Since September 30, 2015, we have pursued a credit-focused investing strategy. We specialize in providing customized financing to middle market companies in a broad range of industry segments located primarily in the United States. We invest primarily in debt securities, including senior debt and second lien, and also invest in preferred stock and common stock alongside our debt investments or through warrants. Our common stock currently trades on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “CSWC.”

We were organized as a Texas corporation on April 19, 1961.  Until September 1969, we operated as a small business investment company, or SBIC, licensed under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.  At that time, we transferred to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Capital Southwest Venture Corporation, or CSVC, certain assets including our SBIC license.  CSVC was a closed-end, non-diversified investment company registered under the 1940 Act.  Effective June 14, 2016, CSVC was dissolved and its SBIC license was surrendered. All assets held in CSVC were transferred to us upon dissolution. Prior to March 30, 1988, we were registered as a closed-end, non-diversified investment company under the 1940 Act.  On that date, we elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our assets in “qualifying assets,” including securities of private or thinly traded public U.S. companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. In addition, effective April 25, 2019, we are allowed to borrow money such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% after such borrowing. Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a resolution whichthat limits the Company's issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, at any time after the effective date.

We have elected, and intend to qualify annually, to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company, or RIC, under Subchapter M of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. As such, we generally will not havebe subject to pay corporate-level U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates on any ordinary income or capital gains that we timely distribute to our shareholders as dividends. To continue to maintain our RIC tax treatment, we must meet specified source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and distribute annually at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any. Depending on the level of taxableWe will be subject to U.S. federal income earned in a tax, year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and paypossibly a 4% U.S. federal excise tax, on such income. Any such carryover taxableany income mustthat we do not timely distribute to our shareholders. Our U.S. federal income tax liability may be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return relatedreduced to the extent that we make certain distributions during the following calendar year that generated such taxable income.and satisfy other procedural requirements.

On September 30, 2015, we completedApril 20, 2021, our wholly owned subsidiary, Capital Southwest SBIC I, LP (“SBIC I”) received a license from the spin-off, which we referU.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) to as the Share Distribution, of CSW Industrials, Inc., or CSWI. CSWI is now an independent publicly traded company. The Share Distribution was effected through a tax-free, pro-rata distribution of 100% of CSWI’s common stock to our shareholders. Each of our shareholders received one share of CSWI common stock for every one share of our common stock on the record date, September 18, 2015. Cash was paid in lieu of any fractional shares of CSWI common stock.

Our principal executive offices are located at 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway,8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 1300,1100, Dallas, Texas 75240.75225. We maintain a website at www.capitalsouthwest.com. You can review the filings we have made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, free of charge on EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval System of the SEC, accessible at http://www.sec.gov. We also 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, any amendments to those reports and any other reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing these reports with the SEC. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference into

We are an internally managed closed-end, non-diversified investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. We specialize in providing customized debt and equity financing to lower middle market, or LMM, companies and debt capital to upper middle market, or UMM, companies in a broad range of investment segments located primarily in the United States. Our investment objective is to produce attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating current income from our debt investments and capital appreciation from our equity and equity related investments.  Our investment strategy is to partner with business owners, management teams and financial sponsors to provide flexible financing solutions to fund growth, changes of control, or other corporate events. We invest primarily in senior debt securities, secured by security interests in portfolio company assets. We also invest in equity interests in our portfolio companies alongside our debt securities.

We focus on investing in companies with histories of generating revenues and positive cash flow, established market positions and proven management teams with strong operating discipline. We primarilyOur core business is to target senior debt investments and equity investments in LMM companies, as well ascompanies. We also opportunistically target first and second lien syndicated loans in UMM companies. Our target LMM companies typicallygenerally have annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, between $3.0 million and $15.0$20.0 million, and our LMM investments generally range in size from $5.0 million to $25.0$35.0 million. Our UMM investments generally include syndicated first and second lien loans in companies with EBITDA generally greater than $50.0$20.0 million, and our UMM investments typically range in size from $5.0 million to $15.0$20.0 million.

We seek to fill the financing gap for LMM companies, which historically have had more limited access to financing from commercial banks and other traditional sources. The underserved nature of the LMM creates 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 LMM company’s capital structure, from secured loans to equity securities, allows us to offer portfolio companies a comprehensive suite of financing options. Providing customized financing solutions is important to LMM companies. We generally seek to partner directly with financial sponsors, entrepreneurs, management teams and business owners in making our investments. Our LMM debt investments typically include senior loans with a first lien on the assets of the portfolio company. Our LMM debt investments typically have a term of between five and seven years from the original investment date. We also often seek to invest in the equity securities of our LMM portfolio companies.

Our investments in UMM companies primarily consist of direct investments in or secondary purchases of interest bearing debt securities in privately held companies that are generally larger in size than the LMM companies included in our portfolio. Our UMM debt investments are generally secured by either a first or second 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.

We offer managerial assistance to our portfolio companies and provide them access to our investment experience, direct industry expertise and contacts. Our obligation to offer to make available significant managerial assistance to our portfolio companies is consistent with our belief that providing managerial assistance to a portfolio company is important to its business development activities.

Because we are internally managed, we do not pay any external investment advisory fees, but instead directly incur the operating costs associated with employing investment and portfolio management professionals. We believe that our internally managed structure provides us with a beneficial operating expense structure when compared to other publicly traded and privately held investment firms that are externally managed, and our internally managed structure allows us the opportunity to leverage our non-interest operating expenses as we grow our investment portfolio.

On March 31, 2023, Moody's Investors Service, Inc. assigned CSWC an investment grade long-term issuer rating of Baa3 with a stable outlook.

On April 22, 2020,26, 2023, the Board of Directors declared a total dividend of $0.51$0.59 per share, comprised of a regular dividend of $0.41$0.54 and a supplemental dividend of $0.10,$0.05, for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.2023. The record date for the dividend is June 15, 2020.2023. The payment date for the dividend is June 30, 2020.2023.

Our business strategy isWe intend to achieve our investment objective of producing attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating current income from our debt investments and realizing capital appreciation from our equity and equity-related investments. We have adopted the following businessinvestment strategies to achieve our investment objective:

Our investment team has identified the following investment criteria that we believe are important in evaluating prospective investment opportunities. However, not all of these criteria have been or will be met in connection with each of our investments: 

We have an investment committee that is responsible for all aspects of our investment process relating to investments made by us. The current members of the investment committee are Bowen Diehl, Chief Executive Officer,Officer; Michael Sarner, Chief

Our investment strategy involves a team approach, whereby our investment team screens potential transactions before they are presented to the investment committee for approval. Transactions that are either above a certain hold size or outside our general investment policy will also be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. Our investment team generally categorizes the investment process into six distinctive stages: 

We utilize an internally developed investment rating system to rate the performance of and monitor the expected level of returns for each debt investment in our portfolio.  The investment rating system takes into account both quantitative and qualitative factors of the portfolio company and the investments held therein, including each investment’s expected level of returns and the collectability of our debt investments, comparisons to competitors and other industry participants and the portfolio company’s future outlook.  The ratings are not intended to reflect the performance or expected level of returns of our equity investments.

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

 

We undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter in connection with determining the fair value of our investments. The valuation process is led by the finance department in conjunction with the investment teams and senior management. Valuations of each portfolio security are prepared quarterly by the finance department using updated portfolio company financial and operational information.  Each investment valuation is also subject to review by the executive officers and investment teams. 

 

In conjunction with the internal valuation process, we have engaged multiple independent consulting firms that specialize in financial due diligence, valuation and business advisory services to provide third-party valuation reviews of the majority of our investments on a quarterly basis. OurAs of March 31, 2023, our Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our determination of the fair value of each investment in our portfolio. Beginning as of the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2023, pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Board of Directors has designated a valuation committee comprised of certain officers of the Company (the "Valuation Committee") as its valuation designee to determine the fair value of the Company's investments that do not have readily available market quotations, subject to the oversight of the Board of Directors.

Moreover, to the extent that there is even a remote possibility that we may (i) issue shares of our common stock at a price below the then current NAV of our common stock at the time at which the sale is made or (ii) trigger the undertaking (which we providedwould provide to the SEC) to suspend the offering of shares of our common stock if the NAV fluctuates by certain amounts in certain circumstances, our Board of Directors or an authorized committee thereofValuation Committee will elect, in the case of clause (i) above, either to postpone the offering until such time that there is no longer the possibility of the occurrence of such event or to undertake to determine NAV within two days prior to any such sale to ensure that such sale will not be below our then current NAV, and, in the case of clause (ii) above, to comply with such undertaking or to undertake to determine NAV to ensure that such undertaking has not been triggered.

We compete for attractive investment opportunities with other financial institutions, including BDCs, junior capital lenders, and banks. We believe we are able to be competitive with these entities primarily on the basis of the experience and contacts of our management team and our responsive and efficient investment analysis and decision-making processes. However, many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do.  Furthermore, our competitors may have a lower cost of funds and many have access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, certain 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. Likewise, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions and valuation requirements that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.”

