MEDALLION FINANCIAL CORP - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission file number 814-00188

MEDALLION FINANCIAL CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

437 MADISON AVENUE, 38^th Floor, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10022

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(212) 328-2100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share

(Title of class)

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

Indicated 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 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 is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of the 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. (check one):

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark 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 Exchange Act) YES  ☐    NO  ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the last reported price at which the stock was sold on June 30, 2017 was $48,849,597.

The number of outstanding shares of registrant’s Common Stock, par value $0.01, as of March 13, 2018 was 24,439,957.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which Definitive Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year-end of December 31, 2017, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this form 10-K

MEDALLION FINANCIAL CORP.

2017 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

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The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the notes to those statements and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this report.

This report contains forward-looking statements relating to future events and future performance applicable to us within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions, or future strategies that are signified by the words expects, anticipates, intends, believes, or similar language. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to us on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. We caution investors that our business and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

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PART I

We, Medallion Financial Corp. or the Company, are a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company organized as a Delaware corporation. We have elected to be treated as a business development company, or BDC, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act, although as described below, expect to withdraw from this status on or about April 1, 2018. We are a specialty finance company that has historically had a leading position in originating, acquiring, and servicing loans that finance taxicab medallions and various types of commercial businesses. Recently, our strategic growth has been through a wholly-owned portfolio company of ours, Medallion Bank, which originates consumer loans for the purchase of recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers and to finance small-scale home improvements. Since Medallion Bank acquired a consumer loan portfolio and began originating consumer loans in 2004, it has increased its consumer loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 16%. Since 1996, the year in which we became a public company, we have increased our taxicab medallion loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 2%, and our commercial loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 4% (5% and 4% on a managed basis when combined with Medallion Bank). In January 2017, we announced our plans to transform our overall strategy. We are transitioning away from medallion lending and placing our strategic focus on our growing consumer finance portfolio. Total assets under our management and the management of our unconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiaries, which includes our managed net investment portfolio, as well as assets serviced for third party investors, were $1,593,000,000 as of December 31, 2017, and $1,632,000,000 as of December 31, 2016, and have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 10% from $215,000,000 at the end of 1996. Since our initial public offering in 1996, we have paid distributions in excess of $263,060,000 or $14.66 per share.

We conduct our business through various wholly-owned investment company subsidiaries including:

We formed a wholly-owned portfolio company, Medallion Servicing Corporation, or MSC, to provide loan services to Medallion Bank, also a portfolio company wholly-owned by us. We have assigned all of our loan servicing rights for Medallion Bank, which consists of servicing taxi medallion loans originated by Medallion Bank, to MSC, which bills and collects the related service fee income from Medallion Bank, and is allocated and charged by us for MSC’s share of these servicing costs.

In addition, we conduct business through a wholly-owned portfolio company, Medallion Bank, a bank regulated by the FDIC and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions which originates consumer loans, raises deposits, and conducts other banking activities. Medallion Bank generally provides us with our lowest cost of funds which it raises through bank certificates of deposit. To take advantage of this low cost of funds, historically we have referred a portion of our taxicab medallion loans to Medallion Bank, which then originated these loans and are serviced by MSC. As a non-investment company, Medallion Bank is not currently consolidated with the Company, which is an investment company under the 1940 Act. We would be permitted to consolidate Medallion Bank with the Company to the extent we withdraw our election to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act as discussed in further detail below.

Our diversified investments in other controlled subsidiaries are comprised of Medallion Fine Art, Inc., Medallion Motorsports, LLC, and LAX Group, LLC. In addition, we made both marketable and nonmarketable equity investments.

We are a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company, organized as a Delaware corporation, under the 1940 Act. We have elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. On March 7, 2018, a majority of the Company’s shareholders authorized the Company’s Board of Directors to withdraw the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and our Board of Directors approved the filing of the Company’s withdrawal form with the SEC to be made on or about April 1, 2018. At that point, we would no longer be a BDC or be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to BDCs.

During our tax years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we did not qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and therefore we became subject to taxation as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. We had in previous years qualified and elected to be treated for federal income tax purposes as a RIC. As a RIC, we generally did not have to pay corporate-level federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that we distributed to our shareholders as dividends, if we met certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. Medallion Bank is not a RIC and must pay corporate-level US federal and state income taxes. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, the Company would remain ineligible to file as a RIC under the Code and would be treated as a C corporation for tax purposes. See Note 5 for more information.

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We are managed by our executive officers under the supervision of our Board of Directors. As a result, we do not pay investment advisory fees, but instead we incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. Alvin Murstein, our chairman and chief executive officer, has over 60 years of experience in the ownership, management, and financing of taxicab medallions and other commercial businesses. Andrew M. Murstein, our president, has over 30 years of experience and is the third generation in his family to participate in the business.

Below is our organizational structure reflecting our consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries.

Our Market

We provide loans to individuals and small to mid-size businesses, both directly through our investment company subsidiaries and also through Medallion Bank, in three primary markets:

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The following chart shows the components of our $1,380,054,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017.

Medallion Loans

Taxi medallion loans of $208,279,000 comprised 34% of our $610,135,000 net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017, compared to $266,816,000 or 41% of our $652,278,000 net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2016. Managed taxi medallion loans of $388,001,000 comprised 28% of our $1,380,054,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017, compared to $528,643,000 or 35% of our $1,517,592,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2016. Including loans to unaffiliated investors, the total amount of medallion loans under our management was $414,350,000 as of December 31, 2017, compared to $553,439,000 as of December 31, 2016. Since 1979, we and Medallion Bank have originated, on a combined basis, approximately $3,630,000,000 in medallion loans in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Newark, Cambridge, and other cities within the United States. In addition, our management has a long history of owning, managing, and financing taxicab fleets, taxicab medallions, and corporate car services, dating back to 1956.

Medallion loans collateralized by New York City taxicab medallions and related assets comprised 73% and 69% of the value of the medallion loan portfolio as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and were 81% and 76% on a managed basis. Based on taxi medallion values published by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, or TLC, and our cash flow analysis, we estimate that the total value of all of New York City taxicab medallions and related assets such as the vehicle, taximeter, and roof lights exceeded $4.6 billion as of December 31, 2017. We estimate that the total value of all taxicab medallions and related assets in our major US markets exceeded $5.7 billion as of December 31, 2017.

While medallion loans do become delinquent or in default, all of our medallion loans are secured by the medallion and enhanced with personal guarantees of the shareholders and owners. When a borrower defaults on a loan, we have the ability to restructure the underlying loan or repossess the medallion collateralizing that loan and sell it in the market or through a foreclosure auction and pursue the personal guarantees. Given the current market conditions we have taken significant realized and unrealized losses against non-performing loans to mitigate potential future losses.

The following table displays information on managed medallion loans outstanding (other than those managed for third party investors) in each of our major markets at December 31, 2017. For a presentation of only the consolidated on-balance sheet medallion loans, see the Consolidated Summary Schedule of Investments in the consolidated financial statements on page F-39.

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The New York City Market. A New York City taxicab medallion is the only permitted license to operate a taxicab and accept street hails in New York City, except as discussed below. As reported by the TLC, individual (owner-driver) medallions and corporate medallions sold for a wide variety of prices during the year. Our analysis of transaction activity combined with cash flow analysis of owners and operators supported our estimated value of $315,000, net of liquidation costs, as of December 31, 2017. The number of taxicab medallions is limited by law to 13,630 medallions outstanding as of December 31, 2017. The New York State legislature enacted a law on December 21, 2011 which was amended on February 17, 2012 to permit cars for hire to pick up street hails in the boroughs outside Manhattan. Pursuant to the law, the TLC began issuing Street Hail Livery licenses in June 2013.

A prospective medallion owner must qualify under the medallion ownership standards set and enforced by the TLC. These standards prohibit individuals with criminal records from owning medallions, require that the funds used to purchase medallions be derived from legitimate sources, and mandate that taxicab vehicles and meters meet TLC specifications. In addition, before the TLC will approve a medallion transfer, the TLC requires a letter from the seller’s insurer stating that there are no outstanding claims for personal injuries in excess of insurance coverage. After the transfer is approved, the owner’s taxicab is subject to quarterly TLC inspections.

Most New York City medallion transfers are handled through approximately 20 medallion brokers licensed by the TLC. In addition to brokering medallions, these brokers also arrange for TLC documentation insurance, vehicles, meters, and financing. We have excellent relations with many of the most active brokers, and regularly receive referrals from them. Brokers generated 5% of the loans originated during 2017, and 26% for 2016. However, we receive most of our referrals from a small number of brokers.

The Chicago Market. We estimate that Chicago medallions sold for approximately $47,000, net, as of December 31, 2017. Pursuant to a municipal ordinance, the number of outstanding medallions is capped at 6,995 as of December 31, 2017. We estimate that the total value of all Chicago medallions and related assets is over $373,908,000 as of December 31, 2017.

The Boston Market. We estimate that Boston medallions sold for approximately $274,400, net, as of December 31, 2017. The number of Boston medallions is capped at 1,825 as of December 31, 2017. We estimate that the total value of all Boston medallions and related assets is over $522,242,000 as of December 31, 2017.

The Newark Market. We estimate that Newark medallions sold for approximately $196,000, net, as of December 31, 2017. The number of Newark medallions has been limited to 600 since 1950 by local law. We estimate that the total value of all Newark medallions and related assets is over $121,800,000 as of December 31, 2017.

The Cambridge Market. We estimate that Cambridge medallions sold for approximately $49,000, net, as of December 31, 2017. The number of Cambridge medallions is 257 as of December 31, 2017. We estimate that the total value of all Cambridge medallions and related assets is over $14,225,000 as of December 31, 2017.

Commercial Loans

Commercial loans finance either the purchase of the equipment and related assets necessary to open a new business or the purchase or improvement of an existing business. From the inception of the commercial loan business in 1987 through December 31, 2017, we and Medallion Bank have originated more than $955,837,000 of commercial loans. Commercial loans of $90,188,000 comprised 15% of our $610,135,000 net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017, compared to $83,634,000 or 13% of our $652,278,000 net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2016. Managed commercial loans of $91,783,000 comprised 7% of our $1,380,054,000 net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017, compared to $86,200,000 or 6% of our $1,517,592,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2016. We have worked to increase our commercial loan activity in recent years, primarily because of the attractive higher yielding nature of most of this business. The outstanding balances of managed commercial loans have grown at a compound annual rate of 4% since 1996. The increase since 1996 has been primarily driven by internal growth through the origination of additional commercial loans. We focus our marketing efforts on the manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services and other services. The majority of our commercial borrowers are located in the New York metropolitan area and the Midwest. We plan to continue expanding our commercial loan activities by developing a more diverse borrower base, a wider geographic area of coverage, and by expanding targeted industries.

Commercial loans are generally secured by equipment, accounts receivable, real estate, or other assets, and have interest rates averaging 735 basis points over the prevailing prime rate at year end, down from 901 basis points over prime at the end of 2016. As with medallion loans, the vast majority of the principals of borrowers personally guarantee commercial loans. The aggregate realized loss of principal on managed commercial loans has averaged less than 2.0% per annum for the last five years.

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The following table displays information on managed commercial loans outstanding (other than those managed for third party investors) in each of our major markets at December 31, 2017. For a presentation of only the consolidated on-balance sheet commercial loans, see the Consolidated Summary Schedule of Investments in the consolidated financial statements on F-39.

Secured Mezzanine Loans. Through our subsidiary Medallion Capital, we originate both senior and subordinated loans nationwide to businesses in a variety of industries, including manufacturing and various service providers, more than 53% of which are located in the Midwest and Northeast regions, with the rest scattered across the country. These mezzanine loans are primarily secured by a second position on all assets of the businesses and generally range in amount from $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 at origination, and represent approximately 96% of our managed commercial loan portfolio as of December 31, 2017, and were 87% as of December 31, 2016. Frequently, we also receive warrants to purchase an equity interest in the borrowers of secured mezzanine loans.

Other Secured Commercial Loans. We originate other commercial loans to a variety of businesses nationwide, including retail trade and various service providers. These commercial loans are generally secured by all of the assets of the businesses and are generally personally guaranteed by the principals. Frequently, we receive assignments of lease from our borrowers. The loans generally range in size from under $100,000 to approximately $1,000,000. These loans represented approximately 4% of the managed commercial loan portfolio as of December 31, 2017 and were 13% of as December 31, 2016. Historically, most of the portfolio has consisted of fixed-rate loans.

