 

 

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

 

Even though we may have structured certain of our investments as secured loans, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, and based upon principles of equitable subordination as defined by existing case law, a bankruptcy court could subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors and transfer any lien securing our subordinated claim to the bankruptcy estate. The principles of equitable subordination defined by case law have generally indicated that a claim may be subordinated only if its holder is guilty of misconduct or where the senior loan is re-characterized as an equity investment and the senior lender has actually provided significant managerial assistance to the bankrupt debtor. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower’s business or instances where we exercise control over the borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, including as a result of actions taken in rendering significant managerial assistance or actions to compel and collect payments from the borrower outside the ordinary course of business.

 

As a Regulated Investment Company, we may have certain regulatory restrictions that could preclude us from making additional investments in our portfolio companies.

 

We may not have the ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.  After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to that company or have the opportunity to increase our investment or make follow-on investments.  Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

 

Changes relating to LIBOR may adversely affect the value of the LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities in our portfolio.

 

In July 2017, the head of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority announced the desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As of March 31, 2018, approximately 92.1% of our debt investment portfolio (at fair value) bore interest rates indexed upon LIBOR. Additionally, our Credit Facility accrues interest at the applicable LIBOR rate plus 3.00%, with a step-down to LIBOR plus 2.75% at the time our net worth exceeds $325 million. The use of the new index could reduce our interest income or increase our interest expense and therefore have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Management continues to monitor the status and discussions regarding LIBOR.

 

We generally will not control our portfolio companies.

 

We do not,  and do not expect to, control most of our portfolio companies, even though we may have board representation or board observation rights, and our debt agreements may contain certain restrictive covenants. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company in which we invest may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors. Due to the lack of liquidity for our investments in

non-traded companies, we may not be able to dispose of our interests in our portfolio companies as readily as we would like or at an appropriate valuation. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

 

Second priority liens on collateral securing loans that we make to our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. Further, in cases where we invest in unsecured subordinated debt, we would not have any lien on the collateral. In each of these cases, if there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

 

Certain loans that we make are either secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral pledged by a portfolio company to secure senior debt owed by the portfolio company to commercial banks or other traditional lenders, or in the case of unsecured subordinated debt, we have no lien at all on the assets. Often the senior lender has procured covenants from the portfolio company prohibiting the incurrence of additional secured debt without the senior lender’s consent. Prior to and as a condition of permitting the portfolio company to borrow money from us secured by the same collateral pledged to the senior lender, or in the case where we invest in unsecured subordinated debt, the senior lender will require assurances that it will control the disposition of any collateral in the event of bankruptcy or other default. In many cases, the senior lender will require us to enter into an “intercreditor agreement” prior to permitting the portfolio company to borrow from us. Typically the intercreditor agreements we are requested to execute expressly subordinate our debt instruments to those held by the senior lender and further provide that the senior lender shall control: (1) the commencement of foreclosure or other proceedings to liquidate and collect on the collateral, subject to a negotiated “standstill period” after which we can initiate; (2) the nature, timing and conduct of foreclosure or other collection proceedings, subject to a negotiated “standstill period” after which we can initiate; (3) the amendment of any collateral document; (4) the release of the security interests in respect of any collateral; and (5) the waiver of defaults under any security agreement. Because of the control we may cede to senior lenders under intercreditor agreements we may enter, we may be unable to realize the proceeds of any collateral securing some of our loans.

 

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

 

We invest primarily in the secured term debt of middle market companies and equity issued by middle market companies. Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, these debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments 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. After repaying its 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 instruments in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES

 

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

 

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. 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:

 

 

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

 

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

 

Our common stock often trades at a discount from NAV.

 

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq.  Shareholders desiring liquidity may sell their shares on Nasdaq at current market value, which has often been below NAV.  Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at discounts from NAV, which is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that a fund’s performance will cause its NAV to decrease. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below NAV. In addition, if our common stock trades below our NAV per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional common stock at the market price unless our shareholders approve such a sale and our Board of Directors make certain determinations.

 

The trading market or market value of our publicly issued debt securities may be volatile.

 

The trading market for our publicly issued debt securities may from time to time be significantly affected by numerous factors, including:

 

In addition, credit rating assessments by third parties regarding our ability to pay our obligations will generally affect the market value of our debt securities.

 

We currently intend to pay quarterly dividends. However, in the future we may not pay any dividends depending on a variety of factors.

 

While we intend to pay dividends to our shareholders out of taxable income available for distribution, there can be no assurance that we will do so. Any dividends that we do pay may be payable in cash, in our stock, or in stock in any of our holdings or in a combination of all three. All dividends will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, and compliance with applicable BDC regulations.

 

We currently pay dividends in cash. However, in the future we may choose to pay dividends in our own stock, in which case you may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash you receive.

 

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock.  Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the shareholders election) would satisfy the annual distribution requirement for a RIC. The IRS has issued a revenue procedure providing that a dividend payable in stock or in cash at the election of the shareholders will be treated as a taxable dividend eligible for the dividends paid deduction provided that at least 20% of the total dividend is payable in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied. Taxable shareholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such dividend is properly reported as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. shareholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received.  If a U.S. shareholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, 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. shareholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividends payable in stock.  If a significant number of our shareholders 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.

