Duration and Termination (STANDARD)

The Investment Advisory Agreement was originally approved by our Board of Directors on June 23, 2004 and was recently re-approved by the Board of Directors on June 17, 2009 for an additional one-year term expiring June 24, 2010. Unless terminated earlier as described below, it will remain in effect from year to year thereafter if approved annually by our Board of Directors or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, including, in either case, approval by a majority of our directors who are not interested persons. The Investment Advisory Agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Investment Advisory Agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon not more than 60 days’ written notice to the other. See “Risk factors—Risks relating to our business —We are dependent upon Prospect Capital Management’s key management personnel for our future success.”

 

Indemnification (STANDARD)

The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of its duties and obligations, Prospect Capital Management and its officers, managers, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from us for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of Prospect Capital Management’s services under the Investment Advisory Agreement or otherwise as our investment adviser.

 

Administration Agreement

We have also entered into an Administration Agreement with Prospect Administration under which Prospect Administration, among other things, provides (or arranges for the provision of) administrative services and facilities for us. For providing these services, we reimburse Prospect Administration for our allocable portion of overhead incurred by Prospect Administration in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the costs of our chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and his staff, including the internal legal staff. Under this agreement, Prospect Administration furnishes us with office facilities, equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services at such facilities. Prospect Administration also performs, or oversees the performance of, our required administrative services, which include, among other things, being responsible for the financial records that we are required to maintain and preparing reports to our stockholders and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In addition, Prospect Administration assists us in determining and publishing our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of our tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally oversees the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others. (MANAGMENT FEE DOES NOT COVER EXPENSES) Under the Administration Agreement, Prospect Administration also provides on our behalf managerial assistance to those portfolio companies to which we are required to provide such assistance. The Administration Agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party. Prospect Administration is a wholly owned subsidiary of our Investment Adviser.

The Administration Agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of its duties and obligations, Prospect Administration and its officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from us for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of Prospect Administration’s services under the Administration Agreement or otherwise as our administrator.

Prospect Administration, pursuant to the approval of our Board of Directors, has engaged Vastardis Fund Services LLC, or Vastardis, to serve as our sub-administrator to perform certain services required of Prospect Administration. (http://www.vastcap.com/index.htm)

 

Under the sub-administration agreement, Vastardis provides us with office facilities, equipment, clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services at such facilities. Vastardis also conducts relations with custodians, depositories, transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, other stockholder servicing agents, accountants, corporate fiduciaries, and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary or desirable. Vastardis provides reports to the Administrator and the Directors of its performance of obligations and furnishes advice and recommendations with respect to such other aspects of our business and affairs as it shall determine to be desirable. Under the revised and renewed sub-administration agreement, Vastardis also provided the service of William E. Vastardis as the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of the Fund. (KNOW YOUR CFO I LIKE THAT IT IS A 3RD PARTY CFO) We compensate Vastardis for providing us with these services by the payment of an asset-based fee with a $400,000 annual minimum, payable monthly. Our service agreement was amended on September 24, 2008 so that Mr. Vastardis no longer serves as our CFO effective as of November 11, 2008. At that time, Brian H. Oswald, a managing director of Prospect Administration, assumed the role of CFO. ( I HAVE WORKED WITH RENT-A-CFO AND THEY DO WELL, I LIKE THEIR INDEPENDENCE)

Vastardis does not provide any advice or recommendation relating to the securities and other assets that we should purchase, retain or sell or any other investment advisory services to us. Vastardis is responsible for the financial and other records that either we (or the Administrator on our behalf) are required to maintain and prepares reports to stockholders, and reports and other materials filed with the SEC. In addition, Vastardis assists us in determining and publishing our net asset value, overseeing the preparation and filing of our tax returns, and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally overseeing the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others.

 

Under the sub-administration agreement, Vastardis and its officers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members, and any other person or entity affiliated with Vastardis, are not liable to the Administrator or to us for any action taken or omitted to be taken by Vastardis in connection with the performance of any of its duties or obligations or otherwise as sub-administrator for the Administrator on our behalf. The agreement also provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of Vastardis’ duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of Vastardis’ duties and obligations, Vastardis and its officers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members, and any other person or entity affiliated with Vastardis are entitled to indemnification from the Administrator and us. All damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) incurred in or by reason of any pending, threatened or completed action, suit, investigation or other proceeding (including an action or suit by or in the right of the Administrator or us or our security holders) arising out of or otherwise based upon the performance of any of Vastardis’ duties or obligations under the agreement or otherwise as sub-administrator for the Administrator on our behalf are subject to such indemnification.

