UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

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

For the transition period from           to        

Commission File No. 814-00735

 

KCAP Financial, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware		20-5951150
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

295 Madison Avenue, 6^th Floor
New York, New York 10017
(Address of principal executive offices)

(212) 455-8300

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

Title of each class		Name of exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share 7.375% Notes Due 2019 6.125% Notes Due 2022		The NASDAQ Global Select Market New York Stock Exchange The NASDAQ Global Select Market

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Large accelerated filer o		Accelerated filer x		Non-accelerated filer o		Smaller Reporting Company o
Emerging Growth Company o				(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2017 was approximately $120,799,251 based upon a closing price of $3.53 reported for such date by The NASDAQ Global Select Market. Common shares held by each executive officer and director and by each person who owns 5% or more of the outstanding common shares have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

The number of outstanding shares of common stock of the registrant as of March 5, 2018 was 37,354,479.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days following the end of the registrant’s fiscal year-end are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

NOTE ABOUT REFERENCES TO KCAP FINANCIAL, INC.

In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”), the “Company”, ”KCAP”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to KCAP Financial, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, KCAP Senior Funding I, LLC and KCAP Senior Funding I Holdings, LLC, unless the context otherwise requires.

NOTE ABOUT TRADEMARKS

KCAP Financial, Inc., our logo and other trademarks of KCAP Financial, Inc. are the property of KCAP Financial, Inc. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this Annual Report are the property of their respective owners.

NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report includes forward-looking statements. The matters discussed in this Annual Report, as well as in future oral and written statements by management of KCAP Financial, Inc., that are forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations that involve substantial risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. We generally identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar words, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. Important assumptions include our ability to originate new investments, achieve certain margins and levels of profitability, the availability of additional capital, and the ability to maintain certain debt to asset ratios. In light of these and other uncertainties, the inclusion of a projection or forward-looking statement in this Annual Report should not be regarded as a representation by us that our plans or objectives will be achieved. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report include statements as to:

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For a discussion of factors that could cause our actual results to differ from forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report, please see the discussion under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this Annual Report unless required by law.

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		Page
Part I
Item 1. Business			1
Item 1A. Risk Factors			17
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments			41
Item 2. Properties			41
Item 3. Legal Proceedings			41
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures			41
Part II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities			42
Item 6. Selected Financial Data			45
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			47
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk			67
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data			68
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure			68
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures			68
Item 9B. Other Information			69
Part III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance			71
Item 11. Executive Compensation			71
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters			71
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence			71
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services			71
Part IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules			72
Signatures			73
Financial Statements			F-1

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PART I

GENERAL

We are an internally managed, non-diversified closed-end investment company that is regulated as business development company, (“BDC”), under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). We have three principal areas of investments:

First, the Company originates, structures, and invests in senior secured term loans and mezzanine debt primarily in privately-held middle market companies (the “Debt Securities Portfolio”). In addition, from time to time the Company may invest in the equity securities of privately held middle market companies.

Second, the Company has invested in our wholly owned asset management companies including Katonah Debt Advisors (“Katonah Debt Advisors”) and Trimaran Advisors L.L.C. (“Trimaran Advisors”), which manage collateralized loan obligation funds (“CLO Funds”).

Third, the Company invests in debt and subordinated securities issued by CLOs (“CLO Fund Securities”). These CLO Fund Securities are primarily managed by Katonah Debt Advisors and Trimaran Advisors, as well as affiliated management companies Katonah 2007-1 Management, L.L.C., Trimaran Advisors Management, L.L.C. and KCAP Management, LLC (collectively, the “Asset Manager Affiliates”), but from time-to-time the Company makes investments in CLO Fund Securities managed by other asset managers. The CLO Funds typically invest in broadly syndicated loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments.

The Company may also invest in other investments such as loans to publicly-traded companies, high-yield bonds, joint venture and distressed debt securities. The Company may also receive warrants or options to purchase common stock in connection with its debt investments.

In our Debt Securities Portfolio, our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation from the investments in senior secured term loans, mezzanine debt and selected equity investments in privately-held middle market companies. We define the middle market as comprising companies with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) of $10 million to $50 million and/or total debt of $25 million to $150 million. We primarily invest in first and second lien term loans which, because of their priority in a company’s capital structure, we expect will have lower default rates and higher rates of recovery of principal if there is a default and which we expect will create a stable stream of interest income. The investments in our Debt Securities Portfolio are all or predominantly below investment grade, and have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. While our primary investment focus is on making loans to, and selected equity investments in, privately-held middle market companies, we may also invest in other investments such as loans to smaller private companies or publicly-traded companies, high-yield bonds and distressed debt securities. We may also receive warrants or options to purchase common stock in connection with our debt investments.

From our Asset Manager Affiliates investment, we expect to receive recurring cash distributions and generate capital appreciation through the addition of new CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates. We may also seek to monetize our investment in the Asset Manager Affiliates if and when business conditions warrant. The Asset Manager Affiliates manage CLO Funds that invest in broadly syndicated loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments. Katonah Debt Advisors and Trimaran Advisors are registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and are each managed independently from us by a separate management team. Certain of the Company’s executive officers also act in similar capacities for one or more of the Asset Manager Affiliates).

In addition, our investments in CLO Fund Securities, which are primarily made up of minority investments in the subordinated securities or preferred stock of CLO Funds raised and managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates, are anticipated to provide the Company with recurring cash distributions and complement our investment in the Asset Manager Affiliates.

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Because we are internally managed by our executive officers under the supervision of our Board of Directors and do not depend on a third party investment advisor, we do not pay investment advisory fees, but instead incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals.

As a BDC, we are required to comply with regulatory requirements, including limitations on our use of debt. We are permitted to, and expect to continue to, finance our investments through borrowings. However, as a BDC, we are only generally allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowing. The 1940 Act also generally prohibits us from declaring any cash dividend or distribution on any class of our capital stock if our asset coverage is below 200% at the time of the declaration of the dividend or distribution.

Subject to market conditions, we intend to grow our portfolio of assets by raising additional capital, including through the prudent use of leverage available to us. Because we also recognize the need to have funds available for operating our business and to make investments, we seek to have adequate liquidity at all times to cover normal cyclical swings in funding availability and to allow us to meet abnormal and unexpected funding requirements. As a result, we may hold varying amounts of cash and other short-term investments from time-to-time for liquidity purposes.

We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and intend to operate in a manner to maintain our RIC tax treatment. Accordingly, we generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary tax-basis taxable income or capital gains that we timely distribute to our shareholders as dividends. To maintain our RIC tax treatment, we must meet the specified source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and distribute to our stockholders annually at least 90% of our net ordinary tax-basis taxable income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, for each year.

We were formed in August 2006, as Kohlberg Capital Corporation. In December 2006, we completed our initial public offering (“IPO”), which raised net proceeds of approximately $200 million after the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. In connection with our IPO, we issued an additional 3,484,333 shares of our common stock in exchange for the ownership interests of Katonah Debt Advisors and certain CLO Fund Securities.

In April 2008, the Company completed a rights offering that resulted in the issuance of 3.1 million shares of our common stock, and net proceeds of $27 million.

On February 29, 2012, the Company purchased Trimaran Advisors for total consideration of $13.0 million in cash and 3,600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. Contemporaneous with the acquisition of Trimaran Advisors, the Company acquired from Trimaran Advisors equity interests in certain CLO Funds managed by Trimaran Advisors for an aggregate purchase price of $12.0 million in cash. As of December 31, 2017, the Asset Manager Affiliates had approximately $3.0 billion of par value assets under management.

On July 11, 2012, we changed our name from Kohlberg Capital Corporation to KCAP Financial, Inc.

On February 14, 2013, the Company completed a public offering of 5,232,500 shares of common stock, which included the underwriters’ full exercise of their option to purchase up to 682,500 shares of common stock, at a price of $9.75 per share, raising approximately $51.0 million in gross proceeds. In conjunction with this offering, the Company also sold 200,000 shares of common stock to a member of its Board of Directors, at a price of $9.31125 per share, raising approximately $1.9 million in gross proceeds.

On October 6, 2014, the Company priced a follow-on public offering of 3.0 million shares of its common stock at a price of $8.02 per share. The offering raised net proceeds of approximately $23.8 million, net of underwriting discounts and offering expenses.

Including employees of our Asset Manager Affiliates, we employ an experienced team of 15 investment professionals and 26 total staff members. Dayl W. Pearson, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and one of our directors, has been in the financial services industry for nearly 40 years. During the past 26 years,

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Mr. Pearson has focused almost exclusively on the middle market and has originated, structured and underwritten over $7 billion of debt and equity securities. R. Jon Corless, our Chief Investment Officer with primary responsibility for the Debt Securities Portfolio, has managed investment portfolios in excess of $4 billion at several institutions and has been responsible for managing portfolios of leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, mezzanine securities and middle market loans. Dominick J. Mazzitelli is the President and portfolio manager of the Asset Manager Affiliates. He has over 20 years of experience within the credit markets, with most of his career focused on the leveraged finance markets. Edward U. Gilpin, our Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer, has been in financial services for over 30 years, with significant experience in overseeing the financial operations and reporting for asset management businesses, including the fair value accounting of CLO securities owned by them.

Under the investment company rules and regulations pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation S-X and the Financial Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 946, Financial Services — Investment Companies (ASC 946), we are precluded from consolidating portfolio company investments, including those in which we have a controlling interest, unless the portfolio company is another investment company. An exception to this general principle in ASC 946 occurs if we own a controlled operating company that provides all or substantially all of its services directly to us, or to an investment company of ours. Other than KCAP Funding, Kohlberg Capital Funding I LLC, KCAP Senior Funding I Holdings LLC and KCAP Senior Funding I LLC, none of the investments made by us qualify for this exception. Therefore, our portfolio investments, including our investments in the Asset Manager Affiliates and the Joint Venture, are carried on the balance sheet at fair value with any adjustments to fair value recognized as “Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)” in our statement of operations until the investment is exited, at which point any gain or loss on exit is reclassified and recognized as a “Net Realized Gain (Loss) from Investments.”

Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “KCAP.” The net asset value per share of our common stock at December 31, 2017 was $4.87. On December 31, 2017, the last reported sale price of a share of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $3.41. Our 7.375% notes due 2019 (“7.375% Notes Due 2019”) are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “KAP.” On December 31, 2017, the last reported price of our 7.375% Notes Due 2019, which have a par value of $25.00, was $25.29. In addition, our 6.125% notes due 2022 (“6.125% Notes Due 2022”) are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “KCAPL.” On December 31, 2017, the last reported price of our 6.125% Notes Due 2022, which have a par value of $25.00, was $25.10.

Our Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 295 Madison Avenue, 6^th Floor, New York, New York 10017, and our telephone number is (212) 455-8300. We maintain a website on the Internet at http://www.kcapfinancial.com. The information contained in our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report. We make available on or through our website certain reports and amendments to those reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). These include our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. We make this information available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

Investment Portfolio

Our investment portfolio generates investment income, which is generally used to pay principal and interest on our borrowings, operating expenses, and to fund our distributions to our stockholders. Our investment portfolio consists of three primary components: the Debt Securities Portfolio, the CLO Fund Securities and our investment in our wholly owned Asset Manager Affiliates.

Debt Securities Portfolio.  We target privately-held middle market companies that have strong historical cash flows, experienced management teams and identifiable and defendable market positions in industries with positive dynamics. We generally target companies that generate positive cash flows because we look to cash flows as the primary source for servicing debt.

We employ a disciplined approach in the selection and monitoring of our investments. Generally, we target investments that will generate a current return through interest income to provide for stability in our

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shareholder distributions and place less reliance on realized capital gains from our investments. Our investment philosophy is focused on preserving capital with an appropriate return profile relative to risk. Our investment due diligence and selection generally focuses on an underlying issuer’s net cash flow after capital expenditures to service its debt rather than on multiples of net income, valuations or other broad benchmarks which frequently miss the nuances of an issuer’s business and prospective financial performance. We also generally avoid concentrations in any one industry or issuer. We manage risk by following our internal credit policies and procedures.

When we extend senior and junior secured term loans, we will generally take a security interest in the available assets of the portfolio company, including the equity interests of its subsidiaries, which we expect to help mitigate the risk that we will not be repaid. Nonetheless, there is a possibility that our lien could be subordinated to claims of other creditors. Structurally, mezzanine debt ranks subordinate in priority of payment to senior term loans and is often unsecured. Relative to equity, mezzanine debt ranks senior to common and preferred equity in a borrower’s capital structure. Typically, mezzanine debt has elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering the fixed returns in the form of interest payments associated with a loan, while providing an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a borrower, if any, through an equity interest that is typically in the form of equity purchased at the time the mezzanine loan is originated or warrants to purchase equity at a future date at a fixed cost. Mezzanine debt generally earns a higher return than senior secured debt due to its higher risk profile and usually less restrictive covenants. The warrants associated with mezzanine debt are typically detachable, which allows lenders to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining an equity interest in the borrower. Mezzanine debt also may include a “put” feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a price determined through an agreed formula.

Below are summary attributes for our Debt Securities Portfolio as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017:

Our investments generally average between $1 million to $20 million, although particular investments may be larger or smaller. The size of individual investments will vary according to their priority in a company’s capital structure, with larger investments in more secure positions in an effort to maximize capital preservation. The size of our investments and maturity dates may vary as follows:

Asset Manager Affiliates.   We expect to receive recurring cash distributions and seek to generate capital appreciation from our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates. We may also seek to monetize our investment the Asset Manager Affiliates if and when business conditions warrant. As a manager of CLO Funds, our Asset Manager Affiliates receive contractual and recurring management fees from the CLO Funds for their management and advisory services. In addition, our Asset Manager Affiliates may also earn income

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related to net interest on assets accumulated for future CLO issuances on which they have provided a first loss guaranty in connection with loan warehouse arrangements for their future CLO Funds.

The periodic management fees that our Asset Manager Affiliates receive are generally based on a fixed percentage of the par value of assets under management and are recurring in nature for the term of the CLO Fund, so long as the Asset Manager Affiliate manages the fund. As a result, the management fees earned by our Asset Manager Affiliates are not subject to market value fluctuations in the underlying collateral. The management fees that our Asset Manager Affiliates receive generally have three contractual components: a senior management fee, a subordinated management fee and the possibility of an incentive management fee if certain conditions are met. Currently, all CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates are paying both their senior and subordinated management fees on a current basis. During 2017, our Asset Manager Affiliates recognized $3.0 million in incentive fees from one CLO Fund. As of December 31, 2017, none of the CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates were paying incentive fees.

Subject to the conditions of the capital markets, we expect to continue to make investments in CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates, which we believe will provide us with a current cash investment return. We believe that these investments will provide our Asset Manager Affiliates with greater opportunities to access new sources of capital, which will ultimately increase our Asset Manager Affiliates’ assets under management and resulting management fee income. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of the risks relating to our ability to access the capital markets and the impact of certain risk retention rules which require that we or our Asset Manager Affiliates make and maintain certain minimum investments in CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates.

The after-tax net free cash flow that our Asset Manager Affiliates generate through the fees they receive for managing CLO Funds and after paying their expenses pursuant to an overhead allocation agreement with the Company associated with their operations, including compensation of their employees, may be distributed to us. Distributions from our Asset Manager Affiliates’ tax basis earnings and profits are recorded as “Dividends From Asset Manager Affiliates” in our financial statements when declared. From time to time our Asset Manager Affiliates may distribute cash in excess of tax basis earnings and profits. This excess is deemed a return of capital (“ROC”) and is recorded in “unrealized gains (losses)” on the statement of operations.

Below are summary attributes for our Asset Manager Affiliates, as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017:

CLO Fund Securities.  Subject to the conditions of the capital markets, we expect to continue to make investments in the CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates, which we believe will provide us with a current cash investment return. We believe that these investments will provide our Asset Manager Affiliates with greater opportunities to access new sources of capital which will ultimately increase our Asset Manager Affiliates’ assets under management and resulting management fee income.

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Below are summary attributes for our CLO Fund Securities, as of and for the year-ended December 31, 2017, unless otherwise specified:

Structure and Process

Structure

We are an internally managed BDC with 26 full-time employees (inclusive of employees of our Asset Manager Affiliates). The following are our key functional teams that execute our business strategy:

Process

The Company will review potential investment opportunities and conduct due diligence that typically includes a review of historical and prospective financial information, participation in a presentation held by the prospective portfolio company’s management and/or the transaction sponsor, a review of the prospective portfolio company’s product or service, an analysis and understanding of the drivers of the particular industry in which the prospective portfolio company operates, and an assessment of the debt service capabilities of the prospective portfolio company under a variety of assumed forecast scenarios.

Due to our ability to source transactions through multiple channels, we expect to continue to maintain a pipeline of opportunities to allow comparative risk return analysis and selectivity. By focusing on the drivers of revenue and cash flow, we develop our own underwriting cases, and multiple stress and event specific case scenarios for each company analyzed.

We focus on lending and investing opportunities in:

We expect to continue to source investment opportunities from:

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In our experience, good credit judgment is based on a thorough understanding of both the qualitative and quantitative factors that determine a company’s performance. Our analysis begins with an understanding of the fundamentals of the industry in which a company operates, including the current economic environment and the outlook for the industry. We also focus on the company’s relative position within the industry and its historical ability to weather economic cycles. Other key qualitative factors include the experience and depth of the management team and the financial sponsor, if any.

Only after we have a comprehensive understanding of the qualitative factors do we focus on quantitative metrics. We believe that with the context provided by the qualitative analysis, we can gain a better understanding of a company’s financial performance. We analyze a potential portfolio company’s sales growth and margins in the context of its competition as well as its ability to manage its working capital requirements and its ability to generate consistent cash flow. Based upon this historical analysis, we develop a set of projections which represents a reasonable underwriting case of most likely outcomes for the company over the period of our investment. We also look at potential downside cases to determine a company’s ability to service its debt in a stressed credit environment.

Elements of the qualitative analysis we use in evaluating investment opportunities include the following:

Elements of the quantitative analysis we use in evaluating investment opportunities include the following:

The origination, structuring and credit approval processes are fully integrated. Our credit team is directly involved in all due diligence and analysis prior to the formal credit approval process by the Investment Committee.

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Investment Committee

The Investment Committee consists of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Investment Officer, and an additional member of the Board of Directors. The Investment Committee serves to provide investment consistency and adherence to our core investment philosophy and policies.

Upon completion of the due diligence investigation, the underwriting team of investment professionals/analysts will prepare a credit underwriting memorandum that will summarize the contemplated transaction, present the investment highlights, analyze the risk in the transaction and mitigating factors to those risks, analyze the prospective portfolio’s historical financial statements, financial projections, industry and management team, and will then present this memorandum with its recommendations to the Investment Committee for review and approval.

The approval of a majority of the Investment Committee is required for all investments of less than $15 million, and the unanimous approval of the Investment Committee is required for investments of $15 million or greater.

Monitoring

Our management team has significant experience monitoring credit portfolios. Along with origination and credit analysis, portfolio management is one of the key elements of our business. Most of our investments will not be liquid and, therefore, we must prepare to act quickly if potential issues arise so that we can work closely with management and the private equity sponsor, if applicable, of the portfolio company to take any necessary remedial action. In addition, most of our senior management team, including the credit team at the Asset Manager Affiliates, has substantial workout and restructuring experience.

