market disruptions could affect our portfolio companies’ operations and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Sanctions and export control laws and regulations are complex, frequently changing, and increasing in number, and they may impose additional legal compliance costs or business risks associated with our operations.
Additionally, the Federal Reserve’s actions with respect to raising short term interest rates and future interest rate increases, along with the United States government’s credit and deficit concerns, global economic uncertainties and market volatility, could cause interest rates to be volatile, which may negatively impact our ability to access the debt markets and capital markets on favorable terms.
We, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, the Management Company, and our portfolio companies may maintain cash balances at financial institutions that exceed federally insured limits and may otherwise be materially affected by adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties.
Our cash and the cash of our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries and our Management Company is held in accounts at U.S. banking institutions that we believe are of high quality. Cash held by us, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company and by our portfolio companies in non-interest-bearing and interest-bearing operating accounts may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. If such banking institutions were to fail, we, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company, or our portfolio companies could lose all or a portion of those amounts held in excess of such insurance limitations. In addition, actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, which could adversely affect our, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries’, our Management Company’s and our portfolio companies’ business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects.
Although we, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries and our Management Company assess our and our portfolio companies’ banking relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our and our portfolio companies’ access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our respective current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company or our portfolio companies, the financial institutions with which we, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company or our portfolio companies have arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company or our portfolio companies have financial or business relationships, but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us, our wholly-owned direct subsidiaries, our Management Company, or our portfolio companies to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR OPERATIONS
Because we intend to distribute substantially all of our income to our shareholders to maintain our status as a RIC, we will continue to need additional capital to finance our growth. If additional funds are unavailable or not available on favorable terms, our ability to grow may be impaired.
In order for us to qualify for the tax benefits available to RICs and to avoid payment of excise taxes, we intend to distribute to our shareholders substantially all of our annual taxable income. As a result of these requirements, we may need to raise capital from other sources to grow our business.
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