MSC INCOME FUND, INC.

ORGANIZATION

MSC Income Fund, Inc. (“MSIF” or, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “MSC Income” or the “Company”) is a principal investment firm primarily focused on providing debt capital to private (“Private Loan”) companies owned by or in the process of being acquired by a private equity fund (its “Private Loan investment strategy”). MSC Income’s portfolio investments are typically made to support leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, refinancings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors. MSC Income seeks to partner with private equity fund sponsors in its Private Loan investment strategy and primarily invests in secured debt investments of Private Loan companies generally headquartered in the United States.

MSC Income also maintains a portfolio of customized long-term debt and equity investments in lower middle market (“LMM”) companies (its “LMM investment portfolio”), and through those investments MSC Income has partnered with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams in co-investments with Main Street Capital Corporation (“Main Street”), a New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listed BDC, utilizing the customized “one-stop” debt and equity financing solution provided in Main Street’s LMM investment strategy (the “LMM investment strategy”). Through the LMM investment strategy, MSC Income primarily invested in secured debt investments, equity investments, warrants and other securities of LMM companies typically based in the United States. Effective upon the MSC Income Listing (as defined below) on January 29, 2025, MSC Income changed its investment strategy for investments in new portfolio companies to be solely focused on its Private Loan investment strategy, rather than its historical focus primarily on its Private Loan investment strategy and secondarily on the LMM investment strategy (as further discussed below).

MSC Income also maintains a legacy portfolio of investments in larger middle market (“Middle Market”) companies (its “Middle Market investment portfolio”) and a limited portfolio of other portfolio (“Other Portfolio”) investments. MSC Income’s Middle Market investments are generally debt investments in companies owned by a private equity fund that were originally issued through a syndication financing process. MSC Income has generally stopped making new Middle Market investments and expects the size of its Middle Market investment portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as its existing Middle Market investments are repaid or sold. MSC Income’s Other Portfolio investments primarily consist of investments that are not consistent with the typical profiles for its Private Loan, LMM or Middle Market portfolio investments, including investments in unaffiliated investment companies and private funds managed by third parties. Similar to its Middle Market investments, MSC Income has generally stopped making new Other Portfolio investments and expects the size of its Other Portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as its existing Other Portfolio investments are repaid or sold.

The “Investment Portfolio,” as used herein, refers to all of MSC Income’s investments in Private Loan portfolio companies, investments in LMM portfolio companies, investments in Middle Market portfolio companies and Other Portfolio investments.

MSIF was formed in November 2011 to operate as an externally managed business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). MSIF has 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”). As a result, MSIF generally does not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary taxable income or capital gains that it distributes to its stockholders.

On October 28, 2020, MSC Income’s stockholders approved the appointment of MSC Adviser I, LLC (the “Adviser”), which is wholly-owned by Main Street, as MSC Income’s investment adviser and administrator under an Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement dated October 30, 2020 (the “Prior Investment Advisory Agreement”).

On January 29, 2025, in connection with the MSC Income Listing (as defined below), MSC Income entered into an Amended and Restated Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Adviser. The Advisory Agreement was approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of MSC Income’s outstanding voting securities, as defined in the 1940 Act, at a special meeting of MSC Income’s stockholders held on December 11, 2024 (the “2025 Special Meeting”), to become effective upon the MSC Income Listing. In such role, the Adviser has the responsibility to manage the business of MSC Income, including the responsibility to identify, evaluate, negotiate and structure prospective investments, make investment and portfolio management decisions, monitor MSC Income’s Investment Portfolio and provide ongoing administrative services.

On January 30, 2025, MSC Income closed a follow-on public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its common stock, at the public offering price of $15.53 per share, in connection with which MSC Income’s shares of common stock were listed and began trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “MSIF” on January 29, 2025 (the “MSC Income Listing”). In addition, on February 3, 2025, MSC Income issued and sold 825,000 additional shares of its common stock, at the public offering price of $15.53 per share, pursuant to the underwriters’ full exercise of their overallotment option. Net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, MSC Income received net cash proceeds of approximately $91 million in connection with the follow-on public equity offering.

Additionally, on December 16, 2024, in advance of the MSC Income Listing, the Company effectuated a 2-for-1 reverse stock split of its outstanding common stock pursuant to approval from the Board of Directors (the “Reverse Stock Split”). As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, every two shares of MSC Income’s issued and outstanding common stock were converted into one share of issued and outstanding common stock, without any change in the par value per share or the number of authorized shares of its common stock. Unless otherwise indicated, all figures in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect the implementation of the Reverse Stock Split.

MSIF has certain direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries that have elected to be taxable entities (the “Taxable Subsidiaries”). The primary purpose of the Taxable Subsidiaries is to permit MSIF to hold equity investments in portfolio companies which are “pass-through” entities for tax purposes. MSIF also has certain direct and indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries formed for financing purposes (the “Structured Subsidiaries”).

Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” and “MSC Income” refer to MSIF and its consolidated subsidiaries, which include the Taxable Subsidiaries and the Structured Subsidiaries.

