Palmer Square Capital BDC Inc. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors Investing in our common stock involves a number of significant risks. The investor should be aware of various risks, including those described below. The investor should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or not presently deemed material by us may also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the net asset value of our common stock could decline, and an investor may lose all or part of his or her investment. The following is a summary of the principal risks that you should carefully consider before investing in our securities. Further details regarding each risk included in the below summary list can be found further below. ● Dependence Upon Key Personnel of PSCM and the Investment Advisor — The success of the Company is highly dependent on the financial and managerial expertise of the Investment Advisor and, in turn, PSCM. ● Operation in a Highly Competitive Market for Investment Opportunities — The business of investing in assets meeting our investment objective is highly competitive. ● Financing Investments With Borrowed Money — The use of leverage magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested. ● Changes in Interest Rates May Affect Our Cost of Capital and Net Investment Income — Because we borrow money to make 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. ● Investments in Leveraged Portfolio Companies — Leveraged companies in which we invest may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their loans and debt securities that we hold. 33 ● Investments in CLOs — CLO vehicles that we invest in are typically very highly levered, and therefore, the junior debt and equity tranches that we invest in are subject to a higher degree of risk of total loss. ● Investments in Covenant-Lite Loans — Our investments may include Covenant-Lite Loans, which may give us fewer rights and subject us to greater risk of loss than loans with financial maintenance covenants. ● Risks Regarding Distributions — We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. ● Dependence on Strong Referral Relationships — We depend upon our Investment Advisor and its affiliates to maintain their relationships with private equity sponsors, placement agents, investment banks, management groups and other financial institutions, and we expect to rely to a significant extend upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. ● Uncertainty Regarding the Value of Portfolio Investments — The fair value of loans, securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable and we will value these investments at fair value as determined in good faith by our Investment Advisor (subject to the Board’s oversight). ● Investment in High Yield Debt with Greater Credit and Liquidity Risk — We invest in high yield debt, a substantial portion of which may be rated below investment-grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations or is unrated but of comparable credit quality to obligations rated below investment-grade, and has greater credit and liquidity risk than more highly rated debt obligations. Risks Related to our Business and Structure We are dependent upon key personnel of PSCM and the Investment Advisor. Pursuant to the Resource Sharing Agreement between the Investment Advisor and PSCM, PSCM provides the Investment Advisor with experienced investment professionals and services so as to enable the Investment Advisor to fulfil its obligations under the Advisory Agreement. Accordingly, our success is highly dependent on the financial and managerial expertise of the Investment Advisor and, in turn, PSCM. The individuals may not necessarily continue to remain employed by PSCM or affiliated with PSCM. Although we have attempted to foster a team approach to investing, the loss of key individuals employed by PSCM or affiliated with PSCM or our Investment Advisor, including Christopher D. Long and Angie K. Long, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, performance and ability to achieve our investment objectives. In addition, we cannot assure you that our Investment Advisor will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to PSCM or its investment professionals. Moreover, the Resource Sharing Agreement may be terminated by either party on 60 days’ notice; the termination of the Resource Sharing Agreement could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, performance and ability to achieve our investment objectives. The Investment Advisor’s and PSCM’s investment professionals expect to devote such time and attention to the conduct of our business as such business shall reasonably require. However, there can be no assurance, for example, that the members of the Investment Advisor or such investment professionals will devote any minimum number of hours each week to our affairs or that they will continue to be employed by PSCM. In the event that certain employees of the Investment Advisor cease to be actively involved with us, we will be required to rely on the ability of PSCM to identify and retain other investment professionals to conduct our business. 34 We are dependent on strong referral relationships. We depend upon our Investment Advisor and its affiliates to maintain their relationships with private equity sponsors, placement agents, investment banks, management groups and other financial institutions, and we expect to rely to a significant extent upon these relationships to provide us with potential investment opportunities. If our Investment Advisor and its affiliates fail to maintain such relationships, or to develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we will not be able to grow our investment portfolio. In addition, individuals with whom our Investment Advisor and its affiliates have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities, and we can offer no assurance that these relationships will generate investment opportunities for us in the future. Our investment decisions may be expedited. Investment analyses and decisions by the Investment Advisor may frequently be required to be undertaken on an expedited basis to take advantage of investment opportunities. In these cases, the information available to the Investment Advisor at the time of making an investment decision may be limited. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the Investment Advisor will have knowledge of all circumstances that may adversely affect an investment. Our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows depend on our ability to manage our business effectively. Our ability to achieve our investment objective will depend on our ability to manage our business and to grow our investments and earnings. This will depend, in turn, on our Investment Advisor’s ability to identify, invest in and monitor portfolio companies that meet our investment criteria. The achievement of our investment objectives on a cost-effective basis will depend upon our Investment Advisor’s execution of our investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us and, to a lesser extent, our access to financing on acceptable terms. Any failure to manage our business and our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our executive officers and directors, our Investment Advisor, PSCM and their affiliates, officers, directors and employees may face certain conflicts of interest. The employees of PSCM and our Investment Advisor serve, or may serve, as officers, directors, members, or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do, or of investment funds, accounts, or investment vehicles managed by it and/or its affiliates. Similarly, PSCM, the Investment Advisor and their affiliates may have other clients with similar, different or competing investment objectives. In serving in these multiple capacities, they may have obligations to other clients or investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which may not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. There is a potential that we will compete with these clients, and other entities managed by the Investment Advisor and its affiliates, for capital and investment opportunities. As a result, the Investment Advisor and, as applicable, the members of the Investment Committee may face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities among us and the investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by the Investment Advisor and its affiliates. Our Investment Advisor intends to allocate investment opportunities among eligible investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles in a manner that is fair and equitable over time and consistent with its allocation policy. However, we can offer no assurance that such opportunities will be allocated to us fairly or equitably in the short-term or over time. 35 Our Investment Advisor or its affiliates may, from time to time, possess material non-public information, limiting our investment discretion. Principals and other employees of our Investment Advisor, including members of the Investment Advisor’s Investment Committee, may serve as directors of, or in a similar capacity with, portfolio companies in which we invest, the securities of which are purchased or sold on our behalf. In the event that material nonpublic information is obtained with respect to such companies, or we become subject to trading restrictions under the internal trading policies of those companies or as a result of applicable law or regulations, we could be prohibited for a period of time from purchasing or selling the securities of such companies, and this prohibition may have an adverse effect on us. Our management and incentive fee structure with our Investment Advisor may create incentives for our Investment Advisor that are not fully aligned with the interests of our stockholders and may induce our Investment Advisor to make speculative investments. In the course of our investing activities, we pay management and incentive fees to the Investment Advisor. We have entered into an Advisory Agreement with the Investment Advisor. Under the incentive fee structure, our adjusted net investment income for purposes thereof is computed and paid on income that may include interest income that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. This fee structure may give rise to a conflict of interest for the Investment Advisor to the extent that it encourages the Investment Advisor to favor debt financings that provide for deferred interest, rather than current cash payments of interest. The Investment Advisor may have an incentive to invest in deferred interest securities in circumstances where it would not have done so but for the opportunity to continue to earn the Income Incentive Fee even when the issuers of the deferred interest securities would not be able to make actual cash payments to us on such securities. This risk could be increased because, under our Advisory Agreement, the Investment Advisor is not obligated to reimburse us for incentive fees it receives even if we subsequently incur losses or never receive in cash the deferred income that was previously accrued. The valuation process for certain of our portfolio holdings may create a conflict of interest. We may make portfolio investments in the form of loans and securities that are not publicly traded and for which no market based price quotation is available. Effective August 11, 2022, our Board designated the Investment Advisor as our valuation designee. The participation of the Investment Advisor’s investment professionals in our valuation process could result in a conflict of interest as the Investment Advisor’s base management fee is based, in part, on the value of our total net assets. We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities, which could reduce returns and result in losses. The business of investing in assets meeting our investment objective is highly competitive. Competition for investment opportunities includes a growing number of nontraditional participants, such as hedge funds, senior private debt funds, including BDCs, and other private investors, as well as more traditional lending institutions and competitors. Some of these competitors may have access to greater amounts of capital or may have different return thresholds than us, and thus these competitors may have advantages not shared by us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC or the source-of-income, asset diversification and distribution requirements we must satisfy to qualify and maintain our RIC status. Increased competition for, or a diminishment in the available supply of, investments suitable for us could result in lower returns on such investments. Moreover, the identification of attractive investment opportunities is difficult and involves a high degree of uncertainty. We may incur significant expenses in connection with identifying investment opportunities and investigating other potential investments which are ultimately not consummated, including expenses relating to due diligence, transportation, legal expenses and the fees of other third party advisors. 