We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  In addition, because of this competition, we may be unable to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and may be unable to identify and make investments that satisfy our investment objectives or meet our investment goals.

We borrow funds to make investments, a practice known as “leverage,” in an attempt to increase returns to our shareholders. Effective April 25, 2019, we are allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the 1940 Act, equals at least 150% after such borrowing. Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a resolution whichthat limits the Company's issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, at any time after the effective date. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on management’s and our Board of Directors’ assessments of portfolio mix, prevailing market advance rates, and other market factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. See “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Business and Structure – Because we borrow money to make investments, the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested in us is magnified and may increase the risk of investing in us.” On August 11, 2021, we received an exemptive order from the SEC to permit us to exclude the senior securities issued by SBIC I or any future SBIC subsidiary of the Company from the definition of "senior securities" in the asset coverage requirement applicable to the Company under the 1940 Act.

We intend to continue borrowing under the Credit Facilityour senior secured credit facility (the "Credit Facility") in the future, and we may increase the size of the Credit Facility, add additional credit facilities, or otherwise issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness in the future, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.

See "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Liquidity and Capital Resources" as well as Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 20202023 for information regarding the Credit Facility the issuance of the December 2022 Notes and the issuance of the October 2024 Notes.

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, that provides for the reinvestment of dividends on behalf of our shareholders.shareholders in shares of our common stock. Under the DRIP, if we declare a dividend, registered shareholders who have opted into the DRIP as of the dividend record date will have their dividend automatically reinvested into additional shares of our common stock. The share requirements of the DRIP are satisfied through open market purchases of common stock by the DRIP plan administrator. Shares purchased in the open market to satisfy the DRIP requirements will be valued based upon the average price of the applicable shares purchased by the DRIP plan administrator, before any associated brokerage or other costs.

We are a closed-end, non-diversified investment company that has elected to be treatedregulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. In addition, we have elected, and intend to qualify annually, to be treated as a RIC.RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Our election to be regulated as a BDC and our election to be treated as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes have a significant impact on our operations. Some of the most important effects on our operations of our election to be regulated as a BDC and our election to be treated as a RIC are outlined below.

In accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and Article 6 of Regulation S-X, we report all of our investments, including debt investments, at market value or, for investments that do not have a readily available market value, at their “fair value” as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors. Changes in these values are reported through our Consolidated Statements of Operations under the caption of “net change in unrealized appreciation on investments.” See “Determination of Net Asset Value” above.

As a RIC, so long as we meet certain minimum distribution, source of income, and asset diversification requirements, we generally are requiredsubject to pay U.S. federal income taxestax only, and possibly a 4% U.S. federal excise tax, on the portion of our taxable income and gains that we do not timely distribute (actually or constructively) and certain built-in gains. Depending onOur U.S. federal income tax liability may be reduced to the level of taxable income earned in a tax year,extent that we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current yearmake certain distributions intoduring the nextfollowing calendar year and pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax on such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be distributed through a dividend declared prior to filing the final tax return related to the year that generated such taxable income.satisfy other procedural requirements. We intend to distribute to our shareholders substantially all of our income. We may, however, make deemed distributions to our shareholders of any retained net long-term capital gains. If this happens, our shareholders will be treated as if they received an actual distribution of the net capital gains and reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in us. Our shareholders also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable share of the corporate-level U.S. federal income tax we pay on the deemed distribution. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” We met the minimum distribution requirements for tax years 20182021 and 20172020 and intend to meet the minimum distribution requirements for tax year 2019.2022. We continually monitor our distribution requirements with the goal of ensuring compliance with the Code.   

In addition, we have a Taxable Subsidiary that holds a portion of one or more of our portfolio investments that are listed on the Consolidated Schedule of Investments. The Taxable Subsidiary is consolidated for financial reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, so that our consolidated financial statements reflect our investments in the portfolio companies owned by the Taxable Subsidiary. The purpose of the Taxable Subsidiary is to permit us to hold certain interests in portfolio companies that are organized as limited liability companies, or LLCs (or other forms of pass-through entities) and still satisfy the RIC tax requirement that at least 90% of our gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes must consist of qualifying investment income. Absent the Taxable Subsidiary, a proportionate amount of any gross income of a partnership or

As a BDC, we are required to meet a coverage ratio of total assets to total senior securities of at least 150%, which became effective April 25, 2019. Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a resolution whichthat limits the Company's issuance of senior securities such that thatour asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, at any time after the effective date. For this purpose, senior securities include all borrowings and any preferred stock we may issue in the future. Additionally, our ability to utilize leverage as a means of financing our portfolio of investments may be limited by this asset coverage requirement. While the use of leverage may enhance returns if we meet our investment objective, our returns may be reduced or eliminated if our returns on investments are less than the costs of borrowing. On August 11, 2021, we received an exemptive order from the SEC to permit us to exclude the senior securities issued by SBIC I or any future SBIC subsidiary of the Company from the definition of senior securities in the asset coverage requirement applicable to the Company under the 1940 Act.

As a BDC, we are required to have a majority of directors who are not “interested persons” as such term is(as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.Act) of the Company. In addition, we are required to comply with other applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, including those requiring the adoption of a code of ethics, maintaining a fidelity bond and placing and maintaining itsour securities and similar investments in custody. See “Regulation as a Business Development Company” below.

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 and principal underwriters as well as their respective affiliates.  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 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 holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

The 1940 Act defines “a majority of the outstanding voting securities” as the lesser of (1) 67% or more of the voting securities of holders present or represented by proxy at a meeting if the holders of more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy or (2) more than 50% of our voting securities.

The following is a brief description of the 1940 Act provisions applicable to BDCs, which is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 1940 Act and rules issued thereunder by the SEC.SEC:

The 1940 Act provides that we may not make an investmentacquire any assets other than "qualifiying assets" specified in non-qualifying assetsthe 1940 Act unless at the time of the investment at least 70% of the value of our total assets (measured as of the date of our most recently filed financial statements) consists of qualifying assets. Qualifying assets include: (1) securities of eligible portfolio companies; (2) securities of certain companies that were eligible portfolio companies at the time we initially acquired their securities and in which we retain a substantial interest; (3) securities of certain controlled companies; (4) securities of certain bankrupt, insolvent or distressed companies; (5) securities received in exchange for or distributed in or with respect to any of the foregoing; and (6) cash items, U.S. government securities and high-quality short-term debt. 

In orderBDCs generally must offer, and must provide upon request, significant managerial assistance to countcertain of their portfolio securities as qualifying assets forcompanies, except in circumstances where either (i) the purpose of the qualifying assets requirement, we must either control theBDC controls such issuer of the securities or must offer to make available to(ii) the issuer of the securities significant managerial assistance. However, where we purchaseBDC purchases such securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together and one of the other persons in the group may makemakes available such managerial assistance. Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, provides, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company.

Pending investment in other types of “qualifyingqualifying assets,” as described above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, short-term investments in secured debt investments, independently rated debt investments, and diversified bond funds, which we refer to as temporary investments.

BDCs generally have been permitted by the 1940 Act, under specific conditions, to issue multiple classes of debt and one class of stock senior to its common stock if its asset coverage, as defined by the 1940 Act, is at least 200% immediately after each such issuance. However, recent legislation has modified the 1940 Act by allowingallows a BDC to increase the maximum amount of leverage it may incur by reducing the minimum asset coverage ratio from 200% to 150%, if certain requirements under the 1940 Act are met. On April 25, 2018, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the application of the recently modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act. As a result, effective April 25, 2019, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the Company was decreased from 200% to 150%, which became effective April 25, 2019.. Additionally, the Board of Directors also approved a resolution whichthat limits the Company’s issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account any such issuance, would not be less than 166%, at any time after the effective date. We are required to make certain disclosures on our website and in SEC filings regarding, among other things, the receipt of approval to reduce itsour asset coverage requirement to 150%, itsour leverage capacity and usage, and risks related to leverage.

As of March 31, 2020,2023, we had $154.0$235.0 million, $77.1$140.0 million and 75.0$150.0 million in total aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding under our Credit Facility, December 2022the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes, respectively. As of March 31, 2020,2023, our asset coverage for borrowed amounts was 189%235%.

In addition, while any preferred stock or publicly traded debt securities are outstanding, we may be prohibited from making distributions to our shareholders or the repurchasing 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.  Under specific conditions, we are also permitted by the 1940 Act to issue warrants.

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 then current NAV of theour common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and that of our shareholders, and our shareholders 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 do not intend to seek shareholder authorization to sell shares of our common stock below the then current NAV per share of our common stock at our 20202023 annual meeting of shareholders. See "Risk Factors - Risks Relating to Our Business and Structure - Regulations governing our operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital."

We 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 those investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements. We have also adopted a code of conduct that applies to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer (or persons performing similar functions), our Board of Directors, and all other employees. This code sets forth policies that these executives and employees must follow when performing their duties. The code of ethics and code of conduct are available on the Company website at www.capitalsouthwest.com/governance.