The following diagram depicts our organizational structure:

(1)The Taxable Subsidiaries and Structured Subsidiaries were formed for operational purposes. Each of these companies is directly or indirectly wholly-owned by MSIF.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Our principal executive offices are located at 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8 th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056. We maintain a website on the Internet atwww.mscincomefund.com. We make available free of charge on our website our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you should not consider that information to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports and other public filings are also available free of charge on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov.

OVERVIEW OF OUR BUSINESS

Our principal investment objective is to maximize our investment portfolio’s total return, primarily by generating current income from our debt investments and, to a lesser extent, by generating current income and capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. We seek to achieve our investment objective through our Private Loan investment strategy and our LMM investment portfolio. Our Private Loan investment strategy involves investments in companies that generally have annual revenues between $25 million and $500 million and annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization expenses (“EBITDA”) between $7.5 million and $50 million. Our LMM investment portfolio consists of investments in companies that generally have annual revenues between $10 million and $150 million and annual EBITDA between $3 million and $20 million. Our Private Loan and LMM investments generally range in size from $1 million to $30 million.

Private Loan investments primarily consist of debt securities that have primarily been originated directly by our Adviser or, to a lesser extent, through our Adviser’s strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis through investments that are often referred to in the debt markets as “club deals” because of the small lender group size. Our Private Loan investments are typically made in a company owned by or in the process of being acquired by a private equity fund. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date. We may also co-invest with Main Street and the private equity funds in the equity securities of our Private Loan portfolio companies.

We have also historically sought to fill the financing gap for LMM businesses, which, historically, have had limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM created the opportunity for us to meet the financing needs of LMM companies while also negotiating favorable transaction terms and equity participation. Our ability to invest across a company’s capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allowed us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options, or a “one-stop” financing solution. Our LMM portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date.

In connection with the MSC Income Listing, our Board of Directors and the Adviser decided to change our investment strategy with respect to new platform investments to be solely focused on our Private Loan investment strategy. As a result, the size of our LMM investment portfolio is expected to decrease over time as our existing LMM investments are repaid or sold in the ordinary course of business. We do, however, plan to continue executing follow on investments in our existing LMM portfolio companies going forward in accordance with our existing SEC order for co-investment exemptive relief.

Our Middle Market investments are generally debt investments in companies owned by private equity funds that were originally issued through a syndication financing process. We have generally stopped making new Middle Market investments and expect the size of our Middle Market investment portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as existing Middle Market investments are repaid or sold. Our Middle Market debt investments generally range in size from $1 million to $20 million, are generally secured by a first priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have an expected duration of between three and seven years from the original investment date.

Our Other Portfolio investments primarily consist of investments that are not consistent with the typical profiles for our Private Loan, LMM or Middle Market portfolio investments, including investments in unaffiliated investment companies and private funds managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses to third party managers. Similar to our Middle Market investments, we have generally stopped making new Other Portfolio investments and expect the size of our Other Portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as existing Other Portfolio investments are repaid or sold.

Subject to changes in our cash and overall liquidity, we may in the future invest in short-term portfolio investments that are atypical of our Private Loan and LMM portfolio investments in that they would be intended to be a short-term deployment of capital. These assets would be expected to be realized in one year or less and would not be expected to be a significant portion of our total investments.

Our portfolio investments are generally made through MSIF, the Taxable Subsidiaries and the Structured Subsidiaries. MSIF, the Taxable Subsidiaries and the Structured Subsidiaries share the same investment strategies and criteria. An investor’s return in MSIF will depend, in part, on the Taxable Subsidiaries’ and the Structured Subsidiaries’ investment returns as they are wholly-owned subsidiaries of MSIF.

The level of new portfolio investment activity will fluctuate from period to period based upon our view of the current economic fundamentals, our ability to identify new investment opportunities that meet our investment criteria, and our ability to consummate the identified opportunities and our available liquidity. The level of new investment activity, and associated interest and fee income, will directly impact future investment income. In addition, the level of dividends paid by portfolio companies and the portion of our portfolio debt investments on non-accrual status will directly impact future investment income. While we intend to grow our portfolio and our investment income over the long term, our growth and our operating results may be more limited during depressed economic periods. However, we intend to appropriately manage our cost structure and liquidity position based on applicable economic conditions and our investment outlook. The level of realized gains or losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation on our investments will also fluctuate depending upon portfolio activity, economic conditions and the performance of our individual portfolio companies. The changes in realized gains and losses and unrealized appreciation or depreciation could have a material impact on our operating results.

We have received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting co-investments among us, Main Street and other advisory clients of our Adviser in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act. We have made co-investments with, and in the future intend to continue to make co-investments with Main Street and other advisory clients of our Adviser, in accordance with the conditions of the order. The order requires, among other things, that Main Street and our Adviser consider whether each such investment opportunity is appropriate for us, Main Street and the other advisory clients of our Adviser, as applicable, and if it is appropriate, to propose an allocation of the investment opportunity between such parties. Because our Adviser is wholly-owned by Main Street and is not managing our investment activities as its sole activity, this may provide our Adviser an incentive to allocate opportunities to Main Street or its other advisory clients instead of us. However, both we and our Adviser have policies and procedures in place to manage this conflict, including approval of investment allocations and oversight of co-investments by the independent members of our Board of Directors. In addition to the co-investment program described above, we also co-invest in syndicated deals and other transactions where price is the only negotiated point by us and our affiliates.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Our principal investment objective is to maximize our portfolio’s total return, primarily by generating current income from our debt investments and current income and capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments, including warrants, convertible securities and other rights to acquire equity securities in a portfolio company. We have adopted the following business strategies to achieve our investment objective:

•Focus on Established Companies. We generally invest in companies with established market positions, experienced management teams and proven revenue streams. We believe that those companies generally possess better risk-adjusted return profiles than newer companies that are building their management teams or are in the early stages of building a revenue base. We also believe that established companies in our targeted size range also generally provide opportunities for capital appreciation.