36 With respect to the investments we make, we will not seek to compete based primarily on the interest rates we will offer, and we believe that some of our competitors may make loans with interest rates that will be lower than the rates we offer. In the secondary market for acquiring existing loans, we expect to compete generally on the basis of pricing terms. With respect to all investments, we may lose some investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. However, if we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income, lower yields and increased risk of credit loss. We may need to raise additional capital. We may need to raise additional capital to fund new investments and grow our portfolio of investments. We intend to access the capital markets periodically to issue debt or equity securities or borrow from financial institutions in order to obtain such additional capital. Unfavorable economic conditions 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. A reduction in the availability of new capital could limit our ability to grow. In addition, we are required to distribute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes of an amount generally at least equally to 90% of the sum of our net ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders to qualify and maintain our RIC status. As a result, these earnings will not be available to fund new investments. An inability on our part to access the capital markets successfully could limit our ability to grow our business and execute our business strategy fully and could decrease our earnings, if any, which would have an adverse effect on the value of our securities. Our investments in PIK interest income may expose us to risks, including a possible increase in incentive fees that are payable by us to the Investment Advisor. Certain of our debt investments may contain provisions providing for the payment of PIK interest. Because PIK interest results in an increase in the size of the loan balance of the underlying loan, the receipt by us of PIK interest will have the effect of increasing our total net assets. As a result, because the base management fee that we pay to the Investment Advisor is based on the value of our total net assets, the receipt by us of PIK interest will result in an increase in the amount of the base management fee payable by us. In addition, any such increase in a loan balance due to the receipt of PIK interest will cause such loan to accrue interest on the higher loan balance, which will result in an increase in our pre-incentive fee net investment income and, as a result, an increase in incentive fees that are payable by us to the Investment Advisor. Our strategy involves a high degree of leverage. We intend to continue to finance our investments with borrowed money, which will magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us. The use of leverage magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested. The use of leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique and increases the risks associated with investing in our securities. We have borrowed and intend to continue to borrow from, and may in the future issue debt securities to, banks, insurance companies and other lenders. Lenders of these funds will have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders, and we would expect such lenders to seek recovery against our assets in the event of a default. We may pledge up to 100% of our assets and may grant a security interest in all of our assets under the terms of any debt instruments we may enter into with lenders. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged, thereby magnifying losses or eliminating our stake in a leveraged investment. Similarly, any decrease in our revenue or income will cause our net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline would also negatively affect our ability to make dividend payments on our common stock. Our ability to service any debt will depend largely on our financial performance and will be subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. In addition, our common stockholders will bear the burden of any increase in our expenses as a result of our use of leverage, including interest expenses. 37 As a BDC, we generally are required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total borrowings and other senior securities, which include all of our borrowings and any preferred stock that we may issue in the future, of at least 150%. If this ratio declines below 150%, we will not be able to incur additional debt when it is otherwise advantageous or necessary for us to do so. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on the Investment Advisor’s and our Board’s assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain credit at all or on terms acceptable to us. [Illustration. The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual results may be higher or lower than those appearing below. Assumed Return on Our Portfolio (1) (net of expenses) (10.0 )% (5.0 )% 0.0 % 5.0 % 10.0 % Corresponding net return to common stockholder (33.13 )% (21.12 )% (9.12 ) % 2.88 % 14.88 % (1) Assumes (i) $1.1 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2023, (ii) $1.1 billion in non-controlled, non-affiliated investments at fair value as of December 31, 2023, (iii) $629.6 million in outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2023, (iv) $462.0 million in net assets as of December 31, 2023 and (iv) weighted average interest rate of 6.58% on our indebtedness for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023. Based on outstanding indebtedness of $629.6 million as of December 31, 2023, and the weighted average effective interest rate of 6.58%, our investment portfolio would have had to produce an annual return of approximately 3.80% to cover annual interest payments on outstanding debt. We are subject to various covenants under our credit facilities which, if not complied with, could result in reduced availability and/or mandatory prepayments under our credit facilities. We are subject to various covenants under our credit facilities which, if not complied with, could result in reduced availability and/or mandatory prepayments under our credit facilities. In the event we default under our credit facilities or any other future borrowing facility, our business could be adversely affected as we may be forced to sell a portion of our investments quickly and prematurely at what may be disadvantageous prices to us in order to meet our outstanding payment obligations and/or support working capital requirements under our credit facilities, or such future borrowing facility, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, following any such default, the agent for the lenders under our credit facilities, or such future borrowing facility could assume control of the disposition of any or all of our assets, including the selection of such assets to be disposed and the timing of such disposition, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition to asset coverage ratio requirements, our credit facilities contain various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment of the indebtedness under our credit facilities. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our borrowings under the BoA Credit Facility are collateralized by the assets in a special purpose wholly-owned subsidiary, PS BDC Funding. The agreements governing the BoA Credit Facility require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include a requirement to maintain a first-prior security interest in the collateral for the benefit of the lenders under the BoA Credit Facility, maintain various policies and procedures, and maintain a minimum borrowing base under the BoA Credit Facility. Our borrowings under the line of credit provided to us under the WF Credit Facility are collateralized by the assets in a special purpose wholly owned subsidiary, PS BDC Funding II. The agreements governing the WF Credit Facility require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include a requirement to maintain a first-prior security interest in the collateral for the benefit of the lenders under the WF Credit Facility, maintain various policies and procedures, and maintain a minimum borrowing base under the WF Credit Facility. Our continued compliance with the covenants under our credit facilities depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. 38 Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income. Because we borrow money to make 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 would not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income given that we use debt to finance our investments. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds could increase, which could reduce our net investment income. In addition, in a prolonged low interest rate environment, the difference between investment income earned on interest earning assets and the interest expense incurred on interest bearing liabilities may be compressed, reducing our net investment income and potentially adversely affecting our operating results. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Such techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. We may have uncertainty as to the value of certain portfolio investments. We expect that certain of our portfolio investments may take the form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value of loans, securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable and we will value these investments at fair value as determined in good faith by the Investment Advisor (subject to the Board’s oversight). Certain of our investments (other than cash and cash equivalents) will be classified as Level 2 assets under Topic 820 of the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), as amended, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). This means that certain of our portfolio valuations will be based on inputs other than quoted prices which are either directly or indirectly observable, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets including actionable bids from third parties for privately held assets or liabilities, and observable inputs other than quoted prices such as yield curves and forward currency rates that are entered directly into valuation models to determine the value of derivatives or other assets or liabilities. Certain other of our investments may be classified as Level 3 under ASC 820, which means that certain of our portfolio valuations will be based on unobservable inputs and our own assumptions about how market participants would price the asset or liability in question. We expect that inputs into the determination of fair value of our portfolio investments will require significant management judgment or estimation. Even if observable market data are available, such information may be the result of consensus pricing information or broker quotes, which include a disclaimer that the broker would not be held to such a price in an actual transaction. The non-binding nature of consensus pricing and/or quotes accompanied by disclaimers materially reduces the reliability of such information. The types of factors that the Board may take into account in determining the fair value of our investments generally include, as appropriate, comparison to publicly-traded securities including such factors as yield, maturity and measures of credit quality, the enterprise value of a portfolio company, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these loans and securities existed. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such loans and securities. In addition, the method of calculating the base management fee may result in conflicts of interest between the Investment Advisor, on the one hand, and our stockholders on the other hand, with respect to valuation of investments. We will adjust on a quarterly basis the valuation of our portfolio to reflect the Investment Advisor’s determination (subject to the Board’s oversight) of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio for which market quotes are not readily available. Any changes in fair value are recorded in our statements of operations as net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments. We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results. We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rate payable on the loans and debt securities we acquire, the default rate on such loans and securities, 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. Moreover, as of December 31, 2023, 100% of our investments were classified as Level 1 or Level 2, which may cause our NAV to experience greater fluctuations than funds with a greater proportion of Level 3 assets. In light of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods. 39 The Board may change our investment objectives, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval. The Board has the authority, except as otherwise provided in the 1940 Act, to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and the market price of our common stock. Nevertheless, any such changes could adversely affect our business and impair our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. We are subject to risks related to our management of ESG activities. Our business faces increasing public scrutiny related to ESG activities. We risk damage to our brand and reputation if we fail to act responsibly in a number of areas, such as environmental stewardship, corporate governance and transparency and considering ESG factors in our investment processes. Adverse incidents with respect to ESG activities could impact the value of our brand, the cost of our operations and relationships with investors, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Additionally, new regulatory initiatives related to ESG could adversely affect our business. Our Investment Advisor and Administrator each have the ability to resign on 60 days’ notice, and we may not be able to find a suitable replacement within that time, resulting in a disruption in our operations that could adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations. The