 

Provisions of the Texas law and our charter could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

 

Texas law and our charter contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making difficult a change in control. The existence of these provisions, among others, may have a negative impact on the price of our common stock and may discourage third-party bids for ownership of our company. These provisions may prevent any premiums being offered to you for our common stock.

 

 

Item 1B.     Unresolved Staff Comments

 

None.

 

Item 2.     Properties

 

We do not own any real estate or other physical properties.  We maintain our offices at 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Suite 1300, Dallas, Texas 75240, where we lease approximately 9,261 square feet of office space pursuant to a lease agreement expiring in January 2022. We believe that our offices are adequate to meet our current and expected future needs.

 

Item 3.     Legal Proceedings

 

We may, from time to time, be involved in litigation arising out of our operations in the normal course of business or otherwise.  Furthermore, third parties may try to seek to impose liability on us in connection with the activities of our portfolio companies.  As of the date hereof, we are not a party to, and none of our assets are subject to, any material pending legal proceedings and are not aware of any claims that could have a materially adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Item 4.     Mine Safety Disclosures

 

Not applicable.

PART II

 

Item 5.     Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND HOLDERS

 

Market Information

 

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “CSWC.”  The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock, as reported by Nasdaq.

 

 

On June 1, 2018, the last sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq was $17.01 per share, and there were approximately 450 holders of record of the common stock which did not include shareholders for whom shares are held in “nominee” or “street name.”

 

Shares of BDCs may trade at a market price that is less than the value of the net assets attributable to those shares. The possibility that our shares of common stock will trade at a discount from net asset value per share or at premiums that are unsustainable over the long term are separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share will decrease. It is not possible to predict whether our common stock will trade at, above, or below net asset value per share.

 

DISTRIBUTIONS

 

We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our shareholders of substantially all of our taxable income. In lieu of cash, we may make deemed distributions of certain net capital gains to our shareholders.

 

The payment dates and amounts of cash dividends per share for the past two fiscal years are as follows:

 

 

On June 1, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a $0.29 dividend per share for the quarter ended June 30, 2018.  The record date for the dividend is June 26, 2018. The payment date for the dividend is July 2, 2018.

 

The amounts and timing of cash dividend payments have generally been dictated by requirements of the Code regarding the distribution of taxable net investment income (ordinary income) of regulated investment companies.

 

Distribution Policy

 

We generally intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our shareholders of substantially all of our taxable income. In order to avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we must distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gains in excess of capital losses for the one year period ended each October 31, and (3) any ordinary income and net capital gains for the preceding year that were not distributed during that year. We will not be subject to excise taxes on amounts on which we are required to pay corporate income tax (such as retained net capital gains). In order to obtain the tax benefits applicable to RICs, we will be required to distribute to our shareholders with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year that generated such taxable income.

 

We may retain for investment realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses. We may make deemed distributions to our shareholders of any retained net capital gains. If this happens, our shareholders will be treated as if they received an actual distribution of the capital gains we retain and then reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in our common stock. Our shareholders also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable share of the tax we paid on the capital gains deemed distributed to them. Please refer to “Business —Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” included in Item 1 of Part I of this Annual Report for further information regarding the consequences of our retention of net capital gains. We may, in the future, make actual distributions to our shareholders of some or all realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses. Our ability to make distributions in the future may be limited by our Credit Facility, the indenture and related supplements governing our December 2022 Notes and the 1940 Act. For a more detailed discussion, see “Business — Election to be Regulated as a Business Development Company – Regulation as a Business Development Company,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Note 5” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10K.

 

We have adopted a DRIP which provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our common shareholders if opted into by a common shareholder. See “Business — Dividend Reinvestment Plan” included in Item I of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Shareholders who receive dividends in the form of stock generally are subject to the same federal, state and local tax consequences as are shareholders who elect to receive their dividends in cash. A shareholder’s basis for determining gain or loss upon the sale of stock received in a dividend from us will be equal to the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to the shareholder. Any stock received in a dividend will have a holding period for tax purposes commencing on the day following the day on which the shares are credited to the U.S. shareholder’s account.

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

The following table provides information for the year ended March 31, 2018.

 

 

 

Performance Graph

 

The following graph compares our cumulative total shareholder return during the last six years (based on the market price of our common stock and assuming reinvestment of all dividends, prior to any tax effect) with the Nasdaq Composite Index, the Russell 2000 Total Return Index and the KBW Regional Bank Total Return Index. The graph assumes initial investment of $100 on March 31, 2013 and reinvestment of dividends. The value of the CSWI shares distributed in the spin-off is reflected in the cumulative total return as a reinvested dividend.

 

 

Item 6.     Selected Financial Data

 

The following table provides selected financial data relating to our historical financial condition and results of operations as of and for each of the years ended March 31, 2014 through 2018.  This data should be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes.

 

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

(In thousands except per share data)