Invesco

Van Kampen

Senior Loan Fund

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Declaration of Trust)

 

 

1555 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

(713) 626-1919

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

 

 

John M. Zerr, Esq.

11 Greenway Plaza

Suite 2500

Houston, Texas 77046

(713) 626-1919

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Charles B. Taylor, Esq.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

155 North Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

(312) 407-0700

 

 

Approximate date of proposed public offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  [X]

 

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fees and Expenses
of the Fund

 

 

The following tables are intended to assist investors in understanding the various costs and expenses directly or indirectly associated with investing in the Fund.

 

 

Year 1–3.00%
Year 2–2.00%
Year 3–1.50%
Year 4–1.00%
Year 5–0.50%
After–None

 

Example:

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other funds.

 

The example assumes that you invest $1,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and the Fund repurchases all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same each year (except for the ten-year amounts for Class B Shares which reflect the conversion of Class B Shares to Class A Shares eight years after the end of the calendar month in which the Shares were purchased) and that all dividends and other distributions are reinvested at net asset value. Although your

actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

 

 

The purpose of the table above is to assist you in understanding the various costs and expenses that an investor in the Fund will bear directly or indirectly.

 

This example should not be considered a representation of future expenses, and the Fund’s actual expenses may be more or less than those shown.

 

Prospectus Summary

 

 

This summary is qualified by reference to the more detailed information included elsewhere in this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

The Fund

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund completed an initial public offering in October 1989. The Fund has continuously offered its Shares since November 1989. In June 2003, the Fund completed a transaction in which it redesignated its Shares issued before June 13, 2003 as Class B Shares and issued new Class C Shares to the shareholders of Van Kampen Senior Floating Rate Fund in exchange for the assets and liabilities of that fund. On February 18, 2005, the Fund redesignated its Class B Shares issued before February 18, 2005 as a new class of Shares designated Class IB Shares and redesignated its Class C Shares issued before February 18, 2005 as a new class of Shares designated Class IC Shares. On February 18, 2005, the Fund commenced offering new Class A Shares, new Class B Shares and new Class C Shares (the new Class B Shares and new Class C Shares have different fees, expenses and characteristics than the original Class B Shares and Class C Shares).

 

The Offering

The Fund now continuously offers three classes of Shares — Class A Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares — through Invesco Distributors and through selected broker-dealers and financial services firms. Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares are not continuously offered. The only new Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares to be issued are those Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares issued to satisfy dividend and capital gain reinvestments. Shares are sold at their offering price, which is net asset value per Share for such class of Shares plus sales charges where applicable. Class A Shares are subject to an up front sales charge of up to 3.25%. There is no initial sales charge or underwriting discount on purchases of Class B and Class C Shares but such Shares are subject to early withdrawal charges of up to 3% and 1%, respectively. The Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares have no early withdrawal charges (the early withdrawal schedules applicable to the former Class B Shares and former Class C Shares outstanding on February 18, 2005 have been terminated). Invesco Distributors pays the broker-dealers and financial services firms participating in the continuous offering.

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide a high level of current income, consistent with preservation of capital. Although the Fund seeks capital preservation, it is not a money market fund or a certificate of deposit, and it differs substantially from these products with respect to risks and liquidity, among other factors. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You should carefully consider the risks of investing in the Fund. See “Risks.”

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund’s investment adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in adjustable rate senior loans (Senior Loans). Senior Loans are business loans made to borrowers that may be corporations,

partnerships or other entities (Borrowers). These Borrowers operate in a variety of industries and geographic regions. The interest rates on Senior Loans adjust periodically, and the Fund’s portfolio of Senior Loans will at all times have a dollar-weighted average time until the next interest rate adjustment of 90 days or less. The Fund believes that investing in adjustable rate Senior Loans should limit fluctuations in its net asset value caused by changes in interest rates.

 

Senior Loans generally are negotiated between a Borrower and several financial institution lenders (Lenders) represented by one or more Lenders acting as agent of all the Lenders (Agent). The Agent is responsible for negotiating the loan agreement (the Loan Agreement) that establishes the terms and conditions of the Senior Loan and the rights of the Borrower and the Lenders. The Fund may act as one of the group of original Lenders originating a Senior Loan, may purchase assignments of portions of Senior Loans from third parties and may invest in participations in Senior Loans. Senior Loans may include certain senior debt that is in the form of notes and not Loan Agreements.

 

Senior Loans have the most senior position in a Borrower’s capital structure or share the senior position with other senior debt securities of the Borrower. This capital structure position generally gives holders of Seniors Loans a priority claim on some or all of the Borrower’s assets in the event of default. Most of the Fund’s Senior Loan investments will be secured by specific assets of the Borrower; however, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans that are not secured by specific collateral. Senior Loans also have contractual terms designed to protect Lenders. The Fund generally acquires Senior Loans of Borrowers that, among other things, in the Adviser’s judgment, can make timely payments on their Senior Loans and that satisfy other credit standards established by the Adviser. Because of their protective features, the Fund and the Adviser believe that Senior Loans of Borrowers that are experiencing, or are more likely to experience, financial difficulty may represent attractive investment opportunities.

 

Borrower credit risk.  Investing in Senior Loans does involve investment risk, and some Borrowers default on their Senior Loan payments. The Fund may invest all or a substantial portion of its assets in below investment grade Senior Loans, which are considered speculative by rating agencies (and are often referred to as high-yielding, high risk investments or as “junk” investments). The Fund attempts to manage these risks through selection of a varied portfolio of Senior Loans and careful analyses and monitoring of Borrowers. Nevertheless, you should expect that the Fund’s net asset value will fluctuate as a result of changes in the credit quality of Borrowers and other factors. See “Risks — Borrower credit risk.”

 

Other investment policies.  Other investment policies of the Fund include the following: the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans that are not secured by any specific collateral; the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans made to non-U.S. Borrowers provided that no more than 5% of these Senior Loans or other assets are non-U.S. dollar denominated; and the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in any combination of (1) warrants and equity securities, in each case the Fund must own or acquire a Senior Loan of the same issuer, (2) junior debt securities or securities with a lien on collateral lower than a senior claim on collateral (collectively, “junior debt securities”), (3) high quality short-term debt securities, (4) credit-linked deposits and (5) Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (U.S. TIPS) and other inflation-indexed bonds issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities.