In order to assist us in detecting issues with our Debt Securities Portfolio companies as early as possible, we perform a financial analysis at least quarterly on each portfolio company. This analysis typically includes:

Watch list credits are followed closely and discussed periodically with the Chief Investment Officer, as appropriate.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

We determine the net asset value per share of our common stock quarterly. The net asset value per share is equal to the value of our total assets minus liabilities and any preferred stock outstanding divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

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Our net asset value per share was $4.87 and $5.24 as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Since we report our assets at fair value for each reporting period, net asset value also represents the amount of stockholders’ equity per share for the reporting period. Our net asset value is comprised mostly of investment assets less debt and other liabilities:

		December 31, 2017								December 31, 2016
		Fair Value(1)				per Share(1)				Fair Value(1)				per Share(1)
Investments at fair value:
Investments in short-term investments(2)		$	77,300,320			$	2.07			$	28,699,269			$	0.77
Investments in debt securities			118,197,479				3.17				238,343,330				6.41
Investments in CLO Fund Securities			51,678,673				1.38				54,174,350				1.46
Investments in equity securities			4,414,684				0.12				5,056,355				0.14
Investments in Asset Manager Affiliates			38,849,000				1.04				40,198,000				1.08
Investments in Joint Venture			21,516,000				0.58				—				—
Cash			2,034,095				0.05				1,307,257				0.03
Restricted Cash(3)			—				—				8,528,298				0.23
All other assets			5,818,723				0.16				5,065,124				0.14
Total Assets		$	319,808,974			$	8.57			$	381,371,983			$	10.26
Notes payable – KCAP Senior Funding I, LLC (net of discount and offering costs)		$	—			$	—			$	142,604,419			$	3.84
7.375% Notes Due 2019 (net of offering costs)			26,740,365				0.72				32,980,151				0.89
6.125% Notes Due 2022 (net of offering costs)			74,672,952				2.00				—				—
Payable for open trades			34,215,195				0.92				7,884,943				0.21
Other liabilities			2,375,886				0.06				2,977,545				0.08
Total Liabilities			138,004,398				3.70				186,447,058				5.02
NET ASSET VALUE		$	181,804,577			$	4.87			$	194,924,925			$	5.24

Valuation

As a BDC, we invest primarily in illiquid securities, including loans to and warrants of private companies and interests in other illiquid securities, such as interests in CLO Fund Securities. These portfolio investments may be subject to restrictions on resale and will generally have no established trading market. As a result, our Board of Directors determines in good faith the fair value of our portfolio investments pursuant to a valuation policy developed in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820: Fair Value”), and a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Our valuation policy is intended to provide a consistent basis for determining the fair value of the portfolio. Our Board of Directors is ultimately and solely responsible for making a good faith determination of the fair value of portfolio investments on a quarterly basis. The Company uses an independent valuation firm to provide third party valuation consulting services to the Company and the Board of Directors. For additional information concerning valuation, see “Item 7: Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations —  Valuation of Portfolio Investments”; and Notes 2 and 4 to the financial statements.

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Competition

Our primary competitors also provide financing to prospective portfolio companies. These include commercial banks, specialty finance companies, hedge funds, structured investment funds, other BDCs and investment banks. Our competitors may have a lower cost of funds, and many have access to funding sources that are not available to us. Many of these entities have greater managerial resources than we have, and the 1940 Act imposes certain regulatory restrictions on us as a BDC to which many of our competitors are not subject. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Structure — We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.”

We believe that we provide a unique combination of an experienced middle market loan origination and a CLO management platform at the Asset Manager Affiliates that includes experienced lenders with broad industry expertise. We believe that this combination of resources provides us with a thorough credit process and multiple sources of investment opportunities that make us attractive within our market.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we and our Asset Manager Affiliates had 26 employees, including an experienced team of 15 investment professionals.

REGULATION

The following discussion is a general summary of some of the material prohibitions and restrictions governing BDCs generally. It does not purport to be a complete description of all the laws and regulations affecting BDCs.

A BDC is a unique kind of investment company that primarily focuses on investing in or lending to private or relatively small publicly traded companies and making managerial assistance available to them. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their directors and officers and certain other related persons and requires that a majority of the directors be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. We have implemented certain procedures to ensure that we do not engage in any prohibited transactions with any persons affiliated with us.

In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities. A majority of the outstanding voting securities of a company is defined under the 1940 Act as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of such company’s shares present at a meeting or represented by proxy if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such company are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of such company.

Qualifying Assets

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

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Significant Managerial Assistance

A BDC must be organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described above. In addition, BDCs must generally offer to make available to such issuer of the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above) significant managerial assistance; except that, where we purchase such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons is the group may make available such managerial assistance. Making available significant managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company through monitoring of portfolio company operations, selective participation in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising a portfolio company’s officers or other organizational or financial guidance.

Temporary Investments

Pending investment in other types of “Qualifying Assets,” as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities or high quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from the time of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as temporary investments, so that at least 70% of our assets are “Qualifying Assets.” Typically, we invest in U.S. treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S. government or its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the purchase by an investor, such as us, of a specified security and the simultaneous agreement by the seller to repurchase it at an agreed upon future date and at a price which is greater than the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate. There is no percentage restriction on the proportion of our assets that may be invested in such repurchase agreements. However, if more than 25% of our total assets constitute repurchase agreements that are treated, under applicable tax rules, as being issued by a single counterparty, we would not meet the diversification tests imposed on us by the Code to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Thus, we do not intend to enter into repurchase agreements treated as issued, under applicable tax rules, by a single counterparty in excess of this limit. We monitor the creditworthiness of the counterparties with which we enter into repurchase agreement transactions.

Indebtedness; Coverage Ratio

We are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes of indebtedness and one class of stock senior to our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least equal to 200% immediately after each such issuance. In addition, with respect to certain types of senior securities, we must make provisions to prohibit any dividend distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of certain of our securities, unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the dividend distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary purposes.

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For a discussion of the risks associated with the resulting leverage, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Structure — We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us.” As of December 31, 2017, our asset coverage ratio was 271%, above the minimum required asset coverage level of 200%.

Common Stock

We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and that of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which our common stock is to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which, in the determination of our Board of Directors, closely approximates the market value of such common stock (less any distributing commission or discount). We may also make rights offerings to our stockholders at prices per share less than the net asset value per share, subject to applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure — Regulations governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital.”

Code of Ethics

We adopted and maintain a code of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that establishes procedures for personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions. Personnel subject to the code may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by us, so long as such investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements. A copy of the code of ethics is available on the Corporate Governance section of the Company’s website at http://www.kcapfinancial.com. Our code of ethics may also be reviewed and copied at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Copies of the code of ethics may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. In addition, our code of ethics is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Privacy Principles

We are committed to maintaining the privacy of our stockholders and safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information we collect, how we protect that information and why, in certain cases, we may share information with select other parties.

Generally, we do not receive any non-public personal information relating to our stockholders, although some non-public personal information of our stockholders may become available to us. We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our stockholders or former stockholders to anyone, except as is necessary to service stockholder accounts, such as to a transfer agent, or as otherwise permitted by law.

We restrict access to non-public personal information about our stockholders to our employees with a legitimate business need for the information. We maintain safeguards designed to protect the non-public personal information of our stockholders.

Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures

Although the securities we hold are not typically voting securities, some of our investments could entitle us to voting rights. If this were to occur we would vote our portfolio securities in the best interest of our stockholders and we would review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted to a stockholder vote to determine its impact on the portfolio securities held by us. Although we would generally vote against proposals that we believe may have a negative impact on our portfolio securities, we may vote for such a proposal if we were to believe there exists a compelling long-term reason to do so.

Our voting decisions would be made by our Investment Committee. To ensure that our vote would not the product of a conflict of interest, we would require that (1) anyone involved in the decision making process

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disclose to our Chief Compliance Officer any potential conflict that he or she is aware of and any contact that he or she has had with any interested party regarding a vote; and (2) employees involved in the decision making process or vote administration are prohibited from revealing how we intend to vote on a proposal to reduce any attempted influence from interested parties.

Other

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

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

We are required to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws and to review these policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation. We have a designated Chief Compliance Officer who is responsible for administering these policies and procedures.

TAXATION AS A REGULATED INVESTMENT COMPANY

We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a Regulated Investment Company (“RIC”) under subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and intend to operate in a manner to maintain our RIC tax treatment. As a RIC, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we timely distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, we must distribute to our stockholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our net ordinary taxable income plus the excess of our realized net short-term capital gains over our realized net long-term capital losses (the “Annual Distribution Requirement”).

Taxation as a RIC

For any taxable year in which we qualify as a RIC and satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain, defined as net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses, we distribute to stockholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any net ordinary income or net capital gain not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our stockholders.

We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible U.S. federal excise tax on our undistributed income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (a) 98% of our net ordinary income for each calendar year, (b) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (c) any income or gains realized, but not distributed, in the preceding year and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax (the “Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement”). For this purpose, however, any net ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by us that is subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax for the tax year ending in that calendar year will be considered to have been distributed by year end (or earlier if estimated taxes are paid). Although we generally endeavor to make sufficient distributions each taxable year to satisfy the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may incur a U.S. federal excise tax.

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

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If we do not satisfy the requirements of the Diversification Tests as of the end of any quarter, we will not lose our status as RIC provided that (i) we satisfied the requirements in a prior quarter and (ii) our failure to satisfy the requirements in the current quarter is not due in whole or in part to an acquisition of any security or other property.

We may invest in partnerships, including qualified publicly traded partnerships, which may result in our being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise or withholding liabilities.

We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest or, in certain cases, with increasing interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. Because any original issue discount accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. If we are not able to obtain sufficient cash from other sources to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on all of our taxable income without the benefit of the dividends-paid deduction.

Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order (i) to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement and to otherwise eliminate our liability for U.S. federal income and excise taxes and (ii) to satisfy the Diversification Tests. However, under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to borrow additional funds or to make distributions to our stockholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless a certain “asset coverage” test is met. See “Regulation — Indebtedness; Coverage Ratio.” Moreover, our ability to dispose of assets to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement, the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement or the Diversification Tests may be limited by (a) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (b) other requirements relating to our qualification as a RIC. If we dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement, the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, or the Diversification Tests, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

Certain of our investment practices may be subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (a) treat dividends that would otherwise constitute qualified dividend income as non-qualified dividend income, (b) treat dividends that would otherwise be eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction as ineligible for such treatment, (c) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (d) convert lower-taxed long-term capital gain into higher-taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (e) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (f) cause us to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (g) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities

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is deemed to occur, (h) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (i) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test. We intend to monitor our transactions and may make certain tax elections to mitigate the effect of these provisions and prevent our disqualification as a RIC.

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

Some of the income and fees that we may recognize will not satisfy the 90% Income Test. In order to ensure that such income and fees do not disqualify us as a RIC for a failure to satisfy the 90% Income Test, we may hold assets that generate such income and provide services that generate such fees indirectly through one or more entities treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such corporations will be required to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on their earnings, which ultimately will reduce our return on such income and fees.

Failure to Qualify as a Regulated Investment Company

If we were unable to qualify for treatment as a RIC, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates, regardless of whether we make any distributions to our stockholders. Distributions would not be required, and any distributions made would be taxable to our stockholders as ordinary dividend income that, subject to certain limitations, may be eligible for the 20.0% maximum rate to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate distributees would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits would be treated first as a return of capital to the extent of the stockholder’s tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain. If we fail to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year we may be subject to regular corporate tax on any net built-in gains with respect to certain of our assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if we had been liquidated) that we elect to recognize on requalification or when recognized over the next five years.

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our stockholders, unless a stockholder elects to receive cash as provided below. As a result, if our Board of Directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash distribution, then our stockholders who have not “opted out” of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash distributions automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, rather than receiving the cash.

No action is required on the part of a registered stockholder to have such shareholder’s cash distribution reinvested in shares of our common stock. A registered stockholder may elect to receive an entire distribution in cash by notifying American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the plan administrator and our transfer agent and registrar, in writing so that such notice is received by the plan administrator no later than the record date for distributions to stockholders. The plan administrator will set up an account for shares acquired through the plan for each stockholder who has not elected to receive distributions in cash and hold such shares in non-certificated form. Upon request by a stockholder participating in the plan, received in writing not less than ten days prior to the record date, the plan administrator will, instead of crediting shares to the participant’s account, issue a certificate registered in the participant’s name for the number of whole shares of our common stock and a check for any fractional share.

Those stockholders whose shares are held by a broker or other financial intermediary may receive distributions in cash by notifying their broker or other financial intermediary of their election.

We intend to use primarily newly issued shares to implement the plan, whether our shares are trading at a premium or at a discount to net asset value. However, we reserve the right to purchase shares in the open market in connection with our implementation of the plan. The number of shares to be issued to a stockholder is determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to such stockholder by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of regular trading on The NASDAQ Global Select Market

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on the dividend payment date. Market price per share on that date will be the closing price for such shares on The NASDAQ Global Select Market or, if no sale is reported for such day, at the average of their reported bid and asked prices. Shares purchased in open market transactions by the plan administrator of the dividend reinvestment plan will be allocated to a stockholder based upon the average purchase price, excluding any brokerage charges or other charges, of all shares of common stock purchased with respect to the distribution.

There are no brokerage charges or other charges to stockholders who participate in the plan. The plan administrator’s fees under the plan are paid by us. If a participant elects by written notice to the plan administrator to have the plan administrator sell part or all of the shares held by the plan administrator in the participant’s account and remit the proceeds to the participant, the plan administrator is authorized to deduct a $15.00 transaction fee plus a $0.10 per share brokerage commission from the proceeds.

If your distributions are reinvested, you will be required to pay tax on the distributions in the same manner as if the distributions were received in cash. The taxation of distributions will not be affected by the form in which you receive them.

Participants may terminate their accounts under the plan by notifying the plan administrator via its website at www.amstock.com, by filling out the transaction request form located at bottom of their statement and sending it to the plan administrator at the address set forth below or by calling the plan administrator at 1-866-668-8564.

The plan may be terminated by us upon notice in writing mailed to each participant at least 30 days prior to any record date for the payment of any dividend by us. All correspondence concerning the plan should be directed to, and additional information about the plan may be obtained from, the plan administrator by mail at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, Attn. Dividend Reinvestment Department, P.O. Box 922, Wall Street Station, New York, NY 10269-0560 or by telephone at 1-866-668-8564.

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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the other information contained in this annual report on Form 10-K, the following information should be carefully considered before making an investment in our securities. 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 might also impair our operations and performance. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the trading price of our securities could decline, and you may lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to Economic Conditions

Economic recessions or downturns may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and could impair the ability of our portfolio companies to repay loans.

Economic recessions or downturns may result in a prolonged period of market illiquidity which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 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 limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and negatively impact our operating results.

In the event of economic recessions and downturns, the financial results of middle-market companies, like those in which we invest, will likely experience deterioration, which could ultimately lead to difficulty in meeting debt service requirements and an increase in defaults. Additionally, the end markets for certain of our portfolio companies’ products and services would likely experience negative financial trends. The performances of certain of our portfolio companies have been, and may continue to be, negatively impacted by these economic or other conditions, which may ultimately result in our receipt of a reduced level of interest income from our portfolio companies and/or losses or charge offs related to our investments, and, in turn, may adversely affect distributable income. Further, adverse economic conditions may decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our equity investments. As a result, we may need to modify the payment terms of our investments, including changes in payment-in-kind interest provisions and/or cash interest rates. These factors may result in our receipt of a reduced level of interest income from our portfolio companies and/or losses or charge offs related to our investments, and, in turn, may adversely affect distributable income and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability and we cannot predict when these conditions will occur. Such market conditions could materially and adversely affect debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The U.S. and global capital markets experienced extreme volatility and disruption during the economic downturn that began in mid-2007, and the U.S. economy was in a recession for several consecutive calendar quarters during the same period. In 2010, a financial crisis emerged in Europe, triggered by high budget deficits and rising direct and contingent sovereign debt, which created concerns about the ability of certain nations to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. Risks resulting from such debt crisis and any future debt crisis in Europe or any similar crisis elsewhere could have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, sovereign and non-sovereign debt in certain countries and the financial condition of financial institutions generally. In July and August 2015, Greece reached agreements with its creditors for bailouts that provide aid in exchange for certain austerity measures. These and similar austerity measures may adversely affect world economic conditions and have an adverse impact on our business and that of our portfolio companies. In the second quarter of 2015, stock prices in China experienced a significant drop, resulting primarily from continued sell-off of shares trading in Chinese markets. In August 2015, Chinese authorities sharply devalued China’s currency. These market and economic disruptions adversely affected, and these and other similar market and economic disruptions may in the future affect, the U.S. capital markets, which could adversely affect our business and that of our portfolio companies. These market disruptions materially and adversely affected, and may in the future affect, the broader financial and credit markets and has reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and to financial firms, in

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particular. Additionally, throughout 2017, the Federal Reserve continued to raise its federal funds target rate. However, if key economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate or inflation, do not progress at a rate consistent with the Federal Reserve’s objectives, the target range for the federal funds rate may further increase and cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms and may also increase the costs of our borrowers, hampering their ability to repay us.

At various times, these disruptions resulted in, and may in the future result, a lack of liquidity in parts of the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector and the repricing of credit risk. These conditions may reoccur for a prolonged period of time again or materially worsen in the future, including as a result of further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or the perceived credit worthiness of the United States or other large global economies. Unfavorable economic conditions, including future recessions, 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. We may in the future have difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all, and a severe disruption and instability in the global financial markets or deteriorations in credit and financing conditions may cause us to reduce the volume of loans we originate and/or fund, adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The United Kingdom referendum decision to leave the European Union may create significant risks and uncertainty for global markets and our investments.

The 2016 decision made in the United Kingdom referendum to leave the European Union has led to volatility in global financial markets, and in particular in the markets of the United Kingdom and across Europe, and may also lead to weakening in consumer, corporate and financial confidence in the United Kingdom and Europe. The extent and process by which the United Kingdom will exit the European Union, and the longer term economic, legal, political and social framework to be put in place between the United Kingdom and the European Union are unclear at this stage and are likely to lead to ongoing political and economic uncertainty and periods of exacerbated volatility in both the United Kingdom and in wider European markets for some time. In particular, the decision made in the United Kingdom referendum may lead to a call for similar referenda in other European jurisdictions which may cause increased economic volatility and uncertainty in the European and global markets. This volatility and uncertainty may have an adverse effect on the economy generally and on our ability and the ability of our portfolio companies to execute our respective strategies and to receive attractive returns.

Risks Related to Our Business and Structure

Ineffective internal controls could impact our business and operating results.

Our internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of controls, or fraud. Even effective internal controls can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, including any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or if we experience difficulties in their implementation, our business and operating results could be harmed and we could fail to meet our financial reporting obligations.

We are dependent upon our senior management for our future success, and if we are unable to hire and retain qualified personnel or if we lose any member of our senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objectives could be significantly harmed.

We depend on the members of our senior management as well as other key personnel for the identification, final selection, structuring, closing and monitoring of our investments. These employees have critical industry experience and relationships that we rely on to implement our business plan. Our future success depends on the continued service of our senior management team. The departure of any of the members of our senior management or a significant number of our senior personnel could have a material

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adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. As a result, we may not be able to operate our business as we expect, and our ability to compete could be harmed, which could cause our operating results to suffer.

Additionally, the management agreements governing some of the CLO funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates have “key person” provisions that provide certain CLO investors with rights upon the departure of a “key person”, as defined in each agreement. As a result, the departure of a “key person” could trigger a material change in the Asset Manager Affiliate’s role in managing the CLO Funds, and therefore KCAP’s financial benefits from its investments in the Asset Manager Affiliates.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

A large number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make. We compete with other BDCs, as well as a number of investment funds, investment banks and other sources of financing, including traditional financial services companies, such as commercial banks and finance companies. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. This may enable some of our competitors to make commercial loans with interest rates that are lower than the rates we typically offer. We may lose prospective portfolio investments if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we do match our competitors’ pricing, terms or structure, we may experience decreased net interest income. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and build their market shares. Furthermore, many of our potential competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC. As a result of this competition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify and take advantage of attractive investment opportunities or that we will be able to fully invest our available capital. If we are not able to compete effectively, our business and financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.