•Generate Unique Returns from our LMM Investment Portfolio. We believe that our existing investments in our LMM portfolio companies provide unique risk-adjusted return characteristics and also provide our stockholders with access to a large and attractive portion of the U.S. economy that has been and continues to be underserved from a financing standpoint. As a result, we believe that our existing LMM investment portfolio provides our stockholders the opportunity for superior future returns.

•Leverage the Skills and Experience of our Adviser’s Investment Team. Our Adviser’s investment team has significant experience in lending to and investing in Private Loan, LMM and Middle Market companies. The members of our Adviser’s investment team have broad investment backgrounds, with significant experience and long-term tenure with our Adviser and prior experience at private investment funds, corporate entities with active acquisition growth strategies and activities, investment banks and other financial services companies. The expertise of our Adviser’s investment team in analyzing, valuing, structuring, negotiating and closing transactions should provide us with competitive advantages by allowing us to consider customized financing solutions and non-traditional or complex structures for our portfolio companies.

•Invest Across Multiple Companies, Industries, Regions and End Markets. We seek to maintain a portfolio of investments that is appropriately balanced among various companies, industries, geographic regions and end markets. This portfolio balance is intended to mitigate the potential effects of negative economic events for particular companies, regions, industries and end markets.

•Capitalize on Strong Transaction Sourcing Network. Our Adviser’s investment team seeks to leverage its extensive network of referral sources for portfolio company investments. Main Street has developed a reputation in our marketplace as a responsive, efficient and reliable source of financing, which has created a growing stream of proprietary deal flow for us.

•Benefit from Lower, Fixed, Long-Term Cost of Capital. We maintain an investment grade rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC, which provides us the opportunity and flexibility to obtain additional, attractive long-term financing options to supplement our capital structure, including the unsecured notes with fixed interest rates we issue.

INVESTMENT CRITERIA

Our Adviser’s investment team has identified the following investment criteria that it believes are important in evaluating prospective portfolio companies. Our Adviser’s investment team uses these criteria in evaluating investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been, or will be, met in connection with each of our investments:

•Established Companies with Positive Cash Flow. We seek to invest in established companies with sound historical financial performance. We primarily pursue investments in Private Loan companies that have historically generated annual EBITDA of $7.5 million to $50 million. We also maintain a portfolio of investments in LMM companies that have historically generated annual EBITDA of $3 million to $20 million. We generally do not invest in start-up companies or companies with speculative business plans.

•Defensible Competitive Advantages/Favorable Industry Position. We primarily focus on companies having competitive advantages in their respective markets and/or operating in industries with barriers to entry, which may help to protect their market position and profitability.

•Proven Management Team. We look for operationally-oriented management with direct industry experience and a successful track record. We believe management teams with these attributes are more likely to manage the companies in a manner that protects our investment.

•Exit Alternatives. We exit our debt investments primarily through the repayment of our investment from internally generated cash flow of the portfolio company and/or a refinancing. In addition, we seek to invest in companies whose business models and expected future cash flows may provide alternate methods of repaying our investment, such as through a strategic acquisition by other industry participants or a recapitalization.

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO

Our Private Loan portfolio investments primarily consist of investments in debt securities that are primarily originated directly by our Adviser, or to a lesser extent, through our Adviser’s strategic relationships with other investment funds on a collaborative basis through investments that are often referred to in the debt markets as “club deals” because of the small lender group size. In both cases, our Private Loan investments are typically made in a company owned by or in the process of being acquired by a private equity fund.

Our LMM portfolio investments primarily consist of secured debt, direct equity investments and equity warrants in privately held, LMM companies based in the United States. Through those investments, we have partnered with entrepreneurs, business owners and management teams in co-investments with Main Street. Effective upon the MSC Income Listing, we changed our investment strategy and will no longer make investments in new LMM portfolio companies, with any future LMM investments limited to follow-on investments in our existing LMM portfolio companies.

Our Middle Market portfolio investments are generally debt investments in companies owned by private equity funds that were originally issued through a syndication financing process. We have generally stopped making new Middle Market investments and expect the size of our Middle Market investment portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as existing Middle Market investments are repaid or sold.

Our Other Portfolio investments primarily consist of investments that are not consistent with the typical profiles for our Private Loan, LMM and Middle Market portfolio investments, including investments which may be managed by third parties. In our Other Portfolio, we may incur indirect fees and expenses in connection with investments managed by third parties, such as investments in other investment companies or private funds. Similar to our Middle Market investments, we have generally stopped making new Other Portfolio investments and expect the size of our Other Portfolio to continue to decline in future periods as existing Other Portfolio investments are repaid or sold.

