UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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

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FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018

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

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (215) 495-1150

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

None

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

Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Class D Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Class T Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Class I Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.

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

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

There is no established market for the registrant’s shares of Class T common stock. The registrant closed the public offering of its shares of Class T common stock in November 2017. The last offering price at which the registrant issued shares of Class T common stock in its public offering was $11.65 per share. Since the registrant closed its public offering, it has continued to issue shares of Class T common stock pursuant to its distribution reinvestment plan. The most recent price at which the registrant has issued shares of Class T common stock pursuant to the distribution reinvestment plan was $11.15 per share.

There were 31,499,371 shares of the registrant’s Class T common stock outstanding as of March 12, 2019.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement relating to the registrant’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days following the end of the registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this annual report on Form 10-K as indicated herein.

FS INVESTMENT CORPORATION IV
 
FORM 10-K FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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value than deemed warranted by the Advisor’s fundamental analysis, which may occur due to general dislocations in the markets, a misunderstanding by the market of a particular company or an industry being out of favor with the broader investment community and may include event driven investments, anchor orders and structured products.

The senior secured loans, second lien secured loans and senior secured bonds in which we invest generally have stated terms of three to seven years and subordinated debt investments that we make generally have stated terms of up to ten years, but the expected average life of such securities is generally between three and seven years. However, there is no limit on the maturity or duration of any security in our portfolio. Our debt investments may be rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization, or NRSRO, and, in such case, generally will carry a rating below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., or Moody’s, or lower than “BBB-” by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, or S&P). We also invest in non-rated debt securities.

To seek to enhance our returns, we employ leverage as market conditions permit and at the discretion of the Advisor, but in no event will leverage employed exceed the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities if our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing. The minimum asset coverage requirement applicable to BDCs under the 1940 Act, however, is currently 150% provided that certain disclosure, approval and other requirements are met.

As a BDC, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in making our investments. For example, BDCs generally are not permitted to co-invest with certain affiliated entities in transactions originated by the BDC or its affiliates in the absence of an exemptive order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. However, BDCs are permitted to, and may, simultaneously co-invest in transactions where price is the only negotiated term. In an order dated April 3, 2018, the SEC granted exemptive relief permitting us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions including investments originated and directly negotiated by the Advisor or KKR Credit Advisors (US) LLC, or KKR Credit, with our co-investment affiliates. We believe this relief enhances our ability to further our investment objectives and strategy. We believe this relief may also increase favorable investment opportunities for us, in part, by allowing us to participate in larger investments, together with our co-investment affiliates, than would be available to us if such relief had not been obtained.

While a BDC may list its shares for trading in the public markets, we have currently elected not to do so. We believe that a non-traded structure is more appropriate for the long-term nature of the assets in which we invest. This structure allows us to operate with a long-term view, similar to that of other types of private investment funds, instead of managing to quarterly market expectations. Furthermore, while our distribution reinvestment and share repurchase prices are subject to adjustment in accordance with the 1940 Act and our pricing policy, because our shares of common stock are not currently listed on a national securities exchange, our stockholders are not subject to the daily share price volatility associated with the public markets. However, the net asset value of our shares of common stock may still be volatile.

For information regarding our share repurchase program, distributions and our distribution reinvestment plan, including certain related tax considerations, see “Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities-Share Repurchase Program and Distributions” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—RIC Status and Distributions.”

About the Advisor

The Advisor is a Delaware limited liability company, located at 201 Rouse Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19112, registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Advisers Act. The Advisor is a partnership between an affiliate of Franklin Square Holdings, L.P. (which does business as FS Investments), or FS Investments, and KKR Credit. Our chairman and chief executive officer, Michael C. Forman, serves as the Advisor’s chairman and chief executive officer, and Todd C. Builione, our president, serves as the Advisor’s president.

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The Advisor’s management team has significant experience in private lending and private equity investing, and has developed an expertise in using all levels of a firm’s capital structure to produce income-generating investments, while focusing on risk management. The team also has extensive knowledge of the managerial, operational and regulatory requirements of publicly registered alternative asset entities, such as BDCs. We believe that the active and ongoing participation by FS Investments, KKR Credit and their respective affiliates in the credit markets, and the depth of experience and disciplined investment approach of the Advisor’s management team, will allow the Advisor to successfully execute our investment strategies.

Our board of directors, including a majority of independent directors, oversees and monitors our investment performance, and beginning with the second anniversary of the effective date of the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, by and between us and the Advisor, dated as of April 9, 2018, or the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, will review the investment advisory and administrative services agreement to determine, among other things, whether the fees payable under such agreement are reasonable in light of the services provided.

About FS Investments

FS Investments is a leading asset manager dedicated to helping individuals, financial professionals and institutions design better portfolios. The firm provides access to alternative sources of income and growth, and focuses on setting the industry standards for investor protection, education and transparency. FS Investments is headquartered in Philadelphia with offices in New York, NY, Orlando, FL, and Washington, DC. The firm had approximately $23 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2018.

About KKR Credit

KKR Credit is a Delaware limited liability company, located at 555 California Street, 50 th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104, registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Advisers Act. It had approximately $65.6 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2018 across investment funds, structured finance vehicles, specialty finance companies and separately managed accounts that invest capital in both liquid and illiquid credit strategies on behalf of some of the largest public and private pension plans, global financial institutions, university endowments and other institutional and public market investors. Its investment professionals utilize an industry and thematic approach to investing and benefit from access, where appropriate, to the broader resources and intellectual capital of KKR & Co. Inc., or KKR & Co.

KKR Credit is a subsidiary of KKR & Co., a leading global investment firm with approximately $194.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2018, that manages investments across multiple asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic manager partnerships that manage hedge funds. KKR & Co. aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR & Co. portfolio companies. KKR & Co. invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business.

Potential Market Opportunity

We believe that there are and will continue to be significant investment opportunities in the senior secured and second lien secured loan asset class, as well as investments in debt securities of middle market companies.

Attractive Opportunities in Senior Secured and Second Lien Secured Loans

We believe that opportunities in senior secured and second lien secured loans are significant because of the variable rate structure of most senior secured debt issues and because of the strong defensive characteristics of this investment class. Given current market conditions, we believe that debt issues with variable interest rates often offer a superior return profile to fixed-rate securities, since variable interest rate structures are generally less susceptible to declines in value experienced by fixed-rate securities in a rising interest rate environment.

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Senior secured debt also provides strong defensive characteristics. Because this debt has priority in payment among an issuer’s security holders (i.e., holders are due to receive payment before junior creditors and equity holders), they carry the least potential risk among investments in the issuer’s capital structure. Further, these investments are secured by the issuer’s assets, which may be seized in the event of a default, if necessary. They generally also carry restrictive covenants aimed at ensuring repayment before junior creditors, such as most types of unsecured bondholders, and other security holders and preserving collateral to protect against credit deterioration.

Opportunity in Middle-Market Private Companies

In addition to investing in senior secured and second lien secured loans generally, we believe that the market for lending to private companies, particularly middle-market private companies within the United States, is underserved and presents a compelling investment opportunity. We believe that the following characteristics support our belief:

Large Target Market

Middle-market companies represent, we believe, a significant portion of the growth segment of the U.S. economy and often require substantial capital investment to grow their businesses. Middle-market companies have generated a significant number of investment opportunities for us and investment programs managed by our affiliates over the past several years, and we believe that this market segment will continue to produce significant investment opportunities for us.

Limited Investment Competition

Despite the size of the market, we believe that regulatory changes and other factors have diminished the role of traditional financial institutions in providing financing to middle market companies. As tracked by S&P Capital IQ LCD, U.S. banks’ share of senior secured loans to middle market companies represented approximately 4% of overall middle market loan volume in 2018 and 1% of overall middle market loan volume in 2017, down from nearly 25% in 2000. However, the continuation of lower levels of participation by traditional financial institutions in the middle market is uncertain as a result of changing investment opportunities in the broader market and a potentially changing regulatory landscape.

We also believe that lending and originating new loans to middle market companies, which are often private, generally requires a greater dedication of the lender’s time and resources compared to lending to larger companies, due in part to the smaller size of each investment and the often fragmented nature of information available from these companies. Further, many investment firms lack the breadth and scale necessary to identify investment opportunities, particularly in regards to directly originated investments in middle market companies, and thus we believe that attractive investment opportunities are often overlooked. In addition, middle market companies may require more active monitoring and participation on the lender’s part. We believe that many large financial organizations, which often have relatively high cost structures, are not suited to deal with these factors and instead emphasize services and transactions to larger corporate clients with a consequent reduction in the availability of financing to middle market companies.

Attractive Market Segment

We believe that the underserved nature of such a large segment of the market can at times create a significant opportunity for investment. In many environments, we believe that middle market companies are more likely to offer attractive economics in terms of transaction pricing, up-front and ongoing fees, prepayment penalties and security features in the form of stricter covenants and quality collateral than loans to larger companies. In addition, as compared to larger companies, middle market companies often have simpler capital structures and carry less leverage, thus aiding the structuring and negotiation process and allowing us greater flexibility in structuring favorable transactions. We believe that these factors will result in advantageous conditions in which to pursue our investment objectives of generating current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation.

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Characteristics of and Risks Related to Investments in Private Companies

We invest primarily in the debt of private middle market U.S. companies. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and ability to withstand financial distress. As a result, these companies, which may present greater credit risk than public companies, may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt securities that we hold. Second, the investments themselves may often be illiquid. The securities of most of the companies in which we invest are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated OTC secondary market for institutional investors. In addition, our directly originated investments generally will not be traded on any secondary market and a trading market for such investments may not develop. These securities may also be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale. As such, we may have difficulty exiting an investment promptly or at a desired price prior to maturity or outside of a normal amortization schedule. These investments may also be difficult to value because little public information generally exists about private companies, requiring an experienced due diligence team to analyze and value the potential portfolio company. Finally, these companies often may not have third-party debt ratings or audited financial statements. We must therefore rely on the ability of the Advisor to obtain adequate information through its due diligence efforts to evaluate the creditworthiness of, and risks involved in, investing in these companies, and to determine the optimal time to exit an investment. These companies and their financial information will also generally not be subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules and regulations that govern public companies that are designed to protect investors.

Investment Strategy

Our principal focus is to invest in senior secured and second lien secured loans of private middle market U.S. companies, and to a lesser extent, subordinated loans of private U.S. companies. Although we do not expect a significant portion of our portfolio to be comprised of subordinated loans, there is no limit on the amount of such loans in which we may invest. We may purchase interests in loans or make other debt investments, including investments in senior secured bonds, through secondary market transactions in the OTC market or directly from our target companies as primary market or directly originated investments. In connection with our debt investments, we may on occasion receive equity interests such as warrants or options as additional consideration. We may also purchase or otherwise acquire interests in the form of common or preferred equity or equity-related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or other equity or the cash value of common stock or other equity, in our target companies, generally in conjunction with one of our debt investments or through a co-investment with a financial sponsor, such as an institutional investor or private equity firm. In addition, a portion of our portfolio may be comprised of bonds, structured products, other debt securities and derivatives. The Advisor will seek to tailor our investment focus as market conditions evolve. Depending on market conditions, we may increase or decrease our exposure to less senior portions of the capital structure or otherwise make opportunistic investments, such as where the market price of loans, bonds or other securities reflects a lower value than deemed warranted by the Advisor’s fundamental analysis, which may occur due to general dislocations in the markets, a misunderstanding by the market of a particular company or an industry being out of favor with the broader investment community and may include event driven investments, anchor orders and structured products.

When identifying prospective portfolio companies, we focus primarily on the attributes set forth below, which we believe will help us generate higher total returns with an acceptable level of risk. While these criteria provide general guidelines for our investment decisions, we caution investors that, if we believe the benefits of investing are sufficiently strong, not all of these criteria necessarily will be met by each prospective portfolio company in which we choose to invest. These attributes are:

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Leading, defensible market positions. We seek to invest in companies that have developed strong positions within their respective markets and exhibit the potential to maintain sufficient cash flows and profitability to service our debt in a range of economic environments. We seek companies that can protect their competitive advantages through scale, scope, customer loyalty, product pricing or product quality versus their competitors, thereby minimizing business risk and protecting profitability.

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Investing in stable companies with positive cash flow. We seek to invest in established, stable companies with strong profitability and cash flows. Such companies, we believe, are well-positioned to maintain consistent cash flow to service and repay our loans and maintain growth in their businesses or market share. We do not intend to invest to any significant degree in start-up companies, turnaround situations or companies with speculative business plans.

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Proven management teams. We focus on companies that have experienced management teams with an established track record of success. We typically prefer our portfolio companies to have proper incentives in place, which may include non-cash and performance-based compensation, to align management’s goals with ours.

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Private equity sponsorship. Often, we seek to participate in transactions sponsored by what we believe to be sophisticated and seasoned private equity firms. The Advisor’s management team believes that a private equity sponsor’s willingness to invest significant sums of equity capital into a company is an endorsement of the quality of the investment. Further, by co-investing with such experienced private equity firms which commit significant sums of equity capital ranking junior in priority of payment to our debt investments, we may benefit from the due diligence review performed by the private equity firm, in addition to our own due diligence review. Further, strong private equity sponsors with significant investments at risk have the ability and a strong incentive to contribute additional capital in difficult economic times should operational or financial issues arise which could provide additional protections for our investments.

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Allocation among various issuers and industries. We seek to allocate our portfolio broadly among issuers and industries, thereby attempting to reduce the risk of a downturn in any one company or industry having a disproportionate adverse impact on the value of our portfolio.

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Viable exit strategy. While we attempt to invest in securities that may be sold in a privately negotiated OTC market, providing us a means by which we may exit our positions, we expect that a large portion of our portfolio may not be sold on this secondary market. For any investments that are not able to be sold within this market, we focus primarily on investing in companies whose business models and growth prospects offer attractive exit possibilities, including repayment of our investments, an initial public offering of equity securities, a merger, a sale or a recapitalization, in each case with the potential for capital gains.

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Potential Competitive Strengths

We believe that we offer investors the following potential competitive strengths:

Global platform with seasoned investment professionals

We believe that the breadth and depth of the experience of the Advisor’s senior management team which is dedicated to sourcing, structuring, executing, monitoring and harvesting a broad range of private investments, provide us with a significant competitive advantage in sourcing and analyzing attractive investment opportunities.

Long-term investment horizon

Our long-term investment horizon gives us great flexibility, which we believe allows us to maximize returns on our investments. Unlike most private equity and venture capital funds, as well as many private debt funds, we are not required to return capital to our stockholders once we exit a portfolio investment. We believe that freedom from such capital return requirements, which allows us to invest using a longer-term focus, provides us with the opportunity to increase total returns on invested capital, compared to other private company investment vehicles.

Disciplined, income-oriented investment philosophy

The Advisor employs a defensive investment approach focused on long-term credit performance and principal protection. This investment approach involves a multi-stage selection process for each investment opportunity, as well as ongoing monitoring of each investment made, with particular emphasis on early

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detection of deteriorating credit conditions at portfolio companies which would result in adverse portfolio developments. This strategy is designed to maximize current income and minimize the risk of capital loss while maintaining the potential for long-term capital appreciation.

Investment expertise across all levels of the corporate capital structure

The Advisor believes that its broad expertise and experience investing at all levels of a company’s capital structure enable us to manage risk while affording us the opportunity for significant returns on our investments. We attempt to capitalize on this expertise in an effort to produce and maintain an investment portfolio that will perform in a broad range of economic conditions.

International capital markets capabilities

The Advisor leverages the intellectual capital, industry experience and global network of KKR & Co.’s Capital Markets team to support the origination of new private credit investment opportunities. Through KKR & Co.’s Capital Markets franchise, the Advisor benefits from expanded sources of deal flow, real-time market intelligence on pricing trends and continuous dialogue with issuers and sponsors to provide holistic financing solutions to current and prospective portfolio companies. In addition, KKR & Co.’s Capital Markets franchise gives us the ability to access and originate larger transactions and enhances the Advisor’s ability to manage risk

Ability to create bespoke financing solutions through asset based finance

The Advisor believes that there is an expansive and growing opportunity to create customized solutions in underserved and mispriced asset classes, including across the aircraft, consumer finance, real estate and auto and equipment finance sectors. The Advisor will seek to identify investments with strong collateral protection, a low correlation to the broader markets and equity-like upside potential.

Share class specifications

In November 2017, we closed our continuous public offering of Class T common stock to new investors. We have submitted to the SEC an application for an exemptive order to permit us to offer multiple classes of common stock. In the event we obtain such relief, we may recommence our offering to offer multiple classes of our common stock, with each class having a different upfront sales load and fee expense structure. There can be no assurance that we will receive an exemptive order from the SEC.

Our Class T shares are subject to an annual distribution fee of 1.00% of the estimated value of such shares, as determined in accordance with applicable rules of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA. The annual distribution fee is paid by us to the dealer manager pursuant to a distribution plan adopted by us in compliance with Rules 12b-1 and 17d-3 under the 1940 Act, as if those rules applied to us. Among other requirements, such plan must be approved annually by a vote of our board of directors, including the directors who are not “interested persons” as defined in the 1940 Act and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of such plan or in any agreements related to such plan. The annual distribution fees currently will terminate upon the earliest of  (i) any Class T share purchased after January 25, 2017 reaching the applicable sales charge cap, (ii) our dealer manager advising us that the aggregate underwriting compensation payable from all sources (determined in accordance with applicable FINRA rules) would be in excess of 10% of the gross proceeds of this offering and (iii) a liquidity event. If, in the future, we receive exemptive relief to offer multiple share classes and if we offer a class of common stock with no sales load or asset-based service or annual distribution fee, or a No-Load Share Class, upon a Class T share reaching the applicable sales charge cap, such share will be converted into a share of such No-Load Share Class and will no longer be subject to ongoing annual distribution fees.

Operating and Regulatory Structure

Our investment activities are managed by the Advisor and supervised by our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent. Under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, we have agreed to pay the Advisor an annual base management fee based on the average weekly value of our gross assets and an incentive fee based on our performance. See Notes 2 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K for a description of the fees we pay to the Advisor.

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From time to time, the Advisor may enter into sub-advisory relationships with registered investment advisers that possess skills or attributes that the Advisor believes will aid it in achieving our investment objectives.

The Advisor oversees our day-to-day operations, including the provision of general ledger accounting, fund accounting, legal services, investor relations, certain government and regulatory affairs activities, and other administrative services. The Advisor also performs, or oversees the performance of, our corporate operations and required administrative services, which includes being responsible for the financial records that we are required to maintain and preparing reports for our stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the Advisor assists us in calculating our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally overseeing the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others.

Pursuant to our investment advisory and administrative services agreement, we reimburse the Advisor for expenses necessary to perform services related to our administration and operations, including the Advisor’s allocable portion of the compensation and related expenses of certain personnel of FS Investments and KKR Credit providing administrative services to us on behalf of the Advisor. We reimburse the Advisor no less than monthly for expenses necessary to perform services related to our administration and operations. The amount of this reimbursement is set at the lesser of  (1) the Advisor’s actual costs incurred in providing such services and (2) the amount that we estimate we would be required to pay alternative service providers for comparable services in the same geographic location. Due to our relatively small asset base, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, the amount of the allocated expenses to be reimbursed was subject to a monthly minimum of  $20,000 to reflect the fact that there was a minimum amount of administrative service performed on our behalf by investment adviser personnel. The Advisor allocates the cost of such services to us based on factors such as total assets, revenues, time allocations and/or other reasonable metrics. Our board of directors reviews the methodology employed in determining how the expenses are allocated to us and the proposed allocation of administrative expenses among us and certain affiliates of the Advisor. Our board of directors then assesses the reasonableness of such reimbursements for expenses allocated to us based on the breadth, depth and quality of such services as compared to the estimated cost to us of obtaining similar services from third-party service providers known to be available. In addition, our board of directors considers whether any single third-party service provider would be capable of providing all such services at comparable cost and quality. Finally, our board of directors compares the total amount paid to the Advisor for such services as a percentage of our net assets to the same ratio as reported by other comparable BDCs.

