We are an internally managed non-diversified closed-end management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. We have also intend to electelected to be treated as a regulated investment company (“RIC”)RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, beginning with our 2015 tax year. We were formed to continue and expand the business of Newtek Business Services, Inc. We expect that our investments will typically be similar to the investments we made prior to our reincorporation.

As a BDC, our investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation primarily through loans originated by our small business finance platform and our equity investments in certain portfolio companies that we control.

We are an internally managed BDC that is a leading national non-bank lender that provides, together with our controlled portfolio companies, a wide range of business services and financial products under the NewtekNewtek® brand to the small- and medium-sized business (“SMB”)SMB market. Newtek’s products and services include: Business Lending including U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”)SBA 7(a) and 504 lending, Electronic Payment Processing, Managed Technology Solutions (Cloud Computing), eCommerce, Accounts Receivable and Inventory Financing, The Secure Gateway, The Newtek Advantage®,Advantage, personal and commercial lines Insurance Services, Web Services, Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval, and Payroll and Benefits Solutions to over 100,000 SMB accounts nationwide across all industries. We have an established and reliable platform that is not limited by client size, industry type or location. As a result, we believe we have a strong and diversified client base across every state in the U.S. and across a variety of different industries. In addition, we have developed a financial and technology based business model that enables us and our controlled portfolio companies to acquire and process our SMB clients in a very cost effective manner. This capability is supported in large part by NewTracker®, our patented prospect management technology software which is similar to but we believe is better than the system popularized by Salesforce.com. We believe that this technology and low cost business model distinguishes us from our competitors.

We define SMBs as companies having revenues of $1,000,000 to $100,000,000. We focus on serving the SMB market, which we estimate to be over 27 million businesses in the U.S. TheseWe believe that these businesses have historically been underserved by traditional financial institutions and typically lack the capital resources to build a competitive business and marketing infrastructure on their own. Further, in today’s economic climate, we believe SMBs have particular difficulty obtaining capital from traditional lending sources. While we do not compete directly with alternative online lenders such as The Lending Club, Prosper.com, OnDeck Capital, Inc. and Kabbage Inc., we do provide financing solutions as an alternative to traditional lending. We believe there is significant demand for such alternative financing among SMBs. Our lending solutions and our controlled portfolio companies’ outsourced business solutions help clients manage and grow their businesses and compete effectively in today’s marketplace. We obtain our customers through referrals from various business partners, such as banks, insurance companies, credit unions and other affinity groups, as well as through our own direct sales force and advertising campaigns. We source, acquire and process SMB customers in a cost effective manner without reliance on high cost sales staff and time consuming application processes.

Our proprietary and patented technology platform, The Newtek Advantage, which we make available to our controlled portfolio companies enables them to provide our clients with a real-time management solution that organizes all of a business’sbusiness’ critical transaction and economic, eCommerce and website traffic data on a smartphone, tablet, laptop or personal computer. This technology provides

critical consumer and marketing intelligence, including data mining, and provides a range of differentiated solutions and analytical tools that may be easily customized and integrated within their clients’ existing business processes. It also provides clients with seamless connectivity to a payment and managed technology infrastructure that is secure, fully compliant and regularly updated with the latest capabilities, services and functionalities. The platform is scalable to facilitate growth and meet the needs of new clients and consists solely of cloud-based offerings.

Newtek and its controlled portfolio companies all use NewTracker®, our patented and proprietary technology for receiving, processing and monitoring prospective customers. This enables all operationsNewtek and its controlled portfolio companies to acquire SMB customers in a cost effective manner as it is all accomplished by skilled staff using state of the art technology without the need for high cost sales staff or applications processors. It also permits our referral partners to have a real time window into the back office processing of theirthe referrals given.they give. The software automatically pre-populates any necessary forms or applications so the processing is efficient and also cost effective. Finally, it also identifies opportunities for the cross-sale of other Newtek branded products or services.

Our Capcos have historically invested in SMBs and, in addition to interest income and investment returns, have generated non-cash income from tax credits and non-cash interest and insurance expenses in addition to cash management fees and expenses. We have de-emphasized our Capco business in favor of growing our controlled portfolio companies and do not anticipate creating any new Capcos. While observing all requirements of the Capco programs and, in particular, financing qualified businesses meeting applicable state requirements as to limitations on the proportion of ownership of qualified businesses, we believe the growth of our controlled portfolio companies produces a strategic focus on providing goods and services to SMBs such as those in which our Capcos invest. We continue to invest in and lend to SMBs through our existing Capcos and intend to meet the goals of the Capco programs.

As the Capcos reach 100% investment we will seek to decertify them as Capcos, liquidate their remaining assets and thereby reduce their operational costs, particularly the legal and accounting costs associated with compliance. SixNine of our original sixteen Capcos have reached this stage.

The key members of our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team, most of which have worked together for more than ten years each have over 25 years of experience in finance-related fields. These investment professionals have worked together to screen opportunities,

Because we are internally managed by our executive officers,Executive Committee, which includeincludes Barry Sloane, Peter Downs, Jennifer C. Eddelson, Michael A. Schwartz, Dean Choksi and John Raven, (our “executive committee”), under the supervision of our Board, and do not depend on a third partythird-party investment advisor, we do not pay investment advisory fees and all of our income is available to pay our operating costs and to make distributions to our stockholders.shareholders. While our portfolio companies are independently managed, our executive committeeExecutive Committee also oversees our controlled portfolio companies and, to the extent that we may make additional equity investments in the future, the executive committeeExecutive Committee will also have primary responsibility for the identification, screening, review and completion of such investments. We do not expect to focus our resources on investing in additional stand-alone equity investments, but may elect to do so from time to time on an opportunistic basis, if such opportunities arise. Messrs. Sloane and Downs have been involved together in the structuring and management of equity investments for the past tenfourteen years.

implementation of U.S. and international financial reforms, such as Basel III, phase in and rules and regulations are promulgated under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. We believe that these regulations will increase capital requirements and have the effect of further limiting the capacity of traditional financial institutions to hold non-investment grade loans on their balance sheets. As a result, we believe that many of these financial institutions have de-emphasized their service and product offerings to SMBs, which we believe will make a higher volume of deal flow available to us.

We believe that we are well positioned to take advantage of investment opportunities in SMBs due to the following competitive advantages:

On October 22, 2014, we effectuated the Reverse Stock Split. Ina 1 for 5 reverse stock split to attract institutional investors. On November 12, 2014, in conjunction with the completion of a public offering, we merged with and into Newtek Business Services Corp., a newly-formed Maryland corporation, for the purpose of reincorporating in Maryland and we elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act in the BDC Conversion.(the “BDC Conversion”). In connection with our intentionelection to electbe regulated as a BDC, we elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, beginning with our 2015 tax year, and intend to qualify annually thereafter, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In connection with our election of RIC status, in 2015, on October 1, 2015 our Board declared a special dividend of $2.69 per share which was paid partially in cash and partially in our common shares on December 31, 2015.

As a BDC, we are required to meet regulatory tests, including the requirement to invest at least 70% of our gross assets in “qualifying assets.” Qualifying assets generally include debt or equity securities of private or thinly traded public U.S. companies and cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. In addition, as a BDC, we are not be permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed 50% of the value of our total assets). See “Regulation.”

As a RIC, we generally will not have to pay corporate-level federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders.shareholders. To obtain and 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.

We engage in various investment strategies from time to time in order to achieve our overall investment objectives.

In addition to an assessment of the criteria specified above, there are certain special industry-specific requirements that will be considered in the loan application decision.

For a change of ownership transaction, the application must be accompanied by a business plan including reasonable financial projections. The financial performance of the seller of the business must be evaluated based upon three years of corporate income tax returns and a current interim financial statement. Projections for the applicant must be in line with the historical financial performance at the business location. In cases where financial performance of the seller of the business is poor, a satisfactory explanation must be provided to detail the circumstances of performance. Projections for the applicant must be accompanied by detailed assumptions and be supported by information contained in the business plan.

Management mustshould have related experience in the industry and demonstrate the ability to successfully operate the business. In the absence of satisfactory related experience, an assessment of management’s experience and capabilities, given the

complexity and nature of the business, will be made. In the case of a franchise, we will generally take into account the reputation of a franchisor for providing worthwhile management assistance to its franchisees.

Also in connection with a change of ownership transaction, the Loan Processing area of the Underwriting Department will order Uniform Commercial Code searches on the seller of the existing business. If such a search identifies any adverse information, the Loan Processor will advise the Underwriting Manager or Operations Manager so a prudent decision may be made with respect to the application.

Loan proceeds for construction or refinancing of construction of a new building must meet the following criteria:

Commercial real estate appraisals are required on all primary collateral prior to the loan closing. In general, appraisals will be required as follows:

Environmental screenings and an environmental questionnaire are required for all commercial real estate taken as collateral.

In general, environmental reports are required as follows:

In all cases for commercial real estate taken as collateral:

Credit Package

Other than rejections for ineligibility of the applicant, the type of business or the loan purpose, NSBF may decline a loan application for the following reasons:

Maintenance of Credit Files

A credit file is developed on each borrowing account. Credit files, in either hard copy format or electronic copy, are maintained by the Underwriting Department and organized according to a specified format. The file contains all documentation necessary to show: (a) the basis of the loan, (b) purpose, compliance with policy, conditions, rate, terms of repayment, collateral, and (c) the authority for granting the loan. The credit file is subject to review or audit by the SBA at any time. Upon final action being taken on a loan application, information necessary for closing and servicing will be copied and maintained, while information not considered necessary will be transferred to off-site storage. Once a loan has been disbursed in full, credit files containing all documentation will be transferred to the file room or other electronic storage media and maintained under the authority of the administration staff. Any individual needing an existing credit file must obtain it from the administration staff member having responsibility for safeguarding all credit files or access it by a prearranged electronic file process. Removal of any information from the file will compromise the credit file and is prohibited.

Due Diligence and Underwriting

Approval, Documentation and Closing

Upon the completion of the due diligence process, the executive committeeExecutive Committee will review the results and determine if the transaction should proceed to approval. If approved by our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and executive committee,Executive Committee, the underwriting professionals heretofore involved proceed to documentation.

As and to the extent necessary, key documentation challenges are brought before our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and executive committeeExecutive Committee for prompt discussion and resolution. Upon the completion of satisfactory documentation and the satisfaction of closing conditions, final approval is sought from our executive committeeExecutive Committee before closing and funding.

We have and will continue to monitor our portfolio companies on an ongoing basis. We monitor the financial trends of each portfolio company to determine if it is meeting its business plan and to assess the appropriate course of action for each company. We generally require our portfolio companies to provide annual audits, quarterly unaudited financial statements with management discussion and analysis and covenant compliance certificates, and monthly unaudited financial statements. Using these monthly financial statements, we calculate and evaluate all financial covenants and additional financial coverage ratios

We have several methods of evaluating and monitoring the performance and fair value of our investments, including the following:

We will monitor and, when appropriate, change the investment ratings assigned to each loan or investment in our portfolio. In connection with our valuation process, our management will review these investment ratings on a quarterly basis, and our

Board will affirm such ratings. The investment rating of a particular investment should not, however, be deemed to be a guarantee of the investment’s future performance.

Historically, we have provided significant operating and managerial assistance to our portfolio companies and our controlled portfolio companies. As a BDC, we will continue to offer, and must provide upon request, managerial assistance to our portfolio companies. This assistance will typically involve, among other things, monitoring the operations and financial performance of our portfolio companies, participating in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial assistance. We may sometimes receive fees for these services.

We conduct the valuation of our assets, pursuant to which our net asset value shall be determined, at all times consistent with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP” )GAAP and the 1940 Act. Our valuation procedures are set forth in more detail below:

Securities for which market quotations are readily available on an exchange shall be valued at such price as of the closing price on the day of valuation. We may also obtain quotes with respect to certain of our investments from pricing services or brokers or dealers in order to value assets. When doing so, we will determine whether the quote obtained is sufficient according to GAAP to determine the fair value of the security. If determined adequate, we will use the quote obtained. We also employ independent third party valuation firms for certain of our investments for which there is not a readily available market value.

Securities for which reliable market quotations are not readily available or for which the pricing source does not provide a valuation or methodology or provides a valuation or methodology that, in the judgment of our Board, does not represent fair value, which we expect will represent a substantial majority of the investments in our portfolio, shall be valued as follows: (i) each portfolio company or investment is initially valued by the investment professionals responsible for the portfolio investment; (ii) preliminary valuation conclusions are documented and discussed with our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and executive committee;Executive Committee; (iii) independent third-party valuation firms engaged by, or on behalf of, the Board will conduct independent appraisals, review management’s preliminary valuations and prepare separate preliminary valuation conclusions on a selected basis; (iv) the audit committee of the Board reviews the preliminary valuationvaluations of members of our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and executive committeeExecutive Committee and/or that of the third party valuation firm and responds to the valuation recommendation with comments, if any; and (v) the Board will discuss valuations and determine the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith based on the input of the audit committee.faith.

Determination of the fair value involves subjective judgments and estimates not susceptible to substantiation by auditing procedures. Accordingly, under current auditing standards, the notes to our financial statements will refer to the uncertainty with respect to the possible effect of such valuations, and any change in such valuations, on our financial statements.

The recommendationdetermination of fair value will generally be based on the following factors, as relevant:

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or for which a pricing source is not sufficient may include, but are not limited to, the following:

We compete for SBA 7(a) and other SMB loans with other financial institutions and various SMB lenders, as well as other sources of funding. Additionally, competition for investment opportunities has emerged among alternative investment vehicles, such as collateralized loan obligations, (“CLOs”), some of which are sponsored by other alternative asset investors, as these entities have begun to focus on making investments in SMBs. As a result of these new entrants, competition for our investment opportunities may intensify. Many of these entities have greater financial and managerial resources than we do but we believe that they invariably lack the ability to process loans as quickly as we can and do not have the depth of our customer service capabilities. We believe we will be able to compete with these entities primarily on the basis of our financial technology infrastructure, our experience and reputation, our deep industry knowledge and ability to provide customized business solutions, our willingness to make smaller investments than other specialty finance companies, the breadth of our contacts, our responsive and efficient investment analysis and decision-making processes, and the investment terms we offer.

We and our controlled portfolio companies compete in a large number of markets for the sale of financial and other services to SMBs. Each of our controlled portfolio companies competes not only against suppliers in its particular state or region of the country but also against suppliers operating on a national or even a multi-national scale. None of the markets in which our controlled portfolio companies compete are dominated by a small number of companies that could materially alter the terms of the competition.

During the years ended December 31, 2015, 20142017, 2016 and 2013, virtually2015, all of our revenue was derived from customers in the United States, although our controlled portfolio company, NTS, which was a consolidated subsidiary for the year ended December 31, 2013 and for the period January 1, 2014 through November 11, 2014, provided pre-paid web site hosting services to customers in approximately 162 countries.States.

 

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the 1940 Act and intend to electAct. We have also elected to be treated and intend to qualify annually thereafter,for tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, beginning with our 2015 taxable year. As with other companies regulated by the 1940 Act, a BDC must adhere to certain substantive regulatory requirements.Code. The 1940 Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to transactions between BDCs and their affiliates (including any investment advisers or sub-advisers), principal underwriters and affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. The 1940 Act alsounderwriters and requires that a majority of the directors of the BDC be persons other than “interested persons,” as that term is defined in the 1940 Act.

In addition, the 1940 Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless approved by “a majority of our outstanding voting securities” as defined in the 1940 Act. A majority of the outstanding voting securities of a company is defined under the 1940 Act as the lesser of: (i)(a) 67% or more of such company’s outstanding voting securities present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of such company are present andor represented by proxy, or (ii)(b) more than 50% of the outstanding sharesvoting securities of such company. Our bylaws provide forWe do not anticipate any substantial change in the callingnature of a special meeting of stockholders at which such action could be considered upon written notice of not less than ten or more than sixty days before the date of such meeting.our business.

We generally are not able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, also purchase or otherwise receive warrants to purchase thehowever, issue and sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current net asset value of our portfolio companiescommon stock if (1) our Board determines that such sale is in connection with acquisition financingour best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, and (2) our stockholders have approved our policy and practice of making such sales within the preceding 12 months. 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. At our Special Meeting of Stockholders on August 11, 2017, our stockholders approved a proposal authorizing us to sell up to 20% of our outstanding common stock at a price below our then-current net asset value per share, subject to approval by our board of directors for the offering. The authorization expires on the earlier of August 11, 2018 or other investments. Similarly,the date of our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stock holders, which is expected to be held in connection with an acquisition, we may acquire rights to require the issuers of acquired securities or their affiliates to repurchase them under certain circumstances. As of December 31, 2015, we held no investments in publicly traded securities. June 2018.

As a BDC, we are generally required to meet an asseta coverage ratio defined underof the 1940 Act as the ratiovalue of total assets to senior securities, which include all of our gross assets (less all liabilitiesborrowings and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) to our outstanding senior securities,any preferred stock we may issue in the future, of at least 200% after each issuance of senior securities.

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

(c) does not have any class of exemptive relief fromsecurities listed on a national securities exchange; or if it has securities listed on a national securities exchange such company has market capitalization of less than $250 million; is controlled by the SEC, weBDC and our affiliateshas an affiliate of a BDC on its board of directors; or meets such other criteria as may be precluded from co-investingestablished by the SEC.

NSBF is licensed by the SBA as a small business lending company (“SBLC”)an SBLC that originates loans through the SBA 7(a) Program. The SBA 7(a) Program is the SBA’s primary loan program. In order to operate as ana SBLC, NSBFa licensee is required to maintain a minimum regulatory capital (as defined by SBA regulations) of the greater of (1) 10% of its outstanding loans receivable and other investments or (2) $1.0 million.$1,000,000. In addition, ana SBLC is subject to certain other regulatory restrictions.

Among other things, SBLCs also are required toto: submit to the SBA for review a credit policy that demonstrates the SBLC’s compliance with the applicable regulations and the SBA’s Standard Operating Procedures for origination, servicing and liquidation of 7(a) loans; submit to the SBA for review and approval annual validation, with supporting documentation and methodologies, demonstrating that any scoring model used by the SBLC is predictive of loan performance; obtain SBA approval for loan securitization and borrowings; and adopt and fully implement an internal control policy which provides adequate direction for effective control over and accountability for operations, programs, and resources.

Pursuant to the SBA’s regulations, the SBA is released from liability on its guaranty of a 7(a) loan and may, in its sole discretion, refuse to honor a guaranty purchase request in full or in part, or recover all or part of the funds already paid in connection with a guaranty purchase, if the lender failed to comply materially with a program requirement; failed to make, close, service or liquidate the loan in a prudent manner; placed the SBA at risk through improper action or inaction; failed to disclose a material fact to the SBA in a timely manner; or misrepresented a material fact to the SBA regarding the loan. In certain instances, the SBA may require a specific dollar amount be deducted from the funds the SBA pays on the lender'slender’s guaranty in order to fully compensate for an actual or anticipated loss caused by the lender’s actions or omissions. Such repair does not reduce the percent of the loan guaranteed by SBA or SBA’s pro-rata share of expenses or recoveries.

The SBA also restricts the ability of an SBLC to lend money to any of its officers, directors and employees or to invest in associates thereof. The SBA also prohibits, without prior SBA approval, a “change of control” of an SBLC. A “change of control” is any event which would result in the transfer of the power, direct or indirect, to direct the management and policies of a SBLC, whether through ownership, contractual arrangements or otherwise. SBLCs are periodically examined and audited by the SBA to determine compliance with SBA regulations.

A BDC must have been organized and have its principal place of business in the United States and must be operated for the purpose of making investments in the types of securities described in “Qualifying Assets” above. However, in order to count portfolio securities as qualifying assets for the purpose of the 70% test, the BDC must either control the issuer of the securities orBusiness development companies generally must offer to make available to the issuer of the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above) significant managerial assistance;assistance, except that,in circumstances where either (i) the BDCbusiness development company controls such issuer of securities or (ii) the business development company 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 significant managerial assistance means, among other things, any arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees, offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance and counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and policies of a portfolio company through monitoring of portfolio company operations, selective participation in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising a portfolio company’s officers or other organizational or financial guidance.

We have adopted and implemented written policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent violation of the federal securities laws and are required to review these compliance policies and procedures annually for their adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation. We have designated Michael Schwartz, the Company's Chief Legal Officer, to be ourimplementation and designate a chief compliance officer and to be responsible for administering thesethe policies and procedures. Mr. Michael Schwartz currently serves as our Chief Compliance Officer.

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

Generally, we do not receive any non-public personal information relating to our stockholders,shareholders, although certain non-public personal information of our stockholdersshareholders may become available to us. We do not disclose any non-public personal information

We may be required to recognize taxable income in circumstances in which we do not receive cash. For example, if we hold debt obligations that are treated under applicable tax rules as having original issue discount (such as debt instruments with PIK 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 that accrues over the life of the obligation, regardless of whether cash representing such income is received by us in the same taxable year. We may also have to include in income other amounts that we have not yet received in

cash, such as PIK interest, deferred loan origination fees that are paid after origination of the loan or are paid in non-cash compensation such as warrants or stock, or certain income with respect to equity investments in foreign corporations. Because any original issue discount or other amounts accrued will be included in our investment company taxable income for the year of accrual, we may be required to make a distribution to our stockholders in order to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement, even though we will not have received any corresponding cash amount. The Company does not currently hold investments that have original issue discount.

The remainder of this discussion assumes that we will qualify as a RIC and will have satisfied the Annual Distribution Requirement for the year ended December 31, 2015.2017.

Any transactions in options, futures contracts, constructive sales, hedging, straddle, conversion or similar transactions, and forward contracts will be subject to special tax rules, the effect of which may be to accelerate income to us, defer losses, cause adjustments to the holding periods of our investments, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains, convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses or have other tax consequences. These rules could affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to stockholders. We do not currently intend to engage in these types of transactions.

A RIC is limited in its ability to deduct expenses in excess of its “investment company taxable income.”income” (which is, generally, ordinary income plus net realized short-term capital gains in excess of net realized long-term capital losses). If our expenses in a given year exceed gross taxable income (e.g., as the result of large amounts of equity-based compensation), we would experience a net operating loss for that year. However, a RIC is not permitted to carry forward net operating losses to subsequent years. In addition, expenses can be used only to offset investment company taxable income, not net capital gain. Due to these limits on the deductibility of expenses, we may for tax purposes have aggregate taxable income for several years that we are required to distribute and that is taxable to our stockholders even if such income is greater than the aggregate net income we actually earned during those years. Such required distributions may be made from our cash assets or by liquidation

The following is a summary of the risk factors that we believe are most relevant to our business. These are factors that, individually or in the aggregate, we think could cause our actual results to differ significantly from anticipated or historical results. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the value of our common stock could decline and stockholdersshareholders may lose all or part of their investment. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, you should not

consider the following to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties. We undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless required by law.

Accomplishing our investment objective on a cost-effective basis will largely be a function of our management’s handling of the investment process, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services and our access to investments offering acceptable terms. In addition to monitoring the performance of our existing investments, our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and our executive committeeExecutive Committee is called upon, from time to time, to provide managerial assistance to some of our portfolio companies.

These demands on their time may distract them or slow the rate of investment. Even if we are able to grow and build upon our investment operations, any failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The results of our operations will depend on many factors, including the availability of opportunities for investment, readily accessible short and long-term funding alternatives in the financial markets and economic conditions. Furthermore, if we cannot successfully operate our business or implement our investment policies and strategies as described herein, it could negatively impact our ability to pay dividends.

We will compete for investments with other financial institutions and various SMB lenders, as well as other sources of funding. Additionally, competition for investment opportunities has emerged among alternative investment vehicles, such as CLOs, some of which are sponsored by other alternative asset investors, as these entities have begun to focus on making investments in SMBs. As a result of these new entrants, competition for our investment opportunities may intensify. Many of our competitors will be substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than us. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that will not be available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments than we will have. These characteristics could allow our competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and offer better pricing and more flexible structuring than we will be able to offer. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure. If we are forced to match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure, we may not be able to achieve acceptable returns on our investments or may bear substantial risk of capital loss. Furthermore, many of our competitors will have greater experience operating under, or will not be subject to, the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act will impose on us as a BDC, or the source-of-income, asset diversification, and distribution requirements we must satisfy to qualify for and maintain our intended statustax treatment as a RIC.

We generally may not issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then-current net asset value per share of our common stock if our Board determines that such sale is in our best interests and in the best interests of our stockholders,shareholders, and our stockholdersshareholders 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 that, in the determination of our Board, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, then the percentage ownership of our stockholdersshareholders at that time will decrease, and you may experience dilution.

(1) Assumes $355,485,000$519,611,000 in total assets, $134,816,000$221,007,000 in debt outstanding, $203,949,000$278,329,000 in net assets as of December 31, 2015,2017, and an average cost of funds of 4.00%4.87%. Actual interest payments may be different.

(2) In order for us to cover our annual interest payments on indebtedness, we must achieve annualsannual returns on our December 31, 20152017 total assets of at least 1.52%2.07%.

To the extent we borrow money to finance investments, our net investment income will depend, in part, upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we invest those funds. As a result, we can offer no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income in the event we borrow money to finance our investments. In periods of rising interest rates, our cost of funds would increase, which could reduce our net investment income. We expect that our long-term fixed-rate investments will be financed primarily with equity and/or long-term debt. We may use interest rate risk management techniques in an effort to limit our exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Such techniques may include various interest rate hedging activities to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. If we do not implement these techniques properly, we could experience losses on our hedging positions, which could be material. In addition, depending on the frequency and magnitude of rising interest rates, these interest rate increases could negatively impact premiums received on the sale of guaranteed SBA loans, and further, could increase prepayment speeds on outstanding SBA loans, potentially negatively impacting the Company’s financial results.

Although we intend to electhave elected to be treated as a RIC commencing with our tax year ending December 31, 2015, no assurance can be given that we will be able to qualify for and maintain our qualificationtax treatment as a RIC in the future. To obtain and maintain our qualificationtax treatment as a RIC, we must meet certain source-of-assetsource-of-income, asset diversification, and distribution requirements.

The income source requirement will be satisfied if we obtain at least 90% of our income for each year from dividends, interest, gains from the sale of stock or securities or similar sources.

The asset diversification requirement will be satisfied if we meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. Failure to meet those requirements may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of our qualification as a RIC. Because most of our investments will be in private companies, and therefore will be relatively illiquid, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and could result in

If we fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment for any reason and remain or become subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our

We intend to pay distributions to our stockholdersshareholders out of assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure investors that we will achieve investment results that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Our ability to pay distributions might be adversely affected by, among other things, the impact of one or more of the risk factors described in this prospectus. In addition, the inability to satisfy the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC can limit our ability to pay distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of our Board

and will depend on our earnings, our financial condition, maintenance of our RIC status,tax treatment, compliance with applicable BDC regulations and such other factors as our Board may deem relevant from time to time. We cannot assure investors that we will pay distributions to our stockholdersshareholders in the future.

When we make distributions, we will be required to determine the extent to which such distributions are paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of an investor’s basis in our stock and, assuming that an investor holds our stock as a capital asset, thereafter as a capital gain. Generally, a non-taxable return of capital will reduce an investor’s basis in our stock for federal tax purposes, which will result in higher tax liability when the stock is sold. Stockholders should read any written disclosure accompanying a distribution carefully and should not assume that the source of any distribution is our ordinary income or gains.

We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. In accordance with certain applicable Treasury regulations and private letter rulingspublished guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service, a publicly offered RIC may treat a distribution of its own stock as fulfilling the RIC distribution requirements if each stockholdershareholder may elect to receive his or her entire distribution in either cash or stock of the RIC, subject to a limitation that the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed to all stockholdersshareholders must be at least 20% of the aggregate declared distribution. If too many stockholdersshareholders elect to receive cash, each stockholderthe cash available for distribution must be allocated among the shareholders electing to receive cash must receive a pro rata amount of cash (with the balance of the distribution paid in stock). In no event will any stockholder,shareholder, electing to receive cash, receive less than 20%the lesser of (a) the portion of the distribution such shareholder has elected to receive in cash or (b) an amount equal to his or her entire distribution in cash.times the percentage limitation on cash available for distribution. If these and certain other requirements are met, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the amount of the dividend paid in stock will be equal to the

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Any failure by us to identify future deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner or remediate any

such deficiencies, could prevent us from accurately and timely reporting our financial results. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We are required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis and our management is required to assess the effectiveness of these controls annually. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation. In the event that we are unable to maintain or achieve compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules, the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected.

Since we sell the guaranteed portion of substantially all of our SBA 7(a) loan portfolio, we retain credit risk on the non-guaranteed portion of the SBA loans. We share pro rata with the SBA in any recoveries. In the event of default on an SBA loan, our pursuit of remedies against a borrower is subject to SBA approval, and whereapproval.

If we fail to comply with certain of the SBA’s regulations in connection with the origination, servicing, or liquidation of an SBA establishes that its loss is attributable to deficiencies in the manner in which the7(a) loan, application has been prepared, submitted and approved, the SBA may decline to honorbe released from liability on its guarantee with respect to our SBA loans or itguaranty of a 7(a) loan, and may seek the recovery of damages from us. If we should experience significant problems with our underwriting of SBA loans, such failurerefuse to honor a guaranteeguaranty purchase request in full (referred to by SBA as a “denial”) or in part (referred to by SBA as a “repair”), or recover all or part of the cost to correctfunds already paid in connection with a guaranty purchase. In the problems could haveevent of a material adverse effectrepair or denial, liability on us.the guaranty, in

Although the program has been in existence since 1953, there can be no assurance that the federal government will maintain the SBA 7(a) loan program, or that it will continue to guarantee loans at current levels. If we cannot continue originating and selling government-guaranteed loans, we will generate fewer origination fees and our ability to generate gains on the sale of loans will decrease. From time-to-time, the government agencies that guarantee these loans reach their internal budgeted limits and cease to guarantee loans for a stated time period. In addition, these agencies may change their rules for extending loans. Also, Congress may adopt legislation that would have the effect of discontinuing or changing the SBA'sSBA’s programs. Non-governmental programs could replace government programs for some borrowers, but the terms might not be equally acceptable. If these changes occur, the volume of loans to SMBs and industrial borrowers of the types that now qualify for government-guaranteed loans could decline, as could the profitability of these loans.

We are dependent upon the federal government to maintain the SBA 7(a) Program. There can be no assurance that the program will be maintained or that loans will continue to be guaranteed at current levels. In addition, there can be no assurance that NSBF will be able to maintain its status as a PLP or that NSBF can maintain its SBA 7(a) license. If NSBF cannot continue originating and selling government guaranteed loans at current levels, we could experience a decrease in future servicing spreads and earned premiums. From time-to-time the SBA has reached its internal budgeted limits and ceased to guarantee loans for a stated period of time. In addition, the SBA may change its rules regarding loans or Congress may adopt legislation or fail to approve a budget that would have the effect of discontinuing, reducing availability of funds for, or changing loan programs. Non-governmental programs could replace government programs for some borrowers, but the terms might not be equally acceptable. If these changes occur, the volume of loans to small businesses that now qualify for government guaranteed loans could decline, as could the profitability of these loans.

NSBF has been granted PLP status and originates, sells and services small business loans and is authorized to place SBA guarantees on loans without seeking prior SBA review and approval. Being a national lender, PLP status allows NSBF to expedite loans since NSBF is not required to present applications to the SBA for concurrent review and approval. The loss of PLP status could adversely impact our marketing efforts and ultimately loan origination volume which could negatively impact our results of operations.

We are subject to changing rules and regulations of federal and state government as well as the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and the NASDAQ CapitalNasdaq Global Market, have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations and requirements in response to laws enacted by Congress. On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, was enacted. There are significant corporate governance and executive compensation-related provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act, and the SEC has adopted, and will continue to adopt, additional rules and regulations that may impact us. Our efforts to comply with theseexisting requirements, or any revised or amended requirements, have resulted in, and are likely tomay continue to result in, an increase in expenses and a diversion of management’s time from other business activities.

In addition, our failure to keep pace with any such rules, or for our management to appropriately address compliance with such rules fully and in a timely manner, exposes us to an increasing risk of inadvertent non-compliance. While our management team takes reasonable efforts to ensure that the Company is in full compliance with all laws applicable to its operations, the increasing rate and extent of regulatory change increases the risk of a failure to comply, which may result in our ability to operate our business in the ordinary course or may subject us to potential fines, regulatory findings or other matters that may materially impact our business.

Our ability to secure additional financing and satisfy our financial obligations under indebtedness outstanding from time to time will depend upon our future operating performance, which is subject to the prevailing general economic and credit market conditions, including interest rate levels and the availability of credit generally, and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. The prolonged continuation or worsening of current economic and capital market conditions could have a material adverse effect on our ability to secure financing on favorable terms, if at all.

If we are unable to obtain additional debt capital, then our equity investors will not benefit from the potential for increased returns on equity resulting from leverage to the extent that our investment strategy is successful and we may be limited in our ability to make new commitments or fundings to our portfolio companies.

Additionally, as a result of the 2016 U.S. election, the Republican Party currently controls both the executive and legislative branches 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 Act and the authority of the Federal Reserve and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. The U.S. may also potentially withdraw from or renegotiate various trade agreements and take other actions that would change current trade policies of the U.S. We cannot predict which, if any, of these actions will be taken or, if taken, their effect on the financial stability of the U.S. Such actions could have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or deteriorationson our investments. We monitor developments and seek to manage our investments in credit and financing conditions may cause usa manner consistent with achieving our investment objective, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so.

Our business operations and our portfolio companies’ business operations rely upon secure information technology systems for data processing, storage and reporting. Despite careful security and controls design, implementation and updating, oursuch information technology systems could become subject to cyber-attacks. Network, system, application and data breaches could result in

operational disruptions or information misappropriation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The occurrence of a disaster such as a cyber-attack, a natural catastrophe, an industrial accident, a terrorist attack or war, events unanticipated in our disaster recovery systems, or a support failure from external providers, could have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct business and on our results of operations and financial condition, particularly if those events affect our computer-based data processing, transmission, storage, and retrieval systems or destroy data. If a significant number of our managers were unavailable in the event of a disaster, our ability to effectively conduct our business could be severely compromised.

We and our portfolio companies depend heavily upon computer systems to perform necessary business functions. Despite our portfolio companies implementation of a variety of security measures, our computer systems could be subject to cyber-attacks and unauthorized access, such as physical and

Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we are required to rely on the ability of our senior lending teamSenior Lending Team and our executive committeeExecutive Committee to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully

informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments. Also, privately held companies frequently have less diverse product lines and smaller market presence than larger competitors. These factors could adversely affect our investment returns as compared to companies investing primarily in the securities of public companies.

Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as “follow-on” investments, in order to: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or a subsequent financing; or (3) attempt to

A portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company’s ability to meet its obligations under the debt securities that we hold. We

Certain investments that we may make in the future include warrants or other equity securities. 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. In addition, we may from time to time make non-control, equity investments in portfolio companies. Our goal is ultimately to realize gains upon our disposition of such equity interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests, and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

We also may be unable to realize any value if a portfolio company does not have a liquidity event, such as a sale of the business, recapitalization or public offering, which would allow us to sell the underlying equity interests. We will often seek puts or similar rights to give us the right to sell our equity securities back to the portfolio company issuer. We may be unable to exercise these puts rights for the consideration provided in our investment documents if the issuer is in financial distress.

If we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to certain risks associated with such transactions. We may utilize instruments such as forward contracts, currency options and interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in currency exchange rates and market interest rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of such positions decline. However, such hedging can establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions increase. It may not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect

To attempt to mitigate credit risks, we will typically take a security interest in the available assets of our portfolio companies. There is no assurance that we will obtain or properly perfect our liens.

fact that a loan is secured does not guarantee that we will receive principal and interest payments according to the loan’s terms, or that we will be able to collect on the loan should we be forced to enforce our remedies.

In addition, because we may invest in technology-related companies, a substantial portion of the assets securing our investment may be in the form of intellectual property, if any, inventory and equipment and, to a lesser extent, cash and accounts receivable. Intellectual property, if any, that is securing our loan could lose value if, among other things, the company’s rights to the intellectual property are challenged or if the company’s license to the intellectual property is revoked or expires, the technology fails to achieve its intended results or a new technology makes the intellectual property functionally obsolete. Inventory may not be adequate to secure our loan if our valuation of the inventory at the time that we made the loan was not accurate or if there is a reduction in the demand for the inventory.

Similarly, any equipment securing our loan may not provide us with the anticipated security if there are changes in technology or advances in new equipment that render the particular equipment obsolete or of limited value, or if the company fails to adequately maintain or repair the equipment. Any one or more of the preceding factors could materially impair our ability to recover principal in a foreclosure.

Because NMS relies on twois not a bank, sponsors, which have substantial discretion with respectit is unable to certain elements of our electronic payment processing business practices,belong to and directly access the Visa® and MasterCard® bankcard associations. The Visa® and MasterCard® operating regulations require NMS to be sponsored by a bank in order to process bankcard transactions. A bank sponsorship is an agreement under which a financial institution that has a membership with MasterCard®, Visa® or American Express sponsors an independent sales organization, like NMS, that markets credit card processing services to merchants who accept credit cards as a form of payment, gains access to the Visa®, MasterCard®, and American Express networks. NMS is currently sponsored by two banks. If either of the sponsorships is terminated, and NMS is not able to secure or transfer the respective merchant portfolio to a new bank sponsor or sponsors, the business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the electronic payment processing business could be materially adversely affected. If both sponsorships are terminated, and NMS is not able to secure or transfer the merchant portfolios to new bank sponsors, NMS will not be able to conduct its electronic payment processing business. NMS also relies on service providers who are critical to its business.

Other service providers, some of whom are NMS’ competitors, are necessary for the conduct of NMS’ business. The termination by service providers of these arrangements with NMS or their failure to perform these services efficiently and effectively may adversely affect NMS’ relationships with the merchants whose accounts it serves and may cause those merchants to terminate their processing agreements with NMS.

Through NMS, we collect and store sensitive data about merchants and cardholders, and we maintain a database of cardholder data relating to specific transactions, including payment, card numbers and cardholder addresses, in order to process the transactions and for fraud prevention and other internal processes. If anyone penetrates our network security or otherwise misappropriates sensitive merchant or cardholder data, we could be subject to liability or business interruption. While we subject these systems to periodic independent testing and review, we cannot guarantee that our systems will not be penetrated in the future. If a breach of our system occurs, we may be subject to liability, including claims for unauthorized purchases with misappropriated card information, impersonation or other similar fraud claims. Similar risks exist with regard to the storage and transmission of such data by our processors. In the event of any such a breach, we may also be subject to a class action lawsuit. SMBs are less prepared for the complexities of safeguarding cardholder data than their larger counterparts. In the event of noncompliance by a customer of card industry rules, we could face fines from payment card networks. There can be no assurance that we would be able to recover any such fines from such customer.

Credit card fraud occurs when a merchant’s customer uses a stolen card (or a stolen card number in a card-not-present transaction) to purchase merchandise or services. In a traditional card-present transaction, if the merchant swipes the card, receives authorization for the transaction from the card issuing bank and verifies the signature on the back of the card against the paper receipt signed by the customer, the card issuing bank remains liable for any loss. In a fraudulent card-not-present transaction, even if the merchant receives authorization for the transaction, the merchant is liable for any loss arising from the transaction. Many NMS customers are small and transact a substantial percentage of their sales over the Internet or by telephone or mail orders. Because their sales are card-not-present transactions, these merchants are more vulnerable to customer fraud than larger merchants, and NMS could experience charge-backs arising from cardholder fraud more frequently with these merchants.

Merchant fraud occurs when a merchant, rather than a customer, knowingly uses a stolen or counterfeit card or card number to record a false sales transaction or intentionally fails to deliver the merchandise or services sold in an otherwise valid transaction. Anytime a merchant is unable to satisfy a charge-back, NMS is ultimately responsible for that charge-back unless it has required that a cash reserve be established. We cannot assure that the systems and procedures NMS has established to detect and reduce the impact of merchant fraud are or will be effective. Failure to effectively manage risk and prevent fraud could increase NMS charge-back liability and adversely affect its results of operations.

The introduction of new technologies, primarily mobile payment capabilities, and the entry into the payment processing market of new competitors, Apple, Inc., for example, could dramatically change the competitive environment and require significant changes and costs for NMS to remain competitive. There is no assurance that NMS or Premier will have the capability to stay competitive with such changes.

investigate NMS. As a result of such a formal investigation, criminal or civil charges could be filed against NMS and it could be required to pay significant fines or penalties in connection with such investigation or other governmental investigations. Any criminal or civil charges by a governmental agency, including any fines or penalties, could materially harm NMS’ business, results of operations, financial position and cash flows. Currently, NMS is subject to a complaint issued byoperating under an order for injunctive relief it voluntarily entered into with the Federal Trade Commission.

The information technology business and its related technology involve a broad range of rapidly changing technologies. NTS equipment and the technologies on which it is based may not remain competitive over time, and others may develop superior technologies that render its products non-competitive, without significant additional capital expenditures. Some of NTS’ competitors are significantly larger and have substantially greater market presence as well as greater financial, technical, operational, marketing and other resources and experience than NTS. In the event that such a competitor expends significant sales and marketing resources in one or several markets, NTS may not be able to compete successfully in such markets. We believe that competition will continue to increase, placing downward pressure on prices. Such pressure could adversely affect NTS gross margins if it is not able to reduce its costs commensurate with such price reductions. There can be no assurances that NTS will remain competitive.

NPS collects and stores sensitive data about individuals in order to process the transactions and for other internal processes. If anyone penetrates its network security or otherwise misappropriates sensitive individual data, NPS could be subject to liability or business interruption. NPS is subject to laws and rules issued by different agencies concerning safeguarding and maintaining the confidentiality of this information. Its activities have been, and will continue to be, subject to an increasing risk of cyber-attacks, the nature of which is continually evolving. Cyber-security risks include unauthorized access to privileged and sensitive customer information, including passwords and account information of NPS’ customers. While it subjects its data systems to periodic independent testing and review, NPS cannot guarantee that its systems will not be penetrated in the future. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate NPS’ network security, and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information, create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. As a result, NPS’ customers’ information may be lost, disclosed, accessed or taken without its customers’ consent. If a breach of NPS’ system occurs, it may be subject to liability, including claims for impersonation or other similar fraud claims. In the event of any such breach, NPS may also be subject to a class action lawsuit. Any significant violations of data privacy could result in the loss of business, litigation and regulatory investigations and penalties that could damage NPS’ reputation, and the growth of its business could be adversely affected.

NBC’sNBCS’ business depends on the behavior of its customers. In addition to its credit practices and procedures, NBCNBCS maintains a reserve for credit losses on its accounts receivable portfolio,and inventory portfolios, which it has judged to be adequate given the receivables it purchases. NBCNBCS periodically reviews its reserve for adequacy considering current economic conditions and trends, charge-off experience and levels of non-performing assets, and adjusts its reserve accordingly. However, because of recent unstable economic conditions, its reserves may prove inadequate, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.

We have guaranteed NBCS’ obligations under both facilities. If NBCS defaults on these lines of credit, we would be required to make payments under the guarantees, which matures in February 2017. Losscould have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of this lineoperations.

In addition, if NBCS loses either of these lines of credit and NBC’s inabilityNBCS is unable to renew or replace these lines of credit, it would materially impact the business.business of NBCS and have a material adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.

UPSUPSW instituted an action against a former independent sales agent in Wisconsin state court for, among other things, breach of contract. The former sales agent answered the complaint and filed counterclaims against UPS.  The case is setUPSW. Following UPSW’s successful appeal of several of the court’s rulings, the action has been assigned to a new judge for trial in late 2016. UPSfurther proceedings. UPSW intends to vigorously pursue its claims against the former sales agent and defend the counterclaims asserted.

The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially. The price of our common stock may be higher or lower depending on many factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

Our Board has the authority, without the action or vote of our stockholders,shareholders, to issue all or part of the approximately 185,491,000181,543,205 authorized but unissued shares of our common stock. Our business strategy relies upon investments in and acquisitions of businesses using the resources available to us, including our common stock. Additionally, we anticipate granting additional options or restricted stock awards to our employees and directors in the future. Absent exemptive relief, a BDC generally may not issue restricted stock to its directors, officers and employees. In April 2015, we filed a request withMay 2016, the SEC issued an order granting the Company’s request for exemptive relief to allow us to amend our equity compensation plan and make such grants and awards, although we cannot provide any assurance that we will receive such exemptive relief in a timely fashion or at all.subject to shareholder approval. We may also issue additional securities, through public or private offerings, in order to raise capital. Future issuances of our common stock will dilute the percentage of ownership interest of current stockholdersshareholders and could decrease the per share book value of our common stock. In addition, option holders may exercise their options at a time when we would otherwise be able to obtain additional equity capital on more favorable terms. In July 2016, our shareholders approved the amendments to our equity compensation plan, and certain restricted stock awards granted thereunder.

Pursuant to our amended and restated charter, our Board is authorized to classify any unissued shares of stock and reclassify any previously classified but unissued shares of stock of any class or series from time to time, into one or more classes or series of stock, including preferred stock. If we issue preferred stock, the preferred stock would rank “senior” to common stock in our capital structure, preferred stockholdersshareholders would have separate voting rights on certain matters and might have other rights, preferences, or privileges more favorable than those of our common stockholders,shareholders, and the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for

holders of our common stock or otherwise be in your best interest. We will not generally be able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock if our Board determines that such sale is in our best interests and in the best interests of our stockholders,shareholders, and our stockholdersshareholders 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 that, in the determination of our Board, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, then the percentage ownership of our stockholdersshareholders at that time will decrease, and you may experience dilution.

The Maryland General Corporation Law and our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control of Newtek or the removal of our directors. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. Our Board has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by our Board, including approval by a majority of our independent directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or our Board does not approve a business combination, the Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. Our bylaws exempt from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act acquisitions of our stock by any person.

The SEC staff has taken the position that, under the 1940 Act, an investment company may not avail itself of the Control Share Act. As a result, we will amend our bylaws to be subject to the Control Share Act only if the board of directors determines that it would be in our best interests and, after notification, the SEC staff does not object to our determination that our being subject to the Control Share Act does not conflict with the 1940 Act. If such conditions are met, and we amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act, the Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such a transaction.

We have also adopted measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our charter classifying our Board in three classes serving staggered three-year terms and authorizing our Board to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, to amend our charter without stockholdershareholder approval and to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our charter and bylaws, may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.shareholders.

All of the common stock held by our executive officers and directors, represents approximately 2,033,0001,138,000 shares, or approximately 14%6% of our total outstanding shares as of December 31, 2015.2017. Such shares are generally freely tradable in the public market. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of such common stock for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities should we desire to do so.

We cannot assure you that the issuance of preferred stock would result in a higher yield or return to the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock would likely cause the net asset value and market value of the common stock to become more volatile. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to approach the net rate of return on our investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the holders of the common stock would be reduced. If the dividend rate on the preferred stock were to exceed the net rate of return on our portfolio, the leverage would result in a lower rate of return to the holders of common stock than if we had not issued preferred stock. Any decline in the net asset value of our investments would be borne entirely by the holders of common stock. Therefore, if the market value of our portfolio were to decline, the leverage would result in a greater decrease in net asset value to the holders of common stock than if we were not leveraged through the issuance of preferred stock. This greater net asset value decrease would also tend to cause a greater decline in the market price for the common stock. We might be in danger of failing to maintain the required asset coverage of the preferred stock or of losing our ratings, if any, on the preferred stock or, in an extreme case, our current investment income might not be sufficient to meet the dividend requirements on the preferred stock. In order toTo counteract such an event, we might need to liquidate investments in order to fund a redemption of some or all of the preferred stock. In addition, we would pay (and the holders of common stock would bear) all costs and expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of the preferred stock, including higher advisory fees if our total return exceeds the dividend rate on the preferred stock. Holders of preferred stock may have different interests than holders of common stock and may at times have disproportionate influence over our affairs.

The 1940 Act prohibits us from selling shares of our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share of such stock, with certain exceptions. One such exception is prior stockholdershareholder approval of issuances below net asset value provided that our Board makes certain determinations. We did not seek stockholder authorizationOn August 11, 2017, at our Special Meeting of Shareholders, our shareholders approved a proposal that authorizes us to sell sharesup to 20% of our common stock at a price below the then currentCompany’s then-current net asset value per share, at our 2015 annual meeting of stockholders. As such, we do not currently have such stockholder authorization. We may, however, seek such authorization at future annual or special meetings of stockholders. Our stockholders have previously approved a proposalsubject to authorize us to issue securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock in one or more offerings.certain conditions. Any decision to sell shares of our common stock below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock or securities to subscribe to, convert to, or purchase shares of our common stock would be subject to the determination by our Board that such issuance is in our and our stockholders'shareholders’ best interests.

If we were to sell shares of our common stock below net asset value per share, such sales would result in an immediate dilution to the net asset value per share. This dilution would occur as a result of the sale of shares at a price below the then current net asset value per share of our common stock and a proportionately greater decrease in a stockholder'sshareholder’s interest in our earnings and assets and voting interest in us than the increase in our assets resulting from such issuance. In addition, if we issue securities to subscribe to, convert to or purchase shares of common stock, the exercise or conversion of such securities would increase the

number of outstanding shares of our common stock. Any such exercise would be dilutive on the voting power of existing stockholders,shareholders, and could be dilutive with regard to dividends and our net asset value, and other economic aspects of the common stock.

In September 2015 and April 2016, we issued $8,324,000 including the underwriter's partial exercise of their over-allotment option,and $40,250,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Notes.2022 Notes and 2021 Notes, respectively. The Notes are not secured by any of our assets or any of the assets of our subsidiaries. As a result, the Notes are effectively subordinated to any secured indebtedness we or our subsidiaries have outstanding or may incur in the future (or any indebtedness that is initially unsecured to which we subsequently grant security). In any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the holders of any of our existing or future secured indebtedness and the existing or future 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.

The Notes are obligations exclusively of the Company and not of any of our subsidiaries. None of our subsidiaries is a guarantor of the Notes and the Notes are not required to be guaranteed by any subsidiaries we may acquire or create in the future. Any assets of our subsidiaries will not be directly available to satisfy the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes.

Except to the extent we are a creditor with recognized claims against our subsidiaries, all claims of creditors (including trade creditors) and holders of preferred stock, if any, of our subsidiaries will have priority over our equity interests in such subsidiaries (and therefore the claims of our creditors, including holders of the Notes) with respect to the assets of such subsidiaries. Even if we are recognized as a creditor of one or more of our subsidiaries, our claims would still be effectively subordinated to any security interests in the assets of any such subsidiary and to any indebtedness or other liabilities of any such subsidiary senior to our claims. Consequently, the Notes are structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of any of our subsidiaries and any subsidiaries that we may in the future acquire or establish as financing vehicles or otherwise.

additional debt or the sale of additional debt securities, unless our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowings;

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

In the future, we may enter into agreements to incur additional indebtedness, including a secured credit facility. A default under such agreements to which we may be a party that is not waived by the required lenders or holders, and the remedies sought by