 

The Fund may utilize financial leverage (i) to provide the Fund with additional liquidity to meet its obligations to repurchase its Shares pursuant to its repurchase offers and (ii) for investment purposes (i.e., to use such financial leverage to purchase additional portfolio securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and primary investment strategy) to benefit the Fund’s Common Shares. Generally speaking, if the Fund can invest the proceeds from financial leverage (i.e., money from borrowings or issuing preferred shares) in portfolio securities that have higher rates of return than the costs of such financial leverage and other expenses of the Fund, then the holders of Common Shares would have a net benefit. The Fund’s policy on financial leverage allows the Fund to use financial leverage in the form of borrowings and/or preferred shares to the maximum extent allowable under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The Adviser and the Fund’s Board of Trustees will regularly review the Fund’s use of financial leverage (i.e., the relative costs and benefits of leverage on the Fund’s Common Shares) and review the alternative means to leverage (i.e., the relative benefits and costs of borrowing versus issuing preferred shares).

Repurchase Offers

The Fund has a fundamental policy whereby it commits to make offers to repurchase Shares of the Fund. In order to provide liquidity to shareholders, the Fund will make monthly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at net asset value, subject to certain conditions. The repurchase request deadline will be the third Friday of each calendar month (or the preceding business day if such third Friday is not a business day). The repurchase price will be the Fund’s net asset value as determined after the close of business on the repurchase pricing date. Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects that the repurchase pricing date will be the repurchase request deadline. The Fund generally will pay repurchase proceeds by the third business day after the repurchase pricing date, although payment for Shares may be as many as seven days after the repurchase request deadline; in any event, the Fund will pay such proceeds at least five business days before notification of the next repurchase offer.

 

The Fund will impose an early withdrawal charge payable to Invesco Distributors on most Class B Shares accepted for repurchase that have been held for less than five years and on most Class C Shares accepted for repurchase that have been held for less than one year. There is generally no early withdrawal charge on Class A Shares, although the Fund in certain circumstances may impose an early withdrawal charge on Class A Shares accepted for repurchase by the Fund which have been held for less than eighteen months. See “Purchase of Shares — Class A Shares.” There are no early withdrawal charges on Class IB Shares or on Class IC Shares. The Fund may borrow to, among other things, finance repurchases of Shares. Borrowings entail additional risks.

 

Investment Adviser

Invesco Advisers, Inc. is the Fund’s investment adviser. See “Management of the Fund.”

 

Administrator

Invesco Advisers, Inc., the Fund’s investment adviser, also serves as the Fund’s administrator (in such capacity, the Administrator). See “Management of the Fund.”

 

Fees and Expenses

The Fund will pay the Adviser a fee based upon the average daily net assets of the Fund. The Fund will pay the Administrator a fee based upon the average daily net assets of the Fund. See “Management of the Fund.”

 

Distribution Plan and Service Plan

The Fund has adopted a distribution plan (the Distribution Plan) with respect to each of its Class A Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares and in so doing has agreed to comply with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, as if the Fund were an open-end investment company. The Fund also has adopted a service plan (the Service Plan) with respect to each of its Class A Shares, Class B Shares, Class C Shares and Class IC Shares. There is no Distribution Plan or Service Plan for Class IB Shares and no Distribution Plan for Class IC Shares. Under the Distribution Plan and the Service Plan, the Fund pays distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution of Class A Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares and service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of Class A Shares, Class B Shares, Class C Shares and Class IC Shares and the maintenance of such shareholders’ accounts. See “Purchase of Shares — Distribution Plan and Service Plan.”

 

Distributions

The Fund plans to make monthly distributions of substantially all net investment income. Distributions cannot be assured, and the amount of each distribution is likely to vary. Net capital gain, if any, will be distributed at least annually. A convenient way for investors to accumulate additional Shares is by reinvesting dividends and capital gain dividends in Shares of the Fund. Such Shares are acquired at net asset value per Share (without a sales charge) on the applicable payable date of the dividend or capital gain dividend. Unless the shareholder instructs otherwise, with respect to Class A Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares, the reinvestment plan is automatic. With respect to Class IC Shares and Class IB Shares, previous instructions regarding reinvestment of dividends and capital gain dividends will continue to apply until such shareholder changes his or her instruction.

 

Special Risk Considerations

No trading market for Shares.  The Fund is a closed-end investment company designed primarily for long-term investors and not as a trading vehicle. While there is no restriction on transferring the Shares, the Fund does not intend to list the Shares for trading on any national securities exchange. There is no secondary

trading market for Shares. An investment in the Shares is illiquid. There is no guarantee that you will be able to sell all of the Shares that you desire to sell in any repurchase offer by the Fund.

 

Senior Loans.  There is less readily available, reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a Borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments, and the Adviser relies primarily on its own evaluation of Borrower credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.

 

Senior Loans generally are not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and no active trading market exists for many Senior Loans. As a result, many Senior Loans are illiquid, meaning that the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price. The market for illiquid securities is more volatile than the market for liquid securities. The market could be disrupted in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase or decrease in interest rates. Although the Fund believes that investing in adjustable rate Senior Loans should limit fluctuations in net asset value as a result of changes in interest rates, extraordinary and sudden changes in interest rates could nevertheless disrupt the market for Senior Loans and result in fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value. However, many Senior Loans are of a large principal amount and are held by a large number of owners. In the Adviser’s opinion, this should enhance their liquidity. In addition, in recent years the number of institutional investors purchasing Senior Loans has increased. The risks of illiquidity are particularly important when the Fund’s operations require cash, and may in certain circumstances require that the Fund borrow to meet short-term cash requirements. Illiquid securities are also difficult to value. See “Investment Objective and Principal Investment Strategies.”

 

Selling Lenders and other persons positioned between the Fund and the Borrower will likely conduct their principal business activities in the banking, finance and financial services industries. The Fund may be more at risk to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting such industries.

 

Borrower credit risk.  Senior Loans, like most other debt obligations, are subject to the risk of default. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a Senior Loan will result in a reduction in income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the Senior Loan and a potential decrease in the Fund’s net asset value. The risk of default will increase in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase in interest rates.