On April 30, 2009 we gave a 60-day notice to Vastardis of termination of our agreement to provide sub-administration services effective June 30, 2009. We entered into a new consulting services agreement for the period from July 1, 2009 until the filing of our Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2009. We paid Vastardis a total of $30,000 for services rendered in conjunction with preparation of Form 10-K under the new agreement. All administration services will be assumed by Prospect Administration effective with the filing of this report on Form 10-K.  (SEE 10K COMMENTS)

 

Payment of Our Expenses

All investment professionals of the Investment Adviser and its respective staff, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services, and the compensation and routine overhead expenses of such personnel allocable to such services, will be provided and paid for by the Investment Adviser. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, including those relating to: organization and offering; calculation of our net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm); expenses incurred by Prospect Capital Management payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers (such as independent valuation firms, accountants and legal counsel), in monitoring our financial and legal affairs and in monitoring our investments and performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio companies; interest payable on debt, if any, and dividends payable on preferred stock, if any, incurred to finance our investments; offerings of our debt, our preferred shares, our common stock and other securities; investment advisory fees; fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments; transfer agent and custodial fees; registration fees; listing fees; taxes; independent directors’ fees and expenses; costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents with the SEC; the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs; our allocable portion of the fidelity bond, directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance, and any other insurance premiums; direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses incurred by us, by our Investment Adviser or by Prospect Administration in connection with administering our business, such as our allocable portion of overhead under the administration agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the costs of our chief compliance officer and chief financial officer and their respective staffs under the sub-administration agreement, as further described below.

 

License Agreement

We entered into a license agreement with Prospect Capital Management, pursuant to which Prospect Capital Management agreed to grant us a nonexclusive, royalty free license to use the name “Prospect Capital.” Under this agreement, we have a right to use the Prospect Capital name, for so long as Prospect Capital Management or one of its affiliates remains our Investment Adviser. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no legal right to the Prospect Capital name. This license agreement will remain in effect for so long as the Investment Advisory Agreement with our Investment Adviser is in effect.

 

Determination of Net Asset Value

The net asset value per share of our outstanding shares of common stock will be determined quarterly by dividing the value of total assets minus liabilities by the total number of shares outstanding.

In calculating the value of our total assets, we will value investments for which market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. Short-term investments which mature in 60 days or less, such as U.S. Treasury bills, are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. The amortized cost method involves recording a security at its cost (i.e., principal amount plus any premium and less any discount) on the date of purchase and thereafter amortizing/accreting that difference between the principal amount due at maturity and cost assuming a constant yield to maturity as determined at the time of purchase. Short-term securities which mature in more than 60 days are valued at current market quotations by an independent pricing service or at the mean between the bid and ask prices obtained from at least two brokers or dealers (if available, or otherwise by a principal market maker or a primary market dealer). Investments in money market mutual funds are valued at their net asset value as of the close of business on the day of valuation.

Most of the investments in our portfolio do not have market quotations which are readily available, meaning the investments do not have actively traded markets. Debt and equity securities for which market quotations are not readily available are valued with the assistance of an independent valuation service using a documented valuation policy and a valuation process that is consistently applied under the direction of our Board of Directors. For a discussion of the risks inherent in determining the value of securities for which readily available market values do not exist, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business— Most of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors and, as a result, there is uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.”

The factors that may be taken into account in valuing such investments include, as relevant, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, its estimated earnings and projected discounted cash flows, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the financial environment in which the portfolio company operates, comparisons to securities of similar publicly traded companies, changes in interest rates for similar debt instruments and other relevant factors. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have readily available market quotations, the fair value of these investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had such market quotations existed for such investments, and any such differences could be material.

As part of the fair valuation process, the independent valuation firm engaged by the Board of Directors performs a review of each debt and equity investment and provides a range of values for each investment, which, along with management’s valuation recommendations, is reviewed by the Audit Committee. Management and the independent valuation firm may adjust their preliminary evaluations to reflect comments provided by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee reviews the final valuation report and management’s valuation recommendations and makes a recommendation to the Board of Directors based on its analysis of the methodologies employed and the various weights that should be accorded to each portion of the valuation as well as factors that the independent valuation firm and management may not have included in their evaluation processes. The Board of Directors then evaluates the Audit Committee recommendations and undertakes a similar analysis to determine the fair value of each investment in the portfolio in good faith.