Investment Advisor has the right under the Advisory Agreement to resign as our Investment Advisor at any time upon not less than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. Similarly, our Administrator has the right under the Administration Agreement to resign at any time upon not less than 60 days’ written notice, whether we have found a replacement or not. If the Investment Advisor or Administrator were to resign, we may not be able to find a new investment adviser or administrator, as applicable, or hire internal management with similar expertise and ability to provide the same or equivalent services on acceptable terms within 60 days, or at all. If we are unable to do so quickly, our operations are likely to experience a disruption, our financial condition, business and results of operations as well as our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders are likely to be adversely affected. Moreover, pursuant to the Resource Sharing Agreement, PSCM provides the Investment Advisor with experienced investment professionals and services so as to enable the Investment Advisor to fulfill its obligations under the Advisory Agreement, and such Resource Sharing Agreement may itself be terminated on 60 days’ notice. If PSCM were to so terminate the Resource Sharing Agreement, the Investment Advisor may be required to seek to find an alternate means of fulfilling its obligations under the Advisory Agreement, or to resign. We are highly dependent on information systems, and systems failures or cyber-attacks could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the value of shares of our common stock and our ability to pay distributions. Our business relies on secure information technology systems. These systems are exposed to operational and information security risks resulting from cyberattacks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our information resources (i.e., cyber incidents). Cyber incidents can result from unintentional events (such as an inadvertent release of confidential information) or deliberate attacks by insiders or third parties. These attacks could involve gaining unauthorized access to our information systems for purposes of misappropriating assets, stealing and unauthorized release of confidential information, corrupting data, denial of service attacks on our websites, “ransomware” that renders systems inoperable until ransom is paid, or various other forms of cybersecurity breaches. Cybersecurity incidents and cyber-attacks have been occurring more frequently and will likely continue to increase. Such cyber incidents could result in disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs, litigation and damage to our business relationships, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those provided by the Investment Advisor and third-party service providers. Cyber incidents affecting us, our Investment Advisor, or third-party service providers may adversely impact us or the companies in which we invest, causing our investments to lose value. We, along with our Investment Advisor, have implemented processes, procedures and internal controls to help mitigate cybersecurity risks and cyber intrusions. However, these measures may not be effective, and there can be no assurance that a cyber incident will not occur or that our financial results, operations or confidential information will not be negatively impacted by such an incident. In addition, the costs related to cyber or other security threats or disruptions may not be fully insured or indemnified by other means, and we may be required to expend additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks. Furthermore, cybersecurity continues to be a key priority for regulators around the world, and some jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals or the general investing public of data security breaches involving certain types of personal data, including the SEC, which, on July 26, 2023, adopted amendments requiring the prompt public disclosure of certain cybersecurity breaches. If we fail to comply with the relevant laws and regulations, we could suffer financial losses, a disruption of our businesses, liability to investors, regulatory intervention or reputational damage. 40 Failure to maintain our status as a business development company would reduce our operating flexibility. If we do not maintain our status as a business development company, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act, which would subject us to substantially more regulatory restrictions and correspondingly decrease our operating flexibility. Our charter includes an exclusive forum selection provision, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other agents. Our charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of a different forum, (i) the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, or, if that court does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, shall be, except for any claims made under the federal U.S. securities laws, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by a director or officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or to the stockholders of the Company or asserting a claim of breach of any standard of conduct set forth in the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the “MGCL”, (c) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer or other employee of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL, the charter or our bylaws, or (d) any action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer or other employee of the Company that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. and (ii) the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising under the federal securities laws. In addition, this provision may increase costs for shareholders in bringing a claim against us or our directors, officers or other agents. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to have notice of and consented to these exclusive forum provisions. The exclusive forum selection provision in our charter may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other agents, which may discourage lawsuits against us and such persons. It is also possible that, notwithstanding such exclusive forum selection provision, a court could rule that such provision is inapplicable or unenforceable. If this occurred, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in another forum, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have a limited operating history. We began operations on January 23, 2020 and have a limited operating history. As a result, we are subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including the risk that it will not achieve its investment objectives and that the value of your investment could decline substantially or that the investor will suffer a complete loss of its investment in us. In addition, neither PSCM (including the employees of PSCM that serve on the Investment Team) nor the Investment Advisor has managed a BDC prior to our inception. The 1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of BDCs that generally do not apply to other investment vehicles managed by PSCM. BDCs are required, for example, to invest at least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of U.S. private or thinly traded public companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt instruments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment. We, the Investment Advisor and PSCM have limited experience operating or advising under these constraints, which may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objective. Risks Related to the 1940 Act Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted. The 1940 Act prohibits or restricts our ability to engage in certain principal transactions and joint transactions with certain “First Tier” affiliates and “Second Tier” affiliates. For example, we are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to any person who owns more than 25% of our voting securities or certain of that person’s affiliates (each is a “First Tier” affiliate), or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such persons, absent the prior approval of the SEC. We consider the Investment Advisor and its affiliates, including PSCM, to be “First Tier” affiliates for such purposes. We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain principal transactions and joint transactions with a “Second Tier” affiliate without the prior approval of our Independent Directors. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be a “Second Tier” affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act, and we are generally prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to such affiliate without the prior approval of our Independent Directors. We may, however, invest alongside PSCM’s investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles in certain circumstances where doing so is consistent with our investment strategy as well as applicable law and SEC staff interpretations. For example, we may invest alongside such investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles consistent with guidance promulgated by the SEC staff to purchase interests in a single class of privately placed securities so long as certain conditions are met, including that the Investment Advisor and PSCM, acting on our behalf and on behalf of such investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles, negotiate no term other than price. 41 In situations where co-investment with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by the Investment Advisor and its affiliates, including PSCM, is not permitted or appropriate, such as when there is an opportunity to invest in different securities of the same issuer or where the different investments could be expected to result in a conflict between our interests and those of these other clients, the Investment Advisor and PSCM will need to decide which client will proceed with the investment. These restrictions will limit the scope of investment opportunities that would otherwise be available to us. We, the Investment Advisor and PSCM have been granted exemptive relief from the SEC to permit greater flexibility to negotiate the terms of co-investments if our Board determines that it would be advantageous for us to co-invest with investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by PSCM in a manner consistent with our investment objectives, positions, policies, strategies and restrictions as well as regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors. We believe that co-investment by us and investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed by the Investment Advisor and its affiliates, including PSCM, may afford us additional investment opportunities and an ability to achieve greater diversification. Accordingly, our exemptive order permits us to invest with these investment funds, accounts and investment vehicles managed in the same portfolio companies under circumstances in which such investments would otherwise not be permitted by the 1940 Act. Our exemptive relief permitting co-investments applies only if our Independent Directors review and approve each co-investment. The exemptive order imposes other constraints on co-investments that limit the number of instances when we may rely on its protections. Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital. Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital or borrow for investment purposes, which may have a negative impact on our growth. We may issue debt securities or preferred stock and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. We are generally able to issue senior securities such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% of gross assets less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, after each issuance of senior securities. If the value of our assets decline, we may be unable to satisfy this test. If that happens, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous to use in order to repay a portion of our indebtedness. Risks Related to our Investments Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies, and defaults by our portfolio companies will harm our operating results. Many of the portfolio companies in which we have invested or expect to make investments are likely to be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during such periods. Therefore, the number of our non-performing assets is likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease during such periods. Adverse economic conditions may decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and debt securities and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing our investments and harm our operating results. 