Debt Investments

The debt investments in our Private Loan portfolio have rights and protections that may include affirmative and negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change of control provisions, guarantees and equity pledges. Our Private Loan portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first priority lien and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date. Our Private Loan debt investments generally have floating interest rates at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) or the Prime rate typically subject to a contractual minimum interest rate (an “interest rate floor”), plus a margin.

Historically, we have made LMM debt investments principally in the form of single tranche debt. Single tranche debt financing involves issuing one debt security that blends the risk and return profiles of both first lien secured and subordinated debt. We believe that single tranche debt is more appropriate for many LMM companies given their size in order to reduce structural complexity and potential conflicts among creditors.

Our LMM debt investments generally have a term of five to seven years from the original investment date, with limited required amortization prior to maturity, and provide for monthly or quarterly payment of interest at interest rates generally between 10% and 14% per annum, payable currently in cash on either a fixed or floating rate basis. The LMM debt investments with floating interest rates will generally bear interest at the SOFR or the Prime rate typically subject to an interest rate floor, plus a margin. In addition, certain LMM debt investments may have a form of interest that is not paid currently but is accrued and added to the loan balance and paid at maturity. We refer to this form of interest as payment-in-kind, or PIK, interest. We typically structure our LMM debt investments with the maximum seniority and collateral that we can reasonably obtain while seeking to achieve our total return target. In most cases, our LMM debt investment will be collateralized by a first priority lien on substantially all the assets of the portfolio company. In addition to seeking a senior lien position in the capital structure of our LMM portfolio companies, we seek to limit the downside potential of our LMM debt investments by negotiating covenants that are designed to protect our LMM debt investments while affording our portfolio companies as much flexibility in managing their businesses as is reasonable. Such restrictions may include affirmative and negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change of control or change of management provisions, key-man life insurance, guarantees, equity pledges, personal guaranties, where appropriate, and put rights. In addition, we typically seek board representation or observation rights in all of our LMM portfolio companies.

Our Middle Market portfolio debt investments are generally secured by a first priority lien on the assets of the portfolio company and typically have a term of between three and seven years from the original investment date. The debt investments in our Middle Market portfolio usually have rights and protections that are similar to those in our Private Loan and LMM debt investments. The Middle Market debt investments generally have floating interest rates at the SOFR or Prime rate typically subject to an interest rate floor, plus a margin.

Direct Equity Investments

We have also historically sought to make direct equity investments to align our interests with key management and stockholders of our LMM portfolio companies, and to allow for participation in the appreciation in the equity values of our LMM portfolio companies. We usually made our direct equity investments in connection with debt investments in our LMM portfolio companies. In addition, we may have both equity warrants and direct equity positions in some of our LMM portfolio companies. We, on a combined basis together with Main Street and other investment advisory clients of our Adviser, have historically sought to maintain fully diluted equity positions in our LMM portfolio companies of 5% to 50%, and may have controlling equity interests in some instances. We have had a value orientation toward our direct equity investments and have traditionally been able to purchase our equity investments at reasonable valuations. We will also have, from time to time, the opportunity to co-invest with Main Street and the private equity funds in the equity securities of our Private Loan portfolio companies. The equity co-investment aligns our interests with those of the private equity fund and provides us with the opportunity to benefit from appreciation in the equity values of our Private Loan portfolio companies.

Warrants

In connection with our LMM debt investments, we occasionally received equity warrants to establish or increase our equity interest in the portfolio company. Warrants that we received in connection with a debt investment typically require only a nominal cost to exercise, and thus, as a portfolio company appreciates in value, we may achieve additional investment return from this equity interest. We typically structured the warrants to provide provisions protecting our rights as a minority-interest holder, as well as secured or unsecured put rights, or rights to sell such securities back to the portfolio company, upon the occurrence of specified events. In certain cases, we also may obtain registration rights in connection with these equity interests, which may include demand and “piggyback” registration rights.

INVESTMENT PROCESS

Our Adviser’s investment committee has oversight over all aspects of our investment processes. The current members of the investment committee are Dwayne L. Hyzak, our Chief Executive Officer, David Magdol, our President and Chief Investment Officer, and Vincent D. Foster, Chairman of Main Street’s board of directors.

Our Adviser’s investment processes for portfolio investments are outlined below. Our Adviser’s investment strategy involves a “team” approach, whereby potential transactions are screened by several members of our Adviser’s investment team before being presented to the investment committee. The investment committee meets on an as-needed basis depending on transaction volume. Our Adviser generally categorizes our investment process into seven distinct stages:

Deal Generation/Origination

Deal generation and origination is maximized through our Adviser’s long-standing and extensive relationships with industry contacts, brokers, commercial and investment bankers, entrepreneurs, service providers such as lawyers, financial advisors and accountants, and current and former portfolio companies and investors. Our Adviser’s investment team has developed a reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and active source of capital and assistance in these markets.

Screening

During the screening process, if a transaction initially meets our investment criteria, our Adviser will perform preliminary due diligence, taking into consideration some or all of the following information:

•a comprehensive financial model based on quantitative analysis of historical financial performance, projections and pro forma adjustments to determine the estimated internal rate of return;

•a brief industry and market analysis;

•direct industry expertise imported from other portfolio companies or investors;

•preliminary qualitative analysis of the management team’s competencies and backgrounds;

•potential investment structures and pricing terms; and

•regulatory compliance.