 

Determination of fair values involves subjective judgments and estimates not susceptible to substantiation by auditing procedures. Accordingly, under current accounting 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.

Valuation of Other Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities

In February 2007, FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities — including an amendment of FASB Statement No. 115” (“FAS 159”). FAS 159 permits an entity to elect fair value as the initial and subsequent measurement attribute for many of assets and liabilities for which the fair value option has been elected and similar assets and liabilities measured using another measurement attribute. This statement is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods within those years. We have adopted this statement on July 1, 2008 and have elected not to value liabilities at fair value as would be permitted by FAS 159.

 

Dividend Reinvestment Plan (Dividend Reinvestment Plan - Very Nice)

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our stockholders, unless a stockholder elects to receive cash as provided below. As a result, when our Board of Directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend, then our stockholders who have not “opted out” of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, rather than receiving the cash dividends.  (REMEMBER OPT OUT)

No action is required on the part of a registered stockholder to have their cash dividend reinvested in shares of our common stock. A registered stockholder may elect to receive an entire dividend in cash by notifying the plan administrator and our transfer agent and registrar, in writing so that such notice is received by the plan administrator no later than the record date for dividends to stockholders. The plan administrator sets up an account for shares acquired through the plan for each stockholder who has not elected to receive dividends in cash and holds such shares in non-certificated form. Upon request by a stockholder participating in the plan, the plan administrator will, instead of crediting shares to the participant’s account, issue a certificate registered in the participant’s name for the number of whole shares of our common stock and a check for any fractional share. Such request by a stockholder must be received three days prior to the dividend payable date in order for that dividend to be paid in cash. If such request is received less than three days prior to the dividend payable date, then the dividends are reinvested and shares are repurchased for the stockholder’s account; however, future dividends are paid out in cash on all balances. Those stockholders whose shares are held by a broker or other financial intermediary may receive dividends in cash by notifying their broker or other financial intermediary of their election.

 

 

 

There are no brokerage charges or other charges to stockholders who participate in the plan. The plan administrator’s fees under the plan are paid by us. If a participant elects by written notice to the plan administrator to have the plan administrator sell part or all of the shares held by the plan administrator in the participant’s account and remit the proceeds to the participant, the plan administrator is authorized to deduct a $15 transaction fee plus a $0.10 per share brokerage commissions from the proceeds. (NOT A BIG DEAL, JUST EXECUTE THE STOCK SALE YOUR SELF)

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

Participants may terminate their accounts under the plan by notifying the plan administrator via its website at www.amstock.com or by filling out the transaction request form located at the bottom of their statement and sending it to the plan administrator at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, P.O. Box 922, Wall Street Station, New York, NY 10269-0560 or by calling the plan administrator’s Interactive Voice Response System at (888) 888-0313.

The plan may be terminated by us upon notice in writing mailed to each participant at least 30 days prior to any payable date for the payment of any dividend by us. All correspondence concerning the plan should be directed to the plan administrator by mail at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 59 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10007 or by telephone at (718) 921-8200.

Stockholders who purchased their shares through or hold their shares in the name of a broker or financial institution should consult with a representative of their broker or financial institution with respect to their participation in our dividend reinvestment plan. Such holders of our stock may not be identified as our registered stockholders with the plan administrator and may not automatically have their cash dividend reinvested in shares of our common stock by the administrator.

 

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

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

 

A “U.S. stockholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is for U.S. Federal income tax purposes:

• a citizen or individual resident of the United States;
  
• a corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. Federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
  
• an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. Federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
  
• a trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in place to be treated as a U.S. person.

A “Non-U.S. stockholder” is a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock that is not a partnership and is not a U.S. stockholder.

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

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

Election to be Taxed as a RIC

As a business development company, we have qualified and elected to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, we generally are not subject to corporate-level federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements (as described below). In addition, to obtain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute to our stockholders, for each taxable year, at least 90% of our “investment company taxable income,” which is generally our ordinary income plus the excess of realized net short-term capital gains over realized net long-term capital losses, or the Annual Distribution Requirement.

Taxation as a RIC

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

We will be subject to a 4% non-deductible U.S. Federal excise tax on certain undistributed income of RICs unless we distribute in a timely manner an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income for each calendar year, (2) 98% of our capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 in that calendar year and (3) any income realized, but not distributed, in preceding years.

In December 2008, our Board of Directors elected to retain excess profits generated in the quarter ended September 30, 2008 and pay a 4% excise tax on such retained earnings. We paid $533,000 for the excise tax with the filing of our tax return in March 2009.