We have contracted with State Street Bank and Trust Company to provide various accounting and administrative services, including, but not limited to, preparing preliminary financial information for review by the Advisor, preparing and monitoring expense budgets, maintaining accounting and corporate books and records, processing trade information provided by us and performing testing with respect to RIC compliance.

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. Also, while we are permitted to finance investments using debt, our ability to use debt will be limited in certain significant respects pursuant to the 1940 Act. Within the limits of existing regulation, we will adjust our use of debt, according to market conditions, to the level we believe will allow us to generate maximum risk-adjusted returns. See “—Regulation.” We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intend to qualify annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.

Investment Types

We primarily focus on the following investment types:

Senior Secured Loans

Senior secured loans are situated at the top of the capital structure. Because these loans generally have priority in payment, they carry the least risk among all investments in a firm. Generally, our senior secured loans are expected to have maturities of three to seven years, offer some form of amortization, and have first priority security interests in the assets of the borrower. Generally, we expect that the interest rate on

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our senior secured loans typically will have variable rates over a standard benchmark, such as the prime rate or the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR.

Second Lien Secured Loans

Second lien secured loans are immediately junior to senior secured loans and have substantially the same maturities, collateral and covenant structures as senior secured loans. Second lien secured loans, however, are granted a second priority security interest in the assets of the borrower, which means that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay senior secured loans in full before second lien secured loans are paid and the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both senior secured loans and second lien secured loans. In return for this junior ranking, second lien secured loans generally offer higher returns compared to senior secured debt. These higher returns come in the form of higher interest and in some cases the potential for equity participation through warrants, though to a lesser extent than with subordinated loans. Generally, we expect these loans to carry a fixed rate, or a floating current yield over a standard benchmark. In addition, we may receive additional returns from any warrants we may receive in connection with these investments.

Senior Secured Bonds

Senior secured bonds are generally secured by collateral on a senior, pari passu or junior basis with other debt instruments in an issuer’s capital structure and have similar maturities and covenant structures as senior secured loans. Generally, we expect these investments to carry a fixed rate.

Subordinated Debt

In addition to senior secured loans, second lien secured loans and senior secured bonds, we may invest a portion of our assets in subordinated debt. Subordinated debt investments usually rank junior in priority of payment to senior debt and are often unsecured, but are situated above preferred equity and common equity in the capital structure. In return for their junior status compared to senior debt, subordinated debt investments typically offer higher returns through both higher interest rates and possible equity ownership in the form of warrants, enabling the lender to participate in the capital appreciation of the borrower. These warrants typically require only a nominal cost to exercise. We generally target subordinated debt with interest-only payments throughout the life of the security, with the principal due at maturity. Typically, subordinated debt investments have maturities of five to ten years. Generally, we expect these securities to carry a fixed rate or a floating current yield over a standard benchmark. In addition, we may receive additional returns from any warrants we may receive in connection with these investments. In some cases, a portion of the total interest may accrue or be paid-in-kind, or PIK.

Equity and Equity-Related Securities

While we intend to maintain our focus on investments in debt securities, from time to time, when we see the potential for extraordinary gain, or in connection with securing particularly favorable terms in a debt investment, we may enter into investments in preferred or common equity, typically in conjunction with a private equity sponsor we believe to be sophisticated and seasoned. In addition, we typically receive the right to make equity investments in a portfolio company whose debt securities we hold in connection with the next equity financing round for that company. This right may provide us with the opportunity to further enhance our returns over time through equity investments in our portfolio companies. In addition, we may hold equity-related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or other equity or the cash value of common stock or other equity, generally obtained in conjunction with one of our debt investments or through a co-investment with a financial sponsor, such as an institutional investor or private equity firm. In the future, we may achieve liquidity through a merger or acquisition of a portfolio company, a public offering of a portfolio company’s stock or by exercising our right, if any, to require a portfolio company to repurchase the equity-related securities we hold.

Convertible Securities

We may invest in convertible securities, such as bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into, or exchanged for, a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula

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Non-U.S. Securities

We may invest in non-U.S. securities, which may include securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. currencies and securities of companies in emerging markets, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.

Structured Products

We may invest in structured products, which may include collateralized debt obligations, collateralized bond obligations, collateralized loan obligations, structured notes and credit-linked notes. The issuers of such investment products may be structured as trusts or other types of pooled investment vehicles. Such products may also involve the deposit with or purchase by an entity of the underlying investments 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.

Derivatives

We may also invest from time to time in derivatives, including total return swaps, interest rate swaps, credit default swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. We anticipate that any use of derivatives would primarily be as a substitute for investing in conventional securities or to hedge potential risk that is identified by the Advisor.

Investments in Private Investment Funds

We may invest in, or wholly own, private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, limited liability companies, real estate investment trusts and other business entities. In particular, we expect we may invest in asset-based opportunities through joint ventures, investment platforms or build-ups that provide one or more of the following services: origination or sourcing of potential investment opportunities, due diligence and negotiation of potential investment opportunities and/or servicing, development and management (including turnaround) and disposition of investments. Such investments in joint ventures, platforms and build-ups may be in or alongside existing or newly formed operators, consultants and/or managers that pursue such opportunities and may or may not include capital and/or assets contributed by third party investors. Such investments may include opportunities to direct-finance physical assets, such as airplanes and ships, and/or operating assets, such as financial service entities, as opposed to investment securities, or to invest in origination and/or servicing platforms directly. These asset-based opportunities are expected to offer mezzanine-like structural downside protection as well as asset collateral, and equity-like upside that can be achieved through appreciation at the asset-level or, in the case of platforms, through growth of the enterprise value. Key areas of focus include, without limitation, (i) aircraft, (ii) shipping, (iii) renewables, (iv) real estate, (v) consumer finance, and (vi) energy/infrastructure.

Investments with Third-Parties

We may co-invest with third parties through partnerships, joint ventures or other entities, thereby acquiring jointly-controlled or non-controlling interests in certain investments in conjunction with participation by one or more third parties in such investment. Such joint venture partners or third party managers may include former personnel of the Advisor or its affiliates or associated persons.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We may maintain a certain level of cash or equivalent instruments, including money market funds, to make follow-on investments, if necessary, in existing portfolio companies or to take advantage of new opportunities.

Comparison of Targeted Debt Investments to Corporate Bonds

Loans to private companies are debt instruments that can be compared to corporate bonds to aid an investor’s understanding. As with corporate bonds, loans to private companies can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer’s cash flows, the quality of assets securing debt and the degree to which

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such assets cover the subject company’s debt obligations. As is the case in the corporate bond market, we will require greater returns for securities that we perceive to carry increased risk. The companies in which we invest may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and, in many cases, will not be rated by national rating agencies. When our targeted debt investments do carry ratings from a NRSRO, we believe that such ratings generally will be below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s or lower than “BBB-” by S&P). To the extent we make unrated investments, we believe that such investments would likely receive similar ratings if they were to be examined by a NRSRO. Compared to below-investment grade corporate bonds that are typically available to the public, our targeted senior secured and second lien secured loan investments are higher in the capital structure, have priority in receiving payment, are secured by the issuer’s assets, allow the lender to seize collateral if necessary, and generally exhibit higher rates of recovery in the event of default. Corporate bonds, on the other hand, are often unsecured obligations of the issuer.

The market for loans to private companies possesses several key differences compared to the corporate bond market. For instance, due to a possible lack of debt ratings for certain middle market firms, and also due to the reduced availability of information for private companies, investors must conduct extensive due diligence investigations before committing to an investment. This intensive due diligence process gives the investor significant access to management, which is often not possible in the case of corporate bondholders, who rely on underwriters, debt rating agencies and publicly available information for due diligence reviews and monitoring of corporate issuers. While holding these investments, private debt investors often receive monthly or quarterly updates on the portfolio company’s financial performance, along with possible representation on the company’s board of directors, which allows the investor to take remedial action quickly if conditions happen to deteriorate. Due to reduced liquidity, the relative scarcity of capital and extensive due diligence and expertise required on the part of the investor, we believe that private debt securities typically offer higher returns than corporate bonds of equivalent credit quality.

Sources of Income

The primary means through which our stockholders will receive a return of value is through interest income, dividends and capital gains generated by our investments. In addition to these sources of income, we may receive fees paid by our portfolio companies, including one-time closing fees paid at the time each investment is made. Closing fees typically range from 1.0% to 2.0% of the purchase price of an investment. In addition, we may generate revenues in the form of non-recurring commitment, origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing managerial assistance, consulting fees and performance-based fees.

Risk Management

We seek to limit the downside potential of our investment portfolio by, among other things:

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applying our investment strategy guidelines for portfolio investments;

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requiring a total return on investments (including both interest and potential appreciation) that adequately compensates us for credit risk;

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•

allocating our portfolio among various issuers and industries, size permitting, with an adequate number of companies, across different industries, with different types of collateral; and

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negotiating or seeking debt investments with covenants or features that protect us while affording portfolio companies flexibility in managing their businesses consistent with preservation of capital, which may include affirmative and negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change of control provisions and board rights.

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We may also enter into interest rate hedging transactions at the sole discretion of the Advisor. Such transactions will enable us to selectively modify interest rate exposure as market conditions dictate.

Affirmative Covenants

Affirmative covenants require borrowers to take actions that are meant to ensure the solvency of the company, facilitate the lender’s monitoring of the borrower, and ensure payment of interest and loan principal due to lenders. Examples of affirmative covenants include covenants requiring the borrower to maintain adequate insurance, accounting and tax records, and to produce frequent financial reports for the benefit of the lender.

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Negative Covenants

Negative covenants impose restrictions on the borrower and are meant to protect lenders from actions that the borrower may take that could harm the credit quality of the lender’s investments. Examples of negative covenants include restrictions on the payment of dividends and restrictions on the issuance of additional debt without the lender’s approval. In addition, certain covenants restrict a borrower’s activities by requiring it to meet certain earnings interest coverage ratio and leverage ratio requirements. These covenants are also referred to as financial or maintenance covenants.

Investment Process

The investment professionals employed by the Advisor or its affiliates have spent their careers developing the resources necessary to invest in private companies. Our current transaction process is highlighted below.

Our Transaction Process

Sourcing

The relationships of the Advisor and its affiliates provide us with access to a robust and established pipeline of investment opportunities sourced from a variety of different investment channels, including private equity sponsors, non-sponsored corporates, financial advisors, banks, brokers and family offices. In addition, access to KKR & Co.’s Capital Markets and KKR’s Principal Finance strategies provide us with additional origination opportunities.

Evaluation

Screening. Once a potential investment has been identified, the Advisor screens the opportunity and makes a preliminary determination concerning whether to proceed with a more comprehensive deal-level due diligence review.

Pipeline/Risk Update. Upon review of the full deal pipeline, the Advisor raises key risks and issues to determine whether or not an investment meets our basic investment criteria and offers an acceptable probability of attractive returns with identifiable downside risk. The objective is for the Advisor to identify a suitable and attractive opportunity for a more comprehensive due diligence review based on the facts and circumstances surrounding the investment.

Deal-level Q&A: After an investment has been identified and preliminary due diligence has been completed, screening memos and a credit research analysis is prepared. These reports are reviewed by the Advisor’s investment committee, or the Investment Committee, to discuss key diligence and structuring issues. Following the Advisor’s review, the Investment Committee will complete any incremental due diligence prior to formal Investment Committee approval. Though each transaction may involve a somewhat different approach, the Advisor’s diligence of each opportunity could include:

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a full operational analysis to identify the key risks and opportunities of the target’s business, including a detailed review of historical and projected financial results;

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a detailed analysis of industry dynamics, competitive position, regulatory, tax and legal matters;

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on-site visits, if deemed necessary;

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background checks to further evaluate management and other key personnel;

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a review by legal and accounting professionals, environmental or other industry consultants, if necessary;

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•

financial sponsor due diligence, including portfolio company and lender reference checks, if necessary; and

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a review of management’s experience and track record.

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Execution

Following any incremental due diligence, the Investment Committee is presented with a formal recommendation for approval. Once the Investment Committee has determined that the portfolio company is suitable for investment, the Advisor works with the management team of the prospective company to finalize the structure and terms of the investment. We believe that structuring transactions appropriately is a key factor to producing strong investment results. Accordingly, we will actively consider transaction structures and seek to process and negotiate terms that provide the best opportunities for superior risk-adjusted returns.

Post-Investment Monitoring

Portfolio Monitoring. The Advisor monitors our portfolio with a focus toward anticipating negative credit events. To maintain portfolio company performance and help to ensure a successful exit, the Advisor works closely with, as applicable, the lead equity sponsor, loan syndicator, portfolio company management, consultants, advisers and other security holders to discuss financial position, compliance with covenants, financial requirements and execution of the company’s business plan. In addition, depending on the size, nature and performance of the transaction, we may occupy a seat or serve as an observer on a portfolio company’s board of directors or similar governing body.

Typically, the Advisor receives financial reports detailing operating performance, sales volumes, margins, cash flows, financial position and other key operating metrics on a quarterly basis from our portfolio companies. The Advisor uses this data, combined with due diligence gained through contact with the company’s customers, suppliers, competitors, market research and other methods, to conduct an ongoing, rigorous assessment of the company’s operating performance and prospects.

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, the Advisor uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the expected level of returns on each investment in our portfolio. The Advisor uses an investment rating scale of 1 to 4. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Portfolio Asset Quality” for a description of the conditions associated with each investment rating.

Valuation Process. Each quarter, we value investments in our portfolio, and such values are disclosed each quarter in reports filed with the SEC. Investments for which market quotations are readily available are recorded at such market quotations. With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, our board of directors determines the fair value of such investments in good faith, utilizing the input of our valuation committee, the Advisor and any other professionals or materials that our board of directors deems relevant, including independent third-party pricing services and independent third-party valuation services, if applicable. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Policies-Valuation of Portfolio Investments.”

Managerial Assistance. As a BDC, we must offer, and provide upon request, managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve, among other things, monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. Depending on the nature of the assistance required, the Advisor will provide such managerial assistance on our behalf to portfolio companies that request this assistance. To the extent fees are paid for these services, we, rather than the Advisor, will retain any fees paid for such assistance.

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Exit

While we attempt to invest in securities that may be sold in a privately negotiated OTC market, providing us a means by which we may exit our positions, we expect that a large portion of our portfolio may not be sold on this secondary market. For any investments that are not able to be sold within this market, we focus primarily on investing in companies whose business models and growth prospects offer attractive exit possibilities, including repayment of our investments, an initial public offering of equity securities, a merger, a sale or a recapitalization, in each case with the potential for capital gains.

Regulation

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates, principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. The 1940 Act requires that a majority of our 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.

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

We will generally not be able to issue and sell shares of any class of our common stock at a price per share, after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts, that is below the net asset value per share of the applicable class. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Business Development Companies—Regulations governing our operation as a BDC and a RIC will affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth.” We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current net asset value of any class of our common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. In addition, we may generally issue new shares of any class of our common stock at a price below the net asset value per share of such class in rights offerings to existing stockholders, in payment of dividends and in certain other limited circumstances.

As a BDC, we are subject to certain regulatory restrictions in making our investments. For example, BDCs generally are not permitted to co-invest with certain affiliated entities in transactions originated by the BDC or its affiliates in the absence of an exemptive order from the SEC. However, BDCs are permitted to, and may, simultaneously co-invest in transactions where price is the only negotiated term. In an order dated April 3, 2018, the SEC granted exemptive relief permitting us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain privately negotiated investment transactions, including investments originated and directly negotiated by the Advisor or KKR Credit, with our co-investment affiliates. Under the terms of this relief, a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors must make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including that (1) the terms of the proposed transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our stockholders and do not involve overreaching of us or our stockholders on the part of any person concerned and (2) the transaction is consistent with the interests of our stockholders and is consistent with our investment objectives and strategy and any criteria established by our board of directors.

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 any of the following:

1.

Securities purchased in transactions not involving any public offering from the issuer of such securities, which issuer (subject to certain limited exceptions) is an eligible portfolio company, or

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from any person who is, or has been during the preceding 13 months, an affiliated person of an eligible portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to such rules as may be prescribed by the SEC. An eligible portfolio company is defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer which:

a.

is organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in, the United States;

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b.

is not an investment company (other than a small business investment company wholly owned by the BDC) or a company that would be an investment company but for certain exclusions under the 1940 Act; and

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c.

satisfies any of the following:

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i.

does not have any class of securities that is traded on a national securities exchange;

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ii.

has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange, but has an aggregate market value of outstanding voting and non-voting common equity of less than $250 million;

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iii.

is controlled by a BDC or a group of companies including a BDC and the BDC has an affiliated person who is a director of the eligible portfolio company; or

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iv.

is a small and solvent company having total assets of not more than $4.0 million and capital and surplus of not less than $2.0 million.

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2.

Securities of any eligible portfolio company that we control.

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3.

Securities purchased in a private transaction from a U.S. issuer that is not an investment company or from an affiliated person of the issuer, or in transactions incident thereto, if the issuer is in bankruptcy and subject to reorganization or if the issuer, immediately prior to the purchase of its securities was unable to meet its obligations as they came due without material assistance other than conventional lending or financing arrangements.

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4.

Securities of an eligible portfolio company purchased from any person in a private transaction if there is no ready market for such securities and we already own 60% of the outstanding equity of the eligible portfolio company.

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5.

Securities received in exchange for or distributed on or with respect to securities described in (1) through (4) above, or pursuant to the exercise of warrants or rights relating to such securities.

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6.

Cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment.

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In addition, a BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above.

For purposes of Section 55(a) under the 1940 Act, we will treat each loan underlying a total return swap as a qualifying asset if the obligor on such loan is an eligible portfolio company and as a non-qualifying asset if the obligor is not an eligible portfolio company. We may, however, accord different treatment to a total return swap in the future in accordance with any applicable new rules or interpretations adopted by the staff of the SEC.

Managerial Assistance to Portfolio Companies

In order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, we must either control the issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above) significant managerial assistance; except that, where we purchase 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, cash equivalents, including money market funds, U.S. 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 U.S. Treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S. 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 that 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. However, if more than 25% of our total assets constitute repurchase agreements from a single counterparty, we would not meet the diversification tests in order to maintain our qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes as described below under “—Taxation as a RIC.” Thus, we do not intend to enter into repurchase agreements with a single counterparty in excess of this limit. The Advisor will monitor the creditworthiness of the counterparties with which we enter into repurchase agreement transactions.

Senior Securities

We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of debt and one class of stock senior to our Class T 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 stockholders 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 asset coverage. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Debt Financing” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Business Development Companies.”

For purposes of the asset coverage ratio test applicable to us as a BDC, we will treat the outstanding notional amount of a total return swap, less the initial amount of any cash collateral required to be posted under the total return swap, as a senior security for the life of that instrument. We may, however, accord different treatment to the total return swap in the future in accordance with any applicable new rules or interpretations adopted by the staff of the SEC.

Code of Ethics

We and the Advisor have each adopted a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 promulgated under the 1940 Act that, among other things, establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions. Personnel subject to the codes may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as such investments are made in accordance with each code’s requirements. Each code of ethics is available on our website at www.fsinvestments.com and on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at www.sec.gov .

Compliance Policies and Procedures

We and the Advisor have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws and are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation. Our chief compliance officer and the chief compliance officer of the Advisor are responsible for administering these policies and procedures.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

We have delegated our proxy voting responsibility to the Advisor. The proxy voting policies and procedures of the Advisor are set forth below. The guidelines are reviewed periodically by the Advisor and our independent directors, and, accordingly, are subject to change.