42 A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the loans and debt securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company. We may hold the debt securities of leveraged portfolio companies. Portfolio companies may issue certain types of debt, such as senior loans, mezzanine or high yield in connection with leveraged acquisitions or recapitalizations in which the portfolio company incurs a substantially higher amount of indebtedness than the level at which it had previously operated. Leverage may have important consequences to these portfolio companies and us as an investor. For example, the substantial indebtedness of a portfolio company could (i) limit its ability to borrow money for its working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, strategic initiatives or other purposes; (ii) require it to dedicate a substantial portion of its cash flow from operations to the repayment of its indebtedness, thereby reducing funds available to it for other purposes; (iii) make it more highly leveraged than some of its competitors, which may place it at a competitive disadvantage; or (iv) subject it to restrictive financial and operating covenants, which may preclude it from favorable business activities or the financing of future operations or other capital needs. A leveraged portfolio company’s income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used. In addition, a portfolio company with a leveraged capital structure will be subject to increased exposure to adverse economic factors, such as a significant rise in interest rates, a severe downturn in the economy or deterioration in the condition of that portfolio company or its industry. If a portfolio company is unable to generate sufficient cash flow to meet all of its obligations, it may take alternative measures (e.g., reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital, or seek to restructure, extend or refinance indebtedness). These actions may negatively affect our investment in such a portfolio company. Investment in leveraged companies involves a number of significant risks. Leveraged companies in which we invest may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their loans and debt securities that we hold. Such developments may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing any guarantees that we may have obtained in connection with our investment. Smaller leveraged companies also may have less predictable operating results and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance their expansion or maintain their competitive position. Our investments in secured loans may nonetheless expose us to losses from default and foreclosure. While we invest in secured loans, they may nonetheless be exposed to losses resulting from default and foreclosure. Therefore, the value of the underlying collateral, the creditworthiness of the borrower and the priority of the lien are each of great importance. We cannot guarantee the adequacy of the protection of our interests, including the validity or enforceability of the loan and the maintenance of the anticipated priority and perfection of the applicable security interests. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that claims may not be asserted that might interfere with enforcement of our rights. In addition, in the event of any default under a secured loan held directly by us, we will bear a risk of loss of principal to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal and accrued interest of the secured loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow from operations. 43 In the event of a foreclosure, we may assume direct ownership of the underlying asset. The liquidation proceeds upon sale of such asset may not satisfy the entire outstanding balance of principal and interest on the loan, resulting in a loss to us. Any costs or delays involved in the effectuation of a foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying property will further reduce the proceeds and thus increase the loss. Our investments in mezzanine debt and other junior securities are subordinate to senior indebtedness of the applicable company and are subject to greater risk. The mezzanine debt and other junior investments in which we may invest are typically contractually or structurally subordinated to senior indebtedness of the applicable company, or effectively subordinated as a result of being unsecured debt and therefore subject to the prior repayment of secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets pledged as security. In some cases, the subordinated debt held by us may be subject to the prior repayment of different classes of senior debt that may be in priority ahead of the debt held by us. In the event of financial difficulty on the part of a portfolio company, such class or classes of senior indebtedness ranking prior to the debt held by us, and interest thereon and related expenses, must first be repaid in full before any recovery may be had on our mezzanine debt or other subordinated investments. Subordinated investments are characterized by greater credit risks than those associated with the senior or senior secured obligations of the same issuer. In addition, under certain circumstances the holders of the senior indebtedness will have the right to block the payment of interest and principal on our mezzanine debt or other junior investment and to prevent us from pursuing its remedies on account of such non-payment against the issuer. Further, in the event of any debt restructuring or workout of the indebtedness of any issuer, the holders of the senior indebtedness will likely control the creditor side of such negotiations. Many issuers of mezzanine debt or other junior securities are highly leveraged, and their relatively high debt-to-equity ratios create increased risks that their operations might not generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations. In addition, many issuers of mezzanine debt or other junior securities may be in poor financial condition, experiencing poor operating results, having substantial capital needs or negative net worth or be facing special competitive or product obsolescence problems, and may include companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganizations or liquidation proceedings. Adverse changes in the financial condition of an issuer, general economic conditions, or both, may impair the ability of such issuer to make payments on the subordinated securities and result in defaults on such securities more quickly than in the case of the senior obligations of such issuer. Mezzanine debt and other junior securities may not be publicly traded, and therefore it may be difficult to obtain information as to the true condition of the issuers. Finally, the market values of certain of mezzanine debt and other junior securities may reflect individual corporate developments. Our investments include Covenant-Lite Loans, which give us fewer rights and subject us to greater risk of loss than loans with financial maintenance covenants. A significant number of high yield loans in the market, in particular the broadly syndicated loan market, consist of Covenant-Lite Loans, which are loans that do not require the borrower to maintain debt service or other financial ratios and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. A significant portion of the loans in which we may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities are Covenant-Lite Loans and it is possible that such loans may comprise a majority of our portfolio from time to time. Ownership of Covenant-Lite Loans exposes us to different risks, including with respect to liquidity, price volatility, ability to restructure loans, credit risks and less protective loan documentation, than is the case with loans that contain financial maintenance covenants. Generally, Covenant-Lite Loans provide borrower companies more freedom to negatively impact lenders because their covenants are incurrence-based, which means they are only tested and can only be breached following an affirmative action of the borrower, rather than by a deterioration in the borrower’s financial condition. Accordingly, to the extent we invest in Covenant-Lite Loans, we may have fewer rights against a borrower and may have a greater risk of loss on such investments as compared to investments in or exposure to loans with financial maintenance covenants. 44 Our prospective portfolio companies may prepay loans, which may reduce our yields if capital returned cannot be invested in transactions with equal or greater expected yields. The terms of loans we acquire or originate may be subject to early prepayment options or similar provisions which, in each case, could result in us realizing repayments of such loans earlier than expected, sometimes with no or a nominal prepayment premium. This may happen when there is a decline in interest rates, when the portfolio company’s improved credit or operating or financial performance allows the refinancing of certain classes of debt with lower cost debt or when the general credit market conditions improve. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our ability to pay, or the amount of, distributions on our common stock, which could result in a decline in the market price of our shares. Our inability to reinvest such proceeds may materially affect the overall performance. We invest in high yield debt, which has greater credit and liquidity risk than more highly rated debt obligations. We invest in high yield debt, a substantial portion of which may be rated below investment-grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations or is unrated but of comparable credit quality to obligations rated below investment-grade, and has greater credit and liquidity risk than more highly rated debt obligations. High yield debt is generally unsecured and may be subordinate to other obligations of the obligor. The lower rating of high yield debt reflect a greater possibility that adverse changes in the financial condition of the obligor or in general economic conditions (including, for example, a substantial period of rising interest rates or declining earnings) or both may impair the ability of the obligor to make payment of principal and interest. Many issuers of high yield debt are highly leveraged, and their relatively high debt-to-equity ratios create increased risks that their operations might not generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations. In addition, many issuers of high yield debt may be in poor financial condition, experiencing poor operating results, having substantial capital needs or negative net worth or be facing special competitive or product obsolescence problems, and may include companies involved in bankruptcy or other reorganizations or liquidation proceedings. Certain of these securities may not be publicly traded, and therefore it may be difficult to obtain information as to the true condition of the issuers. Overall declines in the below investment-grade bond and other markets may adversely affect such issuers by inhibiting their ability to refinance their debt at maturity. High yield debt is often less liquid than higher rated securities, and the market for high yield debt has recently experienced periods of volatility. The market values of certain of this high yield debt may reflect individual corporate developments. Our investments in bank loans and financial institutions may be less liquid than our other investments and we may incur greater risk with respect to investments we acquire through assignments or participations of interests. We may invest a portion of our investments in loans originated by banks and other financial institutions. The loans invested in by us may include term loans and revolving loans, may pay interest at a fixed or floating rate and may be senior or subordinated. Purchasers of bank loans are predominantly commercial banks, investment funds and investment banks. As secondary market trading volumes for bank loans increase, new bank loans are frequently adopting standardized documentation to facilitate loan trading, which should improve market liquidity. There can be no assurance, however, that future levels of supply and demand in bank loan trading will provide an adequate degree of liquidity, that the current period of illiquidity will not persist or worsen and that the market will not experience periods of significant illiquidity in the future. In addition, we may make investments in stressed or distressed bank loans, which are often less liquid than performing bank loans. Compared to securities and to certain other types of financial assets, purchases and sales of loans take relatively longer to settle. This extended settlement process can (i) increase the counterparty credit risk borne by us; (ii) leave us unable to timely vote, or otherwise act with respect to, loans we have agreed to purchase; (iii) delay us from realizing the proceeds of a sale of a loan; (iv) inhibit our ability to re-sell a loan that it has agreed to purchase if conditions change (leaving us more exposed to price fluctuations); (v) prevent us from timely collecting principal and interest payments; and (vi) expose us to adverse tax or regulatory consequences. To the extent the extended loan settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, we may hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders. 45 In certain circumstances, loans may not be deemed to be securities, and in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by a borrower or an arranger, lenders will not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, as would be the case for bonds or stocks. Instead, in such cases, lenders generally rely on the contractual provisions in the loan agreement itself, and common-law fraud protections under applicable state law. We may acquire interests in bank loans either directly (by way of sale or assignment) or indirectly (by way of participation). The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, its rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution. Participation interests in a portion of a debt obligation typically result in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, and not with the borrower. In purchasing participations, we generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and we may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, we will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. The bank loans acquired by us are likely to be below investment-grade. We invest in structured products and such