Upon successful screening of a proposed transaction, the investment team makes a recommendation to the investment committee. If the investment committee concurs with moving forward on the proposed transaction, we typically issue a non-binding term sheet or letter of intent to the company.

Term Sheet

For proposed transactions, the non-binding term sheet or letter of intent will include the key economic terms based upon our analysis performed during the screening process, as well as a proposed timeline and our qualitative expectation for the transaction. While the term sheet or letter of intent for investments is non-binding, we typically receive an expense deposit in order to move the transaction to the due diligence phase. Upon execution of a term sheet or letter of intent, our Adviser begins the formal due diligence process.

Due Diligence

Due diligence on a proposed investment is generally performed on materials and information obtained from certain external resources and assessed internally by a minimum of three of our Adviser’s investment professionals, who work to understand the relationships among the prospective portfolio company’s business plan, operations and financial performance using the accumulated due diligence information. Our Adviser’s typical due diligence review includes some or all of the following:

•detailed review of historical and projected financial statements;

•site visits or other discussions with management and key personnel;

•in-depth industry, market, operational and strategy analysis;

•regulatory compliance analysis; and

•detailed review of the company’s management team and their capabilities.

During the due diligence process, significant attention is given to sensitivity analyses and how the company might be expected to perform given downside, base-case and upside scenarios. In certain cases, we may decide not to make an investment based on the results of the diligence process.

Document and Close

Upon completion of a satisfactory due diligence review of a proposed portfolio investment, the investment team presents the findings and a recommendation to the investment committee. The presentation contains information which can include, but is not limited to, the following:

•company history and overview;

•transaction overview, history and rationale, including an analysis of transaction strengths and risks;

•overview and history of the private equity fund sponsor as the company’s equity owner;

•analysis of key customers and suppliers;

•an analysis of the company’s business strategy;

•investment structure and expected returns;

•anticipated sources of repayment and potential exit strategies;

•pro forma capitalization and ownership;

•regulatory compliance analysis findings; and

•an analysis of historical financial results and key financial ratios.

If any adjustments to the transaction terms or structures are proposed by the investment committee, such changes are made and applicable analyses are updated prior to approval of the transaction. Approval for the transaction must be made by the affirmative vote from a majority of the members of the investment committee, with the committee member managing the transaction, if any, abstaining from the vote. Upon receipt of transaction approval, the investment team will re-confirm regulatory compliance, process and finalize all required legal documents, and fund the investment.

Post-Investment

Our Adviser continuously monitors the status and progress of our portfolio companies. Our Adviser generally offers managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, giving them access to our Adviser’s investment experience, direct industry expertise and contacts. The same investment team that was involved in the investment process will continue its involvement in the portfolio company post-investment. This provides for continuity of knowledge and allows the investment team to maintain a strong business relationship with key management of our portfolio companies for post-investment assistance and monitoring purposes.

As part of the monitoring process of our Private Loan and Middle Market portfolio investments, the investment team will analyze monthly and quarterly financial statements versus the previous periods and year, review financial projections and review all compliance certificates and covenants. Depending upon the nature of our Private Loan and Middle Market portfolio investments, the investment team may also attend board meetings, and meet and discuss issues or opportunities with the portfolio company’s management team or private equity owners, however, due to the nature of our “lender only” relationship with these Private Loan and Middle Market companies in comparison to our LMM portfolio companies, it is not practical to have as much direct management interface.

As part of the monitoring process of our LMM portfolio investments, the investment team will analyze monthly and quarterly financial statements versus the previous periods and year, review financial projections, meet and discuss issues or opportunities with management, attend board meetings and review all compliance certificates and covenants. While the investment team maintains limited involvement in the ordinary course operations of our LMM portfolio companies, the investment team maintains a higher level of involvement in non-ordinary course financing or strategic activities and any non-performing scenarios.

Our Adviser utilizes an internally developed investment rating system to rate the performance of each Private Loan, LMM and Middle Market portfolio company and to monitor our expected level of returns on each of our Private

Loan, LMM and Middle Market investments in relation to our expectations for the portfolio company. The investment rating system takes into consideration various factors, including, but not limited to, each investment’s expected level of returns, the collectability of our debt investments and the ability to receive a return of the invested capital in our equity investments, comparisons to competitors and other industry participants, the portfolio company’s future outlook and other factors that are deemed to be significant to the portfolio company.

Exit Strategies/Refinancing

While we generally exit most investments through the refinancing or repayment of our debt and redemption or sale of our equity positions, the refinancing or repayment of Private Loan investments and Middle Market debt investments typically do not require our Adviser’s assistance due to the additional resources available to these larger Private Loan and Middle Market companies. Our Adviser typically assists our LMM portfolio companies in developing and planning exit opportunities, including any sale or merger of our portfolio companies. Our Adviser may also assist in the structure, timing, execution and transition of the exit strategy.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE AND INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO VALUATION PROCESS

We determine the net asset value (“NAV”) per share of our common stock on a quarterly basis. The NAV per share is equal to our total assets minus total liabilities divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding.