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

The Advisor will vote proxies relating to our securities in the best interest of its clients’ stockholders. It will review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted for a stockholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by its clients. Although the Advisor will generally vote against proposals that may have a negative impact on its clients’ portfolio securities, it may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so.

The proxy voting decisions of the Advisor are made by the senior officers who are responsible for monitoring each of its clients’ investments. To ensure that its vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, it will require that: (a) anyone involved in the decision-making process disclose to its chief compliance officer any potential conflict that he or she is aware of and any contact that he or she has had with any interested party regarding a proxy vote; and (b) employees involved in the decision making process or vote administration are prohibited from revealing how the Advisor intends to vote on a proposal in order to reduce any attempted influence from interested parties.

You may obtain information, without charge, regarding how the Advisor voted proxies with respect to our portfolio securities by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Chief Compliance Officer, FS Investment Corporation IV, 201 Rouse Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19112 or by calling us collect at (215) 495-1150.

Other

We will be 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 stockholders arising from willful misconduct, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.

Securities Exchange Act and Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance

We are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, including the filing of quarterly, annual and current reports, proxy statements and other required items. In addition, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. Many of these requirements affect us. For example:

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pursuant to Rule 13a-14 promulgated under the Exchange Act, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer are required to certify the accuracy of the financial statements contained in our periodic reports;

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pursuant to Item 307 of Regulation S-K, our periodic reports are required to disclose our conclusions about the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures;

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pursuant to Rule 13a-15 promulgated under the Exchange Act, our management is required to prepare a report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and

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pursuant to Item 308 of Regulation S-K, our auditors must attest to, and report on, our management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting.

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

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Taxation as a RIC

We have elected to be subject to tax as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we timely distribute each tax year as distributions to our stockholders. To qualify for and maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, in order to maintain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute to our stockholders, for each tax year, distributions generally of an amount at least equal to 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally the sum of our net ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, or the Annual Distribution Requirement.

If we:

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qualify as a RIC; and

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satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement,

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then we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our income or capital gains we distribute (or are deemed to distribute) as distributions to our stockholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gains not distributed (or deemed distributed) as distributions to our stockholders.

As a RIC, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute distributions in a timely manner to our stockholders generally of an amount at least equal to the sum of  (1) 98% of our net ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income, which is the excess of capital gains in excess of capital losses, or “capital gain net income” (as adjusted for certain ordinary losses), for the one-year period ending October 31 of that calendar year and (3) any net ordinary income and capital gain net income for the preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax, or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement. Any distribution declared by us during October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated as if it had been paid by us, as well as received by our U.S. stockholders, on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared.

We have previously incurred, and may incur in the future, such excise tax on a portion of our income and capital gains. While we intend to distribute income and capital gains to minimize exposure to the 4% excise tax, we may not be able to, or may choose not to, distribute amounts sufficient to avoid the imposition of the tax entirely. In that event, we generally will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which we do not meet the excise tax avoidance requirement.

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

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continue to qualify as a BDC under the 1940 Act at all times during each tax year;

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derive in each tax year at least 90% of our gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities, loans, gains from the sale of stock or other securities, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or other income derived with respect to our business of investing in such stock or other securities, or the 90% Income Test; and

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diversify our holdings so that at the end of each quarter of the tax year:

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at least 50% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities if such other securities of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of our assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer; and

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•

no more than 25% of the value of our assets is invested in the securities, other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs, of one issuer, of two or more issuers that are controlled, as determined under applicable Code rules, by us and that are engaged in the same or similar or related trades or businesses or of certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or the Diversification Tests.

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A RIC is limited in its ability to deduct expenses in excess of its investment company taxable income. If our expenses in a given tax year exceed our investment company taxable income, we may experience a net operating loss for that tax year. However, a RIC is not permitted to carry forward net operating losses to subsequent tax years and such net operating losses do not pass through to its stockholders. In addition, deductible expenses can be used only to offset investment company taxable income, not net capital gain. A RIC may not use any net capital losses (that is, the excess of realized capital losses over realized capital gains) to offset its investment company taxable income, but may carry forward such net capital losses, and use them to offset future capital gains, indefinitely. Due to these limits on deductibility of expenses and net capital losses, we may for tax purposes have aggregate taxable income for several years that we are required to distribute and that is taxable to our stockholders even if such taxable income is greater than the net income we actually earn during those years.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, if we hold debt instruments that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt instruments that were issued with warrants), we must include in income each tax 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 tax year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Further, we have elected to amortize market discount and include such amounts in our taxable income in the current tax year, instead of upon their disposition, as an election not to do so would limit our ability to deduct interest expense for tax purposes.

We invest a portion of our net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for us. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when we may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt instruments in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. We will address these and other issues to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that we distribute sufficient income to avoid any material U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the tax year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code. We may have to sell or otherwise dispose of some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized to borrow funds and to sell or otherwise dispose of assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. However, under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our stockholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests are met. See “—Regulation — Senior Securities.” Moreover, our ability to sell or otherwise dispose of assets to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements

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relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we sell or otherwise dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

A portfolio company in which we invest may face financial difficulties that require us to work-out, modify or otherwise restructure our investment in the portfolio company. Any such transaction could, depending upon the specific terms of the transaction, result in unusable capital losses and future non-cash income. Any such transaction could also result in our receiving assets that give rise to non-qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test or otherwise would not count toward satisfying the Diversification Tests.

Some of the income that we might otherwise earn, such as fees for providing managerial assistance, certain fees earned with respect to our investments, income recognized in a work-out or restructuring of a portfolio investment, or income recognized from an equity investment in an operating partnership, may not satisfy the 90% Income Test. To manage the risk that such income might disqualify us as a RIC for failure to satisfy the 90% Income Test, one or more subsidiary entities treated as U.S. corporations for entity-level income tax purposes may be employed to earn such income and (if applicable) hold the related asset. Such subsidiary entities will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax on their earnings, which ultimately will reduce the yield to our stockholders on such fees and income.

Competition

Our primary competitors for investments include other BDCs and investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds and CLO funds). In addition, alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, have begun to invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in middle market private U.S. companies. We also compete with traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks. We believe we will be able to compete with these entities for financing opportunities on the basis of, among other things, the experience of the Advisor’s senior management team. Furthermore, while we believe that regulatory changes and other factors have diminished the role of traditional financial institutions and certain other capital providers in providing financing to middle market private U.S. companies, we are not certain whether this trend will continue as a result of the potentially changing regulatory landscape. For additional information, see “—Potential Market Opportunity” and “—Potential Competitive Strengths.”

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 capital 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 than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors have greater experience operating under, or are not subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities, which could delay deployment of our capital, reduce returns and result in losses.”

Employees

We do not currently have any employees. Each of our executive officers is a principal, officer or employee of the Advisor or its affiliates, which manages and oversees our investment operations. In the future, the Advisor may retain additional investment personnel based upon its needs.

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Available Information

For so long as our charter requires, within 60 days after the end of each fiscal quarter, we will distribute our quarterly report on Form 10-Q to all stockholders of record and to the state securities administrator in each state in which we offer or sell securities. In addition, for so long as our charter requires, we will distribute our annual report on Form 10-K to all stockholders and to the state securities administrator in each state in which we offer or sell securities within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year. These reports will also be available on our website at www.fsinvestments.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K and stockholders should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K.

We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. This information is available free of charge by calling us collect at (215) 495-1150 or on our website at www.fsinvestments.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated into this annual report on Form 10-K and you should not consider such information to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K. Such information is also available from the EDGAR database on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov .

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common stock to persons not affiliated with us or the Advisor. We are subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including the risk that we will not achieve our investment objectives and that the value of our common stock could decline substantially.

Only a limited number of shares may be repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program and stockholders may not be able to sell all of their shares under our share repurchase program or recover the amount of their investment in those shares.

Our share repurchase program includes numerous restrictions that limit stockholders’ ability to sell their shares. We intend to limit the number of shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program as follows: (1) we currently intend to limit the number of shares to be repurchased during any calendar year to the greater of  (x) the number of shares we can repurchase with the proceeds we receive from the sale of our shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the twelve-month period ending on the expiration date of the repurchase offer (less the amount of any such proceeds used to repurchase shares on each previous repurchase date for tender offers conducted during such period) and (y) the number of shares that we can repurchase with the proceeds we receive from the sale of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan during the three-month period ending on the expiration date of the repurchase offer, although at the discretion of our board of directors, we may also use cash on hand, cash available from borrowings and cash from the liquidation of securities as of the end of the applicable period to repurchase shares; (2) we will limit the number of shares to be repurchased in any calendar year to 10% of the weighted average number of shares outstanding in the prior calendar year, or 2.5% in each calendar quarter (though the actual number of shares that we offer to repurchase may be less in light of the limitations noted above); (3) unless stockholders tender all of their shares, stockholders must tender at least 25% of the number of shares they have purchased and generally must maintain a minimum balance of  $5,000 in Class T shares, subsequent to submitting a portion of their shares for repurchase by us; and (4) to the extent that the number of shares tendered for repurchase exceeds the number of shares that we are able to purchase, we will repurchase shares on a pro rata basis, not on a first-come, first-served basis. If we offer additional classes of our common stock, our board of directors reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to limit the number of shares to be repurchased for each class by applying the limitations on the number of shares to be repurchased, noted above, on a per class basis. Further, we will have no obligation to repurchase shares if the repurchase would violate the restrictions on distributions under federal law or Maryland law, which prohibits distributions that would cause a corporation to fail to meet statutory tests of solvency. The foregoing limitations have prevented us in recent quarters and may continue to prevent us in the future from accommodating all repurchase requests made in any year.

In addition, our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program upon 30 days’ notice. We will notify stockholders of such developments (1) in our quarterly reports or (2) by means of a separate mailing to stockholders, accompanied by disclosure in a current or periodic report under the Exchange Act. In addition, although we have adopted a share repurchase program, we have discretion to not repurchase shares, to suspend the share repurchase program and to cease repurchases. In addition, any shares repurchased pursuant to our share repurchase program may be purchased at a significant discount from the purchase price stockholders paid for the shares being repurchased. Further, the share repurchase program has many limitations and should not be relied upon as a method to sell shares promptly or at a desired price. For additional details regarding the price at which we expect to purchase shares pursuant to our share repurchase program, see “—The timing of our repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program may be at a time that is disadvantageous to our stockholders.” and “Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and the Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities — Share Repurchase Program.”

Additionally, our repurchase of shares will decrease our assets, and, therefore, will have the effect of increasing our expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect our ability to be fully invested or force us to maintain a higher percentage of our assets in liquid investments, which may harm our investment performance.

The timing of our repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program may be at a time that is disadvantageous to our stockholders.

When we make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to our share repurchase program, we may offer to repurchase shares at a price that is lower than the price that stockholders paid for shares in our offering. As

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a result, to the extent investors have the ability to sell their shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the price at which a stockholder may sell shares, which we expect will be at the net offering price in effect on the date of repurchase, may be lower than what an investor paid in connection with the purchase of shares in our offering.

In addition, in the event a stockholder chooses to participate in our share repurchase program, the stockholder will be required to provide us with notice of intent to participate prior to knowing what the repurchase price will be on the repurchase date. Although a stockholder will have the ability to withdraw a repurchase request prior to the expiration date of such tender offer, to the extent a stockholder seeks to sell shares to us as part of our share repurchase program, the stockholder will be required to do so without knowledge of what the repurchase price of our shares will be on the repurchase date.

We may pay distributions from offering proceeds, borrowings or the sale of assets to the extent our cash flows from operations, net investment income or earnings are not sufficient to fund declared distributions.

We may fund distributions from the uninvested proceeds of a securities offering and borrowings, and we have not established limits on the amount of funds we may use from such proceeds or borrowings to make any such distributions. We have paid and may continue to pay distributions from the sale of assets to the extent distributions exceed our earnings or cash flows from operations. Distributions from offering proceeds or from borrowings could reduce the amount of capital we ultimately invest in our portfolio companies.

A stockholder’s interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of an investment in us.

Our stockholders do not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. Our charter authorizes us to issue 1,100,000,000 shares of common stock. Pursuant to our charter, a majority of our entire board of directors may amend our charter to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock without stockholder approval. After an investor purchases shares, our board of directors may elect to sell additional shares in the future, issue equity interests in private offerings or issue share-based awards to our independent directors or employees of the Advisor. To the extent we issue additional equity interests after an investor purchases our shares, an investor’s percentage ownership interest in us will be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, a stockholder may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of his or her shares.

Our distributions to stockholders may be funded from deferrals of investment advisory fees that may be subject to future payment.

On November 14, 2018, the Advisor announced that for any calendar quarter ending on or prior to September 30, 2019, it will defer the receipt of base management fees under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement if, and to the extent that, our distributions paid to our stockholders in the calendar quarter exceeds the sum of our investment company taxable income (as defined in Section 852 of the Code), net capital gains (as defined in Section 1222 of the Code) and dividends and other distributions paid to us on account of preferred and common equity investments in portfolio companies (to the extent such amounts were not included in net investment company taxable income or net capital gains) in the calendar quarter, or collectively, our distributable funds on a tax basis. The Advisor will only receive any deferred fees in a future calendar quarter if, and to the extent that, our distributable funds on a tax basis in the future calendar quarter exceeds our distributions paid to our stockholders in such quarter. Any payment of deferred base management fees may reduce the amount that we could otherwise distribute in the future. There can be no assurance that the Advisor will continue this program following September 30, 2019.

Certain provisions of our charter and bylaws, as well as provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the value of our common stock.

The Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, and our charter and bylaws contain certain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making difficult a change in control of our company or the removal of our incumbent directors. Under the Business Combination Act of the MGCL, certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally to include any

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person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding shares) or an affiliate thereof is prohibited for five years and thereafter is subject to special stockholder voting requirements, to the extent that such statute is not superseded by applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. However, our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any person to the extent that such business combination receives the prior approval of our board of directors, including a majority of our directors who are not interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the Control Share Acquisition Act of the MGCL, “control shares” acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquirer, by officers or by directors who are employees of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our common stock, but such provision may be repealed at any time (before or after a control share acquisition). However, we will amend our bylaws to repeal such provision (so as to be subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act) only if our board of directors determines that it would be in our best interests and if the staff of the SEC does not object to our determination that our being subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act does not conflict with the 1940 Act. The Business Combination Act (if our board of directors should repeal the resolution) and the Control Share Acquisition Act (if we amend our bylaws to be subject to that Act) may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer.

In addition, certain provisions of the MGCL permit our board of directors, without stockholder approval and regardless of what is currently provided in our charter or bylaws, to implement certain takeover defenses, including adopting a classified board or increasing the vote required to remove a director.

Moreover, our board of directors may, without stockholder action, authorize the issuance of shares of stock in one or more classes or series, including preferred stock; and our board of directors may, without stockholder action, amend our charter to increase the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue.

These provisions may inhibit a change of control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the value of our common stock.

The net asset value of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The net asset value of our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include: (i) changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs; (ii) loss of RIC or BDC status; (iii) changes in earnings or variations in operating results; (iv) changes in the value of our portfolio of investments; (v) changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments; (vi) any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors; (vii) departure of our investment adviser or certain of its key personnel; (viii) general economic trends and other external factors; and (ix) loss of a major funding source.

Holders of any preferred stock that we may issue will have the right to elect members of the board of directors and have class voting rights on certain matters.

The 1940 Act requires that holders of shares of preferred stock must be entitled as a class to elect two directors at all times and to elect a majority of the directors if dividends on such preferred stock are in arrears by two years or more, until such arrearage is eliminated. In addition, certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of the holders of any issued and outstanding preferred stock, including changes in fundamental investment restrictions and conversion to open-end status and, accordingly, preferred stockholders could veto any such changes. Restrictions imposed on the declarations and payment of dividends or other distributions to the holders of our common stock and preferred stock, both by the 1940 Act and by requirements imposed by rating agencies, might impair our ability to maintain our qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

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Risks Related to Our Investments

Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky, and we could lose all or part of our investment.

Our investments in senior secured loans, second lien secured loans, senior secured bonds, subordinated debt and equity of private U.S. companies, including middle market companies, may be risky and there is no limit on the amount of any such investments in which we may invest.

Senior Secured Loans, Second Lien Secured Loans and Senior Secured Bonds . There is a risk that any collateral pledged by portfolio companies in which we have taken a security interest may decrease in value over time or lose its entire value, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital. To the extent our debt investment is collateralized by the securities of a portfolio company’s subsidiaries, such securities may lose some or all of their value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the portfolio company. Also, in some circumstances, our security interest may be contractually or structurally subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the debt. Secured debt that is under-collateralized involves a greater risk of loss. In addition, second lien secured debt is granted a second priority security interest in collateral, which means that any realization of collateral will generally be applied to pay senior secured debt in full before second lien secured debt is paid. Consequently, the fact that debt is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the debt’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the debt should we be forced to enforce our remedies.

Subordinated Debt. Our subordinated debt investments will generally rank junior in priority of payment to senior debt and will generally be unsecured. This may result in a heightened level of risk and volatility or a loss of principal, which could lead to the loss of the entire investment. These investments may involve additional risks that could adversely affect our investment returns. To the extent interest payments associated with such debt are deferred, such debt may be subject to greater fluctuations in valuations, and such debt could subject us and our stockholders to non-cash income. Because we will not receive any principal repayments prior to the maturity of some of our subordinated debt investments, such investments will be of greater risk than amortizing loans.

Equity and Equity-Related Securities. We may make select equity investments. In addition, in connection with our debt investments, we on occasion receive equity interests such as warrants or options as additional consideration. 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.

Convertible Securities. We may invest in convertible securities, such as bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into, or exchanged for, a specified amount of common stock of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security held by us is called for redemption, it will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective.

Structured Products. We may invest in structured products, which may include collateralized debt obligations, collateralized bond obligations, collateralized loan obligations, structured notes and credit-linked notes. When investing in structured products, we may invest in any level of the subordination chain, including subordinated (lower-rated) tranches and residual interests (the lowest tranche). Structured products may be highly levered and therefore, the junior debt and equity tranches that we may invest in are subject to a higher risk of total loss and deferral or nonpayment of interest than the more senior tranches to which they are subordinated. In addition, we will generally have the right to receive payments only from

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the issuer or counterparty, and will generally not have direct rights against the underlying borrowers or entities. Furthermore, the investments we make in structured products are at times thinly traded or have only a limited trading market. As a result, investments in such structured products may be characterized as illiquid securities.

Non-U.S. Securities. We may invest in non-U.S. securities, which may include securities denominated in U.S. dollars or in non-U.S. currencies and securities of companies in emerging markets, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Because evidences of ownership of such securities usually are held outside the United States, we would be subject to additional risks if we invested in non-U.S. securities, which include possible adverse political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits and adoption of governmental restrictions which might adversely affect or restrict the payment of principal and interest on the non-U.S. securities to investors located outside the country of the issuer, whether from currency blockage or otherwise.

Because non-U.S. securities may be purchased with and payable in foreign currencies, the value of these assets as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected unfavorably by changes in currency rates and exchange control regulations. In addition, investing in securities of companies in emerging markets involves many risks, including potential inflationary economic environments, regulation by foreign governments, different accounting standards, political uncertainties and economic, social, political, financial, tax and security conditions in the applicable emerging market, any of which could negatively affect the value of companies in emerging markets or investments in their securities.

Derivatives. We may invest from time to time in derivatives, including total return swaps, interest rate swaps, credit default swaps and foreign currency forward contracts. Derivative investments have risks, including: the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and our underlying assets, which creates the possibility that the loss on such instruments may be greater than the gain in the value of the underlying assets in our portfolio; the loss of principal; the possible default of the other party to the transaction; and illiquidity of the derivative investments. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under a derivative contract due to financial difficulties, we may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding, or may not recover at all. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of a counterparty to a derivative transaction, the derivative contract would typically be terminated at its fair market value. If we are owed this fair market value in the termination of the derivative contract and our claim is unsecured, we will be treated as a general creditor of such counterparty and will not have any claim with respect to the underlying security. Certain of the derivative investments in which we may invest may, in certain circumstances, give rise to a form of financial leverage, which may magnify the risk of owning such instruments. The ability to successfully use derivative investments depends on the ability of the Advisor to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. In addition, amounts paid by us as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to our derivative investments would not be available to it for other investment purposes, which may result in lost opportunities for gain.

The Dodd-Frank Act could, depending on future rulemaking by regulatory agencies, impact the use of derivatives. The Dodd-Frank Act is intended to regulate the OTC derivatives market by requiring many derivative transactions to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expanding entity registration requirements, imposing business conduct requirements on dealers and requiring banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. Future rulemaking to implement these requirements could potentially limit or completely restrict our ability to use these instruments as a part of our investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which we engage in derivative transactions could also prevent us from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change availability of certain investments. The SEC has also indicated that it may adopt new policies on the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Such policies could affect the nature and extent of our use of derivatives.

Investments in Private Funds. We may invest in, or wholly own, private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, limited liability companies, real estate investment trusts, and other business entities. In valuing our investments in private investment funds, we rely primarily on information

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provided by managers of such funds. Valuations of illiquid securities, such as interests in certain private investment funds, involve various judgments and consideration of factors that may be subjective. There is a risk that inaccurate valuations provided by managers of private investment funds could adversely affect the value of our common stock. We may not be able to withdraw our investment in certain private investment funds promptly after it has made a decision to do so, which may result in a loss to us and adversely affect our investment returns.

Below Investment Grade Risk. In addition, we invest in securities that are rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated. Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as “junk,” have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be difficult to value and illiquid.

International investments create additional risks.

We expect to make investments in portfolio companies that are domiciled outside of the United States. We anticipate that up to 30% of our investments may be in these types of assets. Our investments in foreign portfolio companies are deemed “non-qualifying assets,” which means, as required by the 1940 Act, they, along with other non-qualifying assets, may not constitute more than 30% of our total assets at the time of our acquisition of any asset, after giving effect to the acquisition. Notwithstanding the limitation on our ownership of foreign portfolio companies, such investments subject us to many of the same risks as our domestic investments, as well as certain additional risks, including the following:

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foreign governmental laws, rules and policies, including those restricting the ownership of assets in the foreign country or the repatriation of profits from the foreign country to the United States;

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foreign currency devaluations that reduce the value of and returns on our foreign investments;

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adverse changes in the availability, cost and terms of investments due to the varying economic policies of a foreign country in which we invest;

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adverse changes in tax rates, the tax treatment of transaction structures and other changes in operating expenses of a particular foreign country in which we invest;

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the assessment of foreign-country taxes (including withholding taxes, transfer taxes and value added taxes, any or all of which could be significant) on income or gains from our investments in the foreign country;

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adverse changes in foreign-country laws, including those relating to taxation, bankruptcy and ownership of assets;

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changes that adversely affect the social, political and/or economic stability of a foreign country in which we invest;

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high inflation in the foreign countries in which we invest, which could increase the costs to us of investing in those countries;

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deflationary periods in the foreign countries in which we invest, which could reduce demand for our assets in those countries and diminish the value of such investments and the related investment returns to us; and

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legal and logistical barriers in the foreign countries in which we invest that materially and adversely limit our ability to enforce our contractual rights with respect to those investments.

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In addition, we may make investments in countries whose governments or economies may prove unstable. Certain of the countries in which we may invest may have political, economic and legal systems that are unpredictable, unreliable or otherwise inadequate with respect to the implementation, interpretation and enforcement of laws protecting asset ownership and economic interests. In some of the countries in which we may invest, there may be a risk of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, which may have an adverse effect on our portfolio companies in those countries and the rates of return that we are able to achieve on such investments. We may also lose the total value of any investment

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which is nationalized, expropriated or confiscated. The financial results and investment opportunities available to us, particularly in developing countries and emerging markets, may be materially and adversely affected by any or all of these political, economic and legal risks.

Our investments in private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, limited liability companies and other business entities, subject us indirectly to the underlying risks of such private investment funds and additional fees and expenses.

We may invest in private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds, limited liability companies and other business entities which would be required to register as investment companies but for an exemption under Sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. Our investments in private funds are subject to substantial risks. Investments in such private investment funds expose us to the risks associated with the businesses of such funds or entities as well as such private investment funds’ portfolio companies. These private investment funds may or may not be registered investment companies and, thus, may not be subject to protections afforded by the 1940 Act, covering, among other areas, liquidity requirements, governance by an independent board, affiliated transaction restrictions, leverage limitations, public disclosure requirements and custody requirements.

We rely primarily on information provided by managers of private investment funds in valuing our investments in such funds. There is a risk that inaccurate valuations provided by managers of private investment funds could adversely affect the value of our common stock. In addition, there can be no assurance that a manager of a private investment fund will provide advance notice of any material change in such private investment fund’s investment program or policies and thus, our investment portfolio may be subject to additional risks which may not be promptly identified by the Advisor. Moreover, we may not be able to withdraw our investments in certain private investment funds promptly after we make a decision to do so, which may result in a loss to us and adversely affect our investment returns.

Investments in the securities of private investment funds may also involve duplication of advisory fees and certain other expenses. By investing in private investment funds indirectly through us, you bear a pro rata portion of our advisory fees and other expenses, and also indirectly bear a pro rata portion of the advisory fees, performance-based allocations and other expenses borne by us as an investor in the private investment funds. In addition, the purchase of the shares of some private investment funds requires the payment of sales loads and (in the case of closed-end investment companies) sometimes substantial premiums above the value of such investment companies’ portfolio securities.

In addition, certain private investment funds may not provide us with the liquidity we require and would thus subject us to liquidity risk. Further, even if an investment in a private investment fund is deemed liquid at the time of investment, the private investment fund may, in the future, alter the nature of our investments and cease to be a liquid investment fund, subjecting us to liquidity risk.

We may acquire various structured financial instruments for purposes of  “hedging” or reducing our risks, which may be costly and ineffective and could reduce the cash available to service debt or for distribution to stockholders.

We may seek to hedge against interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations and credit risk by using structured financial instruments such as futures, options, swaps and forward contracts, subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. Use of structured financial instruments for hedging purposes may present significant risks, including the risk of loss of the amounts invested. Defaults by the other party to a hedging transaction can result in losses in the hedging transaction. Hedging activities also involve the risk of an imperfect correlation between the hedging instrument and the asset being hedged, which could result in losses both on the hedging transaction and on the instrument being hedged. Use of hedging activities may not prevent significant losses and could increase our losses. Further, hedging transactions may reduce cash available to service our debt or pay distributions to our stockholders.

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Investing in middle market companies involves a number of significant risks, any one of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Investments in middle market companies involve some of the same risks that apply generally to investments in larger, more established companies. However, such investments have more pronounced risks in that they:

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may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral pledged under such securities and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment;

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have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tends to render them more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and changing market conditions, as well as general economic downturns;

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are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our portfolio company and, in turn, on us;

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generally have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position. In addition, our executive officers and directors and members of the Advisor may, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our investments in the portfolio companies; and

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may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs, which may limit their ability to grow or to repay their outstanding indebtedness upon maturity.

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

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.

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. In situations where a bankruptcy carries a high degree of political significance, our legal rights may be subordinated to other creditors. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower’s business or in instances where we exercise control over the borrower or render significant managerial assistance.

Second priority liens on collateral securing debt investments that we make to our portfolio companies may be subject to control by senior creditors with first priority liens. If there is a default, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay in full both the first priority creditors and us.

Certain debt investments that we make in portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing first priority debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the

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

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

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

We generally will not control our portfolio companies.

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

Declines in market values or fair market values of our investments could result in significant net unrealized depreciation of our portfolio, which in turn would reduce our net asset value.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our board of directors. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial

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statements for the applicable period as unrealized depreciation, which could result in a significant reduction to our net asset value for a given period.

A significant portion of our investment portfolio is and will be recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors and, as a result, there is and will be uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value, at fair value, as determined by our board of directors. There is not a public market for the securities of the privately held companies in which we invest. Most of our investments are not publicly traded or actively traded on a secondary market but are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated OTC secondary market for institutional investors or are not traded at all. As a result, we value these securities quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors.

Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include dealer quotes for securities traded on the secondary market for institutional investors, 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, comparison to comparable publicly traded companies, discounted cash flows and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these non-traded securities existed. Due to this uncertainty, our fair value determinations 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 of one or more of our investments.

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

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, investment opportunities and cost of capital and, accordingly, may have a material adverse effect on our investment objectives, our rate of return on invested capital and our ability to service our debt and make distributions to our stockholders. In addition, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt for our financing needs, if any.

Our investment portfolio primarily consists of senior secured debt with maturities typically ranging from three to seven years. The longer the duration of these securities, generally, the more susceptible they are to changes in market interest rates. As market interest rates increase, those securities with a lower yield-at-cost can experience a mark-to-market unrealized loss. An impairment of the fair market value of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period and may therefore have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for that period.

Because we incur indebtedness to make investments, our net investment income is dependent, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay interest on outstanding debt securities and the rate at which we invest these funds. An increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt to finance our investments or to refinance our current financing arrangements. In addition, certain of our financing arrangements provide for adjustments in the loan interest rate along with changes in market interest rates. Therefore, in periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds will increase, which could materially reduce our net investment income. Any reduction in the level of interest rates on new investments relative to interest rates on our current investments could also adversely impact our net investment income.

We have and may continue to structure the majority of our debt investments with floating interest rates to position our portfolio for rate increases. However, there can be no assurance that this will successfully mitigate our exposure to interest rate risk. For example, in the event of a rising interest rate environment, payments under floating rate debt instruments generally would rise and there may be a significant number of issuers of such floating rate debt instruments that would be unable or unwilling to pay such increased interest costs and may otherwise be unable to repay their loans. Rising interest rates could also cause

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portfolio companies to shift cash from other productive uses to the payment of interest, which may have a material adverse effect on their business and operations and could, over time, lead to increased defaults. Investments in floating rate debt instruments may also decline in value in response to rising interest rates if the interest rates of such investments do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Similarly, during periods of rising interest rates, our fixed rate investments may decline in value because the fixed rate of interest paid thereunder may be below market interest rates.

In July 2017, the head of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority announced the desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is unclear if at that time whether LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. In addition, in April 2018, the Federal Reserve System, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, announced the replacement of LIBOR with a new index, calculated by short-term repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities, called the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or the SOFR. At this time, it is not possible to predict whether SOFR will attain market traction as a LIBOR replacement tool, and the future of LIBOR is still uncertain. As such, the potential effect of the phase-out or replacement of LIBOR on our cost of capital and net investment income cannot yet be determined.

Furthermore, because a rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate in the investment advisory agreement and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to the Advisor with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

A covenant breach by our portfolio companies may harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company.

Our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged.

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

We may not realize gains from our equity investments.

Certain investments that we may make may include equity related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or the cash value of the common stock. In addition, we may make direct equity investments in portfolio companies. 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 may also be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We may be unable to exercise any put rights we acquire, which grant us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company, for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

An investment strategy focused primarily on privately held companies presents certain challenges, including the lack of available information about these companies.

Our investments are primarily in privately held companies. Investments in private companies pose significantly greater risks than investments in public companies. First, private companies have reduced

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access to the capital markets, resulting in diminished capital resources and the ability to withstand financial distress. As a result, these companies, which may present greater credit risk than public companies, may be unable to meet the obligations under their debt securities that we hold. Second, the investments themselves often may be illiquid. The securities of most of the companies in which we invest are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated OTC secondary market for institutional investors. In addition, such securities may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale. As such, we may have difficulty exiting an investment promptly or at a desired price prior to maturity or outside of a normal amortization schedule. In addition, in a restructuring, we may receive substantially different securities than our original investment in a portfolio company, including securities in a different part of the capital structure. These investments may also be difficult to value because little public information generally exists about private companies, requiring an experienced due diligence team to analyze and value the potential portfolio company. Finally, these companies often may not have third-party debt ratings or audited financial statements. We must therefore rely on the ability of the Advisor to obtain adequate information through due diligence to evaluate the creditworthiness and potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information will generally not be subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other rules and regulations that govern public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments.

A lack of liquidity in certain of our investments may adversely affect our business.

We invest in certain companies whose securities are not publicly traded or actively traded on the secondary market and are, instead, traded on a privately negotiated OTC secondary market for institutional investors and whose securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of certain of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. The reduced liquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price or at all, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.

We may not have the funds or ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies. After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to such company or have the opportunity to increase our investment through the exercise of a warrant to purchase common stock. There is no assurance that we will make, or will have sufficient funds to make, follow-on investments. Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

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

We are subject to the risk that the investments we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. When this occurs, we will generally reinvest these proceeds in temporary investments, pending their future investment in new portfolio companies. These temporary investments will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. Any future investment in a new portfolio company may also be at lower yields than the debt that was repaid. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elect to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments, net of prepayment fees, could negatively impact our return on equity.

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Our investments may include original issue discount and PIK instruments.

To the extent that we invest in original issue discount or PIK instruments and the accretion of original issue discount or PIK interest income constitutes a portion of our income, we will be exposed to risks associated with the requirement to include such non-cash income in taxable and accounting income prior to receipt of cash, including the following:

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The higher interest rates on PIK instruments reflect the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with these instruments, and PIK instruments generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans;

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Original issue discount and PIK instruments may have unreliable valuations because the accruals require judgments about collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral;

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An election to defer PIK interest payments by adding them to the principal on such instruments increases our future investment income which increases our gross assets and, as such, increases the Advisor’s future base management fees which, thus, increases the Advisor’s future income incentive fees at a compounding rate;

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Market prices of PIK instruments and other zero coupon instruments are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and may be more volatile than instruments that pay interest periodically in cash. While PIK instruments are usually less volatile than zero coupon debt instruments, PIK instruments are generally more volatile than cash pay securities;

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The deferral of PIK interest on an instrument increases the loan-to-value ratio, which is a measure of the riskiness of a loan, with respect to such instrument;

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Even if the conditions for income accrual under GAAP are satisfied, a borrower could still default when actual payment is due upon the maturity of such loan;

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For accounting purposes, cash distributions to investors representing original issue discount income are not derived from paid-in capital, although they may be paid from the offering proceeds. Thus, although a distribution of original issue discount income may come from the cash invested by investors, the 1940 Act does not require that investors be given notice of this fact;

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Recent tax legislation requires that income be recognized for tax purposes no later than when recognized for financial reporting purposes;

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The required recognition of PIK interest for U.S. federal income tax purposes may have a negative impact on liquidity, as it represents a non-cash component of our investment company taxable income that may require cash distributions to stockholders in order to maintain our ability to be subject to tax as a RIC; and

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Original issue discount may create a risk of non-refundable cash payments to the Advisor based on non-cash accruals that may never be realized.

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We have entered into a total return swap agreement which exposes us to certain risks, including market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

Our wholly-owned financing subsidiary, Cheltenham Funding LLC, or Cheltenham Funding, has entered into a total return swap, or TRS for a portfolio of primarily senior secured floating rate loans with Citibank, N.A., or Citibank. See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of the terms of the TRS.

A TRS is a contract in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the change in the market value of the assets underlying the TRS, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during a specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate. A TRS effectively adds leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Because of the unique structure of a TRS, a TRS often offers lower financing costs than are offered through more traditional borrowing arrangements.

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The TRS with Citibank enables us, through our ownership of Cheltenham Funding, to obtain the economic benefit of owning the loans subject to the TRS, without actually owning them, in return for an interest type payment to Citibank. As such, the TRS is analogous to Cheltenham Funding borrowing funds to acquire loans and incurring interest expense to a lender.

The TRS is subject to market risk, liquidity risk and risk of imperfect correlation between the value of the TRS and the loans underlying the TRS. In addition, we may incur certain costs in connection with the TRS that could in the aggregate be significant. Because this arrangement is not an acquisition of the underlying loans, we have no right directly to enforce compliance with the terms of the loans and have no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the loans. In the event of insolvency of the counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the underlying loans.

A TRS is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In the case of the TRS with Citibank, Cheltenham Funding is required to post cash collateral amounts to secure its obligations to Citibank under the TRS. Citibank, however, is not required to collateralize any of its obligations to Cheltenham Funding under the TRS. Cheltenham Funding bears the risk of depreciation with respect to the value of the loans underlying the TRS and is required under the terms of the TRS to post additional collateral on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the event of depreciation in the value of the underlying loans after such value decreases below a specified amount. The amount of collateral required to be posted by Cheltenham Funding is determined primarily on the basis of the aggregate value of the underlying loans.

The limit on the additional collateral that Cheltenham Funding may be required to post pursuant to the agreements between Cheltenham Funding and Citibank that collectively establish the TRS, which agreements are collectively referred to herein as the TRS Agreement, is equal to the difference between the full notional amount of the loans underlying the TRS and the amount of cash collateral already posted by Cheltenham Funding (determined without consideration of the initial cash collateral posted for each loan included in the TRS). Cheltenham Funding’s maximum liability under the TRS is the amount of any decline in the aggregate value of the loans subject to the TRS, less the amount of the cash collateral previously posted by Cheltenham Funding. Therefore, the absolute risk of loss with respect to the TRS is the notional amount of the TRS.

Included among the customary events of default and termination events in the TRS Agreement are: (a) a failure to satisfy the portfolio criteria or obligation criteria for at least 30 days; (b) a failure to post initial cash collateral or additional collateral as required by the TRS Agreement; (c) a default by Cheltenham Funding or us with respect to indebtedness in an amount equal to or greater than $0.1 million or $10.0 million, respectively; (d) Cheltenham Funding ceasing to be our wholly-owned subsidiary; (e) either us or Cheltenham Funding amending constituent documents to alter our investment strategy in a manner that has or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect; (f) our ceasing to be the investment manager of Cheltenham Funding or having authority to enter into transactions under the TRS on behalf of Cheltenham Funding, and not being replaced by an entity reasonably acceptable to Citibank; (g) the Advisor (or an entity reasonably acceptable to Citibank) ceasing to be our investment adviser (or an affiliate) ceasing to be the investment sub-adviser to the Advisor; (h) Cheltenham Funding failing to comply with its investment strategies or restrictions to the extent such non-compliance has or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect; (i) Cheltenham Funding becoming liable in respect of any obligation for borrowed money, other than arising under the TRS Agreement; (j) we dissolve or liquidate; (k) there occurs, without the prior consent of Citibank, any material change to or departure from our policies or the policies of Cheltenham Funding that may not be changed without the vote of our stockholders and that relates to Cheltenham Funding’s performance of its obligations under the TRS Agreement; and (l) we violate certain provisions of the 1940 Act or our election to be regulated as a BDC is revoked or withdrawn.

In addition to the rights of Citibank to terminate the TRS following an event of default or termination event as described above, Citibank may terminate the TRS on or after April 19, 2019 (January 19, 2019 as of December 31, 2018), or the Citibank Optional Termination Date. Cheltenham Funding may terminate the TRS at any time upon providing no more than 30 days, and no less than 10 days, prior notice to

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Citibank. Any termination prior to the date 30 days before the Citibank Optional Termination Date will result in payment of an early termination fee to Citibank based on the maximum notional amount of the TRS. Under the terms of the TRS, the early termination fee will equal the present value of a stream of monthly payments which would be owed by Cheltenham Funding to Citibank for the period from the termination date through and including the Citibank Optional Termination Date. Such monthly payments will equal the product of  (x) 85%, multiplied by (y) the maximum notional amount of the TRS ($175.0 million as of December 31, 2018), multiplied by (z) 1.60% or 1.50% per annum, as applicable. Other than during the first 90 days and last 30 days of the term of the TRS, Cheltenham Funding is required to pay a minimum usage fee if less than 85% of the maximum notional amount of the TRS is utilized and an unused fee on any amounts unutilized if greater than 85% but less than 100% of the maximum notional amount of the TRS is utilized.

Upon any termination of the TRS, Cheltenham Funding will be required to pay Citibank the amount of any decline in the aggregate value of the loans subject to the TRS or, alternatively, will be entitled to receive the amount of any appreciation in the aggregate value of such loans. In the event that Citibank chooses to exercise its termination rights, it is possible that Cheltenham Funding will owe more to Citibank or, alternatively, will be entitled to receive less from Citibank than it would have if Cheltenham Funding controlled the timing of such termination due to the existence of adverse market conditions at the time of such termination.

In addition, because a TRS is a form of synthetic leverage, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage. See “—Risks Related to Debt Financing.”

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions which expose us to certain risks, including credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

We may from time to time enter into credit default swaps or other derivative transactions that seek to modify or replace the investment performance of a particular reference security or other asset. These transactions are typically individually negotiated, non-standardized agreements between two parties to exchange payments, with payments generally calculated by reference to a notional amount or quantity. Swap contracts and similar derivative contracts are not traded on exchanges; rather, banks and dealers act as principals in these markets. These investments may present risks in excess of those resulting from the referenced security or other asset. Because these transactions are not an acquisition of the referenced security or other asset itself, the investor has no right directly to enforce compliance with the terms of the referenced security or other asset and has no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the referenced security or other asset. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the referenced security or other asset.

A credit default swap is a contract in which one party buys or sells protection against a credit event with respect to an issuer, such as an issuer’s failure to make timely payments of interest or principal on its debt obligations, bankruptcy or restructuring during a specified period. Generally, if we sell credit protection using a credit default swap, we will receive fixed payments from the swap counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will pay the swap counterparty par for the issuer’s defaulted debt securities and the swap counterparty will deliver the defaulted debt securities to us. Generally, if we buy credit protection using a credit default swap, we will make fixed payments to the counterparty and if a credit event occurs with respect to the applicable issuer, we will deliver the issuer’s defaulted securities underlying the swap to the swap counterparty and the counterparty will pay us par for the defaulted securities. Alternatively, a credit default swap may be cash settled and the buyer of protection would receive the difference between the par value and the market value of the issuer’s defaulted debt securities from the seller of protection.

Credit default swaps are subject to the credit risk of the underlying issuer. If we are selling credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, a credit event will occur and we will have to pay the counterparty. If we are buying credit protection, there is a risk that we will not properly assess the risk of the underlying issuer, no credit event will occur and we will receive no benefit for the premium paid.

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A derivative transaction is also subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations thereunder or that we will not be able to meet our obligations to the counterparty. In some cases, we may post collateral to secure our obligations to the counterparty, and we may be required to post additional collateral upon the occurrence of certain events such as a decrease in the value of the reference security or other asset. In some cases, the counterparty may not collateralize any of its obligations to us.

Derivative investments effectively add leverage to a portfolio by providing investment exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. In addition to the risks described above, such arrangements are subject to risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage.

Risks Related to Economic Conditions

Future disruptions or instability in capital markets could negatively impact the valuation of our investments and our ability to raise capital.

From time to time, the global capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability, which could be prolonged and which could materially and adversely impact the broader financial and credit markets, have a negative impact on the valuations of our investments and reduce the availability to us of debt and equity capital. For example, between 2008 and 2009, instability in the global capital markets resulted in disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major domestic and international financial institutions. In particular, the financial services sector was negatively impacted by significant write-offs as the value of the assets held by financial firms declined, impairing their capital positions and abilities to lend and invest.

While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity) and impairments of the market values or fair market values of our investments, even if unrealized, must be reflected in our financial statements for the applicable period, which could result in significant reductions to our net asset value for the period. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities if our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing. Equity capital may also be difficult to raise during periods of adverse or volatile market conditions because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. If we are unable to raise capital or refinance existing debt on acceptable terms, then we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or to fund existing commitments to our portfolio companies. Significant changes in the capital markets may also affect the pace of our investment activity and the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. Thus, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes.

Uncertainty with respect to the financial stability of the United States and several countries in the European Union could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In August 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. from “AAA” to “AA+,” which was last affirmed by S&P in June 2018. Moody’s and Fitch Ratings, Inc. have also warned that they may downgrade the U.S. federal government’s credit rating. In addition, the economic downturn and the significant government interventions into the financial markets and fiscal stimulus spending over the last several years have contributed to significantly increased U.S. budget deficits. The U.S. government has on several occasions adopted legislation to suspend the federal debt ceiling to allow the U.S. Treasury Department to issue additional debt. Further downgrades or warnings by S&P or other rating agencies, and the U.S. government’s credit and deficit concerns in general, including issues around the federal debt ceiling, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms.

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Furthermore, in February 2014, the Federal Reserve began scaling back its bond-buying program, or quantitative easing, which it ended in October 2014. Quantitative easing was designed to stimulate the economy and expand the Federal Reserve’s holdings of long-term securities until key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate, showed signs of improvement. The Federal Reserve also raised interest rates several times since the fourth quarter of 2015. To the extent the Federal Reserve continues to raise rates, and without quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, there is a risk that the debt markets may experience increased volatility and that the liquidity of certain of our investments may be reduced. It is unclear what other effects, if any, the end of quantitative easing, future interest rate raises, if any, and the pace of any such raises will have on the value of our investments or our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms.

In 2010, a financial crisis emerged in Europe, triggered by high budget deficits and rising direct and contingent sovereign debt in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which created concerns about the ability of these nations to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. In January 2012, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating for France, Italy, Spain and six other European countries, which has negatively impacted global markets and economic conditions. In addition, in April 2012, S&P further lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating for Spain. While the financial stability of such countries has improved, risks resulting from any future debt crisis in Europe or any similar crisis could have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, sovereign and non-sovereign debt in these countries and the financial condition of U.S. and European financial institutions. Furthermore, following the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating. Market disruptions in Europe, including the increased cost of funding for certain governments and financial institutions, could negatively impact the global economy, and there can be no assurance that assistance packages will be available, or if available, will be sufficient to stabilize countries and markets in Europe. To the extent uncertainty regarding any economic recovery in Europe negatively impacts consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and home prices, or other credit factors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected.

We may invest in European companies and companies that have operations that may be affected by the Eurozone economy.

We may invest in European companies and companies that have operations that may be affected by the Eurozone economy. For example, concerns regarding the sovereign debt of various Eurozone countries and proposals for investors to incur substantial write-downs and reductions in the face value of certain countries’ sovereign debt have given rise to new concerns about sovereign defaults, particularly following the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, or EU, and the possibility that one or more further countries might leave the EU or the Eurozone and various proposals for support of affected countries and the Euro as a currency. The outcome of this situation cannot yet be predicted. Sovereign debt defaults and EU and/or Eurozone exits, could have material adverse effects on our investments in European companies, including, but not limited to, the availability of credit to support such companies’ financing needs, uncertainty and disruption in relation to financing, customer and supply contracts denominated in the Euro and wider economic disruption in markets served by those companies, while austerity and other measures introduced in order to limit or contain these issues may themselves lead to economic contraction and resulting adverse effects for our business, financial condition and results of operations. It is possible that a number of our investments will be denominated in the Euro. Greece, Ireland and Portugal received one or more “bailouts” from other members of the EU. Although several countries in the Eurozone have agreed to multi-year bailout loans with the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, it is unclear how much additional funding these countries, or other Eurozone countries, will require. Legal uncertainty about the funding of Euro denominated obligations following any breakup or exits from the Eurozone (particularly in the case of investments in companies in affected countries) could also have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted, via referendum, to exit from the EU, triggering political, economic and legal uncertainty. While such uncertainty most directly affects the United Kingdom and the EU, global markets suffered immediate and significant disruption. On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom made a formal notification to the European Council under Article 50 of the Treaty on EU, which

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triggered a two year period during which the terms of an exit will be negotiated. The United Kingdom and the EU are therefore in a period of legal, regulatory and political uncertainty. The United Kingdom’s exit from the EU will impact us and ours investments (and their underlying issuers) in a variety of ways, not all of which are currently readily apparent immediately following the exit vote. We may invest in portfolio companies and other issuers with significant operations and/or assets in the United Kingdom, any of which could be adversely impacted by any new legal, tax and regulatory environment, whether by increased costs or impediments to the implementation of their business plan. Further, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the EU may increase the likelihood of similar referenda in other member states of the EU, which could result in additional departures from the EU and may trigger steps by countries within the United Kingdom to leave the United Kingdom. The uncertainty resulting from any such developments, or the possibility of such developments, would also be likely to cause significant market disruption in the EU and the United Kingdom and more broadly across the global economy, as well as introduce further legal, tax and regulatory uncertainty in the EU and the United Kingdom.

Economic sanction laws in the United States and other jurisdictions may prohibit us and our affiliates from transacting with certain countries, individuals and companies.

Economic sanction laws in the United States and other jurisdictions may prohibit us or our affiliates from transacting with certain countries, individuals and companies. In the United States, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control administers and enforces laws, executive orders and regulations establishing U.S. economic and trade sanctions, which prohibit, among other things, transactions with, and the provision of services to, certain non-U.S. countries, territories, entities and individuals. These types of sanctions may significantly restrict or completely prohibit investment activities in certain jurisdictions, and if we, our portfolio companies or other issuers in which we invest were to violate any such laws or regulations, we may face significant legal and monetary penalties.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other anti-corruption laws and regulations, as well as anti-boycott regulations, may also apply to and restrict our activities, our portfolio companies and other issuers of our investments. If an issuer or we were to violate any such laws or regulations, such issuer or we may face significant legal and monetary penalties. The U.S. government has indicated that it is particularly focused on FCPA enforcement, which may increase the risk that an issuer or us becomes the subject of such actual or threatened enforcement. In addition, certain commentators have suggested that private investment firms and the funds that they manage may face increased scrutiny and/or liability with respect to the activities of their underlying portfolio companies. As such, a violation of the FCPA or other applicable regulations by us or an issuer of our portfolio investments could have a material adverse effect on us. We are committed to complying with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws and regulations, as well as anti-boycott regulations, to which it is subject. As a result, we may be adversely affected because of its unwillingness to enter into transactions that violate any such laws or regulations.

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

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our debt investments during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease, during these periods. Adverse economic conditions may also decrease the value of any collateral securing our debt investments. A prolonged recession may further decrease the value of such collateral and result in losses of value in our portfolio and a decrease in our revenues, net income and net asset value. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us on terms we deem acceptable. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results. Economic downturns or recessions may also result in a portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders, which could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

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A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices could negatively impact the energy and power industry and energy-related investments within our investment portfolio.

Prices for oil and natural gas, which historically have been volatile and may continue to be volatile, may be subject to large fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for oil and natural gas. A prolonged continuation of depressed oil and natural gas prices would adversely affect the credit quality and performance of certain of our debt and equity investments in energy and power and related companies. A decrease in credit quality and performance would, in turn, negatively affect the fair value of these investments, which would consequently negatively affect our net asset value. Should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, the ability of certain of our portfolio companies in the energy and power and related industries to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders may be adversely affected, which could, in turn, negatively impact their financial condition and their ability to satisfy their debt service and other obligations. Likewise, should a prolonged period of depressed oil and natural gas prices occur, it is possible that the cash flow and profit generating capacity of these portfolio companies could also be adversely affected thereby negatively impacting their ability to pay us dividends or distributions on our investments.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on the Advisor’s ability to manage and support our investment process and if our agreement with the Advisor were to be terminated, or if the Advisor loses any members of its senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objectives could be significantly harmed.

Because we have no employees, we depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of the Advisor. The Advisor evaluates, negotiates, structures, executes, monitors and services our investments. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service of the Advisor, as well as its senior management team. The departure of any members of the Advisor’s senior management team could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives depends on the Advisor’s ability to identify, analyze, invest in, finance and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. The Advisor’s capabilities in structuring the investment process, providing competent, attentive and efficient services to us, and facilitating access to financing on acceptable terms depend on the employment of investment professionals in an adequate number and of adequate sophistication to match the corresponding flow of transactions. To achieve our investment objectives, the Advisor may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new investment professionals to participate in our investment selection and monitoring process. The Advisor may not be able to find investment professionals in a timely manner or at all. Failure to support our investment process could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the investment advisory and administrative services agreement has termination provisions that allow the parties to terminate the agreement without penalty. The investment advisory and administrative services agreement may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by the Advisor, upon 60 days’ notice to us. If the investment advisory and administrative services agreement is terminated, it may adversely affect the quality of our investment opportunities. In addition, in the event such agreement is terminated, it may be difficult for us to replace the Advisor and the termination of such agreement may adversely impact the terms of any existing or future financing arrangement, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

The Advisor is a recently-formed investment adviser with a limited track record of acting as an investment adviser to a BDC, and any failure by the Advisor to manage and support our investment process may hinder the achievement of our investment objectives.

The Advisor is a recently-formed investment adviser jointly operated by an affiliate of FS Investments and KKR Credit with limited prior experience acting as an investment adviser to a BDC. The 1940 Act and the Code impose numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs that do not apply to other investment vehicles. While both affiliates of FS Investments and KKR Credit have individually acted as investment

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advisers to BDCs previously, the Advisor’s limited experience in managing a portfolio of assets under the constraints of the 1940 Act and the Code may hinder the Advisor’s ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, may adversely affect our ability to achieve our investment objectives. FS Investments’ and KKR Credit’s individual track records and achievements are not necessarily indicative of the future results they will achieve as a joint investment adviser. Accordingly, we can offer no assurance that we will replicate the historical performance of other investment companies with which FS Investments and KKR Credit have been affiliated, and we caution that our investment returns could be lower than the returns achieved by such other companies.

Because our business model depends to a significant extent upon relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks, the inability of the Advisor to maintain or develop these relationships, or the failure of these relationships to generate investment opportunities, could adversely affect our business.

If the Advisor fails to maintain its existing relationships with private equity sponsors, investment banks and commercial banks on which it relies to provide us with potential investment opportunities or develop new relationships with other sponsors or sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom the Advisor has relationships generally are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and, therefore, there is no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us.

We may face increasing competition for investment opportunities, which could delay deployment of our capital, reduce returns and result in losses.

We compete for investments with other BDCs and investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds and CLO funds), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of funding. Moreover, alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, have begun to invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested, including making investments in middle market private U.S. companies. Furthermore, the potentially changing regulatory landscape as a result of the presidential administration may increase the number of middle market investors. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities in middle market private U.S. companies may intensify. 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 capital 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 than we have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we are able to do. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. 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. A significant part of our competitive advantage stems from the fact that the market for investments in middle market private U.S. companies is underserved by traditional commercial banks and other financial sources. A significant increase in the number and/or the size of our competitors in this target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms. Furthermore, many of our competitors have greater experience operating under, or are not subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC.

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

Our board of directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. Moreover, we have significant investment flexibility within our investment strategies. Therefore, we may invest our assets in ways with which stockholders may not agree. We also cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies, investment criteria and strategies would have on our business, net asset value, operating results and the value of our stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay stockholders distributions and cause them to lose all or part of their investment. Finally, because our shares are not expected to be listed on a national securities exchange for the foreseeable future, stockholders will be limited in their ability to sell their shares in response to any changes in our investment policy, operating policies, investment criteria or strategies.

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There is a risk that investors in our common stock may not receive distributions.

We cannot assure stockholders that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, our net investment income, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant from time to time. Further, if we offer additional classes of our common stock, with each class having a different upfront sales load and fee and expense structure, the per share amount of distributions on shares of such classes will differ because of different allocations of class-specific expenses. In addition, the distribution fee for shares of such classes will be different. Furthermore, we are permitted to issue senior securities, including multiple classes of debt and one class of stock senior to our shares of Class T common stock. If any such senior securities are outstanding, we are prohibited from paying distributions to our Class T stockholders unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of distribution or repurchase. As a result, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. See “Item 1. Business — Regulation — Senior Securities.”

Our distribution proceeds may exceed our earnings. Therefore, portions of the distributions that we make may represent a return of capital to stockholders, which will lower their tax basis in their shares of common stock.

The tax treatment and characterization of our distributions may vary significantly from time to time due to the nature of our investments. The ultimate tax characterization of our distributions made during a tax year may not finally be determined until after the end of that tax year. We may make distributions during a tax year that exceed our investment company taxable income and net capital gains for that tax year. In such a situation, the amount by which our total distributions exceed investment company taxable income and net capital gains generally would be treated as a return of capital up to the amount of a stockholder’s tax basis in the shares, with any amounts exceeding such tax basis treated as a gain from the sale or exchange of such shares. A return of capital generally is a return of a stockholder’s investment rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities. Moreover, we may pay all or a substantial portion of our distributions from the proceeds of the sale of shares of our common stock or from borrowings in anticipation of future cash flow, which could constitute a return of stockholders’ capital and will lower such stockholders’ tax basis in our shares, which may result in increased tax liability to stockholders when they sell such shares.

As a public company, we are subject to regulations not applicable to private companies, such as provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Efforts to comply with such regulations will involve significant expenditures, and non-compliance with such regulations may adversely affect us.

As a public company, we incur legal, accounting and other expenses, including costs associated with the periodic reporting requirements applicable to a company whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, as well as additional corporate governance requirements, including requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and other rules implemented by the SEC. Our management is required to report on our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. In particular, our management is required to review on an annual basis our internal control over financial reporting, and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose changes in our internal control over financial reporting. Although not required, we also elect to obtain an attestation from our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

We incur significant expenses in connection with our compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other regulations applicable to public companies, which may negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. Compliance with such regulations also requires a significant amount of our management’s time and attention. For example, we cannot be certain as to the timing of the completion of our Sarbanes-Oxley mandated evaluations, testings and remediation actions, if any, or the impact of the same on our operations, and we may not be able to ensure that the process is effective or that our internal control over financial reporting is or will be deemed effective in the future. In the event that we are unable to maintain an effective system of internal control and maintain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, we may be adversely affected.

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Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations or the operations of our business partners may adversely affect our business or cause us to alter our business strategy.

We, our portfolio companies and our business partners are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. New legislation may be enacted or new interpretations, rulings or regulations could be adopted, including those governing the types of investments we are permitted to make and the deductibility of interest expense by our portfolio companies, potentially with retroactive effect. In particular, over the last several years there has been an increase in regulatory attention to the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, raising the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new regulation. New or repealed legislation, interpretations, rulings or regulations could require changes to certain business practices of us or our portfolio companies, negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies. In addition, any changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations, including with respect to permitted investments, may cause us to alter our investment strategy to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities or make other changes to our business. Such changes could result in material differences to our strategies and plans as set forth in this annual report on Form 10-K and may result in our investment focus shifting from the areas of expertise of the Advisor to other types of investments in which the Advisor may have less expertise or little or no experience. Thus, any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of a stockholder’s investment.

The impact on us of recent financial reform legislation, including the Dodd-Frank Act, is uncertain.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as amended, or the Dodd-Frank Act, made broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, granted significant new authority to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, and the SEC to regulate OTC derivatives (swaps and security-based swaps) and participants in these markets. The Dodd-Frank Act is intended to regulate the OTC derivatives market by requiring many derivative transactions to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expanding entity registration requirements, imposing business conduct requirements on dealers and requiring banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. The CFTC has implemented mandatory clearing and exchange-trading of certain OTC derivatives contracts including many standardized interest rate swaps and credit default index swaps. The CFTC continues to approve contracts for central clearing. Exchange-trading and central clearing are expected to reduce counterparty credit risk by substituting the clearinghouse as the counterparty to a swap and increase liquidity, but exchange-trading and central clearing do not make swap transactions risk-free. Uncleared swaps, such as non-deliverable foreign currency forwards, are subject to certain margin requirements that mandate the posting and collection of minimum margin amounts. This requirement may result in the portfolio and its counterparties posting higher margin amounts for uncleared swaps than would otherwise be the case. Certain rules require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, but may subject a portfolio to additional administrative burdens, and the safeguards established to protect trader anonymity may not function as expected. Future CFTC or SEC rulemakings to implement the Dodd-Frank Act requirements could potentially limit or completely restrict our ability to use these instruments as a part of our investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which we engage in derivative transactions could also prevent us from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change availability of certain investments. The SEC has also indicated that it may adopt new policies on the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Such policies could affect the nature and extent of our use of derivatives.

The presidential administration has announced its intention to repeal, amend or replace certain portions of Dodd-Frank and the regulations implemented thereunder. Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which and whether the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented, repealed, amended or replaced, the full impact such requirements will have on our business, results of operations or financial condition is unclear. The changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act or any changes to the regulations already implemented thereunder may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes in order to comply with new statutory and

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regulatory requirements. Failure to comply with any such laws, regulations or principles, or changes thereto, may negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. While we cannot predict what effect any changes in the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on us as a result of recent financial reform legislation, these changes could be materially adverse to us and our stockholders.

Regulations adopted by prudential regulators have begun to require that certain qualified financial contracts entered into with certain counterparties that are part of a U.S. or foreign banking organization designated as a global-systemically important banking organization to include contractual provisions that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the portfolio, to exercise certain close-out, cross-default and similar rights under certain conditions. Qualified financial contracts include agreements relating to swaps, foreign currency forward contracts and other derivatives. Qualified financial contracts are subject to a stay for a specified time period during which counterparties, such as the portfolio, will be prevented from closing out a qualified financial contract if the counterparty is subject to resolution proceedings and prohibit the portfolio from exercising default rights due to a receivership or similar proceeding of an affiliate of the counterparty. Implementation of these requirements may increase credit and other risks to the portfolio.

The SBCA Act allows us to incur additional leverage.

On March 23, 2018, the Small Business Credit Availability Act, or the SBCA Act, became law. The SBCA Act, among other things, amends Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act to add a new Section 61(a)(2) which reduces the asset coverage requirements for senior securities applicable to BDCs from 200% to 150% provided that certain disclosure and approval requirements are met. Before the reduced asset coverage requirements under Section 61(a)(2) are effective with respect to us, the application of that section of the 1940 Act must be approved by either (1) a “required majority,” as defined in the Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act, of our board of directors or (2) a majority of votes cast at a special or annual meeting of our stockholders. As a result, we may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future, and, therefore the risk of an investment in us may increase.

Future legislation or rules could modify how we treat derivatives and other financial arrangements for purposes of our compliance with the leverage limitations of the 1940 Act.

Future legislation or rules may modify how we treat derivatives and other financial arrangements for purposes of our compliance with the leverage limitations of the 1940 Act. For example, the SEC proposed a new rule in December 2015 that is designed to enhance the regulation of the use of derivatives by registered investments companies and BDCs. While the adoption of the December 2015 rule is currently uncertain, the proposed rule, if adopted, or any future legislation or rules, may modify how leverage is calculated under the 1940 Act and, therefore, may increase or decrease the amount of leverage currently available to us under the 1940 Act, which may be materially adverse to us and our stockholders.

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 or inability 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 fee income and 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 previous period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

If we, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers are unable to maintain the availability of electronic data systems and safeguard the security of data, our ability to conduct business may be compromised, which could impair our liquidity, disrupt our business, damage our reputation or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes, and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack, or damage. We, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers are subject to cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years and, while we have not experienced any

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material losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches, we could suffer such losses in the future. Our, our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers’ computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including non-public personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our affiliates and our and their respective third-party service providers. This could result in significant losses, reputational damage, litigation, regulatory fines or penalties, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Privacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks.

Risks Related to the Advisor and its Affiliates

The Advisor and its affiliates, including our officers and some of our directors, face conflicts of interest as a result of compensation arrangements between us and the Advisor, which could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.

The Advisor and its affiliates receive substantial fees from us in return for their services, and these fees could influence the advice provided to us. We pay to the Advisor an incentive fee that is based on the performance of our portfolio and an annual base management fee that is based on the average weekly value of our gross assets. Because the incentive fee is based on the performance of our portfolio, the Advisor may be incentivized to make investments on our behalf that are riskier or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee is determined may also encourage the Advisor to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. In addition, because the base management fee is based upon the average weekly value of our gross assets, which includes any borrowings for investment purposes, the Advisor may be incentivized to recommend the use of leverage or the issuance of additional equity to make additional investments and increase the average weekly value of our gross assets. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which could disfavor holders of our common stock. Our compensation arrangements could therefore result in our making riskier or more speculative investments, or relying more on leverage to make investments, than would otherwise be the case. This could result in higher investment losses, particularly during cyclical economic downturns. In addition, the Advisor may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event if the distribution fee paid by our dealer manager has not been fully recovered. See “—Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock — the Advisor may have an incentive to delay a liquidity event, which may result in actions that are not in the best interest of our stockholders.”

We may be obligated to pay the Advisor incentive compensation even if we incur a net loss due to a decline in the value of our portfolio, or on income that we have not received.

Our investment advisory and administrative services agreement entitles the Advisor to receive incentive compensation on income regardless of any capital losses. In such case, we may be required to pay the Advisor incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or if we incur a net loss for that quarter.

In addition, any incentive fee payable by us that relates to our net investment income may be computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously included in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. The Advisor is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never received as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted in the accrual of such income, and such circumstances would result in our paying an incentive fee on income we never received.

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For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are required to recognize taxable income (such as deferred interest that is accrued as original issue discount) in some circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and to make distributions with respect to such income to maintain our status as a RIC. Under such circumstances, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. This difficulty in making the required distribution may be amplified to the extent that we are required to pay an incentive fee with respect to such accrued income. As a result, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital, or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

There may be conflicts of interest related to obligations the Advisor’s senior management and investment teams have to our affiliates and to other clients.

The members of the senior management and investment teams of the Advisor serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment vehicles managed by the same personnel. For example, the Advisor is also the investment adviser to FS KKR Capital Corp., FS Investment Corporation II, FS Investment Corporation III and Corporate Capital Trust II, or together with the Company, the Fund Complex, and the officers, managers and other personnel of the Adviser may serve in similar or other capacities for the investment advisers to future investment vehicles affiliated with FS Investments or KKR Credit. In serving in these multiple and other capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in our best interests or in the best interest of our stockholders. Our investment objectives may overlap with the investment objectives of such investment funds, accounts or other investment vehicles. For example, we rely on the Advisor to manage our day-to-day activities and to implement our investment strategy. The Advisor and certain of its affiliates are presently, and plan in the future to continue to be, involved with activities which are unrelated to us. As a result of these activities, the Advisor, its employees and certain of its affiliates will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time between us and other activities in which they are or may become involved, including the management of other entities affiliated with FS Investments or KKR Credit. The Advisor and its employees will devote only as much of its or their time to our business as the Advisor and its employees, in their judgment, determine is reasonably required, which may be substantially less than their full time.

The time and resources that individuals employed by the Advisor devote to us may be diverted, and we may face additional competition due to the fact that individuals employed by the Advisor are not prohibited from raising money for or managing another entity that makes the same types of investments that we target.

Neither the Advisor, nor persons providing services to us on behalf of the Advisor, are prohibited from raising money for and managing another investment entity that makes the same types of investments as those we target. As a result, the time and resources that these individuals may devote to us may be diverted. In addition, we may compete with any such investment entity for the same investors and investment opportunities.

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

Pursuant to the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, the Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with, or acting on behalf of, the Advisor will not be liable to us for their acts under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect the Advisor and its officers, managers, partners, members (and their members, including the owners of their members), agents, employees, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with, or acting on behalf of, the Advisor with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of the Advisor not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their duties under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement. These protections may lead the Advisor to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

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Risks Related to Business Development Companies

Failure to maintain our status as a BDC would reduce our operating flexibility.

If we do not remain a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions under the 1940 Act and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility.

The requirement that we invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets could preclude us from investing in accordance with our current business strategy; conversely, the failure to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets could result in our failure to maintain our status as a BDC.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets. Therefore, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if such investments are not qualifying assets. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making additional investments in existing portfolio companies, which could result in the dilution of our position, or could require us to dispose of investments at an inopportune time to comply with the 1940 Act. If we were forced to sell non-qualifying investments in the portfolio for compliance purposes, the proceeds from such sale could be significantly less than the current value of such investments. Conversely, if we fail to invest a sufficient portion of our assets in qualifying assets, we could lose our status as a BDC, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility.

Regulations governing our operation as a BDC and a RIC will affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative effect on our growth.

As a result of our need to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement in order to maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code, we may need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash to fund new investments. We may issue “senior securities,” as defined in the 1940 Act, including issuing preferred stock, borrowing money from banks or other financial institutions, or issuing debt securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such incurrence or issuance. Our ability to issue certain other types of securities is also limited. Under the 1940 Act, we are also generally prohibited from issuing or selling our common stock at a price per share of a class, after deducting upfront selling commissions and dealer manager fees, if any, that is below the net asset value per share of such class, without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. Compliance with these limitations on our ability to raise capital may unfavorably limit our investment opportunities. These limitations may also reduce our ability in comparison to other companies to profit from favorable spreads between the rates at which we can borrow and the rates at which we can lend.

In addition, because we incur indebtedness for investment purposes, if the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy the asset coverage test under the 1940 Act, which would prohibit us from paying distributions and, as a result, could cause us to be subject to corporate-level tax on our income and capital gains, regardless of the amount of distributions paid. If we cannot satisfy the asset coverage test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature of our debt financing, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous.

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

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of a majority of the independent members of our board of directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we will generally be prohibited from buying or selling any securities from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our board of directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our board of directors and, in some cases, the SEC. In an order dated April 3, 2018, the SEC granted exemptive relief permitting us, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to co-invest in certain

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privately negotiated investment transactions, including investments originated and directly negotiated by the Advisor or KKR Credit, with our co-investment affiliates. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons to the extent not covered by the exemptive relief, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their respective affiliates. As a result of these restrictions, we may be prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any portfolio company of a fund managed by the Advisor without the prior approval of the SEC, which may limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us.

We are uncertain of our sources for funding our future capital needs and if we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms or at all, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected.

Any working capital reserves we maintain may not be sufficient for investment purposes, and we may require debt or equity financing to operate. We may also need to access the capital markets to refinance existing debt obligations to the extent maturing obligations are not repaid with cash flows from operations. In order to maintain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute distributions to our stockholders each tax year on a timely basis generally of an amount at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, and the amounts of such distributions will therefore not be available to fund investment originations or to repay maturing debt. In addition, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities or preferred stock, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” such that our asset coverage, as calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing, which, in certain circumstances, may restrict our ability to borrow or issue debt securities or preferred stock. In the event that we develop a need for additional capital in the future for investments or for any other reason, and we cannot obtain debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, or at all, our ability to acquire investments and to expand our operations will be adversely affected. As a result, we would be less able to allocate our portfolio among various issuers and industries and achieve our investment objectives, which may negatively impact our results of operations and reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Debt Financing

The agreements governing our debt financing arrangement contain, and agreements governing future debt financing arrangements may contain, various covenants which, if not complied with, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our investment obligations and to pay distributions to our stockholders.

The agreements governing our and our special purpose financing subsidiary’s financing arrangements contain, and agreements governing future financing arrangements may contain, certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants require us and our subsidiary to, among other things, maintain certain financial ratios, including asset coverage and minimum stockholders’ equity. Compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our and their control. In the event of deterioration in the capital markets and pricing levels subsequent to this period, net unrealized depreciation in our and our subsidiaries’ portfolios may increase in the future and could result in non-compliance with certain covenants, or our taking actions which could disrupt our business and impact our ability to meet our investment objectives.

There can be no assurance that we and our subsidiaries will continue to comply with the covenants under our current financing arrangements and future financing arrangements, including any covenants related to the identity of our investment adviser. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default which, if we and our subsidiaries were unable to obtain a waiver, consent or amendment from the debt holders, could accelerate repayment under any or all of our and their debt instruments and thereby force us to liquidate investments at a disadvantageous time and/or at a price which could result in losses, or allow our lenders to sell assets pledged as collateral under our financing arrangements in order to satisfy amounts due thereunder. These occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions. See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion of the terms of our debt financing arrangement.

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We currently incur indebtedness to make investments, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in our common stock and may increase the risk of investing in our common stock.

The use of borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increases the risks associated with investing in our common stock. When we use leverage to partially finance our investments, through borrowing from banks and other lenders or issuing debt securities we, and therefore our stockholders, will experience increased risks of investing in our common stock. Any lenders and debt holders would have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are senior to the claims of our stockholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leverage would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leverage would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not utilized leverage. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on our indebtedness would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not utilized leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to stockholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

In addition, the decision to utilize leverage will increase our assets and, as a result, will increase the amount of base management fees payable to the Advisor. See “Risks Related to the Advisor and its Affiliates—the Advisor and its affiliates, including our officers and some of our directors, face conflicts of interest as a result of compensation arrangements between us and the Advisor, which could result in actions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.”

Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in shares of our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below. The calculation assumes (i) $382 million in total assets, (ii) a weighted average cost of funds of 4.06%, (iii) $50 million in debt outstanding (i.e., assumes that the full $50 million available to us as of December 31, 2018 under our financing arrangement as of such date is outstanding) and (iv) $332 million in stockholders’ equity. In order to compute the “Corresponding return to stockholders,” the “Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (net of expenses)” is multiplied by the assumed total assets to obtain an assumed return to us. From this amount, the interest expense is calculated by multiplying the assumed weighted average cost of funds times the assumed debt outstanding, and the product is subtracted from the assumed return to us in order to determine the return available to stockholders. The return available to stockholders is then divided by our stockholders’ equity to determine the “Corresponding return to stockholders.” Actual interest payments may be different.

Similarly, assuming (i) $382 million in total assets, (ii) a weighted average cost of funds of 4.06% and (iii) $50 million in debt outstanding (i.e., assumes that the full $50 million available to us as of December 31, 2018 under our financing arrangement as of such date is outstanding), our assets would need to yield an annual return (net of expenses) of approximately 0.53% in order to cover the annual interest payments on our outstanding debt.

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

Because we intend to use debt to finance investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. In periods of rising interest rates when we have debt outstanding, our cost of funds will increase, which could reduce our net investment income. We expect that our long-term fixed-rate investments will be financed primarily with equity and long-term debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. These techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. These activities may limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with

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respect to the hedged portion of our 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 have limited experience in entering into hedging transactions, and we will initially have to develop such expertise or arrange for such expertise to be provided.

A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to our debt investments. Accordingly, an increase in interest rates would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the incentive fee hurdle rate and may result in a substantial increase of the amount of incentive fees payable to the Advisor with respect to pre-incentive fee net investment income.

Risks Related to U.S. Federal Income Tax

We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code or to satisfy the RIC annual distribution requirements.

Besides maintaining our election to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act, in order for us to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, we must meet the following annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements. See “Item 1. Business — Taxation as a RIC.”

•

The 90% Income Test will be satisfied if we earn at least 90% of our gross income for each tax year from dividends, interest, gains from the sale of securities or similar sources.

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•

The Diversification Tests will be satisfied if we meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our tax year. To satisfy these requirements, at least 50% of the value of our assets must consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities if such securities of any one issuer do not represent more than 5% of the value of our assets or more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer; and no more than 25% of the value of our assets can be invested in the securities, other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs, of one issuer, of two or more issuers that are controlled, as determined under applicable Code rules, by us and that are engaged in the same or similar or related trades or businesses or of certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships.” Failure to meet these requirements may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore will be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses.

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In any tax year in which we qualify as a RIC, in order for us to be able to be subject to tax as a RIC, we are required to meet an annual distribution requirement. The annual distribution requirement for RIC tax treatment will be satisfied if we distribute to our stockholders, for each tax year, dividends of an amount generally at least equal to the sum of 90% of our investment company taxable income, which is generally the sum of our ordinary net income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, without regard to any deduction for dividends paid. Because we may use debt financing, we are subject to an asset coverage ratio requirement under the 1940 Act and may in the future become subject to certain financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to satisfy the annual distribution requirement. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we could fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

We must satisfy these tests on an ongoing basis in order to maintain RIC tax treatment, and may be required to make distributions to stockholders at times when it would be more advantageous to invest cash in our existing or other investments, or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Compliance with the RIC tax requirements may hinder our ability to operate solely on the basis of maximizing profits and the value of our stockholders’ investments. Also, the rules applicable to our qualification as a RIC are complex, with many areas of uncertainty. If we fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure may have a material adverse effect on us and on any investment in us.

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The Code provides certain forms of relief from RIC disqualification due to failures of the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests, although there may be additional taxes due in such cases. We cannot assure you that we would qualify for any such relief should we fail either the 90% Income Test or any of the Diversification Tests.

Some of our investments may be subject to corporate-level income tax.

We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We may invest in certain foreign debt and equity investments which could be subject to foreign taxes (such as income tax, withholding and value added taxes).

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

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, our investments may include debt instruments that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or debt instruments that were issued with warrants). To the extent original issue discount or PIK interest constitutes a portion of our income, we must include in taxable income each tax year a portion of the original issue discount or PIK interest that accrues over the life of the instrument, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same tax year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. We anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Further, we may elect to amortize market discount and include such amounts in our taxable income in the current tax year, instead of upon disposition, as not making the election would limit our ability to deduct interest expenses for tax purposes.

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the tax year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting the Annual Distribution Requirement necessary to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment under Subchapter M of the Code. We may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for or maintain RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax.

Furthermore, we may invest in the equity securities of non-U.S. corporations (or other non-U.S. entities classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that could be treated under the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations as “passive foreign investment companies” and/or “controlled foreign corporations.” The rules relating to investment in these types of non-U.S. entities are designed to ensure that U.S. taxpayers are either, in effect, taxed currently (or on an accelerated basis with respect to corporate level events) or taxed at increased tax rates at distribution or disposition. In certain circumstances, these rules also could require us to recognize taxable income or gains where we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash and, under recently proposed U.S. federal income tax regulations, all or a portion of such taxable income and gains may not be considered qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test.

Our portfolio investments may present special tax issues.

Investments in below-investment grade debt instruments and certain equity securities may present special tax issues for us. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when we may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless debt in equity securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and interest income, as well as whether exchanges of debt instruments in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. Such matters could cause us

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to recognize taxable income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, even in the absence of cash or economic gain, and require us to make taxable distributions to our stockholders to maintain our RIC status or preclude the imposition of either U.S. federal corporate income or excise taxation. Additionally, because such taxable income may not be matched by corresponding cash received by us, we may be required to borrow money or dispose of other investments to be able to make distributions to our stockholders. These and other issues will be considered by us, to the extent determined necessary, in order that we minimize the level of any U.S. federal income or excise tax that we would otherwise incur. See “Item 1. Business — Taxation as a RIC.”

If we do not qualify as a “publicly offered regulated investment company,” as defined in the Code, you will be taxed as though you received a distribution of some of our expenses.

A “publicly offered regulated investment company” is a RIC whose shares are either (i) continuously offered pursuant to a public offering, (ii) regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) held by at least 500 persons at all times during the tax year. If we do not qualify as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any tax year, a noncorporate stockholder’?s allocable portion of our affected expenses, including our management fees, will be treated as an additional distribution to the stockholder and will be deductible by such stockholder only to the extent permitted under the limitations described below. For noncorporate stockholders, including individuals, trusts, and estates, significant limitations generally apply to the deductibility of certain expenses of a non-publicly offered regulated investment company, including management fees. In particular, these expenses, referred to as miscellaneous itemized deductions, are deductible to an individual only to the extent they exceed 2% of such a stockholder’s adjusted gross income for taxable years after 2025 and are entirely not deductible against gross income before 2026, are not deductible for alternative minimum tax purposes and are subject to the overall limitation on itemized deductions imposed by the Code. Although we believe that we are currently considered a publicly offered regulated investment company, as defined in the Code, there can be no assurance, however, that we will be considered a publicly offered regulated investment company in the future.

Legislative or regulatory tax changes could adversely affect investors.

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing RICs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. Any of those new laws, regulations or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect the taxation of us or our stockholders. Therefore, changes in tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations or any amendments thereto could diminish the value of an investment in our shares or the value or the resale potential of our investments. In particular, on December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. This tax legislation lowers the general corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, makes changes regarding the use of net operating losses, repeals the corporate alternative minimum tax and makes significant changes with respect to the U.S. international tax rules. In addition, the legislation generally requires a holder that uses the accrual method of accounting for U.S. tax purposes to include certain amounts in income no later than the time such amounts are reflected on certain financial statements, which therefore if applicable would require us to accrue income earlier than under prior law, although the precise application of this rule is un-clear at this time. The legislation also limits the amount or value of interest deductions of borrowers and in that way may potentially affect the loan market and our and our portfolio companies’ use of leverage. For individual taxpayers, the legislation reduces the maximum individual income tax rate and eliminates the deductibility of miscellaneous itemized deductions for taxable years 2018 through 2025. The impact of this new legislation is uncertain.

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments.

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None.

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interim distributions in the form of cash or shares of our common stock at the discretion of our board of directors. The timing and amount of any future distributions to stockholders are subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of directors.

The following table reflects the cash distributions per share that we have declared on our common stock during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(1)

Distribution amounts and per share amounts shown are net of annual distribution fees, which began accruing on February 1, 2017, and reflect the special cash distributions described in footnote (2) below. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion regarding annual distribution fees.

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(2)

On a monthly basis from February 2017 through June 2017, we paid special cash distributions in the weekly amount of approximately $0.002 per share, to stockholders of record as of the weekly record dates previously determined by our board of directors for that period. We paid a total of approximately $884 in special cash distributions to stockholders. Our board of directors ratified and approved such monthly special cash distribution payments on August 10, 2017.

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See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — RIC Status and Distributions” and Note 4 and Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our distributions and our distribution reinvestment plan, including certain related tax considerations.

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(3)

The per share data for distributions reflects the actual amount of distributions paid per share during the applicable period.

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(4)

The total return for each period presented was calculated based on the change in net asset value during the applicable period, including the impact of distributions reinvested in accordance with our distribution reinvestment plan. The total return (without assuming reinvestment of distributions) for each period presented was calculated by taking the net asset value per share as of the end of the applicable period, adding the cash distributions per share which were declared during the applicable period and dividing the total by the net asset value per share at the beginning of the applicable period. The total returns do not consider the effect of any sales commissions or charges that may be incurred in connection with the sale of shares of our common stock. The total returns include the effect of the issuance of shares at a net offering price that is greater than net asset value per share, which causes an increase in net asset value per share. The historical calculations of total returns in the table should not be considered representations of our future total returns, which may be greater or less than the returns shown in the table due to a number of factors, including our ability or inability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rates 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 previous period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods. The total return calculations set forth above represent the total returns on our investment portfolio during the applicable period and do not represent actual returns to stockholders.

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We have based the forward-looking statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K on information available to us on the date of this annual report on Form 10-K. Except as required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Stockholders are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to stockholders or through reports that we may file in the future with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The forward-looking statements and projections contained in this annual report on Form 10-K are excluded from the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.

Overview

We were incorporated under the general corporation laws of the State of Maryland on February 25, 2015 and formally commenced investment operations on January 6, 2016 upon raising the minimum offering requirement from sales of shares of our Class T common stock in our continuous public offering to persons who were not affiliated with us or our former Advisor, FSIC IV Advisor, LLC, or FSIC IV Advisor. We are an externally managed, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. Prior to satisfying the minimum offering requirement, we had no operations except for matters relating to our organization. In November 2017, we closed our continuous public offering of common stock to new investors.

We are externally managed by the Advisor pursuant to the investment advisory and administrative services agreement and supervised by our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent. On April 9, 2018, GSO/Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC, or GDFM, resigned as our investment sub-adviser and terminated its investment sub-advisory agreement effective April 9, 2018. In connection with GDFM’s resignation as our investment sub-adviser, on April 9, 2018, we entered into the investment advisory and administrative services agreement with the Advisor, which replaced an investment advisory and administrative services agreement, or the FSIC IV Advisor investment advisory and administrative services agreement, with our former investment adviser, FSIC IV Advisor, LLC, or FSIC IV Advisor.

Our investment objectives are to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation. We pursue our investment objective by investing primarily in the debt of middle market U.S. companies with a focus on originated transactions sourced through the network of the Advisor and its affiliates. We define direct originations as any investment where the Advisor or its affiliates negotiates the terms of the transaction beyond just the price, which, for example, may include negotiating financial covenants, maturity dates or interest rate terms. These directly originated transactions include participation in other originated transactions where there may be third parties involved, or a bank acting as an intermediary, for a closely held club, or similar transactions.

Our portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in senior secured loans and second lien secured loans of private middle-market U.S. companies and, to a lesser extent, subordinated loans of private U.S. companies. Although we do not expect a significant portion of our portfolio to be comprised of subordinated loans, there is no limit on the amount of such loans in which we may invest. We may purchase interests in loans or make other debt investments, including investments in senior secured bonds, through secondary market transactions in the OTC market or directly from our target companies as primary market or directly originated investments. In connection with our debt investments, we may on occasion receive equity interests such as warrants or options as additional consideration. We may also purchase or otherwise acquire interests in the form of common or preferred equity or equity-related securities, such as rights and warrants that may be converted into or exchanged for common stock or other equity or the cash value of common stock or other equity, in our target companies, generally in conjunction with one of our debt investments, including through the restructuring of such investments, or through a co-investment with a financial sponsor, such as an institutional investor or private equity firm. In addition, a portion of our portfolio may be comprised of corporate bonds, structured products, other debt securities and derivatives, including total return swaps and credit default swaps. The Advisor will seek to tailor our investment focus as market conditions evolve. Depending on market conditions, we may increase or decrease our exposure to

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less senior portions of the capital structure or otherwise make opportunistic investments, such as where the market price of loans, bonds or other securities reflects a lower value than deemed warranted by the Advisor’s fundamental analysis, which may occur due to general dislocations in the markets, a misunderstanding by the market of a particular company or an industry being out of favor with the broader investment community and may include event driven investments, anchor orders and structured products.

The senior secured loans, second lien secured loans and senior secured bonds in which we invest generally have stated terms of three to seven years and subordinated debt investments that we make generally have stated terms of up to ten years, but the expected average life of such securities is generally between three and seven years. However, there is no limit on the maturity or duration of any security in our portfolio. Our debt investments may be rated by a NRSRO and, in such case, generally will carry a rating below investment grade (rated lower than “Baa3” by Moody’s or lower than “BBB-” by S&P). We also invest in non-rated debt securities.

Revenues

The principal measure of our financial performance is net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations, which includes net investment income, net realized gain or loss on investments, net realized gain or loss on total return swap, net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments and net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on total return swap.

Net investment income is the difference between our income from interest, dividends, fees and other investment income and our operating and other expenses. Net realized gain or loss on investments is the difference between the proceeds received from dispositions of portfolio investments and their amortized cost. Net realized gain or loss on total return swap is the net monthly settlement payments received on the TRS. Net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments is the net change in the fair value of our investment portfolio. Net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on total return swap is the net change in the fair value of the TRS.

We principally generate revenues in the form of interest income on the debt investments we hold. In addition, we generate revenues in the form of non-recurring commitment, closing, origination, structuring or diligence fees, monitoring fees, fees for providing managerial assistance, consulting fees, prepayment fees and performance-based fees. We may also generate revenues in the form of dividends and other distributions on the equity/other securities we hold.

Expenses

Our primary operating expenses include the payment of management and incentive fees and other expenses under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, interest expense from financing arrangements and other indebtedness, and other expenses necessary for our operations. The management and incentive fees compensate the Advisor for its work in identifying, evaluating, negotiating, executing, monitoring and servicing our investments.

The Advisor oversees our day-to-day operations, including the provision of general ledger accounting, fund accounting, legal services, investor relations, certain government and regulatory affairs activities, and other administrative services. The Advisor also performs, or oversees the performance of, our corporate operations and required administrative services, which includes being responsible for the financial records that we are required to maintain and preparing reports for our stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the Advisor assists us in calculating our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally overseeing the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others.

Pursuant to the investment advisory and administrative services agreement, we reimburse the Advisor for expenses necessary to perform services related to our administration and operations, including the Advisor’s allocable portion of the compensation and related expenses of certain personnel of FS Investments and KKR Credit providing administrative services to us on behalf of the Advisor. We reimburse the Advisor no less than monthly for expenses necessary to perform services related to our

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administration and operations. The amount of this reimbursement is set at the lesser of  (1) the Advisor’s actual costs incurred in providing such services and (2) the amount that we estimate we would be required to pay alternative service providers for comparable services in the same geographic location. Due to our relatively small asset base, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the amount of the allocated expenses to be reimbursed was subject to a monthly minimum of  $20 to reflect the fact that there was a minimum amount of administrative service performed on our behalf by investment adviser personnel. The Advisor allocates the cost of such services to us based on factors such as total assets, revenues, time allocations and/or other reasonable metrics. Our board of directors reviews the methodology employed in determining how the expenses are allocated to us and the proposed allocation of administrative expenses among us and certain affiliates of the Advisor. Our board of directors then assesses the reasonableness of such reimbursements for expenses allocated to us based on the breadth, depth and quality of such services as compared to the estimated cost to us of obtaining similar services from third-party service providers known to be available. In addition, our board of directors considers whether any single third-party service provider would be capable of providing all such services at comparable cost and quality. Finally, our board of directors compares the total amount paid to the Advisor for such services as a percentage of our net assets to the same ratio as reported by other comparable BDCs.

We bear all other expenses of our operations and transactions, including (without limitation) fees and expenses relating to:

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corporate and organization expenses relating to offerings of our securities, subject to limitations included in the investment advisory and administrative services agreement;

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the cost of calculating our net asset value, including the cost of any third-party pricing or valuation services;

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the cost of effecting sales and repurchases of shares of our common stock and other securities;

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investment advisory fees;

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fees payable to third parties relating to, or associated with, making investments and valuing investments, including fees and expenses associated with performing due diligence reviews of prospective investments;

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interest payments on our debt or related obligations;

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transfer agent and custodial fees;

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research and market data (including news and quotation equipment and services, and any computer hardware and connectivity hardware (e.g., telephone and fiber optic lines) incorporated into the cost of obtaining such research and market data);

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fees and expenses associated with marketing efforts;

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federal and state registration fees;

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federal, state and local taxes;

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fees and expenses of directors not also serving in an executive officer capacity for us or the Advisor;

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costs of proxy statements, stockholders’ reports, notices and other filings;

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fidelity bond, directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums;

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direct costs such as printing, mailing, long distance telephone and staff;

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fees and expenses associated with accounting, corporate governance, government and regulatory affairs activities, independent audits and outside legal costs;

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costs associated with our reporting and compliance obligations under the 1940 Act and applicable federal and state securities laws, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;

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brokerage commissions for our investments; and

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all other expenses incurred by the Advisor or us in connection with administering our business, including expenses incurred by the Advisor in performing administrative services for us and administrative personnel paid by the Advisor, to the extent they are not controlling persons of the Advisor or any of its affiliates, subject to the limitations included in the investment advisory and administrative services agreement.

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In addition, we have contracted with State Street Bank and Trust Company to provide various accounting and administrative services, including, but not limited to, preparing preliminary financial information for review by the Advisor, preparing and monitoring expense budgets, maintaining accounting and corporate books and records, processing trade information provided by us and performing testing with respect to RIC compliance.

Base Management Fee Deferral Arrangement

On November 14, 2018, the Advisor announced that for any calendar quarter ending on or prior to September 30, 2019, it will defer the receipt of base management fees under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement if, and to the extent that, our distributions paid to our stockholders in the calendar quarter exceeds the sum of our investment company taxable income (as defined in Section 852 of the Code), net capital gains (as defined in Section 1222 of the Code) and dividends and other distributions paid to us on account of preferred and common equity investments in portfolio companies (to the extent such amounts were not included in net investment company taxable income or net capital gains) in the calendar quarter, or collectively, our distributable funds on a tax basis. The Advisor will only receive any deferred fees in a future calendar quarter if, and to the extent that, our distributable funds on a tax basis in the future calendar quarter exceeds our distributions paid to our stockholders in such quarter. Any payment of deferred base management fees may reduce the amount that we could otherwise distribute in the future. There can be no assurance that the Advisor will continue this program following September 30, 2019.

Portfolio Investment Activity for the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017

Total Portfolio Activity

The following tables present certain selected information regarding our portfolio investment activity for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017:

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The following table summarizes the composition of our investment portfolio at cost and fair value as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:

The following table summarizes the composition of our investment portfolio at cost and fair value as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 to include, on a look-through basis, the investments underlying the TRS, as disclosed in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K. The investments underlying the TRS had a notional amount and market value of  $171,065 and $164,955, respectively, as of December 31, 2018 and $151,866 and $151,348, respectively, as of December 31, 2017.

(1)

Amortized cost represents the original cost adjusted for the amortization of premiums and/or accretion of discounts, as applicable, on investments.

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The following table presents certain selected information regarding the composition of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:

(1)

Does not include investments on non-accrual status.

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(2)

Represents the expected yield based on the composition of the portfolio as of the applicable date. Our yield may be higher than an investor’s yield on an investment in shares of our common stock because it does not reflect sales commissions or charges that may be incurred in connection with the purchase or sale of such shares, or operating expenses that may be incurred by us. Our yield does not represent an actual investment return to stockholders, is subject to change and, in the future, may be greater or less than the rates set forth herein. The weighted average annual yield for accruing debt investments is computed as (i) the sum of (a) the stated annual interest rate of each debt and debt-like investment, multiplied by its par amount, adjusted to U.S. dollars and for any partial income accrual when necessary, as of the end of the applicable reporting period, plus (b) the annual amortization of the purchase or original issue discount or premium of each accreting debt investment; divided by (ii) the total amortized cost of debt investments included in the calculated group as of the end of the applicable reporting period.

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Based on our regular monthly gross cash distribution amount of  $0.067258 per share as of December 31, 2018 and our distribution reinvestment price of  $10.75 as of such date, the gross annualized distribution rate was 7.51% as of December 31, 2018. The gross annualized distribution rate includes annual distribution

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fees, as determined in accordance with applicable FINRA rules. The net annualized distribution rate to stockholders, which excludes annual distribution fees, was 6.60% as of December 31, 2018 based on our distribution reinvestment price of  $10.75. During the year ended December 31, 2018, our total return was 0.60% and our total return without assuming reinvestment of distributions was 0.81%.

Based on our regular weekly gross cash distribution amount of  $0.015521 per share as of December 31, 2017, our final offering price of  $11.65 per share and our distribution reinvestment price of $11.15 as of such date, the gross annualized distribution rate was 6.93% and 7.24%, respectively, as of December 31, 2017. The gross annualized distribution rate includes annual distribution fees, as determined in accordance with applicable FINRA rules. The net annualized distribution rate to stockholders, which excludes annual distribution fees, was 6.27% as of December 31, 2017 based on our distribution reinvestment price of  $11.15. During the year ended December 31, 2017, our total return was 8.34% and our total return without assuming reinvestment of distributions was 8.21%.

Our estimated gross portfolio yield may be higher than a stockholder’s yield on an investment in shares of our common stock. Our estimated gross portfolio yield does not reflect operating expenses that may be incurred by us. In addition, our estimated gross portfolio yield and total return figures disclosed above do not consider the effect of any sales commissions or charges that may have been incurred in connection with the sale of shares of our common stock. Our estimated gross portfolio yield, total return and annualized distribution rate to stockholders do not represent actual investment returns to stockholders, are subject to change and, in the future, may be greater or less than the rates set forth above. See the section entitled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. See footnote 6 to the financial highlights table included in Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for information regarding the calculations of our total return.

(1)

The weighted average annual yield for accruing debt investments is computed as (i) the sum of  (a) the stated annual interest rate of each debt and debt-like investment, multiplied by its par amount, adjusted to U.S. dollars and for any partial income accrual when necessary, as of the end of the applicable reporting period, plus (b) the annual amortization of the purchase or original issue discount or premium of each accreting debt investment; divided by (ii) the total amortized cost of debt investments included in the calculated group as of the end of the applicable reporting period.

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Portfolio Composition by Industry Classification

See Note 6 to our audited consolidated financial statements included herein for additional information regarding the composition of our investment portfolio by industry classification.

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Portfolio Asset Quality

In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, the Advisor uses an investment rating system to characterize and monitor the expected level of returns on each investment in our portfolio. The Advisor uses an investment rating scale of 1 to 4. The Advisor formerly used an investment rating scale of 1 to 5. For the investment ratings as of December 31, 2017, the Advisor has reclassified investments as follows: investments that were ranked a 1 or 2 are now ranked a 1, investments that were ranked a 3 are now ranked a 2, investments that were ranked a 4 are now ranked a 3 and investments that were ranked a 5 are now ranked a 4. The following is a description of the conditions associated with each investment rating:

The following table shows the distribution of our investments on the 1 to 4 investment rating scale at fair value as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:

The amount of the portfolio in each grading category may vary substantially from period to period resulting primarily from changes in the composition of the portfolio as a result of new investment, repayment and exit activities. In addition, changes in the grade of investments may be made to reflect our expectation of performance and changes in investment values.

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(1)

Ratio may be rounded in order to recompute the ending ratio of net operating expenses, excluding certain expenses, to average net assets.

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Incentive fees and interest expense, among other things, may increase or decrease our expense ratios relative to comparative periods depending on portfolio performance and changes in amounts outstanding under our financing arrangements and benchmark interest rates such as LIBOR, among other factors.

Expense Reimbursement

During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we did not accrue any amounts for expense reimbursements. During the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016, we accrued $666 for expense reimbursements that FS Investments agreed to pay. These reimbursements were funded, in part, through the offset of management fees payable by us to FSIC IV Advisor. During the year ended December 31, 2017, we accrued $666 for expense recoupments payable to FS Investments. As of December 31, 2018, we did not have any expense recoupments due to FS Investments and no further amounts remain subject to repayment by us to FS Investments in the future.

See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the terminated expense reimbursement agreement and the Advisor’s base management fee deferral arrangement.

Net Investment Income (Loss)

Our net investment income (loss) totaled $15,135 ($0.48 per share), $6,149 ($0.25 per share) and $(1,765) ($(0.26) per share) for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016, respectively.