investments may involve significant risks. We invest, to a limited extent, in structured products, which may include CDOs, CLOs (including the equity tranches thereof), structured notes, and credit-linked notes. These investment entities may be structured as trusts or other types of pooled investment vehicles. They 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. CDOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities issued by special purpose vehicles created to reapportion the risk and return characteristics of a pool of assets. The underlying pool for a CLO, for example, may include domestic and foreign senior loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans. Generally, these are not qualified as eligible portfolio companies. Investments in the equity tranche or any similarly situated tranche of a structured product involve a greater degree of risk than investments in other tranches, and such investments will be the first to bear losses incurred by a structured product. Our CLO investments are typically highly levered and subject to a higher degree of risk of total loss. CLO vehicles that we invest in are typically very highly levered, and therefore, the junior debt and equity tranches that we invest in are subject to a higher degree of risk of total loss. We will generally have the right to receive payments only from the CLO vehicles, and will generally not have direct rights against the underlying borrowers or the entity that sponsored the CLO vehicle. The failure by a CLO vehicle in which we invest to satisfy certain financial covenants, specifically those with respect to adequate collateralization and/or interest coverage tests, could lead to a reduction in its payments to us. In the event that a CLO vehicle failed those tests, holders of debt senior to us may be entitled to additional payments that would, in turn, reduce the payments we would otherwise be entitled to receive. If any of these occur, it could materially and adversely affect our operating results and cash flows. In addition to the general risks associated with investing in debt securities, CLO vehicles carry additional risks, including: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the fact that our investments in CLO tranches will likely be subordinate to other senior classes of note tranches thereof; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the CLO vehicle or unexpected investment results. Our net asset value may also decline over time if our principal recovery with respect to CLO equity investments is less than the price we paid for those investments. 46 Investments in structured vehicles, including equity and junior debt instruments issued by CLO vehicles, involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Changes in interest rates and credit quality may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the underlying leveraged corporate loans held by a CLO vehicle may cause payments on the instruments we hold to be reduced, either temporarily or permanently. Structured investments, particularly the subordinated interests in which we intend to invest, may be less liquid than many other types of securities and may be more volatile than the leveraged corporate loans underlying the CLO vehicles we intend to target. Fluctuations in interest rates may also cause payments on the tranches of CLO vehicles that we hold to be reduced, either temporarily or permanently. The accounting and tax implications of such investments are complicated. In particular, reported earnings from the equity tranche investments of these CLO vehicles are recorded under generally accepted accounting principles based upon an effective yield calculation. Current taxable earnings on these investments, however, will generally not be determinable until after the end of the fiscal year of each individual CLO vehicle that ends within our fiscal year, even though the investments are generating cash flow. In general, the tax treatment of these investments may result in higher distributable earnings in the early years and a capital loss at maturity, while for reporting purposes the totality of cash flows are reflected in a constant yield to maturity. Interests we acquire in CLO vehicles will likely be thinly traded or have only a limited trading market and may be subject to restrictions on resale. Securities issued by CLO vehicles are generally not listed on any U.S. national securities exchange and no active trading market may exist for the securities of CLO vehicles in which we may invest. Although a secondary market may exist for our investments in CLO vehicles, the market for our investments in CLO vehicles may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. As a result, these types of investments may be more difficult to value. We may be subject to lender liability and equitable subordination. In recent years, a number of judicial decisions in the United States have upheld the right of borrowers to sue lending institutions on the basis of various evolving legal theories (collectively termed “lender liability”). Generally, lender liability is founded upon the premise that an institutional lender has violated a duty (whether implied or contractual) of good faith and fair dealing owed to the borrower or has assumed a degree of control over the borrower resulting in creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or stockholders. Because of the nature of certain of our investments, we could be subject to allegations of lender liability. In addition, under common law principles that in some cases form the basis for lender liability claims, if a lending institution (i) intentionally takes an action that results in the undercapitalization of a borrower to the detriment of other creditors of such borrower, (ii) engages in other inequitable conduct to the detriment of such other creditors, (iii) engages in fraud with respect to, or makes misrepresentations to, such other creditors or (iv) uses its influence as a stockholder to dominate or control a borrower to the detriment of the other creditors of such borrower, a court may elect to subordinate the claim of the offending lending institution to the claims of the disadvantaged creditor or creditors, a remedy called “equitable subordination.” Because of the nature of certain of our investments, we could be subject to claims from creditors of an obligor that our investments issued by such obligor should be equitably subordinated. A significant number of our investments will involve investments in which we will not be the lead creditor. It is, accordingly, possible that lender liability or equitable subordination claims affecting our investments could arise without our direct involvement. If we purchase debt securities of an affiliate of a portfolio company in the secondary market at a discount, (i) a court might require us to disgorge profit it realizes if the opportunity to purchase such securities at a discount should have been made available to the issuer of such securities or (ii) we might be prevented from enforcing such securities at their full face value if the issuer of such securities becomes bankrupt. 47 Our failure to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio. Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may decide to provide additional funds to such portfolio company, in order to: ● increase or maintain in whole or in part our position as a creditor or equity ownership percentage in a portfolio company; ● exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing; or ● attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our investment. There is no assurance that we will make follow-on investments or that we will have sufficient funds to make all or any of such investments. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities or because we are restricted by compliance with BDC requirements of the 1940 Act or the desire to maintain our qualification as a RIC. Any decision by us not to make follow-on investments or our inability to make such investments may have a substantial adverse effect on a portfolio company in need of such an investment. Additionally, a failure to make such investments may result in a lost opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful portfolio company or the dilution of our ownership in a portfolio company if a third party invests in the portfolio company. Our portfolio may include equity investments, which are subordinated to debt investments and are subject to additional risks. We expect to make select equity investments in the common or preferred stock of a company, all of which are subordinated to debt investments. In addition, when we invest in first lien secured debt, second lien secured debt or subordinated debt, we may acquire warrants to purchase equity investments from time to time. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of these equity investments and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity investments 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 investments, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity investments may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience. In addition, many of the equity securities in which we invest may not pay dividends on a regular basis, if at all. The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our businesses. We may acquire a significant percentage of our portfolio company investments from privately held companies in directly negotiated transactions. The lack of an established, liquid secondary market for some of our investments may have an adverse effect on the market value of our investments and on our ability to dispose of them. Additionally, our investments may be subject to certain transfer restrictions that may also contribute to illiquidity. Further, our assets that are typically traded in a liquid market may become illiquid due to events relating to the issuer, market events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Therefore, no assurance can be given that, if we are determined to dispose of a particular investment held by us, it could dispose of such investment at the prevailing market price. Because we generally do not hold controlling equity interests in our portfolio companies, we generally will not be able to exercise control over our portfolio companies or to prevent decisions by management of our portfolio companies that could decrease the value of our investments. We do not generally intend to hold controlling equity positions in our portfolio companies. As a result, we will be subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and that the management and/or stockholders of a portfolio company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that are adverse to our interests. Due to the potential lack of liquidity of the debt and equity investments that we hold in our portfolio companies, we may not be able to dispose of our investments in the event we disagree with the actions of a portfolio company and may therefore suffer a decrease in the value of our investments. In addition, we may not be in a position to control any portfolio company by investing in its debt securities. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company 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. 48 Our portfolio companies could incur debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies and such portfolio companies could fail to generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations to us. The characterization of certain of our investments as senior debt or senior secured debt does not mean that such debt will necessarily be repaid in priority to all other obligations of the businesses in which we invest. Furthermore, debt and other liabilities incurred by non-guarantor subsidiaries of the borrowers of senior secured loans made by us may be structurally senior to the debt held by us. In the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, the debt and other liabilities of such subsidiaries could be repaid in full before any distribution can be made to an obligor of the senior secured loans held by us. Finally, portfolio companies will typically incur trade credit and other liabilities or indebtedness, which by their terms may provide that their holders are entitled to receive principal payments on or before the dates payments are due in respect of the senior secured loans held by us. Where we hold a first lien to secure senior indebtedness, the portfolio companies may be permitted to issue other senior loans with liens that rank junior to the first liens granted to us. The intercreditor rights of the holders of such other junior lien debt may, in any liquidation, reorganization, insolvency, dissolution or bankruptcy of such a portfolio company, affect the recovery that we would have been able to achieve in the absence of such other debt. Additionally, certain loans that we may make to portfolio companies may be secured on a second priority basis by the same collateral securing senior secured debt of such companies. The first priority liens on the collateral will secure the portfolio company’s obligations under any outstanding senior debt and may secure certain other future debt that may be permitted to be incurred by the portfolio company under the agreements governing the loans. The holders of obligations secured by first priority liens on the collateral will generally control the liquidation of, and be entitled to receive proceeds from, any realization of the collateral to repay their obligations in full before us. In addition, the value of the collateral in the event of liquidation will depend on market and economic conditions, the availability of buyers and other factors. There can be no assurance that the proceeds, if any, from sales of all of the collateral would be sufficient to satisfy the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens after payment in full of all obligations secured by the first priority liens on the collateral. If such proceeds were not sufficient to repay amounts outstanding under the loan obligations secured by the second priority liens, then we, to the extent not repaid from the proceeds of the sale of the collateral, will only have an unsecured claim against the portfolio company’s remaining assets, if any. Even where the senior loans held by us are secured by a perfected lien over a substantial portion of the assets of a portfolio company and its subsidiaries, the portfolio company and its subsidiaries will often be able to incur a substantial amount of additional indebtedness, which may have an exclusive lien over particular assets. For example, debt and other liabilities incurred by non-guarantor subsidiaries of portfolio companies will be structurally senior to the debt held by us. Accordingly, any such debt and other liabilities of such subsidiaries would, in the event of liquidation, dissolution, insolvency, reorganization or bankruptcy of such subsidiary, be repaid in full before any distributions to an obligor of the loans held by us. Furthermore, these other assets over which other lenders have a lien may be substantially more liquid or valuable than the assets over which we have a lien. The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing the loans we make to 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 such senior debt. Under a typical intercreditor agreement, at any time that obligations that have the benefit of the first priority liens are outstanding, any of the following actions that may be taken in respect of the collateral will be at the direction of the holders of the obligations secured by the first priority liens: ● 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. 