If we are unable to source investments effectively, we may be unable to achieve our investment objectives and provide returns to stockholders.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective depends on our senior management team’s ability to identify, evaluate and invest in suitable companies that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of our marketing capabilities, our management of the investment process, our ability to provide efficient services and our access to financing sources on acceptable terms. In addition to monitoring the performance of our existing investments, members of our management team may also be called upon to focus their attention on other aspects of our business, including strategic opportunities available to us and/or the Asset Manager Affiliates from time to time. These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment. To grow, we need to continue to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees and to implement computer and other systems capable of effectively accommodating our growth. However, we cannot provide assurance that any such employees will contribute to the success of our business or that we will implement such systems effectively. Failure to source investments effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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

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

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We may have difficulty paying distributions required to maintain our RIC status if we recognize income before or without receiving cash equal to such income.

In accordance with the Code, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as contracted non-cash PIK interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. The increases in loan balances as a result of contracted non-cash PIK arrangements are included in income for the period in which such non-cash PIK interest was received, which is often in advance of receiving cash payment, and are separately identified on our statements of cash flows. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash. Any warrants that we receive in connection with our debt investments generally are valued as part of the negotiation process with the particular portfolio company. As a result, a portion of the aggregate purchase price for the debt investments and warrants is allocated to the warrants that we receive. This generally results in the associated debt investment having “original issue discount” for tax purposes, which we must recognize as ordinary income as it accrues. This increases the amounts we are required to distribute to maintain our qualification for tax treatment as a RIC. Because such original issue discount income might exceed the amount of cash received in a given year with respect to such investment, we might need to obtain cash from other sources to satisfy such distribution requirements. Other features of the debt instruments that we hold may also cause such instruments to generate original issue discount.

Since, in certain cases, we may recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty meeting the annual distribution requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment under the Code. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times and/or at prices we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. For additional discussion regarding the tax implications of a RIC, see “Business — Regulation — Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company.”

Our Asset Manager Affiliates may incur losses as a result of “first loss” agreements that they may enter into from time-to-time in connection with warehousing credit arrangements which may be put in place prior to raising a CLO Fund and pursuant to which they would typically agree to reimburse credit providers for a portion of losses (if any) on warehouse investments.

Our Asset Manager Affiliates enter into “first loss” agreements in connection with warehouse credit lines established to fund the initial accumulation of loan investments for future CLO Funds that our Asset Manager Affiliates will manage. Under such agreements, our Asset Manager Affiliates generally make a junior investment in a warehouse facility, which serves as a loss buffer for the senior capital provider. Such junior investment may be subject to losses (either in whole or in part) that stem from factors including (i) losses as a result of individual loan or other investments being ineligible for purchase by the CLO Fund (typically due to a payment default on such loan or other investments) when such fund formation is completed or (ii) if the CLO Fund has not been completed before the expiration of the warehouse credit line, the loss (if any, and net of any accumulated interest income) on the resale of such loans funded by the warehouse credit line, or (iii) realized losses from trading activity within the warehouse facility. As a result, our Asset Manager Affiliates may incur losses if loans and debt obligations that had been purchased in the warehouse facility become ineligible for inclusion in the CLO Fund or if a planned CLO Fund does not close.

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

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at the fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors pursuant to a valuation methodology approved by our Board of Directors. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments will be recorded as unrealized losses. An unrealized loss in our loan portfolio could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to meet its repayment obligations with respect to the affected loans. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our resources available to pay dividends or interest and principal on our securities and could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.

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We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results and credit spreads.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly and annual operating results due to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including our ability to make investments in companies that meet our investment criteria, the interest rate payable on the debt securities we acquire (which could stem from the general level of interest rates, credit spreads, or both), the default rate on such securities, prepayment upon the triggering of covenants in our middle market loans as well as our CLO Funds, our level of expenses, variations in and timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

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

Changes in interest rates may have a substantial negative impact on our investments, the value of our securities and our rate of return on invested capital. A reduction in the interest spreads on new investments could also have an adverse impact on our net interest income. An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments we hold which earn fixed interest rates, including mezzanine securities and high-yield bonds, and also could increase our interest expense, thereby decreasing our net income. An increase in interest rates due to an increase in credit spreads, regardless of general interest rate fluctuations, could also negatively impact the value of any investments we hold in our portfolio.

In addition, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make an investment in our securities less attractive than alternative investments, a situation which could reduce the value of our securities. Conversely, a decrease in interest rates may have an adverse impact on our returns by requiring us to seek lower yields on our debt investments and by increasing the risk that our portfolio companies will prepay our debt investments, resulting in the need to redeploy capital at potentially lower rates. A decrease in market interest rates may also adversely impact our returns on idle funds, which would reduce our net investment income.

The interest rates of our term loans to our portfolio companies that extend beyond 2021 might be subject to change based on recent regulatory changes.

LIBOR, the London interbank offered rate, is the basic rate of interest used in lending between banks on the London interbank market and is widely used as a reference for setting the interest rate on loans globally. We typically use LIBOR as a reference rate in term loans we extend to portfolio companies such that the interest due to us pursuant to a term loan extended to a partner company is calculated using LIBOR. Some of our term loan agreements with partner companies contain a stated minimum value for LIBOR.

On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is unclear if at that time whether or not LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large US financial institutions, is considering replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. The future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain. Uncertainty as to a LIBOR replacement, or the treatment of securities currently benchmarked to LIBOR, may adversely affect the market for LIBOR-based securities, including our portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities.

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

Borrowings, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in us. We have issued senior securities, and in the future may borrow from, or issue additional senior securities (such as preferred or convertible securities or debt securities) to, banks and other lenders and investors. Subject to prevailing market conditions, we intend to grow our portfolio of assets by raising additional capital, including through the prudent use of leverage available to us. Lenders and holders of such senior securities would have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders. Leverage is generally considered a speculative

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investment technique. Any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on our outstanding indebtedness would cause our net income to increase more than it would have had we not incurred leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not incurred leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and service our debt obligations. In addition, our common stockholders will bear the burden of any increase in our expenses as a result of leverage. There can be no assurance that our leveraging strategy will be successful.

Our outstanding indebtedness imposes, and additional debt we may incur in the future will likely impose, financial and operating covenants that restrict our business activities, including limitations that could hinder our ability to finance additional loans and investments or to make the distributions required to maintain our status as a RIC. A failure to add new debt facilities or issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness in lieu of or in addition to existing indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and our ability to respond to changes in our business.

With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue senior securities such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least 200% immediately after such borrowing or issuance. The amount of leverage that we employ in the future will depend on our management’s and our Board of Directors’ assessment of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. There is no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful. As a result of the level of our leverage:

We cannot be sure that our leverage will not have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available when required or, if available, will be on terms satisfactory to us. Further, even if we are able to obtain additional financing, we may be required to use some or all of the proceeds thereof to repay our outstanding indebtedness.

Because we intend to continue to distribute substantially all of our income and net realized capital gains to our stockholders, we will need additional capital to finance our growth.

In order to continue to qualify as a RIC, to avoid payment of excise taxes and to minimize or avoid payment of U.S. federal income taxes, we intend to continue to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our net ordinary income and realized net capital gains except for certain net long-term capital gains (which we may retain, pay applicable U.S. federal income taxes with respect thereto, and elect to treat as deemed distributions to our stockholders). As a BDC, in order to incur new debt, we are generally required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities, which includes all of our borrowings and any preferred stock we may issue in the future, of at least 200%, as measured immediately after issuance of such security. This requirement limits the amount that we may borrow. Because we will continue to need capital to grow our loan and investment portfolio, this limitation may prevent us from incurring debt and require us to issue additional equity at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. We cannot assure you that debt and equity financing will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, and debt financings may be restricted by the terms of such borrowings. Also, as a business development company, we generally are not permitted to

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issue equity securities priced below net asset value without stockholder approval. If additional funds are not available to us, we could be forced to curtail or cease new lending and investment activities.

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us.

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on the Company. The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. On December 20, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate each voted to approve H.R. 1 (the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”) and, on December 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes many changes to the Code, including, among other things, significant changes to the taxation of business entities, the deductibility of interest expense, and the tax treatment of capital investment. We cannot predict with certainty how any changes in the tax laws might affect the Company, investors, or the Company’s portfolio investments. New legislation and any U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions interpreting such legislation could significantly and negatively affect the Company’s ability to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to the Company and its investors of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisor regarding tax legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in the Company’s securities.

We may from time to time expand our business through acquisitions, which could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.

We may pursue potential acquisitions of, and investments in, businesses complementary to our business and from time to time engage in discussions regarding such possible acquisitions. For example, in February 2012, we completed the acquisition of Trimaran Advisors. Such acquisition and any other acquisitions we may undertake involve a number of risks, including:

If we fail to properly evaluate acquisitions or investments, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions, we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate, and management resources and attention may be diverted from other necessary or valuable activities. Any acquisition, including the Trimaran Advisors acquisition, may not result in short-term or long-term benefits to us. If we are unable to integrate or successfully manage any business that we acquire, we may not realize anticipated cost savings, improved efficiencies or revenue growth, which may result in reduced profitability or operating losses.

We may invest through joint ventures, partnerships or other special purpose vehicles and our investments through these vehicles may entail greater risks, or risks that we otherwise would not incur, if we otherwise made such investments directly.

We may make indirect investments in portfolio companies through joint ventures, partnerships or other special purpose vehicles (“Investment Vehicles”). In general, the risks associated with indirect investments in portfolio companies through a joint venture, partnership or other special purpose vehicle are similar to those associated with a direct investment in a portfolio company. While we intend to analyze the credit and business of a potential portfolio company in determining whether or not to make an investment in an Investment Vehicle, we will nonetheless be exposed to the creditworthiness of the Investment Vehicle. In the event of a bankruptcy proceeding against the portfolio company, the assets of the portfolio company may be used to

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satisfy its obligations prior to the satisfaction of our investment in the Investment Vehicle (i.e., our investment in the Investment Vehicle could be structurally subordinated to the other obligations of the portfolio company). In addition, if we are to invest in an Investment Vehicle, we may be required to rely on our partners in the Investment Vehicle when making decisions regarding the such Investment Vehicle’s investments, accordingly, the value of the investment could be adversely affected if our interests diverge from those of our partners in the Investment Vehicle.

Our Board of Directors may change our investment objective, operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive certain of our operating policies and strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. However, absent stockholder approval, we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or withdraw our election as, a BDC. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business and operating results. Nevertheless, the effects may adversely affect our business and they could negatively impact our ability to pay you dividends and could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our securities.

Pending legislation may allow us to incur additional leverage.

As a BDC, under the 1940 Act we generally are not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our total assets or we may borrow an amount equal to 100% of net assets).

Either of the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017, which was passed by the U.S House of Representatives in June 2017, or the Small Business Credit Availability Act, which was passed by the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2017, would modify this section of the 1940 Act and increase the amount of debt that BDCs may incur by modifying the asset coverage percentage from 200% to 150%. As a result, we may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future and therefore your risk of an investment in us may increase.

Our businesses may be adversely affected by litigation and regulatory proceedings.

From time to time, we may be subject to legal actions as well as various regulatory, governmental and law enforcement inquiries, investigations and subpoenas. In any such claims or actions, demands for substantial monetary damages may be asserted against us and may result in financial liability or an adverse effect on our reputation among investors. We may be unable to accurately estimate our exposure to litigation risk when we record balance sheet reserves for probable loss contingencies. As a result, any reserves we establish to cover any settlements or judgments may not be sufficient to cover our actual financial exposure, which may have a material impact on our results of operations or financial condition. In regulatory enforcement matters, claims for disgorgement, the imposition of penalties and the imposition of other remedial sanctions are possible.

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

Our business requires a substantial amount of additional capital. We may acquire additional capital from the issuance of senior securities or other indebtedness, the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or from securitization transactions. However, we may not be able to raise additional capital in the future on favorable terms or at all. We may issue debt securities or preferred securities, which we refer to collectively as “senior securities,” and we may borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act permits us to issue senior securities or incur indebtedness only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such issuance or incurrence. With respect to certain types of senior securities, we must make provisions to prohibit any dividend distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of certain of our securities, unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the dividend distribution or repurchase. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy the asset coverage test. Furthermore, any amounts that we use to service our indebtedness would not be available for distributions to our common stockholders.

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All of the costs of offering and servicing such debt or preferred stock (if issued by us in the future), including interest or preferential dividend payments thereon, will be borne by our common stockholders. The interests of the holders of any debt or preferred stock we may issue will not necessarily be aligned with the interests of our common stockholders. In particular, the rights of holders of our debt or preferred stock to receive interest, dividends or principal repayment will be senior to those of our common stockholders. Also, in the event we issue preferred stock, the holders of such preferred stock will have the ability to elect two members of our board of directors. In addition, we may grant a lender a security interest in a significant portion or all of our assets, even if the total amount we may borrow from such lender is less than the amount of such lender’s security interest in our assets.

We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock at a price below the then-current net asset value of our common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale is in the best interests of KCAP and its stockholders, and our stockholders approve, giving us the authority to do so. Although we currently do not have such authorization, we previously sought and received such authorization from our stockholders in the past and may seek such authorization in the future. In any such case, the price at which our securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which, in the determination of our board of directors, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). We are also generally prohibited under the 1940 Act from issuing securities convertible into voting securities without obtaining the approval of our existing stockholders. Sales of common stock at prices below net asset value per share dilute the interests of existing stockholders, have the effect of reducing our net asset value per share and may reduce our market price per share. In addition to issuing securities to raise capital as described above; we may securitize a portion of the loans generate cash for funding new investments. If we are unable to successfully securitize our loan portfolio our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and our earnings (if any) may be adversely affected. Moreover, even successful securitization of our loan portfolio might expose us to losses, as the residual loans in which we do not sell interests tend to be those that are riskier and more apt to generate losses.

Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business and the business of our Asset Manager Affiliates, or changes in the interpretations thereof, and any failure by us or our Asset Manager Affiliates to comply with these laws or regulations, could negatively affect the profitability of our operations.

Changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretations of the laws and regulations that govern BDCs, Registered Investment Advisers (such as our Asset Manager Affiliates), RICs or non-depository commercial lenders could significantly affect our operations and our cost of doing business. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations as well as the rules of the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, and are subject to judicial and administrative decisions that affect our operations, including our loan originations, maximum interest rates, fees and other charges, disclosures to portfolio companies, the terms of secured transactions, collection and foreclosure procedures and other trade practices. The various regulatory bodies, including the SEC and the NASDAQ Global Select Market, that administer these laws and regulations have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations.

In addition, as registered investment advisers, the Asset Manager Affiliates are subject to new and existing regulations, regulatory risks, costs and expenses associated with operating as registered investment advisers that may limit their ability to operate, structure or expand their businesses in the future. If these laws, regulations or decisions change, or if we expand our business into jurisdictions that have adopted more stringent requirements than those in which we currently conduct business, we may have to incur significant expenses in order to comply or we might have to restrict our operations. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws, regulations and decisions, we may lose licenses needed for the conduct of our business and be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Moreover, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) has increased and may significantly increase the regulation of the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act contains a broad set of provisions designed to govern the practices and oversight of financial institutions and other participants in the financial markets. One such provision, Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, commonly

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referred to as the Volcker Rule, contains certain prohibitions and restrictions on the ability of a “banking entity” — which includes insured depository institutions, bank holding companies, foreign banking entities regulated by the Federal Reserve Board and their respective affiliates — and nonbank financial company supervised by the Federal Reserve to engage in proprietary trading and have certain interests in, or relationships with certain private funds (“covered funds”). Under the final regulations implementing the Volcker Rule, which were adopted in December 2013, many CLOs will be covered funds if they invest, or are permitted to invest, in assets other than loans, certain cash equivalents and interest rate or currency hedges. As a result, many banking entities, including many U.S. and non-U.S. broker-dealers with affiliated banks, may be unable to invest in, or in some cases to make a market in, the securities of CLOs in which we have invested, which may reduce liquidity in these securities and have a material adverse effect on their valuation. Moreover, the Volcker Rule regulations may affect the market for CLOs such that our Asset Manager Affiliates may be unable to establish, or to obtain warehouse funding for, new CLOs that would be covered funds. If our Asset Manager Affiliates establish CLOs that are structured not to be covered funds and thus do not permit investments in customary assets such as corporate bonds, asset-backed securities or synthetic investments, and we invest in such CLOs, the ability of our Asset Manager Affiliates to manage such CLOs will be constrained by those limitations, which could materially adversely affect any investments we make in such CLOs.

In October 2014, the SEC, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve and certain other prudential banking regulators adopted final rules mandating risk retention for securitizations, including CLOs, which became effective on December 24, 2016. Under the final risk-retentions rules, our Asset Manager Affiliates (or a majority-owned affiliate of such entities, including the Company) will be required to hold interests equal to 5% of the fair value of any CLO they sponsor (unless the CLO invests only in certain qualifying loans, which we do not expect to be the case) and would be prohibited from selling or hedging those interests in accordance with the limitations on such sales or hedges set forth in the final rule. Our Asset Manager Affiliates (or a majority-owned affiliate of such entities, including the Company) will need to have the requisite capital to hold such interests as a condition to their ability to sponsor new CLOs, and the restrictions on hedging such interests may create greater risk with respect to those interests. Our Asset Manager Affiliates’ (or a majority owned affiliate’s) investments in such CLOs, or their inability to invest in such CLOs (and thus inability to sponsor them) could each have a material adverse effect upon our business, results of operations or financial condition.

On February 9, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (the “DC Circuit Court”) ruled in favor of an appeal brought by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (the “LSTA”) from a district court (“District Court”) ruling granting summary judgment to the SEC and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. As part of its ruling, the DC Circuit Court remanded the case to the district court with instructions to grant summary judgment to the LSTA on whether application of the risk retention rules to CLO managers is valid under Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act. If the decision stands, CLO managers of “open-market CLOs” (described in the ruling as CLOs where assets are acquired from “arms-length negotiations and trading on an open market”) will no longer be required to comply with the risk retention rules, and no party to such “open-market CLOs” would be required to acquire and retain an economic interest in the credit risk of the securitized assets. However, the DC Circuit Court’s decision remains subject to further appeal for a period of time. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investments — If our Asset Manager Affiliates do not meet certain risk retention requirements, they may not be able to sponsor and manage new CLOs, which would negatively impact our results of operations and financial conditions.”

In April 2010, the SEC proposed revised rules for asset-backed securities offerings (“Regulation AB II”) that, if adopted, would substantially change the disclosure, reporting and offering process for public and private offerings of asset-backed securities, including CLOs. The proposed rules, if adopted, would have required significant additional disclosures and would have altered the safe-harbor standards for the private placement of asset-backed securities to impose informational requirements similar to those that would apply to registered public offerings of such securities. The application of such informational requirements to CLOs, which have not historically been publicly registered, was unclear. On August 27, 2014, the SEC adopted a set of Regulation AB II final rules that was limited to asset-backed securities that were publicly registered. These rules impose changes to the offering process for publicly registered asset-backed securities and require

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disclosure of loan-level data for a subset of classes addressed in the proposed rules, but do not at this time extend to privately offered CLOs. However, the SEC has indicated that many aspects of the rule proposals, including the expansion of loan-level or grouped data disclosure requirements to additional asset classes and the possible application of the rules to private offerings of securities, remain under active consideration. The timing of the adoption of any additional final rules, their application to privately offered securities in general and to CLOs in particular, the cost of compliance with such rules, and whether compliance would compromise proprietary methods or strategies of our Asset Manager Affiliates, is currently unclear.

Other financial reform regulations, including regulations requiring clearing and margining of swap transactions, which may affect our ability to enter into hedging transactions; changes in the definition and regulation of commodity pool operators and commodity trading advisors, which could subject our Asset Manager Affiliates to additional regulations; leveraged lending guidance that may affect the ways in which banking institutions originate the loans in which we and our affiliates invest; heightened regulatory capital and liquidity requirements for banks that may affect our ability to borrow on reasonable terms; and non-US regulations of financial market participants that may overlap, expand upon or be inconsistent with US regulations may all have material adverse effects on our business.