 

The Fund may acquire Senior Loans of Borrowers that are experiencing, or are more likely to experience, financial difficulty, including Senior Loans issued in highly leveraged transactions. The Fund may even acquire and retain in its portfolio Senior Loans of Borrowers that have filed for bankruptcy protection. Because of the protective terms of Senior Loans, the Adviser believes that the Fund is more likely to recover more of its investment in a defaulted Senior Loan than would be the case for most other types of defaulted debt securities. Nevertheless, even in the case of collateralized Senior Loans, there is no assurance that sale of the collateral would raise enough cash to satisfy the Borrower’s payment obligation or that the collateral can or will be liquidated. In the case of bankruptcy, liquidation may not occur and the court may not give Lenders the full benefit of their senior position. Uncollateralized Senior Loans involve a greater risk of loss.

 

Investment in non-U.S. issuers.  The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets, measured at the time of investment, in Senior Loans to Borrowers that are organized or located in countries other than the United States, provided that no more than 5% of these Senior Loans or other assets are non-U.S. dollar denominated. Investment in non-U.S. issuers involves special risks, including that non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less rigorous accounting and reporting requirements than U.S. issuers, less rigorous regulatory requirements, different legal systems and laws relating to creditors’ rights, the potential inability to enforce legal judgments and the potential for political, social and economic adversity. Investments by the Fund in non-U.S. dollar denominated investments will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and non-U.S. currencies may negatively affect an investment. The value of investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies may fluctuate based on changes in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, and a decline in applicable foreign exchange rates could reduce the value of such investments held by the Fund. The Fund also may hold non-U.S. dollar denominated Senior

Loans or other securities received as part of a reorganization or restructuring.

 

Participations.  The Fund may purchase participations in Senior Loans. Under a participation, the Fund generally will have rights that are more limited than the rights of Lenders or of persons who acquire a Senior Loan by assignment. In a participation, the Fund typically has a contractual relationship with the Lender selling the participation, but not with the Borrower. As a result, the Fund assumes the credit risk of the Lender selling the participation in addition to the credit risk of the Borrower. In the event of the insolvency of the Lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender and may not have a senior claim to the Lender’s interest in the Senior Loan. Certain participations in Senior Loans are illiquid, meaning the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price. Illiquid securities are also difficult to value. The Fund presently does not intend to invest more than 5% of its net assets in participations in Senior Loans.

 

Repurchase offer risks.  If the Fund repurchases more Shares than it is able to sell, the Fund’s net assets may decline and its expense ratios may increase, and the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective may be adversely affected. Moreover, this may force the Fund to sell assets it would not otherwise sell, and the Fund may be forced to dispose of Fund assets that may have declined in value. The Fund may borrow money to, among other things, finance repurchases of Shares. The rights of any lenders to the Fund to receive payments of interest on and repayments of principal of any borrowings will be senior to the rights of shareholders. The loan agreement for any borrowing likely will limit certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to holders of Shares in certain circumstances. Interest payments and fees incurred in connection with borrowings to finance repurchases of Shares will reduce the amount of net income available for payment to shareholders and may increase volatility of the net asset value of the Common Shares. See also the next section below on “Financial Leverage” and the section of the Prospectus entitled “Repurchase of Shares.”

 

Financial leverage.  There are risks associated with borrowing or issuing preferred shares in an effort to increase the yield and distributions on the Common Shares, including that the costs of the financial leverage exceed the income from investments made with such leverage, the higher volatility of the net asset value of the Common Shares, and that fluctuations in the interest rates on the borrowing or dividend rates on preferred shares may affect the yield and distributions to the Common Shareholders. The Fund’s use of leverage also may impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification for federal income taxes as a regulated investment company.

 

As long as the Fund is able to invest the proceeds of any financial leverage in senior loans or other investments that provide a higher net return than the then cost of such financial leverage (i.e., the current interest rate on any borrowing or dividend rate of any preferred shares after taking into account the expenses of any borrowing or preferred shares offering) and the Fund’s operating expenses, the effect of leverage will be to cause the Common Shareholders to realize a higher current rate of return than if the Fund were not leveraged. However, if the current costs of financial leverage were to exceed the return on such proceeds after expenses (which the Adviser believes to be an unlikely scenario), the Common Shareholders would have a lower rate of return than if the Fund had an unleveraged capital structure.

 

During any annual period when the Fund has a net payable on the interest due on borrowings or the dividends due on any outstanding preferred shares, the failure to pay on such amounts would preclude the Fund from paying dividends on the Common Shares. The rights of lenders to the Fund to receive interest on and repayment of principal on any borrowings will be senior to those of the holders of the Common Shares, and the terms of any such borrowings may contain provisions which limit certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to holders of Common Shares in certain circumstances, and may require the Fund to pledge assets to secure such borrowings. Further, the terms of such borrowings may, and the 1940 Act does (in certain circumstances), grant to the lenders to the Fund certain voting rights in the event of default in the payment of interest on or repayment of principal. In addition, under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Common Shares unless, at the time of such declaration and after deducting the amount of such dividend or distribution, the Fund is in compliance with the asset coverage requirements of the 1940 Act. Such prohibition on the payment of dividends or distributions might impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification, for federal income tax purposes, as

a regulated investment company. The Fund intends, however, to the extent possible, to repay borrowings or redeem any outstanding preferred securities from time to time if necessary, which may involve the payment by the Fund of a premium and the sale by the Fund of portfolio securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so, to maintain compliance with such asset coverage requirements.

 

If there are preferred shares issued and outstanding, holders of the preferred shares will elect two Trustees. In addition, the terms of any preferred shares or borrowing may entitle holders of the preferred shares or lenders, as the case may be, to elect a majority of the Board of Trustees in certain other circumstances.

 

Certain investment practices.  The Fund may use various investment practices that involve special risks, including engaging in interest rate and other hedging and risk management transactions. See “Investment Practices and Special Risks.”

 

Anti-takeover provisions.  The Fund’s Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could limit the ability of other persons to acquire control of the Fund or to change the composition of its Board of Trustees. See “Description of Shares — Anti-Takeover Provisions in the Declaration of Trust.”

 

Investor Profile

In light of the Fund’s investment objective and principal investment strategies, the Fund may be appropriate for investors who:

 

 

Shares are not deposits or obligations of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or depository institution. Shares are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency. Shares involve investment risks, including the possible loss of your investment.

 

An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program, and investors should consider their long-term investment goals and financial needs when making an investment decision about the Fund. An investment in the Fund is intended to be a long-term investment, and the Fund should not be used as a trading vehicle.