Net Realized Gains or Losses

Our net realized gains (losses) on investments, total return swap and foreign currency for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016 were as follows:

(1)

We sold investments and received principal repayments of  $44,669 and $44,519, respectively, during the the year ended December 31, 2018, $42,005 and $30,667, respectively, during the year ended December 31, 2017 and $95,579 and $3,839, respectively, during the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016.

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Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

Our net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and the total return swap for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016 were as follows:

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During the year ended December 31, 2018, the net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on our investments and TRS was primarily driven by the general performance of the underlying debt positions.

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016, the net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations was $2,678 ($0.08 per share), $20,140 ($0.83 per share) and $8,117 ($1.19 per share), respectively.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

As of December 31, 2018, we had $16,765 in cash and foreign currency, which we or our wholly owned financing subsidiaries held in custodial accounts, and $67,529 in cash held as collateral by Citibank under the terms of the TRS. In addition, as of December 31, 2018, we had $3,935 in capacity available under the TRS and $15,000 in borrowings available under our other financing arrangement, subject to borrowing base and other limitations. As of December 31, 2018, we also had broadly syndicated investments and opportunistic investments that could be sold to create additional liquidity. As of December 31, 2018, we had seven debt investments with aggregate unfunded commitments of  $2,769. We maintain sufficient cash on hand, available borrowings and liquid securities to fund such unfunded commitments should the need arise.

We currently generate cash primarily from cash flows from fees, interest and dividends earned from our investments, as well as from the issuance of shares under our distribution reinvestment plan, and principal repayments and proceeds from sales of our investments. To seek to enhance our returns, we also employ leverage as market conditions permit and at the discretion of the Advisor, but in no event will leverage employed exceed 50% of the value of our assets, as required by the 1940 Act. See “—Financing Arrangements.”

Prior to investing in securities of portfolio companies, we invest the cash received from fees, interest and dividends earned from our investments and from the issuance of shares under the distribution reinvestment plan, as well as principal repayments and proceeds from sales of our investments, primarily in cash, cash equivalents, including money market funds, U.S. government securities, repurchase agreements and high-quality debt instruments maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, consistent with our BDC election and our election to be taxed as a RIC.

Financing Arrangements

The following table presents summary information with respect to our outstanding financing arrangements as of December 31, 2018:

(1)

As described in Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K, this facility generally is terminable upon 270 days’ notice by either party. As of December 31, 2018, neither party to the facility had provided notice of its intent to terminate the facility.

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(2)

The TRS may be terminated by Cheltenham Funding at any time, subject to an early termination fee if prior to the date 30 days before the Citibank Optional Termination Date, or by Citibank on or after the Citibank Optional Termination Date, in each case, in whole or in part, upon prior written notice to the other party.

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For additional information regarding our financing arrangements, see Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K.

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RIC Status and Distributions

We have elected to be subject to tax as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for RIC tax treatment, we must, among other things, make distributions of an amount at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for distributions paid, each tax year. As long as the distributions are declared by the later of the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of a tax year or the due date of the tax return for such tax year, including extensions, distributions paid up to twelve months after the current tax year can be carried back to the prior tax year for determining the distributions paid in such tax year. We intend to make sufficient distributions to our stockholders to qualify for and maintain our RIC tax status each tax year. We are also subject to a 4% nondeductible federal excise taxes on certain undistributed income unless we make distributions in a timely manner to our stockholders generally of an amount at least equal to the sum of  (1) 98% of our net ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income, which is the excess of capital gains in excess of capital losses, or “capital gain net income” (adjusted for certain ordinary losses), for the one-year period ending October 31 of that calendar year and (3) any net ordinary income and capital gain net income for the preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax. Any distribution declared by us during October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated as if it had been paid by us, as well as received by our stockholders, on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared. We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit us to pay any cash distributions. If we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings.

Our first distribution was declared for stockholders of record as of January 12, 2016. Prior to the closing of our continuous public offering in November 2017, we declared regular cash distributions on a quarterly basis and paid such distributions on a monthly basis to stockholders of record, as determined on a weekly basis. Effective November 29, 2017, and subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of directors, we declare regular cash distributions on a quarterly basis and pay such distributions on a monthly basis to stockholders of record, as determined on a monthly basis. We will calculate each stockholder’s specific distribution amount for the period using record and declaration dates and each stockholder’s distributions will begin to accrue on the date we accept such stockholder’s subscription for shares of our common stock. From time to time, we may also pay special interim distributions in the form of cash or shares of our common stock at the discretion of our board of directors. The timing and amount of any future distributions to stockholders are subject to applicable legal restrictions and the sole discretion of our board of directors.

During certain periods, our distributions may exceed our earnings. As a result, it is possible that a portion of the distributions we make may represent a return of capital. A return of capital generally is a return of a stockholder’s investment rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from our investment activities. Each year a statement on Form 1099-DIV identifying the sources of the distributions will be mailed to our stockholders. If FS Investments had not reimbursed certain of our expenses, 15% of the aggregate amount of distributions paid during the year ended December 31, 2016 would have been funded from offering proceeds or borrowings.

We intend to continue to make our regular distributions in the form of cash, out of assets legally available for distribution, except for those stockholders who elect to receive their distributions in the form of shares of our common stock under our distribution reinvestment plan. Any distributions reinvested under the plan will nevertheless remain taxable to a U.S. stockholder.

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The following table reflects the cash distributions per share that we have declared on our common stock during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:

(1)

Distribution amounts and per share amounts shown are net of annual distribution fees, which began accruing on February 1, 2017, and reflect the special cash distributions described in footnote (2) below. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for a discussion regarding annual distribution fees.

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(2)

On a monthly basis from February 2017 through June 2017, we paid special cash distributions in the weekly amount of approximately $0.002 per share, to stockholders of record as of the weekly record dates previously determined by our board of directors for that period. We paid a total of approximately $884 in special cash distributions to stockholders. Our board of directors ratified and approved such monthly special cash distribution payments on August 10, 2017.

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See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our distributions, including a reconciliation of our GAAP-basis net investment income to our tax-basis net investment income and the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our financial statements are prepared in conformity with GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Critical accounting policies are those that require the application of management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often because of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and that may change in subsequent periods. In preparing the financial statements, management has made estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. In preparing the financial statements, management has utilized available information, including our past history, industry standards and the current economic environment, among other factors, in forming its estimates and judgments, giving due consideration to materiality. Actual results may differ from these estimates. In addition, other companies may utilize different estimates, which may impact the comparability of our results of operations to those of companies in similar businesses. As we execute our operating plans, we will describe additional critical accounting policies in the notes to our future financial statements in addition to those discussed below.

Valuation of Portfolio Investments

We determine the fair value of our investment portfolio each quarter. Securities are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors. In connection with that determination, the Advisor provides our board of directors with portfolio company valuations which are based on relevant inputs, including, but not limited to, indicative dealer quotes, values of like securities, recent portfolio company financial statements and forecasts, and valuations prepared by independent third-party valuation services.

Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure , or ASC Topic 820, issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or the FASB, clarifies the definition of fair value and requires companies to expand their disclosure about the use of fair value to measure assets and liabilities in interim and annual periods subsequent to initial recognition. ASC Topic 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC Topic 820 also establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, which includes inputs

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such as quoted prices for similar securities in active markets and quoted prices for identical securities where there is little or no activity in the market; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available, we undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

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our quarterly fair valuation process begins with the Advisor reviewing and documenting valuations of each portfolio company or investment, which valuations are obtained from an independent third-party valuation service and provide a valuation range;

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the Advisor then provides the valuation committee of our board of directors, or the valuation committee, with its valuation recommendation for each portfolio company or investment, along with supporting materials;

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preliminary valuations are then discussed with the valuation committee;

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our valuation committee reviews the preliminary valuations and the Advisor, together with our independent third-party valuation services, if applicable, supplement the preliminary valuations to reflect any comments provided by the valuation committee;

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following its review, the valuation committee will recommend that our board of directors approve our fair valuations; and

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our board of directors discusses the valuations and determines the fair value of each such investment in our portfolio in good faith based on various statistical and other factors, including the input and recommendation of the Advisor, the valuation committee and any independent third-party valuation services, if applicable.

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Determination of fair value involves subjective judgments and estimates. Accordingly, the notes to our consolidated financial statements refer to the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations and any change in such valuations on our consolidated financial statements. In making its determination of fair value, our board of directors may use any approved independent third-party pricing or valuation services. However, our board of directors is not required to determine fair value in accordance with the valuation provided by any single source, and may use any relevant data, including information obtained from the Advisor or any approved independent third-party valuation or pricing service that our board of directors deems to be reliable in determining fair value under the circumstances. Below is a description of factors that the Advisor, any approved independent third-party valuation services and our board of directors may consider when determining the fair value of our investments.

Valuation of fixed income investments, such as loans and debt securities, depends upon a number of factors, including prevailing interest rates for like securities, expected volatility in future interest rates, call features, put features and other relevant terms of the debt. For investments without readily available market prices, we may incorporate these factors into discounted cash flow models to arrive at fair value. Other factors that may be considered include the borrower’s ability to adequately service its debt, the fair market value of the borrower in relation to the face amount of its outstanding debt and the quality of collateral securing our debt investments.

For convertible debt securities, fair value generally approximates the fair value of the debt plus the fair value of an option to purchase the underlying security (i.e., the security into which the debt may convert) at the conversion price. To value such an option, a standard option pricing model may be used.

Our equity interests in portfolio companies for which there is no liquid public market are valued at fair value. Our board of directors, in its determination of fair value, may consider various factors, such as multiples of EBITDA, cash flows, net income, revenues or, in limited instances, book value or liquidation value. All of these factors may be subject to adjustments based upon the particular circumstances of a portfolio company or our actual investment position. For example, adjustments to EBITDA may take into account compensation to previous owners or acquisition, recapitalization, restructuring or other related items.

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The Advisor, any approved independent third-party valuation services and our board of directors may also consider private merger and acquisition statistics, public trading multiples discounted for illiquidity and other factors, valuations implied by third-party investments in the portfolio companies or industry practices in determining fair value. The Advisor, any approved independent third-party valuation services and our board of directors may also consider the size and scope of a portfolio company and its specific strengths and weaknesses, and may apply discounts or premiums, where and as appropriate, due to the higher (or lower) financial risk and/or the smaller size of portfolio companies relative to comparable firms, as well as such other factors as our board of directors, in consultation with the Advisor and any approved independent third-party valuation services, if applicable, may consider relevant in assessing fair value. Generally, the value of our equity interests in public companies for which market quotations are readily available is based upon the most recent closing public market price. Portfolio securities that carry certain restrictions on sale are typically valued at a discount from the public market value of the security.

When we receive warrants or other equity securities at nominal or no additional cost in connection with an investment in a debt security, the cost basis in the investment will be allocated between the debt securities and any such warrants or other equity securities received at the time of origination. Our board of directors subsequently values these warrants or other equity securities received at their fair value.

The fair values of our investments are determined in good faith by our board of directors. Our board of directors is responsible for the valuation of our portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith pursuant to our valuation policy and consistently applied valuation process. Our board of directors has delegated day-to-day responsibility for implementing our valuation policy to the Advisor, and has authorized the Advisor to utilize independent third-party valuation and pricing services that have been approved by our board of directors. The valuation committee is responsible for overseeing the Advisor’s implementation of the valuation process.

See Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements contained in this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding the fair value of our financial instruments.

Revenue Recognition

Security transactions are accounted for on the trade date. We record interest income on an accrual basis to the extent that we expect to collect such amounts. We record dividend income on the ex-dividend date. Distributions received from a limited liability company (“LLC”) and limited partnership (“LP”) investments are evaluated to determine if the distribution should be recorded as dividend income or a return of capital. We do not accrue as a receivable interest or dividends on loans and securities if we have reason to doubt our ability to collect such income. Our policy is to place investments on non-accrual status when there is reasonable doubt that interest income will be collected. We consider many factors relevant to an investment when placing it on or removing it from non-accrual status including, but not limited to, the delinquency status of the investment, economic and business conditions, the overall financial condition of the underlying investment, the value of the underlying collateral, bankruptcy status, if any, and any other facts or circumstances relevant to the investment. If there is reasonable doubt that we will receive any previously accrued interest, then the interest income will be written-off. Payments received on non-accrual investments may be recognized as income or applied to principal depending upon the collectability of the remaining principal and interest. Non-accrual investments may be restored to accrual status when principal and interest become current and are likely to remain current based on our judgment.

Loan origination fees, original issue discount and market discount are capitalized and we amortize such amounts as interest income over the respective term of the loan or security. Upon the prepayment of a loan or security, any unamortized loan origination fees and original issue discount are recorded as interest income. Structuring and other non-recurring upfront fees are recorded as fee income when earned. We record prepayment premiums on loans and securities as fee income when we earn such amounts.

Effective January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers using the cumulative effect method applied to in-scope contracts with customers that have not been completed as of the date of adoption . We did not identify any in-scope contracts that had not been completed as of the date of adoption and, as a result, we did not recognize a cumulative effect on stockholders’ equity in connection with the adoption of the new revenue recognition guidance.

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The new revenue recognition guidance applies to all entities and all contracts with customers to provide goods or services in the ordinary course of business, excluding, among other things, financial instruments as well as certain other contractual rights and obligations. Under the new revenue recognition guidance, which we have applied to all new in-scope contracts as of the date of adoption, structuring and other upfront fees are recognized as revenue based on the transaction price as the performance obligation is fulfilled. The related performance obligation consists of structuring activities and is satisfied over time as such activities are performed. Consideration is variable and is constrained from being included in the transaction price until the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved, typically as of the trade date of the related transaction. Payment is typically due on the settlement date of the related transaction.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, we recognized $538 in structuring fee revenue under the new revenue recognition guidance and included such revenue in the fee income line item on our consolidated statements of operations. Comparative periods are presented in accordance with revenue recognition guidance effective prior to January 1, 2018, under which we recorded structuring and other non-recurring upfront fees as income when earned. We have determined that the adoption of the new revenue recognition guidance did not have a material impact on the amount of revenue recognized for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Net Realized Gains or Losses, Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation or Depreciation and Net Change in Unrealized Gains or Losses on Foreign Currency

Gains or losses on the sale of investments are calculated by using the specific identification method. We measure realized gains or losses by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment, without regard to unrealized appreciation or depreciation previously recognized, but considering unamortized fees. Net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation reflects the change in portfolio investment values during the reporting period, including any reversal of previously recorded unrealized gains or losses when gains or losses are realized. Net change in unrealized gains or losses on foreign currency reflects the change in the value of receivables or accruals during the reporting period due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations.

Uncertainty in Income Taxes

We evaluate our tax positions to determine if the tax positions taken meet the minimum recognition threshold in connection with accounting for uncertainties in income tax positions taken or expected to be taken for the purposes of measuring and recognizing tax benefits or liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Recognition of a tax benefit or liability with respect to an uncertain tax position is required only when the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by taxing authorities. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax liabilities as income tax expense in our consolidated statements of operations. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016, we did not incur any interest or penalties.

Contractual Obligations

We have entered into an agreement with the Advisor to provide us with investment advisory and administrative services. Payments for investment advisory services under the investment advisory and administrative services agreement are equal to (a) an annual base management fee based on the average weekly value of our gross assets and (b) an incentive fee based on our performance. The Advisor is reimbursed for administrative expenses incurred on our behalf. See Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements included herein for a discussion of this agreement and for the amount of fees and expenses accrued under similar agreements with FSIC IV Advisor during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and the period from January 6, 2016 (Commencement of Operations) through December 31, 2016.

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A summary of our significant contractual payment obligations related to the repayment of our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2018 is as follows:

(1)

Amounts outstanding will mature, and all accrued and unpaid interest thereunder will be due and payable, on the maturity date.

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(2)

As of December 31, 2018, $15,000 remained unused under the BNP Facility. The BNP Facility generally is terminable upon 270 days’ notice by either party. As of December 31, 2018, neither Broomall Funding nor BNPP had provided notice of its intent to terminate the facility.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We currently have no off-balance sheet arrangements, including any risk management of commodity pricing or other hedging practices.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement—Disclosures Framework—Changes to Disclosure Requirements of Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820), or ASU 2018-13. ASU 2018-13 introduces new fair value disclosure requirements and eliminates and modifies certain existing fair value disclosure requirements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2018-13 on our financial statements.

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

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We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates. As of December 31, 2018, 65.1% of our portfolio investments (based on fair value) paid variable interest rates, 31.3% paid fixed interest rates, 0.5% consisted of non-income producing equity/other investments and the remaining 3.1% were income producing equity/other investments. A rise in the general level of interest rates can be expected to lead to higher interest rates applicable to any variable rate investments we hold and to declines in the value of any fixed rate investments we hold. However, many of our variable rate investments provide for an interest rate floor, which may prevent our interest income from increasing until benchmark interest rates increase beyond a threshold amount. To the extent that a substantial portion of our investments may be in variable rate investments, an increase in interest rates beyond this threshold would make it easier for us to meet or exceed the hurdle rate applicable to the subordinated incentive fee on income, and may result in a substantial increase in our net investment income and to the amount of incentive fees payable to the Advisor with respect to our increased pre-incentive fee net investment income.

Pursuant to the terms of the TRS between Cheltenham Funding and Citibank, Cheltenham Funding pays fees to Citibank at a floating rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 1.60% or 1.50% per annum, as applicable, on the utilized notional amount of the loans subject to the TRS in exchange for the right to receive the economic benefit of a pool of loans having a maximum notional amount of  $175,000. Pursuant to the terms of the BNP Facility, borrowings are at a floating rate based on LIBOR. To the extent that any present or future credit facilities, total return swap agreements or other financing arrangements that we or any of our subsidiaries enter into are based on a floating interest rate, we will be subject to risks relating to changes in market interest rates. In periods of rising interest rates when we or our subsidiaries have such debt outstanding, or financing arrangements in effect, our interest expense would increase, which could reduce our net investment income, especially to the extent we hold fixed rate investments.

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The following table shows the effect over a twelve-month period of changes in interest rates on our interest income, interest expense and net interest income, assuming no changes in the composition of our investment portfolio, including the accrual status of our investments, and our financing arrangements in effect as of December 31, 2018 (dollar amounts are presented in thousands):

(1)

Assumes no defaults or prepayments by portfolio companies over the next twelve months. Includes the net effect of the change in interest rates on the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the TRS. Pursuant to the TRS, Cheltenham Funding receives from Citibank all interest payable in respect of the loans included in the TRS and pays to Citibank interest at a rate equal to one-month LIBOR plus 1.60% or 1.50% per annum, as applicable, on the utilized notional amount of the loans subject to the TRS. As of December 31, 2018, all of the loans underlying the TRS (based on fair value) paid variable interest rates.

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We expect that our long-term investments will be financed primarily with equity and debt. If deemed prudent, we may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to minimize our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. These techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. 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. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, we did not engage in interest rate hedging activities.

In addition, we may have risk regarding portfolio valuation. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies—Valuation of Portfolio Investments.”

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Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

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Index to Financial Statements

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MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the preparation of our annual financial statements, management has conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework set forth in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in 2013 (“COSO”). Management’s assessment included an evaluation of the design of our internal control over financial reporting and testing of the operational effectiveness of those controls. Based on this evaluation, we have concluded that, as of December 31, 2018, our internal control over financial reporting was effective to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 has been audited by our independent registered public accounting firm.

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(1)

See Note 8 for a discussion of the Company’s financing arrangements.

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(2)

See Note 2 for a discussion of the methodology employed by the Company in calculating the subordinated income incentive fees and capital gains incentive fees.

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(3)

See Note 9 for a discussion of the Company’s commitments and contingencies.

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See notes to consolidated financial statements.

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