If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in Qualifying Assets, we could be precluded from investing according to our current business strategy.

As a BDC, we may not acquire any assets other than Qualifying Assets for purposes of the 1940 Act unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are “qualifying assets”. See “Item 1: Business — Regulation”.

We believe that most of the senior loans and mezzanine investments that we acquire constitute “qualifying assets.” However, investments in the securities of CLO Funds generally do not constitute “qualifying assets,” and we may invest in other assets that are not “qualifying assets.” If we do not invest a sufficient portion of our assets in “qualifying assets,” we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These restrictions could also prevent us from making investments in the equity securities of CLO Funds, which could limit our Asset Manager Affiliates’ ability to organize new CLO Funds. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies (which could result in the dilution of our position).

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

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval of the members of our independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities is our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we are generally prohibited from buying or selling any securities (other than our securities) from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits certain “joint” transactions with certain of our affiliates, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. If a person acquires more than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling any security (other than any security of which we are the issuer) from or to such person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with such person, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

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

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

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Our business and operations could be negatively affected if we become subject to any securities litigation or stockholder activism, which could cause us to incur significant expense, hinder execution of investment strategy and impact our stock price.

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. Stockholder activism, which could take many forms or arise in a variety of situations, has been increasing in the BDC space recently. While we are currently not subject to any securities litigation or stockholder activism, we may in the future become the target of securities litigation or stockholder activism. Securities litigation and stockholder activism, including potential proxy contests, could result in substantial costs and divert management’s and our board of directors’ attention and resources from our business. Additionally, such securities litigation and stockholder activism could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with service providers and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Also, we may be required to incur significant legal fees and other expenses related to any securities litigation and activist stockholder matters. Further, our stock price could be subject to significant fluctuation or otherwise be adversely affected by the events, risks and uncertainties of any securities litigation and stockholder activism.

We will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes if we are unable to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.

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

Failure to meet these requirements may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore will be illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in substantial losses. Moreover, if we fail to maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes, the resulting taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and on our stockholders.

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Proposed regulations may impact our ability to qualify as a RIC if we do not receive timely distributions from our CLO investments.

We may be required to include in our income our proportionate share of the income of certain CLO investments to the extent that such CLOs are PFICs for which we have made a qualifying electing fund (“QEF”) election or are CFCs. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other thing, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of our gross income from certain sources specified in the Code (the “90% Income Test”). Although the Code generally provides that the income inclusions from a QEF or a CFC will be “good income” for purposes of this 90% Income Test to the extent that the QEF or the CFC distribute such income to us in the same taxable year to which the income is included in our income, the Code does not specifically provide whether these income inclusions would be “good income” for this 90% Income Test if we do not receive distributions from the QEF or CFC during such taxable year. The IRS has issued a series of private rulings in which it has concluded that all income inclusions from a QEF or a CFC included in a RIC’s gross income would constitute “good income” for purposes of the 90% Income Test. Such rulings are not binding on the IRS except with respect to the taxpayers to whom such rulings were issued. Nonetheless, under current law, we believe that the income inclusions from a CLO that is a QEF or a CFC would be “good income” for purposes of the 90% Income Test. Recently, the IRS and U.S. Treasury Department issued proposed regulations that provide that the income inclusions from a QEF or a CFC would not be good income for purposes of the 90% Income Test unless we receive a cash distribution from such entity in the same year attributable to the included income. If such income were not considered “good income” for purposes of the 90% Income Test, we may fail to qualify as a RIC.

Risks Associated with Our Information Technology Systems

We rely on various information technology systems to manage our operations. Information technology systems are subject to numerous risks including unanticipated operating problems, system failures, rapid technological change, failure of the systems that operate as anticipated, reliance on third party computer hardware, software and IT service providers, computer viruses, telecommunication failures, data breaches, denial of service attacks, spamming, phishing attacks, computer hackers and other similar disruptions, any of which could materially adversely impact our consolidated financial condition and results of operations. Additional risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Disruptions in current systems or difficulties in integrating new systems.

We regularly maintain, upgrade, enhance or replace our information technology systems to support our business strategies and provide business continuity. Replacing legacy systems with successor systems, making changes to existing systems or acquiring new systems with new functionality have inherent risks including disruptions, delays, or difficulties that may impair the effectiveness of our information technology systems.

Internal and external cyber threats, as well as other disasters, could impair our ability to conduct business effectively.

The occurrence of a disaster, such as a cyber-attack against us or against a third-party that has access to our data or networks, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, failure of our disaster recovery systems, or consequential employee error, could have an adverse effect on our ability to communicate or conduct business, negatively impacting our operations and financial condition. This adverse effect can become particularly acute if those events affect our electronic data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems, or impact the availability, integrity, or confidentiality of our data.

We depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems, networks, and data, like those of other companies, could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, use, alteration, or destruction, such as from physical and electronic break-ins or unauthorized tampering. If one or more of these events occurs, it could potentially jeopardize the confidential, proprietary, and other information processed, stored in, and transmitted through our computer systems and networks. Such an attack could cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in financial losses, litigation, regulatory penalties, client dissatisfaction or loss, reputational damage, and increased costs associated with mitigation of damages and remediation.

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Third parties with which we do business may also be sources of cybersecurity or other technological risk. We outsource certain functions and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information, as well as client, counterparty, employee, and borrower information. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure, destruction, or other cybersecurity incident that affects our data, resulting in increased costs and other consequences as described above.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Our investments may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

We invest primarily in senior secured term loans, mezzanine debt, selected equity investments issued by middle market companies, CLO Funds and our Asset Manager Affiliates. The investments in our Debt Securities Portfolio are all or predominantly below investment grade, may be highly leveraged, and therefore have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Defaults by portfolio companies may harm our operating results.

Secured Loans.  When we extend secured term loans, we generally take a security interest (either as a first lien position or as a second lien position) in the available assets of these portfolio companies, including the equity interests of their subsidiaries, which we expect to assist in mitigating the risk that we will not be repaid. However, there is a risk that the collateral securing our loans may decrease in value over time, may be difficult to sell in a timely manner, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value based upon the success of the business and market conditions, including as a result of the inability of the portfolio company to raise additional capital, and, in some circumstances, our lien could be subordinated to claims of other creditors. In addition, deterioration in a portfolio company’s financial condition and prospects, including its inability to raise additional capital, may be accompanied by deterioration in the value of the collateral for the loan. Consequently, the fact that a loan is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the loan’s terms, or at all, or that we will be able to collect on the loan should we be forced to exercise our remedies.

Mezzanine Debt.  Our mezzanine debt investments generally are subordinated to senior loans and generally are unsecured. This may result in an above average amount of risk and volatility or loss of principal.

These investments may entail additional risks that could adversely affect our investment returns. To the extent interest payments associated with such debt are deferred, such debt is subject to greater fluctuations in value based on changes in interest rates and such debt could subject us to phantom income. Since we generally do not receive any cash prior to maturity of the debt, the investment is of greater risk.

Equity Investments.  We have made and expect to make selected equity investments in the middle market companies. In addition, when we invest in senior secured loans or mezzanine debt, we may acquire warrants in the equity of the portfolio company. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

Risks Associated with Middle Market Companies.  Investments in middle market companies also involve a number of significant risks, including:

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CLO Fund Investments.  Investments in CLO Funds also involve a number of significant risks, including:

Asset Manager Affiliates.  We may not receive all or a portion of the cash distributions we expect to continue to receive from our Asset Manager Affiliates, including from their receipt of incentive fees.

We expect to receive cash distributions from our Asset Manager Affiliates. However, the existing asset management agreements pursuant to which our Asset Manager Affiliates receive fee income from the CLO Funds for which they serve as managers may be terminated for “cause” by the holders of a majority of the most senior class of securities issued by such CLO Funds and the holders of a majority of the subordinated securities issued by such CLO Funds. “Cause” is defined in the asset management agreements to include a material breach by our Asset Manager Affiliates of the indenture governing the applicable CLO Fund, breaches by our Asset Manager Affiliates of certain specified provisions of the indenture (including, in some cases, a “key person” provision), material breaches of representations or warranties made by our Asset Manager Affiliates, bankruptcy or insolvency of our Asset Manager Affiliates, fraud or criminal activity on the part of our Asset Manager Affiliates or an event of default under the indenture governing the CLO Funds. We expect that future asset management agreements will contain comparable provisions.

Further, a significant portion of the asset management fees payable to our Asset Manager Affiliates under the asset management agreements are subordinated to the prior payments of interest on the senior securities issued by the CLO Funds. If the asset management agreements are terminated, or the CLO Funds do not generate enough income (due to run-off of existing funds and de-leveraging), or otherwise have insufficient residual cash flow due to diversion of cash as a result of the failure by the CLO Funds to satisfy certain restrictive covenants contained in their indenture agreements to pay the subordinated management fees, the

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Asset Manager Affiliates will not receive the fee income that they expect to continue to receive which would reduce cash distributions available to us, and in turn reduce our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Our portfolio investments for which there is no readily available market, including our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates, our Joint Venture and our investments in CLO Funds, are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. As a result, there is uncertainty as to the value of these investments.

Our investments consist primarily of securities issued by privately-held companies, the fair value of which is not readily determinable. In addition, we are not permitted to maintain a general reserve for anticipated loan losses. Instead, we are required by the 1940 Act to specifically value each investment and record an unrealized gain or loss for any asset that we believe has increased or decreased in value. We value these securities at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors pursuant to a valuation methodology approved by our Board of Directors. These valuations are initially prepared by our management and reviewed by our Valuation Committee, which uses its best judgment in arriving at the fair value of these securities. However, the Board of Directors retains ultimate authority to determine the appropriate valuation for each investment.

The Company has engaged an independent valuation firm to provide third party valuation consulting services to the Company’s Board of Directors. Each quarter, the independent valuation firm performs third party valuations on the Company’s material investments in illiquid securities, such that they are reviewed at least once during a trailing 12 month period. These third party valuation estimates are one of the relevant data points in the Board of Director’s determination of fair value. The Board of Directors intends to continue to engage an independent valuation firm in the future to provide certain valuation services, including the review of certain portfolio assets, as part of the quarterly and annual year-end valuation process. In addition to such third-party input, the types of factors that may be considered in valuing our investments include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly-traded companies, discounted cash flow and other relevant factors. Our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates is carried at fair value, which is determined after taking into consideration a percentage of assets under management and a discounted cash flow model incorporating different levels of discount rates depending on the hierarchy of fees earned (including the likelihood of realization of senior, subordinate and incentive fees) and prospective modeled performance. Such valuation includes an analysis of comparable asset management companies. In addition, our investment in our Joint Venture is carried at fair value, which is determined based on the fair value of the investments held by the Joint Venture. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private investments and private companies, are inherently uncertain and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would be assessed if a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our illiquid investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such securities.

We are a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we may invest a significant portion of our assets in a relatively small number of issuers, which subjects us to a risk of significant loss if any of these issuers defaults on its obligations under any of its debt instruments or as a result of a downturn in the particular industry.

We are classified as a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and therefore we may invest a significant portion of our assets in a relatively small number of issuers in a limited number of industries. As of December 31, 2017, our largest investment, our 100% equity interest in our Asset Manager Affiliates, equaled approximately 12% of the fair value of our total investments. Beyond the asset diversification requirements associated with our qualification as a RIC, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and while we are not targeting any specific industries, relatively few industries may become significantly represented among our investments. To the extent that we assume large positions in the securities of a small number of issuers, our net asset value may fluctuate to a greater extent than that of a diversified investment company as a result of changes in the financial condition or the market’s assessment of the issuer,

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changes in fair value over time or a downturn in any particular industry. We may also be more susceptible to any single economic or regulatory occurrence than a diversified investment company.

Defaults by our portfolio companies could harm our operating results.

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other debt holders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its secured assets. Such events could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

When we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company, which generally is the case, we may not be in a position to control the entity, and its management may make decisions that could decrease the value of our investment.

Most of our investments are either debt or minority equity investments in our portfolio companies. Therefore, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of such company may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings. In addition, we generally are not in a position to control any portfolio company by investing in its debt securities.

We may have limited access to information about privately held companies in which we invest.

We invest primarily in privately-held companies. Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we are required to rely on the ability of our investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information are not subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules that govern public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investment.

Prepayments of our debt investments by our portfolio companies could negatively impact our operating results.

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

We may be unable to invest the net proceeds raised from offerings and repayments from investments on acceptable terms, which would harm our financial condition and operating results.

Until we identify new investment opportunities, we intend to either invest the net proceeds of future offerings and repayments from investments in interest-bearing deposits or other short-term instruments or use the net proceeds from such offerings to reduce then-outstanding debt obligations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to find enough appropriate investments that meet our investment criteria or that any investment we complete using the proceeds from an offering will produce a sufficient return.

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

We invest primarily in debt securities issued by our portfolio companies. In some cases portfolio companies are permitted to have other debt that ranks equal with, or senior to, the debt securities in which we invest. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders thereof are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the debt securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equal with debt securities in which we invest, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company.

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

Certain loans that we make are secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral pledged by a portfolio company to secure senior debt owed by the portfolio company to other traditional lenders. Often the senior lender has procured covenants from the portfolio company prohibiting the incurrence of additional secured debt, without the senior lender’s consent. Prior to, and as a condition of, permitting the portfolio company to borrow money from us secured by the same collateral pledged to the senior lender, the senior lender will require assurances that it will control the disposition of any collateral in the event of bankruptcy or other default. In many such cases, the senior lender will require us to enter into an “intercreditor agreement” prior to permitting the portfolio company to borrow from us. Typically, the intercreditor agreements we are requested to execute expressly subordinate our debt instruments to those held by the senior lender and further provide that the senior lender shall control: (1) the commencement of foreclosure or other proceedings to liquidate and collect on the collateral; (2) the nature, timing and conduct of foreclosure or other collection proceedings; (3) the amendment of any collateral document; (4) the release of the security interests in respect of any collateral; and (5) the waiver of defaults under any security agreement. Because of the control we may cede to senior lenders under intercreditor agreements we may enter, we may be unable to realize the proceeds of any collateral securing some of our loans.

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

Even though we may have structured certain of our investments as senior loans, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the size of our investment and the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower’s business or exercise control over the borrower. It is possible that we could become subject to a lender’s liability claim, including as a result of actions taken in rendering significant managerial assistance.

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

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

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

We may invest in securities issued by private companies. These securities may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or otherwise be less liquid than publicly-traded securities. The illiquidity of these investments may make it difficult for us to sell these investments when desired. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we had previously recorded these investments. Our investments are usually subject to contractual or legal restrictions on resale or are otherwise illiquid because there is usually no established trading market for such investments. The illiquidity of most of our investments may make it difficult for us to dispose of them at a favorable price, and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

Our investment strategy contemplates that a portion of our investments may be in securities of foreign companies. Investing in foreign companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility.

Although it is anticipated that most of our investments will be denominated in U.S. dollars, our investments that are denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency may change in relation to the U.S. dollar. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political developments.

The disposition of our investments may result in contingent liabilities.

We currently expect that a significant portion of our investments will involve lending directly to private companies. In connection with the disposition of an investment in private securities, we may be required to make representations about the business and financial affairs of the portfolio company typical of those made in connection with the sale of a business. We may also be required to indemnify the purchasers of such investment to the extent that any such representations turn out to be inaccurate or with respect to certain potential liabilities. These arrangements may result in contingent liabilities that ultimately yield funding obligations that must be satisfied through our return of certain distributions previously made to us.

We may not receive any return on our investment in the CLO Funds in which we have invested and the Asset Manager Affiliates may be unable to raise additional CLO Funds.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $51.7 million at fair value invested in the subordinated securities, preferred shares, or other securities issued by the CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates and certain other third party asset managers, and through the Joint Venture. Subject to market conditions and legal requirements applicable to us under the 1940 Act, we expect to continue to acquire subordinated securities in the future in CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates and/or third party managers. Subordinated securities are the most junior class of securities issued by the CLO Funds and are subordinated in priority of payment to every other class of securities issued by these CLO Funds. Therefore, they only receive cash distributions if the CLO Funds have made all cash interest payments to all other debt securities issued by the CLO Fund. The subordinated securities are also unsecured and rank behind all of the secured creditors, known or unknown, of the CLO Fund, including the holders of the senior securities issued by the CLO Fund. Consequently, to the extent that the value of a CLO Fund’s loan investments has been reduced as a result of conditions in the credit markets, or as a result of defaulted loans or individual fund assets, the value of the subordinated securities at their redemption could be reduced. Additionally, the Asset Manager Affiliates may not be able to continue to raise new CLO Funds due to prevailing CLO market conditions, regulatory requirements or other factors.

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If our Asset Manager Affiliates do not meet certain risk retention requirements, they may not be able to sponsor and manage new CLOs, which would negatively impact our results of operations and financial conditions.

In October 2014, the SEC, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve and certain other prudential banking regulators finalized regulations that mandate risk retention for securitizations. The rules became effective for CLOs on December 24, 2016. Under the final rules, our Asset Manager Affiliates (directly or through any of their majority-controlled affiliates, including the Company) will be required to hold interests equal to 5% of the fair value of the assets of any CLO sponsored by our Asset Manager Affiliates (unless the CLO invests only in certain qualifying loans which we do not expect will be the case) and would be prohibited from selling or hedging those interests in accordance with the limitations on such sales or hedges set forth in the final rule. Thus, our Asset Manager Affiliates (or any of their majority-controlled affiliates, including the Company, permitted to retain risk on their behalf) will need to have the requisite capital to hold such interests as a condition to their ability to sponsor new CLOs, and the restrictions on selling or hedging such interests may create greater risk with respect to those interests, including, to the extent that we retain risk in the CLOs managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates on their behalf, our ability to sell CLO Fund Securities when advantageous for us to do so. These mandatory investments in such CLOs, or the inability to invest in such CLOs (and thus inability to sponsor them) could each have a material adverse effect upon our business, results of operations or financial condition of the Asset Manager Affiliates, which would, in turn, negatively impact the business results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the application of the risk retention rules to CLOs may have broader effects on the CLO and loan markets in general, potentially resulting in fewer or less desirable investment opportunities for the Company, our Asset Manager Affiliates, and any CLOs that our Asset Manager Affiliates sponsor or in which we otherwise invest.

On February 9, 2018, the DC Circuit Court ruled in favor of an appeal brought by the LSTA from a District Court ruling granting summary judgment to the SEC and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. As part of its ruling, the DC Circuit Court remanded the case to the district court with instructions to grant summary judgment to the LSTA on whether application of the U.S. Risk Retention Rules to CLO managers is valid under Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act. If the decision stands, CLO managers of “open-market CLOs” (described in the ruling as CLOs where assets are acquired from “arms-length negotiations and trading on an open market”) will no longer be required to comply with the risk retention rules, and no party to such “open-market CLOs” would be required to acquire and retain an economic interest in the credit risk of the securitized assets.

However, the implementation and effectiveness of the ruling could be delayed, modified or reversed. In particular, the applicable government authorities will have the right to (a) petition for en banc review of the decision by the entire court or (b) file a petition for certiorari requesting the case to be heard by the United States Supreme Court. The risk retention rules will remain in effect until a new judgment is entered in the District Court, which will not occur until the DC Circuit Court issues a mandate to the District Court to do so (which will occur within one week after the deadline for a petition for rehearing has passed). That will not occur if a petition for rehearing is filed; the deadline for a rehearing is 45 days from the issuance of the decision by the DC Circuit Court. If a petition for rehearing is filed, the DC Circuit Court will not issue a mandate to the District Court to issue such judgment during the consideration of the petition. If the petition for rehearing is denied, the mandate from the DC Circuit Court must be issued within a week from such denial unless a motion to stay the mandate is also filed pending a petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. Although the granting of such a motion is not automatic, it is also not rare. If the motion to stay the mandate is granted and a petition for a writ of certiorari filed in the United States Supreme Court, the stay will remain in effect until the Supreme Court’s work on the matter (either through a denial of certiorari or a ruling on the merits) is complete.