Financial Highlights

 

 

The following schedules present financial highlights for one Share of the respective class of the Fund outstanding for the periods indicated. The ratio of expenses to average net assets listed in the tables below for each class of shares of the Fund are based on the average net assets of the Fund for each of the periods listed in the tables. To the extent that the Fund’s average net assets decrease over the Fund’s next fiscal year, such expenses can be expected to increase because certain fixed costs will be spread over a smaller amount of assets. The information for the fiscal periods ended July 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, and, as applicable, 2004, 2003, 2002 and 2001 has been audited by the Fund’s former independent registered public accounting firm. The information for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010 has been audited by [          ], the Fund’s current independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s most recent financial statements, may be obtained from our web site at www.invesco.com or by calling the telephone number on the last page of this Prospectus. This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included in the Fund’s Annual Report.

 

 

 

 

 

N/A = Not Applicable.

 

N/A = Not Applicable.

The Fund

 

 

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. It was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on July 14, 1989. The Fund completed an initial public offering of its Shares and commenced investment operations in October 1989. Since November 1989, the Fund has continuously offered its Shares through an affiliated distributor, which is currently Invesco Distributors, as principal underwriter. In June 2003, the Fund completed a transaction in which it redesignated its Shares issued before June 13, 2003 as Class B Shares and issued new Class C Shares to the shareholders of Van Kampen Senior Floating Rate Fund in exchange for the assets and liabilities of that fund. On February 18, 2005, the Fund redesignated its Class B Shares issued before February 18, 2005 as a new class of Shares designated Class IB Shares and redesignated its Class C Shares issued before February 18, 2005 as a new class of Shares designated Class IC Shares. On February 18, 2005, the Fund commenced offering new Class A Shares, new Class B Shares and new Class C Shares (the new Class B Shares and new Class C Shares have different fees, expenses and characteristics than the original Class B Shares and Class C Shares). The Fund now continuously offers three classes of Shares — Class A Shares, Class B Shares and Class C Shares. Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares are not continuously offered. The only new Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares to be issued are those Class IB Shares and Class IC Shares issued to satisfy dividend and capital gain reinvestment. The net proceeds from the sale of the Shares will be invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective, investment strategies and policies or used for other operating purposes contemplated by this Prospectus. The Fund expects that it ordinarily will be able to invest the net proceeds from the sale of Shares within approximately 30 days of receipt. The Fund’s principal office is located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309 and its telephone number is (800) 959-4246.

 

Investment Objective
and Principal
Investment Strategies

 

 

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is to provide a high level of current income, consistent with preservation of capital. An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors and should not be considered a complete investment program. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. You should carefully consider the risks of investing in the Fund. See “Risks.”

 

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund’s investment adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in Senior Loans. The Fund’s policy in the foregoing sentence may be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval, but no change is anticipated; if the Fund’s policy in the foregoing sentence changes, the Fund will notify shareholders in writing at least 60 days prior to implementation of the change and shareholders should consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of the changes. Because Senior Loans have very large minimum investments, the Fund provides investors access to a market that normally is limited to institutional investors.

 

Description of Senior Loans

Interest rates and maturity.  Interest rates on Senior Loans adjust periodically. The interest rates are adjusted based on a base rate plus a premium or spread over the base rate. The base rate usually is the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the prime rate offered by one or more major United States banks (the Prime Rate) or the certificate of deposit rate (the CD Rate) or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders. LIBOR, as provided for in Loan Agreements, usually is an average of the interest rates quoted by several designated banks as the rates at which they pay interest to major depositors in the London interbank market on U.S. dollar denominated deposits. The Adviser believes that changes in short-term LIBOR rates

are closely related to changes in the Federal Reserve federal funds rate, although the two are not technically linked. The Prime Rate quoted by a major U.S. bank is generally the interest rate at which that bank is willing to lend U.S. dollars to the most creditworthy borrowers, although it may not be the bank’s lowest available rate. The CD Rate, as provided for in Loan Agreements, usually is the average rate paid on large certificates of deposit traded in the secondary market.

 

Interest rates on Senior Loans may adjust over different time periods, including daily, monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. The Fund will not invest more than 5% of its total assets in Senior Loans with interest rates that adjust less often than semiannually. The Fund may use interest rate swaps and other investment practices to shorten the effective interest rate adjustment period of Senior Loans. If the Fund does so, it considers the shortened period to be the adjustment period of the Senior Loan. The Fund’s portfolio of Senior Loans will at all times have a dollar-weighted average time until the next interest rate adjustment of 90 days or less. As short-term interest rates rise, interest payable to the Fund should increase. As short-term interest rates decline, interest payable to the Fund should decrease. The amount of time that will pass before the Fund experiences the effects of changing short-term interest rates will depend on the dollar-weighted average time until the next interest rate adjustment on the Fund’s portfolio of Senior Loans.

 

When interest rates rise, the values of fixed income securities generally decline. When interest rates fall, the values of fixed income securities generally increase. The Fund believes that investing in adjustable rate Senior Loans should limit fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value caused by changes in interest rates. The Fund expects the values of its Senior Loan investments to fluctuate less than the values of fixed rate, longer-term income securities in response to the changes in interest rates. Changes in interest rates can, however, cause some fluctuation in the Fund’s net asset value.

 

The Fund expects that its Senior Loans will have stated maturities ranging from three to ten years, although the Fund has no policy limiting the maturity of Senior Loans that it purchases. Senior Loans usually have mandatory and optional prepayment provisions. Because of prepayments, the actual remaining maturity of Senior Loans may be considerably less than their stated maturity. The Fund estimates that the actual maturity of the Senior Loans in its portfolio will be approximately 18-24 months. Because the interest rates on Senior Loans adjust periodically, the Fund and the Adviser believe that reinvestment by the Fund in Senior Loans after prepayment should not result in a significant reduction in interest payable to the Fund. Fees received by the Fund may even enhance the Fund’s income. See “The Senior Loan Process” below.