Consumer Loans. Consumer loans are originated by Medallion Bank, a wholly-owned, unconsolidated portfolio company. Consumer loans of $683,502,000 comprised 49% of our $1,380,054,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017, compared to $700,685,000 or 46% of our $1,517,592,000 managed net investment portfolio as of December 31, 2016, and represent our largest lending segment. The loans are collateralized by recreational vehicles, boats, trailers, and home improvements, located in all 50 states. The portfolio is serviced by a large third party servicer. We believe that Medallion Bank’s consumer loan portfolio is of acceptable credit quality given the high interest rates earned on the loans, which compensate for the higher degree of credit risk in the portfolio.

Other. We also provide debt, mezzanine, and equity investment capital to companies in a variety of industries. These investments may be venture capital style investments which may not be fully collateralized. This is a small, but growing portion of our business.

Our Strategy

Our core philosophy has been “In niches there are riches.” We try to identify markets that are profitable and where we can be an industry leader. Key elements of our strategy include:

Capitalize on our relationships with brokers and dealers. We are committed to establishing, building, and maintaining our relationships with our brokers and dealers. Our marketing efforts are focused on building relationships with dealers in the consumer market and contractors and suppliers in the home improvement sector. We believe that our relationships with dealers and brokers provide us with, in addition to potential investment opportunities, other significant benefits, including an additional layer of due diligence and additional monitoring capabilities. We have assembled a management team that has developed an extensive network of dealer and broker relationships in our target markets over the last 50 years. We believe that our management team’s relationships with these dealers and brokers have and will continue to provide us with significant investment opportunities. In 2017, 100% of our consumer loans were generated by brokers and dealers, and there were few originations in the medallion or commercial lending space.

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Employ disciplined underwriting policies and maintain rigorous portfolio monitoring. We have an extensive investment underwriting and monitoring process. We conduct a thorough analysis of each potential investment and its prospects, competitive position, financial performance, and industry dynamics. We stress the importance of credit and risk analysis in our underwriting process. We believe that our continued adherence to this disciplined process will permit us to continue to generate a stable, diversified and increasing revenue stream of current income from our debt investments to enable us to make distributions to our shareholders.

Leverage the skills of our experienced management team. Our management team is led by our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Alvin Murstein, and our President, Mr. Andrew M. Murstein. Alvin Murstein has over 60 years of experience in the ownership, management, and financing of taxicab medallions and other commercial businesses, and Andrew M. Murstein is the third generation in his family to participate in the business and has over 30 years of experience in the ownership, management, and financing of taxicab medallions and other commercial businesses. The other members of our management team have broad investment backgrounds, with prior experience at specialty finance companies, middle market commercial banks, and other financial services companies. We believe that the experience and contacts of our management team will continue to allow us to effectively implement the key aspects of our business strategy.

Perform Strategic Acquisitions. In addition to increasing market share in existing lending markets and identifying new niches, we seek to acquire medallion financing businesses and related portfolios and specialty finance companies that make secured loans to small businesses which have experienced historically low loan losses similar to our own. Since our initial public offering in May 1996, eight specialty finance companies, five loan portfolios, and three taxicab rooftop advertising companies have been acquired.

Investment Activity

The following table sets forth the components of investment activity in the managed investment portfolio for the years indicated.

Investment Characteristics

Medallion Loans. Our medallion loan portfolio consists of mostly fixed-rate loans, collateralized by first security interests in taxicab medallions and related assets (vehicles, meters, and the like). We estimate that the weighted average loan-to-value ratio of all of the medallion loans was 131% as of December 31, 2017, compared to 129% as of December 31, 2016, reflecting the conservative values we have placed on all medallion loans, including the vast majority which are performing as agreed. These ratios also do not factor in the managed unrealized depreciation on these loans of $62,723,000 and $63,252,000 as of December 31, 2017 and 2016. In addition, we have recourse against a vast majority of the owners of the taxicab medallions and related assets through personal guarantees.

Medallion loans generally require equal monthly payments covering accrued interest and amortization of principal over a five to twenty-five year schedule, subject to a balloon payment of all outstanding principal at maturity. Historically, we have originated loans with one-to-five year maturities where interest rates are adjusted and a new maturity period set. In most cases, borrowers may prepay medallion loans upon payment of a fee of approximately 1% to 2%.

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Historically, we generally retain the medallion loans we originate; however, from time to time, we participate or sell shares of some loans or portfolios to interested third party financial institutions. In these cases, we retain the borrower relationships and service the sold loans.

Mezzanine and Commercial Loans. We have typically originated mezzanine and commercial loans in principal amounts generally ranging from under $1,000,000 to $5,000,000, and occasionally, have originated loans in excess of that amount. These loans are generally retained and typically have maturities ranging from three to ten years and require monthly payments ranging from full amortization over the loan term to fully deferred interest and principal at maturity, with multiple payment options in between. Substantially all loans may be prepaid, and in the first five years, a fee will be owed to us. The term of, and interest rate charged on, certain of our outstanding loans are subject to the regulations of the Small Business Administration, or the SBA. Under SBA regulations, the maximum rate of interest permitted on loans originated by us is 19%, however, terms and interest rates are subject to market competition for all loans. Unlike medallion loans, for which competition and market conditions precludes us from charging the maximum rate of interest permitted under SBA regulations, we are able to charge the maximum rate on certain commercial loans.

Consumer Loans. Consumer loans generally require equal monthly payments covering accrued interest and amortization of principal over a negotiated term, generally around ten years. Interest rates offered are fixed. Borrowers may prepay consumer loans without any prepayment penalty. In general, Medallion Bank has established relationships with dealers and contractors in the industry, who are the sources for most of the customers of Medallion Bank.

Marketing, Origination, and Loan Approval Process

We employ 38 personnel to originate, manage, service and collect on the medallion, commercial, and consumer loans. Each loan application is individually reviewed through analysis of a number of factors, including loan-to-value ratios, a review of the borrower’s credit history, public records, personal interviews, trade references, personal inspection of the premises, and approval from the TLC, SBA, or other regulatory body, if applicable. Each medallion and commercial loan applicant is required to provide personal or corporate tax returns, premises leases, and/or property deeds. Senior management establishes loan origination criteria. Loans that conform to such criteria may be processed by a loan officer with the proper credit authority, and non-conforming loans must be approved by the chief executive officer and/or the chief credit officer. Both medallion and commercial loans are sourced from brokers with extensive networks of applicants, and commercial loans are also referred by contacts with banks, attorneys, and accounting firms. Consumer loans are primarily sourced through relationships which have been established with recreational vehicle and boat dealers, and home improvement contractors throughout our market area.

Sources of Funds

We have historically funded our lending operations primarily through credit facilities with bank syndicates and, to a lesser degree, through equity or debt offerings or private placements, and fixed-rate, senior secured notes and long-term subordinated debentures issued to or guaranteed by the SBA. Since the inception of Medallion Bank, substantially all of Medallion Bank’s funding has been provided by FDIC insured brokered certificates of deposit. The determination of funding sources is established by our management, based upon an analysis of the respective financial and other costs and burdens associated with funding sources. Our funding strategy and interest rate risk management strategy is to have the proper structuring of debt to minimize both rate and maturity risk, while maximizing returns with the lowest cost of funding over an intermediate period of time.

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The table below summarizes our sources of available funds and amounts outstanding under credit facilities and their respective end of period weighted average interest rates at December 31, 2017. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information about each credit facility.

We fund our fixed-rate loans with variable-rate credit lines and bank debt, and with fixed-rate SBA debentures and other borrowings. The mismatch between maturities and interest-rate sensitivities of these balance sheet items results in interest rate risk. We seek to manage our exposure to increases in market rates of interest to an acceptable level by:

Nevertheless, we accept varying degrees of interest rate risk depending on market conditions. For additional discussion of our funding sources and asset liability management strategy, see Asset/Liability Management on page 53.

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Competition

Banks, credit unions, and finance companies, some of which are SBICs, compete with us in originating medallion, commercial, and consumer loans. Many of these competitors have greater resources than we do and certain competitors are subject to less restrictive regulations than us. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to identify and complete the financing transactions that will permit us to compete successfully.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017 we employed 138 persons, including 69 at our Medallion Bank subsidiary. We believe that relations with all of our employees are good.

MATERIAL US FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

Taxation as a Corporation

For our tax years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we did not qualify for RIC status and as a result our status changed from a RIC subject to Subchapter M of the Code to a corporation subject to taxation under Subchapter C of the Code. As a result of such change for the taxable periods ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we have been taxed as a corporation and must pay corporate-level federal and state income taxes on our taxable income. Through December 31, 2015, we qualified and elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a result of our status as a RIC in prior years, we generally were not subject to federal income tax on the portion of our taxable income and capital gains we distributed to our shareholders, but we were also not permitted to carry forward net operating losses from year to year. Because we were taxed as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code for the tax year ended December 31, 2016, we are able to carry forward any net operating losses historically incurred to succeeding years, which we would not be permitted to do if we were subject to taxation as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. However, because we did not qualify for RIC status for the tax years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, distributions will generally be taxable to our shareholders to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal tax purposes. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of a shareholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate distributees would be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Qualification as a RIC is made on an annual basis and, although we and some of our subsidiaries have qualified in the past, we cannot assure you that we will qualify for such treatment in the future. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, the Company would remain ineligible to file as a RIC under the Code and would be treated as a C corporation for tax purposes.

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Government signed into law the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” which makes significant changes to the U.S. income tax rules applicable to both individuals and entities, including corporations. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes provisions that, among other things, reduce the U.S. corporate tax rate, introduce a capital investment deduction, limit the interest deduction, limit the use of net operating losses to offset future taxable income and make extensive changes to the U.S. international tax system. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is complex and far-reaching, and we cannot predict the impact its enactment will have on us, our subsidiaries, our portfolio companies and our shareholders.

Taxation as a RIC

If and to the extent that the Company remains a BDC under the 1940 Act and we satisfy the requirements to be treated as a RIC in a future taxable year, the following discussion is a general summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that would be applicable to us and to an investment in shares of our common stock in such tax year. This summary does not purport to be a complete description of the income tax considerations applicable to such an investment in a year in which we satisfy the requirements to be treated as a RIC. 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, and financial institutions. This summary assumes that investors will hold our common stock in such a taxable year 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 and all of which are subject to change, possibly retroactively, which could affect the continuing validity of this discussion. We have not sought and will not seek any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, regarding an investment in our common stock for a year in which we satisfy the requirements to be treated as a RIC. This summary does not discuss any aspects of the Medicare Contribution tax, U.S. estate or gift tax, or foreign, state, or local tax. It does not discuss the special treatment under US federal income tax laws that could result if we invested in tax-exempt securities or certain other investment assets.

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As used herein, a “US person” is a person that is for US federal income tax purposes:

A “US shareholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is a US person.

A “non-US shareholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is not a US shareholder and is not a partnership for US federal income tax purposes.

If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for US federal income tax purposes) holds shares of our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder that is a partner of a partnership holding shares of our common stock should consult 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 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.

In the event we meet the requirements to be treated as a RIC in a taxable year, in such tax year we generally would not have to pay corporate-level US federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our shareholders as dividends for such taxable year. To qualify as a RIC in a taxable year, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, to obtain RIC tax treatment in a taxable year we would be required to distribute to our shareholders, for each such taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our ordinary income plus the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses. We refer to this distribution requirement as the Annual Distribution Requirement.

If we, in a taxable year:

then we would not be subject to US federal income tax for such tax year on the portion of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain (i.e., net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses) we distribute to shareholders. We will be subject to US federal income tax at the regular corporate rates in such tax year on any income or capital gain not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our shareholders.

As a RIC we would be subject to a 4% nondeductible US federal excise tax on certain undistributed income of RICs 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 ending October 31 in that calendar year, and (3) any income realized, but not distributed, in preceding years. We refer to this distribution requirement as the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement.

In order to qualify as a RIC for US federal income tax purposes in a tax year, we must, among other things:

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In such taxable year in which we meet the RIC qualification requirements, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in income in such taxable year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in such taxable year in which we are treated as a RIC in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we would not have received any corresponding cash amount.