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Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We may not be able to pay distributions to our stockholders, our distributions may not grow over time, and a portion of distributions paid to our stockholders may be a return of capital.

We intend to continue to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We may not be able to 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, among other things, the impact of one or more of the risk factors described herein. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC could limit our ability to pay distributions. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC and covenants that we agreed to in connection with the issuance of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 and the 6.125% Notes Due 2022 (together, the “Notes”) we are limited in our ability to make distributions in certain circumstances. In this regard, we agreed in connection with our issuance of the Notes that for the period of time during which the Notes are outstanding, we will not violate (regardless of whether we are subject to) Section 18(a)(1)(B) as modified by Section 61(a)(1) of the 1940 Act. These provisions generally prohibit us from declaring any cash dividend or distribution upon our common stock, or purchasing any such common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is below 200% at the time of the declaration of the dividend or distribution or the purchase and after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase. Further, if we invest a greater amount of assets in equity securities that do not pay current dividends, it could reduce the amount available for distribution.

All distributions will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings and those of the Asset Manager Affiliates, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure you that we will pay distributions to our stockholders in the future.

When we make quarterly distributions, we will be required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings, recognized capital gains or capital. To the extent there is a return of capital, investors will be required to reduce their basis in our stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which may result in higher tax liability when the shares are sold, even if they have not increased in value or have lost value. Our distributions have over the last several years included a significant return of capital component. For more information about our distributions over the last several years that have included a return of capital component, see Note 7 — “Distributable Taxable Income” to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

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

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

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value, and we cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not decline below the net asset value of the stock.

We cannot predict the price at which our common stock will trade. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value and our stock may also be discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether shares of our common stock will trade above, at or below our net asset value. The risk of loss associated with this characteristic of closed-end investment companies may be greater for investors expecting to sell shares of common stock soon after the purchase of such shares of common stock. In addition, if our common stock trades below its net asset value, we will generally not be able to issue additional shares of our common stock at its market price without first obtaining the approval of our stockholders and our independent directors.

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Our share price may be volatile and may fluctuate substantially.

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:

Certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

The Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging a third party from making an acquisition proposal for us. These anti-takeover provisions may inhibit a change in control in circumstances that could give the holders of our common stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Notes

Our Notes are unsecured and therefore are effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness we have currently incurred or may incur in the future.

Our Notes are not secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of our subsidiaries or the Asset Manager Affiliates. As a result, the Notes are effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness we or they have currently incurred and may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured to which we subsequently grant security) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. In any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the holders of any of our existing or future secured indebtedness and the secured indebtedness of our subsidiaries and the Asset Manager Affiliates may assert rights against the assets pledged to secure that indebtedness in order to receive full payment of their indebtedness before the assets may be used to pay other creditors, including the holders of the Notes.

The Notes are structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries and portfolio companies with respect to which we hold equity investments, including the Asset Manager Affiliates.

The Notes are obligations exclusively of KCAP Financial, Inc., and not of any of our subsidiaries or the Asset Manager Affiliates. None of our subsidiaries or the Asset Manager Affiliates are guarantors of the Notes, and the Notes will not be required to be guaranteed by any subsidiary or asset management firm we may acquire or create in the future. Any assets of our subsidiaries and the Asset Manager Affiliates will not be

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directly available to satisfy the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes. Except to the extent we are a creditor with recognized claims against our subsidiaries, all claims of creditors of our subsidiaries will have priority over our equity interests in such entities (and therefore the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes) with respect to the assets of such entities. Even if we are recognized as a creditor of one or more of these entities, our claims would still be effectively subordinated to any security interests in the assets of any such entity and to any indebtedness or other liabilities of any such entity senior to our claims. Consequently, the Notes are structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of any of our subsidiaries and portfolio companies with respect to which we hold equity investments, including the Asset Manager Affiliates and any subsidiaries of the Asset Manager Affiliates that we may in the future acquire or establish. These entities may incur substantial indebtedness in the future, all of which would be structurally senior to the Notes.

The indentures under which the Notes are issued contain limited protection for holders of the Notes.

The indentures under which the Notes are issued offer limited protection to holders of the Notes. The terms of the indentures and the Notes do not restrict our or any of our subsidiaries or the Asset Manager Affiliates’ ability to engage in, or otherwise be a party to, a variety of corporate transactions, circumstances or events that could have a material adverse impact on your investment in the Notes. In particular, the terms of the indenture and the Notes do not place any restrictions on our or our subsidiaries or the Asset Manager Affiliates’ ability to:

In addition, the indenture does not require us to offer to purchase the Notes in connection with a change of control or any other event.

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Furthermore, the terms of the indentures and the Notes do not protect holders of the Notes in the event that we experience changes (including significant adverse changes) in our financial condition, results of operations or credit ratings, if any, as they do not require that we adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth, revenues, income, cash flow, or liquidity other than as described above. Any changes to the 200% asset coverage ratio in the 1940 Act could affect the Notes. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Structure — Pending legislation may allow us to incur additional leverage.”

Our ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the Notes may have important consequences for you as a holder of the Notes, including making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the Notes or negatively affecting the trading value of the Notes.

Other debt we issue or incur in the future could contain more protections for its holders than the indentures and the Notes, including additional covenants and events of default. The issuance or incurrence of any such debt with incremental protections could affect the market for and trading levels and prices of the Notes.

Even though the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 and the 6.125% Notes Due 2022 are listed on the NYSE and the NASDAQ Global Select Market, respectively, an active trading market for the Notes may not develop, or if it does develop, it will be sustained, which could limit your ability to sell the Notes or affect the market price of the Notes.

We cannot provide any assurances that an active trading market will develop for the Notes, or that, if it does develop, it will be sustained or that you will be able to sell your Notes. The Notes may trade at a discount from the price paid for the notes depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities, our credit ratings, if any, general economic conditions, our financial condition, performance and prospects and other factors.

Accordingly, we cannot assure you that a liquid trading market will develop for the Notes or that, if an active trading market for the Notes does develop, it will be sustained, that you will be able to sell your Notes at a particular time or that the price you receive when you sell will be favorable. To the extent an active trading market does not develop, the liquidity and trading price for the Notes may be harmed. Accordingly, you may be required to bear the financial risk of an investment in the Notes for an indefinite period of time.

If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the Notes.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, that is not waived by the required lenders, and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness could make us unable to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes and substantially decrease the market value of the Notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, in the instruments governing our indebtedness, we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness. In the event of such default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, the lender any debt we may incur in the future could elect to terminate its commitment, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to seek to obtain waivers from under any other debt that we may incur in the future to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under any debt and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs, we would be in default under any debt, the lender could exercise its rights as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If we are unable to repay debt, lenders having secured obligations could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. Because any future debt we issue will likely have customary cross-default provisions, if such other debt is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

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None.

We do not own any real estate or other real property. Our wholly-owned portfolio company, Katonah Debt Advisors, is the lessee for our principal headquarters at 295 Madison Avenue, 6^th Floor, New York, New York 10017. We have entered into an Overhead Allocation Agreement with Katonah Debt Advisors which provides for the sharing of the expenses under the lease agreement.

The Company is not currently a party to any material legal proceedings.

Not applicable.

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

Our common stock is quoted on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “KCAP.” We completed our initial public offering on December 11, 2006 at an initial public offering (“IPO”) price of $15.00 per share. Prior to such date there was no public market for our common stock.

The following table sets forth the range of high and low closing sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market in respect of the periods indicated. The stock quotations are interdealer quotations and do not include markups, markdowns or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

Quarterly Stock Prices for 2017 and 2016:

		During the Quarter								At Quarter End
		High				Low				Close				NAV(1)
2017:
Fourth quarter		$	3.98			$	3.34			$	3.41			$	4.87
Third quarter		$	3.67			$	3.32			$	3.65			$	4.93
Second quarter		$	4.04			$	3.37			$	3.53			$	5.08
First quarter		$	4.12			$	3.93			$	4.07			$	5.14
2016:
Fourth quarter		$	4.80			$	3.66			$	3.98			$	5.24
Third quarter		$	4.72			$	3.84			$	4.63			$	5.38
Second quarter		$	3.92			$	3.19			$	3.92			$	5.45
First quarter		$	4.02			$	2.68			$	3.60			$	5.50

We began paying quarterly distributions in our first full quarter of operations following our IPO. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 8 — “Distributable Tax Income” from our Notes to the Financial Statements included herein. The table below provides information relating to distributions we paid in respect of the periods indicated.

Stockholder Distributions

Distributions

Declaration Date

Record Date

Pay Date

2017:

Fourth quarter

$

0.10

12/13/2017

1/5/2018

(1)

1/25/2018

Third quarter

0.12

9/22/2017

10/10/2017

10/26/2017

Second quarter

0.12

6/20/2017

7/7/2017

7/27/2017

First quarter

0.12

3/21/2017

4/7/2017

4/28/2017

Total declared for 2017

$

0.46

2016:

Fourth quarter

$

0.12

12/14/2016

1/6/2017

(1)

1/27/2017

Third quarter

0.15

9/20/2016

10/14/2016

10/27/2016

Second quarter

0.15

6/21/2016

7/7/2016

7/28/2016

First quarter

0.15

3/18/2016

4/7/2016

4/28/2016

Total declared for 2016

$

0.57

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The determination of the tax attributes of our distributions is made annually, based upon our taxable income for the full year and distributions paid for the full year. Ordinary dividend distributions from a RIC do not qualify for the tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” from domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations, except to the extent that the RIC received the income in the form of qualifying dividends from domestic corporations and qualified foreign corporations. For further information about the tax attributes, see Note 8 “Distributable Taxable Income” of our notes to the financial statements, which can be found elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Performance Graph

The following graph compares the return on our common stock with that of the Russell 2000 Index and the Nasdaq Financial 100 Index (IXF), for the period December 11, 2006 (the date of our initial public offering) to December 31, 2017. The graph assumes that, on December 11, 2006, a person invested $100 in each of our common stock, the Russell 2000 Index, and the IFX. The graph measures total shareholder return, which takes into account both changes in stock price and dividends. It assumes that dividends are reinvested.

Shareholder Return Performance Graph
Cumulative Total Return Since Initial Public Offering⁽¹⁾
(Through December 31, 2017)

HOLDERS

As of March 7, 2018, there were approximately 51 holders of record of our common stock. This number does not include shareholders for whom shares are held in “nominee” or “street name.”

SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, we issued 96,468 shares of common stock pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan. This issuance was not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. See Note 9 “Stockholders’ Equity,” of our Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We intend to continue to make quarterly distributions to our stockholders. Our quarterly distributions, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors. To maintain our RIC status, we must timely distribute an amount equal to at least 90% of our tax basis ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, reduced by deductible expenses, out of the assets legally available for distribution, for each year. To avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we are generally required to distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gains in excess of capital losses for the one-year period ending on October 31 of the calendar year and (3) any ordinary income and net capital gains for preceding years that were not distributed during such years and on which we paid no corporate tax. If this requirement is not met, we will be required to pay a nondeductible excise tax equal to 4% of the amount by which the required distribution amount exceeds the actual distribution for the year. The taxable income on which an excise tax is paid is generally carried forward and distributed to stockholders in the next tax year. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income, to the extent required.

We cannot assure you that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, because we issued public senior securities, we are prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratio stipulated by the 1940 Act. Similarly, we may be prohibited from making distributions by the terms of any of our other borrowings.

We maintain an “opt out” dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. As a result, if we declare distributions, then stockholders’ cash distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they specifically “opt out” of the dividend reinvestment plan so as to receive cash.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table summarizes certain information regarding the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Incentive Plan”) and the 2017 Non-Employee Director Plan (the “Non-Employee Director Plan”) as of December 31, 2017:

Plan Category		Number of Securities to Be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights				Weighted Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights				Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a))
		(a)				(b)				(c)
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders(1)			50,000			$	7.72				934,334	(2)(3)
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Security Holders			—				—				—
Total			50,000				7.72				934,334

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The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following selected financial and other data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements for such years, included in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

KCAP FINANCIAL, INC.
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

		Year Ended December 31, 2017				Year Ended December 31, 2016				Year Ended December 31, 2015				Year Ended December 31, 2014				Year Ended December 31, 2013
Income Statement Data:
Interest and related portfolio income:
Interest and Dividends		$	26,363,383			$	34,131,571			$	39,811,558			$	34,802,690			$	33,144,195
Fees and other income			491,279				668,527				366,859				934,871				305,376
Dividends from Asset Manager Affiliates			460,000				1,400,000				5,348,554				5,467,914				5,735,045
Investment income – Joint Venture			949,037				—				—				—				—
Total interest and related portfolio income			28,263,699				36,200,098				45,526,971				41,205,475				39,184,616
Expenses:
Interest and amortization of debt issuance costs			7,661,407				9,110,603				11,727,880				11,538,179				10,116,271
Compensation			4,571,309				4,103,558				3,843,799				4,951,745				4,630,481
Other			5,011,852				4,495,942				5,772,502				4,594,983				4,563,749
Total operating expenses			17,244,568				17,710,103				21,344,181				21,084,907				19,310,501
Net Investment Income			11,019,131				18,489,995				24,182,790				20,120,568				19,874,115
Realized and unrealized (losses) gains on investments:
Net realized (losses) gains			(11,021,042	)			(6,341,678	)			(6,647,478	)			(11,132,491	)			(12,627,314	)
Net change in unrealized (losses) gains			3,389,993				(13,188,048	)			(36,169,870	)			6,045,517				9,976,171
Total net (losses) gains			(7,631,049	)			(19,529,726	)			(42,817,348	)			(5,086,974	)			(2,651,143	)
Net (decrease) increase in net assets resulting from operations		$	3,388,082			$	(1,039,731	)		$	(18,634,558	)		$	15,033,594			$	17,222,972

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		Year Ended December 31, 2017				Year Ended December 31, 2016				Year Ended December 31, 2015				Year Ended December 31, 2014				Year Ended December 31, 2013
Per Share:
Earnings per common share – basic		$	0.09			$	(0.03	)		$	(0.50	)		$	0.44			$	0.53
Earnings per common share – diluted		$	0.09			$	(0.03	)		$	(0.50	)		$	0.43			$	0.53
Net investment income per share – basic		$	0.30			$	0.50			$	0.65			$	0.59			$	0.62
Net investment income per share – diluted		$	0.30			$	0.50			$	0.65			$	0.58			$	0.62
Distributions declared per common share		$	0.46			$	0.57			$	0.78			$	1.00			$	1.06
Taxable Distributable Income per basic share		$	0.16			$	0.40			$	0.63			$	0.78			$	0.70
Balance Sheet Data:
Investment assets at fair value		$	311,956,156			$	366,471,304			$	409,570,495			$	479,706,494			$	440,549,994
Total assets		$	319,808,974			$	381,371,983			$	421,204,697			$	505,180,218			$	453,340,638
Total debt outstanding		$	101,413,317			$	175,548,570			$	201,103,761			$	218,618,014			$	186,760,623
Stockholders’ equity		$	181,804,756			$	194,924,925			$	216,100,470			$	255,316,701			$	250,369,693
Net asset value per common share		$	4.87			$	5.24			$	5.82			$	6.94			$	7.51
Common shares outstanding at end of year			37,339,224				37,178,294				37,100,005				36,775,127				33,332,123
Other Data:
Investments funded(1)			227,722,823				75,724,590				130,954,741				235,905,130				243,966,586
Principal collections related to investment repayments or sales(1)			323,531,633				129,191,854				129,793,338				193,554,964				94,197,886
Number of portfolio investments at year end(1)			77				125				130				141				126
Weighted average yield of income producing debt investments(2)			10.1	%			7.0%				7.4%				7.3%				7.3%

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The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this annual report. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and other parts of this annual report contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking information due to the factors discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Note About Forward-Looking Statements” appearing elsewhere in this annual report.

GENERAL

We are an internally managed, non-diversified closed-end investment company that is regulated as a business development company, (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). We have three principal areas of investment:

First, the Company originates, structures, and invests in senior secured term loans and mezzanine debt primarily in privately-held middle market companies (the “Debt Securities Portfolio”). In addition, from time to time the Company may invest in the equity securities of privately held middle market companies.

Second, the Company has invested in our wholly-owned asset management companies including Katonah Debt Advisors L.L.C. (“Katonah Debt Advisors”) and Trimaran Advisors L.L.C. (“Trimaran Advisors”), which manage collateralized loan obligation funds (“CLO Funds”).

Third, the Company invests in debt and subordinated securities issued by collateralized loan obligation funds (“CLO Fund Securities”). These CLO Fund Securities are primarily managed by Katonah Debt Advisors and Trimaran Advisors, as well as our affiliated management companies Katonah 2007-1 Management, L.L.C., Trimaran Advisors Management, L.L.C. and KCAP Management, LLC (collectively, the “Asset Manager Affiliates”), but from time-to-time the Company makes investments in CLO Fund Securities managed by other asset managers. The CLO Funds typically invest in broadly syndicated loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments.

We may also invest in other investments such as loans to publicly-traded companies, high-yield bonds, joint venture and distressed debt securities. We may also receive warrants or options to purchase common stock in connection with its debt investments.

In our Debt Securities Portfolio, our investment objective is to generate current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation from the investments made by our middle market business in senior secured term loans, mezzanine debt and selected equity investments in privately-held middle market companies. We define the middle market as comprising of companies with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) of $10 million to $50 million and/or total debt of $25 million to $150 million. We primarily invest in first and second lien term loans which, because of their priority in a company’s capital structure, we expect will have lower default rates and higher rates of recovery of principal if there is a default and which we expect will create a stable stream of interest income. The investments in our Debt Securities Portfolio are all or predominantly below investment grade, and have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. While our primary investment focus is on making loans to, and selected equity investments in, privately-held middle market companies, we may also invest in other investments such as loans to smaller private companies or publicly-traded companies, high-yield bonds and distressed debt securities. We may also receive warrants or options to purchase common stock in connection with our debt investments.

From our Asset Manager Affiliates investment, we expect to receive recurring cash distributions and to generate capital appreciation through the addition of new CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates. We may also seek to monetize our investment in the Asset Manager Affiliates if and when business conditions warrant. The Asset Manager Affiliates manage CLO Funds that invest in broadly syndicated loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments. Collectively, the Asset Manager Affiliates have approximately $3.0 billion of par value assets under management as of December 31, 2017. The Asset Manager Affiliates are registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Certain of the Company’s executive officers also act in similar capacities for one or more of the Asset Manager Affiliates.

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In addition, our investments in CLO Fund Securities, which are primarily made up of minority investments in the subordinated securities or preferred stock of CLO Funds raised and managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates, are anticipated to provide the Company with recurring cash distributions and complement our investment in the Asset Manager Affiliates.

Subject to market conditions, we intend to grow our entire portfolio of investments by raising additional capital, including through the prudent use of leverage available to us. As a BDC, we are limited in the amount of leverage we can incur under the 1940 Act. We are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowing.

We have elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) and intend to operate in a manner to maintain our RIC status. As a RIC, we intend to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our net ordinary taxable income and the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, if any, for each year. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements. Pursuant to this election, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any income that we timely distribute to our stockholders.

PORTFOLIO AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

Our primary investments are: (1) lending to and investing in middle-market businesses through investments in senior secured loans, junior secured loans, subordinated/mezzanine debt investments, and other equity investments, which may include warrants, (2) our investments in our Asset Manager Affiliates, which manage portfolios of broadly syndicated loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments, and (3) CLO Fund Securities.