49 We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if our rights are adversely affected. 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. We are subject to risks related to investments in non-U.S. securities. Our portfolio includes debt securities of non-U.S. companies, including emerging market issuers, to the limited extent such transactions and investments would not cause us to violate the 1940 Act. Investing in loans and securities of non-U.S. issuers involves many risks including economic, social, political, financial, tax and security conditions in the non-U.S. market, potential inflationary economic environments, less liquid markets and regulation by foreign governments. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and non-U.S. issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain countries, there is a possibility of expropriation, imposition of non-U.S. withholding or other taxes on distributions, interest, capital gains or other income, limitations on the removal of funds or other of our assets, political or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect investments in those countries. An issuer of securities may be domiciled in a country other than the country in whose currency the instrument is denominated. The values and relative yields of investments in the securities markets of different countries, and their associated risks, are expected to change independently of each other. Bankruptcy law and process in non-U.S. jurisdictions may differ substantially from that in the United States, which may result in greater uncertainty as to the rights of creditors, the enforceability of such rights, reorganization timing and the classification, seniority and treatment of claims. In certain developing countries, although bankruptcy laws have been enacted, the process for reorganization remains highly uncertain, while other developing countries may have no bankruptcy laws enacted, adding further uncertainty to the process for reorganization. We may be subject to risks if we engage in hedging transactions. We are authorized to use various investment strategies to hedge interest rate or currency exchange risks. These strategies are generally accepted as portfolio management techniques and are regularly used by many investment funds and other institutional investors. Techniques and instruments may change over time as new instruments and strategies are developed or regulatory changes occur. We may use any or all such types of interest rate hedging transactions and currency hedging transactions at any time and no particular strategy will dictate the use of one transaction rather than another. The choice of any particular interest rate hedging transactions and currency hedging transactions will be a function of numerous variables, including market conditions. Investments or liabilities of ours may be denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, and hence the value of such investments, or the amount of such liabilities, will depend in part on the relative strength of the U.S. dollar. We may be affected favorably or unfavorably by exchange control regulations or changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may also affect the value of dividends and interest earned as well as the level of gains and losses realized on the sale of securities. The rates of exchange between the U.S. dollar and other currencies are affected by many factors, including forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets. These rates are also affected by the international balance of payments and other economic and financial conditions, government intervention, speculation and other factors. We are not obligated to engage in any currency hedging operations, and there can be no assurance as to the success of any hedging operations that we may implement. 50 Although we intend to engage in any interest rate hedging transactions and currency hedging transactions primarily for hedging purposes and not for income or enhancing total returns, use of interest rate hedging transactions and currency hedging transactions involves certain inherent risks. These risks include (i) the possibility that the market will move in a manner or direction that would have resulted in gain for us had an interest rate hedging transaction or currency hedging transaction not been utilized, in which case it would have been better had we not engaged in the interest rate hedging transaction or currency hedging transaction, (ii) the risk of imperfect correlation between the risk sought to be hedged and the interest rate hedging transaction or currency hedging transaction utilized, (iii) potential illiquidity for the hedging instrument utilized, which may make it difficult for us to close-out or unwind an interest rate hedging transaction or currency hedging transaction and (iv) credit risk with respect to the counterparty to the interest rate hedging transaction or currency hedging transaction. In addition, it might not be possible for us to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those loans and securities would likely fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations. We may also enter into certain hedging and short sale transactions for the purpose of protecting the market value of an investment of ours for a period of time without having to currently dispose of such investment. Such defensive hedge transactions may be entered into when we are legally restricted from selling an investment or when we otherwise determine that it is advisable to decrease our exposure to the risk of a decline in the market value of an investment. Such defensive hedging transactions may expose us to the counterparty’s credit risk. There also can be no assurance that we will accurately assess the risk of a market value decline with respect to an investment or enter into an appropriate defensive hedge transaction to protect against such risk. Furthermore, we are in no event obligated to enter into any defensive hedge transaction. We may from time to time employ various investment programs, including the use of derivatives, short sales, swap transactions, currency hedging transactions, securities lending agreements and repurchase agreements. There can be no assurance that any such investment program will be undertaken successfully. We may invest in derivatives or other assets that expose us to certain risks, including market risk, liquidity risk and other risks similar to those associated with the use of leverage. We may invest in derivatives and other assets that are subject to many of the same types of risks related to the use of leverage. In October 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act regarding the ability of a BDC to use derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations. Under Rule 18f-4, BDCs that use derivatives are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit, a derivatives risk management program and testing requirements and requirements related to board reporting. These requirements apply unless the BDC qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” as defined under Rule 18f-4. Under Rule 18f-4, a BDC may enter into an unfunded commitment agreement (which may include delayed draw and revolving loans) that will not be deemed to be a derivatives transaction, such as an agreement to provide financing to a portfolio company, if the BDC has, among other things, a reasonable belief, at the time it enters into such an agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as it becomes due. Collectively, these requirements may limit our ability to use derivatives and/or enter into certain other financial contracts. We have adopted updated policies and procedures in compliance with Rule 18f-4. We expect to qualify as a “limited derivatives user.” 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 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. Our investments in OID and PIK interest income may expose us to risks associated with such income being required to be included in accounting income and taxable income prior to receipt of cash. Our investments may include OID and PIK instruments. To the extent OID and PIK interest income constitute a portion of our income, we will be exposed to risks associated with such income being required to be included in an accounting income and taxable income prior to receipt of cash, including the following: ● OID instruments and PIK securities may have unreliable valuations because the accretion of OID as interest income and the continuing accruals of PIK securities require judgments about their collectability and the collectability of deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. 51 ● OID instruments may create heightened credit risks because the inducement to the borrower to accept higher interest rates in exchange for the deferral of cash payments typically represents, to some extent, speculation on the part of the borrower. ● For accounting purposes, cash distributions to stockholders that include a component of accreted OID income do not come from paid-in capital, although they may be paid from the offering proceeds. Thus, although a distribution of accreted OID income may come from the cash invested by the stockholders, the 1940 Act does not require that stockholders be given notice of this fact. ● The higher interest rates on PIK securities reflects the payment deferral and increased credit risk associated with such instruments and PIK securities generally represent a significantly higher credit risk than coupon loans. ● The presence of accreted OID income and PIK interest income create the risk of non-refundable cash payments to the Investment Advisor in the form of incentive fees on income that will be payable subsequent to a Listing based on non-cash accreted OID income and PIK interest income accruals that may never be realized. ● Even if accounting conditions are met, borrowers on such securities could still default when our actual collection is expected to occur at the maturity of the obligation. ● PIK interest has the effect of generating investment income and increasing the incentive fees that will be payable subsequent to a Listing at a compounding rate. In addition, the deferral of PIK interest also reduces the loan-to-value ratio at a compounding rate. ● Market prices of OID instruments are more volatile because they are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes than instruments that pay interest periodically in cash. ● The required recognition of OID, including PIK, interest for U.S. federal income tax purposes may have a negative impact on liquidity, because it represents a non-cash component of our taxable income that must, nevertheless, be distributed in cash to investors to avoid us being subject to corporate level taxation. Federal Income Tax and Other Tax Risks We will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we are unable to qualify as a RIC. In order to qualify and be subject to tax as a RIC under the Code, we must be a BDC at all times during each taxable year and meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. If we do not maintain our status as a BDC, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax. The distribution requirement for a RIC is satisfied if we distribute dividends in respect of each taxable year of an amount generally at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, to our stockholders. We are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to enable us to be subject to tax as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to be subject to tax as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax. To qualify to be subject to tax as a RIC, we must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to satisfy these requirements. Because most of our investments will be in private or thinly traded public companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses. If we fail to qualify to be subject to tax as a RIC for any reason and become subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distributions to our stockholders and the amount of funds available for new investments. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders. 52 We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before, or without, receiving cash representing such income. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as the accretion of OID. This may arise if we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan and in other circumstances, or through contracted PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such OID, which could be significant relative to our overall investment activities, or increases in loan balances as a result of contracted PIK arrangements, will be included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash. Since in certain cases we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement in a given taxable year to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, as dividends to our stockholders in order to be subject to tax as a RIC. In such a case, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations to meet these distribution requirements. If we are not able to obtain such cash from other sources, we may fail to be subject to tax as a RIC and thus be subject to corporate-level income tax. We may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax on distributions to non-U.S. stockholders. Distributions by a BDC generally are treated as dividends for U.S. tax purposes, and will be subject to U.S. income or withholding tax unless the stockholder receiving the dividend qualifies for an exemption from U.S. tax, or the distribution is subject to one of the special look-through rules described below. Distributions paid out of net capital gains can qualify for a reduced rate of taxation in the hands of an individual U.S. stockholder, and an exemption from U.S. tax in the hands of a non-U.S. stockholder. However, if reported by a RIC, dividend distributions by the RIC derived from certain interest income (such distributions, “interest-related dividends”) and certain net short-term capital gains (such distributions, “short-term capital gain dividends”) generally are exempt from U.S. withholding tax otherwise imposed on non-U.S. stockholders. Interest-related dividends are dividends that are attributable to “qualified net interest income” (i.e., “qualified interest income,” which generally consists of certain interest and OID on obligations “in registered form” as well as interest on bank deposits earned by a RIC, less allocable deductions) from sources within the United States. Short-term capital gain dividends are dividends that are attributable to net short-term capital gains, other than short-term capital gains recognized on the disposition of U.S. real property interests, earned by a RIC. However, no assurance can be given as to whether any of our distributions will be eligible for this exemption from U.S. withholding tax or, if eligible, will be reported as such by us. Furthermore, in the case of shares of our stock held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld U.S. federal income tax even if we reported the payment as an interest-related dividend or short-term capital gain dividend. Since our common stock will be subject to significant transfer restrictions, and an investment in our common stock will generally be illiquid, non-U.S. stockholders whose distributions on our common stock are subject to U.S. withholding tax may not be able to transfer their shares of our common stock easily or quickly or at all. A failure of any portion of our distributions to qualify for the exemption for interest-related dividends or short-term capital gain dividends would not affect the treatment of non-U.S. stockholders that qualify for an exemption from U.S. withholding tax on dividends by reason of their special status (for example, foreign government-related entities and certain pension funds resident in favorable treaty jurisdictions). 53 Our business may be adversely affected if we fail to maintain our qualification as a RIC. To maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code, we must be a BDC at all times during each taxable year and meet the following minimum annual distribution, income source and asset diversification requirements. The minimum annual distribution requirement for a RIC will be satisfied if we distribute dividends to our stockholders in respect of each taxable year of an amount generally at least equal to 90% of our investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid. In this regard, a RIC may, in certain cases, satisfy the 90% distribution requirement by distributing dividends relating to a taxable year after the close of such taxable year under the “spillback dividend” provisions of Subchapter M of the Code. We would be taxed, at regular corporate rates, on any retained income and/or gains, including any short-term capital gains or long-term capital gains. We must also satisfy an additional annual distribution requirement with respect to each calendar year in order to avoid a 4% excise tax on the amount of any under-distribution. Because we may use debt financing, we are subject to (i) an asset coverage ratio requirement under the 1940 Act and may, in the future, be subject to (ii) certain financial covenants under loan and credit agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, or chose or be required to retain a portion of our taxable income or gains, we could (1) be required to pay excise tax and (2) fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment, and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax on our taxable income (including gains). The income source requirement will be satisfied if we obtain at least 90% of our gross income each taxable year from dividends, interest, gains from the sale of stock or securities, or other income derived from the business of investing in stock or securities. The asset diversification requirement will be satisfied if we meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. To satisfy this requirement, at least 50% of the value of our assets at the close of each quarter of each taxable year must consist of cash, cash equivalents (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, securities of other RICs, and other acceptable securities; 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 a significant portion of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore may be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses. We may invest in certain debt and equity investments through taxable subsidiaries and the net taxable income of these taxable subsidiaries will be subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. We also 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). 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. There is a risk that you may not receive distributions or that our distributions may not grow over time and a portion of our distributions may be a return of capital. We intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this Annual Report. Due to the asset coverage test applicable to us under the 1940 Act as a BDC and certain limitations under Maryland law, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. In addition, if we violate certain covenants under our credit facilities, or any future credit or other borrowing facility, our ability to pay distributions to our stockholders could be limited because we may be required by its terms to use all payments of interest and principal that we receive from our current investments as well as any proceeds received from the sale of our current investments to repay amounts outstanding thereunder. 54 Furthermore, 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 taxable year may not finally be determined until after the end of that taxable year. We may make distributions during a taxable year that exceed our investment company taxable income and net capital gains for that taxable 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. General Risk Factors Global capital markets could enter a period of severe disruption and instability. These conditions have historically affected and could again materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and around the world and our business. The U.S. and global capital markets have, from time to time, experienced periods of disruption characterized by the freezing of available credit, a lack of liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant losses in the principal value of investments, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market, the failure of major financial institutions and general volatility in the financial markets. During these periods of disruption, general economic conditions deteriorated with material and adverse consequences for the broader financial and credit markets, and the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole, and financial services firms in particular, was reduced significantly. These conditions may reoccur for a prolonged period of time or materially worsen in the future. We may in the future have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital markets, and a severe disruption in the global financial markets, deterioration in credit and financing conditions, uncertainty between the United States and other countries with respect to trade policies, or uncertainty regarding U.S. government spending and deficit levels or other global economic and political conditions, including future recessions, political instability, geopolitical turmoil and foreign hostilities, and disease, pandemics and other serious health events, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Inflation may adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of our portfolio companies. Certain of our portfolio companies are in industries that may be impacted by inflation. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in their costs of operations along to their customers, it could adversely affect their operating results and impact their ability to pay interest and principal on our loans, particularly if interest rates rise in response to inflation. In addition, any projected future decreases in our portfolio companies’ operating results due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of our investments could result in future realized or unrealized losses and therefore reduce our net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations. Events outside of our control, including public health crises, could negatively affect our portfolio companies, our Investment Advisor and the results of our operations. Periods of market volatility could continue to occur in response to pandemics or other events outside of our control. We, the Investment Advisor, and the portfolio companies in which we invest in could be affected by force majeure events (i.e., events beyond the control of the party claiming that the event has occurred, such as acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, acts of war, terrorism, labor strikes, major plant breakdowns, pipeline or electricity line ruptures, failure of technology, defective design and construction, accidents, demographic changes, government macroeconomic policies, social instability, etc.). Some force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of a party (including us, the Investment Advisor, a portfolio company or a counterparty to us, the Investment Advisor, or a portfolio company) to perform its obligations until it is able to remedy the force majeure event or could lead to the unavailability of essential equipment and technologies. These risks could, among other effects, adversely impact the cash flows available from a portfolio company, damage property, cause personal injury or loss of life, or instigate disruptions of service. Certain events causing catastrophic loss could be either uninsurable, or insurable at such high rates as to adversely impact us, the Investment Advisor, or our portfolio companies, as applicable, and insurance proceeds received, if any, could be inadequate to completely or even partially cover any loss of revenues or investments, any increases in operating and maintenance expenses, or any replacements or rehabilitation of property. Force majeure events that are incapable of or are too costly to cure could have permanent adverse effects. 