In the taxable years we met the requirements to be treated as a RIC, we were authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. However, under the 1940 Act, we were not permitted to make distributions to our shareholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities were outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests were met. See “Regulation—Senior Securities.” In any tax year that we qualify as a RIC, our ability to dispose of assets to meet the distribution requirements in such year 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 were to dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement in such tax year, we may have to make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

Regulation by the SBA

Medallion Funding, Medallion Capital, and Freshstart are each licensed by the SBA to operate as SBICs, under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended, or the SBIA. The SBIA authorizes the organization of SBICs as vehicles for providing equity capital, long term financing, and management assistance to small business concerns. Under the regulations promulgated by the SBA a “small business concern” is defined as a business that is independently owned and operated, which does not dominate its field of operation, and which (i) has a tangible net worth, together with any affiliates, of $19.5 million or less and average annual net income after US federal income taxes for the preceding two fiscal years of $6.5 million or less (average annual net income is computed without the benefit of any carryover loss), or (ii) satisfies alternative criteria under the Federal government’s North American Classification System, or the NAICS, that assigns codes to the industry in which a small business is engaged and provides a small business size standard based either on the number of persons employed by the business or its gross revenues. In addition, at the end of each fiscal year, at least 25% of the total amount of loans made (after April 25, 1994) must be made in “smaller businesses” that have a net worth of $6.0 million or less, and average net income after federal income taxes for the preceding two years of $2.0 million or less. A business that meets the NAICS size standards also qualifies as a “smaller business” for purposes of meeting SBA’s size standard regulations.

Investments by SBICs must be in active, primarily domestic businesses. SBIC regulations preclude investment in the following types of businesses: (1) financial companies whose principal business activity is as a relender or reinvestor (that is, directly or indirectly, providing funds to others, purchasing debt obligations, factoring, or long term leasing of equipment with no provision for maintenance or repair); (2) many kinds of real estate projects; (3) single purpose projects that are not continuing businesses; (4) companies located outside the U. S. intending to use the proceeds of the investment outside of the U.S. or companies that are located in the U.S. that have more than 50% of their employees located outside of the U.S.; (5) businesses that are passive and do not carry on an active trade or business; (6) businesses that use 50% or more of the funds to buy goods or services from an associated supplier; and (7) certain “sin businesses” such as gambling and the like. Nonetheless, the regulations provide an exception to (1) above for an SBIC that provides Venture Capital Financing investments (represented by common or preferred stock, a limited partnership interest or a similar partnership interest) to a Disadvantaged Business that is a relender or reinvestor), so long as, without SBA prior approval, total outstanding financings do not exceed the SBICs regulatory capital at the end of its fiscal year.

Under current SBA regulations, the maximum rate of interest that Medallion Funding, Medallion Capital and Freshstart may charge may not exceed the higher of (i) 19% or (ii) the sum of (a) the higher of (i) that company’s weighted average cost of qualified borrowings, as determined under SBA regulations, or (ii) the current SBA debenture rate, plus (b) 11%, rounded to the next lower eighth of one percent. As of December 31, 2017, the maximum rate of interest permitted on loans originated by Medallion Funding, Medallion Capital, and Freshstart was 19%. As of December 31, 2017, our outstanding medallion loans had a weighted average rate of interest 4.41% and our outstanding commercial loans had a weighted average rate of interest of 12.02%. Current SBA regulations also require that each loan originated by an SBIC has a term between one and 20 years.

In addition, SBICs are subject to periodic examination by the SBA, for which the SBA charges examination fees. SBICs are required to maintain certain minimum levels of capital and must maintain certain records and make them available for SBA examination. SBICs also are required to prepare valuations of their portfolio investments in accordance with prescribed valuation

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guidelines, to maintain certain minimum levels of capital, to file annual reports containing financial, management and other information and to file notices of certain material changes in their ownership and operations. We are examined by the SBA annually for compliance with applicable SBA regulations.

SBICs are precluded from making investments in a small business if it would give rise to a conflict of interest. Generally, a conflict of interest may arise if an associate of the SBIC has or makes an investment in the small business the SBIC is financing or serves as one of its officers or would otherwise benefit from the financing. A conflict of interest would also occur if an SBIC were to lend money to any of its officers, directors, and employees, or invest in any affiliates thereof. Joint investing with an associate (such as another fund controlled by affiliates of the General Partner) may be made on identical terms or on terms that are fair to the SBIC. The SBA also prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a “change of control” or transfers which would result in any person (or group of persons acting in concert) owning 10% or more of any class of capital stock of an SBIC. A “change of control” is any event which would result in the transfer of the power, direct or indirect, to direct the management and policies of an SBIC, whether through ownership, contractual arrangements, or otherwise.

Under SBA regulations, without prior SBA approval, loans by licensees with outstanding SBA leverage to any single small business concern may not exceed 30% of an SBIC’s regulatory capital, as defined in the SBIA.

SBICs must invest idle funds that are not being used to make loans in investments permitted under SBA regulations. These permitted investments include direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by, the government of the US with a term of 15 months or less and deposits maturing in one year or less issued by an institution insured by the FDIC. These permitted investments must be maintained in (i) direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by, the US, which mature within 15 months from the date of the investment; (ii) repurchase agreements with federally insured institutions with a maturity of seven days or less if the securities underlying the repurchase agreements are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the US, and such securities must be maintained in a custodial account in a federally insured institution; (iii) mutual funds, securities, or other instruments that exclusively consist of, or represent pooled assets of, investments described in (i) or (ii) above; (iv) certificates of deposit with a maturity of one year or less, issued by a federally insured institution; (v) a deposit account in a federally insured institution, subject to withdrawal restriction of one year or less; (vi) a checking account in a federally insured institution; or (vii) a reasonable petty cash fund.

SBICs may purchase voting securities of small business concerns in accordance with SBA regulations. Although prior regulations prohibited an SBIC from controlling a small business concern except in limited circumstances, regulations adopted by the SBA on October 22, 2002 (pursuant to Public Law 106-554) allow an SBIC to exercise control over a small business for a period of seven years from the date on which the SBIC initially acquires its control position. This control period may be extended for an additional period of time with the SBA’s prior written approval.

If an SBIC defaults in its payment obligations to SBA under its outstanding debentures, fails to comply with any terms of its securities, or violates any law or regulation applicable to it, the SBA has the right to accelerate the maturity of all amounts due under its debentures. Additionally, the SBA can bring suit for the appointment of a receiver for the SBIC and for its liquidation in the event a default on payment of a SBIC’s debentures or for serious regulatory violations.

Regulation of Medallion Bank as an Industrial Bank

In May 2002, we formed Medallion Bank, which received approval from the FDIC for federal deposit insurance in October 2003. Medallion Bank, a Utah-chartered industrial bank, is a depository institution subject to regulatory oversight and examination for safety and soundness by both the FDIC and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions. Medallion Bank is examined annually by the FDIC and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions. Numerous other federal and state laws and regulations govern almost all aspects of Medallion Bank’s operations and, to some degree, our operations and those of our non-bank subsidiaries as institution-affiliated parties. Under its banking charter, Medallion Bank is empowered to make consumer and commercial loans, and may accept all FDIC-insured deposits other than demand deposits (checking accounts). Medallion Bank provides stable and low-cost bank deposit funding for our key lending business activities conducted through Medallion Bank.

In addition, the FDIC has regulatory authority to prohibit Medallion Bank from engaging in any unsafe or unsound practice in conducting its business.

Medallion Bank is subject to risk-based and leverage capital standards issued by the federal banking regulators. These standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banking organizations, to account for off-balance sheet exposure, to minimize disincentives for holding liquid assets, and to achieve greater consistency in evaluating the capital adequacy of major banks throughout the world. Under the risk-based capital standards, assets and off-balance sheet items are assigned to broad risk categories, each with designated weights, and the resulting capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of total risk-weighted assets and off-balance sheet items.

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In July 2013, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency adopted the U.S. Basel III capital rules, which implement many aspects of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s Basel III capital framework and are aimed at increasing both the quantity and quality of regulatory capital. The requirements in the U.S. Basel III capital rules began to phase in on January 1, 2015, for many covered banking organizations, including Medallion Bank. Most requirements in the U.S. Basel III capital rules will be fully phased in by January 1, 2019. Because Medallion Bank was already subject to a capital maintenance agreement with the FDIC that required it to hold capital in excess of the then applicable capital requirements, we do not believe that the U.S. Basel III capital rules will have a material impact on Medallion Bank’s business.

Under the U.S. Basel III capital rules, Medallion Bank is subject to the following minimum capital ratios:

In addition, Medallion Bank is subject to a Common Equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer on top of the minimum risk-based capital ratios. The implementation of the capital conservation buffer began on January 1, 2016 at the 0.625% level and will increase by 0.625% each subsequent January 1 until January 1, 2019. Including the buffer, by January 1, 2019, Medallion Bank will be required to maintain the following minimum capital ratios: a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of greater than 7.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of greater than 8.5% and a total risk-based capital ratio of greater than 10.5%. The new and highest form of capital, Common Equity Tier 1 capital, consists solely of common stock (plus related surplus), retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, and limited amounts of qualifying minority interests that are in the form of common stock.

The U.S. Basel III capital rules retain or modify certain deductions from and adjustments to regulatory capital and also provide for new ones. In addition, the U.S. Basel III capital rules provide for limited recognition in Common Equity Tier 1 capital, and deduction from Common Equity Tier 1 capital above certain thresholds, of three categories of assets: (i) deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences that cannot be realized through net operating loss carrybacks (net of related valuation allowances and of deferred tax liabilities), (ii) mortgage servicing assets (net of associated deferred tax liabilities) and (iii) investments in more than 10% of the issued and outstanding common stock of unconsolidated financial institutions (net of associated deferred tax liabilities).

For purposes of calculating the denominator of the three risk-based capital ratios, the assets of covered banking organizations are given risk weights that, under the U.S. Basel III capital rules, range from 0% to 1,250%, depending on the nature of the asset. Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury or obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the U.S. government have a 0% risk weight, while general obligation claims on states or other political subdivisions of the United States are assigned a 20% risk weight, except for municipal or state revenue bonds, which have a 50% risk weight. Most first-lien residential mortgage exposures that are prudently underwritten and performing according to their original terms carry a 50% risk weight, with a 100% risk weight for other residential mortgage exposures. In addition, certain off-balance sheet items are assigned credit conversion factors to convert them to asset equivalent amounts to which an appropriate risk weight is applied. For example, the unused portion of unconditionally cancellable commitments is assigned a 0% conversion factor, while self-liquidating, transaction-related contingent items with an original maturity of one year or less and the amount of a commitment with an initial maturity of one year or less that is not unconditionally cancellable by the covered banking organization are converted at 20%. Transaction-related contingencies such as bid bonds and standby letters of credit backing nonfinancial obligations, as well as the amount of a commitment with an original maturity of more than one year that is not unconditionally cancellable, have a 50% conversion factor. General guarantees and standby letters of credit backing financial obligations are given a 100% conversion factor.

In addition, pursuant to provisions of the FDIC Improvement Act of 1991, or FDICIA, and related regulations with respect to prompt corrective action, FDIC-insured institutions such as Medallion Bank may only accept brokered deposits without FDIC permission if they meet specified capital standards, and are subject to restrictions with respect to the interest they may pay on deposits unless they are well capitalized. The U.S. Basel III capital rules revised the capital threshold to be well capitalized. Effective January 1, 2015, in order to qualify as well capitalized, an insured depository institution must maintain a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6.5%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0%, a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0%, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5.0%, and the bank must not be under any order or directive from the appropriate regulatory agency to meet and maintain a specific capital level.

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Pursuant to a capital maintenance agreement with the FDIC, we and Medallion Bank have agreed that the capital levels of Medallion Bank will at all times meet or exceed the levels required for Medallion Bank to be considered well-capitalized under the FDIC rules and regulations, that Medallion Bank’s Tier 1 capital to total assets leverage ratio will be maintained at not less than 15%, and that Medallion Bank will maintain an adequate allowance for loan and lease losses.

Medallion Bank is also subject to certain federal laws that restrict and control its ability to extend credit and provide or receive services between affiliates. Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W promulgated thereunder limit the transfer of funds by a depository institution to certain of its affiliates, including us, in the form of loans, extensions of credit, investments, or purchases of assets. Sections 23A and 23B and Regulation W also require generally that the depository institution’s transactions with its affiliates be on terms no less favorable to Medallion Bank than comparable transactions with unrelated third parties.

The USA Patriot Act and the International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001, or the Patriot Act, was enacted on October 26, 2001, and is intended to detect and prosecute terrorism and international money laundering. The Patriot Act establishes new standards for verifying customer identification incidental to the opening of new accounts. Medallion Bank has undertaken appropriate measures to comply with the Patriot Act and associated regulations. Other provisions of the Patriot Act provide for special information sharing procedures governing communications with the government and other financial institutions with respect to suspected terrorists and money laundering activity, and enhancements to suspicious activity reporting, including electronic filing of suspicious activity reports over a secure filing network. The compliance programs required by the Patriot Act are intended to supplement pre-existing compliance requirements that apply to financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, regulations to which Medallion Bank is also subject. The Bank Secrecy Act requires all financial institutions, including banks, to, among other things, establish a risk-based system of internal controls reasonably designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The Bank Secrecy Act includes a variety of record-keeping and reporting requirements (such as cash and suspicious activity reporting), as well as due diligence/know-your-customer documentation requirements. Medallion Bank has in place policies, procedures and internal controls in order to comply with Bank Secrecy Act and OFAC laws and regulations. Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations and are required to consider compliance in connection with the regulatory review of applications.