Total portfolio investment activity (excluding activity in time deposit and money market investments) for the years ended December 31, 2017, December 31, 2016, and December 31, 2015 was as follows:

		Debt Securities				CLO Fund Securities				Equity Securities				Asset Manager Affiliates				Joint Venture				Total Portfolio
Fair Value at December 31, 2014		$	320,143,170			$	77,514,902				8,119,681			$	72,326,000			$	—			$	478,103,753
2015 Activity:
Purchases/originations/draws			108,670,472				11,952,000				1,953,299				—				—				124,023,641
Pay-downs/pay-offs/sales			(135,328,386	)			(3,872,700	)			(317,340	)			(3,701,446	)			—				(143,219,872	)
Net accretion (amortization)			1,860,670				(9,507,050	)			—				—				—				(9,094,250	)
Net realized losses			41,580				(6,246,883	)			3,015				—				—				(6,202,288	)
Net increase (decrease) in fair value			(10,748,262	)			(13,967,887	)			(210,167	)			(11,243,554	)			—				(36,169,870	)
Fair Value at December 31, 2015			284,639,244				55,872,382				9,548,488				57,381,000				—				407,441,114
2016 Activity:
Purchases/originations/draws			74,584,952				10,140,000				—				—				—				84,724,952
Pay-downs/pay-offs/sales			(123,240,416	)			(4,200,000	)			(4,563,521	)			—				—				(132,003,937	)
Net accretion (amortization)			407,492				(2,192,071	)			—				(1,250,000	)			—				(3,034,579	)
Net realized gains (losses)			(540,649	)			(10,111,560	)			4,484,742				—				—				(6,167,467	)
Net increase (decrease) in fair value			2,492,707				4,665,599				(4,413,354	)			(15,933,000	)			—				(13,188,048	)
Fair Value at December 31, 2016			238,343,330				54,174,350				5,056,355				40,198,000				—				337,772,035
2017 Activity:
Purchases/originations/draws			181,613,690				11,211,368				182,000								36,738,873				229,745,931
Pay-downs/pay-offs/sales			(300,625,104	)			(25,598,497	)							(2,750,000	)			(11,824,015	)			(340,797,616	)
Net accretion (amortization)			304,904				11,139,633																11,444,537
Net realized gains (losses)			(5,634,255	)			(1,264,789	)															(6,899,044	)
Net increase (decrease) in fair value			4,194,914				2,016,608				(823,671	)			1,401,000				(3,398,858	)			3,389,993
Fair Value at December 31, 2017		$	118,197,479			$	51,678,673			$	4,414,684			$	38,849,000			$	21,516,000			$	234,655,836

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The level of investment activity for investments funded and principal repayments for our investments can vary substantially from period to period depending on the number and size of investments that we invest in or divest of, and many other factors, including the amount and competition for the debt and equity securities available to middle market companies, the level of merger and acquisition activity for such companies and the general economic environment.

The following table shows the Company’s portfolio by security type at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016:

		December 31, 2017												December 31, 2016
Security Type		Cost/Amortized Cost				Fair Value				%(1)				Cost/Amortized Cost				Fair Value				%(1)
Short-term investments(2)		$	77,300,320			$	77,300,320				26			$	28,699,269			$	28,699,269				8	%
Senior Secured Loan			48,337,900				44,960,146				14				207,701,078				200,322,152				55
Junior Secured Loan			62,561,913				58,941,300				19				37,251,776				35,444,440				10
Senior Unsecured Loan			12,777,283				12,777,283				4				—				—				—
First Lien Bond			—				—				—				3,060,919				1,089,338				—
Senior Secured Bond			1,502,374				1,518,750				—				1,506,461				1,487,400				—
CLO Fund Securities			72,339,032				51,678,673				17				76,851,317				54,174,350				15
Equity Securities			10,571,007				4,414,684				1				10,389,007				5,056,355				1
Asset Manager Affiliates(3)			52,591,230				38,849,000				12				55,341,230				40,198,000				11
Joint Venture			24,914,858				21,516,000				7				—				—				—
Total		$	362,895,917			$	311,956,156				100	%		$	420,801,057			$	366,471,304				100	%

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The industry related information, based on the fair value of the Company’s investment portfolio as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, for our investment portfolio was as follows:

		December 31, 2017												December 31, 2016
Industry Classification		Cost/Amortized Cost				Fair Value				%(1)				Cost/Amortized Cost				Fair Value				%(1)
Aerospace and Defense		$	5,636,056			$	4,115,487				1	%		$	8,394,633			$	8,450,106				2	%
Asset Management Company(2)			52,591,230				38,849,000				12				55,341,230				40,198,000				11
Automotive			—				—				—				6,322,551				6,196,154				2
Banking, Finance, Insurance & Real Estate			4,458,962				4,418,391				1				6,805,514				6,782,010				2
Beverage, Food and Tobacco			7,496,438				7,435,050				2				15,198,830				14,703,372				4
Capital Equipment			5,454,621				4,680,821				2				6,185,129				5,575,048				2
Chemicals, Plastics and Rubber			—				—				—				6,421,909				6,444,073				2
CLO Fund Securities			72,339,032				51,678,673				17				76,851,317				54,174,350				15
Construction & Building			1,004,093				999,872				—				5,919,158				5,929,606				2
Consumer goods: Durable			1,071,340				805,607				—				12,319,905				10,118,736				3
Consumer goods: Non-durable			691,234				694,662				—				14,766,390				14,452,096				4
Ecological			—				—				—				1,741,292				1,760,783				—
Energy: Electricity			—				—				—				3,904,453				3,937,247				1
Energy: Oil & Gas			14,932,542				11,433,777				4				14,493,835				8,805,761				2
Environmental Industries			6,330,630				5,766,437				2				12,279,924				12,185,239				3
Forest Products & Paper			1,558,556				1,600,960				1				4,192,889				4,192,907				1
Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals			30,367,449				25,512,654				8				58,769,668				53,594,534				15
High Tech Industries			18,229,229				18,260,577				6				9,854,093				9,936,109				3
Hotel, Gaming & Leisure			400,000				1,000				—				400,000				1,000				—
Joint Venture			24,914,858				21,516,000				7				—				—				—
Media: Advertising, Printing & Publishing			3,371,086				3,318,296				1				11,712,682				11,453,447				3
Media: Broadcasting & Subscription			—				—				—				8,273,174				8,372,984				2
Related Party Loans			12,777,283				12,777,283				4				—				—				—
Retail			—				—				—				1,415,457				759,581				—
Services: Business			3,563,574				2,366,400				1				16,125,481				16,230,486				4
Services: Consumer			—				—				—				6,212,108				6,204,889				2
Telecommunications			6,455,489				6,466,949				2				12,809,799				12,767,823				3
Textiles and Leather			7,950,994				7,947,940				3				—				—				—
Money Market Accounts			52,293,570				52,293,570				17				28,699,269				28,699,269				8
Transportation: Cargo			4,000,901				4,010,000				1				7,557,315				7,190,135				2
Transportation: Consumer			—				—				—				2,412,614				2,324,516				1
U.S. Government Obligations			25,006,750				25,006,750				8				—				—
Utilities: Electric			—				—				—				5,420,438				5,031,043				1
Total		$	362,895,917			$	311,956,156				100	%		$	420,801,057			$	366,471,304				100	%

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Debt Securities Portfolio

At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our investments in income producing loans and debt securities, excluding CLO Fund Securities, had a weighted average interest rate of approximately 10.1% and 7.0%, respectively.

The investment portfolio (excluding the Company’s investment in Asset Manager Affiliates, CLO Funds, Joint Venture and short-term investments) at December 31, 2017 was spread across 19 different industries and 54 different entities with an average balance per entity of approximately $2.8 million. As of December 31, 2017, all of our portfolio companies were current on their debt service obligations.

We may invest up to 30% of our investment portfolio in “Non-qualifying” opportunistic investments such as high-yield bonds, debt and equity securities of CLO Funds, foreign investments, and distressed debt or equity securities of large cap public companies. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the total amount of non-qualifying assets was approximately 23% and 17%, respectively. The majority of non-qualifying assets were foreign investments which were approximately 16% and 14% of the Company’s total assets, respectively (including the Company’s investments in CLO Funds, which are typically domiciled outside the U.S. and represented approximately 16% and 14% of its total assets on such dates, respectively). The investments in our Debt Securities Portfolio are all or predominantly below investment grade, and therefore have speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal.

Asset Manager Affiliates

The Asset Manager Affiliates are our wholly-owned asset management companies that manage CLO Funds that invest in broadly syndicated loans, high yield bonds and other credit instruments. The CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates consist primarily of credit instruments issued by corporations. As of December 31, 2017, our Asset Manager Affiliates had approximately $3.0 billion of par value of assets under management on which they earn management fees, and were valued at approximately $38.8 million.

All CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates are currently paying all senior and subordinate management fees. In addition, for the year-ended December 31, 2017, our Asset Manager Affiliates recognized $3.0 million of incentive fees from one fund. As of December 31, 2017, none of the CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates were paying incentive fees.

CLO Fund Securities

We typically make a minority investment in the subordinated securities or preferred stock of CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates and may selectively invest in securities issued by CLO Funds managed by other asset management companies. As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had approximately $52 million and $54 million, respectively invested in CLO Fund Securities, issued primarily by funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates.

The CLO Funds invest primarily in broadly syndicated non-investment grade loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments of corporate issuers. The underlying assets in each of the CLO Fund Securities in which we have an investment are generally diversified secured or unsecured corporate debt.

The structure of CLO Funds, which are highly levered, is extremely complicated. Since we primarily invest in securities representing the residual interests of CLO Funds, our investments are much riskier than the risk profile of the loans by which such CLO Funds are collateralized. Our investments in CLO Funds may be riskier and less transparent to us and our stockholders than direct investments in the underlying loans. The CLO Funds in which we invest have debt that ranks senior to our investment. For a more detailed discussion of the risks related to our investments in CLO Funds, please see “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investments — Our investments may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your investment.”

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Our CLO Fund Securities as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 are as follows:

										December 31, 2017								December 31, 2016
CLO Fund Securities		Investment				%(1)				Cost/ Amortized Cost				Fair Value				Cost/ Amortized Cost				Fair Value
Grant Grove CLO, Ltd.(3)			Subordinated Securities				22.2	%		$	2,485,886			$	1,000			$	2,485,886			$	1,000
Katonah III, Ltd.(3)			Preferred Shares				23.1				1,287,155				369,280				1,287,155				369,000
Katonah 2007-I CLO Ltd.(2)			Preferred Shares				100.0				20,524,908				10,770,486				28,022,646				20,453,099
Trimaran CLO VII, Ltd.(2)			Income Notes				10.5				379,830				10,000				1,643,920				1,195,152
Catamaran CLO 2012-1 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				24.9				5,847,802				2,320,783				5,919,933				2,819,412
Catamaran CLO 2013-1 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				18.3				5,017,307				6,923,699				5,237,222				4,918,807
Dryden 30 Senior Loan Fund			Subordinated Notes				6.8				1,353,852				1,820,000				1,343,467				1,895,566
Catamaran CLO 2014-1 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				20.1				9,858,073				8,230,178				7,818,484				4,546,682
Catamaran CLO 2014-1 Ltd.(2)			Class E Notes				—				—				—				1,441,727				1,310,000
KCAP F3C Senior Funding LLC(2)			Class E Notes				27.4				4,435,965				4,632,000				—				—
Catamaran CLO 2014-2 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				24.9				6,642,805				4,500,962				6,967,560				5,092,087
Catamaran CLO 2015-1 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				9.9				4,418,647				3,569,600				4,543,317				3,223,255
Catamaran CLO 2016-1 Ltd.(2)			Subordinated Notes				24.9				10,086,802				8,530,685				10,140,000				8,350,290
Total										$	72,339,032			$	51,678,673			$	76,851,317			$	54,174,350

On December 19, 2017, the Company, in its capacity as the holder of all of the outstanding preferred shares of Katonah 2007-1 CLO Ltd. (“Katonah 2007-1”), exercised its right to cause Katonah 2007-1 to redeem all of its outstanding indebtedness through the sale of its investments and otherwise wind up its business. As of December 31, 2017, Katonah 2007-1 had paid off all of its outstanding indebtedness and had approximately $10.8 million in total assets. It is expected that Katonah 2007-1 will be fully liquidated and dissolved in the first half of 2018. The Company received approximately $11.3 million on its investment in Katonah 2007-1 during the fourth quarter of 2017 in connection with the continuing liquidation of Katonah 2007-1 and expects to receive an additional $10.8 million in the first half of 2018. Accordingly, the Company expects to record a realized loss during the first half of 2018 of approximately $10 million on its investment in Katonah 2007-1 and a corresponding unrealized gain of the same amount in order to reverse the previously recorded unrealized depreciation with respect to the investment.

Investment in Joint Venture:

During the third quarter of 2017, the Company and Freedom 3 Opportunities LLC (“Freedom 3 Opportunities”, an affiliate of Freedom 3 Capital LLC, entered into an agreement to create KCAP Freedom 3 LLC (the “Joint Venture”). The Company and Freedom 3 Opportunities contributed approximately $37 million and $25 million, respectively, in assets to the Joint Venture, which in turn used the assets to capitalize a new fund (the “Fund”) managed by KCAP Management, LLC, one of the Asset Manager Affiliates. In addition, the Fund used cash on hand and borrowings under a credit facility to purchase approximately $184 million of loans from the Company and the Company used the proceeds from such sale to redeem approximately $147 million in debt issued by KCAP Senior Funding I, LLC (“KCAP Senior Funding”). The Joint Venture may originate loans from time to time and sell them to the Fund.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Fund was refinanced through the issuance of senior and subordinated notes. The Joint Venture purchased 100% of the subordinated notes issued by the Fund. In connection with the refinancing, the Joint Venture made a cash distribution to the Company of approximately $12.6 million. The Company expects that approximately $11.8 million of this distribution will be return of capital, reducing the cost basis of its investment in the Joint Venture by that amount. The final determination of the tax attributes of distributions from the Joint Venture is made on an annual (full calendar year) basis at

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the end of the year, therefore, any estimate of tax attributes of distributions made on an interim basis may not be representative of the actual tax attributes of distributions for the full year.

The Joint Venture is structured as an unconsolidated Delaware limited liability company. All portfolio and other material decisions regarding the Joint Venture must be submitted to its board of managers, which is comprised of four members, two of whom were selected by the Company and two of whom were selected by Freedom 3 Opportunities, and must be approved by at least one member appointed by the Company and one appointed by Freedom 3 Opportunities. In addition, certain matters may be approved by the Joint Venture’s investment committee, which is comprised of one member appointed by the Company and one member appointed by Freedom 3 Opportunities.

The Company has determined that the Joint Venture is an investment company under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), Financial Services — Investment Companies (“ASC 946”), however, in accordance with such guidance, the Company will generally not consolidate its investment in a company other than a wholly owned investment company subsidiary or a controlled operating company whose business consists of providing services to the Company. The Company does not consolidate its interest in the Joint Venture, because the Company does not control the Joint Venture due to allocation of the voting rights among the Joint Venture partner.

KCAP Freedom 3 LLC

Summarized Statement of Financial Consolidation

		As of December 31, 2017
Cash		$	1,717
Investment at fair value			37,080,000
Total Assets		$	37,081,717
Total Liabilities		$	1,221,916
Total Equity			35,859,801
Total Liabilities and Equity		$	37,081,717

KCAP Freedom 3 LLC

Summarized Statement of Operations

		For the period from July 20, 2017 (date of inception) to December 31, 2017
Investment income		$	2,531,331
Operating expenses			(435,757	)
Net investment income			2,095,574
Unrealized depreciation on investments			(5,063,254	)
Net loss		$	(2,096,166	)

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KCAP Freedom 3 LLC

Schedule of Investments

Portfolio Company		Investment				Percentage Ownership by Joint Venture				Amortized Cost				Fair Value
KCAP F3C Senior Funding, LLC(1)(2)			Subordinated Securities, effective interest 12.1%, 12/29 maturity				100.0	%		$	42,143,254			$	37,080,000
Total Investments										$	42,143,254			$	37,080,000

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The principal measure of our financial performance is the net increase (decrease) in stockholders’ equity resulting from operations, which includes net investment income (loss) and net realized and unrealized appreciation (depreciation). Net investment income (loss) is the difference between our income from interest, distributions, fees, and other investment income and our operating expenses. Net realized gain (loss) on investments is the difference between the proceeds received from dispositions of portfolio investments and their amortized cost. Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments is the net change in the fair value of our investment portfolio.

Set forth below is a discussion of our results of operations for December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015.

Revenue

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2017				2016				2015
Investment Income:
Interest from investments in debt securities		$	15,063,193			$	20,828,916			$	24,101,257
Interest from cash and time deposits			71,934				29,383				10,239
Investment income on CLO Fund Securities managed by affiliates			10,807,490				12,642,625				14,691,428
Investment income on CLO Fund Securities managed by non-affiliates			420,766				630,647				1,008,634
Dividends from Asset Manager Affiliates			460,000				1,400,000				5,348,554
Investment income from Joint Venture			949,037				—				—
Capital structuring service fees			491,279				668,527				366,859
Total investment income		$	28,263,699			$	36,200,098			$	45,526,971

Revenues consist primarily of investment income from interest and dividends on our investment portfolio and various ancillary fees related to our investment holdings.

Interest from Investments in Debt Securities.  We generate interest income from our investments in debt securities that consist primarily of senior and junior secured loans. Our Debt Securities Portfolio is spread across multiple industries and geographic locations and, as such, we are broadly exposed to market conditions and business environments. As a result, although our investments are exposed to market risks, we continuously seek to limit concentration of exposure in any particular sector or issuer.

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Investment Income on Investments in CLO Fund Securities.   We generate investment income from our investments in the securities (typically preferred shares or subordinated securities) of CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates and select investments in securities issued by CLO Funds managed by other asset management companies. CLO Funds managed by our Asset Manager Affiliates and those managed by non-affiliates invest primarily in broadly syndicated non-investment grade loans, high-yield bonds and other credit instruments of corporate issuers. The Company distinguishes CLO Funds managed by its Asset Manager Affiliates as “CLO Fund Securities Managed by Affiliates”, in its financial consolidated statements. The underlying assets in each of the CLO Funds in which we have an investment are generally diversified secured or unsecured corporate debt. Our CLO Fund Securities that are subordinated securities or preferred shares (“junior securities”) are subordinated to senior note holders who typically receive a return on their investment at a fixed spread relative to the LIBOR index. The CLO Funds are leveraged funds and any excess cash flow or “excess spread” (interest earned by the underlying securities in the fund less payments made to senior bond holders and less fund expenses and management fees) is paid to the holders of the CLO Fund’s subordinated securities or preferred shares. The level of excess spread from CLO Fund Securities can be impacted by the timing and level of the resetting of the benchmark interest rate for the underlying assets (which reset at various times throughout the quarter) in the CLO Fund and the related CLO Fund note liabilities (which reset at each quarterly distribution date); in periods of short-term and volatile changes in the benchmark interest rate, the levels of excess spread and resulting cash distributions to us can vary significantly.

Interest income on investments in CLO equity investments is recorded using the effective interest method in accordance with the provisions of ASC 325-40, Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets (“ASC 325-40”), based on the anticipated yield and the estimated cash flows over the projected life of the investment. Yields are revised when there are changes in actual or estimated projected future cash flows due to changes in prepayments and/or re-investments, credit losses or asset pricing. Changes in estimated yield are recognized as an adjustment to the estimated yield prospectively over the remaining life of the investment from the date the estimated yield was changed. Accordingly, investment income recognized on CLO equity securities in the U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) statement of operations differs from both the tax-basis investment income and from the cash distributions actually received by the Company during the period. As a RIC, the Company anticipates a timely distribution of its tax-basis taxable income.