We are required to report our investments at fair value. As a result, the most significant determination inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements is the valuation of our Investment Portfolio and the related amounts of unrealized appreciation and depreciation. We follow the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the quality of inputs used to measure fair value and enhances disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. ASC 820 requires us to assume that the portfolio investment is to be sold in the principal market to independent market participants, which may be a hypothetical market. Market participants are defined as buyers and sellers in the principal market that are independent, knowledgeable and willing and able to transact.

We determine in good faith the fair value of our Investment Portfolio pursuant to a valuation policy in accordance with ASC 820 and a valuation process approved by our Board of Directors and in accordance with the 1940 Act. Our valuation policies and processes are intended to provide a consistent basis for determining the fair value of our Investment Portfolio. See Note B.1. — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Valuation of the Investment Portfolio included in Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of our Investment Portfolio valuation process and procedures.

Due to the inherent uncertainty in the valuation process, our determination of fair value for our Investment Portfolio may differ materially from the values that would have been determined had a ready market for the securities existed. In addition, changes in the market environment, portfolio company performance and other events that may occur over the lives of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be materially different than the valuations currently assigned. We determine the fair value of each individual investment and record changes in fair value as unrealized appreciation or depreciation.

The 1940 Act requires valuation of a portfolio security at “market value” if market quotations for the security are “readily available.” Portfolio securities for which market quotations are not readily available must be valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the board of directors. Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act permits a BDC’s board of directors to designate its executive officers or investment adviser as a valuation designee to determine the fair value for its investment portfolio, subject to the active oversight of the board.

Our Board of Directors has approved policies and procedures pursuant to Rule 2a-5 (the “Valuation Procedures”) and designated our Adviser, led by a group of our Adviser’s executive officers, to serve as the Board’s valuation designee thereunder (the “Valuation Committee”). Pursuant to the Valuation Procedures, we undertake a multi-step process each quarter in connection with determining the fair value of our investments.

The following outlines our valuation process as established under the Valuation Procedures:

•Our quarterly process begins with an initial valuation of each portfolio investment performed by the Adviser’s valuation team consisting of several professionals who apply the appropriate valuation methodology depending on the type of investment.

•Each valuation model is then reviewed by the investment team responsible for monitoring the portfolio investment for accuracy, with any recommended changes reviewed by the valuation team.

•Updated valuation conclusions are then reviewed by and discussed with the Valuation Committee at quarterly valuation meetings. Valuation meetings are generally attended by the Valuation Committee, the valuation team, members of the investment team responsible for each investment and members of the compliance team. Valuation models and valuation conclusions are adjusted as necessary following such meetings.

•A nationally recognized independent financial advisory services firm analyzes and provides observations, recommendations and an assurance certification regarding the determinations of the fair value for the majority of our portfolio companies on a rotational basis.

•After incorporating commentary by the Valuation Committee and review of recommendations provided by the independent financial advisory services firm, valuation results are finalized and approved by the Valuation Committee.

•The Board of Directors oversees the process through its Audit Committee in accordance with Rule 2a-5 pursuant to the Valuation Procedures.

Determination of fair value involves subjective judgments and estimates. The notes to our consolidated financial statements refer to the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in such valuations, on our financial results and financial condition.

COMPETITION

We compete for investments with a number of investment funds (including private equity funds, mezzanine funds, BDCs and small business investment companies (“SBICs”)), as well as traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks and other sources of financing. Many of the entities that compete with us are larger and have more resources available to them. We believe we are able to be competitive with these entities primarily on the basis of the experience and contacts of our Adviser’s management team and our ability to co-invest with Main Street and other advisory clients of our Adviser, the less competitive nature of the market for companies described in our Private Loan investment strategy, our Adviser’s responsive and efficient investment analysis and decision-making processes, our comprehensive suite of customized financing solutions and the investment terms we offer.

We believe that some of our competitors make senior secured loans, junior secured loans and subordinated debt investments with interest rates and returns that are comparable to or lower than the rates and returns that we target. Therefore, we do not seek to compete primarily on the interest rates and returns that we offer to potential portfolio companies. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Structure — We face increasing competition for investment opportunities.

HUMAN CAPITAL

We do not currently have any employees and do not expect to have any employees in the future. Services necessary for the operation of our business are provided by individuals who are employees of Main Street, which wholly-owns our Adviser, pursuant to the terms of the Advisory Agreement. Each of our executive officers is an employee of Main Street. Our day-to-day investment activities are managed by the Adviser. The services necessary for the origination and monitoring of our Investment Portfolio are provided by investment professionals of the Adviser, who are all employed by Main Street. As of December 31, 2024, Main Street had 104 employees, 58 of whom it categorizes as investment and portfolio management professionals, and the others include operations professionals and administrative staff. Because we have no employees, we do not have a formal employee relations policy.

REGULATION

Regulation as a Business Development Company

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates, principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. The 1940 Act requires that a majority of the members of the board of directors of a BDC be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act. In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

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

Qualifying Assets

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

(1)Securities purchased in transactions not involving any public offering from the issuer of such securities, which issuer (subject to certain limited exceptions) is an eligible portfolio company (as defined below), or from any person who is, or has been during the preceding 13 months, an affiliated person of an eligible portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to such rules as may be prescribed by the SEC.

(2)Securities of any eligible portfolio company that we control.