We vote proxies relating to our portfolio securities in a manner in which we believe is consistent with the best interest of our shareholders. We review on a case-by-case basis each proposal submitted to a shareholder 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 that is responsible for monitoring the 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 of which he or she is aware. Shareholders 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 Financial Officer c/o Capital Southwest Corporation, 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway,8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 1300,1100, Dallas, Texas 75240.75225. 

We have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the U.S. federal securities laws, and we are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, andimplementation. We are further required to designate a Chief Compliance Officer to be responsible for administering these policies and procedures. Michael S. Sarner serves as our Chief Compliance Officer.

On October 26, 2010, we received an exemptive order from the SEC permitting usThe right to issuegrant restricted stock awards under the 2010 Restricted Stock Award Plan (the "2010 Plan") terminated on July 18, 2021, ten years after the date that the 2010 Plan was approved by the Company's shareholders pursuant to our executive officersits terms.

In connection with the termination of the 2010 Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors and certain keyshareholders approved the Capital Southwest Corporation 2021 Employee Restricted Stock Award Plan (the "2021 Employee Plan"), which became effective on July 28, 2021, as part of the compensation package for its employees, or the Original Order.terms of which are, in all material respects, identical to the 2010 Plan. On August 22, 2017,July 19, 2021, we received an exemptive order that supersedes the Original Order, or the Exemptive Order, and in additionprior exemptive order relating to the relief granted under2010 Plan (the “Order”) to permit the Original Order, allows usCompany to (i) issue restricted stock as part of the compensation package for its employees in the 2021 Employee Plan, and (ii) withhold shares of the Company’s common stock or purchase shares of the Company’s common stock from the participants to satisfy tax withholding obligations relatedrelating to the vesting of restricted stock granted pursuant to the 20102021 Employee Plan. In addition, the Company's Board of Directors and shareholders approved the Capital Southwest Corporation 2021 Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Award Plan or(the "Non-Employee Director Plan"), which became effective on July 27, 2022, as part of the 2010 Plan,compensation package for non-employee directors of the Board of Directors. In connection therewith, on May 16, 2022, we received an exemptive order that supersedes the Order (the "Superseding Order") and to paycovers both employees and non-employee directors of the exercise priceBoard of options to purchase shares of our common stock granted pursuant to the 2009 Stock Incentive Plan, or the 2009 Plan.Directors.

We may also be 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. The prior approval of the SEC is not required, however, where a transaction involves no negotiation of terms other than price.

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

The following discussion is a general summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to us and to an investment in our shares. This summary does not purport to be a complete description of the income tax considerations applicable to us or to investors in such an investment. For example, we have not described tax consequences that we assume to be generally known by investors or certain considerations that may be relevant to certain types of holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws, including shareholders subject to the alternative minimum tax, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, dealers in securities, pension plans and trusts, financial institutions, U.S. shareholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, persons who mark-to-market our shares and persons who hold our shares as part of a “straddle,” “hedge” or “conversion” transaction. This summary assumes that investors hold shares of our common stock as capital assets (within the meaning of the Code). The discussion is based upon the Code, Treasury regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations, each as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and all of which are subject to change, possibly retroactively, which could affect the continuing validity of this discussion. This summary does not discuss any aspects of U.S. estate or gift tax or foreign, state or local tax. It does not discuss the special treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws that could result if we invested in tax-exempt securities or certain other investment assets.

For purposes of our discussion, a “U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

For purposes of our discussion, a “Non-U.S.“non-U.S. shareholder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is neither a U.S. shareholder nor a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes).

If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a “partnership”) holds shares of our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner or member of the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner or member and the activities of the partnership. A prospective shareholder that is a partner or member in a partnership holding shares of our common stock should consult his, her or its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of our common stock.

Tax matters are very complicated and the tax consequences to an investor of an investment in our shares will depend on the facts of his, her, or its particular situation. We encourage investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the specific consequences of such an investment, including tax reporting requirements, the applicability of U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax laws, eligibility for the benefits of any applicable tax treaty and the effect of any possible changes in the tax laws.

We have elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally are not subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxestax on any income that we timely distribute to our shareholders from our tax earnings and profits. 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 generally must distribute to our shareholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our net ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of realized net short-term capital gain over realized net long-term capital loss, or the Annual Distribution Requirement. 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 year and pay a 4% U.S. federal excise tax onyear. In such income. Any such carryover taxable income must be

Provided that we qualify as a RIC, we will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain (which we define as net long-term capital gain in excess of net short-term capital loss) that we timely distribute to shareholders. We will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rates on any income or capital gain not distributed (or deemed distributed) to our shareholders.

We will be subject to a 4% nondeductible 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 ordinary income for each calendar year, (2) 98.2% of our capital gain net income for the onecalendar year period ended OctoberDecember 31 and (3) any income and gains recognized, but not distributed, in preceding years and on which we paid no U.S. federal income tax.

To the extent that we invest in entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”), we generally must include the items of gross income derived by the partnerships for purposes of the 90% Income Test, and the income that is derived from a partnership (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”) will be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test only to the extent that such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if realized by us directly. In addition, we generally must take into account our proportionate share of the assets held by partnerships (other than a “qualified publicly traded partnership”) in which we are a partner for purposes of the Diversification Tests.

In order to meet the 90% Income Test, we have established the Taxable Subsidiary to hold assets from which we do not anticipate earning dividend,dividends, interest or other income under the 90% Income Test. We may establish additional subsidiaries for the same purpose in the future. Any investments held through athe Taxable Subsidiary generally are subject to U.S. federal income and other taxes, and therefore we can expect to achieve a reduced after-tax yield on such investments.

We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive a corresponding payment in cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (including debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest or, in certain cases, increasing interest rates or issued with warrants), we must include in income each year a portion of the original issue discount or payment-in-kind interest 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 anticipate that a portion of our income may constitute original issue discount or other income required to be included in taxable income prior to receipt of cash.

Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of the accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our shareholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. As a result, we may have difficulty meeting

Furthermore, a portfolio company in which we invest may face financial difficulty that requires us to work-out, modify or otherwise restructure our investment in the portfolio company. Any such restructuring may result in unusable capital losses and future non-cash income. Any restructuring may also result in our recognition of a substantial amount of non-qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test, such as cancellation of indebtedness income in connection with the work-out of a leveraged investment (which, while not free from doubt, may be treated as non-qualifying income) or the receipt of other non-qualifying income.

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 gain or loss generally will be long-term or short-term, depending on how long we held a particular warrant.

Investments by us in non-U.S. securities may be subject to non-U.S. income, withholding and other taxes, and therefore, our yield on any such securities may be reduced by such non-U.S. taxes. Shareholders will generally not be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to non-U.S. taxes paid by us.

We are authorized to borrow funds and to sell assets in order to satisfy distribution requirements. Under the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to make distributions to our shareholders while our debt obligations and other senior securities are outstanding unless certain “asset coverage” tests are met. See “Regulation as a Business Development Company” above. 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 to avoid the excise tax, we may make such dispositions at times that are not advantageous from an investment standpoint, are not advantageous.standpoint.

If we fail to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement or otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, we will be subject to tax in that year on all of our taxable income, regardless of whether we make any distributions to our shareholders. In that case, all of such income will be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates, reducing the amount available to be distributed to our shareholders. See “Failure To Obtain RIC Tax Treatment” below.

As a RIC, we are not allowed to carry forward or carry back a net operating loss for purposes of computing our investment company taxable income in other taxable years. U.S. federal income tax law generally permits a RIC to carry forward (1) the excess of its net short-term capital loss over its net long-term capital gain for a given year as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the following year and (2) the excess of its net long-term capital loss over its net short-term capital gain for a given year as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the following year. Future transactions we engage in may cause our ability to use any capital loss carryforwards, and unrealized losses once realized, to be limited under Section 382 of the Code. Certain of our investment practices may be subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (1) disallow, suspend, or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (2) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain and qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (3) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (4) cause us to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (5) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (6) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (7) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test. We will monitor our transactions and may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these provisions.

As described above, to the extent that we invest in equity securities of entities that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the effect of such investments for purposes of the 90% Income Test and the Diversification Tests will depend on whether or not the partnership is a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (as defined in the Code). If the entity is a “qualified publicly traded partnership,” the net income derived from such investments will be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test and will be “securities” for purposes of the Diversification Tests. If the entity is not treated as a “qualified publicly traded partnership,” however, the consequences of an investment in the partnership will depend upon the amount and type of income and assets of the partnership allocable to us. The income derived from such investments may not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test and therefore could adversely affect our qualification as a RIC. We intend to monitor our investments in equity securities of entities that are treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes to prevent our disqualification as a RIC.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in cash or shares of our common stock at the election of each shareholder. Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable in cash or in shares of stock at the election of shareholders are treated as taxable dividends. The IRS has issued a revenue procedure indicating that this rule will apply where the total amount of cash to be distributed is not less than 20% of the total distribution (which has been temporarily reduced to 10% for distributions declared on or after April 1, 2020, and on or before December 31, 2020).distribution. Under this revenue procedure, if too many shareholders elect to receive their distributions in cash, each such shareholder 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. If we decide to make any distributions consistent with this revenue procedure that are payable in part in our common stock, taxable shareholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend (whether received in cash, our common stock, or a combination thereof) as ordinary income (or as 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

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 that year if certain relief provisions are applicable (which may, among other things, require us to pay certain corporate-level U.S. federal taxestax at corporate rates or to dispose of certain assets).