Federal and state banking agencies require Medallion Bank to prepare annual reports on financial condition and to conduct an annual audit of financial affairs in compliance with minimum standards and procedures. Medallion Bank must undergo regular on-site examinations by the appropriate banking agency, which will examine for adherence to a range of legal and regulatory compliance responsibilities. A bank regulator conducting an examination has complete access to the books and records of the examined institution. The results of the examination are confidential. The cost of examinations may be assessed against the examined institution as the agency deems necessary or appropriate.

Regulation by the SEC and under the 1940 Act

We are a closed-end, management investment company that has elected to be treated as a business development company (BDC) under the 1940 Act. We conduct our business through various wholly-owned investment company subsidiaries including Medallion Funding LLC, a closed end investment company, Medallion Capital, Inc., a BDC, and Freshstart Venture Capital Corp., a BDC. Pursuant to various exemptive orders, we operate and are regulated as a single BDC. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates (including any investment advisers or sub-advisers), principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters, and requires that a majority of the directors be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities voting as a class.

On March 7, 2018, a majority of the Company’s shareholders authorized the Company’s Board of Directors to withdraw the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and our Board of Directors approved the filing of the Company’s withdrawal form with the SEC to be made on or about April 1, 2018. At that point, we would no longer be a BDC or be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to BDCs. For a discussion of the shareholder protections of the 1940 Act that would no longer apply if the Company ceases to operate as a BDC, see “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure – Our shareholders would no longer have the protections of the 1940 Act upon the withdrawal of the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC.”

The remainder of the discussion in this subsection currently applies to our operations as a BDC and would continue to apply in the future only if the Company remains a BDC under the 1940 Act.

We may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired directly from issuers in privately negotiated transactions. With respect to such securities, we may, for the purpose of public resale, be deemed an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933. Similarly, in connection with an acquisition, we may acquire rights to require the issuers of acquired securities

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or their affiliates to repurchase them under certain circumstances. We also do not intend to acquire securities issued by any investment company that exceed the limits imposed by the 1940 Act. Under these limits, we generally cannot acquire more than 3% of the voting stock of any registered investment company, invest more than 5% of the value of our total assets in the securities of one investment company or invest more than 10% of the value of our total assets in the securities of more than one investment company. Certain of these limits are not applicable to our investments in our wholly-owned SBIC subsidiaries. With regard to that portion of our portfolio invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should be noted that such investments might subject our stockholders to additional expenses. None of our policies are fundamental, and each may be changed without stockholder approval.

Qualifying Assets

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

Managerial Assistance to Portfolio Companies

In addition, a BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the US and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2), or (3) above. However, in order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, the BDC must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other than certain companies described above) significant managerial assistance; except that, where the BDC purchases such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons in the group may make available such managerial assistance. Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers, or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations, or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company.

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Temporary Investments

Pending investment in other types of “qualifying assets,” as described above, our investments may consist of cash equivalents, US government securities, or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as temporary investments, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets. Typically, we will invest in US Treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the US government or its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the purchase by an investor, such as us, of a specified security and the simultaneous agreement by the seller to repurchase it at an agreed-upon future date and at a price which is greater than the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate. There is no percentage restriction on the proportion of our assets that may be invested in such repurchase agreements.

Senior Securities

We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of indebtedness and one class of stock senior to our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance. In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding, we must make provisions to prohibit any distribution to our shareholders or the repurchase 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 purposes without regard to full asset coverage requirements. In addition to the 1940 Act, we are subject to two exemptive orders which govern how we calculate our senior securities and under which we have agreed that we will meet the applicable asset coverage ratios both individually and on a consolidated basis. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Operations as a BDC—Regulations governing our operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way in which we raise additional capital.”

Other considerations under the 1940 Act

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.

We are periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with the 1940 Act.

We are required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a reputable fidelity insurance company to protect us against larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore, as a BDC, we are prohibited from protecting any director or officer against any liability to us or our shareholders arising from willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.

We have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws, and intend to review these policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation. We have designated a chief compliance officer to be responsible for administering our policies and procedures. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, we anticipate modifying these policies and procedures to reflect our status as a non-BDC.

Other

Because Medallion Bank is an “insured depository institution” within the meaning of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Change in Bank Control Act and we are a “financial institution holding company” within the meaning of the Utah Financial Institutions Act, federal and Utah law and regulations prohibit any person or company from acquiring control of us and, indirectly, Medallion Bank, without, in most cases, prior written approval of the FDIC or the Commissioner of Utah Department of Financial Institutions, as applicable. Under the Change in Bank Control Act, control is conclusively presumed if, among other things, a person or company acquires 25% or more of any class of our voting stock. A rebuttable presumption of control arises if a person or company acquires 10% or more of any class of voting stock and is subject to a number of specified “control factors” as set forth in the applicable regulations. Although Medallion Bank is an “insured depository institution” within the meaning of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Change in Bank Control Act, your investment in Medallion Financial Corp. is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, or any other agency, and is subject to loss. Under the Utah Financial Institutions Act, control is defined as the power to vote 20% or more of any class of our voting securities by an individual or to vote more than 10% of any class of our voting securities by a person other than an individual. Investors are responsible for ensuring that they do not, directly or indirectly, acquire shares of our common stock in excess of the amount which can be acquired without regulatory approval.

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In addition to the regulations detailed above, our operations are subject to supervision and regulation by other federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Additionally, our operations may be subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions. This oversight may serve to:

Changes to laws of states in which we do business could affect the operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot accurately predict whether such changes will occur or, if they occur, the ultimate effect they would have upon our financial condition or results of operations.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and NASDAQ Corporate Governance Regulations

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. Many of these requirements affect us. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has required us to review our policies and procedures to determine whether we comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all future regulations that are adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance therewith.

In addition, NASDAQ has adopted corporate governance listing standards. We believe we are in compliance with such corporate governance listing standards. We will continue to monitor our compliance with all future listing standards and will take actions necessary to ensure that we are in compliance therewith.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our corporate website is located at www.medallion.com. We make copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act available to investors on or through our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with or furnish them to the SEC. Our SEC filings can be found in the For Investors section of our website, the address of which is http://www.medallion.com/investors.html. Our Code of Ethical Conduct and Insider Trading Policy can be located in the Corporate Governance section of our website at http://www.medallion.com/investors_corporate_governance.html. These documents, as well as our SEC filings are available in print free of charge to any stockholder who requests a copy from our Secretary.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure

Changes in the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries have resulted in increased competition and have had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operations.

There have been recent changes in the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries that have resulted in increased competition in all of our taxi medallion markets. Ridesharing applications, or ridesharing apps, utilized by for-hire vehicles were introduced in New York City in 2011 and continue to expand domestically and globally. Many of these for-hire vehicle operators operate outside of the regulatory regime with which we and our borrowers operate, which poses an increased risk of competition because such operators are able to pass the cost savings of not having to comply with certain regulations to its passengers. According to the TLC, between January 2017 and January 2018 approximately 16,000 new for-hire vehicle licenses were issued, increasing the total number of for-hire vehicles to approximately 105,100 as of January 31, 2018, an 18% increase from January 2017.

In addition, the New York State legislature enacted a law on December 21, 2011, which was amended on February 17, 2012, to permit cars for-hire to pickup street hails in boroughs outside of Manhattan. Pursuant to this law the TLC has issued approximately 8,300 Street Hail Livery licenses since June 2013, of which approximately 3,800 are active.

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TLC annualized data through December 2017 has shown a 13.9% reduction in total New York City taxicab fares, compared to the same period in 2016, and a 13.5% reduction in the total number of New York City taxicab trips. Such reductions in fare totals and taxicab trips are likely the result of a combination of ridesharing apps, Street Hail Livery licenses, and other forms of public transportation.

As of December 31, 2017, 15.9% of our managed medallion loan portfolio and 26.1% of our on-balance sheet loan portfolios were 90 days or more past due, compared to 18.8% and 24.4% at December 31, 2016. As discussed in further detail below, there have also been recent decreases in the values of our medallion loan collateral and our Chicago medallions purchased out of foreclosure. Increased competition from ridesharing apps and Street Hail Livery licenses has reduced our market share, the overall market for taxicab services, the supply of taxicab drivers, income from operating medallions, and the value of taxicab medallions. If these trends continue and intensify, there would be a further material increase to our loan to value ratios, loan delinquencies, and loan defaults resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Decreases in the value of our medallion loan collateral and our Chicago medallions purchased out of foreclosure have had a material adverse effect on our business.

A significant portion of our loan revenue is derived from loans collateralized by New York City taxicab medallions. According to TLC data, over the past 20 years New York City taxicab medallions had appreciated in value from under $200,000 to $1,320,000 for corporate medallions and $1,050,000 for individual medallions in 2014. As reported by the TLC, individual (owner-driver) medallions and corporate medallions sold for a wide range of prices during 2017. Like many other financial institutions, we evaluate the transactions and cash flows underlying borrower performance and determined that a market value of $324,000, $315,000 net of liquidation costs, was appropriate, reflecting a blend of transactional activity and values supported by borrower cash flows. In March 2017, the New York City Council made changes to the medallion classes, eliminating the distinction between individual and corporate medallions. Until the market fully stabilizes we will not be able to determine the ultimate impact of this change, however, we believe it will allow for greater economic investment as these rules were a significant barrier of entry into the industry.

We own 159 Chicago taxicab medallions that were purchased out of foreclosure in 2003. Additionally, a portion of our loan revenue is derived from loans collateralized by Chicago taxicab medallions. The Chicago medallions had appreciated in value from $50,000 in 2003 to approximately $370,000 in 2013. Since that time, however, there has been a decline in the value of Chicago taxicab medallions to approximately $48,000, $47,000 net of liquidation costs, at the end of 2017.

Decreases in the value of our medallion loan collateral has resulted in an increase in the loan-to-value ratios of our medallion loans. We estimate that the weighted average loan-to-value ratio of our managed medallion loans was approximately 131% as of December 31, 2017 and 129% as of December 31, 2016. If taxicab medallion values continue to decline, there could be an increase in medallion loan delinquencies, foreclosures, and borrower bankruptcies. Our ability to recover on defaulted medallion loans by foreclosing on and selling the medallion collateral would be diminished, which would result in material losses on defaulted medallion loans which would have a material adverse effect on our business. A substantial decrease in the value of our Chicago medallions purchased out of foreclosure would adversely affect our ability to dispose of such medallions at times when it may be advantageous for us to do so. If we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our medallions quickly, we would realize less than the value at which we had previously recorded such medallions.

We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested, and may increase the risk of investing in us.

Borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested, and therefore increase the risk associated with investing in us. We borrow from and issue senior debt securities to banks and other lenders, and through long-term subordinated SBA debentures. These creditors have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our shareholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value 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. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could reduce the amount available for distribution payments.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $327,623,000 of outstanding indebtedness, which had a weighted average borrowing cost of 4.01% at December 31, 2017, and our wholly-owned unconsolidated portfolio companies, primarily Medallion Bank, had $906,748,000 of outstanding indebtedness at a weighted average borrowing cost of 1.51%.

Most of our borrowing relationships have maturity dates during 2018. We have been in active and ongoing discussions with each of these lenders and have extended each of the facilities as they matured except as set forth in the following risk factor. Certain lenders have worked with us to extend and change the terms of the borrowing agreements. See Note 4 for a discussion of the current and new lending arrangements to date.

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Failure to obtain an extension of our existing credit facilities or failure to obtain additional revolving credit facilities could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

We utilize secured revolving credit facilities and other facilities to fund our investments. We cannot guarantee that our credit facilities will continue to be available beyond their current maturity dates on reasonable terms or at all or that we will be able to otherwise obtain funds by selling assets or raising equity to make required payments on maturing indebtedness. Our revolving credit facilities have converted to term loans. Obtaining additional revolving credit facilities or other alternative sources of financing may be difficult and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so on terms favorable to us or at all. The availability of revolving credit facilities depends, in part, on factors outside of our control, including regulatory capital treatment for unfunded bank lines of credit, the financial strength and strategic objectives of the banks that participate in our credit facilities and the availability of bank liquidity in general. If the credit facilities are not renewed or extended by our lenders by their maturity dates, we will not be able to make further borrowings under the facilities after they mature and the outstanding principal balances under such facilities will be due and payable at maturity. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness at maturity or meet our payment obligations, our financial condition would be adversely affected and our lenders may foreclose on the property securing such indebtedness. If we are unable to extend or replace these facilities or arrange new credit facilities or other types of interim financing, we may need to curtail or suspend loan origination and funding activities which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

We and our subsidiaries obtain financing under lending facilities extended by various banks and other financial institutions, some of which are secured by loans, taxi medallions and other assets. Where these facilities are extended to our subsidiaries, we and others of our subsidiaries may guarantee the obligations of the relevant borrower. Five of our smallest subsidiaries are borrowers under promissory notes extended to them by a bank that total $8.8 million that came due on October 17, 2016. These loans are secured by Chicago taxi medallions owned by our subsidiaries. These notes are guaranteed by Medallion Funding, not by Medallion Financial Corp. These subsidiaries have not repaid the amounts due under the notes and the bank has filed a suit seeking payment of these amounts. This failure to pay would constitute an event of default under certain loan agreements which we or our subsidiaries are borrowers, but the lenders under those agreements have waived the default. If judgment is entered against us in the suit brought by the bank or entered and not satisfied within specified periods of time, these outcomes may constitute an additional event of default under these other agreements. If waivers are required and not granted for this additional event of default, it would lead to events of default under other of our financing arrangements.

We are subject to certain financial covenants and other restrictions under our loan and credit arrangements, which could affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

Our loan and credit agreements contain financial covenants and other restrictions relating to borrowing base eligibility, tangible net worth, net income, leverage ratios, shareholders’ equity, and collateral values. Our ability to meet these financial covenants and restrictions could be affected by events beyond our control, such as a substantial decline in collateral values or a rise in borrower delinquencies. A breach of these covenants could result in an event of default under the applicable debt instrument. Such a default, if not cured or waived, may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt that is subject to an applicable cross-acceleration or cross-default provision. Certain other events can constitute an event of default. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under our credit facilities, those lenders could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. In the event our lenders or holders of the related notes accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. Based on the foregoing factors, the operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our current credit agreements and any future financing agreements could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

The issuance of debt securities or preferred stock and our borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions may affect holders of our common stock.

Our business may periodically require capital. We may issue debt securities or preferred stock, and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as senior securities. Any amounts that we use to service our debt or make payments on preferred stock will not be available for distributions to our common shareholders. It is likely that any senior securities we issue will be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, some of these securities or other indebtedness may be rated by rating agencies, and in obtaining a rating for such securities and other indebtedness, we may be required to abide by operating and investment guidelines that further restrict operating and financial flexibility. We and, indirectly, our shareholders will bear the cost of issuing and servicing such securities and other indebtedness. Preferred stock or any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences, and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock, including separate voting rights, and could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control to the detriment of the holders of our common stock.

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.

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Consumer lending by Medallion Bank carries a higher risk of loss and could be adversely affected by an economic downturn.

By its nature, lending to consumers carries with it a higher risk of loss than commercial lending. Although the net interest margins should be higher to compensate Medallion Bank for this increased risk, an economic downturn could result in higher loss rates and lower returns than expected, and could affect the profitability of Medallion Bank’s consumer loan portfolio.

We are dependent upon our key investment personnel for our future success.

We depend on the diligence, skill, and network of business contacts of the investment professionals we employ for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, structuring, and monitoring our investments. Our future success will also depend, to a significant extent, on the continued service and coordination of our senior management team, particularly, Alvin Murstein, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew M. Murstein, our President, and Larry D. Hall, our Chief Financial Officer. The departure of Messrs. Murstein or Mr. Hall, or any member of our senior management team, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective.

Changes in taxicab industry regulations that result in the issuance of additional medallions or increases in the expenses involved in operating a medallion would lead to a decrease in the value of our medallion loan collateral and our Chicago medallions purchased out of foreclosure.

Every city in which we originate medallion loans, and most other major cities in the United States, limits the supply of taxicab medallions. This regulation results in supply restrictions that support the value of medallions. Actions that loosen these restrictions and result in the issuance of additional medallions into a market could decrease the value of medallions in that market. If this were to occur, the value of the collateral securing our then outstanding medallion loans in that market would be adversely affected. We are unable to forecast with any degree of certainty whether any other potential increases in the supply of medallions will occur.

In New York City, Chicago, Boston, and other markets where we originate medallion loans, taxicab fares are generally set by government agencies. Expenses associated with operating taxicabs are largely unregulated. As a result, the ability of taxicab operators to recoup increases in expenses is limited in the short term. Escalating expenses, such as rising gas prices and an increase in interest rates, can render taxicab operations less profitable, could cause borrowers to default on loans from us and would adversely affect the value of our collateral.

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and if we are found to be in violation of any of the federal, state, or local laws or regulations applicable to us, our business could suffer.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, was enacted in 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act significantly changed federal financial services regulation and affects, among other things, the lending, deposit, investment, trading, and operating activities of financial institutions and their holding companies. In addition to the statutory requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act, the legislation also delegated authority to US banking, securities and derivatives regulators to impose additional restrictions through required rulemaking. The Dodd-Frank Act requires a company that owns an industrial bank to serve as a “source of strength” to the institution. We believe that we have historically served, and will serve in the future, as a source of strength to our industrial bank subsidiary, Medallion Bank. We do not believe that the codification of this requirement under the Dodd-Frank Act materially impacts our obligations. A company that owns an industrial bank is also subject to the Dodd-Frank Act “Volcker Rule.” We do not believe that the “Volcker Rule” materially impacts our operations as presently conducted.

For so long as we remain a BDC, the 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on our operations. For a discussion of those constraints, see “Government Regulation—Regulation by the SEC and under the 1940 Act.” Any failure to comply with the requirements imposed on BDCs by the 1940 Act, if applicable, could have material adverse consequences to us or our investors, including possible enforcement action by the SEC. See “Risk Factors—Risks Associated with Our Operations as a BDC.”

Other changes in the laws or regulations applicable to us more generally, may negatively impact the profitability of our business activities, require us to change certain of our business practices, materially affect our business model, limit the activities in which we may engage, affect retention of key personnel, require us to raise additional regulatory capital, increase the amount of liquid assets that we hold, otherwise affect our funding profile or expose us to additional costs (including increased compliance costs). Any such changes may also require us to invest significant management attention and resources to make any necessary changes and may adversely affect our ability to conduct our business as previously conducted or our results of operations or financial condition.

We are also subject to a wide range of federal, state, and local laws and regulations, such as local licensing requirements, and retail financing, debt collection, consumer protection, environmental, health and safety, creditor, wage-hour, anti-discrimination, whistleblower and other employment practices laws and regulations and we expect these costs to increase going forward. The violation of these or future requirements or laws and regulations could result in administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions against us, which may include fines, a cease and desist order against the subject operations or even revocation or suspension of our license to operate the subject business. As a result, we have incurred and will continue to incur capital and operating expenditures and other costs to comply with these requirements and laws and regulations.

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Changes in laws, regulations, or policies may adversely affect our business.

The post-financial crisis era has been marked by an increase in regulation, regulatory intensity, and enforcement. We are unable to predict all of the ways in which this change in the regulatory environment could impact our business models or objectives. The laws and regulations governing our lending, servicing, and debt collection activities or the regulatory or enforcement environment at the federal level or in any of the states in which we operate may change at any time which may have an adverse effect on our business.

We expect, however, to see an increase over time in regulatory scrutiny and enforcement in the area of consumer financial products regulation, as a result of the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or the CFPB, by the Dodd-Frank Act. The CFPB is responsible for interpreting and enforcing a broad range of consumer protection laws that govern the provision of deposit accounts and the making of loans, including the regulation of mortgage lending and servicing and automobile finance. While Medallion Bank’s size currently falls below the threshold that would give the CFPB direct authority over it, Medallion Bank’s existing bank supervisors may pursue similar policies and make similar information requests to those of the CFPB with respect to consumer financial products and other matters within the scope of the CFPB’s authority. We believe that the CFPB’s regulatory reforms, together with other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, and increased regulatory supervision, may increase our cost of doing business, impose new restrictions on the way in which we conduct our business, or add significant operational constraints that might impair our profitability.

We are unable to predict how these or any other future legislative proposals or programs will be administered or implemented or in what form, or whether any additional or similar changes to statutes or regulations, including the interpretation or implementation thereof, will occur in the future. Any such action could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways and could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our inability to remain in compliance with regulatory requirements in a particular jurisdiction could have a material adverse effect on our operations in that market and on our reputation generally. No assurance can be given that applicable laws or regulations will not be amended or construed differently or that new laws and regulations will not be adopted, either of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Federal and state law may discourage certain acquisitions of our common stock which could have a material adverse effect on our shareholders.

Because Medallion Bank is an “insured depository institution” within the meaning of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Change in Bank Control Act and we are a “financial institution holding company” within the meaning of the Utah Financial Institutions Act, federal and Utah law and regulations prohibit any person or company from acquiring control of us and, indirectly Medallion Bank, without, in most cases, prior written approval of the FDIC or the Commissioner of the Utah Department of Financial Institutions, as applicable. Under the Change in Bank Control Act, control is conclusively presumed if, among other things, a person or company acquires 25% or more of any class of our voting stock. A rebuttable presumption of control arises if a person or company acquires 10% or more of any class of voting stock and is subject to a number of specified “control factors” as set forth in the applicable regulations. Under the Utah Financial Institutions Act, control is defined as the power to vote 20% or more of any class of our voting securities by an individual or to vote more than 10% of any class of our voting securities by a person other than an individual. Investors are responsible for ensuring that they do not, directly or indirectly, acquire shares of our common stock in excess of the amount which can be acquired without regulatory approval. These provisions could delay or prevent a third party from acquiring us, despite the possible benefit to our shareholders, or otherwise adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Although Medallion Bank is an “insured depository institution” within the meaning of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the Change in Bank Control Act, your investment in Medallion Financial Corp. is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, or any other agency, and is subject to loss.

Change in the Company’s Tax Classification.

RIC qualification rules require that at the end of each quarter of our taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of our assets must be represented by cash, securities of other RICs, US government securities, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of our assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of our assets may be invested in the securities (other than US government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, any two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by us and that are determined to be engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses or in the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. We monitor our compliance with these asset tests and any other

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investment concentrations in conjunction with the diversification tests. As of December 31, 2017 our largest investment subject to this test was our investment in Medallion Bank, representing 52.9% of our RIC assets, and no other investments were more than 5% of our RIC assets. As a result of our failure of the 25% asset diversification test, we were not eligible to file our tax returns as a RIC for 2017.

Because we did not meet the qualifications for RIC tax treatment for the tax years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, and now we 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. Qualification as a RIC is made on an annual basis and, although we and some of our subsidiaries have qualified in the past, we cannot assure you that we will qualify for such treatment in the future.

If we do not qualify as a RIC for more than two consecutive years, and then seek to requalify and elect RIC status, we would be required to recognize gain to the extent of any unrealized appreciation on our assets unless we make a special election to pay corporate-level tax on any such unrealized appreciation recognized during the succeeding 10-year period.

To obtain and maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code in any future taxable year, we must meet the following annual distribution, income source, and asset diversification requirements.

If we meet the requirements to be treated as a RIC in a future tax year, for US federal income tax purposes, we would have to include in taxable income certain amounts that we would not have yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which may arise if we received warrants in connection with the origination of a loan or possibly in other circumstances, or contractual payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such original issue discount or increases in loan balances as a result of payment-in-kind interest will be included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash.

Since, in certain cases, we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to achieve and maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital, or reduce new investment originations for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may subsequently fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, the Company would remain ineligible to file as a RIC under the Code and would be treated as a C corporation for tax purposes. See Note 5 for more information.

Our SBIC subsidiaries may be unable to meet the investment company requirements, which could result in the imposition of an entity-level tax.

Some of our subsidiaries are subject to the SBIA. Our SBIC subsidiaries that are RICs may be prohibited by the SBIA from making the distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. The SBA has agreed that our SBIC subsidiaries can make these distributions provided we reinvest the distributions in our SBIC subsidiaries as undistributed net realized earnings. We cannot assure you that this will continue to be the SBA’s policy or that our subsidiaries will have adequate capital to make the required adjustments. If our subsidiaries are unable to obtain a waiver, compliance with the SBA regulations may result in loss of RIC status and a consequent imposition of an entity-level tax at the subsidiary level. In the event we are granted a waiver, we will be required to reinvest the distribution into the SBIC as capital. This may result in us recognizing taxable income without receiving a corresponding amount of cash to pay the distribution. Any failure to pay the distribution could cause a loss of RIC status and the imposition of entity level tax. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, the SBIC subsidiaries would be ineligible to file as a RIC under the Code.