 

Protective provisions of Senior Loans.  Senior Loans have the most senior position in a Borrower’s capital structure or share the senior position with other senior debt securities of the Borrower. This capital structure position generally gives holders of Senior Loans a priority claim on some or all of the Borrower’s assets in the event of default. Most of the Fund’s Senior Loan investments will be secured by specific assets of the Borrower. These Senior Loans will frequently be secured by all assets of the Borrower that qualify as collateral, such as trademarks, accounts receivable, inventory, buildings, real estate, franchises and common and preferred stock in its subsidiaries and affiliates. Collateral may also include guarantees or other credit support by affiliates of the Borrower. In some cases, a collateralized Senior Loan may be secured only by stock of the Borrower or its subsidiaries. The Loan Agreement may or may not require the Borrower to pledge additional collateral to secure the Senior Loan if the value of the initial collateral declines. In certain circumstances, the Loan Agreement may authorize the Agent to liquidate the collateral and to distribute the liquidation proceeds pro rata among the Lenders. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans that are not secured by specific collateral. Such unsecured Senior Loans involve a greater risk of loss.

 

Senior Loans also have contractual terms designed to protect Lenders. Loan Agreements often include restrictive covenants that limit the activities of the Borrower. These covenants may include mandatory prepayment out of excess cash flows, restrictions on dividend payments, the maintenance of minimum financial ratios, limits on indebtedness and other financial tests. Breach of these covenants generally is an event of default and, if not waived by the Lenders, may give Lenders the right to accelerate principal and interest payments.

 

Borrowers.  Borrowers operate in a variety of industries and geographic regions. In addition, the Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in Borrowers that conduct their principal businesses in the same industry. Most Senior Loans are made to U.S. Borrowers. The Fund may, however, invest up to 20% of its total assets,

measured at the time of investment, in Senior Loans made to non-U.S. Borrowers provided that no more than 5% of these Senior Loans or other assets are non-U.S. dollar denominated. Investing in Senior Loans of non-U.S. Borrowers involves special risks. The Fund also may hold non-U.S. dollar denominated Senior Loans or other securities received as part of a reorganization or restructuring. See “Risks — Investment in non-U.S. issuers.”

 

The capital structure of a Borrower may include Senior Loans, senior and junior subordinated debt, preferred stock and common stock. Senior Loans typically have the most senior claim on a Borrower’s assets while common stock has the most junior claim. The proceeds of Senior Loans that the Fund will purchase typically will be used by Borrowers to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, debt refinancings and, to a lesser extent, for general operating and other purposes.

 

The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio Senior Loans of Borrowers that have filed for protection under the federal bankruptcy laws or that have had involuntary bankruptcy petitions filed against them by creditors. Because of the protective features of Senior Loans, the Fund and the Adviser believe that Senior Loans of Borrowers that are experiencing, or are more likely to experience, financial difficulty may represent attractive investment opportunities. Investing in Senior Loans does, however, involve investment risk, and some Borrowers default on their Senior Loan payments. The Fund attempts to manage these risks through selection of a varied portfolio of Senior Loans and analyses and monitoring of Borrowers.

 

The Fund generally invests in a Senior Loan if, in the Adviser’s judgment, the Borrower can meet its payment obligations and the Senior Loan meets the credit standards established by the Adviser. The Adviser performs its own independent credit analysis on each Borrower and on the collateral securing each Senior Loan. The Adviser considers the nature of the industry in which the Borrower operates, the nature of the Borrower’s assets and the general quality and creditworthiness of the Borrower.

 

The Adviser constructs the Fund’s investment portfolio using a process that focuses on obtaining access to the widest possible range of potential investments available in the market, legal review of the documents for loans and on-going credit analysis of the Borrowers. In constructing the portfolio, the Adviser analyzes each Borrower to determine its earnings potential and other factors indicating the sustainability of earnings growth.

 

The Adviser will consider selling a Senior Loan if, among other things, (1) unfavorable industry trends, poor performance, or a lack of access to capital cause the Borrower to fail to meet its planned objectives; or (2) more attractive investment opportunities are found. There can be no assurance that the Adviser’s analysis will disclose all factors that may impair the value of a Senior Loan. You should expect the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate as a result of changes in the credit quality of Borrowers and other factors. A serious deterioration in the credit quality of a Borrower could cause a permanent decrease in the Fund’s net asset value. See “Risks — Borrower credit risk.”

 

There is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a Borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments. Although a Senior Loan may not be rated by any rating agency at the time the Fund purchases the Senior Loan, rating agencies have become more active in rating Senior Loans, and at any given time a substantial portion of the Senior Loans in the Fund’s portfolio may be rated. There is no limit on the percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in Senior Loans that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but of comparable quality. The lack of a rating does not necessarily imply that a Senior Loan is of lesser investment quality; notwithstanding, such unrated securities may be of any credit quality, and may be below investment grade quality.

 

The following table sets forth the percentage of the Fund’s Senior Loan obligations invested in rated and unrated obligations (using the higher of Standard & Poor’s or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. rating categories), based on valuations as of July 31, 2010:

 

The Senior Loan Process

Senior Loans generally are negotiated between a Borrower and several Lenders represented by one or more Lenders acting as Agent of all the Lenders. The Agent is responsible for negotiating the Loan Agreement that establishes the terms and conditions of the Senior Loan and the rights of the Borrower and the Lenders. The Agent is paid a fee by the Borrower for its services.

 

The Agent generally is required to administer and manage the Senior Loan on behalf of other Lenders. When evaluating Senior Loans, the Adviser may consider, and may rely in part on, analysis performed by the Agent and other Lenders. This analysis may include an evaluation of the value and sufficiency of any collateral securing Senior Loans. As to collateralized Senior Loans, the Agent usually is required to monitor the collateral. The Agent may rely on independent appraisals of specific collateral. The Agent need not, however, obtain an independent appraisal of assets pledged as collateral in all cases. The Agent generally is also responsible for determining that the Lenders have obtained a perfected security interest in the collateral securing a Senior Loan.

 

The Fund normally relies on the Agent to collect principal of and interest on a Senior Loan. Furthermore, the Fund also relies in part on the Agent to monitor compliance by the Borrower with the restrictive covenants in the Loan Agreement and to notify the Fund (or the Lender from whom the Fund has purchased a participation) of any adverse change in the Borrower’s financial condition. The Fund will not purchase interests in Senior Loans unless the Agent, Lender and any other person positioned between the Fund and the Borrower has entered into an agreement that provides for the holding of assets in safekeeping for, or the prompt disbursement of assets to, the Fund. Insolvency of the Agent or other persons positioned between the Fund and the Borrower could result in losses for the Fund. See “Risks — Senior Loans.”