If we were unable to obtain tax treatment as a RIC, we would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to shareholders, nor would they be required to be made. Distributions would generally be taxable to our shareholders as dividend income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits (in the case of non-corporate U.S. shareholders, generally at a maximum federal income tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income of 20%). Subject to certain holding period and other limitations under the Code, corporate distributees wouldmay 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 shareholder’s adjusted tax basis, and any remaining distributions would be treated as a capital gain.

If we fail to meet the RIC requirements for more than two consecutive years and then seek to re-qualify as a RIC, we would be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxationtax at corporate rates on any built-in gain recognized during the succeeding 5-yearfive-year period, unless we made a special election to recognize all that built-in gain upon our re-qualification as a RIC and to pay the corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on thatsuch built-in gain.

Prospective investors should recognize that the present U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our common stock may be modified by legislative, judicial or administrative action at any time, and that any such action may affect investments and commitments previously made. The rules dealing withgoverning 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, resulting in revisions of regulations and revised interpretations of established concepts as well as statutory changes. Revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations thereof could affect the tax consequences of an investment in our common stock. See "Risk Factors – Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us."

The NASDAQ Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, has adopted corporate governance listing standards with which listed companies must comply in order to remain listed.  We believe that we are in compliance with these corporate governance listing standards.  We intend to monitor our compliance with future listing standards and to take all necessary actions to ensure that we remain in compliance.

We are subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of 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 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act") and regulations promulgated thereunder, which imposes a wide variety of regulatory requirements on publicly-held companies and their insiders.  For example:

Our ability to achieve our investment objective of maximizing risk-adjusted returns to shareholders depends on our ability to effectively allocate and manage capital.  Capital allocation depends in part upon our investment team’s ability to identify, evaluate, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria.

Accomplishing our investment objectives is largely a function of our investment team’s management of the investment process and our access to investments offering attractive risk adjusted returns.  In addition, members of our investment team aremay be called upon, from time to time, to provide managerial assistance to some of our portfolio companies. 

The results of our operations depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible shortshort- and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Our ability to make new investments at attractive relative returns is also a function of our marketing and our management of the investment process, as well as conditions in the private credit markets in which we invest. If we fail to invest our capital effectively, our return on equity may be negatively impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of the shares of our common stock.

As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market valuequotation is ascertainable,readily available, at the fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of DirectorsValuation Committee 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 could be an indication of a portfolio company’s inability to generate cash flow or meet its repayment obligations. This could result in realized losses in the future and ultimately in reductions of our income available to pay dividends or interest and principal on our securities and could have a material adverse effect on your investment.

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

All of our assets are currently pledged as collateral under our Credit Facility. If we default on our obligations under the Credit Facility, the lenders party thereto may have the right to foreclose upon and sell, or otherwise transfer, the collateral

We will have a continuing need for capital to finance our investments. As of March 31, 2020,2023, the Credit Facility provides us with a revolving credit line of up to $325.0$400.0 million of which $154.0$235.0 million was drawn.

The Credit Facility contains customary terms and conditions, including, without limitation, affirmative and negative covenants such as information reporting requirements, minimum consolidated net worth, minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio, minimum asset coverage, and maintenance of RIC tax treatment and BDC status. The Credit Facility also contains customary events of default with customary cure and notice provisions, including, without limitation, nonpayment, misrepresentation of representations and warranties in a material respect, breach of covenants, bankruptcy, and change of control. The Credit Facility permits us to fund additional loans and investments as long as we are within the conditions set out in the Credit Facility.

Our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, and there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. If we breach a covenant under the terms of the Credit Facility and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. Our failure to satisfy these covenants could result in foreclosure by our lenders, which would accelerate our repayment obligations under the credit facilityCredit Facility and thereby have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations, and ability to pay distributions to our shareholders.

Borrowings to fund investments, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and gain or loss on investments in our equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. We may borrow from banks and other lenders, including under our Credit Facility, and may issue debt securities or enter into other types of borrowing arrangements in the future. If the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause NAV to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. Similarly, any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged our business. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay common stock dividends, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. Use of leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

As of March 31, 2020,2023, we had $154.0$235.0 million debt outstanding out of $325$400 million of total commitments under our Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Credit Facility bear interest, on a per annum basis at a rate equal to the applicable LIBOR rate plus 2.50%.2.15% with no LIBOR floor. We pay unused commitment fees of 0.50% to 1.00% per annum, based on utilization, on the unused lender commitments under the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of our assets. If we are unable to meet theour financial obligations under the Credit Facility, the lenders under the Credit Facility may exercise itstheir remedies under the Credit Facility as the result of a default by us. On April 16, 2018 and May 11, 2018, CSWC entered into Incremental Assumption Agreements, which increased the total commitments under the Credit Facility by $20 million and $10 million, respectively. The increases were executed under the accordion feature of the Credit Facility and increased total commitments from $180 million to $210 million. On December 21, 2018, CSWC entered into the Amended and Restated Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement (the "Credit Agreement"), and a related Amended and Restated Guarantee, Pledge and Security Agreement, to amend and restate its Credit Facility. The Credit Agreement (1) increased the total commitments by $60 million from $210 million to an aggregate total of $270 million, provided by a diversified group of nine lenders, (2) increased the Credit Facility's accordion feature to $350 million under the Credit Facility from new and existing lenders on the same terms and conditions as the existing commitments, (3) reduced the interest rate on borrowings from LIBOR plus 3.00% to LIBOR plus 2.50%, subject to certain conditions as outlined in the Credit Agreement, (4) reduced the minimum asset coverage with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness from 200% to 150% after the date on which such minimum asset coverage is permitted to be reduced by the Company under applicable law, subject to certain conditions as outlined in the Credit Agreement, and (5) extended the Credit Facility's revolving period from November 16, 2020 to December 21, 2022 and the final maturity was extended from November 16, 2021 to December 21, 2023. On March 19, 2020, CSWC entered into an Incremental Assumption Agreement, which increased the total commitments under the Credit Facility by $30 million, which increased total commitments from $295 million to $325 million.

As of March 31, 2020,2023, the carrying amount of the December 2022January 2026 Notes was $75.8$139.1 million. The December 2022January 2026 Notes mature on December 15, 2022 and may be redeemed in whole or in part at any time, or from time to time, at our option on or after December 15, 2019. The December 2022 Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.95% per year, payable quarterly on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year. The December 2022 Notes are an unsecured obligation, rank pari passu with our other outstanding and future unsecured unsubordinated indebtedness and are effectively subordinated to all of our existing and future secured indebtedness, including borrowings under our Credit Facility.

Our ability to achieve our investment objective may depend in part on our ability to access additional leverage on favorable terms by borrowing from banks or insurance companies or by issuing debt securities and there can be no assurance that such additional leverage can in fact be achieved.

As a BDC, we are not permitted to acquire any assets other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets.

As of March 31, 2020, 88.1%2023, 86.1% of our total assets consistconsisted of qualifying assets. However, we may be precluded from investing in what we believe are attractive investments if those investments are not qualifying assets for purposes of the 1940 Act. Similarly, these rules could prevent us from making follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies, or we could be required to dispose of investments at inopportune or inappropriate times to comply with the 1940 Act (which could result in the dilution of our position). If we need to dispose of investments quickly, it could be difficult to dispose of such investments on favorable terms. We may not be able to find a buyer for such investments and, even if we do find a buyer, we may have to sell the investments at a substantial loss. Any such outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

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.

We have elected, and intend to qualify annually, thereafter, to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. No assurance can be given that we will be able to maintain our qualification as a RIC. 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 us having to dispose of certain unqualified investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC tax treatment. If we fail to maintain RIC tax treatment for any reason and are subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax, the resulting corporate-level taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions.  In addition, to the extent we hadhave unrealized gains, we would have to establish deferred tax liabilities, for taxes, which would reduce our NAV accordingly. In addition, our shareholders would lose the tax credit realized when we, as a RIC, decide to retain the net realized capital gain and make deemed distributions of net realized capital gains, and pay taxes on behalf of our shareholders at the end of the tax year.  The loss of this pass-through tax treatment could have a material adverse effect on the total return of an investment in our common stock.