55 In addition, certain force majeure events (such as events of war or an outbreak of an infectious disease, such as the global outbreak of COVID-19) could have a broader negative impact on the world economy and international business activity generally, or in any of the countries in which we invest or in which our portfolio companies operate. Such force majeure events could result in or coincide with: increased volatility in the global securities, derivatives and currency markets; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and difficulty in valuing assets; greater fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increased risk of default (by both government and private issuers); further social, economic, and political instability; nationalization of private enterprise; greater governmental involvement in the economy or in social factors that impact the economy; less governmental regulation and supervision of the securities markets and market participants and decreased monitoring of the markets by governments or self-regulatory organizations and reduced enforcement of regulations; limited, or limitations on, the activities of investors in such markets; controls or restrictions on foreign investment, capital controls and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; inability to purchase and sell investments or otherwise settle security or derivative transactions (i.e., a market freeze); unavailability of currency hedging techniques; substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative effects on credit and securities markets as well as the economy as a whole; recessions; and difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments. Additionally, a major governmental intervention into industry, including the nationalization of an industry or the assertion of control over one or more portfolio companies or its assets, could result in a loss to us, including if the investment in such portfolio companies is canceled, unwound or acquired (which could result in inadequate compensation). Any of the foregoing could therefore have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Global economic, political and market conditions, including downgrades of the U.S. credit rating, may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The current global financial market situation, as well as various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world (including the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China, the conflict in the Red Sea and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine), may contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets and may cause economic uncertainties or deterioration in the U.S. and worldwide. The impact of downgrades by rating agencies to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness as well as potential government shutdowns and uncertainty surrounding transfers of power could adversely affect the U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine may have a material adverse impact on us and our portfolio companies. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in global markets, economies and industries that could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. The conflict has already resulted in significant volatility in certain equity, debt and currency markets, material increases in certain commodity prices, and economic uncertainty. The conflict may escalate and its resolution is unclear. The U.S. government and other governments have imposed severe sanctions against Russia and Russian interests and threatened additional sanctions and controls. Sanctions and export control laws and regulations are complex, frequently changing, and increasing in number, and they may impose additional legal compliance costs or business risks associated with our operations. New or modified laws or regulations governing our operations could adversely affect our business. We and our portfolio companies will be subject to regulation by laws at the U.S. federal, state and local levels. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may change from time to time, and new laws, regulations and interpretations may also come into effect. Any such new or changed laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business. 56 Recent strain on the banking system may adversely impact us. The financial markets recently have encountered volatility associated with concerns about the balance sheets of banks, especially small and regional banks who may have significant losses associated with investments that make it difficult to fund demands to withdraw deposits and other liquidity needs. Although the federal government has announced measures to assist these banks and protect depositors, some banks have already been impacted and others may be materially and adversely impacted. A significant adverse development with one or more national or regional banks, financial institutions or other participants in the financial or capital markets may spread to others and lead to significant concentrated or market-wide problems (such as defaults, liquidity problems, impairment charges, additional bank runs and/or losses) for other participants in these markets. Future developments, including actions taken by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and Federal Reserve Board, and systemic risk in the U.S. and global banking sectors and broader economies in general, are difficult to assess and quantify, and the form and magnitude of such developments or other actions could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, in response to the rapidly declining financial condition of regional banks Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) and Signature Bank (“Signature”), the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the “CDFPI”) and the New York State Department of Financial Services (the “NYSDFS”) closed SVB and Signature on March 10, 2023 and March 12, 2023, respectively, and the FDIC was appointed as receiver for SVB and Signature. Although the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC have taken measures to stabilize the financial system, uncertainty and liquidity concerns in the broader financial services industry remain. Additionally, should there be additional systemic pressure on the financial system and capital markets, we cannot assure you of the response of any government or regulator, and any response may not be as favorable to industry participants as the measures currently being pursued. In addition, highly publicized issues related to the U.S. and global capital markets in the past have led to significant and widespread investor concerns over the integrity of the capital markets. The situation related to SVB and Signature could in the future lead to further rules and regulations for public companies, banks, financial institutions and other participants in the U.S. and global capital markets, and complying with the requirements of any such rules or regulations may be burdensome. Even if not adopted, evaluating and responding to any such proposed rules or regulations could results in increased costs and require significant attention from the Investment Advisor. Risks Relating to Our Common Stock Investing in our common stock involves an above average degree of risk. The investments we make in accordance with our investment objectives may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and a higher risk of volatility or loss of principal. Therefore, an investment in shares of our common stock may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance. In addition, our common stock is intended for long-term investors who can accept the risks of investing primarily in illiquid loans and other debt or debt-like instruments and should not be treated as a trading vehicle. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly. We currently list our common stock on the NYSE under the symbol “PSBD.” The market price and liquidity of the market for shares of our common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include: ● significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of BDCs or other companies in our sector, which are not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies; ● price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time; ● the inclusion or exclusion of our stock from certain indices; ● changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or BDCs; ● any loss of RIC or BDC status; 57 ● changes in earnings or perceived changes or variations in operating results; ● changes or perceived changes in the value of our portfolio of investments; ● changes in accounting guidelines governing valuation of our investments; ● any shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by investors or securities analysts; ● the inability of our Investment Advisor to employ additional experienced investment professionals or the departure of any of our Investment Advisor’s key personnel; ● short-selling pressure with respect to shares of our common stock or BDCs generally; ● future sales of our securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our common stock or the conversion of such securities; ● uncertainty surrounding the strength of the U.S. economy; ● operating performance of companies comparable to us; ● general economic trends and other external factors; and ● loss of a major funding source. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. If our stock price fluctuates significantly, we may be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention and resources from our business. We cannot assure you that a market for shares of our common stock will be maintained or the market price of our shares will trade close to NAV. We cannot assure you that a trading market for our common stock can be sustained. In addition, we cannot predict the prices at which our common stock will trade, whether at, above or below NAV. Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount from NAV, and our common stock may also be discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our NAV per share may decline. In addition, if our common stock trades below its NAV, we will generally not be able to sell additional shares of our common stock to the public at its market price without, among other things, the requisite stockholders’ approval of such a sale. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. Subsequent to the IPO, we have 32,552,794 shares of common stock outstanding. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of such shares for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities should we desire to do so. Purchases of shares of our common stock by us under our open market repurchase program, including the Company Rule 10b5-1 Stock Repurchase Plan, and by PSCM, including through the PSCM Rule 10b5-1 Stock Purchase Plan, may result in the price of shares of our common stock being higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. Our Board authorized us to repurchase shares of our common stock through an open-market share repurchase program for up to $20 million in the aggregate of shares of our common stock through 12 months from the date of the IPO. Pursuant to such authorization and concurrently with the closing of the IPO, we entered into the Company Rule 10b5-1 Stock Repurchase Plan to acquire up to $15 million in the aggregate of shares of our common stock, in accordance with the guidelines specified in Rule 10b-18 and Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act. In addition, PSCM will purchase up to $5 million in the aggregate of shares of our common stock in the open market within one year of the date of the IPO. Concurrently with the closing of the IPO, PSCM entered into the PSCM Rule 10b5-1 Stock Purchase Plan to permit the purchase of up to $2.5 million of our shares of common stock in connection with its purchase commitment. These activities may have the effect of maintaining the market price of shares of our common stock or retarding a decline in the market price of the shares of our common stock, and, as a result, the price of our shares of common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. 58 We may in the future determine to issue preferred stock, which could adversely affect the market value of our common stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms more favorable to the holders of preferred stock than to our common stockholders could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of preferred stock must take preference over any distributions or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of preferred stock are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference (other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock). In addition, under the 1940 Act, participating preferred stock and preferred stock constitutes a “senior security” for purposes of the asset coverage test. Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and of our charter and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock. The Maryland General Corporation Law, our charter and our bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control or the removal of our directors. We are subject to Subtitle 6 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporate Law, the Maryland Business Combination Act, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. Our Board has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by our Board, including approval by a majority of our independent directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or our Board does not approve a business combination, the Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. We are subject to Subtitle 7 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporate Law, the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act. Our bylaws exempt from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act acquisitions of our common stock by any person. If we amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act, the Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. We intend to give the SEC prior notice should our Board elect to amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act. We have also adopted other measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our charter classifying our Board in three classes serving staggered three-year terms, and provisions of our charter authorizing our Board to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, and to amend our charter, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our charter and bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. 59