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

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

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

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

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

An eligible portfolio company is defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer which:

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

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

(c)satisfies any of the following:

(i)does not have any class of securities that is traded on a national securities exchange or has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange but has an aggregate market value of outstanding voting and non-voting common equity of less than $250 million;

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

(iii)is a small and solvent company having total assets of not more than $4 million and capital and surplus of not less than $2 million.

Managerial Assistance to Portfolio Companies

As noted above, a BDC must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the type of securities described in (1), (2) or (3) above under the heading entitled “— Qualifying Assets.” 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. Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company. However, if a BDC purchases securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together, one of the other persons in the group may make available such significant managerial assistance on behalf of all investors in the group.

Temporary Investments

Pending investment in “qualifying assets,” as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from time of investment therein, so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets.

Senior Securities

Prior to 2018 legislation that modified the asset coverage requirements of the 1940 Act, we were permitted, as a BDC, to issue senior securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, or BDC asset coverage ratio, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% of all debt and/or senior stock immediately after each such issuance. However, 2018 legislation modified the 1940 Act by allowing a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur such that a BDC’s asset coverage ratio could be reduced from an asset coverage ratio of 200% to an asset coverage ratio of 150%, if certain requirements are met. On January 29, 2025, the Board, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board, approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act, which will result in the Company’s asset coverage requirements applicable to senior securities being reduced from 200% to 150%, effective on January 29, 2026. We are permitted to increase our leverage capacity sooner if stockholders representing at least a majority of the votes cast, when quorum is met, approve a proposal to do so. If we receive such stockholder approval, we would be permitted to increase our leverage capacity on the first day after such approval.

In addition, while any senior securities remain outstanding (other than senior securities representing indebtedness issued in consideration of a privately arranged loan which is not intended to be publicly distributed), we must generally include provisions in the documents governing new senior securities to prohibit any cash distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of such securities or shares unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value of our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes without regard to asset coverage with such borrowings not constituting senior securities for purposes of the asset coverage ratio requirements of the 1940 Act. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and not extended or renewed. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see Item 1A. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Leverage, including, without limitation,— Because we borrow money, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.

Common Stock

We are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below NAV per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current NAV 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 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 generally have not sought stockholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock below the then current NAV per share of our common stock; however, at the 2025 Special Meeting, in advance of the MSC Income Listing, we received approval from our stockholders to have the flexibility, with the approval of the Board of Directors, to offer and sell shares of our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share until December 11, 2025.

In conjunction with the MSC Income Listing, we entered into a share repurchase plan to purchase up to $65.0 million in the aggregate of our common stock in the open market for a twelve-month period beginning in March 2025, at times when the market price per share of our common stock is trading below the most recently reported NAV per share of our common stock by certain pre-determined levels (including any updates, corrections or adjustments publicly announced by us to any previously announced NAV per share).

Code of Ethics

We have adopted 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. The code of ethics is available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s website athttp://www.sec.gov.

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

We vote proxies relating to our portfolio securities in a manner in which we believe is consistent with the best interest of our stockholders. We 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 generally vote against proposals that we expect would have a negative impact on our portfolio securities, we may vote for such a proposal if there exists compelling long-term reasons to do so.

Our proxy voting decisions are made by the investment team which is responsible for monitoring each of our investments. To ensure that our vote is not the product of a conflict of interest, we require that anyone involved in the decision-making process discloses to our chief compliance officer any potential conflict regarding a proxy vote of which he or she is aware.

Stockholders may obtain information, without charge, regarding how we voted proxies with respect to our portfolio securities by making a written request for proxy voting information to: Chief Compliance Officer, 1300 Post Oak Boulevard, 8th Floor, Houston, Texas 77056.

Other 1940 Act Regulations

We are also prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our Board of Directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval by the SEC.

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

We and our Adviser are required to adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal securities laws, review these policies and procedures no less frequently than annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, and to designate a chief compliance officer to be responsible for administering the policies and procedures.

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

Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance

We are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), including the filing of quarterly, annual and current reports, proxy statements and other required items. In addition, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders. For example:

•pursuant to Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are required to certify the accuracy of the consolidated financial statements contained in our periodic reports;

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

•pursuant to Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our management is required to prepare a report regarding its assessment of our internal control over financial reporting and, to the extent we are an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer, we must obtain an audit of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting performed by our independent registered public accounting firm; and

•pursuant to Item 308 of Regulation S-K and Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, our periodic reports must disclose whether there were significant changes in our internal control over financial reporting or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

The New York Stock Exchange Corporate Governance Regulations

The NYSE has adopted corporate governance regulations that listed companies must comply with. We believe we are in compliance with such corporate governance listing standards. We intend to monitor our compliance with all future listing standards and to take all necessary actions to ensure that we stay in compliance.

Investment Adviser Regulations

Our Adviser is subject to regulation under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisers Act establishes, among other things, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, limitations on transactions between the adviser’s account and an advisory client’s account, limitations on transactions between the accounts of advisory clients, and general anti-fraud prohibitions. Our Adviser may be examined by the SEC from time to time for compliance with the Advisers Act.