Even ifIf we qualify for taxation as a RIC under the Code, we maygenerally will not be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets. In addition, we may hold some of our assets through our Taxable Subsidiary, which is not consolidated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or any other taxable subsidiaryon income that we may form. Any taxes paid by our subsidiary corporations would decrease the cash available for distributiontimely distribute to our shareholders.shareholders as dividends. Income derived through the Taxable Subsidiary will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates without regard to the Annual Distribution Requirement.

Under the 1940 Act, we are required to carry our portfolio investments at market value or, if there is no readily available market value,quotation, at fair value as determined in good faith by us, withthe Valuation Committee, subject to the oversight of our Board of Directors having final responsibility for overseeing, reviewing and approving, in good faith, our fair value determination.Directors. Typically, there is not a public market for the securities of the privately held companies in which we have invested and will continue to invest. As a result, we valuethe Valuation Committee values these securities quarterly at fair value based on inputs from management and our investment team along withand our third-party valuation firms, subject to the oversight review and approval of our Board of Directors.

The determination of fair value and, consequently, the amount of unrealized gains and losses in our portfolio are, to a certain degree, subjective and dependent on aour valuation process approved by our Board of Directors.process. Certain factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our investments include external events, such as private mergers, sales and acquisitions involving comparable companies. Because of the inherent uncertainty of the valuation of portfolio securities that do not have readily ascertainableavailable market values,quotations, our fair value determinations may differ materially from the values a third party would be

From time to time, capital markets may experience periods of disruption and instability.  The U.S. capital markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption following the global outbreak of coronavirus (“COVID-19”)COVID-19 that began in December 2019. Some economists2019 and major investment banks have expressed concernthe conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began in late February 2022 (see "Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may affect any market for our common stock, impact the continued spread of the COVID-19 globally could lead to a world-wide economic downturn.business in which we invest and harm our business, operating results and financial condition" for more information). Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy, as well as most other major economies, may continue to experience a recession, and we anticipate our businesses would be materially and adversely affected by a prolonged recession in the United States and other major markets. Disruptions in the capital markets have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets.

The economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak is having, and any future outbreakspandemic could have, an adverse impact on the ability of lenders to originate loans, the volume and type of loans originated, the ability of borrowers to make payments and the volume and type of amendments and waivers granted to borrowers and remedial actions taken in the event of a borrower default, each of which could negatively impact the amount and quality of loans available for investment by the Company and returns to the Company, among other things. With respect to the U.S. credit markets (in particular for middle-market loans), the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in, and until fully resolved is likely to continue to result in, the following, among other things: (i) increased draws by borrowers on revolving lines of credit and other financing instruments; (ii) increased requests by borrowers for amendments and waivers of their credit agreements to avoid default, increased defaults by such borrowers and/or increased difficulty in obtaining refinancing at the maturity dates of their loans; and (iii) greater volatility in pricing and spreads and difficulty in valuing loans during periods of increased volatility;volatility and (iv) rapidly evolving proposals and/or actions by state and federal governments to address problems being experienced by the markets and by businesses and the economy in general which will not necessarily adequately address the problems facing the loan market and middle-market businesses.liquidity issues. These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 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 limitand our ability to grow and could also have a material negative impact on our operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments. We may have to access, if available, alternative markets for debt and equity capital, and a severe disruption in the global financial markets, deterioration in credit and financing conditions or uncertainty regarding U.S. government spending and deficit levels or other global economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Past economic downturns or recessions have had a significant negative impact on the operating performance and fair value of middle market companies. For example, between 2008 and 2009, the U.S. and global capital markets were unstable, as evidenced by periodic disruptions in liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of major financial institutions.  Despite actions of the U.S. federal government and foreign governments, these events contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular.  

Equity capital may be difficult to raise during periods of adverse or volatile market conditions because, subject to some limited exceptions, as a BDC, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than NAV without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our shareholders and our directors who are not "interested persons" (as such term is used under Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Company, or independent directors. Volatility and dislocation in the capital markets can also create a challenging environment in which to raise or access debt capital. If the current market conditions (which are similar to those experienced from 2008 through 2009,2009) continue for any substantial length of time, it could make it difficult to refinance or extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness or obtain new indebtedness with similar terms and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business.  The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than what we currently experience, including being at a higher cost in a rising interest rate environment.  If any of these conditions appear, they may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.  These events could limit our investment originations, limit our ability to increase returns to equity holders through the effective use of leverage, and negatively impact our operating results.

Government authorities worldwide have taken increased measures to stabilize the markets and support economic growth. The success of these measures is unknown and they may not be sufficient to address the market dislocations or avert severe and prolonged reductions in economic activity.

We also facedface an increased risk of investor, creditor or portfolio company disputes, litigation, and governmental and regulatory scrutiny as a result of the effects of COVID-19 on economic and market conditions.

Depending on the duration and extent of the disruption to the business operations of our portfolio companies, we expect some portfolio companies, particularly those in vulnerable industries, to experience financial distress and possibly to default on their financial obligations to us and/or their other capital providers. In addition, if such portfolio companies are subjected to prolonged and severe financial distress, we expect some of them to substantially curtail their operations, defer capital expenditures, and lay off workers. These developments would be likely to permanently impair their businesses and result in a reduction in the value of our investments in them.

Social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) could occur, potentially creating uncertainty and significantly impacting issuers, industries, governments and other systems, including the financial markets, to which companies and their investments are exposed. As global systems, economies and financial markets are increasingly interconnected, events that once had only local impact are now more likely to have regional or even global effects. Events that occur in one country, region or financial market will, more frequently, adversely impact issuers in other countries, regions, or markets, including in established markets, such as the United States. These impacts can be exacerbated by failures of governments and societies to adequately respond to an emerging event or threat.

Although it is impossible to predict the precise nature and consequences of these events, or of any political or policy decisions and regulatory changes occasioned by emerging events or uncertainty on applicable laws or regulations that impact us, our revenue growthportfolio companies and our investments, it is clear that these types of events are impacting us and our portfolio companies and will, for at least some time, continue to impact us and our portfolio companies; further, in many instances, the impact will be adverse and profound.

Our business faces increasing public scrutiny related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) activities. We risk damage to our brand and reputation if we fail to act responsibly in a number of areas, such as environmental stewardship, corporate governance and transparency. Adverse incidents with respect to ESG activities could impact the value of our brand, the cost of our operations and relationships with investors, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Additionally, new regulatory initiatives related to ESG could adversely affect our business. For example, the SEC has announced that it may require disclosure of certain ESG-related matters. At this time, there is uncertainty regarding the scope of such proposals or when they would become effective (if at all). Compliance with any new laws or regulations increases our regulatory burden and could make compliance more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which we or our prospective portfolio companies conduct our businesses and adversely affect our profitability.

U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of credit-rating downgrades, or a recession in the U.S. Although U.S. lawmakers have passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, including in December 2021, ratings agencies have threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. The impact of the increased debt ceiling and/or downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or concerns about its creditperceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the U.S. and deficit levels in generalglobal financial markets and economic conditions. Absent further quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, these developments could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, a decreased U.S. government credit rating could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which may weigh heavily on our financial performance and the value of our common stock.

The Republican Party currently controlsIn addition, disagreement over the executive branchfederal budget has caused the U.S. federal government to shut down for periods of time resulting in, among other things, inadequate funding for and/or the shutdown of certain government agencies, including the SEC and the Senate portionSBA, on which the operation of our business may rely. Inadequate funding for and/or the legislative branch of government, which increases the likelihood that legislation may be adopted that could significantly affect the regulation of U.S. financial markets. Areas subject to potential change, amendment or repeal include the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the authority of the Federal Reserve and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. For example, in March 2018, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that eased financial regulations and reduced oversight for certain entities. We cannot predict the effectsshutdown of these or similar eventsother government agencies prevents them from performing their normal business functions, which could impact, among other things, (i) our and our portfolio companies’ ability to access the public markets and obtain necessary capital in order to, among other things, properly capitalize, continue or expand operations, or, in the future oncase of portfolio investments held by us, liquidate such investments; (ii) the ability for SBIC I to originate loans; and (iii) the ability of other governmental agencies to timely review and process regulatory submissions of our portfolio companies, as applicable. Continued adverse political and economic conditions, including a prolonged U.S. economy and securities markets or on our investments. We monitor developments and seek to manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.

In June 2016,The financial markets recently have encountered volatility associated with concerns about the United Kingdom held a referendum inbalance sheets of banks, especially small and regional banks that may have significant losses associated with investments that make it difficult to fund demands to withdraw deposits and other liquidity needs. Although the federal government has announced measures to assist these banks and protect depositors, some banks have already been impacted and others may be materially and adversely impacted. Our business is dependent on bank relationships, including small and regional banks, and we are proactively monitoring the financial health of banks with which a majority of voters voted in favor of Brexit, and, subsequently, on March 29, 2017, the U.K. government began the formal process of leaving the European Union. The United Kingdom formally left the European Union on January 31, 2020 and immediately entered a transition period set to expire on December 31, 2020. Brexit has created political and economic uncertainty, particularly in the United Kingdom and the European Union, and this uncertaintywe (or our portfolio companies) do or may last for years. Events that could occur in the future as a consequencedo business. To the extent that our portfolio companies work with banks that are negatively impacted by the foregoing, such portfolio companies’ ability to access their own cash, cash equivalents and investments may be threatened. In addition, such affected portfolio companies may not be able to enter into new banking arrangements or credit facilities or receive the benefits of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal, including the possible breakup of the United Kingdom, may continue to cause significant volatility in globaltheir existing banking arrangements or credit facilities. Any such developments could harm our business, financial markets, including in global currencycondition, and credit markets. This volatility could cause a slowdown in economic activity in the United Kingdom, Europe or globally, which could adversely affect our operating results, and growth prospects. Any of these effects of Brexit, and others we cannot anticipate, could have unpredictable consequences for credit markets andprevent us from fully implementing our investment plan. Continued strain on the banking system may adversely affectimpact our business, financial condition and results of operations and financial performance.operations.

We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations 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. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may be changed from time to time, and new laws and regulations may be enacted. Any change in the laws or regulations, the interpretations of thesuch laws and regulations, or newly enacted laws or

We compete for attractive investment opportunities with other financial institutions, including BDCs, junior capital lenders, and banks.  Some of these competitors are substantially larger and have greater financial, technical and marketing resources, and some are subject to different, and frequently less stringent, regulations.  Our competitors may have a lower cost of funds and may have access to funding sources that are not available to us.  Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a BDC and the Code imposes on us as a RIC.  As a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that satisfy our objectives.  A significant increase in the number and/or size of our competitors in our target market could force us to accept less attractive investment terms, which may impact our return on these investments.  We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Sourcing, selecting, structuring and closing our investments depends upon the diligence and skill of our management.  Our management’s capabilities may significantly impact our results of operations.  Our success requires that we retain investment and operations personnel in a competitive environment.  Our ability to attract and retain personnel with the requisite credentials, experience and skills depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to offer competitive wages, benefits and professional growth opportunities. Many of the entities, including investment funds (such as private equity funds and debt funds) and traditional financial services companies, with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we have.

The competitive environment for qualified personnel may require us to take certain measures to ensure that we are able to attract and retain experienced personnel.  Such measures may include increasing the attractiveness of our overall compensation packages, altering the structure of our compensation packages through the use of additional forms of compensation or other steps.  The inability to attract and retain experienced personnel could potentially have an adverse effect on our business.

The 1940 Act generally prohibits BDCs from incurring indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing it has 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). However, on March 23, 2018, the SBCAA was signed into law, which included various changes to regulations under the federal securities laws that impact BDCs. The SBCAA included changes to the 1940 Act to allow BDCs to decrease their asset coverage requirement from 200% to 150%, if certain requirements are met. On April 25, 2018, the Board of Directors, including a “required majority” (as such term is defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Board of Directors, approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a)(2) of the 1940 Act. As a result, the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to the Company was decreased from 200% to 150%, which became effective April 25, 2019. Additionally, the Board of Directors also approved a resolution whichthat limits the Company’s issuance of senior securities such that the asset coverage ratio, taking into account such issuance, would not be less than 166%, at any time after the effective date. We are required to make certain disclosures on our website and in SEC filings regarding, among other things, the receipt of approval to reduce its asset coverage requirement to 150%, its leverage capacity and usage, and risks related to leverage. In addition, on August 11, 2021, we received an exemptive order from the SEC to permit us to exclude the senior securities issued by SBIC I or any future SBIC subsidiary of the Company from the definition of senior securities in the asset coverage requirement applicable to the Company under the 1940 Act.

Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique and increases the risk of investing in our securities. Leverage magnifies the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and on invested equity capital. As we use leverage

WeAs a public entity, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxleyreporting requirements of the Exchange Act and requirements of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. Among other requirements, under Section 404 of theThe Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and rulesprocedures and regulations of the SEC thereunder, our management is required to report on our internal controls over financial reporting. We are requiredIn order to review on an annual basismaintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, over financial reporting,significant resources and on a quarterly and annual basis to evaluate and disclose significant changes in our internal controls over financial reporting.management oversight are required. We have implemented procedures, processes, policies and expectpractices for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to continue to incur significant expenses related to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will negatively impact our financial performance and our ability to make distributions. In addition, this process results in a diversion ofpublic companies. These activities may divert management’s time and attention. In the event that we are unable to maintain compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Actattention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and related rules, we may be adversely affected.cash flows.

We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from participating in certain transactions with certain of our affiliates without the prior approval 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 generally are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to an 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 are prohibited from buying or selling any security from or to that person or certain of that person’s affiliates, or entering into prohibited joint transactions with that person, absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability to transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates.

Our business will requirerequires capital to operate and grow. We may acquire such additional capital from the following sources:

Legislative or other actions relating to taxes could have a negative effect on us. The rules dealing withgoverning U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Congress passed tax reform legislation in December 2017, which the President signed into law. This legislation made many changes to the Code, including 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 us, our shareholders, or our portfolio investments. New legislation and any U.S. Treasury regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions interpreting such legislation or regulations could significantly and negatively affect our ability to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC or the U.S. federal income tax consequences to us and our shareholders of such qualification, or could have other adverse consequences. Shareholders 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 our securities.

Our business is highly dependent on our and third parties’ communications and information systems. Any failure or interruption of those systems, including as a result of the termination of an agreement with any third-party service providers, could cause delays or other problems in our activities. Our financial, accounting, data processing, backup or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control and adversely affect our business. There could be:

These events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.

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 ofa terrorist attack or war, events unanticipated in 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. If a significant number of our employees were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct our business could be severely compromised.

We, and the third-party service providers with which we do business, 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

Third parties with which we do business may also be sources of cybersecurity or other technological risks. We outsource certain functions, and these relationships allow for the storage and processing of our information, as well as customer, counterparty, employee and borrower information. Cybersecurity failures or breaches by service providers (including, but not limited to, accountants, transfer agents, and custodians), and the issuers of securities in which we invest, also have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with our ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of our stockholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputation damages, reimbursement of other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. While we engage in actions to reduce our exposure resulting from outsourcing, ongoing threats may result in unauthorized access, loss, exposure or destruction of data, or other cybersecurity incidents that affect our data, resulting inwith increased costs and other consequences, including those as described above. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future.

WePrivacy and information security laws and regulation changes, and compliance with those changes, may result in cost increases due to system changes and the development of new administrative processes. In addition, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures and to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from operational and security risks.

Our service providers are currentlymay be impacted by quarantines and similar measures being enacted by governments in response to COVID-19,operating restrictions, which are obstructing the regular functioning of business workforces (includingmay include requiring employees to continue to work from external locationsremote locations. Policies of extended periods of remote working could strain technology resources, introduce operational risks and their homes).otherwise heighten the risks described above. Remote working environments may be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks, including phishing and social engineering attempts that seek to exploit weaknesses in a remote work environment. Accordingly, the risks described above are heightened under current conditions.conditions, which may continue for an unknown duration.

Terrorist attacks, acts of war or natural disasters may disrupt our operations, as well as the operations of the businesses in which we invest.  These events have created, and continue to create, economic and political uncertainties and have contributed to global economic instability.  Future terrorist activities, military or security operations, or natural disasters could further weaken the domestic or global economy.  These events could create additional uncertainties, which may negatively impactaffect the businesses in which we invest directly or indirectly and, in turn, could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial condition.  Losses from terrorist attacks and natural disasters are generally uninsurable.

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. Shareholder activism, which could take many forms or arise in a variety of situations, has been increasing in the BDC space recently.space. While we are currently not subject to any securities litigation or shareholder activism, due to the potential volatility of our stock price and for a variety of other reasons, we may in the future become the target of securities litigation or shareholder activism. Securities litigation and shareholder 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 shareholder 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 shareholder 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 shareholder activism.

We primarily invest in privately held U.S. middle-marketmiddle market companies. Investments in privately held middle-marketmiddle market companies involve a number of significant risks, including the following:

In addition, in the course of providing significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies, certain of our officers and directors may serve as directors on the boards of these companies. To the extent that litigation arises out of our investments in these companies, our officers and directors may be named as defendants in such litigation, which could result in an expenditure of funds for claims in excess of our directors’ and officers’ insurance coverage (through our indemnification of our officers and directors) and the diversion of management’s time and resources.

We invest, and will continue to invest, in portfolio companies whose securities are not publicly traded. These securities generally are generally subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. As a result, we do not expect to achieve liquidity in our investments in the near-term. 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 and, as a result, we may suffer losses.

Portfolio companies may fail to satisfy financial, operating or other covenants imposed by us or other lenders, which could lead to a defaultnon-payment of interest and other defaults and, potentially, acceleration of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets.  These events could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize the portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations, including under the debt or equity securities we hold.  We may also incur expenses to the extent necessary to recover upon a default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with the defaulting portfolio company.

We may purchase common stock and other equity securities, including warrants.warrants, alongside our debt investments. 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’scompany'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.

Because we have borrowed and intend to continue to borrow money to make investments, our cost of capital, the value of investments and net investment income.

In the current and any future periods of rising interest rates, may also adversely impactto the extent we borrow money subject to a floating interest rate (such as under the Credit Facility), our returns on temporary investments,cost of funds would increase, which wouldcould reduce our net investment income.income if there is not a corresponding increase in interest income generated by our investment portfolio. Further, rising interest rates could also adversely affect our performance if we hold investments with floating interest rates, subject to specified minimum (or “floor”) interest rates, while at the same time engaging in borrowings subject to floating interest rates not subject to such minimums. In addition, certainsuch a scenario, rising interest rates may temporarily increase our interest expense, even though our interest income from investments is not increasing in a corresponding manner if market rates remain lower than the existing floor rate.

If interest rates continue to rise, there is also a risk that portfolio companies in which we hold floating rate loans will be unable to pay escalating interest amounts, which could increase the risk of payment defaults and cause the portfolio companies to defer or cancel needed investment. Any failure of one or more portfolio companies to repay or refinance its debt at or prior to maturity or the inability of one or more portfolio companies to make ongoing payments following an increase in contractual interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. The value of our debt investments and debt liabilities may bear interest at fixed rates.  To the extent that our fixed rate assets and liabilities are not perfectly hedged, our net investment income may decrease based on changes in market interest rates.  Ansecurities could also be reduced from an increase in market interestcredit spreads as rates may also decrease the fair value ofavailable to investors could make an investment in our fixed rate investments, as these may besecurities less attractive securities in a rising rate environment. than alternative investments.

Even though we may have structured our investments as secured debt, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, depending on the facts and circumstances, and based upon principles of equitable subordination, a bankruptcy court could subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors and transfer any lien securing our subordinated claim to the bankruptcy estate. The principles of equitable subordination based on case law generally provide that a claim may be subordinated only if its holder is guilty of misconduct or where the secured debt is re-characterized as an equity investment and the senior lender has actually provided significant managerial assistance to the bankrupt debtor. We may also be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by us with respect to a borrower’s business or instances where we 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 or actions to compel and collect payments from the borrower outside the ordinary course of business.

We may not have the ability to make additional investments in our portfolio companies.  After our initial investment in a portfolio company, we may be called upon from time to time to provide additional funds to that company or have the opportunity to increase our investment or make follow-on investments.  Any decisions not to make a follow-on investment or any inability on our part to make such an investment may have a negative impact on a portfolio company in need of such an investment, may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation, or may reduce the expected return on the investment.

The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is an index rate that historically has been widely used in lending transactions and remains a common reference rate for setting the floating interest rate on private loans. LIBOR typically has been the reference rate used in floating-rate loans extended to our portfolio companies and, to some degree, is expected to continue to be used as a reference rate until such time that private markets have fully transitioned to using the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), or other alternative reference rates recommended by applicable market regulators. Uncertainty relating to the LIBOR calculation process, the valuation of LIBOR alternatives, and other economic consequences from the phasing out of LIBOR may adversely affect the valueour results of the LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities in our portfolio.operations, financial condition and liquidity.

On July 27, 2017,March 5, 2021, the U.K.United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intendsthe ICE Benchmark Administration ("IBA") (the entity regulated by the FCA that is responsible for calculating LIBOR) had notified the FCA of its intent, among other things, to stop persuadingcease providing overnight, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months USD LIBOR tenors after June 30, 2023 and all other tenors after December 31, 2021. On November 16, 2021, the FCA issued a statement confirming that starting January 1, 2022, entities supervised by the FCA will be prohibited from using LIBORs, including USD LIBOR, that will be discontinued as of December 31, 2021 as well as, except in very limited circumstances, those tenors of USD LIBOR that will be discontinued or compellingdeclared non-representative after June 30, 2023. While LIBOR will cease to exist or be declared non-representative, there continues to be uncertainty regarding the nature of potential changes to specific USD LIBOR tenors, the development and acceptance of alternative reference rates and other reforms.

Central banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. We have exposure to LIBOR, includingand regulators in financial instruments that mature after 2021. Our exposure arises from the valuea number of our portfolio of LIBOR-indexed, floating-rate debt securities.

New York and several other states have further effectpassed laws intended to apply to U.S. dollar LIBOR-based contracts, securities, and instruments governed by those states’ laws. These laws established fallbacks for LIBOR when there is no or insufficient fallback rates in these contracts. The federal Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act (the “LIBOR Act”) was signed into law on March 15, 2022. The federal legislation provides a statutory fallback mechanism on a nation-wide basis to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR transition plans. with a benchmark rate, selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR, for certain contracts that reference U.S. dollar LIBOR and contain no or insufficient fallback provisions. The New York and other state laws were superseded by the LIBOR Act. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted a final rule implementing certain provisions of the LIBOR Act (“Regulation ZZ”). Regulation ZZ specifies that on the LIBOR replacement date, which is the first London banking day after June 30, 2023, the Federal Reserve Board-selected benchmark replacement, based on SOFR and including any tenor spread adjustment as provided by Regulation ZZ, will replace references to overnight, 1, 3, 6, and 12-month LIBOR in certain contracts that do not mature before the LIBOR replacement date and that do not contain adequate fallback language. Regulation ZZ could apply to certain of our investments that reference LIBOR to the extent that they do not have fallback provisions or adequate fallback provisions.

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

Certain loans that we make are either 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 commercial banks or other traditional lenders, or in the case of unsecured subordinated debt, we have no lien at all on the assets. 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

We invest primarily in the secured term debt of middle market companies and equity issued by middle market companies. Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the debt in which we invest. By their terms, these debt instruments may entitle the holders to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments with respect to the debt instruments in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution. After repaying its senior creditors, the portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of debt ranking equally with debt instruments in which we invest, we

The market price of our common stock will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. Our common stock is intended for long-term investors and should not be treated as a trading vehicle. 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:

The investments we make in accordance with our investment objectives 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.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQNasdaq Global Select Market.  Shareholders desiring liquidity may sell their shares on The NASDAQNasdaq Global Select Market at current market value, which could be below NAV.  Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at discounts from NAV, which is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that a fund’s performance will cause its NAV to decrease. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below NAV. In addition, if our common stock trades below our NAV per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional common stock at the market price unless our shareholders approve such a sale and our Board of Directors make certain determinations. See “-Shareholders“Shareholders may incur dilution if we sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings at prices below the then current NAV per share of our common stock or issue securities that are convertible to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of our common stock” for a discussion of the risks related to us issuing shares of our common stock below NAV.

The December 2022Each of the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes (collectively, the “Notes”) willare not be secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of any of our subsidiaries. As a result, the Notes will beare effectively subordinated to any existing and future secured indebtedness we or our subsidiaries have outstanding as of the date of this prospectus supplementcurrently incurred (including our Credit Facility) or that we or our subsidiaries may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured as to which we subsequently grant a security interest) 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 secured indebtedness or secured indebtedness of our subsidiaries 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. As of March 31, 2020,2023, we had $154.0$235.0 million in outstanding indebtedness under our Credit Facility, which is secured by (1) substantially all of the present and future property and assets of the Company and the guarantors and (2) 100.0% of the equity interests in the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries.wholly owned subsidiaries (except for the assets held in SBIC I).

The respective indenture under which the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes were issued offer limited protection to holders of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes. The terms of the respective indenture and the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes do not restrict our or any of our subsidiaries’ 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 yourthe investment inof the Notes.holders of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, respectively. In particular, the terms of the respective indenture and the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes will not place any restrictions on our or our subsidiaries’ ability to:

In addition, the respective indenture governing the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes will require us to make an offer to purchase the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes in connection with a change of control or any other event.event, respectively.

Furthermore, the terms of the respective indenture and the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes do not protect holders of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, respectively, 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 or our subsidiaries adhere to any financial tests or ratios or specified levels of net worth, revenues, income, cash flow, or liquidity.

Our ability to recapitalize, incur additional debt (including additional debt that matures sooner thanprior to the maturity of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes), and take a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of each of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes may have important consequences for you as a holder of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, including making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the December 2022January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes or negatively affecting the market value of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes.

Other debt we issue or incur in the future could contain more protections for its holders than the respective indenture and the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, including additional covenants and events of default. The issuance or incurrence of any such debt with incremental protections could affect the market for, trading levels, and prices of the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes.

Upon a Change of Control Repurchase Event (as defined in the relevant indenture), holders of the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes may require us to repurchase for cash some or all of the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes, respectively, at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount of the January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes, respectively, being repurchased, plus their respective accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the repurchase date. We may not be able to repurchase the January 2026 Notes and/or the October 20242026 Notes upon a Change of Control Repurchase Event because we may not have sufficient funds. Before making any such repurchase of the January 2026 Notes or the October 20242026 Notes, we would also have to comply with certain requirements under our Credit Facility, to the extent such requirements remain in effect at such time, or otherwise obtain consent from the lenders under our Credit Facility. The terms of our Credit Facility also provide that certain change of control events will constitute an event of default thereunder entitling the lenders to accelerate any indebtedness outstanding under our Credit Facility at that time and to terminate our Credit Facility. In addition, the occurrence of a Change of Control Repurchase Event enabling the holders of the January 2026 Notes and/or the October 20242026 Notes to require the mandatory purchase of the January 2026 Notes and/or the October 20242026 Notes, respectively, would likely constitute an event of default under our Credit Facility, entitling the lenders to accelerate any indebtedness outstanding under our Credit Facility at that time and to terminate our Credit Facility. Our and our subsidiaries' future financing facilities may contain similar restrictions and provisions. Our failure to purchase such tendered January 2026 Notes or the October 20242026 Notes upon the occurrence of such Change of Control Repurchase Event would cause an event of default under the respective indenture governing the January 2026 Notes or the October 20242026 Notes, respectively, and a cross-default under the agreements governing certain of our other indebtedness, including under the agreements governing our Credit Facility, which may result in the acceleration of such indebtedness requiring us to repay that indebtedness immediately. If the holders of the January 2026 Notes or the October 20242026 Notes exercise their respective right to require us to repurchase the

While a trading market developed after issuing the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, we cannot assure you that an active and liquid market for the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes will be maintained. We do not intend to list the January 2026 Notes or the October 2026 Notes on any securities exchange or for quotation of the January 2026 Notes or the October 2026 Notes on any automated dealer quotation system. If the January 2026 Notes or the October 2026 Notes are traded after their initial issuance, they may trade at a discount to their public offering price depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities, our credit ratings, our financial condition, performance and prospects, general economic conditions, including the impact of COVID-19, or other relevant factors. The underwriters may discontinue any market-making in the January 2026 Notes or the October 2026 Notes at any time at their sole discretion. In addition, any market-making activity will be subject to limits imposed by law. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that a liquid trading market will be maintained for the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, that holders will be able to sell their respective January 2026 Notes or October 2026 Notes at a particular time or that the price the holder receive when he or she sell will be favorable. To the extent an active trading market is not maintained, the liquidity and trading price for the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes may from time to time be significantly affected by numerous factors, including:adversely affected.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under our Credit Facility, the respective indenture governing the December 2022January 2026 Notes orand the October 20242026 Notes, or other indebtedness to which we may be a party that is not waived by the required lenders or holders, and the remedies sought by lenders or the holders of such indebtedness could make us unable to pay principal, premium, if any, and interest on the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 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 (including the Credit Facility, the December 2022January 2026 Notes and the October 20242026 Notes), we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness, including the Notes. 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 lenders under the Credit Facility or other debt we may incur in the future could elect to terminate their commitment, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow in the future is, to some extent, subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors as well as other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations, or that future borrowings will be available to us under the Credit Facility or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to enable us to meet our payment obligations under the Notes, our other debt, and to fund other liquidity needs.

If our operating performance declines and we are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt obligations, we may in the future need to refinance or restructure our debt, including the Notes, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, seek to raise additional capital or seek to obtain waivers from the lenders under the Credit Facility, the holders of the Notes, or other debt that we may incur in the future to avoid being in default. If we are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, we may not be able to meet our payment obligations under the Notes and our other debt. If we breach our covenants under the Credit Facility, the respective indenture governing the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, or any of our other debt and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders or holders thereof. If this occurs, we would be in default under the Credit Facility, the Notes, the respective indenture governing the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, or other debt, the lenders or holders could exercise 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 the Credit Facility has, and any future credit facilities will likely have, customary cross-default provisions, if the indebtedness under the January 2026 Notes and the October 2026 Notes, the Credit Facility or under any future credit facility is accelerated, we may be unable to repay or finance the amounts due.

While we intend to pay dividends to our shareholders out of taxable income available for distribution, there can be no assurance that we will do so. Any dividends that we do pay may be payable in cash, in our common stock, or in stock in any of our holdings or in a combination of all three. All dividends will be paid at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC tax treatment, and compliance with applicable BDC regulations.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our common stock.  Under certain applicable provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations, distributions payable by us in cash or in shares of stock (at the shareholders election) would satisfy the annual distribution requirement for a RIC. The IRS has issued a revenue procedure providing that a dividend payable in stock or in cash at the election of the shareholders will be treated as a taxable dividend eligible for the dividends paid deduction provided that at least 20% of the total dividend is payable in cash and certain other requirements are satisfied. Taxable shareholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such dividend 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. shareholder may be required to pay tax with respect

Delays in investing the net proceeds raised in an offering may cause our performance to be worse than that of other fully invested BDCs or other lenders or investors pursuing comparable investment strategies. We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify any investments that meet our investment objective or that any investment that we make will produce a positive return. We may be unable to invest the net proceeds of any offering on acceptable terms within the time period that we anticipate or at all, which could harm our financial condition and operating results.

In the event that we cannot invest our net proceeds as desired we will invest the net proceeds from any offering primarily in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the time of investment. These securities may have lower yields than our other investments and accordingly may result in lower distributions, if any, during such period.

Texas law and our charter contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making difficult a change in control. The existence of these provisions, among others, may have a negative impact on the price of our common stock and may discourage third-party bids for ownership of our company.the Company. These provisions may prevent any premiums being offered to you for our common stock. 

We do not own any real estate or other physical properties. We maintain our offices at 5400 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway,8333 Douglas Avenue, Suite 1300,1100, Dallas, Texas 75240,75225, where we lease approximately 9,26113,000 square feet of office space pursuant to a lease agreement expiring in February 2022.September 2032. We believe that our offices are adequate to meet our current and expected future needs. 

We and our subsidiaries may, from time to time, be involved in litigation arising out of our operations in the normal course of business or otherwise. Furthermore, third parties may try to seek to impose liability on us in connection with the activities of our portfolio companies. As of the date hereof, we and our subsidiaries are not a party to, and none of our assets are subject to, any material pending legal proceedings and are not aware of any claims that could have a materially adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Not applicable.

We generally intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our shareholders of substantially all of our taxable income. In order to avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we must 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 onecalendar year period ended each OctoberDecember 31, and (3) any ordinary income and net capital gains for the preceding year that were not distributed during that year. We will not be subject to excise taxes on amounts on which we are required to pay corporate income tax (such as retained net capital gains). In order to obtain the tax benefits applicable to RICs, we will be required to distribute to our shareholders with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses. Depending on the level of taxableWe may be subject to U.S. federal income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year distributions into the next year and pay a 4% U.S. federal

We may retain for investment realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses. We may make deemed distributions to our shareholders of any retained net capital gains. If this happens, our shareholders will be treated as if they received an actual distribution of the capital gains we retain and then reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in our common stock. Our shareholders also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable share of the tax we paid on the capital gains deemed distributed to them. Please refer to “Business —Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” included in Item 1 of Part I of this Annual Report for further information regarding the consequences of our retention of net capital gains. We may, in the future, make actual distributions to our shareholders of some or all realized net long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses. Our ability to make distributions in the future may be limited by our Credit Facility, the indenture and related supplementsindentures governing each of our December 2022January 2026 Notes and our October 20242026 Notes and the 1940 Act. For a more detailed discussion, see “Business — Election to be Regulated as a Business Development Company – Regulation as a Business Development Company,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Note 5” to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10K.10-K.

We have adopted a DRIP which provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our common shareholders if opted into by a common shareholder. See “Business — Dividend Reinvestment Plan” included in Item I of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Shareholders who receive dividends in the form of stock generally are subject to the same federal, state and local tax consequences as are shareholders who elect to receive their dividends in cash. A shareholder’s basis for determining gain or loss upon the sale of stock received in a dividend from us will be equal to the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to the shareholder. Any stock received in a dividend will have a holding period for tax purposes commencing on the day following the day on which the shares are credited to the U.S. shareholder’s account.

In January 2016,On July 28, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase up to $10$20 million of its outstanding shares of common stock in the open market at certain thresholds below its NAV per share, in accordance with guidelines specified in Rules 10b5-1(c)(1)(i)(B) and 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.Act. On March 1, 2016,August 31, 2021, the Company entered into a share repurchase agreement, which became effective immediately, and shall terminate on the earliest of:Company will cease purchasing its common stock under the share repurchase program upon the earlier of, among other things: (1) the date on which a total of $10the aggregate purchase price for all shares equals $20 million worth of commonincluding, without limitation, all applicable fees, costs and expenses; or (2) upon written notice by the Company to the broker that the share repurchase agreement is terminated. During the year ended March 31, 2023, the Company did not repurchase any shares have been purchased under the plan; (2) the date on which the terms set forth in the purchase instructions have been met; or (3) the date that is one trading day after the date on which insider notifies broker in writing that this agreement shall terminate.share repurchase program.