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Our SBIC subsidiaries are licensed by the SBA, and are therefore subject to SBA regulations.

Our SBIC subsidiaries are licensed to operate as SBICs and are regulated by the SBA. The SBA also places certain limitations on the financing terms of investments by SBICs in portfolio companies and prohibits SBICs from providing funds for certain purposes or to businesses in a few prohibited industries. Compliance with SBA requirements may cause the SBIC subsidiaries to forego attractive investment opportunities that are not permitted under SBA regulations.

Further, SBA regulations require that a licensed SBIC be periodically examined and audited by the SBA to determine its compliance with the relevant SBA regulations. The SBA prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a “change of control” of an SBIC or transfers that would result in any person (or a group of persons acting in concert) owning 10% or more of a class of capital stock of an SBIC. If the SBIC subsidiaries fail to comply with applicable SBIC regulations, the SBA could, depending on the severity of the violation, limit or prohibit their use of debentures, declare outstanding debentures immediately due and payable, and/or limit them from making new investments. In addition, the SBA could revoke or suspend an SBIC license or bring a suit for the appointment of a receiver for the SBIC and for its liquidation for willful or repeated violation of, or willful or repeated failure to observe, any provision of the SBIA or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder. Such actions by the SBA would, in turn, negatively affect us.

We anticipate withdrawing the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC and may in the future materially change our corporate structure and the nature of our business.

On March 7, 2018, a majority of the Company’s shareholders authorized the Company’s Board of Directors to withdraw the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and our Board of Directors approved the filing of the Company’s withdrawal form with the SEC to be made on or about April 1, 2018. At that point, we would no longer be a BDC or be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to BDCs.

The withdrawal of the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC would result in a significant change in our accounting and financial reporting requirements.

If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC, as expected, commencing with the second quarter of 2018, the Company would no longer be subject to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies, which would result in a significant change in our accounting and financial reporting requirements. Our financial statements are currently presented and accounted for under the specialized method of accounting applicable to investment companies, which requires us to recognize our investments, including controlled investments, at fair value. As a BDC, we are currently precluded from consolidating any entity other than another investment company that acts as an extension of our investment operations and facilitates the execution of our investment strategy or an investment in a controlled operating company that provides substantially all of its services to us. Our financial statements currently consolidate the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned investment company subsidiaries, except for Medallion Bank and other portfolio investments. Our financial statements reflect our investment in Medallion Bank and other portfolio investments at fair value, as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. Medallion Bank’s financial statements are separately provided as a significant unconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiary. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC, the Company will consolidate the financial statements of Medallion Bank and controlled or majority-owned portfolio investments together with those of the Company, which would be a significant change in our accounting and financial reporting requirements.

Our shareholders would no longer have the protections of the 1940 Act upon the withdrawal of the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC.

If the Company ceases to operate as a BDC, our shareholders would no longer have the following protections of the 1940 Act:

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In addition, we are very much affected by the legal, regulatory, tax and accounting regimes under which we operate. We periodically evaluate whether those regimes and our existing corporate structure are the optimum means for the operation and capitalization of our business. As a result of these evaluations, we may decide to proceed with structural and organizational changes (certain of which may require the approval of our shareholders), which could result in material dispositions of various assets, changes in our corporate form or other fundamental changes. We may incur certain costs in completing these evaluations and may receive no benefit from these expenditures, particularly if we do not proceed with any changes.

If we withdraw our election to be regulated as a BDC, maintaining an exception from registration under the 1940 Act could limit our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities, and the failure to maintain that exception would have material adverse consequences on our business.

A company that meets the definition of an “investment company” under the 1940 Act, in the absence of an exception or exemption, must either register with the SEC as an investment company or elect BDC status. Historically, the composition of the Company’s assets caused us to meet the definition of an “investment company,” and the Company made a corresponding election to be treated as a BDC. If the Company were to de-elect BDC status, as expected, we would either have to operate so as to fall outside the definition of an “investment company” or within an applicable exception. To the extent the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC, the Company expects to fall within the exception from the definition of an “investment company” provided under Section 3(c)(6) of the 1940 Act as a company primarily engaged, directly or through majority-owned subsidiaries, in the business of, among other things, (i) banking, (ii) purchasing and otherwise acquiring notes, drafts, acceptances, open accounts receivable, and other obligations representing part or all of the sales price of merchandise, insurance and services, and (iii) making loans to manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of, and to prospective purchasers of, specified merchandise, insurance, and services. The Company would be required to monitor our continued compliance with this exception, which would limit our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities that would cause us to be out of compliance with its limitations and could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, we could be limited in growing Medallion Capital, Inc., which is currently engaged in a business that generally does not qualify for the exception.

If the SEC or a court were to find that we were required, but failed, to register as an investment company in violation of the 1940 Act, we may have to cease business activities, we would breach representations and warranties and/or be in default as to certain of our contracts and obligations, civil or criminal actions could be brought against us, our contracts would be unenforceable unless a court were to require enforcement and a court could appoint a receiver to take control of us and liquidate our business, any or all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

We compete for investments with other business development companies and other investment funds as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and credit unions. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments,

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establish more relationships, and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than us. We may be unwilling to match our competitors’ pricing, terms, and structure of certain loans and investments opportunities due to potential risks, which may result in us earning less income than our competitors. If we are forced to match our competitors’ pricing, terms, and structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us for so long as we remain a BDC.

We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Also, as a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time.

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income.

Because we borrow to fund our investments, a portion of our income is dependent upon the difference between the interest rate at which we borrow funds and the interest rate at which we invest these funds. A portion of our investments, such as taxi medallion loans, will have fixed interest rates, while a portion of our borrowings will likely have floating interest rates. As a result, a significant change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds could increase, which would reduce our net investment income. We may hedge against interest rate fluctuations by using standard hedging instruments, subject to applicable legal requirements. These activities may limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to the hedged portfolio. Adverse developments resulting from changes in interest rates or hedging transactions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Also, we will have to rely on our counterparties to perform their obligations under such hedges.

A decrease in prevailing interest rates may lead to more loan prepayments, which could adversely affect our business.

Our borrowers generally have the right to prepay their loans upon payment of a fee ranging from 1% to 2% for standard commodity loans, and for higher amounts, as negotiated, for larger more custom loan arrangements. A borrower is likely to exercise prepayment rights at a time when the interest rate payable on the borrower’s loan is high relative to prevailing interest rates. In a lower interest rate environment, we will have difficulty re-lending prepaid funds at comparable rates, which may reduce the net interest income that we receive. 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 a substantial number of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us and we are not able to reinvest the proceeds for comparable yields in a timely fashion. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our return on equity, which could result in a decline in the market price of our common stock.

An increase in prevailing interest rates could adversely affect our business.

The majority of our loan portfolio is comprised of fixed-rate loans. An abrupt increase in market rates of interest may have an adverse impact on our earnings until we are able to originate new loans at higher prevailing interest rates.

We depend on cash flow from our subsidiaries to make distribution payments to our shareholders.

We are primarily a holding company, and we derive most of our operating income and cash flow from our subsidiaries. As a result, we rely heavily upon distributions from our subsidiaries to generate the funds necessary to make distribution payments to our shareholders. Funds are provided to us by our subsidiaries through dividends and payments on intercompany indebtedness, but we cannot assure you that our subsidiaries will be in a position to continue to make these dividend or debt payments. The Utah Department of Financial Institutions and FDIC have the authority to prohibit or to limit the payment of dividends by Medallion Bank. In addition, as a condition to receipt of FDIC insurance, Medallion Bank entered into a capital maintenance agreement with the FDIC requiring it to maintain a 15% leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to average assets). As of December 31, 2017 Medallion Bank’s leverage ratio was 14.5% and Medallion Bank may be restricted from declaring and paying dividends as a result of the leverage ratio being below 15%.

Medallion Bank’s use of brokered deposit sources for its deposit-gathering activities may not be available when needed.

Medallion Bank relies on the established brokered deposit market to originate deposits to fund its operations. Medallion Bank’s brokered deposits consist of deposits raised through the brokered deposit market rather than through retail branches. While Medallion Bank has developed contractual relationships with a diversified group of investment brokers, and the brokered deposit market is well developed and utilized by many banking institutions, conditions could change that might affect the availability of deposits. Applicable

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statutes and regulations restrict the use of brokered deposits and the interest rates paid on such deposits for institutions that are less than “well capitalized”. If the capital levels at Medallion Bank fall below the “well-capitalized” level as defined by the FDIC or the capital level currently required by the FDIC pursuant to its capital maintenance agreement, or if Medallion Bank experiences a period of sustained operating losses, the cost of attracting deposits from the brokered deposit market could increase significantly, and the ability of Medallion Bank to raise deposits from this source could be impaired. Brokered deposits may also not be as stable as other types of deposits. Medallion Bank’s ability to manage its growth to stay within the “well-capitalized” level, and the capital level currently required by the FDIC pursuant to its capital maintenance agreement, which is also considerably higher than the level required to be classified as “well-capitalized”, is critical to Medallion Bank’s retaining open access to this funding source.

Uncertainty relating to the reporting of collateral values for our loans may adversely affect the value of our portfolio.

Medallion loans are primarily collateral-based lending, whereby the collateral value exceeds the amount of the loan, providing sufficient excess collateral to protect us against losses. Despite our reliance on collateral values, medallions are income producing assets that generate cash flow which is utilized to repay our loans. We rely on the integrity of the collateral value benchmarks obtained by the applicable regulatory agencies and other third parties. If these benchmarks are artificially influenced by market participants we could suffer losses. We have experienced a significant downward movement in medallion collateral values which may continue, and has caused a negative impact on our valuation analysis and could result in further significant lower fair market value measurements of our portfolio.

We require an objective benchmark in determining the fair value of our portfolio. If the benchmarks that we currently use are deemed to be unreliable, we will need to use other intrinsic factors in determining the collateral values for our loans.

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

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

In addition, the illiquidity of our loan portfolio and investments may adversely affect our ability to dispose of loans at times when it may be advantageous for us to liquidate such portfolio or investments. In addition, if we were required to liquidate some or all of the investments in the portfolio, the proceeds of such liquidation may be significantly less than the current value of such investments. Because we borrow money to make loans and investments, our net operating income is dependent upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest these funds. As a result, there can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our interest income. In periods of sharply rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which would reduce our net operating income before net realized and unrealized gains. We use a combination of long-term and short-term borrowings and equity capital to finance our investing activities. Our long-term fixed-rate investments are financed primarily with short-term floating-rate debt, and to a lesser extent by term fixed-rate debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Such techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. We have analyzed the potential impact of changes in interest rates on net interest income. Assuming that the balance sheet were to remain constant and no actions were taken to alter the existing interest rate sensitivity, and including the impact on Medallion Bank, a hypothetical immediate 1% increase in interest rates would result in an increase to the line item “net increase in net assets resulting from operations” as of December 31, 2017 by approximately $1,778,000 on an annualized basis, compared to a positive impact of $1,100,000 at December 31, 2016, and the impact of such an immediate increase of 1% over a one year period would have been approximately ($984,000) at December 31, 2017, compared to ($792,000) at December 31, 2016. Although management believes that this measure is indicative of our sensitivity to interest rate changes, it does not adjust for potential changes in credit quality, size, and composition of the assets on the balance sheet, and other business developments that could affect net increase in net assets resulting from operations in a particular quarter or for the year taken as a whole. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that actual results would not differ materially from the potential outcome simulated by these estimates.

We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including our ability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets, and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

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Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information and that of our customers and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in our data centers, and on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance, and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information and regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations and damage our reputation, which could adversely affect our business.

Terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war, and natural disasters may affect any market for our securities, impact the businesses in which we invest, and harm our operations and profitability.

Terrorist attacks and natural disasters may harm our results of operations and your investment. We cannot assure you that there will not be further terrorist attacks against the US or US businesses or major natural disasters hitting the United States. Such attacks or natural disasters in the US or elsewhere may impact the businesses in which we directly or indirectly invest by undermining economic conditions in the United States. In addition, a substantial portion of our business is focused in the New York City metropolitan area, which suffered a terrorist attack in 2001. Another terrorist attack in New York City or elsewhere could severely impact our results of operations. Losses resulting from terrorist attacks are generally uninsurable.

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

Our ability to achieve our investment objective will depend on our ability to grow, which will depend, in turn, on our management team’s ability to identify, evaluate, and monitor, and our ability to finance and invest in, companies that meet our investment criteria.

Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis will be largely a function of our management team’s handling of the investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive, and efficient services, and our access to financing on acceptable terms. In addition to monitoring the performance of our existing investments, members of our management team and our investment professionals may also be called upon to provide managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment. In order to grow, we will need to hire, train, supervise, and manage new employees. However, we cannot assure you that any such employees will contribute to the success of our business. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

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

The SBA restricts the ability of SBICs to lend money to any of their officers, directors, and employees, or invest in any affiliates thereof.

Medallion Bank is subject to certain federal laws that restrict and control its ability to engage in transactions with its affiliates. Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and applicable regulations restrict the transfer of funds by Medallion Bank to certain of its affiliates, including us, in the form of loans, extensions of credit, investments, or purchases of assets and restrict its ability to provide services to, or receive services from, its affiliates. Sections 23A and 23B also require generally that Medallion Bank’s transactions with its affiliates be on terms no less favorable to Medallion Bank than comparable transactions with unrelated third parties.

If and to the extent that the Company remains a BDC under the 1940 Act, our ability to enter into certain transactions with our affiliates is restricted. See “Risks Associated with Our Operations as a BDC— The 1940 Act restricts our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates.”

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Our Board of Directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or shareholder approval, the effects of which may be adverse.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without shareholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results, and value of our stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay you distributions and cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Associated with Our Operations as a BDC

On March 7, 2018, a majority of the Company’s shareholders authorized the Company’s Board of Directors to withdraw the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and our Board of Directors approved the filing of the Company’s withdrawal form with the SEC to be made on or about April 1, 2018. At that point, we would no longer be a BDC or be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to BDCs.

If and to the extent that the Company remains a BDC under the 1940 Act, the following discussion is a summary of the material risks associated with our operations as a BDC.

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and if we are found to be in violation of any of the 1940 Act, our business could suffer.

The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of BDC’s. For example, BDC’s are required to invest at least 70% of their total assets in qualifying assets, primarily securities of “eligible portfolio companies” (as defined under the 1940 Act), cash, cash equivalents, US government securities, and other high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. Our regulatory requirements may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, achieve our investment objective. In addition, we rely upon several exemptive orders from the SEC permitting us to consolidate our financial reporting and operate our business as presently conducted. Our failure to satisfy the conditions set forth in those exemptive orders could result in our inability to rely upon such orders or to cause the SEC to revoke the orders which could result in material changes in our financial reporting or the way in which we conduct our business. Furthermore, any failure to comply with the requirements imposed on BDC’s by the 1940 Act could have material adverse consequences to us or our investors, including possible enforcement action by the SEC.

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

Senior Securities and Other Indebtedness. We may issue debt securities or preferred stock, and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as senior securities, up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. If we issue senior securities, including debt or preferred stock, we will be exposed to additional risks, including the following:

Additional Common Stock. We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value (less any distributing commission or discount) per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options, or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and that of our shareholders, and our shareholders approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which, in the determination of our Board of Directors, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). We may also make rights offerings to our shareholders at prices per share less than the net asset value per share, subject to applicable requirements of the 1940 Act.

Since our investments in assets that are not “qualifying assets” exceeded 30% of our total assets as of December 31, 2017, we are precluded from making any follow-on investments in Medallion Bank and our City of Chicago taxicab medallions purchased out of foreclosure, and could be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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As a business development company, we are not permitted to acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. Our investment in Medallion Bank and City of Chicago taxicab medallions purchased out of foreclosure, which are carried in investments other than securities on the consolidated balance sheet, are non-qualifying assets. As of December 31, 2017, the percentage of our total assets that were invested in non-qualifying assets were up to 58.7% on an unconsolidated basis and up to 47.6% on a consolidated basis. We did not satisfy the requirement that no more than 30% of our total assets be comprised of non-qualifying assets, and are currently not permitted to acquire any non-qualifying assets. We are therefore unable to make any investments in non-qualifying assets, including follow-on investments in Medallion Bank and our City of Chicago taxicab medallions purchased out of foreclosure. As a result of such failure, we could also be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments or could be required to dispose of non-qualifying assets at times or on terms that may be disadvantageous to us. We would also not be able to support Medallion Bank’s capital requirements, if any, and Medallion Bank may also not be able to grow as quickly because we are precluded from providing additional funding to Medallion Bank. Any of the foregoing consequences could have a material adverse effect on us. If we purchase a non-qualifying asset after failing to satisfy the requirement that no more than 30% of our total assets be comprised of non-qualifying assets, then we would be deemed to be in violation of the 1940 Act and the violation could also result in an event of default on our debt obligations.

Our investment portfolio is, and will continue to be, recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors and, as a result, there is, and will continue to be, uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments which could adversely affect our net asset value.

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 our Board of Directors. Unlike other lending institutions, we are not permitted to establish reserves for loan losses. Instead, we are required by the 1940 Act to specifically value each individual investment and record an unrealized gain or loss for any asset we believe has increased or decreased in value. Typically, there is not a public market for most of the investments in which we have invested and will generally continue to invest. As a result, our Board of Directors values our investments on a quarterly basis based on a determination of their fair value made in good faith and in accordance with the written guidelines approved by our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors regularly review the appropriateness and accuracy of the method used in valuing our investments, and makes any necessary adjustments. The types of factors that may be considered in determining the fair value pricing of our investments include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s earnings and its ability to make payments on its indebtedness, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, market conditions for loans (e.g., values used by other lenders and any active bid/ask market), comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow, comparable sales and valuations of companies similar to the portfolio company, regulatory factors that may limit the value of the portfolio company, and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, the valuations may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates. As a result, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these investments existed, and may cause our net asset value on a given date to materially understate or overstate the value that we may ultimately realize upon the sale or disposition of one or more of our investments. Investors purchasing our securities in connection with an offering based on an overstated net asset value would pay a higher price than the value of our investments might warrant, and investors purchasing our securities in connection with an offering based on an understated net asset value would pay a lower price than the value of our investments might warrant. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such securities. Considering these factors, we have determined that the fair value of our portfolio is above its cost basis. As of December 31, 2017, our net unrealized appreciation on investments was $141,190,000 or 30% of our investment portfolio at cost, and the depreciation on our investments other than securities and other assets was $1,490,000 or 16% of our investments other than securities and other assets at cost.

The 1940 Act restricts our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates.

The 1940 Act restricts our ability to knowingly participate in certain transactions with our affiliates. These restrictions limit our ability to buy or sell any security from or to our affiliates, or engage in “joint” transactions with our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times). With respect to controlling or certain closely affiliated persons, we will generally be prohibited from engaging in such transactions absent the prior approval of the SEC. With respect to other affiliated persons, we may engage in such transactions only with the prior approval of our independent directors.

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Risks Relating to Our Investments

Lending to small businesses involves a high degree of risk and is highly speculative.

Lending to small businesses involves a high degree of business and financial risk, which can result in substantial losses and should be considered speculative. Our borrower base consists primarily of small business owners that may have limited resources and that are generally unable to obtain financing from traditional sources. There is generally no publicly available information about these small business owners, and we must rely on the diligence of our employees and agents to obtain information in connection with our credit decisions. In addition, these small businesses often do not have audited financial statements. Some smaller businesses have narrower product lines and market shares than their competition. Therefore, they may be more vulnerable to customer preferences, market conditions, or economic downturns, which may adversely affect the return on, or the recovery of, our investment in these businesses.

Our portfolio is and may continue to be concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies, and industries and sectors, which will subject us to a risk of significant loss if any of these companies defaults on its obligations to us or by a downturn in the particular industry or sector.

Our portfolio is and may continue to be concentrated in a limited number of portfolio companies, and industries and sectors. In addition, taxicab companies that constitute separate issuers may have related management or guarantors and constitute larger business relationships to us. As of December 31, 2017, investments in New York City taxi medallion loans represented approximately 81% of our managed taxi medallion loans, which in turn represented 28% of our managed net investment portfolio. We do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and while we are not targeting any specific industries, our investments are, and could continue to be, concentrated in relatively few industries. As a result, the aggregate returns we realize may be adversely affected if a small number of investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one investment. If our larger borrowers were to significantly reduce their relationships with us and seek financing elsewhere, the size of our loan portfolio and operating results could decrease. In addition, larger business relationships may also impede our ability to immediately foreclose on a particular defaulted portfolio company as we may not want to impair an overall business relationship with either the portfolio company management or any related funding source. Additionally, a downturn in any particular industry or sector in which we are invested could also negatively impact the aggregate returns we realize.

If we are unable to continue to diversify geographically, our business may be further adversely affected if the New York City taxicab industry experiences a sustained economic downturn.

A significant portion of our loan revenue is derived from medallion loans collateralized by New York City taxicab medallions. An economic downturn in the New York City taxicab industry could lead to an additional increase in defaults on our medallion loans. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sufficiently diversify our operations geographically.

An economic downturn could result in additional commercial and consumer loan customers experiencing declines in business activities and/or personal resources, which could lead to difficulties in their servicing of their loans with us, and increasing the level of delinquencies, defaults, and loan losses in our commercial and consumer loan portfolios.

Laws and regulations implemented in response to climate change could result in increased operating costs for our portfolio companies.

Congress and other governmental authorities have either considered or implemented various laws and regulations in response to climate change and the reduction of greenhouse gases. Existing environmental regulations could be revised or reinterpreted, new laws and regulations could be adopted, and future changes in environmental laws and regulations could occur, which could impose additional costs on the operation of our portfolio companies. For example, regulations to cut gasoline use and control greenhouse gas emissions from new cars could adversely affect our medallion portfolio companies. Our portfolio companies may have to make significant capital and other expenditures to comply with these laws and regulations. Changes in, or new, environmental restrictions may force our portfolio companies to incur significant expenses or expenses that may exceed their estimates. There can be no assurance that such companies would be able to recover all or any increased environmental costs from their customers or that their business, financial condition or results of operations would not be materially and adversely affected by such expenditures or any changes in environmental laws and regulations, in which case the value of these companies could be adversely affected.

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

We invest in our portfolio companies primarily through senior secured loans, junior secured loans, and subordinated debt issued by small- to mid-sized 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, such 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 such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt 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.

A third party finance company sold various participations in asset based loans to Medallion Business Credit and Medallion Bank. In April 2013, the aggregate balance of the participations was approximately $13.8 million, $12.9 million of which were held by Medallion Bank. That amount was divided between seven separate borrowers operating in a variety of industries. In April 2013, the third party finance company became the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy petition filed by its bank lenders. Among other things, the bank lenders alleged that the third party finance company fraudulently misrepresented its borrowing availability under its credit facility with the bank lenders and are seeking the third party finance company’s liquidation. In May 2013, the bankruptcy court presiding over the third party finance company’s case entered an order converting the involuntary Chapter 7 case to a Chapter 11 case. On May 31, 2013, we commenced an adverse proceeding against the third party finance company and the bank lenders seeking declaratory judgment that our loan participations are true participations and not subject to the bankruptcy estate or to the bank lender’s security interest in the third party finance company’s assets. The third party finance company and bank lenders are contesting our position. In April 2014, we received a decision from the court granting summary judgment in our favor with respect to the issue of whether our loan participations are true participations. In March 2015, we and Medallion Bank received a decision from the court finding that the bank lenders generally held a first lien on our and Medallion Bank’s loan participations subject to, among other things, defenses still pending prosecution by the parties and adjudication by the court. We and Medallion Bank are appealing the decision. The remaining issues are still being litigated. Although we believe the claims raised by the third party finance company and the senior lenders are without merit and will vigorously defend against them, we cannot at this time predict the outcome of this litigation or determine our potential exposure. If we are incorrect in our assessments our results of operations could be materially adversely affected. At December 31, 2017, five of the seven secured borrowers had refinanced their loans in full with third parties, and the related proceeds are held in escrow pending resolution of the bankruptcy proceedings. In September 2015, one loan was sold at a discount to a third party, and the related proceeds are held in escrow pending resolution of the bankruptcy proceedings. One loan was charged off in September 2014. See page 43 for additional information regarding this matter.

There may be circumstances where 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 most of our investments as senior loans, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. 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.

We may not control many of our portfolio companies.

We may not control many 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 may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors.

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. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity co-investments in companies in conjunction with private equity sponsors. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such 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.

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None.

We lease approximately 19,000 square feet of office space in New York City for our corporate headquarters under a lease expiring in April 2027, and lease a facility in Long Island City, New York, of approximately 6,000 square feet for certain corporate back-office operations. We also lease office space for loan origination offices and subsidiary operations in Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, and Minneapolis, MN. Medallion Bank leases space in Salt Lake City, UT, and Seattle, WA. We do not own any real property, other than foreclosed properties obtained as a result of lending relationships. We believe that our leased properties, taken as a whole, are in good operating condition and are suitable for our current business operations.

We and our subsidiaries are currently involved in various legal proceedings incident to the ordinary course of our business, including collection matters with respect to certain loans. We intend to vigorously defend any outstanding claims and pursue our legal rights. In the opinion of our management and based upon the advice of legal counsel, other than as set forth in the following paragraph there is no proceeding pending, or to the knowledge of management threatened, which in the event of an adverse decision could result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

We and our subsidiaries obtain financing under lending facilities extended by various banks and other financial institutions, some of which are secured by loans, taxi medallions and other assets. Where these facilities are extended to our subsidiaries, we and others of our subsidiaries may guarantee the obligations of the relevant borrower. Five of our smallest subsidiaries are borrowers under promissory notes extended to them by a bank that total $8.8 million that came due on October 17, 2016. These loans are secured by Chicago taxi medallions owned by our subsidiaries. These notes are guaranteed by Medallion Funding, not by Medallion Financial Corp. These subsidiaries have not repaid the amounts due under the notes and the bank has filed a suit seeking payment of these amounts. This failure to pay would constitute an event of default under certain loan agreements which we or our subsidiaries are borrowers, but the lenders under those agreements have waived the default. If judgment is entered against us in the suit brought by the bank or entered and not satisfied within specified periods of time, these outcomes may constitute an additional event of default under these other agreements. If waivers are required and not granted for this additional event of default, it would lead to events of default under other of our financing arrangements.

On December 20, 2017, a stockholder derivative action was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York (Shields v. Murstein, et al.). The complaint names us as a nominal defendant and purports to assert claims derivatively on our behalf against certain of our current directors, one of our former directors, and a former independent contractor for one of our subsidiaries. The complaint alleges that the director defendants breached their fiduciary duties with respect to certain alleged misconduct by the former independent contractor involving postings about us under an alleged pseudonym. On January 25, 2018, we and the director defendants filed a motion to dismiss the action. Plaintiff filed his opposition to the motion on March 1, 2018. We and the director defendants have until March 22, 2018 to file reply papers in further support of the motion. We believe the case is without merit and intend to defend it vigorously.

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH

The following graph commences as of December 31, 2012 and compares the Company’s Common Stock with the cumulative total return for the NASDAQ Composite Index and the Russell 2000 Index. Furthermore, the following graph assumes the investment of $100 on December 31, 2012 in each of the Company’s Common Stock, the stocks comprising the NASDAQ Composite Index and the Russell 2000 Index and assumes dividends are reinvested.

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Cumulative Total Return

Based on Initial Investment of $100 on December 31, 2012

with dividends reinvested

Our common stock is quoted on NASDAQ under the symbol “MFIN.” Our common stock commenced trading on May 23, 1996. As of March 13, 2018, there were approximately 349 holders of record of our common stock.

On March 13, 2018, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $4.65 per share. Since our initial public offering, our common stock has traded at a premium to net asset value per share more frequently than at a discount to net asset value per share, but there can be no assurance that our stock will trade at a premium in the future.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of high and low closing prices for our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

We are subject to federal and applicable state corporate income taxes on our taxable ordinary income and capital gains beginning with our tax year ended December 31, 2016, and are not subject to the annual distribution requirements under Subchapter M of the Code. Thus, there can be no assurance that we will pay any cash distributions as we may retain our earnings in certain circumstances to facilitate the growth of our business, to finance our investments, to provide liquidity or for other corporate purposes.

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan pursuant to which shareholders may elect to have distributions reinvested in additional shares of common stock. When we declare a distribution, all participants will have credited to their plan accounts the number of full and fractional shares (computed to three decimal places) that could be obtained with the cash, net of any applicable withholding taxes that would have been paid to them if they were not participants. The number of full and fractional shares is computed at the weighted average price of all shares of common stock purchased for plan participants within the 30 days after the distribution is declared plus brokerage commissions. The automatic reinvestment of distributions will not release plan participants of any income tax that may be payable on the distribution. Shareholders may terminate their participation in the dividend reinvestment plan by providing written notice to the Plan Agent at least 10 days before any given distribution payment date. Upon termination, we will issue to a shareholder both a certificate for the number of full shares of common stock owned and a check for any fractional shares, valued at the then current market price, less any applicable brokerage commissions and any other costs of sale. There are no additional fees or expenses for participation in the dividend reinvestment plan. Shareholders may obtain additional information about the dividend reinvestment plan by contacting the American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC at 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11219.

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ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES ⁽¹⁾

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Summary Consolidated Financial Data

You should read the consolidated financial information below with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015. In addition, this section contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors that could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements are described in the Risk Factors section on page 19. Additionally, more information about our business activities can be found in “Business”.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The SEC has issued cautionary advice regarding disclosure about critical accounting policies. The SEC defines critical accounting policies as those that are both most important to the portrayal of a company’s financial condition and results, and that require management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain and may change materially in subsequent periods. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported and disclosed in the financial statements and related notes. Significant estimates made by us include valuation of loans, equity investments, and investments in subsidiaries, evaluation of the recoverability of accounts receivable and income tax assets, and the assessment of litigation and other contingencies. The matters that give rise to such provisions are inherently uncertain and may require complex and subjective judgments. Although we believe that estimates and assumptions used in determining the recorded amounts of net assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from the estimated amounts recorded in our financial statements.

GENERAL

We are a specialty finance company that has historically had a leading position in originating, acquiring, and servicing loans that finance taxicab medallions and various types of commercial businesses. Recently, our strategic growth has been through a wholly-owned portfolio company of ours, Medallion Bank, which originates consumer loans for the purchase of recreational vehicles, boats, motorcycles, and trailers, and to finance small-scale home improvements.

Since Medallion Bank acquired a consumer loan portfolio and began originating consumer loans in 2004, it has increased its consumer loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 16%. Since 1996, the year in which we became a public company, we have increased our taxicab medallion loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 2%, and our commercial loan portfolio at a compound annual growth rate of 4% (5% and 4% on a managed basis when combined with Medallion Bank). In January 2017, we announced our plans to transform our overall strategy. We are transitioning away from medallion lending and placing our strategic focus on our growing consumer finance portfolio. Total assets under our management and the management of our unconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiaries, which includes our managed net investment portfolio, as well as assets serviced for third party investors, were $1,593,000,000 as of December 31, 2017 and $1,632,000,000 as of December 31, 2016 and have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 10% from $215,000,000 at the end of 1996.

Our loan-related earnings depend primarily on our level of net interest income. Net interest income is the difference between the total yield on our loan portfolio and the average cost of borrowed funds. We fund our operations through a wide variety of interest-bearing sources, such as revolving bank facilities, bank certificates of deposit issued to customers, debentures issued to and guaranteed by the SBA, and bank term debt. Net interest income fluctuates with changes in the yield on our loan portfolio and changes in the cost of borrowed funds, as well as changes in the amount of interest-bearing assets and interest-bearing liabilities held by us. Net interest income is also affected by economic, regulatory, and competitive factors that influence interest rates, loan demand, and the availability of funding to finance our lending activities. We, like other financial institutions, are subject to interest rate risk to the degree that our interest-earning assets reprice on a different basis than our interest-bearing liabilities.

We also provide debt, mezzanine, and equity investment capital to companies in a variety of industries, consistent with our investment objectives. These investments may be venture capital style investments which may not be fully collateralized. Medallion Capital’s investments are typically in the form of secured debt instruments with fixed interest rates accompanied by an equity stake or warrants to purchase an equity interest for a nominal exercise price (such warrants are included in equity investments on the consolidated balance sheets). Interest income is earned on the debt instruments.

We are a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company, organized as a Delaware corporation, under the 1940 Act. We have elected to be treated as a BDC, under the 1940 Act. On March 7, 2018, a majority of the Company’s shareholders authorized the Company’s Board of Directors to withdraw the Company’s election to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and our Board of Directors approved the filing of the Company’s withdrawal form with the SEC to be made on or about April 1, 2018. At that point, we would no longer be a BDC or be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act applicable to BDCs.

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For our tax years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we did not qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and therefore we became subject to taxation as a corporation under Subchapter C of the Code. We had in previous years qualified and elected to be treated for federal income tax purposes as a RIC. As a RIC, we generally did not have to pay corporate-level federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that we distributed to our shareholders as dividends, if we met certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. Medallion Bank is not a RIC and must pay corporate-level US federal and state income taxes. See Note 5 for more information.

Our wholly-owned portfolio company, Medallion Bank, is a bank regulated by the FDIC and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions which originates consumer loans, raises deposits, and conducts other banking activities. Medallion Bank generally provides us with our lowest cost of funds which it raises through bank certificates of deposit. To take advantage of this low cost of funds, historically we have referred a portion of our taxicab medallion and commercial loans to Medallion Bank, who originated these loans, and have been serviced by MSC. However, at this time Medallion Bank is not originating any new taxi medallion loans and is working with MSC to service its existing portfolio. The FDIC restricts the amount of taxicab medallion loans that Medallion Bank may finance to three times Tier 1 capital, or $491,391,000 as of December 31, 2017. MSC earns referral and servicing fees for these activities. As a non-investment company, Medallion Bank is not consolidated with the Company.

If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC, as expected, commencing with the second quarter of 2018, the Company would no longer be subject to FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies, which would result in a significant change in our accounting and financial reporting requirements. Our financial statements are currently presented and accounted for under the specialized method of accounting applicable to investment companies, which requires us to recognize our investments, including controlled investments, at fair value. As a BDC, we are currently precluded from consolidating any entity other than another investment company that acts as an extension of our investment operations and facilitates the execution of our investment strategy or an investment in a controlled operating company that provides substantially all of its services to us. Our financial statements currently consolidate the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned investment company subsidiaries, except for Medallion Bank and other portfolio investments. Our financial statements reflect our investment in Medallion Bank and other portfolio investments at fair value, as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. Medallion Bank’s financial statements are separately provided as a significant unconsolidated wholly-owned subsidiary. If the Company withdraws its election to be regulated as a BDC, the Company will consolidate the financial statements of Medallion Bank and controlled or majority-owned portfolio investments together with those of the Company.

Realized gains or losses on investments are recognized when the investments are sold or written off. The realized gains or losses represent the difference between the proceeds received from the disposition of portfolio assets, if any, and the cost of such portfolio assets. In addition, changes in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments are recorded and represent the net change in the estimated fair values of the portfolio assets at the end of the period as compared with their estimated fair values at the beginning of the period. Generally, realized gains (losses) on investments and changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments are inversely related. When an appreciated asset is sold to realize a gain, a decrease in the previously recorded unrealized appreciation occurs. Conversely, when a loss previously recorded as unrealized depreciation is realized by the sale or other disposition of a depreciated portfolio asset, the reclassification of the loss from unrealized to realized causes a decrease in net unrealized depreciation and an increase in realized loss.

Our investment in Medallion Bank, as a wholly owned portfolio investment, is also subject to quarterly assessments of fair value. We conduct a thorough valuation analysis as discussed previously, and determine whether any factors give rise to a valuation different than recorded book value, including various regulatory restrictions that were established at Medallion Bank’s inception, by the FDIC and State of Utah, and also by additional marketplace restrictions, such as the ability to transfer industrial bank charters. Because of these restrictions and other factors, our Board of Directors had previously determined that Medallion Bank had little value beyond its recorded book value. As a result of this valuation process, we had previously used Medallion Bank’s actual results of operations as the best estimate of changes in fair value, and recorded the results as a component of unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments. In the second quarter of 2015, we first became aware of external interest in Medallion Bank and its portfolio assets at values in excess of their book value. Expression of interest in Medallion Bank from both investment bankers and interested parties has continued through 2016 and 2017. We incorporated these new factors in the Medallion Bank fair value analysis, and the Board of Directors determined that Medallion Bank had a fair value in excess of book value. In addition, in the third quarter of 2016 there was a court ruling involving a marketplace lender that the Company believes heightens the interest of marketplace lenders to acquire or merge with Utah industrial banks. We also engaged a valuation specialist to assist the Board of Directors in its determination of Medallion Bank’s fair value, and this appreciation of $15,500,000 was thereby recorded in 2015, and additional appreciation of $128,918,000 was recorded in 2016 and $7,849,000 was recorded in 2017. See Note 3 for additional information about Medallion Bank.

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Trends in Investment Portfolio

Our investment income is driven by the principal amount of and yields on our investment portfolio. To identify trends in the balances and yields, the following table illustrates our investments at fair value, grouped by medallion loans, commercial loans, equity investments, and investment securities, and also presents the portfolio information for Medallion Bank, at the dates indicated.