For non-junior class CLO Fund Securities, such as our investment in the Class E notes of KCAP F3C Senior Funding, L.L.C., interest is earned at a fixed spread relative to the LIBOR index.

Distributions from Asset Manager Affiliates.   We receive cash distributions from our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates, which are wholly-owned and manage CLO Funds that invest primarily in broadly syndicated non-investment grade loans, high yield bonds and other credit instruments issued by corporations. As managers of CLO Funds, our Asset Manager Affiliates receive contractual and recurring management fees from the CLO Funds for their management and advisory services. In addition, our Asset Manager Affiliates may also earn income related to net interest on assets accumulated for future CLO issuances on which they have taken a first loss position in connection with loan warehouse arrangements for their future CLO Funds. The annual management fees that our Asset Manager Affiliates receive are generally based on a fixed percentage of the par value of assets under management and are recurring in nature for the term of the CLO Fund so long as the Asset Manager Affiliates manage the fund. As a result, the annual management fees earned by our Asset Manager Affiliates generally are not subject to market value fluctuations in the underlying collateral. Our Asset Manager Affiliates may receive incentive fees provided such CLO Funds have achieved a minimum investment return to holders of their subordinated securities or preferred shares as per the terms of each CLO Fund management agreement. During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Asset Manager Affiliates received incentive fees from one and two funds, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, none of the CLO Funds managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates were paying incentive fees.

Certain investments, and the future management fees of certain managed CLO Funds, have been pledged by the Asset Manager Affiliates to third-party lenders under borrowing arrangements undertaken to satisfy the risk retention requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act applicable to asset managers. In addition, certain of the Asset Manager Affiliates have provided a make-whole guaranty to these lenders in the event that the pledged assets and management fees are insufficient to satisfy the repayment of these borrowings. So long as the

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underlying managed CLO Funds’ rated notes are making regular quarterly distributions, the management fees are available to the Asset Manager Affiliates.

The Asset Manager Affiliates are expected to pay future distributions to the Company based upon their after-tax free cash flow, which generally will be dependent upon the maintenance and growth in their assets under management and related management fees. As a result of tax-basis goodwill amortization and certain other tax-related adjustments, portions of distributions received may be deemed return of capital. As amortizing funds which are paying incentive fees are redeemed, we expect incentive fees available for distribution to diminish. The fair value of our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates was approximately $38.8 million at December 31, 2017, with an unrealized appreciation for the year ending December 31, 2017 of approximately $1.4 million. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, we recognized dividend income of $460,000, $1.4 million and $5.3 million, from the Asset Manager Affiliates, respectively, while cash distributions received were approximately $3.2 million, $2.7 million and $9.1 million for those years, respectively. The difference between cash distributions received and the tax-basis earnings and profits is recorded as an adjustment to the cost basis of the Asset Manager Affiliates investments. For interim periods, the Company estimates the tax attributes of any distributions as being either tax-basis earnings and profits (i.e., dividend income) or return of capital (i.e., adjustment to the Company’s cost basis in the Asset Manager Affiliates). The final determination of the tax attributes of distributions from our Asset Manager Affiliates is made on an annual (full calendar year) basis at the end of the year based upon taxable income and distributions for the full-year. Therefore, any estimate of tax attributes of distributions made on a quarterly basis may not be representative of the actual tax attributes of distributions for a full year. CLO Funds typically have automatic orderly wind-down features following an initial period of reinvestment. Thus, with all else being equal, as managed CLO Fund portfolios age, projected future assets under management (and associated management fees) will naturally decline, resulting in a reduction in fair value of our Asset Manager Affiliates. On the other hand, mandates to manage new CLO Fund portfolios will generally result in an increase in the fair value of our investment in our Asset Manager Affiliates. The aggregate of par value of assets under management by our Asset Manager Affiliates was $3.0 billion and $3.0 billion as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Investment in Joint Venture.  For the three months ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized $949,000 in investment income from its investment in the Joint Venture. As of December 31, 2017, the fair value of the Company’s investment in Joint venture was $21.5 million. For interim periods, the Company recognizes investment income on its investment in the Joint Venture based upon its share of the estimated tax-basis earnings and profits of the Joint Venture. Any distributions in excess of tax-basis earnings and profits are recognized as a return of capital (adjustment to the Company’s cost basis in the investment). The final determination of the tax attributes of distributions from the Joint Venture is made on an annual (full calendar year) basis at year-end of the year based upon taxable income and distributions for the full year. Therefore, any estimate of tax attributes of distributions made on an interim basis may not be representative of the actual tax attributes of distributions for the full year.

Capital Structuring Service Fees.  We may earn ancillary structuring and other fees related to the origination, investment, disposition or liquidation of debt and investment securities.

Investment Income

Investment income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 was approximately $28 million, $36 million, and $46 million, respectively. Of these amounts, approximately $15 million, $21 million and $24 million, was attributable to interest income on our Debt Securities Portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The weighted average interest rate on our income producing Debt Securities Portfolio was 10.1% and 7.0% as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2017, our total net asset value return per share was 2.0% and our total market return based on stock price was (2.3)%. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our total net asset value return per share was 0.2% and our total market return based on stock price was 12.3%. Total net asset value return per share and total market return based on stock price do not reflect the sales load paid by stockholders.

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Investment income is primarily dependent on the composition and credit quality of our investment portfolio. Generally, our Debt Securities Portfolio is expected to generate recurring interest income in accordance with the contractual terms of each loan. Corporate equity securities may pay a dividend and may increase in value for which a gain may be recognized; generally such dividend payments and gains are less predictable than interest income on our loan portfolio.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, approximately $11.2 million, $13.3 million and $15.7 million, respectively, of investment income was attributable to investments in CLO Fund Securities. On a tax basis, the Company recognized $5.3 million, $10.1 million and $14.7 million of taxable distributable income on distributions from our CLO Fund Securities during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. Investment income, tax-basis earnings and cash distributions from CLO Fund Securities are dependent on the performance of the underlying assets in each CLO Fund; interest payments, principal amortization and prepayments of the underlying loans in each CLO Fund are primary factors which determine the level of distributions on our CLO Fund Securities. The level of excess spread from CLO Fund Securities can be impacted by the timing and level of the resetting of the benchmark interest rate for the underlying assets (which reset at various times throughout the quarter) in the CLO Fund and the related CLO Fund bond liabilities (which reset at each quarterly distribution date); in periods of short-term and volatile changes in the benchmark interest rate, the levels of excess spread and distributions to us can vary significantly.

Expenses

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2017				2016				2015
Expenses:
Interest and amortization of debt issuance costs		$	7,661,407			$	9,110,603			$	11,727,880
Compensation			4,571,309				4,103,558				3,843,799
Professional fees			2,942,059				2,391,038				3,520,461
Insurance			347,175				412,764				433,561
Administrative and other			1,722,618				1,692,140				1,818,480
Total expenses		$	17,244,568			$	17,710,103			$	21,344,181

Because we are internally managed, we directly incur the cost of management and operations. As a result, we pay no investment management fees or other fees to an external advisor. Our expenses consist primarily of interest expense on outstanding borrowings, compensation expense and general and administrative expenses, including professional fees. Interest and compensation expense are typically our largest expenses each period.

Interest and Amortization of Debt Issuance Costs.  Interest expense is dependent on the average outstanding balance on our borrowings and the base index rate for the period. Debt issuance costs represent fees and other direct costs incurred in connection with the Company’s borrowings. These amounts are capitalized and amortized over the expected term of the borrowing.

Compensation Expense.  Compensation expense includes base salaries, bonuses, stock compensation, employee benefits and employer-related payroll costs. The largest components of total compensation costs are base salaries and bonuses; generally, base salaries are expensed as incurred and annual bonus expenses are estimated and accrued. Our compensation arrangements with our employees contain a profit sharing and/or performance based bonus component. Therefore, as our net revenues increase, our compensation costs may also rise. In addition, our compensation expenses may also increase to reflect increased investment in personnel as we grow our products and businesses.

Professional Fees and General and Administrative Expenses.  The balance of our expenses includes professional fees (primarily legal, accounting, valuation and other professional services), occupancy costs and general administrative and other costs.

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Total expenses for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 were approximately $17.2 million, $17.7 million, and $21.3 million, respectively. Interest expense and amortization on debt issuance costs for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 was approximately $7.7 million, $9.1 million, and $11.7 million, respectively, on average debt outstanding of $134 million, $190 million, and $224 million, respectively.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, approximately $4.6 million, $4.1 million, and $3.8 million, respectively, of expenses were attributable to employee compensation, including salaries, bonuses, employee benefits, payroll taxes and stock-based compensation expense. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, professional fees and insurance expenses totaled approximately $3.3 million, $2.8 million and $4.0 million, respectively. Administrative costs, which include occupancy expense, technology and other office expenses, totaled approximately $1.7 million, $1.7 million and $1.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.

Net Investment Income and Net Realized Gains (Losses)

Net investment income and net realized gains (losses) represents the stockholder’s equity before net unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, net investment income and net realized losses were approximately $4.1 million, $12.2 million and $17.5 million, respectively, or $0.11, $0.33, and $0.47 per basic share, respectively. Net investment income represents the income earned on our investments less operating and interest expense before net realized gains or losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments. Investments are carried at fair value, with changes in fair value recorded as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in the statement of operations. When an investment is sold or liquidated, any previously recognized unrealized appreciation/depreciation is reversed and a corresponding amount is recognized as realized gain (loss). On February 29, 2016, Katonah X CLO Ltd. was fully liquidated and all of its outstanding obligations were satisfied. The Company received approximately $1.0 million in connection therewith related to its investment in the subordinated securities issued by Katonah X CLO Ltd. Accordingly, the Company recorded a realized loss during the first quarter of 2016 of approximately $6.6 million on its investment in Katonah X CLO Ltd. and a corresponding unrealized gain of the same amount in order to reverse the approximately $6.6 million of previously recorded unrealized depreciation with respect to the investment. For the year ended December 31, 2017, GAAP-basis net investment income was approximately $11.0 million, or $0.30 per basic share, while tax-basis distributable income was approximately $6 million or $0.16 per share, respectively.

Net Unrealized (Depreciation) Appreciation on Investments

		For the Years Ended December 31,
		2017				2016				2015
Unrealized Gains (Losses) On Investments:
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on:
Debt securities		$	4,194,914			$	2,492,707			$	(10,748,262	)
Equity securities			(823,671	)			(4,413,354	)			(210,167	)
CLO Fund Securities managed by affiliates			2,102,279				4,380,974				(12,990,404	)
CLO Fund Securities managed by non-affiliates			(85,671	)			284,625				(977,483	)
Asset Manager Affiliates investments			1,401,000				(15,933,000	)			(11,243,554	)
Joint Venture Investment			(3,398,858	)
Total net unrealized gain (loss) from investment transactions		$	3,389,993			$	(13,188,048	)		$	(36,169,870	)

During the year ended December 31, 2017, our total investments had net unrealized appreciation of approximately $3.4 million. Included in the net unrealized gain in 2017 are unrealized appreciation on CLO Fund Securities of approximately $2.0 million, and unrealized appreciation of the Asset Manager Affiliates of $1.4 million, as well as unrealized appreciation on our Debt Securities Portfolio of $4.2 million, unrealized depreciation on equity securities of approximately $824,000 and unrealized depreciation on our Joint Venture investment of approximately $3.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2016, our total investments had net unrealized depreciation of approximately $13.2 million, including net unrealized gains of

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approximately $4.7 million on CLO Fund Securities and unrealized depreciation of the Asset Manager Affiliates of approximately $15.9 million, net unrealized appreciation on the Debt Securities Portfolio of approximately $2.5 million and net unrealized losses on equity securities of $4.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2015, our total investments had net unrealized depreciation of $36 million, including approximately $10.8 million of unrealized losses on the Debt Securities Portfolio, net unrealized loss of the Asset Manager Affiliates of approximately $11.2 million, and net unrealized losses on equity securities of $210,000, and net unrealized losses of approximately $14.0 million related to CLO Fund Securities.

Net Change in Stockholder’s Equity Resulting From Operations

The net increase in stockholders’ equity resulting from operations for the year ended December 31, 2017 was approximately $3.4 million, or $0.09 per basic share. Net decrease in stockholders’ equity resulting from operations for the year ended December 31, 2016 was approximately $1.0 million, or $0.03 per basic share, and the net decrease in stockholders’ equity resulting from operations for the year ended December 31, 2015 was approximately $18.6 million, or $0.50 per basic share.

FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY, AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Liquidity is a measure of our ability to meet potential cash requirements, including ongoing commitments to repay borrowings, fund and maintain investments, pay distributions to our stockholders and other general business needs. We recognize the need to have funds available for operating our business and to make investments. We seek to have adequate liquidity at all times to cover normal cyclical swings in funding availability and to allow us to meet irregular and unexpected funding requirements. We plan to satisfy our liquidity needs through normal operations with the goal of avoiding unplanned sales of assets or emergency borrowing of funds.

As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the fair value of investments and cash were as follows:

		Investments at Fair Value
Security Type		December 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
Cash		$	2,034,095			$	1,307,257
Restricted Cash			—				8,528,298
Short-term investments			77,300,320				28,699,269
Senior Secured Loan			44,960,146				200,322,152
Junior Secured Loan			58,941,300				35,444,440
Senior Unsecured Loan			12,777,283				—
First Lien Bond			—				1,089,338
Senior Secured Bond			1,518,750				1,487,400
CLO Fund Securities			51,678,673				54,174,350
Equity Securities			4,414,684				5,056,355
Joint Venture			21,516,000				—
Asset Manager Affiliates			38,849,000				40,198,000
Total		$	313,990,251			$	376,306,859

We use borrowed funds, known as “leverage,” to make investments and to attempt to increase returns to our shareholders by reducing our overall cost of capital. As a BDC, we are limited in the amount of leverage we can incur under the 1940 Act. We are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowing. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $104 million of par value of outstanding borrowings and our asset coverage ratio of total assets to total borrowings was 271%, compliant with the minimum asset coverage level of 200% required for a BDC by the 1940 Act. We may also borrow amounts of up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary purposes.

On March 15, 2016, the Convertible Notes matured and were repaid in full.

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On October 10, 2012, the Company issued $41.4 million in aggregate principal amount of unsecured 7.375% Notes due 2019 (the “7.375% Notes Due 2019”). The net proceeds for the 7.375% Notes Due 2019, following underwriting expenses, were approximately $39.9 million. Interest on the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 is paid quarterly in arrears on March 30, June 30, September 30 and December 30, at a rate of 7.375%, commencing December 30, 2012. The 7.375% Notes Due 2019 mature on September 30, 2019, and are senior unsecured obligations of the Company. In addition, due to the asset coverage requirement applicable to the Company as a BDC and a covenant that the Company agreed to in connection with the issuance of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019, the Company is limited in its ability to make distributions if its asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is below 200% at the time of the declaration of the distribution. At December 31, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants. The indenture governing the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 contains certain restrictive covenants, including compliance with certain provisions of the 1940 Act relating to borrowing and dividends. During the second quarter of 2016, the Company repurchased approximately $2.4 million par value of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 at a weighted average price of $25.23 per $25.00 note, resulting in a realized loss on extinguishment of $71,190. The Company subsequently surrendered these Notes to U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”) for cancellation. During the third quarter of 2016, the Company redeemed $5.0 million par value of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 was redeemed by the Company, resulting in a realized loss on extinguishment of $88,015. During the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company redeemed $469,000 par value of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019, resulting in a realized loss on extinguishment of $15,000. During the second quarter of 2017, the Company redeemed $6.5 million par value of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 resulting in a realized loss on extinguishment of debt of $107,276. KCAP subsequently surrendered all of these Notes to the Trustee for cancellation.

Investment in Joint Venture:

During the third quarter of 2017, the Company and Freedom 3 Opportunities, an affiliate of Freedom 3 Capital LLC, entered into an agreement to create the Joint Venture. The Company and Freedom 3 Opportunities contributed approximately $37 million and $25 million, respectively, in assets to the Joint Venture, which in turn used the assets to capitalize a new fund (the “Fund”) managed by KCAP Management, LLC, one of the Company’s Asset Manager Affiliates. In addition, the Fund used cash on hand and borrowings under a credit facility to purchase approximately $184 million of loans from the Company and the Company used the proceeds from such sale to redeem approximately $147 million in debt issued by KCAP Senior Funding. The Joint Venture may originate loans from time to time and sell them to the Fund.

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Fund was refinanced through the issuance of senior and subordinated notes. The Joint Venture purchased 100% of the subordinated notes issued by the Fund. In connection with the refinancing, KCAP received a cash distribution of $12.6 million, $11.8 million of which was a return of capital.

On July 20, 2017 $147.4 million par value of notes issued by KCAP Senior Funding were repaid in full, resulting in a realized loss on extinguishment of debt of $4.1 million.

During the third quarter of 2017, the company issued $77.4 million aggregate principal amount of 6.125% Notes due 2022 (the “6.125% Notes Due 2022”). The net proceeds for the 6.125% Notes Due 2022, after the payment of underwriting expenses, were approximately $74.6 million. Interest on the 6.125% Notes Due 2022 is paid quarterly in arrears on March 30, June 30, September 30 and December 30, at a rate of 6.125% commencing September 30, 2017. The 6.125% Notes Due 2022 mature on September 30, 2022, and are senior unsecured obligations of the Company. In addition, due to the asset coverage requirement applicable to the Company as a BDC and a covenant that the Company agreed to in connection with the issuance of the 6.125% Notes Due 2022, the Company is limited in its ability to make distributions if its asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is below 200% at the time of the declaration of the distribution. At December 31, 2017, the Company was in compliance with all of its debt covenants. The indenture governing the 6.125% Notes Due 2022 contains certain restrictive covenants, including compliance with certain provisions of the 1940 Act relating to borrowing and dividends.

Subject to prevailing market conditions, we intend to grow our portfolio of assets by raising additional capital, including through the prudent use of leverage available to us. However, we may face difficulty in obtaining a new debt and equity financing as a result of current market conditions. In this regard, because our

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common stock has traded at a price below our current net asset value per share and we are limited in our ability to sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share without stockholder approval (which we currently do not have), we have been and may continue to be limited in our ability to raise equity capital. See “Business — Regulation — Common Stock”. From time to time, we may seek to retire, repurchase, or exchange debt securities in open market purchases or by other means dependent on market conditions, liquidity, contractual obligations, and other matters. In addition, we evaluate strategic opportunities available to us and/or the Asset Manager Affiliates, including mergers, divestures, spin-offs, joint ventures and other similar transactions from time to time.

Stockholder Distributions

We intend to continue to make quarterly distributions to our stockholders. To avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we generally endeavor to distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of:

We may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income, to the extent required.

The amount of our declared distributions, as evaluated by management and approved by our Board of Directors, is based primarily on our evaluation of our net investment income, distributable taxable income and the after-tax free cash flow from our Asset Manager Affiliates.

We will be prohibited by the 1940 Act and the indenture governing our 7.375% Notes Due 2019 and our 6.125% Notes Due 2022 from making distributions on our common stock if our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, falls below 200%. In any such event, we would be prohibited from making distributions required in order to maintain our status as a RIC.

The following table sets forth the quarterly distributions declared by us since 2016.