 

The Fund may be required to pay and may receive various fees and commissions in connection with purchasing, selling and holding interests in Senior Loans. The fees normally paid by Borrowers include three primary types: facility fees, commitment fees and prepayment penalties. Facility fees are paid to Lenders when a Senior Loan is originated. Commitment fees are paid to Lenders on an ongoing basis based on the unused portion of a Senior Loan commitment. Lenders may receive prepayment penalties when a Borrower prepays a Senior Loan. The Fund receives these fees directly from the Borrower if the Fund is an Original Lender (as defined below) or, in the case of commitment fees and prepayment penalties, if the Fund acquires an Assignment (as defined below). Whether the Fund receives a facility fee in the case of an Assignment, or any fees in the case of a Participation (as defined below), depends on negotiations between the Fund and the Lender selling such interests. When the Fund buys an Assignment, it may be required to pay a fee to the Lender selling the Assignment, or to forgo a portion of interest and fees payable to the Fund. Occasionally, the assignor pays a fee to the assignee. A person selling a Participation to the Fund may deduct a portion of the interest and any fees payable to the Fund as an administrative fee. The Fund may be required to pass along to a person that buys a Senior Loan from the Fund a portion of any fees to which the Fund is entitled.

 

The Fund may have obligations under a Loan Agreement, including the obligation to make additional loans in certain circumstances. The Fund intends to reserve against such contingent obligations by segregating cash, liquid securities and liquid Senior Loans as a reserve. The Fund will not purchase a Senior Loan that would require the Fund to make additional loans if, as a result of such purchase, all of the Fund’s additional loan commitments in the aggregate would exceed 20% of the Fund’s total assets or would cause the Fund to fail to meet the asset composition requirements set forth under the heading “Investment Restrictions” in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

Types of Senior Loan Investments

The Fund may act as one of a group of Lenders originating a Senior Loan (an Original Lender), may purchase assignments or novations (Assignments) of portions of Senior Loans from third parties and may invest in participations (Participations) in Senior Loans. Senior Loans also include certain senior debt obligations that are in the form of notes rather than Loan Agreements and certain structured products with rates of return determined by reference to the total rate of return on one or more Senior Loans referenced in such products. All of these interests in Senior Loans are sometimes referred to simply as Senior Loans.

 

Original Lender.  When the Fund acts as an Original Lender, it may participate in structuring the Senior Loan. When the Fund is an Original Lender, it will have

a direct contractual relationship with the Borrower, may enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the Loan Agreement and may have rights with respect to any funds acquired by other Lenders through set-off. Lenders also have full voting and consent rights under the applicable Loan Agreement. Action subject to Lender vote or consent generally requires the vote or consent of the holders of some specified percentage of the outstanding principal amount of the Senior Loan. Certain decisions, such as reducing the amount of interest on or principal of a Senior Loan, releasing collateral, changing the maturity of a Senior Loan or a change in control of the Borrower, frequently require the unanimous vote or consent of all Lenders affected. The Fund will never act as the Agent or principal negotiator or administrator of a Senior Loan.

 

Assignments.  The purchaser of an Assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the Loan Agreement of the assigning Lender and becomes a Lender under the Loan Agreement. Assignments may, however, be arranged through private negotiations, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an Assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning Lender.

 

Participations.  The Fund presently does not intend to invest more than 5% of its net assets in Participations in Senior Loans. When the Fund purchases a Participation in a Senior Loan, the Fund will usually have a contractual relationship only with the Lender selling the Participation and not with the Borrower. The Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the Lender selling the Participation and only upon receipt by the Lender of such payments from the Borrower. As a result, the Fund may assume the credit risk of both the Borrower and the Lender selling the Participation. In the event of insolvency of the Lender selling a Participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender.

 

The Fund has taken the following measures in an effort to minimize these risks. The Fund will only acquire Participations if the Lender selling the Participation and any other persons positioned between the Fund and the Lender (i) has, at the time of investment, outstanding debt or deposit obligations rated investment grade by a rating agency or that are determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality and (ii) has entered into an agreement which provides for the holding of assets in safekeeping for, or the prompt disbursement of assets to, the Fund.

 

The Fund generally will not have the right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the Loan Agreement, nor rights to any funds acquired by other Lenders through set-off against the Borrower. In addition, when the Fund holds a Participation in a Senior Loan, it may not have the right to vote on whether to waive enforcement of any restrictive covenant breached by a Borrower. Lenders voting in connection with a potential waiver of a restrictive covenant may have interests different from those of the Fund and may not consider the interests of the Fund. The Fund may not benefit directly from the collateral supporting a Senior Loan in which it has purchased the Participation, although Lenders that sell Participations generally are required to distribute liquidation proceeds received by them pro rata among the holders of such Participations.

 

Senior debt securities.  The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in certain senior debt securities that are in the form of notes rather than Loan Agreements. The Fund will only purchase senior debt securities if (i) the senior debt securities represent the only form of senior debt financing of the Borrower or (ii) the senior debt securities are pari passu with other Senior Loans in the capital structure of a Borrower with respect to collateral. There may be no person performing the role of the Agent for senior debt securities and, as a result, the Fund may be more dependent on the ability of the Adviser to monitor and administer these Senior Loans. Senior debt securities will be treated as Senior Loans for purposes of the Fund’s policy of normally investing at least 80% of its net assets in Senior Loans.

 

Structured products.  The Fund also may invest up to 10% of its total assets in structured notes, credit-linked notes (CLN) and credit default swaps (CDS) to enhance the yield on its portfolio or to increase income available for distributions or for other non-hedging purposes; and other types of structured investments (referred to collectively as structured products). A structured note is a derivative security that has one or more special features, such as an interest rate based on a spread over an index or a benchmark interest rate, or other reference indicator, that may or may not correlate to the total rate of return on one or more underlying investments (such as Senior Loan interests) referenced in such notes. A CLN is a derivative instrument that is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of

some obligation (a reference obligation). A CDS is an agreement between two parties to exchange the credit risk of a particular issuer or reference entity. In a CDS transaction, a buyer pays periodic fees in return for a payment by the seller which is contingent upon an adverse credit event occurring in the underlying issuer or reference entity. The seller collects periodic fees from the buyer and profits if the credit of the underlying issuer or reference entity remains stable or improves while the swap is outstanding, but the seller in a CDS contract would be required to pay an agreed upon amount to the buyer in the event of an adverse credit event in the reference entity. A buyer of a CDS is said to buy protection whereas a seller of a CDS is said to sell protection. When the Fund buys a CDS, it is utilizing the swap for hedging purposes similar to other hedging strategies described herein, see also “Investment Practices and Special Risks — Interest Rate and Other Hedging Strategies.” When the Fund sells a CDS, it is utilizing the swap to enhance the yield on its portfolio to increase income available for distribution or for other non-hedging purposes. Generally, investments in structured products are interests in entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of underlying investment interests or securities. This type of restructuring generally involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity of the underlying investments (such as Senior Loan interests) and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying investments or referencing an indicator related to such investments. The cash flow or rate of return on the underlying investments may be apportioned among the newly issued securities to create different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, credit quality, payment priorities and interest rate provisions. The cash flow or rate of return on a structured product may be determined by applying a multiplier to the rate of total return on the underlying investments or referenced indicator. Application of a multiplier is comparable to the use of financial leverage, a speculative technique. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss. As a result, a relatively small decline in the value of the underlying investments or referenced indicator could result in a relatively large loss in the value of a structured product. Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. Structured products where the rate of return is determined by reference to a Senior Loan will be treated as Senior Loans for purposes of the Fund’s policy of normally investing at least 80% of its net assets in Senior Loans.

 

The Fund may have the right to receive payments to which it is entitled only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the Borrower. The Fund generally will not have the right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the Loan Agreement, nor rights to any funds acquired by other Lenders through set-off against the Borrower. In addition, when the Fund holds a structured product derived from a Senior Loan, it may not have the right to vote on whether to waive enforcement of any restrictive covenant breached by a Borrower. Lenders voting in connection with a potential waiver of a restrictive covenant may have interests different from those of the Fund and may not consider the interests of the Fund.

 

Other Important Investment Policies

During normal market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in any combination of (1) warrants and equity securities, in each case the Fund must own or acquire a Senior Loan of the same issuer, (2) junior debt securities or securities with a lien on collateral lower than a senior claim on collateral (collectively, junior debt securities), (3) high quality short-term debt securities, (4) credit-linked deposits and (5) Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (U.S. TIPS) and other inflation-indexed bonds issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund also may convert a warrant into the underlying security. Although the Fund generally will acquire interests in warrants, equity securities and junior debt securities only when the Adviser believes that the value being given by the Fund is substantially outweighed by the potential value of such interests, investment in warrants, equity securities and junior debt securities entails certain risks in addition to those associated with investments in Senior Loans, including the potential for increasing fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value. Any warrants, equity securities and junior debt securities held by the Fund will not be treated as Senior Loans and thus will not count toward the 80% of the Fund’s net assets that normally will be invested in Senior Loans.

 

High quality, short-term debt securities in which the Fund may invest include commercial paper rated at least in the top two rating categories, or unrated commercial paper considered by the Adviser to be of similar quality; interests in short-term loans of Borrowers having short-term debt obligations rated or a short-term credit

rating at least in such top two rating categories, or having no rating but determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality; certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances; and securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. These securities may pay interest at adjustable rates or at fixed rates. If the Adviser determines that market conditions temporarily warrant a defensive investment policy, the Fund may invest, subject to its ability to liquidate its relatively illiquid portfolio of Senior Loans, up to 100% of its assets in cash and high quality, short-term debt securities.

 

Credit-linked deposits are deposits by lenders, such as the Fund, to support the issuance of letters of credit to the Senior Loan borrower. The Fund receives from the bank issuing such letters of credit an agreed upon rate of return in exchange for its deposit. There are risks associated with credit-linked deposits, including the credit risk of the bank which maintains the deposit account as well as the credit risk of the borrower. The Fund bears the risk of possible loss of its principal investment, in addition to the periodic interest payments that are expected to be received for the duration of the Fund’s investment in the credit-linked deposit.

 

U.S. TIPS are fixed income securities issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the principal amounts of which are adjusted daily based upon changes in the rate of inflation (currently represented by the non-seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (the CPI-U)). The Fund may purchase U.S. TIPS or other inflation-indexed bonds issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities of any maturity. U.S. TIPS pay interest on a periodic basis, equal to a fixed interest rate applied to the inflation-adjusted principal amount. The interest rate on these bonds is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond, this interest may be paid on an increasing or decreasing principal value that has been adjusted for inflation. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed even during a period of deflation. However, because the principal amount of U.S. TIPS would be adjusted downward during a period of deflation, the Fund will be subject to deflation risk with respect to its investments in these securities. In addition, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. If the Fund purchases U.S. TIPS in the secondary market whose principal values have been adjusted upward due to inflation since issuance, the Fund may experience a loss if there is a subsequent period of deflation. If inflation is lower than expected during the period the Fund holds U.S. TIPS, the Fund may earn less on the security than on a conventional bond. The Fund may invest in inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities with other structures or characteristics as such securities become available in the market.

 

Financial Leverage

The Fund may utilize financial leverage (i) to provide the Fund with additional liquidity to meet its obligations to repurchase its Shares pursuant to its repurchase offers and (ii) for investment purposes (i.e., to use such financial leverage to purchase additional portfolio securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and primary investment strategy) to benefit the Fund’s Common Shares. Generally speaking, if the Fund can invest the proceeds from financial leverage (i.e., money from borrowings or issuing preferred shares) in portfolio securities that have higher rates of return than the costs of such financial leverage and other expenses of the Fund, then the holders of Common Shares would have a net benefit. The Fund’s policy on financial leverage allows the Fund to use financial leverage in the form of borrowings and/or preferred shares to the maximum extent allowable under the 1940 Act. The Adviser and the Fund’s Board of Trustees will regularly review the Fund’s use of financial leverage (i.e., the relative costs and benefits of leverage on the Fund’s Common Shares) and review the alternative means to leverage (i.e., the relative benefits and costs of borrowing versus issuing preferred shares).

