CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
We have procedures in place for the review, approval and monitoring of transactions involving us and certain persons related to us. As a BDC, the 1940 Act restricts us from participating in transactions with any persons affiliated with us, including our or our Adviser’s officers, directors and personnel and any person controlling or under common control with us or our Adviser, subject to certain exceptions.
In addition, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which is applicable to all of our personnel, officers and directors, requires that all personnel, officers and directors avoid any conflict, or the appearance of a conflict, between an individual’s personal interests and our interests. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available at http://mscincomefund.com under “Corporate Governance – Governance Documents” in the “Investors” section of our website.
Our Adviser
We are managed by MSC Adviser, a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), formed in November 2013 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Main Street to provide investment management and other services to parties other than Main Street and its subsidiaries. MSC Adviser or its affiliate has provided investment sub-advisory services to the Company since our inception through October 30, 2020.
On October 30, 2020, we entered into the Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with MSC Adviser, pursuant to which we pay MSC Adviser a fee for its services consisting of two components — a management fee and an incentive fee. The management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.75% of our average gross assets. The term “gross assets” means total assets of the Company, including cash, cash equivalents and the Company’s borrowings that are used for investment purposes. The incentive fee consists of two parts. The first part, which is referred to as the subordinated incentive fee on income, is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears and equals 20.0% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the immediately preceding quarter, expressed as a quarterly rate of return on adjusted capital at the beginning of the most recently completed calendar quarter, exceeding 1.875% (or 7.5% annualized), subject to a “catch up” feature. For purposes of this fee, adjusted capital means cumulative gross proceeds generated from sales of our Common Stock (including proceeds from our dividend reinvestment plan) reduced for non-liquidating distributions, other than distributions of profits, paid to our stockholders and amounts paid for share repurchases pursuant to our share repurchase program. The second part of the incentive fee, referred to as the incentive fee on capital gains, is an incentive fee on realized capital gains earned from our portfolio and is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or upon termination of the Investment Advisory Agreement). This fee equals 20.0% of our incentive fee capital gains, which is equal to our realized capital gains on a cumulative basis from inception, calculated as of the end of each calendar year, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gain incentive fees.
Additionally, pursuant to our Investment Advisory Agreement, to the extent necessary, MSC Adviser provides certain administrative services in connection with the proper conduct and operation of our business, including legal, accounting, tax, insurance and investor relation services, to us. Except to the extent waived, we are required to reimburse MSC Adviser for the actual cost of the administrative services it provides. We are also required to reimburse MSC Adviser for the actual expenses it or its affiliates, or any third-party administrator incur in connection with the provision of administrative services to us, including the personnel and related employment direct costs and overhead of the Adviser or its affiliates, or any third-party administrator for provision of administrative services (as opposed to investment advisory services). We are not required to reimburse MSC Adviser for personnel costs in connection with services for which MSC Adviser or its affiliates, or any third-party administrator, receives a separate fee.
The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that MSC Adviser and its officers, directors, controlling persons and any other person or entity affiliated with it acting as our agent are entitled to indemnification (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) for any liability or loss suffered by such indemnitee, and such indemnitee will be held harmless for any loss or liability suffered by us, if (i) the indemnitee has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct which caused the loss or liability was in the Company’s best interests, (ii) the