Taxation as a Regulated Investment Company

MSIF has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. MSIF’s taxable income includes the taxable income generated by MSIF and certain of its subsidiaries, which are treated as disregarded entities for tax purposes. As a RIC, MSIF generally will not pay corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any income that we 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, in order to obtain RIC tax treatment, 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 realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, and 90% of our tax-exempt income (the “Annual Distribution Requirement”). As part of maintaining RIC status, undistributed taxable income (subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S. federal excise tax) pertaining to a given fiscal year may be distributed up to 12 months subsequent to the end of that fiscal year, provided such dividends are declared on or prior to the later of (i) filing of the U.S. federal income tax return for the applicable fiscal year or (ii) the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of the year in which such taxable income was generated.

For any taxable year in which we qualify as a RIC and satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our income or capital gains we distribute (or are deemed to distribute) to stockholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gains not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our stockholders.

We are subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S. federal excise tax on certain undistributed income unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our net ordinary taxable income for each calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending December 31 in that calendar year and (3) any taxable income recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax (the “Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement”). Dividends declared and paid by us in a year will generally differ from taxable income for that year as such dividends may include the distribution of current year taxable income, exclude amounts carried over into the following year, and include the distribution of prior year taxable income carried over into and distributed in the current year. For amounts we carry over into the following year, we will be required to pay the 4% U.S. federal excise tax on the excess of 98% of our annual investment company taxable income and 98.2% of our capital gain net income over our distributions for the year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In order to comply with the 90% Income Test, we formed the Taxable Subsidiaries as wholly-owned taxable subsidiaries for the primary purpose of permitting us to own equity interests in portfolio companies which are “pass-through” entities for tax purposes. Absent the taxable status of the Taxable Subsidiaries, a portion of the gross income from such portfolio companies would flow directly to us for purposes of the 90% Income Test. To the extent such income did not consist of income derived from securities, such as dividends and interest, it could jeopardize our ability to qualify as a RIC and, therefore, cause us to incur significant U.S. federal income taxes. The Taxable Subsidiaries are consolidated with MSC Income for generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) purposes and are included in our consolidated financial statements, and the portfolio investments held by the Taxable Subsidiaries are included in our consolidated financial statements. The Taxable Subsidiaries are not consolidated with MSIF for income tax purposes and may generate income tax expense, or benefit, as a result of their ownership of the portfolio investments. The income tax expense, or benefit, if any, and any related tax assets and liabilities, are reflected in our consolidated financial statements.

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 issued with warrants and debt securities invested in at a discount to par), 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. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in cash such as PIK interest, cumulative dividends or amounts that are received in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock. Because any original issue discount or other amounts 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.

Although we do not presently expect to do so, we are authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. However, under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our stockholders in certain circumstances while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests are met. See Regulation — Regulation as a Business Development Company — Senior Securities. Moreover, our ability to dispose of assets to meet our distribution requirements may be limited by (1) the illiquid nature of our portfolio and/or (2) other requirements relating to our status as a RIC, including the Diversification Tests. If we dispose of assets in order to meet the Annual Distribution Requirement or the Excise Tax Avoidance Requirement, we may make such dispositions at times that, from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the stockholders’ election) would satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement. The Internal Revenue Service has issued guidance indicating that this rule will apply even where the total amount of cash that may be distributed is limited to no more than 20% of the total distribution. According to this guidance, if too many stockholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, each such stockholder would receive a pro rata share of the total cash to be distributed and would receive the remainder of their distribution in shares of stock. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (whether received in cash, our stock, or a combination thereof) as (i) ordinary income (including any qualified dividend income that, in the case of a noncorporate stockholder, may be eligible for the same reduced maximum tax rate applicable to long-term capital gains to the extent such distribution is properly reported by us as qualified dividend income and such stockholder satisfies certain minimum holding period requirements with respect to our stock) or (ii) long-term capital gain (to the extent such distribution is properly reported as a capital gain dividend), to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. stockholder may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the stock it receives in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock.

Failure to Qualify as a RIC

If we fail to satisfy the 90% Income Test or the Diversification Tests for any taxable year, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a RIC for such year if certain relief provisions are applicable (which may, among other things, require us to pay certain corporate-level U.S. federal taxes or to dispose of certain assets). We cannot assure you that we will qualify for any such relief should we fail the 90% Income Test or the Diversification Tests.

If we were unable to qualify for treatment as a RIC and the foregoing relief provisions are not applicable, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders, nor would we be required to make distributions. If we were subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates, then distributions we make after being subject to such tax would be taxable to our stockholders and, provided certain holding period and other requirements were met, could qualify for treatment as “qualified dividend income” eligible for the maximum 20% rate (plus a 3.8% Medicare surtax, if applicable) applicable to qualified dividends to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate taxpayers would be eligible for a dividends-received deduction on distributions they receive. 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. To requalify as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, we would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and dispose of any earnings and profits from any year in which we failed to qualify as a RIC. Subject to a limited exception applicable to RICs that qualified as such under Subchapter M of the Code for at least one year prior to disqualification and that requalify as a RIC no later than the second year following the nonqualifying year, we could be subject to tax on any unrealized net built-in gains in the assets held by us during the period in which we failed to qualify as a RIC that are recognized within the subsequent five years, unless we made a special election to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on such built-in gain at the time of our requalification as a RIC.