 

Under the 1940 Act, a fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such incurrence the fund has an asset coverage of at least 300% of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the indebtedness (i.e., such indebtedness may not exceed 33 1 / 3 % of the fund’s total assets). Additionally, under the 1940 Act, a fund may not declare any dividend or other distribution upon any class of its capital shares, or purchase any such capital shares, unless the aggregate indebtedness of the fund has, at the time of the declaration of such dividend or distribution, or at the time of any such purchase, an asset coverage of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase price, as the case may be. Under the 1940 Act, a fund is not permitted to issue preferred shares unless immediately after such issuance the net

asset value of the fund’s portfolio is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding preferred shares (i.e., such liquidation value may not exceed 50% of the Fund’s total assets). In addition, a fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its common shares unless, at the time of such distribution, the net asset value of the fund’s portfolio (determined after deducting the amount of such dividend or other distribution) is at least 200% of such liquidation value. If using a combination of borrowing and issuing preferred shares, the maximum allocable leverage is somewhere between 300% and 200% based on the relative amounts borrowed and preferred shares issued.

 

Effect of Leverage.  The Fund has entered into a revolving credit and security agreement pursuant to which the lenders will provide the Fund with up to $300 million in advances, subject to a variable interest rate.

 

The following table is designed to illustrate the effect on return to a holder of the Fund’s Common Shares of the leverage created by the Fund’s use of borrowing, using the average interest rate of [     ]%, (which is the rate of the Fund’s outstanding borrowings as of November [  ], 2010; as noted above, however, the Fund’s outstanding borrowings are subject to a variable interest rate and may change up or down over time) assuming the Fund has used leverage by borrowing an amount equal to 15% of the Fund’s total assets and assuming hypothetical annual returns (net of expenses) on the Fund’s portfolio of minus 10% to plus 10%. As the table shows, leverage generally increases the return to Common Shareholders when portfolio return is positive and decreases return when the portfolio return is negative. Actual returns may be greater or less than those appearing in the table.

 

 

The purpose of the table is to assist investors in understanding the effects of financial leverage. The figures in the table are hypothetical and actual returns may be greater or lesser than those appearing in the table.

 

Risks

 

 

No trading market for Shares.  The Fund is a closed-end investment company designed for long-term investors. The Fund does not intend to list the Shares for trading on any national securities exchange. While there is no restriction on transferring the Shares, there is not expected to be any secondary trading market in the Shares. The Shares are illiquid. There is no guarantee that you will be able to resell to the Fund all of the Shares that you desire to sell at any particular time in any repurchase offer by the Fund.

 

Senior Loans.  There is less readily available, reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a Borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments, and the Adviser relies primarily on its own evaluation of Borrower credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.

 

Senior Loans generally are not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and no active trading market exists for many Senior Loans. As a result, many Senior Loans are illiquid, meaning that the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price. The market for illiquid securities is more volatile than the market for liquid securities. However, many Senior Loans are of a large principal amount and are held by a large number of owners. In the Adviser’s opinion, this should enhance their liquidity. In addition, in recent years the number of institutional investors purchasing Senior Loans has increased. The risks of illiquidity are particularly important when the Fund’s operations require cash, and may in certain circumstances require that the Fund borrow to meet short-term cash requirements. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Other than certain restrictions on the amount of illiquid securities during certain periods of a repurchase offer, the Fund has no limitation on the amount of its assets that may be invested in securities that are not readily marketable or that are subject to restrictions on resale. See “Repurchase of Shares — Repurchase Offers by the Fund — Impact of repurchase policies on

the liquidity of the Fund.” The substantial portion of the Fund’s assets invested in Senior Loans may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and at a fair price, and could result in capital losses to the Fund and holders of Shares. The market for Senior Loans could be disrupted in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase or decrease in interest rates. This could result in increased volatility in the market and in the Fund’s net asset value per Share. Illiquid securities are also difficult to value.

 

If legislation or state or federal regulations impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans, the availability of Senior Loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain Borrowers. This would increase the risk of default. If legislation or federal or state regulations require financial institutions to dispose of Senior Loans that are considered highly leveraged transactions or subject Senior Loans to increased regulatory scrutiny, financial institutions may determine to sell such Senior Loans. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of the Adviser, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a Senior Loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could get for the Senior Loan may be adversely affected.

 

Selling Lenders and other persons positioned between the Fund and the Borrower will likely conduct their principal business activities in the banking, finance and financial services industries. The Fund may be more at risk to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting such industries. Persons engaged in such industries may be more susceptible to, among other things, fluctuations in interest rates, changes in the Federal Open Market Committee’s monetary policy, governmental regulations concerning such industries and concerning capital raising activities generally and fluctuations in the financial markets generally.

 

Should an Agent or Lender positioned between the Fund and a Borrower become insolvent or enter FDIC receivership or bankruptcy, where the Fund is an Original Lender or has purchased an Assignment, any interest of such person in the Senior Loan and in any loan payment held by such person for the benefit of the Fund should not be included in the person’s estate. If, however, these items are included in their estate, the Fund would incur costs and delays in realizing payment and could suffer a loss of principal or interest.

 

Some Senior Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the Senior Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other action detrimental to Lenders. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of Senior Loans.

 

Borrower credit risk.  Senior Loans, like most other debt obligations, are subject to the risk of default. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a Senior Loan results in a reduction in income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the Senior Loan and a potential decrease in the Fund’s net asset value. The risk of default increases in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase in interest rates. An increased risk of default could result in a decline in the value of Senior Loans and in the Fund’s net asset value.

 

The Fund may acquire Senior Loans of Borrowers that are experiencing, or are more likely to experience, financial difficulty, including Senior Loans of Borrowers that have filed for bankruptcy protection. Borrowers may have outstanding debt obligations that are rated below investment grade. More recently, rating agencies have begun rating Senior Loans, and Senior Loans in the Fund’s portfolio may themselves be rated below investment grade. The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in Senior Loans of Borrowers that have outstanding debt obligations rated below investment grade or that are unrated but of comparable quality to such securities. Debt securities rated below investment grade are viewed by the rating agencies as speculative and are commonly known as “junk bonds.” Senior Loans may not be rated at the time that the Fund purchases them. If a Senior Loan is rated at the time of purchase, the Adviser may consider the rating when evaluating the Senior Loan but, in any event, does not view ratings as a determinative factor in investment decisions. As a result, the Fund is more dependent on the Adviser’s credit analysis abilities. Because of the protective terms of Senior Loans, the Adviser believes that the Fund is more likely to recover more of its investment in a defaulted Senior Loan than would be the case for most other types of defaulted debt securities. The values of Senior Loans of Borrowers that have filed for bankruptcy protection or that are experiencing payment difficulty could be affected by, among other things, the assessment of the likelihood that the Lenders