Distributions

Declaration Date

Record Date

Pay Date

2017:

Fourth quarter

$

0.10

12/13/2017

1/5/2018

(1)

1/25/2018

Third quarter

0.12

9/22/2017

10/10/2017

10/26/2017

Second quarter

0.12

6/20/2017

7/7/2017

7/27/2017

First quarter

0.12

3/21/2017

4/7/2017

4/28/2017

Total declared for 2017

$

0.46

2016:

Fourth quarter

$

0.12

12/14/2016

1/6/2017

(1)

1/27/2017

Third quarter

0.15

9/20/2016

10/14/2016

10/27/2016

Second quarter

0.15

6/21/2016

7/7/2016

7/28/2016

First quarter

0.15

3/18/2016

4/7/2016

4/28/2016

Total declared for 2016

$

0.57

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OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

From time-to-time, the Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business in order to meet the needs of the Company’s investment in portfolio companies. Such instruments include commitments to extend credit and may involve, in varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of amounts recognized on the Company’s balance sheet. Prior to extending such credit, the Company attempts to limit its credit risk by conducting extensive due diligence, obtaining collateral where necessary and negotiating appropriate financial covenants. As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had $0 and $565,000 commitments to fund investments, respectively.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

The following table summarizes our contractual cash obligations and other commercial commitments as of December 31, 2017:

		Payments Due by Period
Contractual Obligations		Total				Less than one year				1 – 3 years				3 – 5 years				More than 5 years
Long-term debt obligations		$	104,407,200			$	—			$	27,000,000			$	77,407,200			$	—

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The consolidated financial statements are based on the selection and application of critical accounting policies, which require management to make significant estimates and assumptions. Critical accounting policies are those that are both important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations and require management’s most difficult, complex, or subjective judgments. Our critical accounting policies are those applicable to the basis of presentation, valuation of investments, and certain revenue recognition matters as discussed below. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements, “Significant Accounting Policies — Investments”, contained elsewhere herein:

Valuation of Portfolio Investments

The most significant estimate inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements is the valuation of investments and the related amounts of unrealized appreciation and depreciation of investments recorded.

Value, as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of 1940 Act, is (1) the market price for those securities for which a market quotation is readily available and (2) for all other securities and assets, fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors pursuant to procedures approved by our Board of Directors. Our valuation policy is intended to provide a consistent basis for determining the fair value of the portfolio based on the nature of the security, the market for the security and other considerations including the financial performance and enterprise value of the portfolio company. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, the Board of Directors’ determined values may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market existed for the investments, and the differences could be material.

Pursuant to the AICPA Guide, we reflect our investments on our balance sheet at their determined fair value with unrealized gains and losses resulting from changes in fair value reflected as a component of unrealized gains or losses on our statements of operations. Fair value is the amount that would be received to sell the investments in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price).

See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for the additional information about the level of market observability associated with investments carried at fair value.

The Company follows the provisions of ASC Topic 820: Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820: Fair Value”), which among other matters, requires enhanced disclosures about investments that are measured and reported at fair value. This standard defines fair value and establishes a hierarchal disclosure framework which prioritizes and ranks the level of market price observability used in measuring investments at fair value and expands disclosures about assets and liabilities measured at fair value. ASC 820: Fair Value defines “fair value” as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an

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orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. This fair value definition focuses on an exit price in the principal, or most advantageous market, and prioritizes, within a measurement of fair value, the use of market-based inputs (which may be weighted or adjusted for relevance, reliability and specific attributes relative to the subject investment) over entity-specific inputs. Market price observability is affected by a number of factors, including the type of investment and the characteristics specific to the investment. Investments with readily available active quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from actively quoted prices generally will have a higher degree of market price observability and a lesser degree of judgment used in measuring fair value. Subsequent to the adoption of ASC 820: Fair Value, the FASB has issued various staff positions clarifying the initial standard (see Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements: “Significant Accounting Policies — Investments”).

ASC 820: Fair Value establishes the following three-level hierarchy, based upon the transparency of inputs to the fair value measurement of an asset or liability as of the measurement date:

Level I — Unadjusted quoted prices are available in active markets for identical investments as of the reporting date. The type of investments included in Level I include listed equities and listed securities. As required by ASC 820: Fair Value, the Company does not adjust the quoted price for these investments, even in situations where the Company holds a large position and a sale could reasonably affect the quoted price.

Level II — Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date. Such inputs may be quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full character of the financial instrument, or inputs that are derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market information. Investments which are generally included in this category include illiquid debt securities and less liquid, privately held or restricted equity securities, for which some level of recent trading activity has been observed.

Level III — Pricing inputs are unobservable for the investment and includes situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs may be based on the Company’s own assumptions about how market participants would price the asset or liability or may use Level II inputs, as adjusted, to reflect specific investment attributes relative to a broader market assumption. These inputs into the determination of fair value may require significant management judgment or estimation. Even if observable market data for comparable performance or valuation measures (earnings multiples, discount rates, other financial/valuation ratios, etc.) are available, such investments are grouped as Level III if any significant data point that is not also market observable (private company earnings, cash flows, etc.) is used in the valuation methodology.

In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, an investment’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment, and the Company considers factors specific to the investment. The majority of the Company’s investments are classified as Level III. The Company evaluates the source of inputs, including any markets in which its investments are trading, in determining fair value. Inputs that are backed by actual transactions, those that are highly correlated to the specific investment being valued and those derived from reliable or knowledgeable sources will tend to have a higher weighting in determining fair value. The Company’s fair value determinations may include factors such as an assessment of each underlying investment, its current and prospective operating and financial performance, consideration of financing and sale transactions with third parties, expected cash flows and market-based information, including comparable transactions, performance factors, and other investment or industry specific market data, among other factors.

We have valued our investments, in the absence of observable market prices, using the valuation methodologies described below applied on a consistent basis. For some investments little market activity may exist; management’s determination of fair value is then based on the best information available in the circumstances, and may incorporate management’s own assumptions and involves a significant degree of management’s judgment.

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Our investments in CLO Fund Securities are carried at fair value, which is based either on (i) the present value of the net expected cash inflows for interest income and principal repayments from underlying assets and the cash outflows for interest expense, debt paydown and other fund costs for the CLO Funds which are approaching or past the end of their reinvestment period and therefore are selling assets and/or using principal repayments to pay-down CLO Fund debt, and for which there continue to be net cash distributions to the class of securities we own, or (ii) a discounted cash flow model that utilizes prepayment and loss assumptions based on historical experience and projected performance, economic factors, the characteristics of the underlying cash flow and comparable yields for similar securities or preferred shares to those in which the Company has invested, or (iii) indicative prices provided by the underwriters or brokers who arrange CLO Funds. We recognize unrealized appreciation or depreciation on our investments in CLO Fund Securities as comparable yields in the market change and/or based on changes in net asset values or estimated cash flows resulting from changes in prepayment or loss assumptions in the underlying collateral pool. As each investment in CLO Fund Securities ages, the expected amount of losses and the expected timing of recognition of such losses in the underlying collateral pool are updated and the revised cash flows are used in determining the fair value of the CLO Fund Securities. We determine the fair value of our investments in CLO Fund Securities on a security-by-security basis.

The Company’s investments in its wholly-owned Asset Manager Affiliates are carried at fair value, which is primarily determined utilizing a discounted cash flow model which incorporates different levels of discount rates depending on the hierarchy of fees earned (including the likelihood of realization of senior, subordinate and incentive fees) and prospective modeled performance (“Discounted Cash Flow”). Such valuation takes into consideration an analysis of comparable asset management companies and a percentage of assets under management. The Asset Manager Affiliates are classified as a Level III investment (as described above). Any change in value from period to period is recognized as net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation.

The Company carries investments in joint ventures at fair value based upon the fair value of the investments held by the joint venture.

Fair values of other investments for which market prices are not observable are determined by reference to public market or private transactions or valuations for comparable companies or assets in the relevant asset class and/or industry when such amounts are available. Generally these valuations are derived by multiplying a key performance metric of the investee company or asset (e.g., EBITDA) by the relevant valuation multiple observed for comparable companies or transactions, adjusted by management for differences between the investment and the referenced comparable. Such investments may also be valued at cost for a period of time after an acquisition as the best indicator of fair value. If the fair value of such investments cannot be valued by reference to observable valuation measures for comparable companies, then the primary analytical method used to estimate the fair value is a discounted cash flow method and/or cap rate analysis. A sensitivity analysis is applied to the estimated future cash flows using various factors depending on the investment, including assumed growth rates (in cash flows), capitalization rates (for determining terminal values) and appropriate discount rates to determine a range of reasonable values or to compute projected return on investment.

For bond rated note tranches of CLO Fund Securities (those above the junior class) without transactions to support a fair value for the specific CLO Fund and tranche, fair value is based on discounting estimated bond payments at current market yields, which may reflect the adjusted yield on the leveraged loan index for similarly rated tranches, as well as prices for similar tranches for other CLO Funds and also other factors such as indicative prices provided by underwriters or brokers who arrange CLO Funds, and the default and recovery rates of underlying assets in the CLO Fund, as may be applicable. Such model assumptions may vary and incorporate adjustments for risk premiums and CLO Fund specific attributes.

We derive fair value for our illiquid loan investments that do not have indicative fair values based upon active trades primarily by using the Income Approach, and also consider recent loan amendments or other activity specific to the subject asset as described above. Other significant assumptions, such as coupon and maturity, are asset-specific and are noted for each investment in the Schedules of Investments.

The determination of fair value using this methodology takes into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to the price at which the investment was acquired, the nature of the investment, local market conditions, trading values on public exchanges for comparable securities, current and projected

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operating performance and financing transactions subsequent to the acquisition of the investment. This valuation methodology involves a significant degree of Management’s judgment.

Our Board of Directors may consider other methods of valuation to determine the fair value of investments as appropriate in conformity with GAAP.

Interest Income

Interest income, including amortization of premium and accretion of discount and accrual of payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest, is recorded on the accrual basis to the extent that such amounts are expected to be collected. We generally place a loan on non-accrual status and cease recognizing interest income on such loan or security when a loan or security becomes 90 days or more past due or if we otherwise do not expect the debtor to be able to service its debt obligations. For investments with PIK interest, which represents contractual interest accrued and added to the principal balance that generally becomes due at maturity, we will not accrue PIK interest if the portfolio company valuation indicates that the PIK interest is not collectible (i.e. via a partial or full non-accrual). Loans which are on partial or full non-accrual remain in such status until the borrower has demonstrated the ability and intent to pay contractual amounts due, or such loans become current. As of December 31, 2017, two of our investments were on partial non-accrual status, whereby we have recognized income on a portion of contractual PIK amounts due. As of December 31, 2016, there were two issuers on partial non-accrual status.

Investment Income on CLO Fund Securities

We receive distributions from our investments in the most junior class of securities of CLO Funds (typically preferred shares or subordinated securities) managed by the Asset Manager Affiliates and selective investments in securities issued by funds managed by other asset management companies. Our CLO Fund junior class securities are subordinated to senior note holders who typically receive a return on their investment at a fixed spread relative to the LIBOR index. The CLO Funds are leveraged funds and any excess cash flow or “excess spread” (interest earned by the underlying securities in the fund less payments made to senior note holders and less fund expenses and management fees) is paid to the holders of the CLO Fund’s subordinated securities or preferred shares. The level of excess spread from CLO Fund Securities can be impacted from the timing and level of the resetting of the benchmark interest rate for the underlying assets (which reset at various times throughout the quarter) in the CLO Fund and the related CLO Fund note liabilities (which reset at each quarterly distribution date); in periods of short-term and volatile changes in the benchmark interest rate, the levels of excess spread and distributions to us can vary significantly. In addition, the failure of CLO Funds in which we invest to comply with certain financial covenants may lead to the temporary suspension or deferral of cash distributions to us.

GAAP-basis investment income on CLO equity investments is recorded using the effective interest method in accordance with the provisions of ASC 325-40, based on the anticipated yield and the estimated cash flows over the projected life of the investment. Yields are revised when there are changes in actual or estimated projected future cash flows due to changes in prepayments and/or re-investments, credit losses or asset pricing. Changes in estimated yield are recognized as an adjustment to the estimated yield prospectively over the remaining life of the investment from the date the estimated yield was changed. Accordingly, investment income recognized on CLO equity securities in the GAAP statement of operations differs from both the tax-basis investment income and from the cash distributions actually received by the Company during the period.

For non-junior class CLO Fund Securities, such as our investment in the class E notes of KCAP F3C Senior Funding, L.L.C., interest is earned at a fixed spread relative to the LIBOR index.

Distributions from Asset Manager Affiliates

We record distributions from our Asset Manager Affiliates on the declaration date, which represents the ex-dividend date. Distributions in excess of tax-basis earnings and profits are recorded as tax-basis return of capital. For interim periods, the Company estimates the tax attributes of any distributions as being either tax-basis earnings and profits (i.e. dividend income) or return of capital (i.e. adjustment to the Company’s cost basis in the Asset Manager Affiliates). The final determination of the tax attributes of distributions from our

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Asset Manager Affiliates is made on an annual (full calendar year) basis at the end of the year based upon taxable income and distributions for the full-year. Therefore, any estimate of tax attributes of distributions made on a quarterly basis may not be representative of the actual tax attributes of distributions for a full year.

Payment in Kind Interest

We may have loans in our portfolio that contain a payment-in-kind (“PIK”) provision. PIK interest, computed at the contractual rate specified in each loan agreement, is added to the principal balance of the loan and recorded as interest income. To maintain our RIC status, this non-cash source of income must be distributed to stockholders in the form of cash dividends, even though the Company has not yet collected any cash.

Fee Income

Fee income includes fees, if any, for due diligence, structuring, commitment and facility fees, and fees, if any, for transaction services and management services rendered by us to portfolio companies and other third parties. Commitment and facility fees are generally recognized as income over the life of the underlying loan, whereas due diligence, structuring, transaction service and management service fees are generally recognized as income when the services are rendered.

Management Compensation

We may, from time to time, issue stock options or restricted stock, under the Equity Incentive Plan, to officers and employees for services rendered to us. We follow Accounting Standards Codification 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, a method by which the fair value of options or restricted stock is determined and expensed.

United States Federal Income Taxes

The Company has elected and intends to continue to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs under Subchapter M of the Code and, among other things, intends to make the required distributions to its stockholders as specified therein. In order to qualify as a RIC, the Company is required to timely distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income, to the extent required.

Distributions to Shareholders

The amount of our declared distributions, as evaluated by management and approved by our Board of Directors, is based primarily on our evaluation of net investment income, distributable taxable income and the after-tax free cash flow from our Asset Manager Affiliates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to the financial statements included in this annual report, for a description of recent accounting pronouncements.

Recent Developments

In January 2018 the Trustee for Catamaran 2012-1 CLO received notice that the holders of a majority of the Subordinated Securities had exercised their right of optional redemption. It is expected the optional redemption will be effective on the March 2018 payment.

In February 2018, the Company provided a notice of redemption to the Trustee of the 7.375% Notes Due 2019 for $20.0 million par value, which will result in a realized loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $192,000.

On February 9, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (the “DC Circuit Court”) ruled in favor of an appeal brought by the Loan Syndications and Trading Association (the “LSTA”) on whether application of the risk retention rules to CLO managers is valid under Section 941 of the

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Dodd-Frank Act. If the decision stands, CLO managers of “open-market CLOs” (described in the ruling as CLOs where assets are acquired from “arms-length negotiations and trading on an open market”) will no longer be required to comply with the risk retention rules, and no party to such “open-market CLOs” would be required to acquire and retain an economic interest in the credit risk of the securitized assets. However, the DC Circuit Court’s decision remains subject to further appeal for a period of time.

On March 1, 2018, KCAP Funding I, LLC (“Funding”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a $50 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) with the Company, as the servicer, certain institutional lenders, State Bank and Trust Company, as the administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner, and CIBC Bank USA, as documentation agent. For a more detailed discussion of the Revolving Credit Facility, please see “Item 9B. Other Information.”

Our business activities contain elements of market risks. We consider our principal market risks to be fluctuations in interest rates and the valuations of our investment portfolio. Managing these risks is essential to our business. Accordingly, we have systems and procedures designed to identify and analyze our risks, to establish appropriate policies and thresholds and to continually monitor these risks and thresholds by means of administrative and information technology systems and other policies and processes.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is defined as the sensitivity of our current and future earnings to interest rate volatility, variability of spread relationships, the difference in re-pricing intervals between our assets and liabilities and the effect that interest rates may have on our cash flows. Changes in the general level of interest rates can affect our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on interest earning assets and our interest expense incurred in connection with our interest bearing debt and liabilities. Changes in interest rates can also affect, among other things, our ability to acquire and originate loans and securities and the value of our investment portfolio.

Our investment income is affected by fluctuations in various interest rates, including LIBOR and prime rates. As of December 31, 2017, approximately 90% of our Debt Securities Portfolio were floating rate with a spread to an interest rate index such as LIBOR or the prime rate. Most of these floating rate loans contain LIBOR floors ranging between 1.0% and 3.0%. We generally expect that future portfolio investments will predominately be floating rate investments. As of December 31, 2017, we had $104 million (par value) of borrowings outstanding at a current weighted average rate of 6.4%.

Because we borrow money to make investments, our net investment income is dependent upon the difference between our borrowing rate and the rate we earn on the invested proceeds borrowed. In periods of rising or lowering interest rates, the cost of the portion of our debt associated with our 7.375% Notes Due 2019 and 6.125% Notes Due 2022 would remain the same, given that this debt is at a fixed rate.

Generally we would expect that an increase in the base rate index for our floating rate investment assets would increase our gross investment income and that a decrease in the base rate index for such assets would decrease our gross investment income (in either case, such increase/decrease may be limited by interest rate floors/minimums for certain investment assets).

We have analyzed the potential impact of changes in interest rates on interest income net of interest expense. Assuming that our balance sheet at December 31, 2017 was to remain constant and no actions were taken to alter the existing interest rate sensitivity, the table below illustrates the impact on net investment income on our Debt Securities Portfolio for various hypothetical increases in interest rates:

		Impact on net investment income from a change in interest rates at:
		1%				2%				3%
Increase in interest rate		$	953,623			$	1,821,413			$	2,689,202
Decrease in interest rate		$	(447,893	)		$	(447,893	)		$	(447,893	)

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As shown above, net investment income assuming a 1% increase in interest rates would increase by approximately $954,000 on an annualized basis, reflecting the impact to investments in our portfolio that are either fixed rate or which have embedded floors that would be unaffected by a 1% change in the underlying interest rate while our interest expense would be increasing. However, if the increase in rates was more significant, such as 2% or 3%, the net effect on net investment income would be an increase of approximately $1.8 million and $2.7 million, respectively.

Although management believes that this measure is indicative of sensitivity to interest rate changes on our Debt Securities Portfolio, it does not adjust for potential changes in credit quality, size and composition of the assets on the balance sheet and other business developments that could affect a net change in assets resulting from operations or net income. Accordingly, no assurances can be given that actual results would not materially differ from the potential outcome simulated by this estimate.

We did not hold any derivative financial instruments for hedging purposes as of December 31, 2017.

Portfolio Valuation

We carry our investments at fair value, as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors pursuant to a valuation methodology approved by our Board of Directors. Investments for which market quotations are generally readily available are generally valued at such market quotations. Investments for which there is not a readily available market value are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors under a valuation policy and consistently applied valuation process. However, due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that cannot be marked to market, the fair value of our investments may differ materially from the values that would have been used had a ready market existed for such investments. In addition, changes in the market environment and other events that may occur over the life of the investments may cause the value realized on these investments to be different than the valuations that are assigned. The types of factors that we may take into account in fair value pricing of our investments include, as relevant, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, third party valuations, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly-traded securities, recent sales of or offers to buy comparable companies, and other relevant factors.

The Company has engaged an independent valuation firm to provide third party valuation consulting services to the Company’s Board of Directors. Each quarter, the independent valuation firm will perform third party valuations on the Company’s material investments in illiquid securities such that they are reviewed at least once during a trailing 12-month period. These third party valuation estimates were considered as one of the relevant data inputs in the Company’s determination of fair value. The Company intends to continue to engage an independent valuation firm in the future to provide certain valuation services, including the review of certain portfolio assets, as part of the quarterly and annual year-end valuation process.

Our financial statements are annexed to this Annual Report beginning on page F-1.

None

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

The Company’s management, under the supervision and with the participation of various members of management, including its Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and its Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), has evaluated the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or Rule 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s CEO and CFO have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

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Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.

General.  The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Scope of Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.  The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: