Unassociated Document
As
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 6,
2007
Registration
No. 333-138051
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
N-2
(Check
Appropriate box or boxes)
o |
Registration
Statement under the Securities Act of 1933
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x |
Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 3
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o |
Post-Effective
Amendment No.
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and/or
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o |
Registration
Statement under the Investment Company Act of
1940
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o |
Amendment
No.
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GSC
Investment LLC(1)
(Exact
name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
12
East 49th
Street, Suite 3200
New
York, New York 10017
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(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
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(212)
884-6200
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(Registrant’s
Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
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Thomas
V. Inglesby
GSC
Investment LLC
12
East 49th
Street, Suite 3200
New
York, New York 10017
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(Name
and Address of Agent for Service)
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Copies
to:
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Winthrop
B. Conrad, Jr.
Danforth
Townley
Davis
Polk & Wardwell
450
Lexington Avenue
New
York, New York 10017
(212)
450-4890
(212)
450-3890 (fax)
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Jay
L. Bernstein, Esq.
Richard
I. Horowitz, Esq.
Clifford
Chance US LLP
31
West 52nd
Street
New
York, New York 10019
(212)
878-8000
(212)
878-8375 (fax)
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Approximate
Date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration
Statement.
If
any of the securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a
delayed
or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933,
other than securities offered only in connection with dividend reinvestment
plans, please check the following box……
It
is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate
box):
o When
declared
effective pursuant to Section 8(c).
If
appropriate, check the following box:
o This
amendment designates a new
effective date for a previously filed registration statement.
o This
Form is filed to register
additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the
Securities Act and the Securities Act registration number of the
earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is
__________________________.
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Title
of Each Class of
Securities
to be Registered
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Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)(2)
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Amount
of
Registration
Fee(3)
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Common
Stock, $0.0001 par value per share
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$150,000,000
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$16,050
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(1) To
be merged into GSC Investment Corp. as described in the Explanatory Note
on the
next page.
(2)
Includes
the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
(3) The
registration fee, which has been previously paid, was calculated pursuant
to
Rule 457(o) based on an estimate of the proposed maximum aggregate offering
price.
THE
REGISTRANT HEREBY AMENDS THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON SUCH DATE OR DATES
AS
MAY BE NECESSARY TO DELAY ITS EFFECTIVE DATE UNTIL THE REGISTRANT SHALL FILE
A
FURTHER AMENDMENT WHICH SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT
SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(A) OF THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME
EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATE AS THE COMMISSION, ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION
8(A),
MAY DETERMINE.
EXPLANATORY
NOTE
This
registration statement on Form N-2 is being filed by GSC Investment LLC,
a
Maryland limited liability company. Prior to the effectiveness of the
registration statement, GSC Investment LLC will merge with and into GSC
Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation. Therefore, investors in this offering
will only receive, and the prospectus only describes the offering of, shares
of
common stock of GSC Investment Corp.
The
information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may
not
sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to
sell
these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities
in
any state where the offer of sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT
TO COMPLETION, DATED _______, 2007
PROSPECTUS
[LOGO]
Shares
GSC
Investment Corp.
Common
Stock
$
per share
GSC
Investment Corp. (the “Company”) is a newly-organized Maryland corporation (the
“Company”) that will operate as a closed-end management investment company. We
have elected to be treated as a business development company (“BDC”) under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and we will elect
to be taxable as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) for U.S. federal income
tax purposes. Our investment objectives are to generate both current income
and
capital appreciation through debt and, to a lesser extent, equity investments,
by primarily investing in private middle market companies, as described in
“Prospectus Summary—Portfolio summary.” We will use the proceeds of this
offering, together with borrowings under the $175 million Company Credit
Facility, to acquire a portfolio of approximately $204 million of debt
investments that consist of first lien and second lien loans, senior secured
bonds and unsecured bonds. At closing, we anticipate that the Company Credit
Facility will bear an interest rate of the London Interbank Offered Rate
(LIBOR)
plus 100 basis points, rank senior to the common stock being offered to
investors in this offering and be secured by a perfected first priority lien
on
all of the Company’s portfolio assets. We anticipate that substantially all of
the investments held in the portfolio will hold either a sub-investment grade
rating by Moody’s Investors Service and/or Standard & Poor’s or will not be
rated by any rating agency but we believe that if such investments were rated,
they would be below investment grade. Debt securities rated below investment
grade are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.”
We
are externally managed and advised by our investment adviser, GSCP (NJ),
L.P.,
which together with certain affiliates, manages investment funds with
approximately $18.3 billion of assets under management as of September 30,
2006.
GSCP (NJ), L.P., together with certain affiliates, does business as GSC Group.
Our investment adviser and the members of its investment committee have no
experience managing a BDC.
Our
common stock has no history of public trading. Common stock of closed-end
investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trades at a discount to
net
asset value. If our common stock trades at a discount, it may increase the
risk
of loss for purchasers in this offering.
We currently expect the initial public offering price to be between
$ and $
per share. We have applied to have our common stock included for listing
on the
New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ .” GSC Group
and/or its affiliates, prior to our election to be treated as a BDC, will
receive common shares of GSC Investment LLC (our predecessor entity) in exchange
for contributing to us their interests in GSC Partners CDO Fund III, Limited
(“CDO Fund III”), including an interest representing approximately 6.24% of the
equity in CDO Fund III (the “Contributed Interests”). These common shares will
be converted into shares of our common stock following our reorganization
to a
Maryland corporation prior to the completion of this offering. Based on the
value of the interests of CDO Fund III at
,
GSC Group and/or its affiliates contribution was valued at
$ . Assuming gross
proceeds of $ and a
public offering price of
$ per share, GSC
Group and/or its affiliates will hold approximately
% of our common stock
outstanding upon completion of this offering (assuming the underwriters do
not
exercise their over-allotment option).
As
set forth herein under “Dilution,” the estimated sales load and other expenses
of the offering payable by us will result in an immediate decrease in our
net
asset value per share of $__ and a dilution in net asset value per share
of $__
to new investors who purchase shares in this offering. Investors should note
that the net asset value of the Contributed Interests is based on their
estimated fair market value as of ,
2007, subject to the approval of our board of directors, and that these have
not
been audited by our independent auditors. As
set forth in the audited financial statements contained herein, our predecessor
entity had a negative net asset value prior to the contribution of the
Contributed Interests.
Investing
in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page
21.
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Per
Share
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Total
(1)
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Public
Offering Price
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$
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$
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Sales
Load (underwriting discount and commissions)
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$
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$
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(1)
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Proceeds
to the Company (before expenses) (2)
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$
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$
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(1)
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(1)
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We
have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to additional
shares of our common stock at the public offering price less the
Sales
Load, to cover over-allotments. If such option is exercised in
full, the
total price to the public, sales load, estimated offering expenses
and
proceeds to the Company will be
$ ,
$ ,
$ and
$ , respectively. See
“Underwriting.” We will receive the full public offering price the
purchase of the Company’s common stock by the affiliates of GSC Group as
no sales load will be payable with respect to these sales. See
“Dilution”
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(2)
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We
estimate that we will incur approximately
$ in expenses in connection with this
offering. Purchasers of common stock in this offering will bear
$ per share in expenses in connection
with this offering. The net proceeds of the Company will be
$ , on a per share basis
and $ , on a total
amount basis.
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This
prospectus contains important information about us that you should know before
investing in our common stock. Please read it before making an investment
decision and keep it for future reference. After completion of this offering,
we
will be required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements
and other information about us with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This
information will be available free of charge by writing to GSC Group, Investor
Services, 300 Campus Drive, Suite 110, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932 or
by
telephone by calling collect at 973-437-1000 (Investor Services). We do not
currently maintain a website. You may obtain information about us from the
Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (http://www.sec.gov).
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission
has
approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus
is
truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The
underwriters expect to deliver the stock to purchasers on or about
,
2007.
,
2007
You
should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have
not
authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making
an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted.
You
should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate
as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus. We are
required by federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission to update the prospectus only in certain
circumstances, such as in the event of a material change to the Company which
occurs prior to the completion of this offering.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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Forward-Looking
Statements
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ii
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Prospectus
Summary
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1
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The
Offering
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15
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Fees
and Expenses
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18
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Risk
Factors
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21
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Contribution
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39
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Use
of Proceeds
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43
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Distributions
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44
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Dividend
Reinvestment Plan
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45
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Capitalization
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47
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Dilution
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48
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Discussion
of Management’s Expected Operating Plans
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49
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Obligations
and Indebtedness
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51
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Business
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53
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Management
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72
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Certain
Relationships
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86
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Control
Persons and Principal Stockholders
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88
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Outstanding
Securities
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89
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Determination
of Net Asset Value
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90
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Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
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92
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Description
of Our Common Stock
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96
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Regulation
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103
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Transfer
and Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar
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109
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Brokerage
Allocation and Other Practices
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110
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Shares
Eligible For Future Sale
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111
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Underwriting
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112
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Legal
Matters
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117
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Independent
Registered Public Accountants
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118
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Available
Information
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119
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Index
to Audited Financial Statements for GSC Investment LLC
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F-1
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Until
, 2007 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy,
sell
or trade our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering,
may be
required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation
to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their
unsold allotments or subscriptions.
Forward-Looking
Statements
Some
of the statements under “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Distributions,”
“Discussion of Management’s Expected Operating Plans,” “Business” and elsewhere
in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and
strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning
matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “should,”
“will” and “would” or the negative of these terms or other comparable
terminology. Any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus
do not
have the benefit of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements pursuant
to
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933.
The
forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and
expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information
currently available to us. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can
change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are
known to us or are within our control. If a change occurs, our business,
financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially
from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.
The
forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus involve risks and
uncertainties, including the risks listed under “Risk Factors” herein as well as
the statements as to:
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·
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our
lack of operating history;
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·
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our
ability to effectively deploy the proceeds raised in this
offering;
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·
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changes
in economic conditions generally;
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·
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our
dependence on GSCP (NJ), L.P., our investment adviser, and ability
to find
a suitable replacement if our investment adviser were to terminate
its
investment advisory and management agreement with
us;
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·
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the
existence of conflicts of interest in our relationship with GSCP
(NJ),
L.P. and/or its affiliates, which could result in decisions that
are not
in the best interests of our
stockholders;
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·
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limitations
imposed on our business by our intended registration under the
1940
Act;
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·
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changes
in our business strategy;
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·
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general
volatility of the securities markets and the market price of our
common
stock;
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·
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availability
of qualified personnel;
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·
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changes
in our industry, interest rates or the general
economy;
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·
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the
degree and nature of our competition;
and
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·
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changes
in governmental regulations, tax laws and tax rates and other similar
matters which may affect us and our
stockholders.
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PROSPECTUS
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights some of the information in this prospectus. It is not
complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider.
You should read carefully the more detailed information in this prospectus,
especially information set forth under “Risk Factors” and the other information
included in this prospectus. Except where the context suggests otherwise,
the
terms the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to GSC Investment Corp., a
Maryland corporation; “GSC Group” refers collectively to GSCP (NJ), L.P., GSCP
LLC, GSCP (NJ) Holdings, L.P. and GSC Group Limited, which do business as
GSC
Group, formerly known as GSC Partners, and are substantially owned by its
management and employees; and our “investment adviser” and our “administrator”
refer to GSCP (NJ), L.P. The information presented in this prospectus assumes,
unless the context otherwise indicates, that the over-allotment option of
the
underwriters is not exercised.
The
Company
GSC
Investment Corp. is a newly-organized Maryland corporation that will operate
as
a closed-end management investment company that has elected to be treated
as a
business development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940
(the “1940 Act”). Our investment objectives are to generate both current income
and capital appreciation through debt and, to a lesser extent, equity
investments, by primarily investing in first and second lien loans and mezzanine
debt of private middle market companies, as well as select high yield bonds.
Our
operations will be externally managed and advised by our investment adviser,
GSCP (NJ), L.P., pursuant to an investment management agreement. We intend
to
elect to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a regulated
investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code.
Prior
to the pricing of this offering, we will enter into a portfolio acquisition
agreement with GSC Partners CDO Fund III, Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted
company (“CDO Fund III”), pursuant to which we will agree to purchase for cash a
portfolio of approximately $204 million of debt investments that consist
of
first lien and second lien loans, senior secured bonds and unsecured bonds
held
by CDO Fund III (the “Portfolio”). As of January __, 2007, the Portfolio
consisted of approximately $209 million principal amount of debt. We intend
to
use the net proceeds of this offering and borrowings under our senior secured
revolving Credit Facility (the “Company Credit Facility”) to complete this
acquisition promptly following the closing of this offering. We also intend
to
make additional investments that are consistent with our investment strategy.
Over time we anticipate that senior secured and unsecured bonds will decrease
as
a percentage of our total assets as we add mezzanine debt and new first and
second lien loan assets to the portfolio. See “—Liquidity” and
“Business—Prospective investments—The Portfolio.”
In
addition, GSC Group and/or its affiliates has contributed to us all of their
general partner and limited partner interests, an indirect equity interest
of
approximately 6.24%, in CDO Fund III in exchange for common shares of GSC
Investment LLC (our predecessor entity) and our investment adviser has assigned
to us its rights and obligations as collateral manager of CDO Fund III in
exchange for a payment of $_____. These common shares will be converted into
shares of our common stock following our reorganization to a Maryland
corporation prior to the completion of this offering (the “Contribution”). See
“Contribution”.
Portfolio
summary
We
anticipate that our portfolio will be comprised primarily of investments
in
first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt and high yield debt issued by
private companies, which will be sourced through a network of relationships
with
commercial finance companies and commercial and investment banks, as well
as
through our relationships with financial sponsors. The capital that we provide
is generally used to fund buyouts, acquisitions, growth, recapitalizations,
note
purchases and other types of financing. First and second lien loans are
generally senior debt instruments that rank ahead of subordinated debt of
the
portfolio company. These loans also have the benefit of security interests
on
the assets of the portfolio company, which may rank ahead of, or be junior
to,
other security interests. Mezzanine debt and high yield bonds are generally
subordinated to senior loans and are generally
unsecured,
though approximately 47% of the high yield bonds in the initial portfolio
are
secured. However, there can be no assurance that we will make investments
in
secured bonds to the same extent in the future. In some cases, we may also
receive warrants or options in connection with our debt investments. We also
anticipate, to a lesser extent, making equity investments in private middle
market companies. Investments in warrants, options or other equity investments
may be made in conjunction with loans we make to these companies. In this
prospectus, we generally use the term “middle market” to refer to companies with
annual EBITDA between $5 million and $50 million. EBITDA represents earnings
before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and
amortization.
We
expect that the first and second lien loans will generally have stated terms
of
three to ten years and that the mezzanine debt will generally have stated
terms
of up to ten years, but that the expected average life of such first and
second
lien loans and mezzanine debt will generally be between three and seven years.
However, there is no limit on the maturity or duration of any security in
our
portfolio. We anticipate that substantially all of the investments held in
our
portfolio will hold either a sub-investment grade rating by Moody’s Investors
Service and/or Standard & Poor’s or will not be rated by any rating agency
but we believe that if such investments were rated, they would be below
investment grade. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly
referred to as “junk bonds.”
While
our primary focus will be to generate both current income and capital
appreciation through investments in debt and, to a lesser extent, equity
securities of private middle market companies, we intend to invest up to
30% of
our assets in opportunistic investments identified by our investment adviser
in
order to seek to enhance returns to our stockholders. Opportunistic investments
may include investments in distressed debt, debt and equity securities of
public
companies, credit default swaps, emerging market debt, or collateralized
debt
obligation (“CDO”) vehicles holding debt, equity or synthetic securities. As
part of this 30%, we may also invest in debt of private middle market companies
located outside of the United States. Given our primary investment focus
on
first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt and high yield bonds in private
companies, we believe our opportunistic investments will allow us to supplement
our core investments with other investments that are within GSC Group’s
expertise that we believe offer attractive yields and/or the potential for
capital appreciation.
About
GSC Group
GSCP
(NJ), L.P. is an investment adviser with approximately $18.3 billion of assets
under management as of September 30, 2006. GSC Group was founded in 1999
by Alfred C. Eckert III, its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Its
senior officers and advisers are in many cases long-time colleagues who have
worked together extensively at other institutions, including Goldman, Sachs
& Co., Greenwich Street Capital Partners and The Blackstone Group. GSC
Group specializes in credit-driven investing including corporate credit,
distressed investing and real estate. GSC Group is privately owned and has
over
170 employees with headquarters in New Jersey, and offices in New York, London
and Los Angeles.
GSC
Group operates in three main business lines: (i) the corporate credit group
which is comprised of 28 investment professionals who manage approximately
$7.3
billion of assets in leveraged loans, high yield bonds, mezzanine debt and
derivative products with investments in more than 450 companies; (ii) the
equity
and distressed investing group which is comprised of 21 investment professionals
who manage approximately $1.2 billion of assets in three control distressed
debt
funds and a long/short credit strategies hedge fund; and (iii) the real estate
group which is comprised of 16 investment professionals managing $9.8 billion
of
assets, including a privately-held mortgage REIT (GSC Capital Corp.), various
synthetic and hybrid collateralized debt obligation funds and a structured
products hedge fund.
Our
investment adviser
We
will be externally managed and advised by our investment adviser, GSCP (NJ),
L.P. Our
Chairman Richard M. Hayden and CEO Thomas V. Inglesby have management
responsibility for the corporate credit group and are officers of our investment
adviser. Mr. Hayden and Mr. Inglesby have combined experience of over 56
years and individually have experience of over 36 years and 20 years,
respectively. Mr. Hayden and Mr. Inglesby will be
supported
by the 28 investment professionals within our investment adviser’s corporate
credit group. Additionally, the Fund
will have access to GSC Group's 37 investment professionals in its equity
and
distressed investing group and its real estate group.
Under our investment advisory and management agreement, we have agreed to
pay
our investment adviser an annual base management fee based on our total assets,
as defined under the 1940 Act (other than cash and cash equivalents but
including assets purchased with borrowed funds), and an incentive fee based
on
our performance. See “Management—Investment advisory and management agreement.”
Our investment adviser, together with certain affiliates, does business as
GSC
Group.
Our
investment adviser is responsible for administering our business activities
and
day-to-day operations and will use the resources of GSC Group to support
our
operations. We believe that our investment adviser will be able to utilize
GSC
Group’s current investment platform, resources and existing relationships with
financial institutions, financial sponsors, hedge funds and other investment
firms to provide us with attractive investments. In addition to deal flow,
we
expect that the GSC Group investment platform will assist our investment
adviser
in analyzing and monitoring investments. In particular, these resources provide
us with a wide variety of investment opportunities and access to information
that assists us in making investment decisions across our targeted asset
classes, which we believe provide us with a competitive advantage. Since
GSC
Group’s inception in 1999, it has been investing in first and second lien loans,
high-yield bonds and mezzanine debt. In addition to having access to
approximately 70 investment professionals employed by GSC Group, we will
also
have access to over 100 GSC Group administrative professionals who will provide
assistance in accounting, legal compliance and investor relations.
Our
relationship with our investment adviser and GSC Group
We
intend to utilize the personnel, infrastructure, relationships and experience
of
GSC Group and our investment adviser to enhance the growth of our business.
We
currently have no employees and each of our executive officers is also an
officer of GSC Group. As part of the Contribution, following completion of
this
offering GSC Group will own
shares of our common stock, which it will have received in exchange for its
contribution to us of all of its interests in CDO Fund III. See “Contribution.”
Upon completion of this offering, GSC Group will no longer have any continuing
economic interest or affiliation with CDO Fund III.
We
have entered into an investment advisory and management agreement with our
investment adviser. The initial term of the investment advisory and management
agreement will be for two years, with automatic, one-year renewals, subject
to
approval by our board of directors, a majority of whom are not “interested”
directors as defined in the 1940 Act, and/or our stockholders. Pursuant to
the
investment advisory and management agreement, our investment adviser implements
our business strategy on a day-to-day basis and performs certain services
for
us, under the direction of our board of directors. Our investment adviser
is
responsible for, among other duties, performing all of our day-to-day functions,
determining investment criteria, sourcing, analyzing and executing investments,
asset sales, financings and performing asset management duties.
Pursuant
to our investment advisory and management agreement, our investment adviser
has
formed an investment committee to advise and consult with our investment
adviser’s senior management team with respect to our investment policies,
investment portfolio holdings, financing and leveraging strategies and
investment guidelines. We believe that the collective experience of the
investment committee members across a variety of fixed income asset classes
will
benefit us. The investment committee will consist of members of GSC Group’s
senior investment staff, including Thomas V. Inglesby, our Chief Executive
Officer, Richard M. Hayden, our Chairman, Robert F. Cummings, Jr., Thomas
J.
Libassi and Daniel I. Castro, Jr. All of the members of this committee are
senior officers in various divisions of GSC Group. Mr. Inglesby is Senior
Managing Director of GSC Group. Mr. Hayden is Vice Chairman of GSC Group,
head
of the corporate credit group and a member of the GSC Group management
committee. Mr. Cummings is Senior Managing Director of GSC Group, Chairman
of
the risk and conflicts committee, Chairman of the valuation committee and
a
member of the GSC Group management committee. Mr. Libassi is Senior Managing
Director of GSC Group’s equity and distressed debt business unit. Mr. Castro is
Managing Director of GSC Group’s real estate group and Chief Investment Officer
of GSC Capital Corp. The investment committee will approve all investments
in
excess of $5 million made by the Company by unanimous consent. Along with
the
corporate credit group’s investment staff, the investment committee will
actively monitor
investments
in our portfolio. Sale recommendations made by the corporate credit group’s
investment staff must be approved by three out of five investment committee
members.
We
will pay our investment adviser a fee for investment advisory and management
services consisting of two components - a base management fee and an incentive
fee. The base management fee will be calculated at an annual rate of 1.75%
of
our total assets which shall include assets purchased with borrowed funds
but
exclude cash or cash equivalents. As a result, our investment adviser will
benefit as we incur debt or use leverage to purchase assets. Our board of
directors will monitor the conflicts presented by this compensation structure
by
approving the amount of leverage that we may incur.
In
addition to a base fee, we will pay our investment adviser an incentive fee
which will have two parts. First, we will pay our investment adviser our
incentive fee with respect to our pre-incentive fee net investment income
in
each calendar quarter as follows:
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·
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no
incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive
fee
income does not exceed a fixed “hurdle rate” of 1.875% per quarter (7.5%
annualized); and
|
|
·
|
20%
of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment revenue,
if any,
that exceeds the “hurdle rate” in any given
quarter.
|
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income means interest income, dividend income and other
income (including any other fees (other than fees for providing managerial
assistance), such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and
consulting fees or other fees that we receive from portfolio companies and
any
fees we are paid as collateral manager of CDO Fund III) earned during the
calendar quarter, minus our operating expenses for the quarter.
The
second part of the incentive fee will be determined and payable at the end
of
each calendar year, commencing with the calendar year ending December 31,
2007,
and will equal 20% of our realized capital gains on a cumulative basis, if
any,
computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation
on a cumulative basis. See “Management - Management fee and incentive
fee.”
Pursuant
to a separate administration agreement, our investment adviser, who also
serves
as our administrator, will furnish us with office facilities, equipment and
clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services. Under the administration
agreement, our administrator will also perform, or oversee the performance
of,
our required administrative services, which include, among other things,
being
responsible for the financial records which we are required to maintain,
preparing reports for our stockholders and reports required to be filed with
the
SEC. In addition, our administrator will assist us in determining and publishing
our net asset value, oversee the preparation and filing of our tax returns
and
the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally
oversee the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative
and
professional services rendered to us by others. Payments under the
administration agreement will be equal to an amount based upon our allocable
portion of our administrator’s overhead in performing its obligations under the
administration agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the
cost
of our officers and their respective staffs relating to the performance of
services under this agreement (including travel expenses). Our allocable
portion
will be based on the proportion that our total assets bears to the total
assets
administered or managed by our administrator. Under the administration
agreement, our administrator will also provide managerial assistance, on
our
behalf, to those portfolio companies who accept our offer of
assistance.
Our
investment adviser will utilize the same, disciplined investment philosophy
as
that of GSC Group’s corporate credit group. GSC Group’s approach will seek to
minimize risk by focusing on:
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·
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issuers
that have a history of generating stable earnings and strong free
cash
flow;
|
|
·
|
industry
leaders with sustainable market shares in attractive
sectors;
|
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·
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issuers
with reasonable price-to-cash flow
multiples;
|
|
·
|
capital
structures that provide appropriate terms and reasonable
covenants;
|
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·
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issuers
that have well constructed balance
sheets;
|
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·
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management
teams that are experienced and that hold meaningful equity ownership
in
the businesses that they operate;
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·
|
industries
in which GSC Group’s investment professionals historically have had deep
investment experience and success;
|
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·
|
macro
competitive dynamics in the industry within which each company
competes;
and
|
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·
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adhering
to diversification with regard to position sizes, industry groups
and
geography.
|
Market
opportunity
We
believe the environment for investing in private middle market companies
is
attractive for the following reasons:
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·
|
middle
market debt securities are attractive compared to more broadly
syndicated
debt securities because middle market debt securities generally
have more
conservative capital structures, tighter financial covenants, better
security packages and higher
yields;
|
|
·
|
established
relationships create a high barrier to entry in the middle market
financing business. Specifically, private middle market companies
and
their financial sponsors prefer to access capital from and maintain
close
and longstanding relationships with a small group of well-known
capital
providers;
|
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·
|
many
private middle market companies prefer to execute transactions
with
private capital providers, rather than execute high-yield bond
transactions in the public markets, which may necessitate SEC compliance
and reporting obligations;
|
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·
|
the
middle market debt segment is a highly fragmented portion of the
leveraged
finance market. We believe that many of the largest capital providers
in
the broader leveraged finance market choose not to participate
in middle
market lending because of a preference for larger, more liquid
transactions; and
|
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·
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we
expect continued strong leverage buyout activity from private equity
firms
who currently hold large pools of uninvested capital earmarked
for
acquisitions of private middle market companies. These private
equity
firms will continue to seek to leverage their investments by combining
their equity capital with senior secured loans and mezzanine debt
from
other sources.
|
Competitive
advantages
Although
we have no prior operating history and our investment adviser, GSC Group,
has no
experience managing a BDC, we believe that through our relationship with
GSC
Group, we will enjoy several competitive advantages over other capital providers
to private middle market companies.
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·
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GSC
Group’s investment
platform
|
GSC
Group has a long history of strong performance across a broad range of asset
classes and sectors. The senior investment professionals of GSC Group have
extensive experience investing in leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, mezzanine
debt and private equity.
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Rapid
deployment of offering
proceeds
|
Shortly
after the consummation of this offering, we intend to use the net proceeds
to
partially fund the purchase of the Portfolio. We believe that this rapid
deployment of offering proceeds into these assets will provide potential
for
higher initial returns than cash or cash equivalents and distinguishes us
from
some of our potential competitors.
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·
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Experience
sourcing and managing middle market
loans
|
GSC
Group has historically focused on investments in private middle market companies
and we expect to benefit from this experience. Our investment adviser will
use
GSC Group’s extensive network of relationships with intermediaries focused on
private middle market companies to attract well-positioned prospective portfolio
company investments. Since 2003, the GSC Group corporate credit group has
reviewed over 970 new middle market loan opportunities, approximately 300
of
which were second lien loans. Of the loans reviewed, 285 were purchased,
including 51 second lien loans. In addition, our investment adviser will
work
closely with the equity and distressed debt and European mezzanine groups,
which
oversee a portfolio of investments in over 45 companies, maintain an extensive
network of relationships and possess valuable insights into industry
trends.
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·
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Experienced
management and investment
committee
|
Thomas
V. Inglesby, our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Managing Director of
GSC
Group, has over 20 years of middle market investing experience having managed
leveraged loan, high-yield bond, mezzanine debt, distressed debt and private
equity portfolios. In addition to Mr. Inglesby, our investment committee
consists of Richard M. Hayden, Robert F. Cummings, Jr., Thomas J. Libassi
and
Daniel I. Castro, Jr. Mr. Hayden is Vice Chairman of GSC Group, head of the
corporate credit group and a member of the GSC Group management committee.
Mr.
Hayden was previously with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1969 until 1999 and was
elected a Partner in 1980. Mr. Cummings is Senior Managing Director of GSC
Group, Chairman of the risk and conflicts committee, Chairman of the valuation
committee and a member of the GSC Group management committee. Mr. Cummings
was
previously with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1973 to 1998. Mr. Libassi is
Senior Managing Director of GSC Group in the equity and distressed investing
group and has 23 years of experience managing high-yield and distressed debt
portfolios. Mr. Castro is Managing Director of GSC Group in the real estate
group. Mr. Castro has over 24 years of experience investing in debt products
and
was, until 2004, on the Institutional Investor All-American Fixed Income
Research Team every year since its inception in 1992.
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Diversified
credit-oriented investment
strategy
|
Through
the use of GSC Group’s credit-based investment approach which relies on detailed
business and financial analysis, we will seek to minimize principal loss
while
maximizing risk-adjusted returns. We believe that our affiliation with GSC
Group
offers an attractive opportunity to invest in middle market first and second
lien loans and mezzanine debt.
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·
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Utilizing
our broad transaction sourcing network and relationships with middle
market lenders
|
We
intend to capitalize on the diverse deal-sourcing opportunities that we believe
GSC Group brings to us as a result of its investment experience in our targeted
asset classes, track record and extensive network of contacts in the financial
community, including financial sponsors, merger & acquisition advisory
firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial
intermediaries and sponsors. In addition, through its other activities, GSC
Group is regularly in contact with portfolio company management teams that
can
help provide additional insights on a wide variety of companies and
industries.
In
particular, GSC Group has developed its middle market franchise via extensive
relationships with middle market loan originators. These relationships have
been
developed over the past 15 years at multiple levels of management within
GSC
Group and have resulted in GSC Group’s ability to generate a significant amount
of middle market opportunities, including first and second lien loans and
mezzanine debt securities. We believe that these relationships will continue
to
provide GSC Group with access to middle market debt securities.
Since
its founding in 1999, GSC Group has invested in over 950 companies and over
this
time has developed long-term relationships with management teams and management
consultants. We expect that the experience of GSC Group’s investment
professionals in investing across the aerospace, automotive, broadcasting/cable,
consumer products, environmental services, technology, telecom and diversified
manufacturing industries, throughout various stages of the economic cycle,
will
provide our investment adviser with access to ongoing market insights and
favorable investment opportunities.
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·
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Disciplined
investment process
|
In
making its investment decisions, our investment adviser intends to apply
GSC
Group’s rigorous and consistent investment process. Upon receiving an investment
opportunity, GSC Group’s corporate credit group performs an initial screening of
the potential investment which includes an analysis of the company, industry,
financial sponsor and deal structure. If the investment is suitable for further
analysis, GSC Group’s investment staff conducts a more intensive analysis which
includes in-depth research on competitive dynamics in the industry, customer
and
supplier research, cost and growth drivers, cash flow characteristics,
management capability, balance sheet strength, covenant analysis’ and a
distressed recovery analysis. Our investment approach will emphasize capital
preservation and minimization of downside risk.
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·
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Flexible
transaction
structuring
|
We
expect to be flexible in structuring investments, the types of securities
in
which we invest and the terms associated with such investments. The principals
of GSC Group have extensive experience in a wide variety of securities for
leveraged companies with a diverse set of terms and conditions. This approach
and experience should enable our investment adviser to identify attractive
investment opportunities throughout various economic cycles and across a
company’s capital structure so that we can make investments consistent with our
stated objectives.
Access
to GSC Group’s infrastructure
We
will have access to GSC Group’s finance and administration function which
addresses legal, compliance, and operational matters, and promulgates and
administers comprehensive policies and procedures regarding important investment
adviser matters, including portfolio management, trading allocation and
execution, securities valuation, risk management and information technologies
in
connection with the performance of our investment adviser’s duties hereunder. We
believe that the finance and administrative infrastructure established by
GSC
Group is an important component of a complex investment vehicle such as a
BDC.
These systems support, and are integrated with, our portfolio management
functions. GSC Group has over 170 employees, including over 70 investment
professionals, who will be available to support our operations.
We
will also have the benefit of the experience of GSC Group’s senior professionals
and members of its advisory board, many of whom have served on public and
private company boards and/or served in other senior management roles. We
believe that this experience will also be valuable to our investment adviser
and
to us.
Initial
investment
Prior
to the pricing of this offering we will enter into a portfolio acquisition
agreement that will grant us the exclusive right to purchase certain investments
for approximately $204 million in cash (subject to certain adjustments),
plus
accrued interest on the assets in the Portfolio. The Portfolio, which had
a
weighted average yield of 10.8% as of February 1, 1007, contains, based on
outstanding principal amount as of January __, 2007, 39.4% first lien loans,
26.7% second lien loans, 16.0% secured bonds and 17.9% unsecured bonds.
We
calculated the weighted average yield of the portfolio as of a specific date
by
determining the interest rate and the prevailing market value of each
investment. We assumed either the fixed coupon of each fixed-rate investment
or
the current interest rate of floating rate investments. To calculate the
current
interest rate of the floating rate investment, we added the applicable margin
of
each floating rate investment to 3-month LIBOR. Prior to the execution of
the
definitive
portfolio acquisition agreement there may be limited changes to the Portfolio
reflected in the preliminary prospectus as a result of market pricing, credit
quality changes or redemptions. Any changes to the Portfolio will be reflected
in an amendment to our registration statement. The
Portfolio satisfies our investment objectives but we anticipate that over
time
senior secured and unsecured bonds will decrease as a percentage of our total
assets as we add mezzanine loans and new first and second lien loan assets
to
the Portfolio. Below is a summary of the Portfolio as of February 1,
2007:
|
|
Estimated
Fair Market Value
($000s)
|
|
Percent
of
Total
(%)
|
|
Weighted
Avg.
Yield(1)
(%)
|
|
Weighted
Avg. Maturity
(Years)
|
|
First
Lien Loans
|
|
|
80,516
|
|
|
39.4
|
|
|
9.6
|
|
|
4.6
|
|
Second
Lien Loans
|
|
|
54,520
|
|
|
26.7
|
|
|
11.9
|
|
|
4.8
|
|
Senior
Secured Bonds
|
|
|
32,640
|
|
|
16.0
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
Unsecured
Bonds
|
|
|
36,597
|
|
|
17.9
|
|
|
11.7
|
|
|
3.7
|
|
|
|
|
204,273
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
11.9
|
|
|
4.1
|
|
|
(1) |
For
those securities which have a floating interest rate, we have assumed
LIBOR equal to 5.36% for the calculation, which was LIBOR as of
February
1, 2007.
|
This
Portfolio was managed by GSC Group’s corporate credit group. Our
board of directors will utilize the services of Valuation Research Corporation
(“VRC”) an independent valuation firm, to aid it in determining the fair value
of
the investments in the Portfolio. The terms of the portfolio acquisition
agreement provide for a final valuation of the investments and a corresponding
price adjustment prior to the closing of the purchase of the Portfolio. Consents
are generally not required with respect to the transfer or assignment of
the
investments in the Portfolio, except in the case of a limited number of the
Portfolio assets, which consents, we expect to receive prior to the purchase
of
the Portfolio. Our acquisition of the Portfolio from CDO Fund III may conflict
with the interests of the other third party equity investors in CDO Fund
III.
Our board of directors will consider a number of factors when it reviews
and
approves this transaction including the fact that we have a material interest
in
acquiring suitable assets rapidly following our offering in order to generate
income for our investors. We intend to use the proceeds of this offering,
together with borrowings under the Company Credit Facility, to fund the purchase
of the Portfolio as soon as practicable after the closing of this offering.
See
“Liquidity” and “Obligations and Indebtedness—The Company Credit Facility” and
“Business—Prospective investments—The Portfolio.”
The
portfolio acquisition agreement will be subject to the approval of our board
of
directors (including a majority of the non-interested directors) and a
determination that the terms thereof, including the consideration to be paid,
are reasonable and fair to our stockholders and do not involve overreaching
by
any party, and are consistent with the interests of our stockholders and
our
investment policies.
Our
ability to purchase the Portfolio is conditioned upon the successful defeasance
(i.e.,
retirement) of the secured notes of CDO Fund III, which is expected to occur
simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Under the indenture governing
the secured notes issued by CDO Fund III, CDO Fund III is required to place
on
deposit with the indenture trustee, an aggregate of $480 million, which is
an
amount sufficient to allow the defeasance of the secured notes issued by
CDO
Fund III under the indenture. CDO Fund III expects to fund the required deposit
amount from available cash, together with a separate short-term senior secured
Credit Facility (the “CDO Fund III Credit Facility”). CDO Fund III expects to
receive a commitment from each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc., to provide the CDO Fund III Credit Facility. Both Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are underwriters in this
offering. CDO Fund III expects that the CDO Fund III Credit Facility will
be
conditioned on the receipt of a minimum amount of gross proceeds from this
offering and other customary conditions to closing. If sufficient funding
under
this facility is not available for any reason, CDO Fund III will need to
arrange
alternative financing to fund the required deposit in order to retire the
secured notes and thereby allow the Portfolio to be delivered to us under
the
portfolio acquisition agreement.
The
sale of the CDO Fund III assets (including the Portfolio to be purchased
by the
Company) will result in cash proceeds for the equity investors in CDO Fund
III
(including the Company). The Company anticipates selling the CDO Fund III
assets
not included the Portfolio to dealers who make a market in these asset types
and
that such sales will be affected at the current market value of those assets
at
the time of the sale. The assets that are not included in the Portfolio consist
of leveraged loans and high yield bonds. There can be no assurance that the
sales will result in gains. As a result of the Contribution, due to its
interests in CDO Fund III contributed by GSC Group and/or its affiliates,
the
Company also expects to receive 77% of an incentive fee of 20% of the profits
(after payment of the capital contribution and an internal rate of return
of 12%
per year) of such third party equity investors. In addition, we expect to
receive fees in the amount of
$ due to
our role as collateral manager of CDO Fund III. See “Contribution.”
In
addition to the acquisition of this Portfolio, we expect to make additional
investments in first lien loans, second lien loans, mezzanine debt and high
yield bonds issued by private companies. We currently expect that we will
use
borrowed funds to make any such additional investments. The consummation
of any
of these additional investments depends upon the completion of this offering
and
the closing of the Company Credit Facility and, among other things, satisfactory
completion of our due diligence investigation of the prospective portfolio
companies, our acceptance of the terms and structures of such investment,
the
execution and delivery of satisfactory documentation and the receipt of any
necessary consents. Any such investments will be made in accordance with
our
investment policies and procedures. We cannot assure you that we will make
any
of these investments.
Operating
and Regulatory Structure
Our
investment activities will be managed by our investment adviser, under the
direction of our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent of
our
Company, our investment adviser, our underwriters and their respective
affiliates.
As
a BDC, we will be required to comply with certain regulatory requirements.
For
example, while we are permitted to finance investments using leverage, which
may
include the issuance of shares of preferred stock, commercial paper or notes
and
other borrowings, our ability to use leverage will be limited in certain
significant respects. See “Regulation.” Any decision to use leverage will depend
upon our assessment of the attractiveness of available investment opportunities
in relation to the costs and perceived risks of such leverage. The use of
leverage to finance investments creates certain risks and conflicts of interest.
See “Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—If we incur indebtedness or
issue senior securities we will be exposed to additional risks, including
the
typical risks associated with leverage” and “Risk Factors—Risks related to our
business—We will pay the investment adviser incentive compensation based on our
net investment income and realized capital gains, which may create an incentive
for the investment adviser to cause us to incur more leverage than is prudent
in
order to maximize its compensation. Our investment adviser also controls
the
timing of when capital gains and losses will be realized on our investments,
which may create an incentive to realize capital gains or losses to maximize
its
compensation.”
Also,
as a BDC, we will be generally prohibited from acquiring assets other than
“qualifying assets” unless, after giving effect to the acquisition, at least 70%
of our total assets are qualifying assets. Qualifying assets generally include
securities of “eligible portfolio companies,” cash, cash equivalents, U.S.
government securities and high-quality debt instruments maturing in one year
or
less from the time of investment. The SEC has adopted a new rule under the
1940
Act which defines an “eligible portfolio company” to include all private
domestic operating companies and public domestic operating companies whose
securities are not listed on a national securities exchange registered under
the
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., New York Stock Exchange, American
Stock Exchange and The NASDAQ Global Market). Public domestic operating
companies whose securities are quoted on the over-the-counter bulletin board
and
through Pink Sheets LLC are not listed on a national securities exchange,
and
therefore are eligible portfolio companies under the new rule. In addition,
the
SEC is considering comments on alternatives for a new rule that would expand
the
definition of eligible portfolio companies to include one of the following
ceilings: publicly-traded companies with a market capitalization of less
than
$250 million, publicly-traded companies with a market capitalization of less
than $150 million or publicly-traded companies with
a
public float of less than $75 million. The SEC has published these alternatives
for comment, and we cannot be certain which alternative it will choose to
adopt
as the new rule after the comment period has ended. However, we would not
need
to adjust our investment objective and policies if such proposed rule is
not
adopted. See “Regulation.” We may invest up to 30% of our portfolio in
opportunistic investments that our investment adviser identifies in order
to
seek to enhance returns to stockholders.
We
intend to elect to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC.
In
order to be treated as a RIC, we must satisfy, among other things, certain
income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. See “Material U.S.
Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Resolution
of potential conflicts of interest; equitable allocation of investment
opportunities
Subject
to the 1940 Act restrictions on co-investments with affiliates, GSC Group
will
offer us the right to participate in all investment opportunities that it
determines are appropriate for us in view of our investment objectives, policies
and strategies and other relevant factors, subject to the exception that,
in
accordance with GSC Group’s conflict of interest and allocation policies, we
might not participate in each individual opportunity but will, on an overall
basis, be entitled to equitably participate with GSC Group’s other funds or
other clients.
We
anticipate that we will be GSC Group’s principal investment vehicle for
non-distressed second lien loans and mezzanine debt of U.S. middle market
entities. Although existing and future investment vehicles managed or to
be
managed by GSC Group invest or may invest in mezzanine loans and second lien
loans, none of these investment vehicles target non-distressed domestic second
lien and mezzanine loans as the core of their portfolios. For example, while
funds managed by GSC Group’s equity and distressed debt group may purchase
second lien loans and mezzanine debt of private middle market companies,
these
funds will typically be interested in these assets in distressed situations,
whereas we generally will seek to hold performing debt. Likewise, while funds
managed by GSC Group’s real estate group may purchase second lien loans and
mezzanine debt as an aspect of their investment strategies, these funds are
largely focused on asset-backed and mortgage-backed loans and debt, not on
corporate debt of the type we target. Finally, due to the high amounts of
leverage deployed by various CDO funds managed by GSC Group, these funds
tend to
target first lien loans, while second lien and mezzanine loans are a secondary
part of the strategy.
To
the extent that we do compete with any of other GSC Group’s clients for a
particular investment opportunity, our investment adviser will allocate the
investment opportunity across the funds for which the investment is appropriate
based on its internal conflict of interest and allocation policies consistent
with the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended
(the
“Advisers Act”), subject further to the 1940 Act restrictions on co-investments
with affiliates and also giving effect to priorities that may be enjoyed
from
time to time by one or more funds based on their investment mandate or
guidelines or any right of first review agreed to from time to time by GSC
Group. Currently, GSC European Mezzanine Fund II, L.P. has a priority on
investments in mezzanine securities of issuers located primarily in Europe.
In
addition, GSC Acquisition Company has recently entered into a business
opportunity right of first review agreement which provides that it will have
a
right of first review prior to any other fund managed by GSC Group with respect
to business combination opportunities with an enterprise value of $175 million
or more until the earlier of it consummating an initial business combination
or
its liquidation. Subject to the foregoing, GSC Group’s allocation policies are
intended to ensure that we may generally share equitably with other GSC
Group-managed investment vehicles in investment opportunities, particularly
those involving a security with limited supply or involving differing classes
of
securities of the same issuer, that may be suitable for us and such other
investment vehicles.
GSC
Group has historically managed investment vehicles with similar or overlapping
investment strategies and has a conflict-resolution policy in place that
will
also address the co- investment restrictions under the 1940 Act. The policy
is
intended to ensure that we comply with the 1940 Act restrictions on transactions
with affiliates. These restrictions will significantly impact our ability
to
co-invest with other GSC Group’s funds. While the 1940 Act generally prohibits
all “joint transactions” between entities that share a common investment
adviser, the staff of the SEC has granted no-action relief to an investment
adviser permitting purchases of a single class of privately-placed
securities,
provided that the investment adviser negotiates no term other than price
and
certain other conditions are satisfied. As a result, we only expect to co-invest
on a concurrent basis with GSC Group’s funds when each fund will own the same
securities of the issuer. If opportunities arise that would otherwise be
appropriate for us and for one or more of GSC Group’s other funds to invest in
different securities of the same issuer, our investment adviser will need
to
decide whether we or the other funds will proceed with the investment. See
“Regulation—Co-investment.”
GSC
Group’s allocation procedures are designed to allocate investment opportunities
among the investment vehicles of GSC Group in a manner consistent with its
obligations under the Advisers Act. If two or more investment vehicles
with similar investment strategies are still in their investment periods,
an
available investment opportunity will be allocated as described below, subject
to any provisions governing allocations of investment opportunities in the
relevant organizational documents. As an initial step, our investment adviser
will determine whether a particular investment opportunity is an appropriate
investment for us and its other clients and typically will determine the
amount
that would be appropriate for each client by considering, among other things,
the following criteria: (1) the investment guidelines and/or restrictions
set
forth in the applicable organizational documents; (2) the risk and return
profile of the client entity; (3) the suitability/priority of a particular
investment for the client entity; (4) if applicable, the target position
size of
the investment for the client entity; and (5) the level of available cash
for
investment with respect to the particular client entity. If there is an
insufficient amount of an opportunity to satisfy the needs of all participants,
the investment opportunity will generally be allocated pro-rata based on
the
initial investment amounts. See “Risk Factors— There are conflicts of interest
in our relationship with our investment adviser and/or GSC Group, which could
result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our
stockholders.
Liquidity
As
a BDC, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts
such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least
200%
after giving effect to such borrowing. The amount of leverage that we employ
will depend on our investment adviser’s and our board of directors’ assessment
of market conditions and other factors at the time of any proposed
borrowing.
Prior
to the closing of this offering, we expect to receive a commitment for the
Company Credit Facility, which we expect will be a five-year senior secured
revolving credit facility with each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc., in an aggregate amount of up to $175 million. Both Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are underwriters in this
offering. We expect the terms to include an undertaking by each of Citibank,
N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to use its commercially reasonable efforts
to
syndicate loan commitments together with its
$ million loan commitment,
in an aggregate amount of up to
$ million. We anticipate the
closing of the Company Credit Facility will be conditioned on the receipt
of a
minimum of $ million of the
gross proceeds from this offering and other customary conditions. The proceeds
from the Company Credit Facility are to be used for our general purposes,
including the acquisition and funding of the purchase of the Portfolio under
the
portfolio acquisition agreement and the acquisition and funding of the
assignment of the right to act as collateral manager of CDO Fund III, and
will
be secured by a perfected first priority lien in all of our portfolio
investments (subject to certain exceptions) and availability under the Company
Credit Facility will be subject to a borrowing base. We expect to raise
additional funds, through public and private offerings of our securities
and
additional borrowings under the Company Credit Facility, which will be used
to
purchase additional assets. Any additional funds raised through offerings
of our
securities will further increase our capacity to borrow under the Company
Credit
Facility in compliance with the asset coverage test noted above.
Risk
factors
Investing
in this offering involves risks. The following is a summary of certain risks
that you should carefully consider before investing in our common stock.
In
addition, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page 21 for a more detailed discussion
of these risk factors.
Risks
related to our business
|
·
|
We
are a newly-incorporated Maryland corporation with no operating
history.
|
|
·
|
We
may not be able to replicate GSC Group’s historical
performance.
|
|
·
|
We
may compete with investment vehicles of GSC Group for access to
GSC
Group.
|
|
·
|
We
are dependent upon our investment adviser’s key personnel for our future
success and upon their access to GSC Group investment
professionals.
|
|
·
|
Our
financial condition and results of operation will depend on our
ability to
manage future growth effectively.
|
|
·
|
Our
ability to grow will depend on our ability to raise
capital.
|
|
·
|
If
we incur indebtedness or issue senior securities we will be exposed
to
additional risks, including the typical risks associated with
leverage.
|
|
·
|
We
will pay the investment adviser a base management fee based on
our total
assets, which may create an incentive for the investment adviser
to cause
us to incur more leverage than is prudent in order to maximize
its
compensation. Our board of directors will monitor the amount of
leverage
we incur.
|
|
·
|
We
will pay the investment adviser incentive compensation based on
our net
investment income and realized capital gains, which may create
an
incentive for the investment adviser to cause us to incur more
leverage
than is prudent in order to maximize its compensation. Our investment
adviser also controls the timing of when capital gains and losses
will be
realized on our investments, which may create an incentive to realize
capital gains or losses to maximize its compensation. Our board
of
directors will monitor our performance and the timing of when capital
gains and losses are realized.
|
|
·
|
We
will be exposed to risks associated with changes in interest
rates.
|
|
·
|
Many
of our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair value as
determined
in good faith by our board of directors. As a result, there will
be
uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio
investments.
|
|
·
|
We
may experience fluctuations in our quarterly
results.
|
|
·
|
There
are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our investment
adviser
and/or GSC Group, which could result in decisions that are not
in the best
interests of our stockholders.
|
|
·
|
Our
investment adviser’s liability will be limited under the investment
advisory and management agreement, and we will indemnify our investment
adviser against certain liabilities, which may lead our investment
adviser
to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting
for its
own account.
|
|
·
|
We
may be obligated to pay our investment adviser incentive compensation
even
if we incur a net loss, regardless of the market value of our common
stock.
|
|
·
|
Changes
in laws or regulations governing our operations, or changes in
the
interpretation thereof, and any failure by us to comply with laws
or
regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our
business.
|
|
·
|
We
operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities.
|
Risks
related to our operation as a BDC
|
·
|
Our
investment adviser and the members of its investment committee
have no
experience managing a BDC.
|
|
·
|
A
failure on our part to maintain our qualification as a BDC would
significantly reduce our operating
flexibility.
|
|
·
|
We
will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we fail to qualify
as a
RIC.
|
|
·
|
There
is a risk that you may not receive distributions or that our distributions
may not grow over time.
|
|
·
|
As
a BDC, we may have difficulty paying our required distributions
if we
recognize income before or without receiving cash in respect of
such
income.
|
|
·
|
Regulations
governing our operation as a BDC affect our ability to, and the
way in
which we, raise additional capital.
|
|
·
|
If
our primary investments are deemed not to be qualifying assets,
we could
fail to qualify as a BDC or be precluded from investing according
to our
current business plan.
|
|
·
|
Our
ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates will be
restricted.
|
|
·
|
Our
common stock may trade at a discount to our net asset value per
share.
|
|
·
|
The
floating interest rate features of the Company Credit Facility
and the CDO
Fund III Credit Facility could adversely affect us if interest
rates
rise.
|
Risks
related to our investments
|
·
|
Our
investments may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your
investment.
|
|
·
|
Economic
recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and
harm our
operating results.
|
|
·
|
There
may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated
to
claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability
claims.
|
|
·
|
An
investment strategy focused primarily on privately-held companies
presents
certain challenges, including the lack of available information
about
these companies and a greater vulnerability to economic
downturns.
|
|
·
|
Our
portfolio companies may incur debt or issue equity securities that
rank
equally with, or senior to, our investments in such
companies.
|
|
·
|
Investments
in equity securities involve a substantial degree of risk.
|
|
·
|
Our
incentive fee may induce our investment adviser to make certain
investments, including speculative
investments.
|
|
·
|
Our
investments in foreign debt, including that of emerging market
issuers,
may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent
in U.S.
investments.
|
|
·
|
We
may expose ourselves to risks if we engage in hedging
transactions.
|
|
·
|
The
lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our
business.
|
|
·
|
Other
than the agreement relating to the purchase of the Portfolio, we
have not
entered into any binding agreements with respect to any portfolio
company
investments.
|
|
·
|
When
we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company,
we may
not be in a position to control the entity, and its management
may make
decisions that could decrease the value of our
investment.
|
|
·
|
Our
board of directors may change our operating policies and strategies
without prior notice or stockholder approval, the effects of which
may be
adverse.
|
Risks
related to this offering
|
·
|
An
active trading market for our common stock may not
develop.
|
|
·
|
Investing
in our common stock may involve an above average degree of
risk.
|
|
·
|
Investing
in non-traded companies may be riskier than investing in publicly
traded
companies due to a lack of available public
information.
|
|
·
|
The
debt securities in which we invest are subject to credit risk and
prepayment risk.
|
|
·
|
We
may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways with which
you
may not agree.
|
|
·
|
Investors
in this offering will suffer immediate dilution upon the closing
of this
offering.
|
|
·
|
We
may sell additional shares of common stock in the future, which
may dilute
existing stockholders’ interests in us or cause the market price of our
common stock to decline.
|
|
·
|
The
market price of our common stock may fluctuate
significantly.
|
|
·
|
Provisions
of our governing documents and the Maryland General Corporation
Law could
deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price
of our
common stock.
|
Our
corporate information
Our
corporate offices are located at 12 East 49th
Street, Suite 3200, New York, New York 10017. Our telephone number is (212)
884-6200.
THE
OFFERING
Common
stock offered by us
|
shares
of our common stock, $0.0001 par value per share
(excluding shares issuable
pursuant to the option to purchase additional shares granted to
the
underwriters at $ per share
through a group of underwriters led by Citigroup Global Markets
Inc. and
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.).
|
|
|
Common
stock outstanding after this offering
|
shares (excluding
shares of our common stock issuable pursuant to the option to purchase
additional shares granted to the underwriters).
|
|
|
Use
of Proceeds
|
We
expect to use all of the net proceeds from this offering, together
with
borrowings under the Company Credit Facility, to fund the initial
investments described under “Business—Prospective investments—The
Portfolio”. See “Use of Proceeds.”
|
|
|
Listing
|
Our
common stock has no history of public trading. We have applied
for listing
of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
“GNV”,
subject to official notice of issuance.
|
|
|
Public
shares and market value
|
If
this offering is consummated as contemplated in this prospectus,
there
will be at least 1,100,000 publicly held shares of our common stock
outstanding in North America (as defined in Section 102.01B(C)
of the NYSE
Listed Company Manual), there will be at least 400 North American
holders
of 100 or more shares of our common stock, the anticipated aggregate
market value of publicly held shares of our common stock will be
at least
$60 million and our total market capitalization will be least
$75,000,000.
|
|
|
Trading
at a Discount
|
Common
stock of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently
trade
at discounts to net asset value and our common stock may also be
discounted in the market. This characteristic of closed-end investment
companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset
value
per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock
will
trade above, at or below our net asset value.
|
|
|
Taxation
|
We
intend to elect to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax
purposes.
As a RIC, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income
tax on
our net taxable income that is distributed to stockholders. To
qualify as
a RIC we must derive at least 90% of our annual gross income from
certain
sources, meet certain asset diversification requirements and distribute
to
stockholders at least 90% of our net taxable income (which includes,
among
other items, interest, dividends, the excess of any
|
|
net
short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and
other
taxable income other than net capital gains). See “Material U.S. Federal
Income Tax Considerations.”
|
|
|
Distributions
|
We
intend to make quarterly distributions to our stockholders out
of assets
legally available for distribution. Our quarterly distributions,
if any,
will be determined by our board of directors, but in order to maintain
our
qualification as a RIC, we must distribute at least 90% of our
net taxable
income each year.
|
|
|
Anti-takeover
provisions
|
Our
board of directors will be divided into three classes of directors
serving
staggered three-year terms. This structure is intended to provide
us with
a greater likelihood of continuity of management, which may be
necessary
for us to realize the full value of our investments. A staggered
board of
directors also may serve to deter hostile takeovers or proxy contests,
as
may certain other measures that will be adopted by us. See “Description of
Our Common Stock—Provisions of our governing documents and the Maryland
General Corporation Law.”
|
|
|
Leverage
|
We
expect to borrow funds to make additional investments. We expect
to use
this practice, which is known as “leverage,” to attempt to increase
returns to our stockholders, but it involves significant risks.
See “Risk
Factors,” “Obligations and Indebtedness” and “Regulation—Indebtedness and
senior securities.” As a BDC, under the 1940 Act, with certain limited
exceptions, we will only be allowed to borrow amounts such that
our asset
coverage (calculated on a consolidated basis), as defined in the
1940 Act,
equals at least 200% after such borrowing. The amount of leverage
that we
employ will depend on our investment adviser’s and our board of directors’
assessment of market conditions and other factors at the time of
any
proposed borrowing.
|
|
|
Management
arrangements
|
GSCP
(NJ), L.P. will serve as our investment adviser and our administrator.
For
a description of GSCP (NJ), L.P., GSC Group and our contractual
arrangements with these companies, see “Management—Investment advisory and
management agreement,” and “Management—Administration
agreement.”
|
|
|
Custodian
|
U.S.
Bank National Association, 401 S. Tryson Street, 12th
Floor, Charlotte, NC 28288
|
|
|
Transfer
Agent
|
American
Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 59 Maiden Lane, Plaza Level, New York,
NY 10038
|
|
|
Dividend
Reinvestment Plan
|
We
have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan through which cash dividends
are
automatically reinvested in
|
|
additional
shares of our common stock, unless a stockholder opts out of the
plan and
elects to receive cash. Those stockholders whose shares are held
by a
broker or other financial intermediary may receive distributions
in cash
by notifying their broker or other financial intermediary of their
election. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”
|
|
|
Risk
Factors
|
Investing
in our common stock involves certain risks relating to our structure
and
our investment objective that you should consider before deciding
whether
to invest in our common stock. See “Risk Factors” for a discussion of
factors you should carefully consider before deciding whether to
invest in
shares of our common stock.
|
|
|
Additional
Information
|
After
completion of this offering, our common stock will be registered
under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and we
will be required to file reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC. This information will be will be available at the
SEC’s
public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
You
may obtain information about the operation of the SEC’s public reference
room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC
maintains
an Internet website, at http://www.sec.gov,
that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other
information regarding issuers, including us, that file documents
electronically with the SEC.
|
FEES
AND EXPENSES
The
following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and
expenses that an investor in this offering will bear directly or indirectly
and
estimated what our annual expenses would be, stated as percentages of net
assets
attributable to common stock. We caution you that some of the percentages
indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. Except where the
context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference
to
fees or expenses paid by “you,” “us” or “GSC Investment Corp.,” or that “we”
will pay fees or expenses, stockholders will indirectly bear such fees or
expenses as investors in GSC Investment Corp.
Stockholder
transaction expenses (as a percentage of offering
price):
|
|
|
Sales
load paid
|
|
7.00%
|
(1)
|
Offering
expenses
|
|
1.08%
|
(2)
|
Dividend
reinvestment plan expenses
|
|
None
|
(3)
|
Total
stockholder transaction expenses paid
|
|
8.08%
|
|
Annual
expenses (as a percentage of net assets attributable to common
stock):
|
|
|
Management
fees
|
|
2.73%
|
(4)
|
Incentive
fees payable under the investment advisory and management agreement
(20%
of adjusted net investment income, in excess of hurdle rate and
20% of
realized capital gains)
|
|
0%
|
(5)
|
Interest
payments on borrowed funds
|
|
3.58%
|
(4)
|
Other
expenses
|
|
2.03%
|
(6)
|
|
|
|
Total
annual expenses
|
|
8.35%
|
(7)
|
Example
The
following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative
expenses over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in
our
common stock. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed
a 7%
sales load, that none of our assets are cash or cash equivalents, and that
our
annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table
above.
|
|
1
year
|
|
3
years
|
|
5
years
|
|
10
years
|
|
You
would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming
a 5%
annual return(8)
|
|
$
|
148
|
|
$
|
278
|
|
$
|
404
|
|
$
|
699
|
|
|
(1) |
The
underwriters’ discounts and commissions with respect to common stock sold
in this offering, which are one-time fees paid by us to the underwriter
in
connection with this offering, are the only sales load paid in
connection
with this offering.
|
|
|
(2) |
Amount
reflects estimated unreimbursed offering expenses of approximately
$1,615,000.
|
|
|
(3) |
The
expenses associated with the administration of our dividend reinvestment
plan are included in “Other expenses.” The participants in the dividend
reinvestment plan will pay a pro rata share of brokerage commissions
incurred with respect to open market purchases, if any, made by the
administrator under the plan. For more details about the plan, see
“Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” |
|
|
(4) |
“Total
annual expenses” is presented as a percentage of net assets attributable
to common stock. This percentage is higher than it would be if
we had not
incurred leverage. Money that we borrow, if any, is used to leverage
our
net assets and increase our total assets. Because holders of common
shares
bear all these expenses, the SEC requires that the “total annual expenses”
percentage be calculated as a percentage of net assets attributable
to our
common stock, rather than the total assets which include assets
that have
been funded with borrowed money.
|
|
Our
management fee is 1.75% of our total assets other than cash and cash
equivalents. For the purposes of this table, we have assumed that
(i) we
maintain no cash or cash equivalents; (ii) we incurred indebtedness
for
investment purposes in an amount equal to 36.0% of our total assets;
and
(iii) the anticipated interest rate on the amount borrowed is 6.37%.
See
“Management—Investment advisory and management agreement.” |
|
|
(5) |
We
expect to fully invest the net proceeds from this offering upon
the
closing of this offering and may have capital gains and interest
income
that could result in the payment of an incentive fee to our investment
adviser in the first year after completion of this offering. However,
the
incentive fee payable to our investment adviser is based on our
performance and will not be paid unless we achieve certain goals.
As we
cannot predict whether we will meet the necessary performance targets,
we
have assumed an incentive fee of 0% in this chart.
The
incentive fee consists of two parts:
The
first, payable quarterly in arrears, equals 20% of our
pre-incentive fee net investment income, expressed as a rate
of return on
the value of the net assets at the end of the immediately preceding
quarter (including interest that is accrued but not yet received
in cash),
that exceeds a 1.875% quarterly (7.5% annualized) hurdle rate
measured as
of the end of each calendar quarter. Under this provision, in
any calendar
quarter, our investment adviser receives no incentive fee unless
our
pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds the hurdle rate
of 1.875%.
Amounts received as a return of capital will not be included
in
calculating this portion of the incentive fee. Since the hurdle
rate is
based on net assets, a return of less than the hurdle rate on
total assets
may still result in an incentive fee.
The
second, payable at the end of each calendar year ending on
or after
December 31, 2007, equals 20% of our net realized capital gains,
if any,
computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized
capital
depreciation, in each case on a cumulative basis, less the
aggregate
amount of capital gains incentive fees paid to the investment
adviser
through such date. See “Management—Management incentive fee.”
The
calculation of the incentive fee will commence as of the date
on which we
elect to become a BDC and will be based on the acquisition
cost to the
Company of assets acquired with respect to the Contribution
and
Portfolio.
We
will defer actual cash payment of any incentive fee earned
by our
investment adviser if, during the most recent four full calendar
quarter
period ending on or prior to the date such payment is to be
made, the sum
of (a) our aggregate distributions to our stockholders and
(b) our change
in net assets (defined as total assets less liabilities) is
less than 7.5%
of our net assets at the beginning of such period. Such payments
will only
be made at such time as the foregoing conditions are satisfied.
These
calculations will be appropriately pro rated during the first
three
calendar quarters following the closing of this offering and
will be
adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases.
See
“Management—Investment advisory and management
agreement.”
|
|
|
(6) |
Includes
estimated organizational expenses of $300,000 (which are non-recurring)
and our operating expenses. In addition, “other expenses” includes our
estimated overhead expenses, including payments under the administration
agreement based on our projected allocable portion of overhead and
other
expenses incurred by our administrator in performing its obligations
under
the administration agreement. See “Management—Administration
agreement.” |
|
|
(7) |
While
the Company does not have any current plans to issue preferred stock
or
other senior securities, if the Company does so in the future, such
issuance will be consistent with the 1940 Act. |
|
|
(8) |
The
above illustration assumes that we will not realize any capital gains
computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital
depreciation. |
This
example and the expenses in the table above should not be considered a
representation of our future expenses, and actual expenses (including the
cost
of debt, if any, and other expenses) may be greater or less than those
shown.
The
foregoing table is to assist you in understanding the various costs and expenses
that an investor in our common stock will bear directly or indirectly. While
the
example assumes, as required by the SEC for registered investment companies,
a
5% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater
or less than 5%. The incentive fee under the investment advisory and management
agreement, which, assuming a 5% annual return, would either not be payable
or
have an insignificant impact on the expense amounts shown above, is not included
in the example. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments, including
through the realization of capital gains, to trigger an incentive fee of
a
material amount, our expenses, and returns to our investors, would be
higher.
While
the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net
asset
value, participants in our dividend reinvestment plan will receive a number
of
shares of our common stock, determined by dividing the total dollar amount
of
the dividend payable to a participant by the market price per share of our
common stock at the close of trading on the valuation date for the dividend.
See
“Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for additional information regarding our dividend
reinvestment plan.
RISK
FACTORS
Before
you invest in our common stock, you should be aware of various risks, including
those described below. You should carefully consider these risk factors,
together with all of the other in formation included in this prospectus,
before
you decide whether to make an investment in our common stock. The known material
risks of an investment in the Company are set out below. If any of the following
events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations
could
be materially adversely affected. In such case, our net asset value and the
value of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of
your
investment.
Risks
related to our business
We
are a newly-incorporated Maryland corporation with no operating
history.
We
were incorporated in
2006 and have not yet commenced our operations. We are subject to all of
the
business risks and uncertainties associated with any new business, including
the
risk that we will not achieve our investment objectives and that the value
of
your investment could decline substantially.
We
may not be able to replicate GSC Group’s historical
performance.
Our
primary focus in making investments will differ from those of other private
funds that are or have been managed by GSC Group’s investment professionals.
Further, our investors are not acquiring an interest in other GSC Group funds.
Any investment opportunity will be subject to, among other things, regulatory
and independent board member approvals, the receipt of which, if sought,
cannot
be assured. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will replicate GSC
Group’s
historical performance, and we caution you that our investment returns could
be
substantially lower than the returns achieved by other GSC Group
funds.
We
may compete with investment vehicles of GSC Group for access to GSC
Group.
Our
investment adviser and its affiliates have sponsored and currently manage
other
investment vehicles with an investment focus that overlaps with our focus,
and
may in the future sponsor or manage additional investment vehicles with an
overlapping focus to ours, which, in each case, could result in us competing
for
access to the benefits that we expect our relationship with our investment
adviser to provide to us.
We
are dependent upon our investment adviser’s key personnel for our future success
and upon their access to GSC Group investment
professionals.
We
will depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the
members of our investment adviser’s investment committee. We will also depend,
to a significant extent, on our investment adviser’s access to the investment
professionals of GSC Group and the information and deal flow generated by
GSC
Group’s investment professionals in the course of their investment and portfolio
management activities. Our future success will depend on the continued service
of our investment adviser’s investment committee. The departure of any of the
members of our investment adviser’s investment committee, or of a significant
number of the investment professionals or partners of GSC Group, could have
a
material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives.
In
addition, we cannot assure you that our investment adviser will remain our
investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to GSC Group’s
investment professionals or its information and deal flow.
Our
financial condition and results of operation will depend on our ability to
manage future growth effectively.
Our
ability to achieve our investment objectives will depend on our ability to
acquire suitable investments and monitor and administer those investments,
which
will depend, in turn, on our investment adviser’s ability to identify, invest in
and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria.
Accomplishing
this result on a cost-effective basis will be largely a function of our
investment adviser’s structuring of the investment process and its ability to
provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us. Our
executive
officers and the members of our investment adviser will have substantial
responsibilities in connection with their roles at GSC Group and with the
other
GSC Group funds as well as responsibilities under the investment advisory
and
management agreement. They may also be called upon to provide managerial
assistance to our portfolio companies on behalf of our administrator. These
demands on their time, which will increase as the number of investments grow,
may distract them or slow the rate of investment. In order to grow, we and
our
investment adviser will need to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees.
However, we cannot assure you that any such employees will contribute to
the
work of the investment adviser. Any failure to manage our future growth
effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Our
ability to grow will depend on our ability to raise
capital.
We
will need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash to fund
new
investments. Unfavorable economic conditions could increase our funding costs,
limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders
not
to extend credit to us. An inability to successfully access the capital markets
could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business
strategy and could decrease our earnings, if any.
If
we incur indebtedness or issue senior securities we will be exposed to
additional risks, including the typical risks associated with
leverage.
We
expect to receive a commitment for the Company Credit Facility, which we
expect
will be a five-year senior secured revolving credit facility with each of
Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan
Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., in an aggregate
amount of up to $175 million. Both Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc. are underwriters in this offering. We expect the terms to
include an undertaking by each of Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank,
N.A.,
to use commercially reasonable efforts to syndicate loan commitments together
with its $ million loan
commitment, in an aggregate amount of up to
$ million. We anticipate the
closing of the Company Credit Facility will be conditioned on the receipt
of a
minimum of $ million of gross
proceeds from this offering and other customary conditions. See “Obligations and
Indebtedness.” We expect to use borrowings under the Company Credit Facility
together with the net proceeds of this offering to purchase the Portfolio.
In
addition, we may borrow funds under the Company Credit Facility or issue
senior
securities to make additional investments. With certain limited exceptions,
once
we become a BDC we will only be allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset
coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least 200% after such borrowing.
The
amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our investment adviser’s and
our board of directors’ assessment of market conditions and other factors at the
time of any proposed borrowing. There is no assurance that a leveraging strategy
will be successful. Leverage involves risks and special considerations of
stockholders, including:
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There
is a likelihood of greater volatility of net asset value and market
price
of our common stock than a comparable portfolio without
leverage.
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We
will be exposed to increased risk of loss if we incur debt or issue
senior
securities to finance investments because a decrease in the value
of our
investments would have a greater negative impact on our returns
and
therefore the value of our common stock than if we did not use
leverage.
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It
is likely that such debt or senior securities will be governed
by an
instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility.
These covenants may impose asset coverage or investment portfolio
composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed
by the
1940 Act and could require us to liquidate investments at an inopportune
time.
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We,
and indirectly our stockholders, will bear the cost of leverage,
including
issuance and servicing costs.
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Any
convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future
may
have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those
of our
common stock (although the common stock issuable upon conversion
or
exchange of such securities will have the same rights, preferences
and
privileges as our
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outstanding
common stock). As a BDC, we are required to receive, among other
things,
shareholder approval prior to an issuance of securities convertible
into
voting securities.
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Lenders
will have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to
the
claims of our shareholders, as a result of which lenders will be
able to
receive proceeds available in the case of our liquidation before
any
proceeds are distributed to our
shareholders.
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Any
requirement that we sell assets at a loss to redeem or pay interest or dividends
on any leverage or for other reasons would reduce our net asset value and
also
make it difficult for the net asset value to recover. Our investment adviser
and
our board of directors in their best judgment nevertheless may determine
to use
leverage if they expect that the benefits to our stockholders of maintaining
the
leveraged position will outweigh the risks.
We
will pay the investment adviser a base management fee based on our total
assets,
which may create an incentive for the investment adviser to cause us to incur
more leverage than is prudent in order to maximize its compensation. Our
board
of directors will monitor the amount of leverage we
incur.
We
will pay the investment adviser a quarterly base management fee based on
the
value of our total assets (including any assets acquired with leverage).
Accordingly, the investment adviser will have an economic incentive to increase
our leverage. Our board of directors will monitor the conflicts presented
by
this compensation structure by approving the amount of leverage that we will
incur. If our leverage is increased, we will be exposed to increased risk
of
loss, bear the increase cost of issuing and servicing such senior indebtedness,
and will be subject to any additional covenant restrictions imposed on us
in an
indenture or other instrument or by the applicable lender. See “Risk
Factors—Risks related to our business—We will pay the investment adviser
incentive compensation based on our net investment income and realized capital
gains, which may create an incentive for the investment adviser to cause
us to
incur more leverage than is prudent in order to maximize its compensation.
Our
investment adviser also controls the timing of when capital gains and losses
will be realized on our investments, which may create an incentive to realize
capital gains or losses to maximize its compensation.”
We
will pay the investment adviser incentive compensation based on our net
investment income and realized capital gains, which may create an incentive
for
the investment adviser to cause us to incur more leverage than is prudent
in
order to maximize its compensation. Our investment adviser also
controls the timing of when capital gains and losses will be realized on
our
investments, which may create an incentive to realize capital gains or losses
to
maximize its compensation.
The
incentive fee payable to the investment adviser may create an incentive for
the
investment adviser to make investments that are riskier or more speculative
than
would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way
in
which the incentive fee payable to the investment adviser is determined,
which
is calculated as a percentage of the return on net assets, may encourage
the
investment adviser to use leverage to increase the return to the Company’s
investments. If the investment adviser acquires poorly-performing assets
with
such leverage, the loss to holders of the Shares, including investors in
this
offering, could be substantial. Moreover, if our leverage is increased, we
will
be exposed to increased risk of loss, bear the increased cost of issuing
and
servicing such senior indebtedness, and will be subject to any additional
covenant restrictions imposed on us in an indenture or other instrument or
by
the applicable lender. Our board of directors will monitor the conflicts
presented by this compensation structure by approving the amount of leverage
that we may incur. See “Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—We will pay
the investment adviser a base management fee based on our total assets, which
may create an incentive for the investment adviser to cause us to incur more
leverage than is prudent in order to maximize its compensation.”
We
will be exposed to risks associated with changes in interest
rates.
General
interest rate fluctuations and changes in credit spreads on floating rate
loans
may have a substantial negative impact on our investments and investment
opportunities and, accordingly, may have a material adverse effect on investment
objectives and our rate of return on invested capital. In addition, an increase
in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt to finance our
investments. Decreases in credit spreads on debt that pays a
floating
rate of return would have an impact on the income generation of our floating
rate assets. Trading prices for debt that pays a fixed rate of return tend
to
fall as interest rates rise. Trading prices tend to fluctuate more for
fixed-rate securities that have longer maturities. Although we have no policy
governing the maturities of our investments, under current market conditions
we
expect that we will invest in a portfolio of debt generally having maturities
of
up to three to ten years. This means that we will be subject to greater risk
(other things being equal) than a fund investment solely in shorter-term
securities. A decline in the prices of the debt we own could adversely affect
the trading price of our common stock.
Many
of our portfolio investments will be recorded at fair value as determined
in
good faith by our board of directors. As a result, there will be uncertainty
as
to the value of our portfolio investments.
A
large percentage of our portfolio investments will be investments that are
not
publicly traded. The fair value of investments that are not publicly traded
may
not be readily determinable. We will value these investments quarterly at
fair
value as determined in good faith by our board of directors. However, we
may be
required to value our investments more frequently as determined in good faith
by
our board of directors to the extent necessary to reflect significant events
affecting their value. Where appropriate, our board of directors may utilize
the
services of an independent valuation firm to aid it in determining fair value.
The types of factors that may be considered in valuing our investments include
the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s
ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio
company does business, comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted
cash
flow and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly
valuations of private investments and private companies, are inherently
uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on
estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the
values that would have been used if a ready market for these investments
existed. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations
regarding the fair value of our investments are materially higher than the
values that we ultimately realize upon the sale of our investments.
We
may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.
We
could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a
number
of factors, including the interest rate payable on the debt investments we
make,
the default rate on such investments, the level of our expenses, variations
in
and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses,
the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic
conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not
be
relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.
There
are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our investment adviser
and/or
GSC Group, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interests
of
our stockholders.
Subject
to the restrictions of the 1940 Act, we may co-invest in securities of portfolio
companies on a concurrent basis with other funds managed by GSC Group. Similarly
a GSC Group fund may, in certain circumstances, invest in securities issued
by a
company in which we have made, or are making, an investment. Although certain
such investments may present conflicts of interest, we nonetheless may pursue
and consummate such transactions. These conflicts may include:
Co-Investment.
We will be prohibited from co-investing with other funds managed now or in
the
future by GSC Group in certain securities of portfolio companies in instances
where GSC Group negotiates terms other than price. In instances where we
co-invest with a GSC Group fund, while we will invest on the same terms and
neither we nor the GSC Group fund may negotiate terms of the transaction
other
than price, conflicts of interest may arise. For example, if an investee
company
in which both we and a GSC Group fund have invested becomes distressed, and
if
the size of our relative investments vary significantly, the decisions relating
to actions to be taken could raise conflicts of interest.
Conflicts
in Different Parts of Capital Structure.
If a portfolio company in which we and another GSC Group fund hold different
classes of securities encounters financial problems, decisions over the terms
of
any workout will raise conflicts of interests. For example, a debt holder
may be
better served by a liquidation of the issuer in which it
will
be paid in full, whereas an equity holder might prefer a reorganization that
could create value for the equity holder.
Potential
Conflicting Positions.
Given our investment objectives and the investment objectives of other GSC
Group
funds, it is possible that we may hold a position that is contrary to a position
held by another GSC Group fund. For example, we could hold a longer term
investment in a certain portfolio company and at the same time another GSC
Group
fund could hold a short term position in the same company. The GSC Group
will
make each investment decision separately based upon the investment objective
of
each of its clients.
Shared
Legal Counsel.
We and a GSC Group fund will generally engage common legal counsel in
transactions in which both are participating. Although separate counsel may
be
engaged, the time and cost savings and other efficiencies and advantages
of
using common counsel will generally outweigh the disadvantages. In the event
of
a significant dispute or divergence of interests, typically in a work-out
or
other distressed situation, separate representation may become desirable,
and in
litigation and other circumstances, separate representation may be
necessary.
Allocation
of Opportunities.
In particular, our investment adviser provides investment management, investment
advice or other services in relation to a number of investment vehicles of
GSC
Group, which focus on corporate credit, distressed debt, mezzanine investments
and structured finance products and have investment objectives that are similar
to or overlap with ours. Investment opportunities that may be of interest
to us
may also be of interest to GSC Group’s other investment vehicles, and GSC Group
may buy or sell securities for us which differ from securities which they
may
cause to be bought or sold for GSC Group’s other investment vehicles. GSC Group
may have conflicting interests, including a larger capital commitment to,
or
larger fees from, another investment vehicle of GSC Group, in determining
which
investment vehicle should pursue the investment opportunity.
Material
Nonpublic Information.
GSC Group or its employees, officers, principals or affiliates may come into
possession of material nonpublic information in connection with business
activities unrelated to our operations. The possession of such information
may
limit our ability to buy or sell securities or otherwise participate in an
investment opportunity or to take other action it might consider in our best
interest.
Cross-Trading.
Subject to applicable law, we may engage in transactions directly with GSC
Group
or our investment adviser, including the purchase or sale of all or a portion
of
a portfolio investment. Cross-trades can save us brokerage commissions and,
in
certain cases, related transaction costs. Cross-trades between affiliates
may
create conflicts of interest with respect to certain terms, including price,
of
the transaction. The 1940 Act imposes substantial restrictions on cross-trades
between us and GSC Group or our investment adviser. As a result, our board
of
directors has adopted cross-trading procedures designed to ensue compliance
with
the requirements of the 1940 Act and will regularly review the terms of any
cross-trades.
Our
investment adviser’s liability will be limited under the investment advisory and
management agreement, and we will indemnify our investment adviser against
certain liabilities, which may lead our investment adviser to act in a riskier
manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own
account.
Our
investment adviser has not assumed any responsibility to us other than to
render
the services described in the investment advisory and management agreement.
Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement, our investment
adviser and its general partner, officers and employees will not be liable
to us
for their acts, under the investment advisory and management agreement, absent
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in
the
performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect
our
investment adviser and its general partner, officers and employees with respect
to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of our
investment adviser not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross
negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties under
the
investment advisory and management agreement. These protections may lead
our
investment adviser to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than
it
would when acting for its own account.
We
may be obligated to pay our investment adviser incentive compensation even
if we
incur a net loss, regardless of the market value of our common
stock.
Our
investment adviser will be entitled to incentive compensation for each fiscal
quarter in an amount equal to a percentage of the excess of our investment
income for that quarter (before deducting incentive compensation, net operating
losses and certain other items) above a threshold return for that quarter.
Our
pre-incentive fee, net investment income, for incentive compensation purposes,
excludes realized and unrealized capital losses that we may incur in the
fiscal
quarter, even if such capital losses result in a net loss on our statement
of
operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay our investment
adviser incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline
in the value of our Portfolio or we incur a net loss for that
quarter.
Under
the investment advisory and management agreement, we will defer cash payment
of
any incentive fee otherwise earned by our investment adviser if, during the
most
recent four full calendar quarter periods ending on or prior to the date
such
payment is to be made, the sum of (a) our aggregate distributions to our
stockholders and (b) our change in net assets (defined as total assets less
liabilities) is less than 7.5% of our net assets at the beginning of such
period. These calculations will be appropriately pro rated during the first
three calendar quarters following the closing of this offering and will be
adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases. Furthermore, the incentive
fee
that we pay is not tied to the market value of our common stock.
If
a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued
interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously included in the
calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. The investment
adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the
incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never
received as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted
in the accrual of such income.
Changes
in laws or regulations governing our operations, or changes in the
interpretation thereof, and any failure by us to comply with laws or regulations
governing our operations may adversely affect our
business.
We
and our portfolio companies will be subject to regulation at the local, state
and federal levels. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation,
may be changed from time to time. Accordingly, any change in these laws or
regulations, or their interpretation, or any failure by us to comply with
these
laws or regulations may adversely affect our business.
As
discussed below, there is a risk that certain investments that we intend
to
treat as qualifying assets will be determined to not be eligible for such
treatment. Any such determination would have a material adverse effect on
our
business.
We
operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities.
A
number of entities will compete with us to make the types of investments
that we
plan to make in private middle market companies. We will compete with other
BDCs, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial
financing companies, insurance companies, high-yield investors, hedge funds,
and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private
equity
funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably
greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. Several
other
BDCs have recently raised, or are expected to raise, significant amounts
of
capital, and may have investment objectives that overlap with ours, which
may
create competition for investment opportunities. Some competitors may have
a
lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available
to us.
In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or
different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety
of investments and establish more relationships than us. Furthermore, many
of
our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940
Act
will impose on us as a BDC. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures
we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this competition,
we
may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities
from
time to time, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to identify and
make
investments that meet our investment objectives.
We
will not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we will offer
and
we believe that some of our competitors may make loans with interest rates
that
will be comparable to or lower than the rates we offer.
We
may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors’ pricing,
terms and structure. If we match our competitors’ pricing, terms and structure,
we may experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of credit
loss. As a result of operating in such a competitive environment, we may
make
investments that are on better terms to our portfolio companies than what
we may
have originally anticipated, which may impact our return on these
investments.
Risks
related to our operation as a BDC
Our
investment adviser and the members of its investment committee have no
experience managing a BDC.
The
1940 Act imposes numerous constraints on the operations of business development
companies. For example, business development companies are required to invest
at
least 70% of their total assets primarily in securities of private operating
companies or U.S. public companies whose securities are not listed on a national
securities exchange registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(i.e.,
New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and The NASDAQ Global Market),
cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high quality debt
investments that mature in one year or less. Our investment adviser does
not
have any experience managing a BDC. The lack of experience of our investment
adviser and the members of its investment committee in managing a portfolio
of
assets under such constraints may hinder their ability to take advantage
of
attractive investment opportunities and, as a result, achieve our investment
objectives.
A
failure on our part to maintain our qualification as a BDC would significantly
reduce our operating flexibility.
If
we fail to qualify as a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment
company under the 1940 Act, which would significantly decrease our operating
flexibility.
We
will be subject to corporate-level income tax if we fail to qualify as a
RIC.
Upon
our election to become a BDC, we will seek to qualify as a RIC under the
Code,
which requires us to qualify continuously as a BDC and meet certain source
of
income, distribution and asset diversification requirements.
The
source of income requirement is satisfied if we derive at least 90% of our
annual gross income from interest, dividends, payments with respect to certain
securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of securities
or
options thereon or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect
to
our business of investing in such securities or currencies, and net income
from
interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” as defined in the
Code.
The
annual distribution requirement is satisfied if we distribute to our
stockholders on an annual basis an amount equal to at least 90% of our ordinary
net taxable income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of
realized net long-term capital losses, if any, reduced by deductible expenses.
Because we may use debt financing in the future, we may be subject to certain
asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants
under loan agreements that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us
from
making distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. In such case, if we are
unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC
and,
thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax.
To
qualify as a RIC, we must also meet certain asset diversification requirements
at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these tests may result
in
our having to (i) dispose of certain investments quickly or (ii) raise
additional capital to prevent the loss of our RIC qualification. Because
most of
our investments will be in private companies, any such dispositions could
be
made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses. While
we
intend to enter into a credit facility within 60 days following the closing
of
this offering, which would
provide
us with access to additional capital, we cannot assure you that we will be
able
to obtain a credit facility on terms acceptable to us or at all. In addition,
if
we raise additional capital to satisfy the asset diversification requirements,
it could take us time to invest such capital. During this period, we will
invest
the additional capital in temporary investments, such as cash and cash
equivalents, which we expect will earn yields substantially lower than the
interest income that we anticipate receiving in respect of investments in
first
and second lien loans and mezzanine debt.
If
we fail to qualify as a RIC for any reason, all of our taxable income will
be
subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates. The resulting
corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of
income
available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure
would have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders. See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Tax consequences as a RIC.”
There
is a risk that you may not receive distributions or that our distributions
may
not grow over time.
As
a BDC for 1940 Act purposes and a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes,
we
intend to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out
of
assets legally available for distribution. We cannot assure you 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. In addition,
due
to the asset coverage test that is applicable to us as a BDC, we may be limited
in our ability to make distributions. Further, if we invest a greater amount
of
assets in equity securities that do not pay current dividends, it could reduce
the amount available for distribution. See “Distributions.”
As
a BDC, we may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize
income before or without receiving cash in respect of such
income.
For
U.S. federal income tax purposes, we will include in income certain amounts
that
we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which
may
arise if we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan or possibly
in other circumstances, or contracted payment-in-kind interest, which represents
contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the
loan
term. Such original issue discount, which could be significant relative to
our
overall investment activities, or increases in loan balances will be included
in
income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be
required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive
in
cash, including, for example, non-cash income from pay-in-kind securities
and
deferred payment securities.
Since
in certain cases we may recognize income before or without receiving cash
in
respect of such income, we may have difficulty meeting the requirement that
we
distribute an amount equal to at least 90% of our ordinary net taxable income
and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term
capital losses, if any, reduced by deductible expenses, to qualify as a RIC.
Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would
not
consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce
new
investments to meet these distribution requirements. If we are not able to
obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify as a RIC and thus
be
subject to corporate-level income tax. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations—Tax consequences as a RIC.”
Regulations
governing our operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way
in
which we, raise additional capital.
We
may issue debt securities or preferred stock, which we refer to collectively
as
“senior securities,” and borrow money from banks or other financial institutions
up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions
of the
1940 Act, we will be permitted, as a BDC, to incur indebtedness or issue
senior
securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the
1940
Act, equal at least 200% after such incurrence or issuance. If the value
of our
assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test, which would prohibit
us
from paying dividends and could prevent us from qualifying as a RIC. If we
cannot satisfy this test, we
may
be required to sell a portion of our investments and, depending on the nature
of
our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when such sales
may
be disadvantageous.
We
are not generally 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 current
net
asset value of the common stock if our board of directors determines that
such
sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders,
and
our stockholders approve such sale. In any such case, the price at which
our
securities are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which,
in the
determination of our board of directors, closely approximates the market
value
of such securities (less any commission or discount). If our common stock
trades
at a discount to net asset value, this restriction could adversely affect
our
ability to raise capital.
In
addition, we may in the future seek to securitize our loans to generate cash
for
funding new investments. To securitize loans, we may create a wholly-owned
subsidiary and contribute a pool of loans to the subsidiary. This could include
the sale of interests in the subsidiary on a non-recourse basis to purchasers
who we would expect to be willing to accept a lower interest rate to invest
in
loan pools, and we would retain a portion of the equity in the securitized
pool
of loans. An inability to successfully securitize our loan portfolio could
limit
our ability to grow our business, fully execute our business strategy and
decrease our earnings, if any. The securitization market is subject to changing
market conditions and we may not be able to access this market when we would
otherwise deem appropriate. Moreover, the successful securitization of our
loan
portfolio might expose us to losses as the residual loans in which we do
not
sell interests will tend to be those that are riskier and more apt to generate
losses. The 1940 Act may also impose restrictions on the structure of any
securitization.
If
our primary investments are deemed not to be qualifying assets, we could
fail to
qualify as a BDC or be precluded from investing according to our current
business plan.
If
we are to maintain our qualification as a BDC, we must not acquire any assets
other than “qualifying assets” unless, at the time of and after giving effect to
such acquisition, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets.
We
believe that the senior loans and mezzanine investments that we propose to
acquire constitute qualifying assets because the privately held issuers will
not, at the time of our investment, have securities listed on a national
securities exchange.
The
Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has adopted a rule that defines
an “eligible portfolio company” as any private domestic operating company and
public domestic operating company that does not have securities listed on
a
national securities exchange. In addition, the SEC has proposed a new rule
that
would expand the definition of eligible portfolio companies to include
publicly-traded companies with a market capitalization of less than $250
million. If adopted or enacted, the effect of this rule would be to further
reduce or eliminate confusion surrounding whether a company qualifies as
an
eligible portfolio company. We cannot assure you that this rule will be approved
by the SEC. Until the SEC or its staff has issued a final rule, we will continue
to monitor this issue closely. See “—Risks related to our business—Changes in
laws or regulations governing our operations, or changes in the interpretation
thereof, and any failure by us to comply with laws or regulations governing
our
operations may adversely affect our business” above.
Our
ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates will be
restricted.
Following
our election to be treated as a BDC, we will be prohibited under the 1940
Act
from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates
without
the prior approval of our independent directors, or in some cases, the prior
approval of the SEC. For example, any person that owns, directly or indirectly,
5% or more of our outstanding voting securities will be our affiliate for
purposes of the 1940 Act and we will generally be prohibited from buying
or
selling any security from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval
of our
independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits “joint” transactions with an
affiliate, which could include investments in the same portfolio company
(whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our
independent directors and, in some cases, the SEC. If a person acquires more
than 25% of our voting securities, we will be prohibited from buying or selling
any security from or to such person, or entering into joint transactions
with
such
person,
absent the prior approval of the SEC. Similar restrictions limit our ability
to
transact business with our officers or directors or their affiliates. As
a
result, we will be limited in our ability to negotiating the term of any
investment (except with respect to price) in instances where we are
participating in such investments with other funds managed by GSC Group.
Generally, we will be prohibited from knowingly making an investment in
securities of a portfolio company that is already held by GSC Group or any
other
fund managed by GSC Group. However, if a portfolio company offers additional
securities and existing securities are held by us and GSC Group or other
funds
managed by GSC Group, then we may participate in a follow-on investment in
such
securities on a pro-rata basis. Prior to our election to be treated as a
BDC,
the restrictions and protections of the 1940 Act will not be applicable,
therefore we will not be prohibited from entering into transactions with
our
affiliates. For example, we are purchasing our Portfolio from an affiliate
and
while the valuation of the Portfolio has been determined by our board of
directors, this purchase may not have been permissible if we were regulated
as a
BDC under the 1940 Act.
Our
common stock may trade at a discount to our net asset value per
share.
Common
stock of BDCs, as closed-end investment companies, frequently trades at a
discount to net asset value. It is possible that after our initial public
offering our common stock will also trade at a discount. The possibility
that
our common stock may trade at a discount to our net asset value is separate
and
distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. Our
net
asset value immediately following this offering will reflect reductions
resulting from the underwriters’ discount and the amount of the organizational
and offering expenses paid by us. This risk may have a greater effect on
investors expecting to sell their common stock soon after completion of the
initial public offering and our common stock may be more appropriate for
long-term investors than for investors with shorter investment horizons.
We
cannot predict whether our common stock following our initial public offering
will trade above, at or below our net asset value per share.
The
floating interest rate featuresof the Company
Credit Facilityand the CDO Fund III Credit Facility could adversely
affect us if interest rates rise.
In
addition, the Company Credit Facility and the CDO Fund III Credit Facility
will
likely bear interest at a floating rate based on LIBOR. As a result, if LIBOR
increases, our costs under these facilities would become more expensive,
which
could have a material adverse effect on our earnings.
Risks
related to our investments
Our
investments may be risky, and you could lose all or part of your
investment.
We
anticipate that substantially all of the investments held in the portfolio
will
hold a sub-investment grade rating by Moody’s Investors Service and/or Standard
& Poor’s or, where not rated by any rating agency, would be below investment
grade, if rated. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly
referred to as “junk bonds.” Indebtedness of below investment grade quality is
regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect
to the
issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Our mezzanine investments
may result in an above average amount of risk and volatility or loss of
principal. We will invest in assets other than mezzanine investments including
first and second lien loans, high-yield securities, U.S. government securities,
credit derivatives and other structured securities and certain direct equity
investments. These investments will entail additional risks that could adversely
affect our investment returns. In addition, to the extent interest payments
associated with such debt are deferred such debt will be subject to greater
fluctuations in value based on changes in interest rates, such debt could
produce taxable income without a corresponding cash payment to us, and since
we
will generally not receive any cash prior to maturity of the debt, the
investment will be of greater risk.
In
addition, private middle market companies in which we expect to invest involve
a
number of significant risks, including:
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limited
financial resources and being unable to meet their obligations,
which may
be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of any collateral
and a
reduction in the likelihood of us realizing any guarantees we may
have
obtained in connection with our
investment;
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shorter
operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market
shares than
larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to
competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic
downturns;
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depending
on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons;
therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of
one or
more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our
portfolio company and, in turn, on us;
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less
predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties
to
litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with
products
subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, and may require
substantial
additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion
or
maintain their competitive position. In addition, our executive
officers,
directors and our investment adviser may, in the ordinary course
of
business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from our
investments in the portfolio companies;
and
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difficulty
accessing the capital markets to meet future capital
needs.
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When
we invest in first and second lien senior loans or mezzanine debt, we may
acquire warrants or other equity securities as well. Our goal is ultimately
to
dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of
such
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.
Economic
recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our
operating results.
Many
of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or
recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore,
our non-performing assets are likely to increase and the value of our portfolio
is likely to decrease during these periods. Adverse economic conditions also
may
decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and the value
of our
equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial
losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets.
Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit
our
access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend
credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and
harm
our operating results.
A
portfolio company’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed
by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration
of
the time when the loans are due 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 that we hold and the
value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent
necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a
defaulting portfolio company.
There
may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated to
claims
of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability
claims.
If
one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have
structured our interest as senior debt, depending on the facts and
circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial
assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize
our debt holding and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of
other
creditors. In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims
for
actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower’s business
or exercise control over the borrower. It is possible that we could become
subject to a lender’s liability claim, including as a result of actions taken if
we actually render significant managerial assistance.
An
investment strategy focused primarily on privately-held companies presents
certain challenges, including the lack of available information about these
companies and a greater vulnerability to economic
downturns.
We
will invest primarily in privately-held companies. Generally, little public
information exists about these companies, and we will be required to rely
on the
ability of our investment adviser’s investment professionals to obtain adequate
information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies.
These companies and their financial information will not be subject to the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and other rules that
govern public 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, subjecting them to greater vulnerability to economic downturns.
These factors could affect our investment returns.
Our
portfolio companies may incur debt or issue equity securities that rank equally
with, or senior to, our investments in such
companies.
Our
portfolio companies usually will have, or may be permitted to incur, other
debt,
or issue other equity securities, that rank equally with, or senior to, our
investments. By their terms, such instruments may provide that the holders
are
entitled to receive payment of dividends, interest or principal on or before
the
dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of our
investments. These debt instruments will usually prohibit the portfolio
companies from paying interest on or repaying our investments in the event
and
during the continuance of a default under such debt. Also, in the event of
insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a
portfolio company, holders of securities ranking senior to our investment
in
that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in
full
before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying
such holders, the portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to
use for
repaying its obligation to us. In the case of securities ranking equally
with
our investments, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions
with
other security holders in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution,
reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.
Investments
in equity securities involve a substantial degree of
risk.
We
may purchase common stock and other equity securities. Although equity
securities have historically generated higher average total returns than
fixed-income securities over the long term, equity securities also have
experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and in recent
years
have significantly under performed relative to fixed-income securities. The
equity securities we acquire may fail to appreciate and may decline in value
or
become worthless and our ability to recover our investment will depend on
our
portfolio company’s success. Investments in equity securities involve a number
of significant risks, including:
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any
equity investment we make in a portfolio company could be subject
to
further dilution as a result of the issuance of additional equity
interests and to serious risks as a junior security that will be
subordinate to all indebtedness or senior securities in the event
that the
issuer is unable to meet its obligations or becomes subject to
a
bankruptcy process;
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to
the extent that the portfolio company requires additional capital
and is
unable to obtain it, we may not recover our investment in equity
securities; and
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in
some cases, equity securities in which we invest will not pay current
dividends, and our ability to realize a return on our investment,
as well
as to recover our investment, will be dependent on the success
of our
portfolio companies. Even if the portfolio companies are successful,
our
ability to realize the value of our investment may be dependent
on the
occurrence of a liquidity event, such as a public offering or the
sale of
the portfolio company. It is likely to take a significant amount
of time
before a liquidity event occurs or we can sell our equity investments.
In
addition, the equity securities we receive or invest in may be
subject to
restrictions on resale during periods in which it could be advantageous
to
sell.
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There
are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities,
including:
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preferred
securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, at its
discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without
any adverse
consequences to the issuer. If we own a preferred security that
is
deferring its distributions, we may be required to report income
for tax
purposes even though we have not received any cash payments in
respect of
such income;
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preferred
securities are subordinated debt in terms of priority to corporate
income
and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater
risk
than debt;
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preferred
securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities,
such as common securities or U.S. government securities;
and
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preferred
security holders generally have no voting rights with respect to
the
issuing company, subject to limited
exceptions.
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Our
incentive fee may induce our investment adviser to make certain investments,
including speculative investments.
The
incentive fee payable by us to our investment adviser may create an incentive
for our investment adviser to make investments on our behalf that are risky
or
more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation
arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to our investment
adviser is determined, which is calculated as a percentage of the return
on
invested capital, may encourage our investment adviser to use leverage to
increase the return on our investments. Under certain circumstances, the
use of
leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor the
holders of our common stock, including investors in this offering. In addition,
the investment adviser will receive the incentive fee based, in part, upon
net
capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike the portion of the incentive
fee based on income, there is no hurdle rate applicable to the portion of
the
incentive fee based on net capital gains. As a result, the investment adviser
may have a tendency to invest more in investments that are likely to result
in
capital gains as compared to income producing securities. Such a practice
could
result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise
be
the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during
economic downturns. The part of the incentive fee payable by us that relates
to
our pre-incentive fee net investment income will be computed and paid on
income
that may include interest that is accrued but not yet received in cash. If
a
portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued
interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously used in the
calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible. The investment
adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the
incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never
receive
as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted in
the
accrual of such income.
Because
of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible that we may have to
pay an
incentive fee in a quarter where we incur a net loss. For example, if we
receive
pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the hurdle rate for
a
quarter, we will pay the applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred
a net
loss in that quarter due to realized capital losses. In addition, if market
interest rates rise, we may be able to invest our funds in debt instruments
that
provide for a higher return, which would increase our pre-incentive fee net
investment income and make it easier for our investment adviser to surpass
the
fixed hurdle rate and receive an incentive fee based on such net investment
income.
Our
investments in foreign debt, including that of emerging market issuers, may
involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S.
investments.
Our
investment strategy contemplates potential investments in debt of foreign
companies, including the debt of emerging market issuers. Investing in foreign
companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with
investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control
regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition
of
foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is
generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less
government supervision of exchanges, brokers
and
issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual
obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater
price
volatility. Investments in the debt of emerging market issuers may subject
us to
additional risks such as inflation, wage and price controls, and the imposition
of trade barriers. Furthermore, economic conditions in emerging market countries
are, to some extent, influenced by economic and securities market conditions
in
other emerging market countries. Although economic conditions are different
in
each country, investors’ reaction to developments in one country can have
effects on the debt of issuers in other countries.
Although
most of our investments will be U.S. dollar-denominated, our investments
that
are denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the
value
of a particular currency will change in relation to one or more other
currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade
balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative
values
of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for
investment and capital appreciation, and political developments. We may employ
hedging techniques to minimize these risks, but we cannot assure you that
we
will fully hedge against these risks or that such strategies will be
effective.
We
may expose ourselves to risks if we engage in hedging
transactions.
If
we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to 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. Use of
these
hedging instruments may include counter-party credit risk. 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 portfolio positions
should increase. Moreover, 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 unacceptable price.
The
success of our hedging transactions will depend on our ability to correctly
predict movements, currencies and interest rates. Therefore, while we may
enter
into such transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest
rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest
rates
may result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged
in any such hedging transactions. In addition, the degree of correlation
between
price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price
movements in the portfolio positions being hedged may vary. 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 correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and
expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge fully
or
perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities
denominated in non-U.S. currencies because the value of those securities
is
likely to fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency
fluctuations.
The
lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our
business.
We
expect to make investments in private companies. A portion of these securities
may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale, transfer, pledge
or
other disposition or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded
securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for
us to
sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required
to
liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize
significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our
investments. In addition, we may face other restrictions on our ability to
liquidate an investment in a business entity to the extent that we or our
investment adviser has or could be attributed with material non-public
information regarding such business entity.
Other
than the agreement relating to the purchase of the Portfolio, we have not
entered into any binding agreements with respect to any portfolio company
investments.
Other
than the agreement relating to the purchase of the Portfolio (as described
under
“Business—Prospective investments”), we have not entered into any binding
agreements with respect to any portfolio company investments that we have
identified. Other than the Portfolio, you will not be able to evaluate any
specific portfolio company investments prior to purchasing our common stock.
Additionally, our investments will be selected by our investment adviser
and our
stockholders will not have input into such investment decisions. Both of
these
factors will increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing in
our
common stock.
When
we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company, we may
not be
in a position to control the entity, and its management may make decisions
that
could decrease the value of our investment.
We
anticipate making both debt and minority equity investments; therefore, we
will
be subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions
with
which we disagree, and the stockholders and management of such company may
take
risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests. As a result,
a
portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our
portfolio holdings.
Our
board of directors may change our operating policies and strategies without
prior notice or stockholder approval, the effects of which may be
adverse.
Our
board of directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating
policies and our strategies without prior notice and without stockholder
approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating
policies and strategies would have on our business, operating results and
value
of our common stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could
negatively impact our ability to pay dividends and cause you to lose all
or part
of your investment.
Risks
related to this offering
An
active trading market for our common stock may not
develop.
Prior
to this offering, there has been no public trading market for our common
stock,
and an active trading market might never develop. To the extent that an active
trading market does not develop, the liquidity and trading prices for our
common
stock may be harmed. If shares of our common stock are traded after their
initial issuance, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering
price, depending on the market for similar securities, the performance of
our
investments and other factors.
Even
if a trading market for our common stock develops, it may not be liquid.
The
liquidity of any market for our common stock will depend upon the number
of
holders of our common stock, our results of operations and financial condition,
the market for similar securities, the interest of securities dealers in
making
a market in our common stock and other factors.
Investing
in our common stock may involve an above average degree of
risk.
The
investments we make in accordance with our investment objectives may result
in a
higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility
or loss
of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be highly speculative
and aggressive, and therefore, an investment in our common stock may not
be
suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.
Investing
in non-traded companies may be riskier than investing in publicly traded
companies due to a lack of available public
information.
We
will invest in primarily non-traded companies, which may be subject to higher
risk than investments in publicly traded companies. Little public information
exists about many of these companies, and we will rely on the ability of
GSC
Group to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential risks and
returns
involved in investing
in
these companies. If GSC Group is unable to obtain all material information
about
these companies, GSC Group may not make a fully informed investment decision,
and we may lose some or all our investment in these companies. These factors
could subject us to greater risk than investment in publicly traded companies
and negatively affect our investment returns, which could negatively impact
the
dividends paid to you and the value of your investment.
The
debt securities in which we invest are subject to credit risk and prepayment
risk.
An
issuer of debt security may be unable to make interest payments and repay
principal. We could lose money if the issuer of a debt obligation is, or
is
perceived to be, unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest
payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of a security
by
rating agencies may further decrease its value.
Certain
debt instruments may contain call or redemption provisions which would allow
the
issuer thereof to prepay principal prior to the debt instrument’s stated
maturity. This is known as prepayment risk. Prepayment risk is greater during
a
falling interest rate environment as issuers can reduce their cost of capital
by
refinancing higher yielding debt instruments with lower yielding debt
instruments. An issuer may also elect to refinance their debt instruments
with
lower yielding debt instruments if the credit standing of the issuer improves.
To the extent debt securities in our portfolio are called or redeemed, we
may
receive less than we paid for such security and we may be forced to reinvest
in
lower yielding securities or debt securities of issuers of lower credit
quality.
We
will value investments for which market quotations are not readily available
quarterly at a fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors
based on input from our investment adviser, a third party independent valuation
firm and our audit committee. We may also be required to value any publicly
traded securities at fair value as determined in good faith by our board
of
directors to the extent necessary to reflect significant events affecting
the
value of those securities. The types of factors that may be considered in
a fair
value pricing of our investments include the nature and realizable value
of any
collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, the markets in
which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly traded
companies, discounted cash flow and other relevant factors. Because such
valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private
companies, are inherently uncertain, they may fluctuate over short periods
of
time and may be based on estimates. The determination of fair value by our
board
of directors may differ materially from the values that would have been used
if
a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value could be
adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value of our
investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize
upon the disposal of such securities.
We
may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways with which you may
not
agree.
We
will have significant flexibility in investing the net proceeds of this offering
and may use the net proceeds from this offering in ways with which you may
not
agree or for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of the offering.
Investors
in this offering will suffer immediate dilution upon the closing of this
offering.
The
net cash proceeds that we receive from this offering will be net of the
underwriting discount of $
per share as well as other offering and organizational expenses of
$ per share. As a result,
our net asset value per share immediately after completion of this offering
is
estimated be to $
per share, compared to an offering price of $ per share. Accordingly,
investors purchasing shares in this offering will pay a price per share of
common stock that exceeds the net asset value per shares of common stock
after
this offering by
$
and will indirectly bear the costs of the underwriting discount and other
offering expenses.
We
may sell additional shares of common stock in the future, which may dilute
existing stockholders’ interest in us or cause the market price of our common
stock to decline.
We
may issue additional shares of common stock in subsequent offerings in order
to
make new investments or for other purposes. We are not required to offer
any
such stock to existing stockholders on a pre-emptive basis. Therefore, it
may
not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future share
issues, which may dilute the existing stockholders’ interests in us. Additional
shares of common stock may be issued pursuant to the terms of the underwriters’
over-allotment option, which, if issued, would dilute stockholders’ percentage
ownership in us. The issuance of additional shares of common stock by us,
or the
possibility of such issue, may cause the market price of our common stock
to
decline.
The
market price of our common stock may fluctuate
significantly.
Prior
to this offering, there has been no public trading market for our common
stock.
The market price and liquidity of the market for our common stock may be
significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our
control
and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors
include:
|
·
|
significant
volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities
of
business development companies or other companies in our sector,
which are
not necessarily related to the operating performance of these
companies;
|
|
·
|
changes
in regulatory policies or tax rules, particularly with respect
to RICs or
BDCs;
|
|
·
|
loss
of RIC qualification;
|
|
·
|
changes
in earnings or variations in operating
results;
|
|
·
|
changes
in the value of our portfolio of
investments;
|
|
·
|
any
shortfall in revenue or net income or any increase in losses from
levels
expected by investors or securities
analysts;
|
|
·
|
departure
of our investment adviser’s key
personnel;
|
|
·
|
operating
performance of companies comparable to
us;
|
|
·
|
general
economic trends and other external factors;
and
|
|
·
|
loss
of a major funding source.
|
Provisions
of our governing documents and the Maryland General Corporation Law could
deter
takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common
stock.
We
are governed by our charter and bylaws, which we refer to as our “governing
documents.”
Our
governing documents and the Maryland General Corporation Law contain provisions
that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction
or a
change in control of us that might involve a premium price for our stockholders
or otherwise be in their best interest.
Our
charter provides for the classification of our board of directors into three
classes of directors, serving staggered three-year terms, which may render
a
change of control of us or removal of our incumbent management more difficult.
Furthermore, any and all vacancies on our board of directors will be filled
generally only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors
in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and
any
director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full
term
until a successor is elected and qualifies.
Our
board of directors is authorized to create and issue new series of shares,
to
classify or reclassify any unissued shares of stock into one or more classes
or
series, including preferred stock and, without stockholder approval, to amend
our charter to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we
have
authority to issue, which could have the effect of diluting a stockholder’s
ownership interest. Prior to the issuance of shares of stock of each class
or
series, including any reclassified series, our board of directors is required
by
our governing documents to set the terms, preferences, conversion or other
rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other
distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each
class or series of shares of stock.
Our
governing documents also provide that our board of directors has the exclusive
power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws, and to make
new
bylaws. The Maryland General Corporation Law also contains certain provisions
that may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, such
as:
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·
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The
Maryland Business Combination Act, which, subject to certain limitations,
prohibits certain business combinations between us and an “interested
stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or
more of the voting power of the common stock or an affiliate thereof)
for
five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder
becomes an
interested stockholder and, thereafter, imposes special minimum
price
provisions and special stockholder voting requirements on these
combinations; and
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·
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The
Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act, which provides that “control
shares” of a Maryland corporation (defined as shares of common stock
which, when aggregated with other shares of common stock controlled
by the
stockholder, entitles the stockholder to exercise one of three
increasing
ranges of voting power in electing directors) acquired in a “control share
acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership
or control of “control shares”) have no voting rights except to the extent
approved by stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds
of
all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all
interest
shares of common stock.
|
The
provisions of the Maryland Business Combination Act will not apply, however,
if
our board of directors adopts a resolution that any business combination
between
us and any other person will be exempt from the provisions of the Maryland
Business Combination Act. Although our board of directors has adopted such
a
resolution, there can be no assurance that this resolution will be not be
altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time. If the resolution is
altered or repealed, the provisions of the Maryland Business Combination
Act may
discourage others from trying to acquire control of us.
As
permitted by Maryland law, our bylaws contain a provision exempting from
the
Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person
of
our common stock. Although our bylaws include such a provision, such a provision
may also be amended or eliminated by our board of directors at any time in
the
future.
CONTRIBUTION
Contributions
We
were organized in May 2006 as GSC Investment LLC, a Maryland limited liability
company. Prior to our merger into a corporation and our election to be treated
as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, GSC Investment LLC, GSC Group
and
certain affiliates of GSC Group engaged in a series of transactions. These
transactions are referred to in this prospectus as the “Contribution.” Following
the Contribution, there will be no affiliation between CDO Fund III and our
promoters, underwriters, investment manager, officers, directors, control
persons or principal owners. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise
requires, the information included in this prospectus assumes that the
Contribution will have been completed as described below.
Pursuant
to the agreement entered into on October 17, 2006 among GSC CDO III, L.L.C.,
GSCP (NJ), L.P., GSC Investment LLC and the other investors party thereto
(the
“Contribution and Exchange Agreement”), we completed the following
acquisitions:
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·
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Acquisition
of interests in CDO Fund III
|
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·
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GSC
Investment LLC issued
common shares to affiliates of GSC Group to acquire (i) a general
partner
interest in the general partner of the limited partnership that
owns the
equity in CDO Fund III pursuant to which we will manage the activities
of
the limited partnership and (ii) a limited partner interest in
that same
general partner. See Figure 1 below for a diagram representing
these
contributions. The combined interests indirectly represent a 6.24%
equity
interest in CDO Fund III, an entity excluded from the definition
of
“investment company” in reliance upon Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, and
a contractual right to receive approximately 77% of all carried
interest
distributions with respect to CDO Fund III. Carried interest distributions
with respect to CDO Fund III generally equal 20% of all distributions
made
to the equity investors in CDO Fund III in excess of capital
contributions, once such distributions are in excess of a 12% per
year
internal rate of return. Furthermore, the value of these interests
may be
positively or negatively affected by any appreciation or depreciation
in
the value of CDO Fund III’s assets between the time the interests
contributed to us and the completion of the liquidation of CDO
Fund III.
While there can be no assurances that any carried interest distributions
will be received by us in connection with the liquidation of CDO
Fund III,
our investment in CDO Fund III aligns our interests with the other
beneficial owners of CDO Fund III and furthers our investment objective
as
an asset that may generate current income and provide the potential
for
capital appreciation. These common shares (which were initially
issued at
the mid-point of the range of the initial public offering price
as set
forth on the cover of this prospectus and will be subsequently
adjusted to
reflect the actual initial public offering price) will convert
into shares
of our common stock upon our merger into a GSC Investment Corp.
as
described below. The interests in CDO Fund III that will be acquired
by
GSC Investment LLC were issued in private placements not requiring
registration under the Securities
Act.
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|
·
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Based
on the value of CDO Fund III of
$
at , 2007, GSC Group’s contribution of
general and limited partner interests would be valued at
$ , and
$
respectively, and which in the aggregate is less than [ ]% of
the expected value of our assets upon completion of this offering.
We
valued these interests in CDO Fund III at their fair market value
by
reference to its net liquidation value, as determined by a majority
of our
independent directors in good faith and the amounts that would
be
available for distribution in respect of these interests. Three
business
days prior to the date of the acquisition of interests, we calculated
the
net liquidation value of the collateral held in CDO Fund III by
determining the aggregate fair market value of its assets, less
the debt
issued by CDO Fund III and expenses associated with CDO Fund III’s
liquidation. This methodology may or may not reflect the value
that could
be obtained for these interests in CDO Fund III in a transaction
with a
third party.
|
|
·
|
Acquisition
of role as Collateral Manager of CDO Fund
III
|
|
·
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GSC
Investment LLC used the proceeds under the Company Credit Facility
to pay
$_____ to GSCP (NJ), L.P., the current collateral manager of CDO
Fund III,
to acquire the right to act as collateral manager to CDO Fund III,
and in
doing so will assume all of the rights and obligations of the collateral
manager, including the right to receive all fees that are expected
to be
received by the collateral manager following the Contribution.
See Figure
1 below for a diagram representing this contribution. Under the
terms of
the Collateral Management Agreement, we will assume responsibility
for
directing the investment and reinvestment of the CDO Fund III collateral,
selecting new collateral, monitoring existing collateral and directing
the
trustee, custodian or collateral administrator in the acquisition
or
disposition of collateral. Following the acquisition of the right
to act
as collateral manager, our senior officers, with oversight from
our board
of directors, will actively manage the liquidation of CDO Fund
III. CDO
Fund III will be defeased and its assets will be liquidated at
the
direction of the owners of CDO Fund III. We will purchase the assets
of
CDO Fund III comprising the Portfolio as we have determined these
assets
are appropriate investments given our investment
strategy.
|
|
·
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In
light of the planned liquidation of CDO Fund III, we expect our
activities
as collateral manager will be primarily related to the orderly
liquidation
of the remaining portfolio assets in CDO Fund III and any activities
incidental thereto, e.g., liasing with the trustee. The management
fee we
receive will be related to these
activities.
|
|
·
|
We
valued this role as collateral manager to CDO Fund III at its fair
market
value of $____, as determined by a majority of our independent
directors
in good faith. We estimated the management fee, that would accrue
and be
payable under the existing collateral management agreement between
CDO
Fund III and the collateral manager after February __, 2007 through
the
maturity of the CDO Fund III Credit Facility. This methodology
may or may
not reflect the value that could be obtained for the right to act
as
collateral manager in CDO Fund III in a transaction with a third
party.
The management fee is expected to be
$_______.
|
|
·
|
Pursuant
to the collateral management agreement, we (including our directors
and
officers) will not be liable for any acts or omissions or any decrease
in
value of the CDO Fund III, except by reason of acts or omissions
constituting criminal conduct, fraud, bad faith, willful misconduct
or
gross negligence, or reckless disregard of our duties as collateral
manager. CDO Fund III has agreed to indemnify and hold us harmless
from
and against any and all liabilities, charges and claims of any
nature
whatsoever arising from acts or omissions made in good faith and
transactions not constituting criminal conduct, fraud, bad faith,
willful
misconduct or gross negligence, or reckless disregard of our duties
as
collateral manager. Upon completion of the liquidation, CDO Fund
III will
have no assets to meet any of its obligations under our indemnity.
We may
be exposed to liability to other parties as a result of serving as the
collateral manager to CDO Fund III.
|
Figure
1: Contributions of general partner and limited partner interests in CDO
Fund
III and role as collateral manager.
CDO
Fund III was organized on 2001 to purchase high yield bonds and leveraged
loans
and to earn investors in CDO Fund III an above-market return on their
investment. Following the contribution described above, we will serve as
the
sole collateral manager of CDO Fund III. We expect our role as collateral
manager of CDO Fund III will be limited to activities incidental to the orderly
liquidation of the remaining assets in CDO Fund III, which we expect will
be
completed in approximately 45 days. We believe that the fair market value
of the
remaining assets in CDO Fund III will be approximately $____ million as of
January __, 2007. The divested bonds and loans will be sold in the liquidation
to various broker dealers that trade high yield bonds and leveraged loans.
There
are no arrangements that would cause the Company to sell any of the remaining
assets of CDO Fund III to any affiliates of the Company or any of the principal
underwriters. If any principal underwriters submit a bid to acquire any bond
or
loan, such sale will be subject to compliance by the Company with the
restrictions on cross trades set forth in the
1940
Act. We do not consider CDO Fund III to be an eligible portfolio company,
so our
investment in CDO Fund III will not be a qualifying asset. See
“Regulation―Qualifying assets.”
In addition, our investment in CDO Fund III will be an illiquid
investment.
Conversion
to a Maryland Corporation.
Prior
to the issuance of common stock in this offering, GSC Investment LLC will
merge
with and into GSC Investment Corp., a Maryland corporation, in accordance
with
the procedure for such merger in GSC Investment LLC’s limited liability company
agreement and Maryland law. In connection with such merger, each outstanding
common share of GSC Investment LLC will be, without any further action or
consent required by the holders thereof, converted into an equivalent number
of
shares of common stock of GSC Investment Corp.
Tax
Election
We
intend to file an election to be treated as a RIC under Subchapter M of the
Code
commencing with our first taxable year as a corporation.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We
estimate that the net proceeds we will receive from the sale
of shares of our
common stock in this offering will be approximately
$ , assuming
an initial offering price of
$ per share, after
deducting the underwriters’ discount of
$ payable by us and
estimated organizational and offering expenses of approximately
$ payable by
us.
We
expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering to purchase
all of the assets in the Portfolio and make investments as described under
“Business—Prospective investments” and elsewhere in this prospectus and to pay
our operating expenses. We plan to invest the remainder of the net proceeds
of
this offering, if any, in portfolio companies in accordance with our investment
objectives and strategies.
We
intend to invest primarily in first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt
and
high yield bonds issued by private companies, each of which may include an
equity component, and, to a lesser extent, in equity securities in such
companies. In addition to such investments, we may invest up to 30% of the
portfolio in opportunistic investments, including distressed debt, debt and
equity securities of public companies, credit default swaps, emerging market
debt and equity and synthetic securities in collateralized debt obligation
(“CDO”) vehicles. Pending such investments, we will invest the net proceeds
primarily in cash in the aggregate, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities
and other high quality short-term investments. These securities may earn
yields
substantially lower than the income that we anticipate receiving once we
are
fully invested in accordance with our investment objectives. As a result,
we may
not be able to achieve our investment objectives and/or pay any dividends
during
this period or, if we are able to do so, such dividends may be substantially
lower than the dividends that we expect to pay when our portfolio is fully
invested. If we do not realize yields in excess of our expenses, we may incur
operating losses and the market price of our common stock may decline. See
“Regulation—Temporary investments” for additional information about temporary
investments we may make while waiting to make longer-term investments in
pursuit
of our investment objectives.
DISTRIBUTIONS
We
intend to make quarterly distributions to our stockholders out of assets
legally
available for distribution. Our quarterly distributions, if any, will be
determined by our board of directors. Any such distributions will be taxable
to
our stockholders, including to those stockholders who receive additional
shares
of our common stock pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan. See “Dividend
Reinvestment Plan.” In order to maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must
distribute an amount equal to at least 90% of our ordinary net taxable income
and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term
capital losses, if any, reduced by deductible expenses. To avoid certain
excise
taxes imposed on RICs, we currently intend to distribute during each calendar
year an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of our ordinary income
for
the calendar year, (2) 98% of our capital gains in excess of capital losses
for
the one-year period ending on October 31 of the calendar year and (3) any
ordinary income and net capital gains for preceding years that were not
distributed during such years. In addition, although we currently intend
to
distribute realized net capital gains (i.e., net long-term capital gains
in
excess of short-term capital losses), if any, at least annually, out of the
assets legally available for such distributions, we may in the future decide
to
retain such capital gains for investment. The consequences of our retention
of
net capital gains are as described under “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations.” We cannot assure you that we will achieve results that will
permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we incur indebtedness
or
issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions
if
doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated
by
the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our
borrowings.
DIVIDEND
REINVESTMENT PLAN
We
will adopt a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”) that provides that, unless
you elect to receive your dividends or other distributions in cash, they
will be
automatically reinvested by the Plan Administrator, , in additional shares
of
our common stock. If you elect to receive your dividends or other distributions
in cash, you will receive them in cash paid by check mailed directly to you
by
the Plan Administrator. The reinvestment of our distributions does not relieve
stockholders of any tax that may be payable on such distributions. For U.S.
federal income tax purposes, stockholders will be treated as receiving the
amount of the distributions made by us, which amount generally will be either
equal to the amount of the cash distribution the stockholder would have received
if the stockholder had elected to receive cash or, for shares issued by us,
the
fair market value of the shares issued to the stockholder.
No
action is required on the part of a registered stockholder to have their
cash
dividend reinvested in shares of our common stock. Unless you or your brokerage
firm decides to opt out of the Plan, the number of shares of common stock
you
will receive will be determined as follows:
(1) If
our common stock is trading at or above net asset value at the time of
valuation, we will issue new shares at a price equal to the greater of (i)
our
common stock’s net asset value on that date or (ii) 95% of the market price of
our common stock on that date.
(2) If
our common stock is trading below net asset value at the time of valuation,
the
Plan Administrator will receive the dividend or distribution in cash and
will
purchase common stock in the open market, on the New York Stock Exchange
or
elsewhere, for the participants’ accounts, except that the Plan Administrator
will endeavor to terminate purchases in the open market and cause us to issue
the remaining shares if, following the commencement of the purchases, the
market
value of the shares, including brokerage commissions, exceeds the net asset
value at the time of valuation. Provided the Plan Administrator can terminate
purchases on the open market, the remaining shares will be issued by us at
a
price equal to the greater of (i) the net asset value at the time of valuation
or (ii) 95% of the then current market price. It is possible that the average
purchase price per share paid by the Plan Administrator may exceed the market
price at the time of valuation, resulting in the purchase of fewer shares
than
if the dividend or distribution had been paid entirely in common stock issued
by
us.
Your
may withdraw from the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Plan
Administrator, or by telephone in accordance with such reasonable requirements
as we and the Plan Administrator may agree upon. If you withdraw or the Plan
is
terminated, you will receive a certificate for each whole share in your account
under the Plan and you will receive a cash payment for any fraction of a
share
in your account. If you wish, the Plan Administrator will sell your shares
and
send you the proceeds, minus brokerage commissions. The Plan Administrator
is
authorized to deduct a
$
transaction fee plus a
$
per share brokerage commission from the proceeds.
The
Plan Administrator maintains all common stockholders’ accounts in the Plan and
gives written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including
information you may need for tax records. Common stock in your account will
be
held by the Plan Administrator in non-certificated form. The Plan Administrator
will forward to each participant any proxy solicitation material and will
vote
any shares so held only in accordance with proxies returned to us. Any proxy
you
receive will include all common stock you have received under the
Plan.
There
is no brokerage charge for reinvestment of your dividends or distributions
in
common stock. However, all participants will pay a pro rata share of brokerage
commissions incurred by the Plan Administrator when it makes open market
purchases.
Automatically
reinvesting dividends and distributions does not mean that you do not have
to
pay income taxes due upon receiving dividends and distributions. See “Material
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”.
If
you hold your common stock with a brokerage firm that does not participate
in
the Plan, you will not be able to participate in the Plan and any dividend
reinvestment may be effected on different terms than those described above.
Consult your financial advisory for more information.
The
Plan Administrator’s fees under the Plan will be borne by us. There is no direct
service charge to participants in the Plan; however, we reserve the right
to
amend or terminate the Plan, including amending the Plan to include a service
charge payable by the participants, if in the judgment of the board of directors
the change is warranted. Any amendment to the Plan, except amendments necessary
or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the rules and policies of
the
SEC or any other regulatory authority, require us to provide at least 30
days
written notice to each participant. Additional information about the Plan
may be
obtained from
.
CAPITALIZATION
The
following table sets forth our capitalization (1) on an as adjusted basis
to
give effect to the Contribution and (2) on a pro forma as adjusted basis
to
reflect the effects of the sale of our common stock in this offering at an
assumed public offering price of
$ per share, after
deducting the underwriters’ discount and estimated organizational and offering
expenses payable by us. You should read this table together with “Use of
Proceeds.”
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As
of , 2006
|
|
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As
Adjusted
|
|
Pro
forma as Adjusted (1)
|
|
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
$
|
|
Total
assets
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
$
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’
equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
shares
of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share,
authorized;
shares of common stock outstanding, actual; common stock outstanding,
as
adjusted
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
$
|
|
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
$
|
|
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
$
|
|
|
(1) |
Excludes
the underwriter’s over-allotment option to
purchase
shares of common stock. The amounts shown in the “As Adjusted” column
above will change depending on the total amount of proceeds received
by us
in this offering.
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DILUTION
If
you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent
of
the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our
common
stock and the as-adjusted net asset value per share of our common stock
immediately after the completion of this offering.
Based
on the estimated value of the assets of CDO Fund III as of January __, 2007,
the
as-adjusted net asset value of our common stock after giving effect to the
Contributions, would have been approximately $__ million, or approximately
$__
per share. We determined net asset value per share before this offering by
dividing the net asset value (total assets less total liabilities) by the
number
of shares of common stock to be outstanding after giving effect to the
Contributions. After our election to be treated as a BDC and before the
completion of this offering, our board of directors will determine our net
asset
value in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
After
giving effect to the sale of our common stock in this offering assuming an
initial public offering price of $__ per share (which represents the mid-point
of the initial public offering range set forth on the cover page of this
prospectus) and after deducting estimated sales load and estimated expenses
of
the offering payable by us, our as-adjusted net asset value as of January
__,
2007 would have been approximately $__ million, or $__ per share. This
represents an immediate decrease in our net asset value per share of $__
to GSC
Group and/or its affiliates and dilution in net asset value per share of
$__ to
new investors who purchase shares in this offering.
The
following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Assumed
initial public offering price per share
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
____
|
|
As
adjusted net asset value per share as of January __, 2007 after
giving
effect to the Contributions
|
|
$
|
____
|
|
|
|
|
Decrease
in net asset value per share attributable to new investors in this
offering
|
|
$
|
____
|
|
|
|
|
As
adjusted net asset value per share after this offering
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
____
|
|
Dilution
per share to new investors
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
____
|
|
The
following table summarizes, as of January __, 2007, and after giving effect
to
the Contributions, the number of shares of common stock purchased from us,
the
total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid by GSC
Group
and/or its affiliates and to be paid by new investors purchasing shares of
common stock in this offering, at the initial public offering price of $__
per
share (which represents the mid-point of the range set forth on the cover
page
of this prospectus) and before deducting the sales load and estimated offering
expenses payable by us.
|
|
Shares
Purchased
|
|
Total
Consideration
|
|
Average
Price
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Percent
|
|
Amount
|
|
Percent
|
|
Per
Share
|
|
GSC
Group and/or its affiliates
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
$
|
(1)
|
|
|
% |
|
$
|
|
|
New
investors
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
$
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Represents
the value of the interests relating to CDO Fund III contributed by
GSC
Group and/or its affiliates interests in CDO Fund III, representing
an
indirect equity interest of approximately 6.24% in CDO Fund
III. |
To
the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional
shares,
there will be further dilution to new investors.
DISCUSSION
OF MANAGEMENT’S EXPECTED OPERATING PLANS
Overview
GSC
Investment Corp. was incorporated under the Maryland General Corporation
Law
in 2006. We have
elected to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. As a BDC, we are required
to
comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we will generally
have to invest at least 70% of our total assets in “qualifying assets,”
including securities of private U.S. operating companies or public U.S.
companies whose securities are not listed on a national securities exchange
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., New York Stock
Exchange, American Stock Exchange and The NASDAQ Global Market), cash, cash
equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments
that
mature in one year or less. In addition, we are subject to a leverage
restriction. We will only be allowed to borrow amounts, with certain limited
exceptions, such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals
at
least 200% after such borrowing. The amount of leverage that we employ will
depend on our investment adviser’s and our board of directors’ assessment of
market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. This offering
will significantly increase our capital resources because it will increase
our
borrowing capacity.
Revenues
We
plan to generate revenue in the form of interest income on the debt that
we hold
and capital gains, if any, on warrants or other equity interests that we
may
acquire in portfolio companies. We expect our debt investments, whether in
the
form of first and second lien senior loans or mezzanine debt, to have terms
of
up to ten years, (but an expected average life of between three and seven
years)
and typically to bear interest at a fixed or floating rate. Interest on debt
will be payable generally quarterly or semi-annually, with the amortization
of
principal generally being deferred for several years from the date of the
initial investment. In some cases, we will also defer collection of payments of
interest earned for the first few years after our investment. The principal
amount of the debt and any accrued but unpaid interest will generally become
due
at the maturity date. In addition, we may generate revenue in the form of
commitment, origination, structuring or diligence fees, fees for providing
managerial assistance and possibly consulting fees. Any such fees will be
generated in connection with our investments and recognized as earned. We
may
also invest, to a lesser extent, in equity securities, which may, in some
cases,
include preferred securities that pay dividends on a current basis.
Expenses
Our
primary operating expenses will include the payment of investment advisory
and
management fees and overhead expenses, including our allocable portion of
our
administrator’s overhead under the administration agreement. Our allocable
portion will be based on the proportion that our total assets bears to the
total
assets administered by our administrator. Our investment advisory and management
fees will compensate our investment adviser for its work in identifying,
evaluating, negotiating, closing and monitoring our investments. See
“Management—Investment advisory and management agreement” and
“Management—Administration agreement.” We will bear all other costs and expenses
of our operations and transactions, including those relating to: organization;
calculating our net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any
independent valuation firm); expenses incurred by our investment adviser
payable
to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, 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, incurred to finance our investments; offerings of our common stock
and
other securities; investment advisory and management fees; administration
fees;
fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers,
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 of the SEC; the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other
notices to stockholders, including printing costs; to the extent we are covered
by any joint insurance policies, our allocable portion of the insurance premiums
for such policies; direct costs and expenses of administration, including
auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses incurred by us or our
administrator in connection with administering our business, such as our
allocable portion of our administrator’s overhead under the
administration
agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our other
officers and their respective staffs relating to the performance of services
under this agreement (including travel expenses).
To
the extent that any of our loans are denominated in a currency other than
U.S.
dollars, we may enter into currency hedging contracts to reduce our exposure
to
fluctuations in currency exchange rates. We may also enter into interest
rate
hedging agreements. Such hedging activities, which will be subject to compliance
with applicable legal requirements, may include the use of futures, options
and
forward contracts. Costs incurred in entering into such contracts or in settling
them will be borne by us.
Financial
condition, liquidity and capital resources
We
will generate cash primarily from the net proceeds of this offering and from
borrowings under the Company Credit Facility, as well as any future offerings
of
securities, future borrowings and cash flows from operations, including interest
earned from the temporary investment of cash in U.S. government securities
and
other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. In the
future, we may also securitize a portion of our investments in first and
second
lien senior loans or mezzanine debt or other assets. Our primary use of funds
will be investments in our targeted asset classes and cash distributions
to
holders of our common stock.
Distribution
policy
We
intend to qualify as a RIC under the Code, which allows us to avoid
corporate-level tax on our income. To qualify as a RIC, we must distribute
to
our stockholders an amount equal to at least 90% of our ordinary net taxable
income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net
long-term capital losses, if any, reduced by deductible expenses, on an annual
basis. We intend to pay dividends on a quarterly basis. In addition, we also
intend to distribute any realized net capital gains (i.e., realized net
long-term capital gains in excess of realized net short-term capital losses)
at
least annually out of the assets legally available for such
distributions.
Contractual
obligations
We
will enter into three contracts under which we have material future commitments,
the investment advisory and management agreement, pursuant to which GSCP
(NJ),
L.P. will agree to serve as our investment adviser; the administration
agreement, pursuant to which our administrator will agree to furnish us with
the
facilities and administrative services necessary to conduct our day-to-day
operations and provide managerial assistance on our behalf to those portfolio
companies to which we are required to provide such assistance and a license
agreement with GSC Group, pursuant to which GSC Group has agreed to grant
us a
non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the name “GSC.” Payments under the
investment advisory and management agreement in future periods will be equal
to
(1) a percentage of the value of our total assets (other than cash and cash
equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) and (2) an
incentive fee based on our performance. Payments under the administration
agreement will be equal to an amount based upon our allocable portion of
our
administrator’s overhead in performing its obligations under the administration
agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the cost of our officers
and their respective staffs. See “Management—Investment advisory and management
agreement” and “Management—Administration agreement.” Each of these contracts
may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days written notice
to
the other. Further, although our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance
Officer, and Vice President and Secretary will have certain duties to us,
they
will also perform duties for other GSC Group related entities.
OBLIGATIONS
AND INDEBTEDNESS
Under
the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to incur indebtedness or issue shares
of
preferred stock unless immediately after such borrowing or issuance our asset
coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200%. In addition,
we are
not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on our common
stock unless, at the time of such declaration, the net asset value of our
portfolio is at least 200% of the liquidation value of our outstanding preferred
stock. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our investment
adviser’s and our board of directors’ assessment of market and other factors at
the time of any proposed borrowing. Any additional sale of shares of our
common
stock will increase our capacity to borrow under these facilities in compliance
with the leverage restrictions of the 1940 Act. See “Regulation—Indebtedness and
senior securities.”
In
order to borrow under the Company Credit Facility, we will be required to
meet
various financial and operating covenants required by the Company Credit
Facility. These covenants will require us to maintain certain financial ratios,
including debt to equity and interest coverage, and a minimum net worth.
We
expect that the Company Credit Facility will also limit our ability to declare
dividends if we default under certain provisions. See “Risk Factors—Risks
related to our operation as a BDC—We will be subject to corporate-level income
tax if we fail to qualify as a RIC,” “Risk Factors—Risks related to our
operation as a BDC—Regulations governing our operation as a BDC will affect our
ability to, and the way in which we, raise additional capital,” “Risk
Factors—Risks related to our business—If we incur indebtedness or issue senior
securities we will be exposed to additional risks, including the typical
risks
associated with leverage,” and “Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—There
are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our investment adviser
and/or
GSC Group, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interest
of
our stockholders.”
Assuming
the use of leverage in the amount of 33% of our total assets and an annual
dividend/interest rate of %
payable on such leverage based on estimated market dividend/interest rates
as of
the date of this prospectus, the additional income that we must earn (net
of
estimated expenses related to leverage) in order to cover such dividend/interest
payments is %. Our actual cost of leverage will be based on market
dividend/interest rates at the time we undertake a leveraging strategy, and
such
cost of leverage may be higher or lower than that assumed in the previous
example.
The
following table is furnished pursuant to requirements of the Securities and
Exchange Commission. It is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage
on
total return on our common stock, assuming investment portfolio total returns
(comprised of income, net expenses and changes in the value of investments
held
in the portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment
portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative
of
what the investment portfolio’s returns will be. The table further reflects the
use of leverage representing approximately 33% of the our total assets after
such issuance and the Company’s currently projected dividend rate, borrowing
interest rate or payment rate set by an interest rate transaction of %. See
“Risk Factors”. The table does not reflect any offering costs of our common
stock or leverage.
Assumed
Portfolio Return
|
(10.00)%
|
(5.00)%
|
0.00%
|
5.00%
|
10.00%
|
Common
Stock Total Return
|
(18.9)%
|
(11.5)%
|
(4.0)%
|
3.5%
|
10.9%
|
Total
return is composed of two elements - the common stock dividends paid by the
Company (the amount of which is largely determined by the Company’s net
investment income after paying the cost of leverage) and realized and unrealized
gains or losses on the value of the securities the Company owns. As required
by
Securities and Exchange Commission rules, the table assumes that the Company
is
more likely to suffer capital loss than to enjoy capital
appreciation.
During
the time in which the Company is using leverage, the amount of the fees paid
to
the investment adviser for investment management services will be higher
than if
the Company did not use leverage because the fees paid will be calculated
based
on our total assets including assets resulting from indebtedness. Because
the
leverage costs will be borne by the Company at a specified rate, only the
common
stock will bear the cost of these fees and expenses.
Unless
and until the Company uses leverage, the common stock will not be leveraged
and
this section will not apply. Any determination to use leverage by the Company,
including the aggregate amount of leverage, if any, from time to time and
the
type and terms of such leverage, will be made by the investment adviser,
subject
to approval of the board of directors.
The
Company Credit Facility
Prior
to the closing of this offering, we expect to receive a commitment for the
Company Credit Facility, which we expect will be a five-year senior secured
revolving credit facility with each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc., in an aggregate amount of up to $175 million. Both Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are underwriters in this
offering. We expect the terms to include an undertaking by each of Citibank,
N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to use its commercially reasonable efforts
to
syndicate loan commitments together with its
$ million loan commitment, in an
aggregate amount of up to $
million. We anticipate the closing of the Company Credit Facility will be
conditioned on the receipt of a minimum of
$ million of the gross proceeds
from this offering and other customary conditions. The borrowings under the
Company Credit Facility will be secured by a perfected first priority lien
in
all of our portfolio investments (subject to certain exceptions) and
availability under the Company Credit Facility will be subject to a borrowing
base. We estimate that the affiliates of the underwriters will earn fees
in the
amount of $ and will receive
$ for expenses that they will
charge the Company for the Company Credit Facility and the participants in
the
syndication thereof.
The
CDO Fund III Credit Facility
In
order for us to successfully complete the purchase of the Portfolio, CDO
Fund
III is required under its governing indenture to place an aggregate of $480
million on deposit with the indenture trustee, which is an amount sufficient
to
allow the defeasance of all of the outstanding secured notes issued by CDO
Fund
III. Defeasance of all of the outstanding secured notes of CDO Fund III is
required in order to release the underlying collateral subject to the CDO
Fund
III indenture to permit CDO Fund III’s sale of the Portfolio to us and to permit
the sale of CDO Fund III’s remaining assets and the pledging of such assets to
the lenders under the CDO Fund III credit facility to finance such assets
pending such sale. CDO Fund III expects to fund the required deposit amount
from
its additional cash, together with the CDO Fund III Credit Facility, which
we
expect will be a separate short-term senior secured credit facility of up
to
$480 million provided by each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc. Both Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc. are underwriters in this offering. CDO Fund III expects to receive a
commitment from each of Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to provide
the CDO Fund III Credit Facility, which will be conditioned on the receipt
of a
minimum of $ million of the
gross proceeds from this offering and other customary conditions to closing.
If
sufficient funding under the CDO Fund III Credit Facility is not available
for
any reason, CDO Fund III will need to arrange alternative financing to fund
the
required deposit in order to retire the secured notes and thereby allow the
Portfolio to be delivered to us under the portfolio acquisition agreement.
We
estimate that the affiliates of the underwriters will earn fees in the amount
of
$___ and will receive $___ for expenses that they will charge CDO Fund III
for
the CDO Fund III Credit Facility and the participants in the syndication
thereof.
BUSINESS
General
GSC
Investment Corp. is a newly-incorporated Maryland corporation that has elected
to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act. Our investment objectives are
to
generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and, to
a
lesser extent, equity investments by primarily investing in private middle
market companies, as well as select high yield bonds. We intend to file an
election to be treated as a RIC under subchapter M of the Code commencing
with
our first taxable year as a corporation.
Prior
to the pricing of this offering, we will enter into a portfolio acquisition
agreement with CDO Fund III, an exempted company with limited liability under
the Companies Law (2004 Revision) of the Cayman Islands (the “Cayman Islands
Companies Law”). A Cayman Islands exempted company is a company that conducts
its business outside the Cayman Islands, is exempt from certain regulatory
requirements of the Cayman Islands Companies Law and which may take advantage
of
certain favorable tax provisions under the tax laws of the Cayman Islands.
Pursuant to the portfolio acquisition agreement, we have agreed to purchase
for
cash a portfolio of approximately $204 million of debt investments that consist
of first lien and second lien loans, senior secured bonds and unsecured bonds
held by CDO Fund III (the “Portfolio”). We intend to use the net proceeds of
this offering to complete this acquisition promptly following the closing
of
this offering. We also intend to make additional investments that are consistent
with our investment strategy. Over time we anticipate that the amount of
senior
secured and unsecured bonds will decrease as a percentage of our total assets
as
we add mezzanine debt and new first and second lien loan assets to the
portfolio. See “—Prospective investments—The Portfolio.”
We
anticipate that our portfolio will be comprised primarily of investments
in
first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt and high yield debt issued by
private companies, which will be sourced through a network of relationships
with
commercial finance companies and commercial and investment banks as well
as
through our relationships with financial sponsors. The capital that we provide
is generally used to fund buyouts, acquisitions, growth, recapitalizations,
note
purchases and other types of financing. First and second lien loans are
generally senior debt instruments that rank ahead of subordinated debt of
the
portfolio company. These loans also have the benefit of security interests
on
the assets of the portfolio company, which may rank ahead of, or be junior
to,
other security interests. Mezzanine debt and high yield bonds in private
companies subordinated to senior loans and are generally unsecured, though
approximately 47% of the high yield bonds in the initial portfolio are secured.
However, there can be no assurance that we will make investments in secured
bonds to the same extent in the future. In some cases, we may also receive
warrants or options in connection with our debt investments. We also anticipate,
to a lesser extent, making equity investments in private middle market
companies. Investments in warrants, options or other equity investments will
generally be made in conjunction with loans we make to these
companies.
While
our primary focus will be to generate both current income and capital
appreciation through investments in debt and, to a lesser extent, equity
securities of private middle market companies, we intend to invest up to
30% of
our assets in opportunistic investments. Opportunistic investments may include
investments in distressed debt, debt and equity securities of public companies,
credit default swaps, emerging market debt, or collateralized debt obligation
(“CDO”) vehicles holding debt, equity or synthetic securities. As part of this
30%, we may also invest in debt of private middle market companies located
outside of the United States. Given our primary investment focus on first
and
second lien loans, mezzanine debt and high yield bonds in private companies,
we
believe our opportunistic investments will allow us to supplement our core
investments with other investments that are within GSC Group’s expertise that we
believe offer attractive yields and/or the potential for capital
appreciation.
We
expect that the first and second lien loans will generally have stated terms
of
three to ten years and that the mezzanine debt will generally have stated
terms
of up to ten years, but that the expected average life of such first and
second
lien loans and mezzanine debt will generally be between three and seven years.
However, there is no limit on the maturity or duration of any security in
our
portfolio. We anticipate that substantially all of the investments held in
our
portfolio will hold a sub-investment grade rating by Moody’s Investors Service
and/or Standard & Poor’s or, if not rated, would be below investment grade
if rated. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred
to
as “junk bonds.”
About
GSC Group
GSCP
(NJ), L.P. is an investment adviser with approximately $18.3 billion of assets
under management as of January __, 2007. GSC Group was founded in 1999 by
Alfred
C. Eckert III, its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Its senior
officers and advisers are in many cases long-time colleagues who have worked
together extensively at other institutions, including Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Greenwich Street Capital Partners and The Blackstone Group. GSC Group
specializes in credit-based alternative investment strategies including
corporate credit, distressed investing and real estate. GSC Group is privately
owned and has over 170 employees with headquarters in New Jersey, and offices
in
New York, London and Los Angeles.
GSC
Group operates in three main business lines: (i) the corporate credit group
which is comprised of 28 investment professionals who manage approximately
$7.3
billion of assets in leveraged loans, high yield bonds, mezzanine debt and
derivative products with investments in more than 450 companies; (ii) the
equity
and distressed investing group which is comprised of 21 investment professionals
who manage approximately $1.2 billion of assets in three control distressed
debt
funds and a long/short credit strategies hedge fund; and (iii) the real estate
group which is comprised of 16 investment professionals managing $9.8 billion
of
assets, including a privately-held mortgage REIT (GSC Capital Corp.), various
synthetic and hybrid collateralized debt obligation funds and a structured
products hedge fund.
Our
investment adviser
We
will be externally managed and advised by our investment adviser, GSCP (NJ),
L.P. Our Chairman Richard M. Hayden and CEO Thomas V. Inglesby have
management responsibility for the corporate credit group and are officers
of our
investment advisor. Mr. Hayden and Mr. Inglesby have combined experience
of over 56 years and individually have experience of over 36 years and 20
years,
respectively. Mr. Hayden and Mr. Inglesby will be supported by the 28 investment
professionals within the corporate credit group. Additionally, the
Fund
will have access to GSC Group's 37 investment professionals in its equity
and
distressed investing group and its real estate group.
Under our investment advisory and management agreement, we have agreed to
pay
our investment adviser an annual base management fee based on our total assets,
as defined under the 1940 Act (other than cash and cash equivalents but
including assets purchased with borrowed funds), and an incentive fee based
on
our performance. See “Management—Investment advisory and management agreement.”
Our investment adviser, together with certain affiliates, does business as
GSC
Group.
Our
investment adviser is responsible for administering our business activities
and
day-to-day operations and will use the resources of GSC Group to support
our
operations. We believe that our investment adviser will be able to leverage
GSC
Group’s current investment platform, resources and existing relationships with
financial institutions, financial sponsors, hedge funds and other investment
firms to provide us with attractive investments. In addition to deal flow,
we
expect that the GSC Group investment platform will assist our investment
adviser
in analyzing and monitoring investments. In particular, these resources provide
us with a wide variety of investment opportunities and access to information
that assists us in making investment decisions across our targeted asset
classes, which we believe provide us with a competitive advantage. Since
GSC
Group’s inception in 1999, it has been investing in first and second lien loans,
high-yield bonds and mezzanine debt. In addition to having access to
approximately 70 investment professionals employed by GSC Group, we will
also
have access to over 100 GSC Group administrative professionals who will provide
assistance in accounting, legal compliance and investor relations.
Our
relationship with our investment adviser and GSC Group
We
intend to utilize the personnel, infrastructure, relationships and experience
of
GSC Group and our investment adviser to enhance the growth of our business.
We
currently have no employees, and each of our executive officers is also an
officer of GSC Group. Following completion of this offering GSC Group will
own
shares of common stock, which it will have received in exchange for the
contribution of its interests in CDO Fund III in connection with the
Contribution. See “Contribution.” Upon completion of this offering, GSC Group
will no longer have any continuing economic interest or affiliation with
CDO
Fund III.
We
recently entered into an investment advisory and management agreement with
our
investment adviser. The initial term of the investment advisory and management
agreement shall be for two years, with automatic, one-year renewals at the
end
of each year subject to certain approvals by our board of directors and/or
our
stockholders. Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement,
our
investment adviser implements our business strategy on a day-to-day basis
and
performs certain services for us, subject to oversight by our board of
directors. Our investment adviser is responsible for, among other duties,
performing all of our day-to-day functions, determining investment criteria,
sourcing, analyzing and executing investments, asset sales, financings and
performing asset management duties.
Pursuant
to our investment advisory and management agreement, our investment adviser
has
formed an investment committee to advise and consult with our investment
adviser’s senior management team with respect to our investment policies,
investment portfolio holdings, financing and leveraging strategies and
investment guidelines. We believe that the cumulative experience of the
investment committee members across a variety of fixed income asset classes
will
benefit us. The investment committee will consist of members of GSC Group’s
senior investment staff, including Thomas Inglesby, our Chief Executive Officer,
Richard Hayden, our Chairman, Robert Cummings, Jr., Thomas Libassi and Daniel
Castro, Jr. All of the members of this committee are senior officers in various
divisions of GSC Group. Mr. Inglesby is Senior Managing Director of GSC Group.
Mr. Hayden is Vice Chairman of GSC Group, head of the corporate credit group
and
a member of the GSC Group management committee. Mr. Cummings is Senior Managing
Director of GSC Group, Chairman of the risk and conflicts committee, Chairman
of
the valuation committee and a member of the GSC Group management committee.
Mr.
Libassi is Senior Managing Director of GSC Group’s equity and distressed debt
business unit. Mr. Castro is Managing Director of GSC Group’s real estate group
and Chief Investment Officer of the real estate investment trust. The investment
committee will approve all investments in excess of $5 million made by the
Company by unanimous consent. Along with the corporate credit group’s investment
staff, the investment committee will actively monitor investments in our
portfolio. Sale recommendations made by the corporate credit group’s investment
staff must be approved by three out of five investment committee
members.
Market
opportunity
We
believe the environment for investing in private middle market companies
is
attractive for the following reasons:
|
·
|
middle
market debt securities are attractive compared to more broadly
syndicated
debt securities because middle market debt securities generally
have more
conservative capital structures, tighter financial covenants, better
security packages and higher
yields.
|
|
·
|
established
relationships create a high barrier to entry in the middle market
financing business. Specifically, private middle market companies
and
their financial sponsors prefer to access capital from and maintain
close
and longstanding relationships with a small group of well-known
capital
providers.
|
|
·
|
many
private middle market companies prefer to execute transactions
with
private capital providers, rather than execute high-yield bond
transactions in the public markets, which may necessitate SEC compliance
and reporting obligations.
|
|
·
|
the
middle market debt segment is a highly fragmented portion of the
leveraged
finance market. We believe that many of the largest capital providers
in
the broader leveraged finance market choose not to participate
in middle
market lending because of a preference for larger, more liquid
transactions.
|
|
·
|
we
expect continued strong leverage buyout activity from private equity
firms
who currently hold large pools of uninvested capital earmarked
for
acquisitions of private middle market companies. These private
equity
firms will continue to seek to leverage their investments by combining
their equity capital with senior secured loans and mezzanine debt
from
other sources.
|
Competitive
advantages
Although
we have no prior operating history and our investment advisor, GSC Group,
has no
experience managing a BDC, we believe that through our relationship with
GSC
Group, we will enjoy several competitive advantages of GSC Group over other
capital providers to private middle market companies.
GSC
Group’s investment platform
GSC
Group has a long history of strong performance across a broad range of asset
classes and sectors. The senior investment professionals of GSC Group have
extensive experience investing in syndicated loans, high-yield bonds, mezzanine
debt and private equity.
Rapid
deployment of offering proceeds
Shortly
after the consummation of this offering, we intend to use the net proceeds
to
fund the purchase of the Portfolio, which consists of approximately $204
million
of debt investments that consist of first lien and second lien loans, senior
secured bonds and unsecured bonds. We believe that this rapid deployment
of
offering proceeds into these assets will provide potential for higher initial
returns than cash or cash equivalents and distinguishes us from some of our
potential competitors.
Experience
sourcing and managing middle market loans
GSC
Group has historically focused on investments in private middle market companies
and we expect to benefit from this experience. Our investment adviser will
use
GSC Group’s extensive network of relationships with intermediaries focused on
private middle market companies to attract well-positioned prospective portfolio
company investments. Since 2003, the GSC Group corporate credit group has
reviewed over 970 new middle market loan opportunities, approximately 300
of
which were second lien loans. Of the loans reviewed, 285 were purchased,
including 51 second lien loans. In addition, our investment adviser will
work
closely with the equity and distressed debt and European mezzanine groups,
which
oversee a portfolio of investments in over 45 companies, maintain an extensive
network of relationships and possess valuable insights into industry
trends.
Experienced
management and investment committee
Thomas
V. Inglesby, our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Managing Director of
GSC
Group, has over 20 years of middle market investing experience having managed
leveraged loan, high-yield bond, mezzanine debt, distressed debt and private
equity portfolios. In addition to Mr. Inglesby, our investment committee
consists of Richard M. Hayden, Mr. Robert F. Cummings, Jr., Thomas J. Libassi
and Daniel I. Castro, Jr. Mr. Hayden is Vice Chairman of GSC Group, head
of the
corporate credit group and a member of the GSC Group management committee.
Mr.
Hayden was previously with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1969 until 1999 and was
elected a Partner in 1980. Mr. Cummings is a Senior Managing Director of
GSC
Group, Chairman of the risk and conflicts committee, Chairman of the valuation
committee and a member of the GSC Group management committee. Mr. Cummings
was
previously with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1973 to 1998. Mr. Libassi is
Senior Managing Director of GSC Group in the equity and distressed debt group
and has 23 years of experience managing high-yield and distressed debt
portfolios. Mr. Castro is Managing Director of GSC Group in the real estate
group. Mr. Castro has over 24 years of experience investing in debt products
and
was, until 2004, on the Institutional Investor All-American Fixed Income
Research Team every year since its inception in 1992.
Diversified
credit-oriented investment strategy
Through
the use of GSC Group’s credit-based investment approach which relies on detailed
business and financial analysis and portfolio diversification, we will seek
to
minimize principal loss while maximizing risk-adjusted returns. We believe
that
our affiliation with GSC Group offers an attractive opportunity to invest
in
middle market first and second lien loans and mezzanine debt.
Utilizing
our broad transaction sourcing network and relationships with middle market
lenders
We
intend to capitalize on the diverse deal-sourcing opportunities that we believe
GSC Group brings to us as a result of its investment experience in our targeted
asset classes, track record and extensive network of contacts in the financial
community, including financial sponsors, merger & acquisition advisory
firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial
intermediaries and sponsors. In addition, through its other activities, GSC
Group is regularly in contact with portfolio company management teams that
can
help provide additional insights on a wide variety of companies and
industries.
In
particular, GSC Group has developed its middle market franchise via extensive
relationships with middle market loan originators. These relationships have
been
developed over the past 15 years at multiple levels of management within
GSC
Group and have resulted in GSC Group’s ability to generate a significant amount
of middle market opportunities, including first and second lien loans and
mezzanine debt securities. We believe that these relationships will continue
to
provide GSC Group with access to middle market debt securities.
Extensive
industry focus
Since
its founding in 1999, GSC Group has invested in over 950 companies and over
this
time has developed long-term relationships with management teams and management
consultants. We expect that the experience of GSC Group’s investment
professionals in investing across the aerospace, automotive, broadcasting/cable,
consumer products, environmental services, technology, telecom and diversified
manufacturing industries, throughout various stages of the economic cycle,
will
provide our investment adviser with access to ongoing market insights and
favorable investment opportunities.
Disciplined
investment process
In
making its investment decisions, our investment adviser intends to apply
GSC
Group’s rigorous and consistent investment process. Upon receiving an investment
opportunity, GSC Group’s corporate credit group performs an initial screening of
the potential investment which includes an analysis of the company, industry,
financial sponsor and deal structure. If the investment is suitable for further
analysis, GSC Group’s investment staff conducts a more intensive analysis which
includes in-depth research on competitive dynamics in the industry, customer
and
supplier research, cost and growth drivers, cash flow characteristics,
management capability, balance sheet strength, covenant analysis and a
distressed recovery analysis. Our investment approach will emphasize capital
preservation and minimization of downside risk.
Flexible
transaction structuring
We
expect to be flexible in structuring investments, the types of securities
in
which we invest and the terms associated with such investments. The principals
of GSC Group have extensive experience in a wide variety of securities for
leveraged companies with a diverse set of terms and conditions. This approach
and experience should enable our investment adviser to identify attractive
investment opportunities throughout various economic cycles and across a
company’s capital structure so that we can make investments consistent with our
stated objectives.
Access
to GSC Group’s infrastructure
We
will have access to GSC Group’s finance and administration function which
addresses legal, compliance, and operational matters, and promulgates and
administers comprehensive policies and procedures regarding important investment
adviser matters, including portfolio management, trading allocation and
execution, securities valuation, risk management and information technologies
in
connection with the performance of our investment adviser’s duties hereunder. We
believe that the finance and administrative infrastructure established by
GSC
Group is an important component of a complex investment vehicle such as a
BDC.
These systems support, and are integrated with, our portfolio management
functions. GSC Group has over 170 employees, including over 70 investment
professionals, who will be available to support our operations.
We
will also have the benefit of the experience of GSC Group’s senior professionals
and members of its advisory board, many of whom have served on public and
private company boards and/or served in other senior management roles. We
believe that this experience will also be valuable to our investment adviser
and
to us.
Prospective
investments
The
Portfolio
Prior
to the pricing of this offering, we will enter into a portfolio acquisition
agreement that grants us the exclusive right to purchase the Portfolio for
approximately $204 million in cash (subject to certain adjustments) plus
accrued
interest on the assets in the Portfolio. See Figure 2 below for a diagram
representing the Portfolio sale. GSC Group has engaged Valuation Research
Corporation (“VRC”), an independent valuation firm, to assist our board of
directors in valuing each investment to be included in our initial portfolio.
We
have agreed to pay VRC a total fee of approximately $140,000. GSC Group has
provided VRC with detailed information on each investment, including prices
for
each investment in the Portfolio that it believes represent fair value. VRC
will
assist our board of directors in determining the fair value of each illiquid
investment in the Portfolio for which there are no readily available market
quotations. VRC has conducted a preliminary valuation analysis on each asset
in
the Portfolio and is of the opinion that the prices proposed by GSC Group
for
such assets seem reasonable. VRC is still in the process of conducting its
analysis on these investments and will provide an opinion as to the fair
value
of each of these investments based upon the most current information available
on or about the date of the closing of this offering and will update its
opinion
on or about the date of the closing of the sale of such investments to us
based
upon the then most current information available. While VRC is of the opinion,
based on its preliminary analysis, that the final fair value of the Portfolio
will be consistent with the prices that GSC Group has proposed, it is still
conducting its reviews and analyses, and has not formed a final
opinion.
The
purchase price will be the sum of the valuations ascribed to each asset in
the
Portfolio as determined by our board of directors. The term of the portfolio
acquisition agreement provides for a final valuation of the investments and
a
corresponding price adjustment prior to the closing of the purchase of the
Portfolio. Consents are generally not required with respect to the transfer
or
assignment of many of the investments in the Portfolio, except in the case
of a
limited number of the Portfolio assets, which consents we expect to receive
prior to the purchase of the Portfolio. If a consent is required and not
obtained from any portfolio company in the Portfolio as of the closing of
the
purchase, the purchase price will be reduced by the amount ascribed to such
asset and we will purchase only the portion of the Portfolio for which we
have
received the necessary consents and acknowledgements. If the consent is received
within 60 days following the closing, we will purchase the assets at the
final
valuation amount plus accrued interest. In compliance with our future
obligations as a BDC, we will offer to provide each of the companies in the
Portfolio our significant managerial assistance. The portfolio acquisition
agreement contains customary representations and warranties, including those
relating to good title to the investments to be purchased. In addition, CDO
Fund
III will agree to indemnify us for one year following the closing of the
portfolio acquisition agreement for any losses resulting from the breach
by CDO
Fund III of its obligations under the portfolio acquisition
agreement.
Our
ability to purchase the Portfolio is conditioned upon the successful covenant
defeasance (i.e.,
retirement) of the secured notes of CDO Fund III, which is expected to occur
immediately following the consummation of this offering. Under the indenture
governing the secured notes issued by CDO Fund III, CDO Fund III is required
to
place on deposit with the indenture trustee, an aggregate of $480 million,
which
is an amount sufficient to allow the defeasance of the secured notes issued
by
CDO Fund III under the indenture. CDO Fund III expects to fund the required
deposit amount from its available cash, together with the CDO Fund III Credit
Facility, which will be a separate short-term senior secured credit facility
of
up $480 million provided by each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc. Both Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc. are underwriters in this offering. Prior to the closing of this offering,
CDO Fund III expects to receive a commitment from each of Citibank, N.A.
and
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to provide the CDO Fund III Credit Facility, which
will be conditioned on the receipt of a minimum of
$ million of gross proceeds from
this offering and other customary conditions to closing. If sufficient
funding
under
the CDO Fund III Credit Facility is not available for any reason, CDO Fund
III
will need to arrange alternative capital to fund the required deposit in
order
to retire the secured notes and thereby allow the Portfolio to be delivered
to
us under the portfolio acquisition agreement.
Because
of our interests in CDO Fund III as a result of the Contribution, the sale
of
the CDO Fund III assets (including the Portfolio to be purchased by the Company)
will result in cash proceeds for the equity investors in CDO Fund III, including
the Company, and we also expect to receive part of any incentive fee payable
(which is equal to 20% of the profits of such third party equity investors,
above a hurdle rate). Moreover, prior to liquidation, we will also earn a
fee as
collateral manager for CDO Fund III. See “Contribution.” The
liquidation, which will consist of the sale of all the remaining assets in
CDO
Fund III, will commence three days prior to the pricing of this
offering.
The
Portfolio is primarily comprised of first and second lien loans, senior secured
bonds and unsecured bonds. The Portfolio and the companies described below
under
“—Prospective investments” currently constitute all of our prospective
investments which
have been purchased directly from agent banks or in the open market. These
assets have been selected for inclusion in the Portfolio as a result of their
yield, operating performance, and position in the capital
structure.
Based
on due diligence conducted to date, we believe that a majority of the
prospective portfolio investments in the Portfolio are BDC qualifying assets
that satisfy our general investment objectives. After purchasing the Portfolio,
our investment adviser will be responsible for monitoring and servicing the
investments.
Our
board of directors (including a majority of the non-interested directors)
has
approved the portfolio acquisition agreement and determined that:
|
·
|
the
terms thereof, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable
and
fair to our stockholders and do not involve overreaching of any
party;
and
|
|
·
|
the
proposed transaction is consistent with the interests of our stockholders
and our investment policies.
|
Figure
2: Portfolio sale following the Contribution
(1) See
"Obligations and Indebtedness" for
a description of the Company Credit Facility and the CDO Fund III Credit
Facility
The
following table provides certain information about the investments included
in
the Portfolio and reflects data as of February 1, 2007. Prior to the execution
of the definitive acquisition agreement, there may be limited changes to
the
Portfolio reflected in the preliminary prospectus as a result of market pricing,
credit quality changes or redemptions. Any changes to the Portfolio will
be
reflected in an amendment to our registration statement. GSC Group purchased
all
of the Portfolio assets from time to time from agent banks or in the open
market, with the first purchase occurring on June 19, 2000. At February 1,
2007,
the aggregate market value of the investments was $204 million. The following
information was obtained from sources we believe to be reliable. Assuming
we
purchase all of the securities in the Portfolio, we will not control any
of the
businesses included in the Portfolio.
Portfolio
Assets Contracted to be Purchased
Name
of Portfolio Company
|
Nature
of Business
|
Coupon*
|
Maturity
|
Par
Value
(in
millions)
|
Estimated
Fair Market Value
(in
millions)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First
Lien Term Loan
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aero
Products International, Inc.
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 5.00%
|
12/19/08
|
4.2
|
4.1
|
American
Driveline Systems, Inc.
|
Automobile
|
L
+ 3.50%
|
08/09/12
|
3.6
|
3.6
|
CFF
Acquisition LLC
|
Leisure,
Amusement and Entertainment
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
08/31/13
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
Contec,
LLC
|
Electronics
|
L
+ 3.25%
|
06/15/12
|
5.3
|
5.3
|
Convergeone
Holdings Corp.
|
Telecommunications
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
05/31/12
|
3.9
|
3.9
|
Cortz,
Inc.
|
Personal,
Food and Miscellaneous Services
|
L
+ 3.50%
|
11/30/09
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
Cortz,
Inc.
|
Personal,
Food and Miscellaneous Services
|
L
+ 4.00%
|
11/30/10
|
1.7
|
1.6
|
Cygnus
Business Media, Inc.
|
Printing,
Publishing, and Broadcasting
|
L
+ 4.50%
|
07/13/09
|
6.4
|
6.3
|
Flakeboard
Company Limited
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Manufacturing
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
07/28/12
|
7.8
|
7.7
|
Flavor
and Fragrance Group Holdings, Inc.
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 4.00%
|
06/30/10
|
0.8
|
0.8
|
Flavor
and Fragrance Group Holdings, Inc.
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 4.50%
|
06/30/11
|
2.1
|
2.1
|
Flavor
and Fragrance Group Holdings, Inc.
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 7.00%
|
12/31/11
|
1.2
|
1.2
|
Infor
Enterprise Solutions Holdings, Inc.
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Service
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
07/28/12
|
1.1
|
1.2
|
Insight
Pharmaceuticals LLC
|
Personal,
Food and Miscellaneous Services
|
L
+ 4.00%
|
03/31/11
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
Insight
Pharmaceuticals LLC
|
Personal,
Food and Miscellaneous Services
|
L
+ 4.38%
|
03/31/12
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
Legacy
Cabinets, Inc.
|
Home
and Office Furnishings
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
08/31/12
|
1.9
|
1.9
|
Lincoln
Industrial Corporation
|
Machinery
(Non Agriculture, Non Construction, Non Electronic)
|
L
+ 3.25%
|
04/01/10
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
Lincoln
Industrial Corporation
|
Machinery
(Non Agriculture, Non Construction, Non Electronic)
|
L
+ 3.75%
|
04/01/11
|
3.1
|
3.1
|
Miller
Heiman Acquisition Corp.
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Service
|
L
+ 3.50%
|
06/01/10
|
1.4
|
1.4
|
Miller
Heiman Acquisition Corp.
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Service
|
L
+ 4.00%
|
06/01/12
|
1.8
|
1.8
|
MW
Industries, Inc.
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Manufacturing
|
L
+ 3.00%
|
11/01/13
|
5.4
|
5.4
|
Plastech
Engineered Products, Inc.
|
Automobile
|
L
+ 4.75%
|
03/31/10
|
8.0
|
8.0
|
Questex
Media Group, Inc.
|
Printing,
Publishing, and Broadcasting
|
L
+ 4.25%
|
05/23/12
|
5.8
|
5.8
|
Soil
Safe, Inc.
|
Ecological
|
L
+ 3.50%
|
09/15/12
|
2.3
|
2.2
|
Switch
& Data Holdings, Inc.
|
Telecommunications
|
L
+ 4.25%
|
10/13/11
|
8.0
|
8.0
|
Aero
Products International, Inc.
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 5.00%
|
12/19/08
|
4.2
|
4.1
|
American
Driveline Systems, Inc.
|
Automobile
|
L
+ 3.50%
|
08/09/12
|
0.4
|
0.4
|
Total
First Lien Term Loans
|
|
|
|
|
80.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Second
Lien Term Loan
|
|
ABP
Corporation
|
Restaurant
|
L
+ 4.50%
|
07/15/10
|
5.9
|
5.9
|
Bankruptcy
Management Solutions, Inc.
|
Finance
|
L
+ 6.25%
|
07/31/13
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
Convergeone
Holdings Corp.
|
Telecommunications
|
L
+ 6.50%
|
05/31/13
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
Name
of Portfolio Company
|
Nature
of Business
|
Coupon*
|
Maturity
|
Par
Value
(in
millions)
|
Estimated
Fair Market Value
(in
millions)
|
Decrane
Aircraft Holdings, Inc.
|
Aerospace
and Defense
|
11.00%
|
06/30/08
|
5.5
|
5.5
|
Energy
Alloys, LLC
|
Metals
|
L
+ 6.50%
|
09/13/11
|
6.2
|
6.2
|
Group
Dekko
|
Electronics
|
L
+ 6.25%
|
01/20/12
|
4.0
|
4.0
|
Hopkins
Manufacturing Corporation
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 7.00%
|
01/26/12
|
3.3
|
3.2
|
Legacy
Cabinets, Inc.
|
Home
and Office Furnishings
|
L
+ 7.50%
|
08/18/13
|
2.4
|
2.4
|
New
World Restaurant Group, Inc.
|
Personal,
Food and Miscellaneous Services
|
L
+ 6.75%
|
01/26/12
|
5.5
|
5.6
|
Sportcraft,
LTD
|
Personal
and Nondurable Consumer Products
|
L
+ 7.75%
|
03/31/12
|
5.0
|
3.5
|
Stronghaven,
Inc.
|
Containers,
Packaging and Glass
|
11.00%
|
10/31/10
|
3.3
|
3.3
|
Transportation
Aftermarket Enterprises, Inc.
|
Automobile
|
L
+ 7.25%
|
06/30/12
|
1.0
|
1.0
|
USS
Mergerco, Inc.
|
Ecological
|
L
+ 4.25%
|
06/29/13
|
6.0
|
6.0
|
Total
Second Lien Term Loans
|
|
|
|
|
54.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior
Secured Bond
|
|
GFSI
Inc
|
Apparel
|
11.00%
|
06/01/11
|
8.9
|
8.8
|
MSX
International, Inc.
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Service
|
11.00%
|
10/15/07
|
6.0
|
5.9
|
Strategic
Industries
|
Diversified/Conglomerate
Manufacturing
|
12.50%
|
10/01/07
|
12.0
|
10.8
|
Terphane
Holdings Corp.
|
Containers,
Packaging and Glass
|
12.50%
|
06/15/09
|
2.8
|
2.8
|
Terphane
Holdings Corp.
|
Containers,
Packaging and Glass
|
L
+ 9.70%
|
06/15/09
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
Vitamin
Shoppe Industries, Inc.
|
Retail
Store
|
L
+ 7.50%
|
11/15/12
|
1.1
|
1.1
|
GFSI
Inc
|
Apparel
|
11.00%
|
06/01/11
|
8.9
|
8.8
|
Total
Senior Secured Bonds
|
|
|
|
|
30.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unsecured
Bond
|
|
Advanced
Lighting Technologies, Inc.
|
Electronics
|
11.00%
|
03/31/09
|
7.0
|
6.9
|
Ainsworth
Lumber
|
Diversified
Natural Resources, Precious Metals
|
7.25%
|
10/01/12
|
6.0
|
4.7
|
EuroFresh
Inc.
|
Farming
and Agriculture
|
11.50%
|
01/15/13
|
5.0
|
4.7
|
IDI
Acquisition Corp.
|
Healthcare
|
10.75%
|
12/15/11
|
2.1
|
1.9
|
Jason
Incorporated
|
Automobile
|
13.00%
|
11/01/08
|
3.4
|
3.4
|
NE
Restaurant Co.
|
Restaurant
|
10.75%
|
07/15/08
|
9.9
|
9.9
|
Network
Communications, Inc.
|
Printing,
Publishing, and Broadcasting
|
10.75%
|
12/01/13
|
5.0
|
5.1
|
Advanced
Lighting Technologies, Inc.
|
Electronics
|
11.00%
|
03/31/09
|
7.0
|
6.9
|
Ainsworth
Lumber
|
Diversified
Natural Resources, Precious Metals
|
7.25%
|
10/01/12
|
6.0
|
4.7
|
EuroFresh
Inc.
|
Farming
and Agriculture
|
11.50%
|
01/15/13
|
5.0
|
4.7
|
Total
Unsecured Bonds
|
|
|
|
|
36.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
201.7
|
|
* |
L
means the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which generally
at the
option of the respective borrowers may be based on LIBOR rates
of various
terms, depending on the term of the
borrowing.
|
Our
investment adviser employs a proprietary credit rating system (“CRM”) to
categorize our investments. See “—Ongoing relationships with and monitoring of
portfolio companies.”
In
addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, GSC Group normally
grades all investments using a proprietary scoring system. GSC Group utilizes
CRM to rate its portfolio companies. The CRM rating consists of
two
components: (i) a numerical debt score and (ii) a corporate letter rating.
The
numerical debt score is based on the objective evaluation of six risk
categories: (i) leverage, (ii) seniority in the capital structure, (iii)
fixed
charge coverage ratio, (iv) debt service coverage/liquidity, (v) operating
performance, and (vi) business/industry risk. The numerical debt score ranges
from 1.00 to 5.00 and can generally be characterized as follows: (1.00-2.00)
=
assets that hold senior positions in the capital structure typically senior
secured have low financial leverage and/or strong historical operating
performance; (2.00-3.00) = assets that hold relatively senior positions in
the
capital structure, either senior secured, senior unsecured, or senior
subordinate, have moderate financial leverage and/or are performing at or
above
expectations; (3.00-4.00) = assets which are junior in the capital structure,
have moderate financial leverage and/or performing at or below expectations;
and
(4.00-5.00) = assets that are highly leveraged and have poor operating
performance. Our numerical debt score is designed to produce higher scores
for
debt positions that are more subordinate in the capital structure. Therefore,
generally second lien loans, high-yield bonds and mezzanine debt will be
assigned scores of 2.25 or higher.
The
CRM also consists of a corporate letter rating, whereby each credit is assigned
a letter rating based on several subjective criteria, including perceived
financial and operating strength and covenant compliance. The corporate letter
ratings range from A through F and are characterized as follows: (A) = strong
credit, (B) = satisfactory credit, (C) = special attention credit, (D) =
payment
default risk, (E) = payment default, (F) = restructured equity security.
Our
investment adviser believes that as of January __, 2007, the weighted average
rating of the investments included in the Portfolio is approximately 2.5B
and
the weighted average yield of such investments is approximately 10.8%. A
weighted average score of 2.5B reflects our investment adviser’s belief that the
Portfolio is performing well. No asset in the portfolio is currently in payment
default or delinquent on any payment obligations.
Investments
We
will seek to create a diversified portfolio that will include first and second
lien loans and long-term mezzanine debt by investing up to 5% of capital
in each
investment, although the investment sizes may be more or less then the targeted
range. We also anticipate, to a lesser extent, making equity investments
in
private middle market companies. In this prospectus, we generally use the
term
“middle market” to refer to companies with annual EBITDA between $5 million and
$50 million. EBITDA represents earnings before net interest expense, income
taxes, depreciation and amortization. Each of these investments will generally
be less than 5% of capital and made in conjunction with loans we make to
these
companies. We expect that our target portfolio over time will include both
first
and second lien loans and long-term mezzanine debt, and, to a lesser extent,
private equity securities. In addition to originating investments, we may
acquire investments in the secondary market. In
the interests of diversifying our sources of debt funding, we
may in the future consider securitizing certain of the portfolio investments
out
of a wholly-owned subsidiary, subject to our ability to satisfy the 1940
Act
restrictions on BDCs, including the qualifying asset and leverage tests.
First
lien loans
First
lien loans are secured by a first priority perfected security interest on
all
assets of the borrower and may include a first priority pledge of the capital
stock of the borrower. First lien loans hold first priority with regard to
right
of payment. Generally, first lien loans offer floating rate interest payments,
have a stated maturity of five to seven years, and typically have a fixed
amortization schedule. First lien loans generally have restrictive financial
covenants that govern such items as the maintenance of certain financial
ratios,
restricted payments, asset sales and additional debt incurrence.
Second
lien loans
Second
lien loans are secured by a second perfected priority security interest on
all
assets of the borrower and may include a second priority pledge of the capital
stock of the borrower as well. Second lien loans hold second priority with
regard to right of payment. Second lien loans offer either floating rate
or
fixed rate interest payments that generally have a stated maturity of five
to
eight years, and may or may not have a fixed amortization schedule.
Second liens that do not have fixed amortization schedules require payment
of
the principal amount of the loan upon
the
maturity date of the loan. Second lien loans typically pay cash interest.
In
instances where there is a paid-in-kind (PIK) interest component to the coupon
payments, the principal amounts of the loan increases with the payment of
PIK
interest. Second
lien loans generally have less restrictive financial covenants than those
that
govern first lien loans.
Senior
Secured Bonds
A
secured bond is a type of bond that is secured by the issuer's pledge of
a
specific asset. In the event of a default, the bond issuer passes title of
the
asset or right to a specific revenue stream on to the bondholders. Such senior
secured bonds will take priority over other debt securities sold by the same
issuer and secured by the same collateral.
Unsecured
Bonds
An
unsecured bond is not secured by an underlying asset or collateral of the
issuer. In the event of the issuer’s liquidation, dissolution, reorganization,
bankruptcy or other similar proceeding, the bondholders only have the right
to
share pari passu in the issuer’s unsecured assets with other equally-ranking
creditors of the issuer.
Mezzanine
debt
Structurally,
mezzanine debt usually ranks subordinate in priority of payment to senior
loans
and is often unsecured. However, mezzanine debt ranks senior to common and
preferred equity in a borrowers’ capital structure. Typically, mezzanine debt
has elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering the fixed returns
in
the form of interest payments associated with senior loans, while providing
lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a borrower,
if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest typically takes
the
form of warrants. Due to its higher risk profile and often less restrictive
covenants as compared to senior loans, mezzanine debt generally earns a higher
return than senior secured debt. The warrants associated with mezzanine debt
are
typically detachable, which allows lenders to receive repayment of their
principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity
interest in the borrower. Mezzanine debt also may include a “put” feature, which
permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a
price
determined through an agreed formula.
We
also intend, to a lesser extent, to make equity investments in private middle
market companies. In making an investment, in addition to considering the
factors discussed below under “—Investment selection,” we also consider the
anticipated timing of a liquidity event, such as a public offering, sale
of the
company or redemption of our equity securities.
We
will generally seek to target companies that generate positive cash flows.
GSC
Group has a staff of 70 investment professionals who specialize in specific
industries. We will generally seek to invest in companies from the industries
in
which GSC Group’s investment professionals have direct expertise. The following
is a representative list of the industries in which GSC Group has invested:
aerospace and defense, automotive, broadcasting/cable, chemicals, consumer
products, energy, environmental services, food and beverage, gaming, health
care, homebuilding, lodging and leisure, metals/mining, paper and forest
products, retail, diversified manufacturer, supermarket and drug, technology,
wireless telecom and wireline telecom.
However,
we may invest in other industries if we are presented with attractive
opportunities.
As
a result of regulatory restrictions, we are generally not permitted to invest
in
any portfolio company in which GSC Group or any affiliate currently has an
investment. In addition to such investments, we may invest up to 30% of our
assets in opportunistic investments in high-yield bonds, debt and equity
securities in CDO vehicles, distressed debt and equity securities of public
companies. We also may invest in debt of private middle market companies
located
outside of the United States.
Prospective
Portfolio Company Characteristics
Our
investment adviser will utilize the same disciplined investment philosophy
as
that of GSC Group’s corporate credit group in identifying and selecting
portfolio company investments. Our portfolio companies generally will have
one
of more of the following characteristics:
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·
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issuers
that have a history of generating stable earnings and strong free
cash
flow;
|
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·
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issuers
that have well constructed balance sheets, including an established
tangible liquidation value;
|
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·
|
industry
leaders with significant competitive advantages and sustainable
market
shares in attractive sectors;
|
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·
|
capital
structures that provide appropriate terms and reasonable
covenants;
|
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·
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management
teams that are experienced and that hold meaningful equity ownership
in
the businesses that they operate;
|
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·
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issuers
with reasonable price-to-cash flow
multiples;
|
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·
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industries
in which GSC Group’s investment professionals historically have had deep
investment experience and success;
|
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·
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macro
competitive dynamics in the industry within which each company
competes;
and
|
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·
|
adhering
to diversification with regard to position sizes, industry groups
and
geography.
|
Investment
selection
Our
investment adviser will employ a rigorous and consistent investment selection
process which will be based on extensive quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Through this process, we will seek to identify those issuers exhibiting superior
fundamental risk-reward profiles and strong defensible business franchises
with
the goal of minimizing principal losses while maximizing risk-adjusted returns.
In managing us, our investment adviser will employ the same investment
philosophy and portfolio management methodologies used by the investment
professionals of GSC Group in GSC Group’s private investment funds. Our
investment adviser’s investment philosophy and portfolio construction will
involve the following:
|
·
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bottoms-up,
company-specific research and
analysis;
|
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·
|
with
respect to each individual company, an emphasis on capital preservation,
low volatility and minimization of downside risk;
and
|
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·
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investing
with management teams that are experienced and that hold meaningful
equity
ownership in the businesses that they
operate.
|
GSC
Group’s investment process includes the following steps:
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·
|
Initial
screening.
A brief analysis is prepared by the analyst which identifies the
investment opportunity and reviews the merits of the transaction.
The
initial screening memorandum will provide a brief discussion of
the
company, its industry, competitive position, capital structure,
equity
sponsor and deal economics. If the deal is believed to be attractive
by
the senior members of the deal team, the opportunity will be more
fully
analyzed.
|
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·
|
Full
analysis.
Once an investment opportunity is viewed to be attractive by the
senior
members of the deal team, a full analysis is performed by the analyst
assigned to the transaction. The full analysis
includes:
|
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·
|
Business
and Industry Analysis—GSC Group reviews the targeted investment’s business
position, competitive dynamics within the industry, cost and growth
drivers and technological and geographic factors. GSC Group’s business and
industry research often includes meetings with industry experts,
consultants, GSC Group advisory board members, other investors,
customers
and competitors.
|
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·
|
Company
analysis—GSC Group performs an in-depth review of the targeted
investment’s historical financial performance, future projections, cash
flow characteristics, balance sheet strength, liquidation value,
legal,
financial and accounting risks, contingent liabilities, market
share
analysis and growth prospects.
|
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·
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Structural/security
analysis—GSC Group performs a thorough legal document analysis including
but not limited to an assessment of financial covenants, restricted
payments, anti-layering protections, enforceability of liens and
voting
rights.
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·
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Approval
of the group head.
After an investment has been identified and diligence has been
completed,
a credit research and analysis report is prepared. This report
will be
reviewed by the senior investment professional in charge of the
potential
investment. If such senior investment professional is in favor
of the
potential investment, then it is presented to the investment
committee.
|
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·
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Approval
of the investment committee.
After the approval of the group head, the investment is presented
to the
investment committee. Our investment committee will approve all
investments in excess of $5 million made by the Company by unanimous
consent. Additional due diligence with respect to any investment
may be
conducted on our behalf by attorneys and independent accountants
prior to
the closing of the investment, as well as by other outside advisers,
as
appropriate.
|
The
Company’s Credit Facility provider will have no involvement in selecting or
approving the Company’s investments.
Investment
structure
Once
we have determined that a prospective portfolio company is suitable for
investment, we will work with the management of that company and its other
capital providers, including senior, junior, and equity capital providers,
to
structure an investment. We will negotiate among these parties to agree on
how
our investment is expected to perform relative to the other capital in the
portfolio company’s capital structure. In instances where we co-invest with GSC
Partner funds, while we will invest on the same terms and neither we nor
other
GSC Group funds may negotiate terms of the transaction other than price,
conflicts of interest may arise between GSC Group and us.
Debt
investments
We
anticipate investing in portfolio companies in the form of first and second
lien
senior loans. We expect these loans generally to have terms of three to ten
years. We generally will obtain security interests in the assets of our
portfolio companies that will serve as collateral in support of the repayment
of
these loans. This collateral may take the form of first or second priority
liens
on the assets of a portfolio company.
We
anticipate structuring our mezzanine investments primarily as unsecured,
subordinated loans that provide for relatively high, fixed interest rates
that
will provide us with significant current interest income. These loans typically
will have interest-only payments in the early years, with amortization of
principal deferred to the later years of the mezzanine debt. In some cases,
we
may enter into loans that, by their terms, convert into equity or additional
debt or defer payments of interest (or at least cash interest) for the first
few
years after our investment.
Also,
in some cases our mezzanine debt will be collateralized by a subordinated
lien
on some or all of the assets of the borrower.
In
some cases our debt investments may provide for a portion of the interest
payable to be payment-in-kind interest. To the extent interest is
payment-in-kind, it will be payable through the increase of the principal
amount
of the loan by the amount of interest due on the then-outstanding aggregate
principal amount of such loan.
In
the case of our first and second lien loans and mezzanine debt, we will tailor
the terms of the investment to the facts and circumstances of the transaction
and the prospective portfolio company, negotiating a structure that aims
to
protect our rights and manage our risk while creating incentives for the
portfolio company to achieve its business plan and improve its profitability.
For example, in addition to seeking a senior position in the capital structure
of our portfolio companies, we will seek, where appropriate, to limit the
downside potential of our investments by:
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·
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requiring
a total return on our investments (including both interest and
potential
equity appreciation) that compensates us for credit
risk;
|
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·
|
requiring
companies to use a portion of their excess cash flow to repay
debt;
|
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·
|
selecting
investments with covenants that incorporate call protection as
part of the
investment structure; and
|
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·
|
selecting
investments with contractual covenants that may include affirmative
and
negative covenants, default penalties, lien protection, change
of control
provisions and board rights, including either observation or participation
rights.
|
In
general, our investment adviser intends to select investments with financial
covenants and terms that require an issuer to reduce leverage, thereby enhancing
credit quality. These methods include: (i) maintenance leverage covenants
requiring a decreasing ratio of debt to cash flow; (ii) maintenance cash
flow
covenants requiring an increasing ratio of cash flow to the sum of interest
expense and capital expenditures; and (iii) debt incurrence prohibitions,
limiting a company’s ability to re-lever. In addition, limitations on asset
sales and capital expenditures should prevent a company from changing the
nature
of its business or capitalization without consent.
Our
debt investments may include equity features, such as warrants or options
to buy
a minority interest in the portfolio company. Warrants we receive with our
debt
may require only a nominal cost to exercise, and thus, as a portfolio company
appreciates in value, we may achieve additional investment return from this
equity interest. We may structure the warrants to provide provisions protecting
our rights as a minority-interest holder, as well as puts, or rights to sell
such securities back to the company, upon the occurrence of specified events.
In
many cases, we will also obtain registration rights in connection with these
equity interests, which may include demand and “piggy-back” registration rights.
Where we are participating in an investment with other funds managed by GSC
Group, we will be limited in our ability to participate in the structuring
of
the investment.
Equity
investments
Our
equity investments may consist of preferred equity that is expected to pay
dividends on a current basis or preferred equity that does not pay current
dividends. Preferred equity generally has a preference over common equity
as to
distributions on liquidation and dividends. In some cases, we may acquire
common
equity. In general, our equity investments will not be control-oriented
investments and we expect that in many cases we will acquire equity securities
as part of a group of private equity investors in which we are not the lead
investor.
Valuation
process
Under
procedures established by our board of directors, we value investments for
which
market quotations are readily available will be recorded in our financial
statements at such market quotations. We will value investments for which
market
quotations are not readily available quarterly at fair value as determined
in
good faith by our board of directors based on input from our investment adviser,
a third party independent valuation firm and our audit committee. We may
also be
required to value any publicly traded securities at fair value as determined
in
good faith
by
our board of directors to the extent necessary to reflect significant events
affecting the value of those securities. Such determination of fair values
may
involve subjective judgments and estimates. The types of factors that may
be
considered in a fair value pricing of our investments include the nature
and
realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make
payments, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison
to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow and other relevant factors.
Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities
and
private companies, are inherently uncertain, they may fluctuate over short
periods of time and may be based on estimates. The determination of fair
value
by our board of directors may differ materially from the values that would
have
been used if a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value
could be adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value
of
our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately
realize upon the disposal of such securities.
We
will undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter when valuing these
investments, as described below:
|
·
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Our
quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company
or
investment being initially valued by the investment professionals
responsible for the portfolio investment;
|
|
·
|
Preliminary
valuation conclusions will then be documented and discussed with
our
senior management;
|
|
·
|
An
independent valuation firm engaged by our board of directors will
review
one quarter of our portfolio’s preliminary valuations; as a result, the
entire portfolio will be reviewed on an annual
basis;
|
|
·
|
The
audit committee of our board of directors will review the preliminary
valuation and our investment adviser and independent valuation
firm will
respond and supplement the preliminary valuation to reflect any
comments
provided by the audit committee; and
|
|
·
|
The
board of directors will discuss valuations and will determine the
fair
value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith based on
the input
of our investment adviser, independent valuation firm and audit
committee.
|
Resolution
of potential conflicts of interest; equitable allocation of investment
opportunities
Subject
to the 1940 Act restrictions on co-investments with affiliates, GSC Group
will
offer us the right to participate in all investment opportunities that it
determines are appropriate for us in view of our investment objectives, policies
and strategies and other relevant factors, subject to the exception that,
in
accordance with GSC Group’s conflict of interest and allocation policies, we
might not participate in each individual opportunity but will, on an overall
basis, be entitled to equitably participate with GSC Group’s other funds or
other clients.
We
anticipate that we will be GSC Group’s principal investment vehicle for
non-distressed second lien loans and mezzanine debt of U.S. middle market
entities. Although existing and future investment vehicles managed or to
be
managed by GSC Group invest or may invest in mezzanine loans and second lien
loans, none of these investment vehicles target non-distressed domestic second
lien and mezzanine loans as the core of their portfolios. For example, while
funds managed by GSC Group’s equity and distressed debt group may purchase
second lien loans and mezzanine debt of private middle market companies,
these
funds will typically be interested in these assets in distressed situations,
whereas we generally will seek to hold performing debt. Likewise, while funds
managed by GSC Group’s real estate group may purchase second lien loans and
mezzanine debt as an aspect of their investment strategies, these funds are
largely focused on asset-backed and mortgage-backed loans and debt, not on
corporate debt of the type we target. Finally, due to the high amounts of
leverage deployed by various CDO funds managed by GSC Group, these funds
tend to
target first lien loans, while second lien and mezzanine loans are a secondary
part of the strategy.
To
the extent that we do compete with any of GSC Group’s clients for a particular
investment opportunity, our investment adviser will allocate the investment
opportunity across the funds for which the investment is
appropriate
based
on its internal conflict of interest and allocation policies consistent with
the
requirements of the Advisers Act, subject further to the 1940 Act restrictions
on co-investments with affiliates and also giving effect to priorities that
may
be enjoyed from to time to time by one or more funds based on their investment
mandate or guidelines, or any right of first review agreed to from time to
time
by GSC Group. Currently, GSC European Mezzanine Fund II, L.P. has a priority
on
investments in mezzanine securities of issuers located primarily in Europe.
In
addition, GSC Acquisition Company has recently entered into a business
opportunity right of first review agreement which provides that it will have
a
right of first review prior to any other fund managed by GSC Group with respect
to business combination opportunities with an enterprise value of $175 million
or more until the earlier of it consummating an initial business combination
or
its liquidation. Subject to the foregoing, GSC Group’s allocation policies are
intended to ensure that we may generally share equitably with other GSC
Group-managed investment vehicles in investment opportunities, particularly
those involving a security with limited supply or involving differing classes
of
securities of the same issuer, that may be suitable for us and such other
investment vehicles.
GSC
Group has historically managed investment vehicles with similar or overlapping
investment strategies and has a conflict-resolution policy in place that
will
also address the co- investment restrictions under the 1940 Act. The policy
is
intended to ensure that we comply with the 1940 Act restrictions on transactions
with affiliates. These restrictions will significantly impact our ability
to
co-invest with other GSC Group’s funds. While the 1940 Act generally prohibits
all “joint transactions” between entities that share a common investment
adviser, the staff of the SEC has granted no-action relief to an investment
adviser permitting purchases of a single class of privately-placed securities,
provided that the investment adviser negotiates no term other than price
and
certain other conditions are satisfied. Neither our investment adviser nor
any
participant in a co-investment will have both a material pecuniary incentive
and
ability to cause us to participate with it in a co-investment. As a result,
we
only expect to co-invest on a concurrent basis with GSC Group’s funds when each
fund will own the same securities of the issuer. If opportunities arise that
would otherwise be appropriate for us and for one or more of GSC Group’s other
funds to invest in different securities of the same issuer, our investment
adviser will need to decide whether we or the other funds will proceed with
the
investment. See “Regulation—Co-investment.”
GSC
Group’s allocation procedures are designed to allocate investment opportunities
among the investment vehicles of GSC Group in a manner consistent with its
obligations under the Advisers Act. If two or more investment vehicles
with similar investment strategies are still in their investment periods,
an
available investment opportunity will be allocated as described below, subject
to any provisions governing allocations of investment opportunities in the
relevant organizational documents. As an initial step, our investment adviser
will determine whether a particular investment opportunity is an appropriate
investment for us and its other clients and typically will determine the
amount
that would be appropriate for each client by considering, among other things,
the following criteria: (1) the investment guidelines and/or restrictions
set
forth in the applicable organizational documents; (2) the risk and return
profile of the client entity; (3) the suitability/priority of a particular
investment for the client entity; (4) if applicable, the target position
size of
the investment for the client entity; and (5) the level of available cash
for
investment with respect to the particular client entity. If there is an
insufficient amount of an opportunity to satisfy the needs of all participants,
the investment opportunity will generally be allocated pro-rata based on
the
initial investment amounts. See “Risk Factors— There are conflicts of interest
in our relationship with our investment adviser and/or GSC Group, which could
result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our
stockholders.”
Portfolio
management policies
GSC
Group has designed a compliance program to monitor its conflict-resolution
policies and procedures and regularly evaluates the reasonableness of such
policies and procedures. GSC Group’s compliance program monitors the
implementation of and tests adherence to compliance-related policies and
procedures that address GSC Group's Code of Ethics, investment allocation,
trade
aggregation, best execution, cross trades, proxy voting and related
matters. The program is governed in part by the requirements of the 1940
Act and is headed by GSC Group’s Chief Compliance Officer. GSC Group’s
Chief Compliance Officer, GSC Group’s Associate General Counsel, Compliance and
a Senior Managing Director comprise GSC Group’s Compliance Committee, which
provides day-to-day guidance on GSC Group compliance matters in addition
to
overseeing the compliance program.
Ongoing
relationships with and monitoring of portfolio companies
Our
investment adviser will closely monitor each investment the Company makes,
maintain a regular dialogue with both the management team and other stockholders
and seek specifically tailored financial reporting. In addition, senior
investment professionals of GSC Group may take board seats or board observation
seats.
Post-investment,
in addition to covenants and other contractual rights, GSC Group will seek
to
exert significant influence through board participation, when appropriate,
and
by actively working with management on strategic initiatives. GSC Group often
introduces managers of companies in which they have invested to other portfolio
companies to capitalize on complementary business activities and best
practices.
Managerial
assistance
As
a BDC, we will offer, and must provide upon request, managerial assistance
to
our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve, among other things,
monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board
and
management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio
companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. Pursuant
to
a separate administration agreement, our investment adviser (to the extent
permitted under the 1940 Act) will provide such managerial assistance on
our
behalf to portfolio companies that request this assistance, recognizing that
our
involvement with each investment will vary based on factors including the
size
of the company, the nature of our investment, the company’s overall stage of
development and our relative position in the capital structure. We may receive
fees for these services.
Competition
Our
primary competitors providing financing to private middle market companies
will
include public and private investment funds, commercial and investment banks,
commercial financing companies and private debt funds. Many of our competitors
are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical
and
marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have access
to
funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our
competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments,
which
could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish
more
relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject
to
the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act will impose on us once we make
our
election to be treated as a BDC. We expect to use the industry information
of
GSC Group’s investment professionals to which we will have access to assess
investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our investments in
portfolio companies. In addition, we expect that the relationships of the
members of our investment adviser’s investment committees and the senior
principals of GSC Group will enable us to learn about, and compete effectively
for, financing opportunities with attractive private middle market companies
in
the industries in which we seek to invest. For additional information concerning
the competitive risks we face, see “Risk Factors—Risks related to our
business—We operate in a highly competitive market for investment
opportunities.”
Staffing
We
do not currently have any employees and do not expect to have any employees.
Services necessary for our business will be provided by individuals who are
employees of our investment adviser and GSC Group, pursuant to the terms
of the
investment advisory and management agreement and the administration agreement.
Each of our executive officers described under “Management” is an employee of
GSC Group and/or our investment adviser. Our day-to-day investment operations
will be managed by our investment adviser. Most of the services necessary
for
the origination and administration of our investment portfolio will be provided
by investment professionals employed by our investment adviser. In addition,
we
will reimburse GSC Group for our allocable portion of expenses incurred by
it in
performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including
rent
and our allocable portion of the cost of our officers and their respective
staffs. We estimate our annual expenses to be approximately $2.5 million.
See
“Management—Administration agreement.”
Properties
Our
corporate office is located at 12 East 49th Street, Suite 3200, New York,
New
York 10017. Our telephone number is (212) 884-6200. We have an additional
office
located at 535 Madison Avenue, Floor 17, New York, New York 10022.
Legal
proceedings
Neither
we nor our investment adviser are currently subject to any material legal
proceedings.
MANAGEMENT
Our
business and affairs are managed under the direction of our board of directors.
The board of directors currently consists of members, of whom are not
“interested persons” of GSC Investment LLC as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the
1940 Act. Our board of directors elects our officers, who will serve at the
discretion of the board of directors.
Executive
officers and board of directors
Under
our charter, our directors are divided into three classes. Each class of
directors will hold office for a three-year term. However, the initial members
of the three classes have initial terms of one, two and three years,
respectively. At each annual meeting of our stockholders, the successors
to the
class of directors whose terms expire at such meeting will be elected to
hold
office for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in
the
third year following the year of their election. Each director will hold
office
for the term to which he or she is elected and until his or her successor
is
duly elected and qualified.
Directors
Information
regarding the board of directors is as follows:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
Director
Since
|
|
Expiration
of Term
|
|
Principal
Occupation(s) During Last Five Years
|
|
Other
Directorships/ Trusteeships Held by Board
Member
|
Independent
Directors (1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
K. Barker
|
|
58
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2009
|
|
Currently
a private investor. Prior to 2002, Mr. Barker served as an Advisory
Director of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
|
|
Avery
Dennison Corporation, Stone Energy Corporation and American
International
|
Steven
M. Looney
|
|
57
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2010
|
|
Currently
the Managing Director of Peale Davies & Co. Inc. Prior to 2005, Mr.
Looney served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
of
PCCI, Inc.
|
|
Sun
Healthcare, WH Industries and APW, Inc
|
Charles
S. Whitman III
|
|
64
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2010
|
|
Currently
is senior counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell. Prior to 2006, Mr. Whitman
was a Partner is Davis Polk’s Corporate Department.
|
|
none
|
G.
Cabell Williams
|
|
52
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
Currently
is Managing General Partner of Williams and Gallagher. Prior to
2004, Mr.
Williams served as Managing Director of Allied Capital
Corporation.
|
|
The
Landon School
|
Interested
Directors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
V. Inglesby
|
|
49
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2008
|
|
Joined
GSC Group at its inception in 1999 and has been a Senior Managing
Director
since 2006.
|
|
none
|
Richard
M.
|
|
61
|
|
Chairman
of the Board
|
|
2007
|
|
2009
|
|
Joined
GSC Group in 2000
|
|
COFRA
Holdings,
|
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
Director
Since
|
|
Expiration
of Term
|
|
Principal
Occupation(s) During Last Five Years
|
|
Other
Directorships/ Trusteeships Held by Board
Member
|
Hayden
|
|
|
|
of
Directors |
|
|
|
|
|
and has
been a Vice
Chairman of GSC Group since 2000 and is head of the corporate credit
group. Prior to 2000, Mr. Hayden was a Partner of Goldman, Sachs
&
Co., where he was a Managing Director and the Deputy Chairman of
Goldman,
Sachs & Co. International Ltd., responsible for all European
investment banking activities. |
|
AG and Deutsche
Boerse
AG |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
F. Cummings, Jr.
|
|
56
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
|
2010
|
|
Joined
GSC Group in 2002 and has been a Senior Managing Director since
2006 and
Chairman of the Risk & Conflicts Committee and the Valuation Committee
since 2003. Prior to joining GSC Group, was a Partner of Goldman,
Sachs
& Co., where he was a member of the Corporate Finance Department,
advising corporate clients on financing, mergers and acquisitions,
and
strategic financial issues.
|
|
ATSI
Holdings, GSC Capital Corp., Precision Partners Inc., RR Donnelley
and
Sons Co., Corning Inc., Viasystems Group Inc., and a member of
the Board
of Trustees of Union College
|
|
(1) |
Prior
to the time we file our Form N-54A, we will appoint additional
persons who
are not interested persons, as defined in section 2(a)(19) of
the 1940 Act
to serve on our board of
directors.
|
The
address for each director is c/o GSC Investment LLC, 12 East 49th
Street, New York, New York 10017.
Executive
officers who are not directors
Information
regarding our executive officers who are not directors is as
follows:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
Since
|
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Last Five Years
|
|
Other
Directorships/ Trusteeships Held by Board
Member
|
David
L. Goret
|
|
43
|
|
Vice
President and Secretary
|
|
2006
|
|
Joined
GSC Group as General Counsel in 2004, where he manages legal, human
resources and certain administrative functions at the firm. From
2000 to
2002, Mr. Goret served as managing director and general counsel
of Hawk
Holdings, LLC. From 2002 to 2003, he served as senior vice president
and
general counsel of Mercator Software, Inc.
|
|
none
|
Name
|
|
Age |
|
Position
|
|
Since
|
|
Principal
Occupation(s)
During
Last Five Years
|
|
Other
Directorships/ Trusteeships Held by Board
Member
|
Richard
T. Allorto, Jr.
|
|
35
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
2006
|
|
Joined
GSC Group in 2001 and is responsible for overseeing the financial
statement preparation and accounting operations relating to the
funds
managed by GSC Group. Mr. Allorto was with Schering Plough Corp.
from 1998
to 2001, where he worked as an Audit Supervisor within the internal
audit
group with a focus on operational audits of the company’s international
subsidiaries.
|
|
none
|
Michael
J. Monticciolo
|
|
35
|
|
Chief
Compliance Officer
|
|
2006
|
|
Joined
GSC Group in 2006. From 2000 to 2006, he was with the U.S. Securities
& Exchange Commission as a senior counsel in the Division of
Enforcement where he investigated and prosecuted enforcement matters
involving broker-dealers, investment advisers, hedge funds and
public
companies.
|
|
none
|
Biographical
information
Directors
Our
directors have been divided into two groups—independent directors and interested
directors. Interested directors are interested persons as defined in the
1940
Act.
Independent
directors
Peter
K. Barker—Mr. Barker is currently a private investor. After spending 28
years at Goldman, Sachs & Co., Mr. Barker stepped down as a General Partner
in 1998 and as an Advisory Director in 2002. Mr. Barker headed Goldman, Sachs
& Co.’s investment banking activities on the West Coast from 1978 to 1998.
Mr. Barker joined Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1971. Mr. Barker began his career
in the London office, then spent seven years in the New York Corporate Finance
Department before assuming his responsibilities on the West Coast. Mr. Barker
has been active in several civic organizations, including the Los Angeles
Area
Boy Scout Council, Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA, Claremont McKenna College
and
the Phoenix House of California. He has also been a member of the California
State Senate Commission on Corporate Governance and is currently a director
of
Avery Dennison Corporation, Stone Energy Corporation and American International.
Mr. Barker graduated from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of
Business with a M.B.A. degree.
Steven
M. Looney—Mr. Looney is a Managing Director of Peale Davies & Co.
Inc., a consulting firm with particular expertise in financial process and
IT
outsourcing, and is a CPA and an attorney. Mr. Looney also serves as a
consultant and director to numerous companies in the healthcare, manufacturing
and technology services industries, including Sun Healthcare, WH Industries
and
APW, Inc. Between 2000 and 2005, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer of PCCI, Inc., a private IT staffing and outsourcing firm.
Between 1992 and 2000, Mr. Looney worked at WH Industries where Mr. Looney
was
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. Mr. Looney graduated summa cum
laude
from the University of Washington with a B.A. degree in Accounting and he
received a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law where he
was a
member of the law review.
Charles
S. Whitman III—Mr. Whitman is senior counsel at Davis Polk &
Wardwell, legal adviser to GSC Investment LLC and to GSC Partners.
Mr. Whitman
was a partner in Davis Polk’s Corporate Department for 28
years,
representing clients in a broad range of corporate finance matters, including
shelf registrations, securities compliance for financial institutions, foreign
asset privatizations, and mergers and acquisitions. From 1971 to 1973, Mr.
Whitman served as Executive Assistant to three successive Chairmen of the
U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Whitman serves on the Legal Advisory
Board of the National Association of Securities Dealers. Mr. Whitman graduated
from Harvard College and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School
with
a LL.B. Mr. Whitman also received an LL.M. from Cambridge University in
England.
G.
Cabell Williams—Mr.
Williams is currently the Managing General Partner of Williams and Gallagher
a
private equity partnership located in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In 2004 Mr.
Williams concluded a 23 year career at Allied Capital Corporation, a $4 billion
business development corporation based in Washington, DC. While at Allied,
Mr.
Williams held a variety of positions including President, COO and finally
Managing Director following Allied's merger with its affiliates in 1998.
From
1991 to 2004, Mr. Williams either led or co-managed the firm's Private Equity
Group. For the nine years prior to 1999, Mr. Williams led Allied's Mezzanine
investment activities. For 15 years, Mr. Williams served on Allied's Investment
Committee where he was responsible for reviewing and approving all of the
firm's
investments. Prior to 1991, Mr. Williams ran Allied's Minority Small Business
Investment Company. He also founded Allied Capital Commercial Corporation,
a
real estate investment vehicle. Mr. Williams has served on the board of various
public and private companies. Mr. Williams attended The Landon School, and
graduated from Mercersburg Academy and Rollins College, receiving a B.S.
in
Business Administration from the latter.
Interested
directors
Thomas
V. lnglesby—Mr.
Inglesby is the Chief Executive Officer of GSC Investment LLC. Mr. Inglesby
joined GSC Group at its inception in 1999 and is currently a Senior Managing
Director. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Inglesby was a Managing Director at Greenwich
Street Capital Partners. Prior to that, Mr. Inglesby was a Managing Director
with Harbour Group in St. Louis, Missouri, an investment firm specializing
in
the acquisition of manufacturing companies in fragmented industries. In 1986,
Mr. Inglesby joined PaineWebber and was a Vice President in the Merchant
Banking
department from 1989 to 1990. Mr. Inglesby graduated with honors from the
University of Maryland with a B.S. degree in Accounting, from the University
of
Virginia School of Law with a J.D. degree and from the Darden Graduate School
of
Business Administration with a M.B.A. degree.
Richard
M. Hayden—Mr.
Hayden is the Chairman of GSC Investment LLC. Mr. Hayden joined GSC Group
in
2000 and is currently a Vice Chairman of GSC Group, head of the corporate
credit
group and a member of the firm management committee. Mr. Hayden was previously
with Goldman, Sachs & Co. from 1969 until 1999 and was elected a Partner in
1980. Mr. Hayden transferred to London in 1992, where he was a Managing Director
and the Deputy Chairman of Goldman, Sachs & Co. International Ltd.,
responsible for all European investment banking activities. Mr. Hayden was
also
Chairman of the Credit Committee from 1991 to 1996, a member of the firm’s
Commitment Committee from 1990 to 1995, a member of the firm’s Partnership
Committee from 1997 to 1998 and a member of the Goldman, Sachs & Co.
International Executive Committee from 1995 to 1998. In 1998, Mr. Hayden
retired
from Goldman, Sachs & Co. and was retained as an Advisory Director to
consult in the Principal Investment Area. Mr. Hayden is a non-executive director
of COFRA Holdings, AG and Deutsche Boerse AG. Mr. Hayden is also a member
of The
Wharton Business School International Advisory Board. Mr. Hayden graduated
magna
cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University with a B.A. degree
in
Economics, and graduated from The Wharton School with a M.B.A.
degree.
Robert
F. Cummings, Jr.—Mr.
Cummings joined GSC Group in 2002 and is currently a Senior Managing Director,
Chairman of the Risk & Conflicts Committee and the Valuation Committee and a
member of the firm management committee. Mr. Cummings is a former member
of the
GSC Advisory Board. For the prior 28 years, Mr. Cummings was with Goldman,
Sachs
& Co., where he was a member of the Corporate Finance Department, advising
corporate clients on financing, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic
financial issues. Mr. Cummings was named a Partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
in 1986. Mr. Cummings retired in 1998 and was retained as an Advisory Director
by Goldman, Sachs & Co. to work with certain clients on a variety of banking
matters. Mr. Cummings is a director of ATSI Holdings, GSC Capital Corp.,
Precision Partners Inc., RR Donnelley and Sons Co., Corning Inc.,
Viasystems
Group Inc., and a member of the Board of Trustees of Union College. Mr. Cummings
graduated from Union College with a B.A. degree and from the University of
Chicago with a M.B.A. degree.
Executive
officers who are not directors
David
L. Goret,
Vice
President and Secretary—Mr.
Goret joined GSC Group in 2004 as managing director, general counsel and
chief
compliance officer and manages legal, human resources and certain administrative
functions at GSC Group. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Goret served as managing director
and general counsel of Hawk Holdings, LLC, which focused on creating, financing
and operating emerging technology infrastructure and service businesses.
From 2002 to 2003, he served as senior vice president and general counsel
of
Mercator Software, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed software company, and has significant
expertise in a wide range of legal matters. Mr. Goret graduated magna cum
laude
from Duke University with a B.A. degree in Religion and Political Science
and
from the University of Michigan with a J.D. degree.
Richard
T. Allorto, Jr.,
Chief
Financial Officer—Mr.
Allorto joined GSC Group in 2001 and is responsible for overseeing the financial
statement preparation and accounting operations relating to the funds managed
by
GSC Group. Mr. Allorto was previously with Schering Plough Corp. from 1998
to
2001 where he worked as an Audit Supervisor within the internal audit group
with
a focus on operational audits of the company’s international subsidiaries. From
1994 to 1998, he was with Arthur Andersen as a Supervising Audit Senior with
a
manufacturing industry focus. Mr. Allorto graduated from Seton Hall University
with a B.S. degree in Accounting and is a licensed CPA.
Michael
J. Monticciolo,
Chief
Compliance Officer—Mr.
Monticciolo joined GSC Group in 2006. He was previously with the U.S. Securities
& Exchange Commission as a senior counsel in the Division of Enforcement
from 2000 to 2006 where he investigated and prosecuted enforcement matters
involving broker-dealers, investment advisers, hedge funds and public companies.
Prior to that, Mr. Monticciolo was a staff attorney with the Commission’s Office
of Compliance Inspections and Examinations from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Monticciolo
graduated from the Ohio State University with a B.A. degree in Political
Science
and graduated from Hofstra University School of Law with a J.D.
degree.
Investment
committee
The
members of our investment adviser’s investment committee include Thomas V.
Inglesby, Thomas J. Libassi, Robert F. Cummings, Jr., Daniel I. Castro, Jr.,
and
Richard M. Hayden.
The
address for each member of our investment adviser’s investment committee is c/o
GSC Investment LLC, 12 East 49th
Street, New York, New York 10017.
Members
of our investment adviser’s investment committee who are not directors or
officers of the Company
Thomas
J. Libassi—Mr.
Libassi joined GSC Group in 2000 and is currently a Senior Managing Director.
Mr. Libassi specializes in the sourcing, evaluating and execution of distressed
debt transactions. Prior to that, Mr. Libassi was Senior Vice President and
Portfolio Manager at Mitchell Hutchins, a subsidiary of PaineWebber Inc.
where
he was responsible for managing approximately $1.2 billion of high-yield
assets
for the Paine Webber Mutual Funds. In 1998, Mr. Libassi developed and launched
the approximate $550 million Managed High Yield Plus Fund, a leveraged
closed-end fund that was ranked number one by Lipper in its category in 1999.
From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Libassi was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager
at
Keystone Custodian Funds, Inc., with portfolio management responsibilities
for
three diverse institutional high-yield accounts with $250 million in assets.
Mr.
Libassi is a director of DTN Holding Company, LLC, Outsourcing Services Group
and Scovill Fasteners, Inc. Mr. Libassi graduated from Connecticut College,
with
a B.A. degree in Economics and Government, and from The Wharton School with
a
M.B.A. degree.
Daniel
I. Castro, Jr.—Mr.
Castro joined GSC Group in 2005 and is currently a Managing Director. Mr.
Castro
has over 23 years experience in Structured Finance Products. From 1991 to
2004,
Mr. Castro was employed by
Merrill
Lynch in various capacities, most recently as Managing Director of Structured
Finance Research. Prior to Merrill Lynch, he was a Senior Analyst, Structured
Transactions at Moody’s Investor’s Service. Mr. Castro also spent four years
with Citigroup in various capacities. Mr. Castro was a member every year,
since
its inception in 1992 until he left Merrill Lynch in 2004, of the Institutional
Investor All-American Fixed Income Research Team. Mr. Castro also ranked
on the
first team for ASB Strategy twice. Mr. Castro graduated from University of
Notre
Dame with a B.A. degree in Government/International Relations and from
Washington University with a M.B.A. degree.
Committees
of the board of directors
Audit
committee
The
audit committee is responsible for approving our independent accountants,
reviewing with our independent accountants the plans and results of the audit
engagement, approving professional services provided by our independent
accountants, reviewing the independence of our independent accountants and
reviewing the adequacy of our internal accounting controls. The audit committee
is also responsible for aiding our board of directors in fair value pricing
debt
and equity securities that are not publicly traded or for which current market
values are not readily available. Where appropriate, the board of directors
and
audit committee may utilize the services of an independent valuation firm
to
assist them in determining the fair value of these securities.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance committee
The
nominating committee is responsible for selecting, researching and nominating
directors for election by our stockholders, selecting nominees to fill vacancies
on the board of directors or a committee of the board of directors, developing
and recommending to the board of directors a set of corporate governance
principles and overseeing the evaluation of the board of directors.
Compensation
committee
As
required by the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, the
compensation committee will consist entirely of independent directors. This
committee will oversee the Company’s compensation policies generally, make
recommendations to the Board with respect to incentive compensation and
equity-based plans of the Company that are subject to Board approval, evaluate
executive officer performance and review the Company’s management succession
plan, oversee and set compensation, if any, for the Company’s executive
officers, and prepare the report on executive officer compensation that the
Securities and Exchange Commission rules require to be included in the Company’s
annual proxy statement.
Director
compensation
The
independent directors will receive an annual fee of $40,000. They will also
receive $2,500 plus reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred
in connection with attending each board meeting and will receive $1,000 plus
reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection
with
attending each committee meeting. In addition, the Chairman of the Audit
Committee will receive an annual fee of $5,000 and each chairman of any other
committee will receive an annual fee of $2,000 for their additional services
in
these capacities. In addition, we will purchase directors’ and officers’
liability insurance on behalf of our directors and officers. Independent
directors will have the option to receive their directors’ fees paid in our
common stock issued at a price per share equal to the greater of net asset
value
or the market price at the time of payment. No compensation will be paid
to
directors who are “interested persons.”
Investment
advisory and management agreement
GSCP
(NJ), L.P. serves as our investment adviser. Subject to the overall supervision
of our board of directors, the investment adviser manages our day-to-day
operations and provides investment advisory and management services to us.
Under
the terms of an investment advisory and management agreement, our investment
adviser:
|
·
|
determines
the composition of our portfolio, the nature and timing of the changes
to
our portfolio and the manner of implementing such
changes; |
|
·
|
identifies,
evaluates and negotiates the structure of the investments we make
(including performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio
companies);
|
|
·
|
closes
and monitors the investments we make;
and
|
|
·
|
determines
the securities and other assets that we purchase, retain or
sell.
|
Our
investment adviser’s services under the investment advisory and management
agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to
other
entities.
Management
fee and incentive fee
Pursuant
to the investment advisory and management agreement, we will pay our investment
adviser a fee for investment advisory and management services consisting
of two
components—a base management fee and an incentive fee.
The
base management fee will be calculated at an annual rate of 1.75% of our
total
assets (other than cash or cash equivalents but including assets purchased
with
borrowed funds). For services rendered under the investment advisory and
management agreement during the period commencing from the closing of this
offering through and including the end of our first calendar quarter, the
base
management fee will be payable monthly in arrears. For services rendered
under
the investment advisory and management agreement after that time, the base
management fee will be payable quarterly in arrears. Until we have completed
our
first calendar quarter, the base management fee will be calculated based
on the
initial value of our total assets after giving effect to the purchase of
the
Portfolio (other than cash or cash equivalents but including assets purchased
with borrowed funds). Subsequently, the base management fee will be calculated
based on the average value of our total assets (other than cash or cash
equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) at the end
of
the two most recently completed calendar quarters, and appropriately adjusted
for any share issuances or repurchases during the current calendar quarter.
Because the base management fee is based on the average of our total assets
at
the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters, we will
effectively be paying a higher base management fee in periods of declining
total
assets and an effectively lower base management fee in periods of increasing
total assets. Base management fees for any partial month or quarter will
be
appropriately pro rated.
The
incentive fee will have two parts, as follows:
One
part will be calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on our
pre-incentive fee net investment income. Pre-incentive fee net investment
income
means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any
other
fees (other than fees for providing managerial assistance), such as commitment,
origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that
we
receive from portfolio companies and any fees we are paid as a result of
serving
as collateral manager of CDO Fund III) earned during the calendar quarter,
minus
our operating expenses for the quarter (including the base management fee,
expenses payable under the administration agreement, and any interest expense
and dividends paid on any outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the
incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income includes, in the
case of
investments with a deferred interest feature (such as market discount, debt
instruments with payment-in-kind interest, preferred stock with payment-in-kind
dividends and zero coupon securities), accrued income that we have not yet
received in cash. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured
to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously
included in the calculation of the incentive fee will become uncollectible.
The
investment adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part
of
the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we fail
to
receive as a result of a default by an entity on the obligation that resulted
in
the accrual of such income. It is possible that this compensation structure
may
create an incentive for our investment adviser, in periods where our
pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds the hurdle, to enter into
transactions to gain fees such as
commitment,
origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees. Our board of directors
will monitor this conflict by periodically reviewing our performance and
our
portfolio investments.
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains, realized
capital losses or unrealized capital depreciation. Because of the structure
of
the incentive fee, it is possible that we may pay an incentive fee in a quarter
where we incur a net loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net
investment income in excess of the hurdle rate for a quarter, we will pay
the
applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred a net loss in that quarter
due
to realized and unrealized capital losses.
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of
our net
assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, will be
compared to a fixed “hurdle rate” of 1.875% per quarter (7.5% annualized). If
market interest rates rise, we may be able to invest our funds in debt
instruments that provide for a higher return, which would increase our
pre-incentive fee net investment income and make it easier for our investment
adviser to surpass the fixed hurdle rate and receive an incentive fee based
on
such net investment income. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income used
to
calculate this part of the incentive fee is also included in the amount of
our
total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets
purchased with borrowed funds) used to calculate the 1.75% base management
fee.
We
will pay our investment adviser an incentive fee with respect to our
pre-incentive fee net investment income in each calendar quarter as
follows:
|
·
|
no
incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive
fee net
investment income does not exceed the hurdle rate;
and
|
|
·
|
20%
of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if
any, that
exceeds 1.875% in any calendar quarter (7.5%
annualized).
|
These
calculations will be appropriately pro rated for any period of less than
three
months and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the current
quarter.
The
second part of the incentive fee will be determined and payable at the end
of
each calendar year (or upon termination of the investment advisory and
management agreement, as of the termination date), commencing with the calendar
year ending on December 31, 2007, and will equal 20% of our realized capital
gains on a cumulative basis, if any, computed net of all realized capital
losses
and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis; provided that
the
incentive fee determined as of December 31, 2007 will be calculated for a
period
of shorter than twelve calendar months to take into account any realized
capital
gains computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital
depreciation for the period ending December 31, 2007.
We
will defer cash payment of any incentive fee otherwise earned by our investment
adviser if during the most recent four full calendar quarter period ending
on or
prior to the date such payment is to be made the sum of (a) our aggregate
distributions to our stockholders and (b) our change in net assets (defined
as
total assets less liabilities) is less than 7.5% of our net assets at the
beginning of such period. Such incentive fee will become payable on the next
date on which such test has been satisfied for the most recent four full
calendar quarters. These calculations will be appropriately pro rated and
will
be adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases.
We
will calculate payments of the capital gains portion of the incentive fee
using
the “cumulative method,” which bases the capital gains fee on the cumulative net
realized capital gains less unrealized depreciation as of the date of the
calculation, less the aggregate amount of capital gains incentive fees paid
to
the investment adviser through such date. Under the cumulative method, the
calculation of unrealized depreciation of each portfolio security will be
based
upon the market value of each security as of the date of such calculation
compared to its adjusted cost.
Examples
of Quarterly Incentive Fee Calculation
Example
1: Income Related Portion of Incentive Fee(1):
Assumptions
|
·
|
Hurdle
rate(2) = 1.875%
|
|
·
|
Management
fee(3) = 0.4375%
|
|
·
|
Other
expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.)(4)
=
0.20%
|
Alternative
1
Additional
Assumptions
|
·
|
Investment
income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) =
1.25%
|
|
·
|
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income (investment income - (management fee
+ other
expenses)) = 0.6125%
|
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income does not exceed hurdle rate, therefore there is
no
incentive fee.
Alternative
2
Additional
Assumptions
|
·
|
Investment
income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) =
3.0%
|
|
·
|
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income (investment income - (management fee
+ other
expenses)) = 2.3625%
|
Pre-incentive
fee net investment income exceeds hurdle rate, therefore there is an incentive
fee.
Incentive
Fee
|
=
|
(20%
× (pre-incentive fee net investment income - 1.875%)
|
|
=
|
20%
(2.3625% - 1.875%)
|
|
=
|
20%
(0.4875%)
|
|
=
|
0.0975%
|
|
(1) |
The
hypothetical amount of pre-incentive fee net investment income
shown is
based on a percentage of total net assets. In addition, the example
assumes that during the most recent four full calendar quarter
period
ending on or prior to the date the payment set forth in the example
is to
be made, the sum of (a) our aggregate distributions to our stockholders
and (b) our change in net assets (defined as total assets less
liabilities) is at least 7.5% of our net assets at the beginning
of such
period (as adjusted for any share issuances or
repurchases).
|
(2) |
Represents
7.5% annualized hurdle rate.
|
(3) |
Represents
1.75% annualized management fee. For the purposes of this example,
we have
assumed that we have not incurred any indebtedness and that we
maintain no
cash or cash equivalents.
|
(4) |
Excludes
organizational and offering expenses. |
Example
2: Capital Gains Portion of Incentive Fee:
Assumptions
|
·
|
Year
1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”), and
$30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”)
|
|
·
|
Year
2: Investment A is sold for $50 million and fair market value (“FMV”)
of Investment B determined to be $32 million
|
|
·
|
Year
3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million
|
|
·
|
Year
4: Investment B sold for $31 million
|
The
capital gains portion of the incentive fee, if any, calculated under the
cumulative method would be:
|
·
|
Year
2: $6 million (20% multiplied by $30 million realized capital
gains on sale of Investment A)
|
|
·
|
Year
3: None; $5 million (20% multiplied by ($30 million realized
cumulative capital gains less $5 million cumulative capital
depreciation)) less $6 million (capital gains incentive fee paid in
Year 2)
|
|
·
|
Year
4: $200,000; $6.2 million (20% multiplied by $31 million
cumulative realized capital gains) less $6 million (capital gains
incentive fee paid in Year 2)
|
Assumptions
|
·
|
Year
1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”),
$30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”) and
$25 million investment made in Company C (“Investment C”)
|
|
·
|
Year
2: Investment A sold for $50 million, FMV of Investment B determined
to be $25 million and FMV of Investment C determined to be
$25 million
|
|
·
|
Year
3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $27 million and Investment C
sold for $30 million
|
|
·
|
Year
4: FMV of Investment B determined to be $35 million
|
|
·
|
Year
5: Investment B sold for $20 million
|
The
capital gains portion of the incentive fee, if any, calculated under the
cumulative method would be:
|
·
|
Year
2: $5 million (20% multiplied by $25 million ($30 million
realized capital gains on Investment A less $5 million unrealized
capital depreciation on Investment B))
|
|
·
|
Year
3: $1.4 million ($6.4 million (20% multiplied by
$32 million ($35 million cumulative realized capital gains less
$3 million unrealized capital depreciation)) less $5 million
(capital gains incentive fee paid in Year 2))
|
|
·
|
Year
5: None ($5 million (20% multiplied by $25 million (cumulative
realized capital gains of $35 million less realized capital losses of
$10 million)) less $6.4 million (cumulative capital gains
incentive fee paid in Year 2 and Year 3))
|
The
investment advisory and management agreement was approved by the board of
directors at an in-person meeting of the directors held on
,
2007, including a majority of the directors who are not parties to the agreement
or interested persons of any such party (as such term is defined in the 1940
Act).
In
approving this agreement, the directors considered, among other things, (i)
the
investment objective and policies of the Company, (ii) the teams of investment
advisory personnel assigned to the Company, (iii) the nature, allocation
and
anticipated quality of the services to be provided to the Company by the
investment adviser, (iv) the Company’s fee and expense data as compared to
various benchmarks and a peer group of BDC’s and private investment funds with
similar investment strategies as the Company’s, (v) the investment adviser’s
expected profitability with respect to the management of the Company, (vi)
the
organizational capability and financial condition of the investment adviser
and
its affiliates and (vii) the direct and indirect benefits to the investment
adviser from its relationships with the Company.
During
its deliberations, the directors focused on the experience, resources and
strengths of the investment adviser in managing investment companies and
private
investment funds. The directors also focused on the quality of the compliance
and administrative staff at the investment adviser. The directors also focused
on the Company’s base and incentive advisory fee rate and anticipated expense
ratios as compared to those of comparable BDC’s and private funds identified by
the investment adviser.
Based
on the information reviewed and discussions held with respect to each of
the
foregoing items, the directors, including a majority of the non-interested
directors, concluded that it was satisfied with the nature and quality of
the
services to be provided by the investment adviser to the Company and that
the
advisory fee rate was reasonable in relation to such services. A discussion
regarding the basis for approval by the directors of our investment advisory
and
management agreement with the investment adviser will be available in our
report
to stockholders for the period ending
,
2007. The non-interested directors were represented by independent counsel
who
assisted them in their deliberations.
The
investment advisory and management agreement was approved by the sole
stockholder of the Company as of
,
2007. The investment advisory and management agreement will continue in effect
for a period of two years from its effective date, and if not sooner terminated,
will continue in effect for successive period of 12 months thereafter, provided
that each continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both
(i) the
vote of a majority of the Board members or the vote of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Company (as such term is defined in
the
1940 Act) and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Board members who are not
parties to the investment advisory and management agreement or interested
persons (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party, cast
in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The
investment advisory and management agreement may be terminated as a whole
at any
time by the Company, without the payment of any penalty, upon the vote of
a
majority of the Board members or a majority of the outstanding voting securities
of the Company or by the investment adviser, on 60 days’ written notice by
either party to the other, which notice may be waived by the non-terminating
party. The investment advisory and stockholder, employee or any member of
their
families may take with respect to the same securities. Moreover, the investment
adviser may refrain from rendering any advice or services concerning securities
of companies of which any of the investment adviser’s (or its affiliates’)
partners, officers, directors or employees are directors or officers, or
companies as to which the investment adviser or any of its affiliates or
the
partners, officer, directors and employees of any of them has any substantial
economic interest or possesses material non-public information. In addition
to
its various policies and procedures designed to address these issues, the
investment adviser includes disclosure regarding these matters to its clients
in
both its Form ADV and investment advisory agreements.
Payment
of our expenses
All
investment professionals of the investment adviser and their respective staffs,
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, are provided and paid for by our investment adviser.
We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions,
including those relating to: organization; calculation of our net asset value
(including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm); expenses
incurred by our investment adviser payable to third parties, including agents,
consultants or other advisers, 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, incurred to finance
our
investments; offerings of our common stock and other securities; investment
advisory and management fees; administration fees; fees payable to third
parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, relating to, or
associated with, evaluating and making investments; transfer agent and custodial
fees; registration fees, if any; listing fees, if any; taxes; independent
directors’ fees and expenses; costs of preparing and filing reports or other
documents of the SEC, when applicable; the costs of any reports, proxy
statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs; to
the
extent we are covered by any joint insurance policies, our allocable portion
of
the insurance premiums for such policies; direct costs and expenses of
administration, including auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses
incurred by us or our investment adviser in connection with administering
our
business, such as our allocable portion of our administrator’s overhead under
the administration agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of
the
cost of our officers and their respective staffs relating to the performance
of
services under this agreement (including travel expenses).
Duration
and termination
The
initial term of the investment advisory and management agreement will be
for two
years. Unless terminated earlier as described below, the investment management
and advisory agreement 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 and management agreement will automatically terminate
in
the event of its assignment. The investment advisory and management agreement
may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice
to the other party.
Indemnification
The
investment advisory and management agreement provides that, absent willful
misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties
under the investment advisory and management agreement or by reason of the
reckless disregard of its duties and obligations pursuant to the investment
advisory and management agreement, our investment adviser, its general partner
and their respective 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 our investment adviser’s services
under the investment advisory and management agreement or otherwise as our
investment adviser. The indemnity covers trade errors, such as errors in
the
investment decision-making process (e.g., a transaction was effected in
violation of the Company’s investment guidelines) or in the trade process (e.g.,
a buy order was entered instead of a sell order, or the wrong security was
purchased or sold, or a security was purchased or sold in an amount or at
a
price other than the correct amount or price), other than those trade errors
resulting from gross negligence, willful misfeasance, bad faith or reckless
disregard of its duties and obligations under the investment advisory and
management agreement.
Organization
of the investment adviser
Our
investment adviser is an SEC registered investment adviser formed in 1999,
as a
successor to Greenwich Street Capital Partners, which was formed in 1994.
The
principal executive offices of our investment adviser are located at 500
Campus
Drive, Suite 220, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932.
Administration
agreement
Pursuant
to a separate administration agreement, our investment advisor, who also
serves
as our administrator, will furnish us with office facilities, equipment and
clerical, book-keeping and record keeping services. Under the administration
agreement, our administrator will also perform, or oversee the performance
of,
our required administrative services, which include, among other things,
being
responsible for the financial records which we are required to maintain,
preparing reports for our stockholders and reports required to be filed with
the
SEC, when applicable. In addition, our administrator will assist us in
determining and publishing our net asset value, oversee the preparation and
filing of our tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to
our
stockholders, and generally oversee the payment of our expenses and the
performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by
others. Payments under the administration agreement will be equal to an amount
based upon our allocable portion of our administrator’s overhead in performing
its obligations under the administration agreement, including rent and our
allocable portion of the cost of our officers and their respective staffs
relating to the performance of services under this agreement (including travel
expenses). Our allocable portion will be based on the proportion that our
total
assets bears to the total assets administered or managed by our administrator.
Under the administration agreement, our administrator will also provide
managerial assistance, on our behalf, to those portfolio companies who accept
our offer of assistance. The administration agreement may be terminated by
either party without penalty upon 60 days’ written notice to the other
party.
Indemnification
The
administration 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, our administrator, its general partner
and their respective 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 our administrator’s services under the
administration agreement or otherwise as our administrator.
License
agreement
We
have entered into a license agreement with our investment adviser, pursuant
to
which our investment adviser has granted us a non-exclusive, royalty-free
license to use the name “GSC.” Under this agreement, we have a right to use the
“GSC” name, for so long as our investment adviser or one of its affiliates
remains our investment adviser and our investment adviser remains an affiliate
of GSC Group. Other than with respect to this limited license, we have no
legal
right to the “GSC” name. GSC Group has the right to terminate the license
agreement if its affiliate is no longer acting as our investment adviser.
In the
event the investment advisory and management agreement is terminated, we
would
be required to change our name to eliminate the use of the name
“GSC.”
Portfolio
Management
The
day-to-day management of the Company’s portfolio will be the responsibility of
the corporate credit group of GSC Group and overseen by our investment
committee. The corporate credit group’s investment professionals collaborate to
manage the Company’s portfolio and no one person is primarily responsible for
the day-to-day management of the Company.
The
following table sets forth information about accounts overseen or managed
by
Richard M. Hayden, the head of the corporate credit group, as of ___________,
2007:
Type
of Account
|
|
Number
of
Accounts
|
|
Assets
of
Accounts
|
|
Number
of
Accounts
Subject
to a
Performance
Fee
|
|
Assets
Subject
to
a
Performance
Fee
|
|
Registered
Investment Companies
|
|
0
|
|
-
|
|
0
|
|
-
|
|
Pooled
Investment Vehicles
|
|
16
|
|
$__
billion
|
|
16
|
|
$__
billion
|
|
Type
of Account
|
|
Number
of
Accounts
|
|
Assets
of
Accounts
|
|
Number
of
Accounts
Subject
to a
Performance
Fee
|
|
Assets
Subject
to
a
Performance
Fee
|
|
Other
Accounts
|
|
0
|
|
-
|
|
0
|
|
-
|
|
Since
the corporate credit group manages or oversees other accounts, including
accounts that pay higher fees or performance based fees, potential conflicts
of
interest exist, including potential conflicts between the Company and other
account managed or overseen by the corporate credit group and potential
conflicts in allocation of investment opportunities between the Company and
the
other accounts.
As
of ________, 2007, Mr. Hayden is a full-time employee of our investment adviser
and receives a fixed salary for the services he provides to the Company.
Mr.
Hayden will also receive an annual bonus based upon his contributions to
GSC
Group. Members of our investment committee are employees of GSC Group and
do not
receive additional compensation for serving on our investment
committee.
See
“Control Person and Principal Stockholder”, for details relating to the security
ownership of Mr. Hayden, head of the corporate credit group, as of the date
of
this prospectus.
Conflicts
of Interest
The
investment adviser has built a professional working environment, a firm-wide
compliance culture and compliance procedures and systems designed to protect
against potential incentives that may favor one account over another. The
investment adviser has adopted policies and procedures that address the
allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions,
personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that
are
designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time.
Nevertheless, the investment adviser furnishes advisory services to numerous
clients in addition to the Company, and the investment adviser may, consistent
with applicable law, make investment recommendations to other clients or
accounts (including accounts that are hedge funds or have performance or
higher
fees paid to the investment adviser or in which portfolio managers have a
personal interest in the receipt of such fees) that may be the same as or
different from those made to the Company. In addition, the investment adviser,
its affiliates and any officer, director, stockholder or employee may or
may not
have an interest in the securities whose purchase and sale the investment
adviser recommends to the Company. Actions with respect to securities of
the
same kind may be the same as or different from the action that the investment
adviser, or any of its affiliates, or any officer, director, stockholder,
employee or any member of their families may take with respect to the same
securities. Moreover, the investment adviser may refrain from rendering any
advice or services concerning securities of companies of which any of the
investment adviser’s (or its affiliates’) partners, officers, directors or
employees are directors or officers, or companies as to which the investment
adviser or any of its affiliates or the partners, officers, directors and
employees of any of them has any substantial economic interest or possesses
material non-public information. In addition to its various policies and
procedures designed to address these issues, the investment adviser includes
disclosure regarding these matters to its clients in both its Form ADV and
investment advisory agreements.
The
investment adviser, its affiliates or their officers and employees similarly
serve or may similarly serve entities that operate in the same or related
lines
of business. Accordingly, these individuals may have obligations to investors
in
those entities or funds or to other clients, the fulfillment of which might
not
be in the best interests of the Company. As a result, the investment adviser
will face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities to the
Company
and other funds and clients. In order to enable such affiliates to fulfill
their
fiduciary duties to each of the clients for which they have responsibility,
the
investment adviser will endeavor to allocate investment opportunities in
a fair
and equitable manner which may, subject to applicable regulatory constraints,
involve pro rata co-investment by the Company and such other clients or may
involve a rotation of opportunities among the Company and such other
clients.
While
the investment adviser does not believe there will be frequent conflicts
of
interest, if any, the investment adviser and its affiliates have both subjective
and objective procedures and policies in place and designed to manage the
potential conflicts of interest between the investment adviser’s fiduciary
obligations to the Company and their similar fiduciary obligations to other
clients so that, for example, investment opportunities are allocated in a
fair
and equitable manner among the Company and such other clients. An investment
opportunity that is suitable for multiple clients of the investment adviser
and
its affiliates may not be capable of being shared among some or all of such
clients due to the limited scale of the opportunity or other factors, including
regulatory restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act. There can be no assurance
that
the investment adviser’s or its affiliates’ efforts to allocate any particular
investment opportunity fairly among all clients for whom such opportunity
is
appropriate will result in an allocation of all or part of such opportunity
to
the Company. Not all conflicts of interest can be expected to be resolved
in
favor of the Company.
Certain
Affiliations
Our
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance
Officer and Vice President and Secretary also serve as officers of our
investment adviser. In addition, certain of our directors are officers of
our
investment adviser or GSC Group. As a result, the investment advisory and
management agreement between us and our investment adviser was negotiated
between related parties, and the terms, including fees payable, may not be
as
favorable to us as if it had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.
See “Risk Factors—Risks related to our
business—There
are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our investment adviser
and/or
GSC Group, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interests
of
our stockholders” and “Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—Our investment
adviser’s liability will be limited under the investment advisory and management
agreement, and we will indemnify our investment adviser against certain
liabilities, which may lead our investment adviser to act in a riskier manner
on
our behalf that it would when acting for its own account.”
We
have entered into a license agreement with GSC Group, pursuant to which GSC
Group has granted us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the “GSC”
name. See “Management—License agreement.”
As
a result of regulatory restrictions, we are not permitted to invest in any
portfolio company in which GSC Group or any affiliate currently has an
investment. We may in the future submit an exemptive application to the SEC
to
permit greater flexibility to negotiate the terms of co-investments because
we
believe that it will be advantageous for the Company to co-invest with funds
managed by GSC Group where such investment is consistent with the investment
objectives, investment positions, investment policies, investment strategies,
invest- ment restrictions, regulatory requirements and other pertinent factors
applicable to the Company. See “Regulation—Co-investment.” There is no assurance
that an application for exemptive relief would be granted by the SEC.
Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be permitted to co-invest
with
funds managed by GSC Group.
CONTROL
PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS
Immediately
prior to the completion of this offering, there will be shares of our common
stock outstanding and one stockholder of record (representing
approximately % of our common stock
outstanding upon completion of this offering). The following table sets forth
certain ownership information with respect to our common stock for those
persons
who directly or indirectly own, control or hold with the power to vote, 5%
or
more of our outstanding shares of common stock and all officers and directors,
as a group.
|
|
Percentage
of common stock outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
|
Immediately
prior
to this
offering
|
|
Immediately
after
this
offering(1)
|
|
Name
and address
|
|
Type
of ownership
|
|
Shares
owned
|
|
Percentage
|
|
Shares
owned
|
|
Percentage
|
|
GSC
Secondary Interest Fund LLC (2)
|
|
Record
and beneficial |
|
|
67
|
|
|
100%
|
|
|
666,733
|
|
|
6.67%
|
|
All
officers and directors as a group
(10
persons)
|
|
Record
and beneficial |
|
|
None
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
(3
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Assumes
issuance of 10,000,000 shares of common stock offered hereby. Does
not
reflect common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of the
underwriters’ additional allotment option.
|
(2) |
The
address for all officers and directors is c/o GSC Investment LLC,
12 East
49th Street, New York, New York 10017. |
(3) |
Reflects
shares issued in connection with the Contribution. See
“Contribution.”
|
The
following table sets forth the dollar range of our equity securities
beneficially owned by each of our directors immediately after this offering.
We
are not part of a “family of investment companies,” as that term is defined in
the 1940 Act.
Name
of Director
|
|
Dollar
Range of Equity
Securities
in GSC Investment Corp.(1)
|
Independent
Directors (2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interested
Directors
|
|
|
Thomas
V. Inglesby (3)
|
|
over
$100,000
|
Richard
M. Hayden (3)
|
|
over
$100,000
|
Robert
F. Cummings, Jr.
|
|
None
|
|
(1) |
Dollar
ranges are as follows: None, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000,
$50,001-$100,000, or over $100,000.
|
(2) |
Prior
to our election to be treated as a BDC, we will appoint additional
persons
who are not interested persons, as defined in section 2(a) (19)
of the
1940 Act, to serve on our board of directors. The beneficial ownership
of
the independent directors in GSC Investment Corp. will be set forth
above. |
(3) |
Reflects
shares issued in connection with the Contribution. See
“Contribution.”
|
OUTSTANDING
SECURITIES
The
following table sets forth information regarding our authorized shares of
stock
under our charter and bylaws and shares of stock outstanding as of
,
2007.
Title
of Class
|
|
Shares
Authorized
|
|
Amount
Held by Us
or
for Our Account
|
|
Amount
Outstanding
Exclusive
of Amount Held by Us or for Our Account
|
Common
Stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DETERMINATION
OF NET ASSET VALUE
The
net asset value per share of our outstanding common stock will be determined
quarterly by dividing the value of total assets minus liabilities by the
total
number of shares of our common stock outstanding.
In
calculating the value of our total assets, we will value investments for
which
market quotations are readily available at such market quotations. Debt and
equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market price is not
readily available will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith
by
our board of directors. As a general rule, loans or debt in our portfolio
will
generally correspond to cost but will be subject to fair value write-downs
when
the asset is considered impaired. With respect to private equity securities,
each investment will be valued using comparisons of financial ratios of the
portfolio companies that issued such private equity securities to peer companies
that are public. The value will then be discounted to reflect the illiquid
nature of the investment, as well as our minority, non-control position.
When an
external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent
equity sale occurs, we will use the pricing indicated by the external event
to
corroborate our private equity valuation. Because we expect that there will
not
be a readily available market value for most of the investments in our
portfolio, we expect to value substantially all of our portfolio investments
at
fair value as determined in good faith by our board under a valuation policy
and
a consistently applied valuation process. Due to the inherent uncertainty
of
determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available
market value, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly
from
the values that would have been used had a ready market existed for such
investments, and the differences could be material.
We
will value investments for which market quotations are not readily available
quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors
based on input from our investment adviser, a third party independent valuation
firm and our audit committee. We may also be required to value any publicly
traded securities at fair value as determined in good faith by our board
of
directors to the extent necessary to reflect significant events affecting
the
value of those securities. Our board of directors will utilize the services
of
an independent valuation firm to review the fair value of any securities
prepared by our investment adviser. The types of factors that may be considered
in a fair value pricing of our investments include the nature and realizable
value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments, the
markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly
traded companies, discounted cash flow and other relevant factors. Because
such
valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private
companies, are inherently uncertain, they may fluctuate over short periods
of
time and may be based on estimates. The determination of fair value by our
board
of directors may differ materially from the values that would have been used
if
a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value could be
adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value of our
investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize
upon the disposal of such securities.
We
will undertake a multi-step valuation process each quarter when valuing these
securities as described below:
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Our
quarterly valuation process begins with each portfolio company
or
investment being initially valued by the investment professionals
responsible for the portfolio
investment;
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Preliminary
valuation conclusions will then be documented and discussed with
our
senior management;
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An
independent valuation firm engaged by our board of directors will
review
one quarter of our portfolio’s preliminary valuations; as a result, the
entire portfolio will be reviewed on an annual
basis;
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The
audit committee of our board of directors will review the preliminary
valuation, and our investment adviser and independent valuation
firm will
respond and supplement the preliminary valuation to reflect any
comments
provided by the audit committee;
and
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The
board of directors will discuss valuations and will determine the
fair
value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith based on
the input
of our investment adviser, independent valuation firm and audit
committee.
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Determination
of fair values 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.
MATERIAL
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The
following summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences
relating to the ownership and disposition of our common stock is for general
information only and is not tax advice. This discussion does not describe
all of
the tax consequences that may be relevant to a holder of our common stock
in
light of its particular circumstances or to holders subject to special rules,
such as:
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certain
financial institutions;
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persons
who hold shares of our common stock as part of a straddle, hedge
or other
integrated transaction;
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partnerships
or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income
tax
purposes;
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persons
subject to the alternative minimum
tax;
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and,
except to the extent specifically discussed below,
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foreign
corporations and persons who are not citizens or residents of the
United
States.
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This
summary assumes that investors will hold their common stock as capital assets
(generally property held for investment) and is based on the Code administrative
pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury
regulations, changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus
may affect the tax consequences described herein.
PROSPECTIVE
INVESTORS ARE URGED TO SEEK ADVICE BASED ON THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES
FROM
AN INDEPENDENT TAX ADVISER REGARDING THE SPECIFIC TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM
OF
THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND OF OUR ELECTION
TO BE TAXED AS A RIC, INCLUDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN
INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH OWNERSHIP, DISPOSITION AND ELECTION,
AND OF POTENTIAL CHANGES IN APPLICABLE TAX LAWS.
Tax
consequences as a RIC
We
intend to elect to qualify, and intend to remain qualified, as a RIC under
Subchapter M of the Code. Qualification as a RIC requires, among other things,
that (a) we qualify to be treated as a BDC under the 1940 Act at all times
during each taxable year, (b) at least 90% of our annual gross income be
derived
from interest, dividends, payments with respect to certain securities loans,
gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or options thereon
or
foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to our business
of
investing in such securities or currencies, and net income from interests
in
“qualified publicly traded partnerships,” as defined in the Code; and (c) we
diversify our holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable
year
(i) at least 50% of the market value of our assets is represented by cash,
U.S.
Government securities and other securities limited in respect of any one
issuer
to an amount not greater than 5% of the market value of our assets and not
more
than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not
more
than 25% of the value of our assets is invested in the securities of any
one
issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other RICs),
in
two or more issuers that are controlled by us and that are engaged in the
same
or similar trades or business or related trades or businesses, or in one
or more
“qualified publicly traded partnerships,” as defined in the Code.
Qualification
and election as a RIC involve no supervision of investment policy or management
by any government agency. As a RIC, we generally will not be subject to U.S.
federal income tax on income that is distributed to stockholders, provided
that
we distribute to stockholders at least 90% of our net taxable investment
income
(which includes, among other items, interest, dividends, the excess of any
net
short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and other taxable
income other than net capital gains) and 90% of our net tax-exempt interest
income in each year. We intend to maintain our qualification as a BDC
continuously. See “Risk Factors—Risks related to our operation as a
BDC.”
We
intend to make sufficient distributions in a timely manner in order to ensure
that we will not be subject to the 4% U.S. federal excise tax on certain
undistributed income of regulated investment companies. In order to avoid
the 4%
U.S. federal excise tax, the required minimum distribution is generally equal
to
the sum of 98% of our ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis),
plus
98% of our capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period
ending on October 31).
If
any net capital gains are retained by us for reinvestment, requiring U.S.
federal income taxes to be paid thereon by us, we may elect to treat such
capital gains as having been distributed to stockholders. In that case, each
stockholder will be required to report such capital gains as long-term capital
gains, will be able to claim his share of U.S. federal income taxes paid
by us
on such gains as a credit or refund against his own U.S. federal income tax
liability, and will be entitled to increase the adjusted tax basis of his
common
stock by the difference between his share of such gains and the related credit
or refund. A stockholder that is not subject to U.S. federal income tax or
is
not otherwise required to file a U.S. federal income tax return would be
required to file a U.S. federal income tax return on the appropriate form
in
order to claim a refund for the taxes we paid.
If
for any taxable year we do not qualify for the special U.S. federal income
tax
treatment afforded to RICs (for example, by not meeting the 90% distribution
requirement described above), all of our taxable income will be subject to
U.S.
federal income tax at regular corporate rates (without any deduction for
distributions to our stockholders). In such event, provided that a stockholder
satisfies the applicable holding period and other requirements with respect
to
his common stock, dividend distributions would be taxable to the stockholder
as
“qualified dividend income” to the extent of our earnings and profits and would
be eligible for the dividends-received deduction in the case of a corporate
stockholder.
Certain
investments made by us, such as investments in debt securities that have
original issue discount, will cause us to recognize income for U.S. federal
income tax purposes prior to our receipt of the corresponding distributable
proceeds. In addition, certain of our investments will be subject to special
provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character
of
gains and losses realized by us (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses
are
ordinary or capital), accelerate our recognition of income or defer our losses.
These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of
distributions to stockholders. These provisions also may result in our
“marking-to-market” certain types of the positions in our portfolio (i.e.,
treating them as if they were sold). We may thus recognize income without
receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy
the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. In that
case, we may have to dispose of other securities and use the proceeds to
make
distributions in order to satisfy these distribution requirements.
Interest,
dividends and capital gains received by us may give rise to withholding and
other taxes imposed by foreign countries. Such taxes will reduce our
stockholders’ return. Income tax treaties between certain countries and the
United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes, but there can be no assurance
that we will qualify for treaty benefits.
Distributions
Distributions
to stockholders of our net investment income (other than “qualified dividend
income”) and distributions of net short-term capital gains will be taxable as
ordinary income to stockholders. Distributions of our net capital gains
(designated as capital gain dividends by us) will be taxable to stockholders
as
long-term capital gains, regardless of the length of time the common stock
has
been held by a stockholder. Distributions in excess of our current and
accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each stockholder, be treated
as a
tax-free return of
capital,
to the extent of a stockholder’s adjusted basis in his common stock, and as a
capital gain thereafter. Provided that the stockholder satisfies the applicable
holding period and other requirements with respect to his common stock, (i)
distributions of our “qualified dividend income” made or deemed made by us in
taxable years beginning before January 1, 2011 will be treated as qualified
dividend income received by the stockholder and will therefore be subject
to
U.S. federal income tax at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain
and
(ii) stockholders that are corporations may be entitled to claim a
dividends-received deduction for a portion of certain distributions they
receive. We do not anticipate that a substantial portion of our income will
constitute qualified dividend income. We will inform our stockholders each
year
of the tax status of distributions received by stockholders for the previous
year. A stockholder’s tax liabilities for such distributions will depend on his
particular tax situation.
As
discussed above under “Dividend Reinvestment Plan,” we expect to adopt an
automatic dividend reinvestment plan. Unless a stockholder elects not to
participate in that plan, it will generally be treated for U.S. federal income
tax purposes as receiving the amount of the distributions made by us, which
amount generally will be either equal to the amount of the cash distribution
the
stockholder would have received if the stockholder had elected to receive
cash
or, for shares issued by us, the fair market value of the shares issued to
the
stockholder.
All
distributions of net investment income and net capital gains, whether received
in cash or reinvested, must be reported by the stockholder on his U.S. federal
income tax return. A distribution will be treated as paid during a calendar
year
if it is declared by us in October, November or December of the year to holders
of record in such a month and paid by January 31 of the following year. Such
distributions will be taxable to stockholders as if received on December
31 of
such prior year, rather than in the year in which the distributions are actually
received.
Distributions
by us result in a reduction in the net asset value of our common stock. Should
a
distribution reduce the net asset value below a stockholder’s cost basis, such
distribution could nevertheless be taxable to the stockholder as ordinary
income
or capital gain as described above, even though, from an investment standpoint,
it may constitute a partial return of capital. In particular, investors should
consider the tax implications of buying common stock just prior to a
distribution. Although the price of common stock purchased at the time includes
the amount of the forthcoming distribution, the distribution will nevertheless
be taxable to the purchaser.
Sale
of common stock
A
stockholder will recognize a taxable gain or loss, if any, if the stockholder
sells his common stock. A stockholder will generally be subject to taxation
based on the difference between his adjusted tax basis in the common stock
sold
and the value of the cash or other property received by him in payment
therefor.
Any
gain or loss arising from the sale of common stock will be treated as capital
gain or loss if the common stock is a capital asset in the stockholder’s hands
and will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the stockholder’s
holding period for the common stock is more than one year and short-term
capital
gain or loss if it is one year or less. Capital gains recognized by individuals
and other non-corporate stockholders on a sale of common stock will generally
be
taxed at a maximum U.S. federal tax rate of 15% if the stockholder’s holding
period for the common stock is more than 12 months. Any loss realized on
a sale
will be disallowed to the extent the common stock disposed of is replaced
with
substantially identical stock within a period beginning 30 days before and
ending 30 days after the disposition of the common stock. In such a case,
the
basis of the stock acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Any
loss arising from the sale of common stock for which the stockholder has
a
holding period of six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal tax
purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amount of capital
gain
dividends received by the stockholders with respect to such stock. For purposes
of determining a stockholder’s holding period for common stock, the holding
period is suspended for any periods during which the stockholder’s risk of loss
is diminished as a result of holding one or more other positions in
substantially similar or related property or through certain options or short
sales.
A
stockholder who recognizes a loss on a sale or other disposition of common
stock
will be required to report the sale or other disposition on IRS Form 8886
if the
loss exceeds an applicable threshold amount. Failure to comply with the
reporting requirements gives rise to substantial penalties. Certain states,
including New York, may also
have
similar disclosure requirements. Stockholders should consult their tax advisers
to determine whether they are required to file IRS Form 8886 in connection
with
a sale or other disposition of common stock.
Backup
withholding
We
will be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rates specified
in
the Code on all taxable distributions payable to stockholders who fail to
provide us with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required
certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject
to
backup withholding. Corporate stockholders and certain other stockholders
specified in the Code are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup
withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited
against a stockholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability.
Non-U.S.
stockholders
A
“non-U.S. stockholder” is an investor that, for U.S. federal income tax
purposes, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation, a foreign
partnership, or a foreign estate or trust. This disclosure assumes that a
non-U.S. stockholder’s ownership of common stock is not effectively connected
with a trade or business conducted by such foreign stockholder in the United
States. Except as described in the following paragraph, a distribution of
our
net investment income to a non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to withholding
tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable
income
tax treaty. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S.
stockholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN (or substitute
form)
certifying his entitlement to benefits under a treaty.
A
non-U.S. stockholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income
tax
with respect to gain on the sale of our common stock, distributions made
or
deemed made by us out of net long-term capital gains or, in taxable years
beginning before January 1, 2008, net short-term capital gains or “qualified
interest income,” or amounts retained by us that are designated as undistributed
capital gains. In the case of a non-U.S. stockholder who is a nonresident
alien
individual, gain arising from the sale of our common stock, distributions
made
by us out of net long-term capital gains and amounts retained by us that
are
designated as undistributed capital gains ordinarily will be subject to U.S.
federal income tax at a rate of 30% if such individual is present in the
United
States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and, in the case of gain
arising from the sale of our common stock, either the gain is attributable
to an
office or other fixed place of business maintained by the stockholder in
the
United States or the stockholder has a “tax home” in the United
States.
The
tax consequences to a non-U.S. stockholder entitled to claim the benefits
of an
applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein. Non-U.S.
stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisers with respect to the
particular tax consequences to them of investment in our common
stock.
State,
local and foreign taxes
In
addition to U.S. federal income taxes, our stockholders may be subject to
state,
local or foreign taxes on distributions from us and on repurchases of our
common
stock. Stockholders should consult their tax advisers as to the application
of
such taxes and as to the tax status of distributions from us and repurchases
of
our common stock in their own states and localities.
DESCRIPTION
OF OUR COMMON STOCK
The
following description is based on relevant portions of the Maryland General
Corporation Law and our governing documents, which we collectively refer
to as
our “governing documents.”
As
of the completion of this offering, our authorized stock will consist of
100,000,000 shares of capital stock, $0.0001 par value per share, all of
which
are designated as shares of common stock. There is currently no market for
our
common stock, and we can offer no assurances that a market for our common
stock
will develop in the future. We have reserved the symbol “GNV” for the trading of
our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange. There are no outstanding
options or warrants to purchase our common stock. No shares of common stock
have
been authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans. Under Maryland
law, our stockholders generally are not personally liable for our debts or
obligations.
Under
our governing documents, our board of directors is authorized to create new
classes or series of shares of stock and to authorize the issuance of shares
of
stock without obtaining stockholder approval. Our charter provides that the
board of directors, without any action by our stockholders, may amend the
charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of
shares
of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we
have
authority to issue.
Common
stock
Each
share of our common stock has equal rights as to earnings, assets, dividends
and
voting and all of our outstanding shares of common stock are duly authorized,
validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Distributions may be paid to
the
holders of our common stock if, as and when authorized by our board of directors
and declared by us out of funds legally available therefor. Shares of our
common
stock have no preemptive, exchange, conversion or redemption
rights.
In
the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, each share of
common stock would be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that
are
legally available for distribution after we pay all debts and other liabilities,
subject to any preferential rights of holders of shares of our preferred
stock,
if any are outstanding at such time. Each share of our common stock entitles
its
holder to cast one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders,
including the election and removal of directors and on certain other actions
or
transactions that have been declared advisable by our board of directors
and
recommended to the stockholders for their approval. Except as provided with
respect to any other class or series of shares of stock, the holders of our
common stock will possess exclusive voting power. There will be no cumulative
voting in the election of directors, which means that holders of a majority
of
the outstanding shares of common stock will be able to elect all of our
directors, and holders of less than a majority of such stock will be unable
to
elect any director.
We
currently have
shares of common stock outstanding. Upon completion of this offering, we
will
have shares of common stock
outstanding.
Preferred
stock
Our
governing documents, authorize our board of directors to classify and reclassify
any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock, including
preferred stock. Prior to the issuance of shares of stock of each class or
series, the board of directors is required by our governing documents to
set the
terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions,
limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms
or
conditions of redemption for each class or series of shares of stock. Thus,
the
board of directors could authorize the issuance of preferred stock with terms
and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing
a
transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for
holders of our common stock or otherwise be in their best interest. In addition,
as a BDC, any issuance of preferred stock must comply with the requirements
of
the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires, among other things, that (1) immediately
after issuance and before any dividend or other distribution is made with
respect to our common stock and before any purchase of common stock is made,
the
aggregate dividend or distribution on, or purchase price of,
such
shares of preferred stock together with all other indebtedness and senior
securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50% of our total assets after
deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution or purchase price, as
the
case may be, and (2) the holders of preferred stock, if any are issued, must
be
entitled as a class to elect two directors at all times and to elect a majority
of the directors if dividends on such preferred stock is in arrears by two
years
or more. Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of
the
holders of any issued and outstanding shares of preferred stock. For example,
holders of preferred stock would vote separately from the holders of common
stock on a proposal to cease operations as a BDC. We believe that the
availability for issuance of preferred stock will provide us with increased
flexibility in structuring future financings and acquisitions.
Limitation
on liability of directors and officers; indemnification and advance of
expenses
The
Maryland General Corporation Law permits a Maryland corporation to include
in
its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers
to
the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability
resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money,
property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established
by a
final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our governing documents
contain a provision which eliminates directors’ and officers’ liability to the
maximum extent permitted by the Maryland General Corporation Law, subject
to the
requirements of the 1940 Act.
Maryland
law requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which,
our
charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful,
on
the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or
she is
made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in
that
capacity. Maryland law permits a corporation to indemnify its present and
former
directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines,
settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection
with
any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party
by
reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established
that (a) the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the
matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or
(2)
was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty, (b) the director or officer
actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services
or
(c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had
reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful. However,
under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse
judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment
of
liability on the basis that a personal benefit was improperly received, unless
in either case a court orders indemnification, and then only for expenses.
In
addition, Maryland law permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses
to a
director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of (a) a written affirmation
by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she
has
met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation
and
(b) a written undertaking by him or her or on his or her behalf to repay
the
amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined
that
the standard of conduct was not met.
Our
charter authorizes, and its bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted
by Maryland law and subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act,
to
indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who,
while
a director or officer and at our request, serves or has served another
corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability
company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise
as a
director, officer, partner, manager or trustee, from and against any claim
or
liability to which that person may become subject for which that person may
incur by reason of his or her service in such capacity and to pay or reimburse
his or her reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding.
Our charter and bylaws also permit indemnification and the advancement of
expenses to any person who served as predecessor to GSC Investment Corp.
in any
of the capacities described above and any of our employees or agents or any
employees or agents of such predecessor.
As
a BDC, and in accordance with the 1940 Act, we will not indemnify any person
for
any liability to which such person would be subject by reason of such person’s
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
the
duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
In
addition to the indemnification provided for in our bylaws, we have entered
into
indemnification agreements with each of our current directors and officers
and
with members of our investment adviser’s investment committee
and
we intend to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our future
directors and officers. The indemnification agreements attempt to provide
these
directors and senior officers the maximum indemnification permitted under
Maryland law and the 1940 Act. The agreements provide, among other things,
for
the advancement of expenses and indemnification for liabilities incurred
which
such person may incur by reason of his or her status as a present or former
director or officer or member of our investment adviser’s investment committee
in any action or proceeding arising out of the performance of such person’s
services as a present or former director or officer or member of our investment
adviser’s investment committee.
Provisions
of our governing documents and the Maryland General Corporation
Law
Our
governing documents, and the Maryland General Corporation Law contain provisions
that could make it more difficult for a potential acquiror to acquire us
by
means of a tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. These provisions are
expected to discourage certain coercive takeover practices and inadequate
takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to
negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits
of
these provisions outweigh the potential disadvantages of discouraging any
such
acquisition proposals because, among other things, the negotiation of such
proposals may improve their terms.
Classified
board of directors
Our
board of directors is divided into three classes of directors serving staggered
three-year terms. The initial terms of the first, second and third classes
will
expire in the first, second and third years, respectively, after our
organization, or at our 2007, 2008 and 2009 arrival meetings of stockholders.
Beginning at our 2007 annual meeting of stockholders, upon expiration of
their
current terms, directors of each class will be elected to serve for three-year
terms and until their successors are duly elected and qualify, and each year
one
class of directors will be elected by the stockholders. A classified board
may
render a change in control of us or removal of our incumbent management more
difficult. We believe, however, that the longer time required to elect a
majority of a classified board of directors will help to ensure the continuity
and stability of our management and policies.
Number
of directors; vacancies; removal
Our
governing documents provide that the number of directors will be set only
by our
board of directors in accordance with our bylaws. Our bylaws provide that
a
majority of our entire board of directors may at any time increase or decrease
the number of directors. However, unless our bylaws are amended, the number
of
directors may never be less than three nor more than eleven. Our charter
provides that, except as may be provided by the board of directors in setting
the terms of any class or series of shares of stock, any and all vacancies
on
the board of directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority
of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do
not
constitute a quorum. If there are no directors then in office, vacancies
may be
filled by stockholders at a special meeting called for such purpose. Any
director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full
term
of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is
elected and qualifies, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940
Act.
Our charter provides that a director may be removed only by the affirmative
vote
of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the
election of directors.
Election
of directors
Our
charter and bylaws provide that the affirmative vote of the holders of a
majority of the outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote in the election
of
directors will be required to elect each director. Pursuant to our charter
and
bylaws, our Board of Directors may amend the bylaws to alter the vote required
to elect directors.
Action
by stockholders
All
of our outstanding shares of common stock will generally be able to vote
on any
matter that is a proper subject for action by the stockholders of a Maryland
corporation, including in respect of the election or removal of directors
as
well as other extraordinary matters. Under the Maryland General Corporation
Law,
stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of
stockholders or by written or electronically-transmitted consent
in
lieu of a meeting. These provisions, combined with the requirements of our
governing documents regarding the calling of a stockholder-requested special
meeting of stockholder discussed below, may have the effect of delaying
consideration of a stockholder proposal until the next annual
meeting.
Advance
notice provisions for stockholder nominations and stockholder
proposals
Our
bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of our stockholders,
nominations of individuals for election to the board of directors and the
proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only (1)
pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by the board of directors, (3)
by a
stockholder who is a stockholder of record both at the time of its giving
notice
and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting
and who has complied with the advance notice procedures of the bylaws. With
respect to special meetings of stockholders, only the business specified
in our
notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting. Nominations of
individuals for election to the board of directors at a special meeting may
be
made only (1) pursuant to our notice of the meeting, (2) by the board of
directors, (3) provided that the board of directors has determined that
directors will be elected at the meeting, by a stockholder who is entitled
to
vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice provisions
of
our bylaws or (4) by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting
in
circumstances in which a special meeting of stockholders is called for the
purpose of electing directors when no directors remain in office.
The
purpose of requiring stockholders to give us advance notice of nominations
and
other business is to afford our board of directors a meaningful opportunity
to
consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees and the advisability
of any
other proposed business and, to the extent deemed necessary or desirable
by our
board of directors, to inform stockholders and make recommendations about
such
qualifications or business, as well as to provide a more orderly procedure
for
conducting meetings of stockholders. Although our bylaws do not give our
board
of directors any power to disapprove stockholder nominations for the election
of
directors or proposals recommending certain action, they may have the effect
of
precluding a contest for the election of directors or the consideration of
stockholder proposals if proper procedures are not followed and of discouraging
or deterring a third party from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect
its own slate of directors or to approve its own proposal without regard
to
whether consideration of such nominees or proposals might be harmful or
beneficial to us and our stockholders.
Calling
of special meetings of stockholders
Our
bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called by
our
board of directors and certain of our officers. Additionally, our bylaws
provide
that, subject to the satisfaction of certain procedural and informational
requirements by the stockholders requesting the meeting, a special meeting
of
our stockholders will be called by our secretary upon the written request
of
stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled
to be cast at such meeting, except that, if no directors remain in office,
a
special meeting of our stockholders shall be called to elect directors by
the
secretary upon the written request of holders entitled to cast at least 10%
of
the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of
directors.
Amendment
of governing documents
Under
Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve or amend its
charter unless the corporation’s board of directors declares the dissolution or
amendment to be advisable and the dissolution or amendment is approved by
the
affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of
the
votes entitled to be cast on the matter. A Maryland corporation may provide
in
its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not
less
than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our
charter generally provides for approval of amendments to our charter by the
stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of the votes entitled to
be
cast on the matter. However, our charter also provides that certain charter
amendments and proposals for our liquidation, dissolution or conversion,
whether
by merger or otherwise, from a closed-end company to an open-end company
require
the approval of the stockholders entitled to cast at least two- thirds percent
of the votes entitled to be cast on such matter. If such amendment or proposal
is approved by at least two-thirds of our continuing directors (in addition
to
approval by our board of directors), such amendment or proposal
may
be approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on such a matter.
The
“continuing directors” are, as defined in our charter, our current directors as
well as those directors whose nomination for election by the stockholders
or
whose election by the directors to fill vacancies is approved by a majority
of
the continuing directors then on the board of directors.
Our
governing documents provide that the board of directors has the exclusive
power
to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and to make new
bylaws.
Approval
of extraordinary actions
Under
Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot merge, sell all or
substantially all of its assets, engage in a consolidation or share exchange
or
engage in similar transactions outside the ordinary course of business, unless
the corporation’s board of directors declares action or transaction to be
advisable and the action or transaction is approved by the affirmative vote
of
stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to
be
cast on the matter. A Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for
approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority
of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Our
charter provides that we may merge, sell all or substantially all of our
assets,
engage in a consolidation or share exchange or engage in similar transactions,
if such transaction is declared advisable by our board of directors and approved
by a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
No
appraisal rights
Except
with respect to appraisal rights arising in connection with the Maryland
Control
Share Acquisition Act discussed below, as permitted by the Maryland General
Corporation Law, our governing documents provide that our stockholders will
not
be entitled to exercise appraisal rights unless a majority of our board of
directors determines that such rights will apply.
Control
share acquisitions
The
Control Share Acquisition Act provides that control shares of a Maryland
corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights
except
to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be
cast
on the matter. Shares owned by the acquiror, by officers or by directors
who are
employees of the corporation are excluded from shares entitled to vote on
the
matter. Control shares are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with
all
other shares of stock owned by the acquiror or in respect of which the acquiror
is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely
by
virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquiror to exercise voting
power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting
power:
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one-tenth
or more but less than one-third;
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·
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one-third
or more but less than a majority;
or
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a
majority or more of all voting
power.
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The
requisite stockholder approval must be obtained each time an acquiror crosses
one of the thresholds of voting power set forth above. Control shares do
not
include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result
of
having previously obtained stockholder approval. A control share acquisition
means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain
exceptions.
A
person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may compel
the board of directors of the corporation to call a special meeting of
stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights
of the shares. The right to compel the calling of a special meeting is subject
to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay
the
expenses of the meeting. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation
may itself present the question at any stockholder meeting.
If
voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person
does
not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then
the
corporation may repurchase for fair value any or all of the control shares,
except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right
of
the corporation to repurchase control shares is subject to certain conditions
and limitations, including, as provided in our bylaws, compliance with the
1940
Act, which will prohibit any such repurchase other than in limited
circumstances. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of
voting
rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share
acquisition by the acquiror or of any meeting of stockholders at which the
voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights
for control shares are approved at a stockholder meeting and the acquiror
becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other
stockholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares
as
determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest
price per share paid by the acquiror in the control share
acquisition.
The
Control Share Acquisition Act does not apply (a) to shares acquired in a
merger,
consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction
or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the
corporation.
Our
bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Control Share Acquisition Act
any
and all acquisitions by any person of our common stock. Such provision could
also be amended or eliminated at any time in the future. However, we will
amend
our bylaws to be subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act only if the
board
of directors determines that it would be in our best interests and that our
being subject to the Control Share Acquisition Act does not conflict with
the
1940 Act.
Business
combinations
Under
Maryland law, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an
interested stockholder or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are
prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested
stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. These business combinations
include a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in circumstances specified
in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity
securities. An interested stockholder is defined as:
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any
person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of
the
corporation’s stock; or
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an
affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within
the
two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial
owner of
10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting
stock of
the corporation.
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A
person is not an interested stockholder under this statute if the board of
directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would
have
become an interested stockholder. However, in approving a transaction, the
board
of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or
after
the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the
board.
After
the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the corporation
and
an interested stockholder generally must be recommended by the board of
directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
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80%
of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares
of
voting stock of the corporation;
and
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two-thirds
of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of
the
corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder
with whom
or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected
or held
by an affiliate or associate of the interested
stockholder.
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These
super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s stockholders
receive a minimum price, as defined under Maryland law, for their shares
in the
form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by
the
interested stockholder for its shares.
The
statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business
combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time
that
the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. Our board of
directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the provisions of the Maryland
Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other
person. If our board of directors adopts resolutions causing us to be subject
to
the provisions of the Business Combination Act, these provisions may discourage
others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of
consummating any offer.
Conflict
with 1940 Act
Our
bylaws provide that, if and to the extent that any provision of the Maryland
General Corporation Law, including the Control Share Acquisition Act or the
Business Combination Act (if we amend our bylaws to be subject to such Acts),
or
any provision of our charter or bylaws conflicts with any provision of the
1940
Act, the applicable provision of the 1940 Act will control.
REGULATION
Prior
to the completion of this offering, we will elect to be treated as a BDC
under
the 1940 Act. As with other companies regulated by the 1940 Act, a BDC must
adhere to certain substantive regulatory requirements. 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 and requires
that a majority of the directors 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. A majority of the outstanding voting securities of a company
is
defined under the 1940 Act as the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of such company’s
stock present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding stock of such
company are present and represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the
outstanding stock of such company.
We
may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired directly from
issuers
in privately negotiated transactions. With respect to such securities, we
may,
for the purpose of public resale, be deemed a “principal underwriter” as that
term is defined in the Securities Act. Our intention is to not write (sell)
or
buy put or call options to manage risks associated with the publicly traded
securities of our portfolio companies, except that we may enter into hedging
transactions to manage the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations.
However, we may purchase or otherwise receive warrants to purchase the common
stock of our portfolio companies in connection with acquisition financing
or
other investment. Similarly, 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. We also do not intend to acquire
securities issued by any investment company that exceed the limits imposed
by
the 1940 Act. Under these limits, we generally cannot acquire more than 3%
of
the voting stock of any registered investment company, invest more than 5%
of
the value of our total assets in the securities of one investment company
or
invest more than 10% of the value of our total assets in the securities of
investment companies in general. With regard to that portion of our portfolio
invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should be noted
that
such investments might subject our stockholders to additional expenses. None
of
these policies are fundamental and may be changed without stockholder
approval.
Qualifying
assets
Under
the 1940 Act, a BDC may not acquire any asset other than assets of the type
listed in Section 55(a) of the 1940 Act, which are referred to as qualifying
assets, unless, at the time the acquisition is made, qualifying assets represent
at least 70% of the company’s total assets. The principal categories of
qualifying assets relevant to our proposed business are the
following:
(1)
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Securities
purchased in transactions not involving any public offering from
the
issuer of such securities, which issuer (subject to certain limited
exceptions) is an eligible portfolio company, or from any person
who is,
or has been during the preceding 13 months, an affiliated person
of an
eligible portfolio company, or from any other person, subject to
such
rules as may be prescribed by the SEC. An eligible portfolio company
is
defined in the 1940 Act as any issuer
which:
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(a)
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is
organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business
in,
the United States;
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(b)
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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;
and
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(c)
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satisfies
either of the following:
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(i)
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does
not have any class of securities listed on a national securities
exchange;
or
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(ii) |
is
controlled by a BDC or a group of companies including a BDC, the
BDC
actually exercises a controlling influence over the management or
policies
of the eligible portfolio company, and, as
a
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result
thereof, the BDC has an affiliated person who is a director of the
eligible portfolio company.
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(2)
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Securities
of any eligible portfolio company which we control. |
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(3)
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Securities
purchased in a private transaction from a U.S. issuer that is not
an
investment company or from an affiliated person of the issuer,
or in
transactions incident thereto, if the issuer is in bankruptcy and
subject
to reorganization or if the issuer, immediately prior to the purchase
of
its securities was unable to meet its obligations as they came
due without
material assistance other than conventional lending or financing
arrangements.
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(4)
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Securities
of an eligible portfolio company purchased from any person in a
private
transaction if there is no ready market for such securities and
we already
own 60% of the outstanding equity of the eligible portfolio
company.
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(5)
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Securities
received in exchange for or distributed on or with respect to securities
described in (1) through (4) above, or pursuant to the exercise
of
warrants or rights relating to such securities.
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(6)
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Cash,
cash equivalents, U.S. Government securities or high-quality debt
securities maturing in one year or less from the time of
investment.
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Managerial
assistance to portfolio companies
In
addition, 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 (1), (2) or (3) above
under
“—Qualifying assets.” 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 or must offer to make available to the issuer
of
the securities (other than small and solvent companies described above)
significant managerial assistance; except that, where the BDC purchases such
securities in conjunction with one or more other persons acting together,
one of
the other persons in the group may make available such managerial assistance.
Making available managerial assistance means, among other things, any
arrangement whereby the BDC, through its directors, officers or employees,
offers to provide, and, if accepted, does so provide, significant guidance
and
counsel concerning the management, operations or business objectives and
policies of a portfolio company.
Temporary
investments
As
a BDC, pending investment in other types of “qualifying assets,” as described
above, our investments may consist of cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government
securities or high-quality debt securities maturing in one year or less from
the
time of investment, which we refer to, collectively, as temporary investments,
so that 70% of our assets are qualifying assets. Typically, we will invest
in
U.S. Treasury bills or in repurchase agreements, provided that such agreements
are fully collateralized by cash or securities issued by the U.S. Government
or
its agencies. A repurchase agreement involves the purchase by an investor,
such
as us, of a specified security and the simultaneous agreement by the seller
to
repurchase it at an agreed-upon future date and at a price which is greater
than
the purchase price by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate.
There is no percentage restriction on the proportion of our assets that may
be
invested in such repurchase agreements. However, if more than 25% of our
total
assets constitute repurchase agreements from a single counterparty, we would
not
meet the Diversification Tests in order to qualify as a RIC for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. Thus, we do not intend to enter into repurchase agreements
with a single counterparty in excess of this limit. Our investment adviser
will
monitor the creditworthiness of the counterparties with which we enter into
repurchase agreement transactions.
Indebtedness
and senior securities
As
a BDC, we are permitted, under specified conditions, to issue multiple classes
of indebtedness and one class of shares of stock senior to our common stock
if
our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least equal to
200%
immediately after each such issuance. In addition, while any indebtedness
and
senior securities remain outstanding, we must make provisions to prohibit
any
distribution to our stockholders or the repurchase of such securities or
stock
unless we meet the applicable asset coverage ratios at the time of the
distribution or repurchase. We may also borrow amounts up to 5% of the value
of
our total assets for temporary or emergency purposes without regard to asset
coverage. For a discussion of the risks associated with leverage, see “Risk
factors—Risks related to our operation as a BDC—Regulations governing our
operation as a BDC will affect our ability to, and the way in which we, raise
additional capital.”
Code
of ethics
As
a BDC, we and our investment adviser will have each adopted a code of ethics
pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that establishes procedures for
personal investments and restricts certain personal securities transactions.
Personnel subject to each code may invest in securities for their personal
investment accounts, including securities that may be purchased or held by
us,
so long as such investments are made in accordance with the code’s requirements.
Our code of ethics are filed as an exhibit to our registration statement
on Form
N-2 in connection with this offering.
Proxy
voting policies and procedures
SEC
registered investment advisers that have the authority to vote (client) proxies
(which authority may be implied from a general grant of investment discretion)
are required to adopt policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure
that
the adviser votes proxies in the best interests of its clients. Registered
investment advisers also must maintain certain records on proxy voting. In
most
cases, we will invest in securities that do not generally entitle us to voting
rights in its portfolio companies. When we do have voting rights, we will
delegate the exercise of such rights to our investment adviser.
Our
investment adviser has particular proxy voting policies and procedures in
place.
In determining how to vote, officers of our investment adviser will consult
with
each other and other investment professionals of GSC Group, taking into account
our interests and the interests of our investors, as well as any potential
conflicts of interest. Our investment adviser will consult with legal counsel
to
identify potential conflicts of interest. Where a potential conflict of interest
exists, our investment adviser may, if it so elects, resolve it by following
the
recommendation of a disinterested third party, by seeking the direction of
our
independent directors or, in extreme cases, by abstaining from voting. While
our
investment adviser may retain an outside service to provide voting
recommendations and to assist in analyzing votes, our investment adviser
will
not delegate its voting authority to any third party.
An
officer of our investment adviser will keep a written record of how all such
proxies are voted. Our investment adviser will retain records of (1) proxy
voting policies and procedures, (2) all proxy statements received (or it
may
rely on proxy statements filed on the SEC’s EDGAR system in lieu thereof), (3)
all votes cast, (4) investor requests for voting information, and (5) any
specific documents prepared or received in connection with a decision on
a proxy
vote. If it uses an outside service, our investment adviser may rely on such
service to maintain copies of proxy statements and records, so long as such
service will provide a copy of such documents promptly upon
request.
Our
investment adviser’s proxy voting policies are not exhaustive and are designed
to be responsive to the wide range of issues that may be subject to a proxy
vote. In general, our investment adviser will vote our proxies in accordance
with these guidelines unless: (1) it has determined otherwise due to the
specific and unusual facts and circumstances with respect to a particular
vote,
(2) the subject matter of the vote is not covered by these guidelines, (3)
a
material conflict of interest is present, or (4) it finds it necessary to
vote
contrary to its general guidelines to maximize stockholder value or our best
interests.
In
reviewing proxy issues, our investment adviser generally will use the following
guidelines:
Elections
of Directors:
In general, our investment adviser will vote in favor of the management-
proposed slate of directors. If there is a proxy fight for seats on a portfolio
company’s board of directors, or our investment adviser
determines
that there are other compelling reasons for withholding our vote, it will
determine the appropriate vote on the matter. We may withhold votes for
directors that fail to act on key issues, such as failure to: (1) implement
proposals to declassify a board, (2) implement a majority vote requirement,
(3)
submit a rights plan to a stockholder vote or (4) act on tender offers where
a
majority of stockholders have tendered their s shares. Finally, our investment
adviser may withhold votes for directors of non-U.S. issuers where there
is
insufficient information about the nominees disclosed in the proxy statement.
Appointment
of Auditors:
We believe that a portfolio company remains in the best position to choose
its
independent auditors and our investment adviser will generally support
management’s recommendation in this regard.
Changes
in Capital Structure:
Changes in a portfolio company’s organizational documents may be required by
state or federal regulation. In general, our investment adviser will cast
our
votes in accordance with the management on such proposals. However, our
investment adviser will consider carefully any proposal regarding a change
in
corporate structure that is not required by state or federal
regulation.
Corporate
Restructurings, Mergers and Acquisitions:
We believe proxy votes dealing with corporate reorganizations are an extension
of the investment decision. Accordingly, our investment adviser will analyze
such proposals on a case-by-case basis and vote in accordance with its
perception of our interests.
Proposals
Affecting Stockholder Rights:
We will generally vote in favor of proposals that give stockholders a greater
voice in the affairs of a portfolio company and oppose any measure that seeks
to
limit such rights. However, when analyzing such proposals, our investment
adviser will balance the financial impact of the proposal against any impairment
of stockholder rights as well as of our investment in the portfolio
company.
Corporate
Governance:
We recognize the importance of good corporate governance. Accordingly, our
investment adviser will generally favor proposals that promote transparency
and
accountability within a portfolio company.
Anti-Takeover
Measures:
Our investment adviser will evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, any proposals
regarding anti-takeover measures to determine the measure’s likely effect on
stockholder value dilution.
Share
Splits:
Our investment adviser will generally vote with management on share split
matters.
Limited
Liability of Directors:
Our investment adviser will generally vote with management on matters that
could
adversely affect the limited liability of directors.
Social
and Corporate Responsibility:
Our investment adviser will review proposals related to social, political
and
environmental issues to determine whether they may adversely affect stockholder
value. Our investment adviser may abstain from voting on such proposals where
they do not have a readily determinable financial impact on stockholder
value.
Privacy
principles
We
are committed to maintaining the privacy of our stockholders 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, although certain non-public personal information of our
stockholders may become available to us. We do not disclose any non-public
personal information about our stockholders or former stockholders to anyone,
except as permitted by law or as is necessary in order to service stockholder
accounts (for example, to a transfer agent or third party
administrator).
We
restrict access to non-public personal information about our stockholders
to
employees of our investment adviser and its affiliates with a legitimate
business need for the information. We maintain physical, electronic and
procedural safeguards designed to protect the non-public personal information
of
our stockholders.
Other
As
a BDC, we will be periodically examined by the SEC for compliance with the
1940
Act.
We
will be required to provide and maintain a bond issued by a reputable fidelity
insurance company to protect us against larceny and embezzlement. Furthermore,
as a BDC, we are prohibited from protecting any director or officer against
any
liability to us or our stockholders arising from willful misfeasance, bad
faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct
of
such person’s office.
We
and our investment adviser are each required to adopt and implement written
policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violation of the federal
securities laws, review these policies and procedures annually for their
adequacy and the effectiveness of their implementation, and designate a chief
compliance officer to be responsible for administering the policies and
procedures.
Co-investment
We
may also be prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in
certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our
board
of directors who are not interested persons and, in some cases, prior approval
by the SEC. The SEC has interpreted the BDC provision on transactions with
affiliates to prohibit all “joint transactions” between entities that share a
common investment adviser. The staff of the SEC has granted no-action relief
permitting for purchases of a single class of privately-placed securities
provided that the adviser negotiates no term other than price and certain
other
conditions are met. As a result, we only expect to co-invest on a concurrent
basis with other GSC Group’s funds when each of us will own the same securities
of the issuer and when no term is negotiated other than price. Any such
investment would be made, subject to compliance with existing regulatory
guidance, applicable regulations and our allocation procedures. If opportunities
arise that would otherwise be appropriate for us and for a GSC Group’s fund to
invest in different securities of the same issuer, our investment adviser
will
need to decide which fund will proceed with the investment. Moreover, except
in
certain circumstances, we will be unable to invest in any issuer in which
a GSC
Group’s fund has previously invested.
The
Company and GSC Group may in the future submit an exemptive application to
the
SEC to permit greater flexibility to negotiate the terms of co-investments
because we believe that it will be advantageous for the Company to co-invest
with funds managed by GSC Group where such investment is consistent with
the
investment objectives, investment positions, investment policies, investment
strategies, investment restrictions, regulatory requirements and other pertinent
factors applicable to the Company. We believe that co-investment by the Company
and funds managed by GSC Group may afford the Company additional investment
opportunities and the ability to achieve greater diversification. Accordingly,
any application would seek an exemptive order permitting the Company to
negotiate more than price terms when investing with funds managed by GSC
Group
in the same portfolio companies. It is expected that any exemptive relief
permitting co-investments on those terms would be granted, if at all, only
upon
the conditions, among others, that before such a co-investment transaction
is
effected, our investment adviser will make a written investment presentation
regarding the proposed co-investment to the independent directors of the
Company
and the independent directors of the Company will review our investment
adviser’s recommendation.
Moreover,
it is expected that prior to committing to a co-investment, a “required
majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the independent
directors of the Company would conclude that (i) the terms of the proposed
transaction are reasonable and fair to the Company and its stockholders and
do
not involve overreaching of the Company and its stockholders on the part
of any
person concerned; (ii) the transaction is consistent with the interests of
the
stockholders of the Company and is consistent with the investment objectives
and
policies of the Company; and (iii) the co-investment by any GSC Group fund
would
not disadvantage the Company in making its investment, maintaining its
investment position, or disposing of such investment and that participation
by
the
Company
would not be on a basis different from or less advantageous than that of
the
affiliated co-investor. There is no assurance that the application for exemptive
relief will be granted by the SEC or that, if granted, it will be on the
terms
set forth above.
Compliance
with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance
regulations
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 imposes a wide variety of new regulatory requirements
on publicly-held companies and their insiders. Following the completion of
this
offering, many of these requirements will affect us. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
has
required us to review our policies and procedures to determine whether we
comply
with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the new regulations promulgated thereunder.
We
will continue to monitor our compliance with all future regulations that
are
adopted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and will take actions necessary to ensure
that we are in compliance therewith.
In
addition, the New York Stock Exchange adopted corporate governance changes
to
its listing standards in 2003. We believe we are in compliance with such
corporate governance listing standards. We will continue to monitor our
compliance with all future listing standards and will take actions necessary
to
ensure that we are in compliance therewith.
TRANSFER
AND DIVIDEND PAYING AGENT AND REGISTRAR
AST
will also act as our transfer agent, dividend paying agent and registrar.
The
principal business address of AST is 59 Maiden Lane, Plaza Level, New York,
New
York 10038, telephone number: (212) 936-5100.
BROKERAGE
ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES
Since
we will generally acquire and dispose of our investments in privately negotiated
transactions, we will infrequently use brokers in the normal course of our
business. Subject to policies established by our board of directors, the
investment adviser will be primarily responsible for the execution of the
publicly traded securities portion of our portfolio transactions and the
allocation of brokerage commissions. The investment adviser does not expect
to
execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but will seek
to
obtain the best net results for us, taking into account such factors as price
(including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of
order,
difficulty of execution, and operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s
risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While the investment
adviser
generally will seek reasonably competitive trade execution costs, we will
not
necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available. Subject to applicable
legal requirements, the investment adviser may select a broker based partly
upon
brokerage or research services provided to the investment adviser, to us
and any
other clients. In return for such services, we may pay a higher commission
than
other brokers would charge if the investment adviser determines in good faith
that such commission is reasonable in relation to the services
provided.
SHARES
ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Prior
to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for our
common stock. Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in
the
public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely
affect the market price of our common stock and could impair our future ability
to raise capital through the sale of our equity securities.
We,
our executive officers and directors and certain other stockholders have
agreed
with the underwriters not to sell any shares of our common stock that we
or they
own for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus. This agreement,
referred to as a “lock-up agreement,” may be waived by Citigroup Global Markets
Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., as representatives of the underwriters.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we have agreed, and are permitted pursuant
to the
terms of the lock up agreements, to file a shelf registration statement covering
all of the shares of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering
shortly
after the completion of this offering. See “Description of Our
Shares.”
Upon
the completion of this offering, as a result of the issuance
of shares of common stock, we
will have shares of our common stock outstanding of
which shares will be “restricted” securities
under the meaning of Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act and may
not
be sold in the absence of registration under the Securities Act unless an
exemption from registration is available, including exemptions contained
in Rule
144. Pursuant to a registration rights agreement, we have agreed to file
a
registration statement in respect of the shares of common stock that are
restricted securities.
In
general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, if one year has elapsed since
the date of acquisition of restricted securities from us or any of our
affiliates, the holder of such restricted securities can sell such securities;
provided that the number of securities sold by such person with any three
month
period cannot exceed the greater of:
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·
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1%
of the total number of securities then outstanding,
or
|
|
·
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the
average weekly trading volume of our securities during the four
calendar
weeks preceding the date on which notice of the sale is filed with
the
SEC.
|
Sales
under Rule 144 also are subject to certain manners of sale provisions, notice
requirements and the availability of current public information about us.
If two
years have elapsed since the date of acquisition of restricted securities
from
us or any of our affiliates and the holder is not one of our affiliates at
any
time during the three months preceding the proposed sale, such person can
sell
such securities in the public market under Rule 144(k) without regard to
the
volume limitations, manner of sale provisions, public information requirements
or notice requirements. No assurance can be given as to (1) the likelihood
that
an active market for our common stock will develop, (2) the liquidity of
any
such market, (3) the ability of our stockholders to sell our securities or
(4)
the prices that stockholders may obtain for any of our securities. No prediction
can be made as to the effect, if any, that future sales of securities, or
the
availability of securities for future sales, will have on the market price
prevailing from time to time. Sales of substantial amounts of our securities,
or
the perception that such sales could occur, may affect adversely prevailing
market prices of our common stock. See “Risk Factors—Risks related to this
offering.”
Lock-up
agreements
We,
our executive officers and directors and certain other stockholders will
be
subject to agreements with the underwriters that restrict our and their ability
to transfer shares of our common stock for a period of up to 180 days from
the
date of this prospectus. After the lock-up agreements expire, an aggregate
of additional shares will be
eligible for sale in the public market in accordance with Rule 144 under
the
Securities Act. These lock-up agreements provide that these persons will
not
offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge (other than to us), hedge or otherwise
dispose of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable
for our common stock, owned by them for a period specified in the agreement
without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc and J.P.
Morgan Securities Inc.
UNDERWRITING
Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are acting as
representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and
conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this
prospectus, each underwriter named below has agreed to purchase, and we have
agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of shares of common stock
set
forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
Underwriter
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Number
of shares
|
|
Citigroup
Global Markets Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
J.P.
Morgan Securities Inc.
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Total
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The
underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters
to
purchase the stock included in this offering are subject to approval of legal
matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated
to
purchase all the shares (other than those covered by the over-allotment option
described below) if they purchase any of the shares. We and the underwriters
reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify this offering and reject
orders
for our common stock in whole or in part.
The
underwriters propose to offer some of the shares directly to the public at
the
public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and
some of
the shares to dealers at the public offering price less a concession not
to
exceed $ per share. The underwriters
may allow, and dealers may reallow, a concession not to exceed
$ per share on sales to other
dealers. If all of the shares are not sold at the initial offering price,
the
representatives may change the public offering price and the other selling
terms. The representatives have advised us that the underwriters do not intend
sales to discretionary accounts to exceed five percent of the total number
of
shares of our common stock offered by them.
We
have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from
the
date of this prospectus, to purchase up
to additional shares of our
common stock at the public offering price less the underwriting discount.
The
underwriters may exercise the option solely for the purpose of covering
over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent
the
option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional
shares approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase
commitment.
We,
our officers and directors, and our other stockholders have agreed that,
for a
period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not,
without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P.
Morgan Securities Inc., dispose of or hedge any shares of our common stock
or
any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock. Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. in their discretion may
release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any
time
without notice.
At
our request, the underwriters have reserved up
to % of the shares of our common
stock for sale at the initial public offering price to persons who are
directors, officers or employees, or who are otherwise associated with us
through a directed share program. The number of shares of our common stock
available for sale to the general public will be reduced by the number of
directed shares purchased by participants in the program. Any directed shares
not purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on
the
same basis as all other shares of our common stock offered. We have agreed
to
indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities and expenses, including
liabilities under the Securities Act, in connection with the sales of the
directed shares.
Prior
to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock.
Consequently, the initial public offering price for the shares was determined
by
negotiations between us and the representatives. Among the factors considered
in
determining the initial public offering price were our record of operations,
our
current financial condition, our future prospects, our markets, the economic
conditions in and future prospects for the industry in which we compete,
our
management, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities
markets,
including
current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable
to
our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the prices at which the
shares
will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than
the
initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our common
stock will develop and continue after this offering.
The
following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we
are to
pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are
shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to
purchase additional shares of our common stock.
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Paid
by Us
|
|
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No
Exercise
|
|
Full
Exercise
|
|
Per
share
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
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Total
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$
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$
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In
connection with the offering, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc. on behalf of the underwriters, may purchase and sell shares
of
our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short
sales,
syndicate covering transactions and stabilizing transactions. Short sales
involve syndicate sales of common stock in excess of the number of stock
to be
purchased by the underwriters in the offering, which creates a syndicate
short
position. “Covered” short sales are sales of stock made in an amount up to the
number of shares represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option. In
determining the source of shares to close out the covered syndicate short
position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of
shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price
at
which they may purchase shares through the over-allotment option. Transactions
to close out the covered syndicate short involve either purchases of the
common
stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed or the
exercise of the over-allotment option. The underwriters may also make “naked”
short sales of stock in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters
must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares of our common
stock
in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if
the
underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price
of
the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect
investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist
of bids
for or purchases of stock in the open market while the offering is in
progress.
The
underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. Penalty bids permit the underwriters
to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when Citigroup Global
Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. repurchase stock originally
sold by
that syndicate member in order to cover syndicate short positions or make
stabilizing purchases.
Any
of these activities may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline
in
the market price of our common stock. They may also cause the price of our
common stock to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the
open
market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct
these
transactions on the New York Stock Exchange or in the over-the-counter market,
or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they
may
discontinue them at any time.
We
estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering will be
$ .
The
underwriters have performed investment banking and advisory services for
us from
time to time for which they have received customary fees and expenses. The
underwriters may, from time to time, engage in transactions with and perform
services for us in the ordinary course of their business.
Citigroup
Global Markets Inc. holds $10,000,000 of credit-linked notes on which the
amount
of interest payable depends on the amount distributed by GSC Partners CDO
GP
III, L.P., the general partner of a limited partnership that invests
substantially all its assets in CDO Fund III. It is expected that in the
ultimate liquidation of CDO Fund III these credit-linked notes will be repaid.
Based on the amounts anticipated to be available for distribution upon the
ultimate liquidation of CDO Fund III, it is expected that the credit-linked
notes will be paid interest amounting to % per annum. The underwriters and
their
affiliates do not hold any other debt or equity position in CDO Fund
III.
Prior
to the closing of this offering, we expect to receive a commitment for the
Company Credit Facility from each of Citibank, N.A., an affiliate of Citigroup
Global Markets Inc., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., an affiliate of J.P.
Morgan
Securities Inc. and CDO Fund III expects to receive a commitment from each
of
Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. for the CDO Fund III Credit
Facility. Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. expect to receive
interest payments and customary fees and expense reimbursements as described
in
the terms of such facilities. See “Obligations and Indebtedness—The Company
Credit Facility” and “Obligations and Indebtedness—The CDO Fund III Credit
Facility.”
A
prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained
by one or more of the underwriters. The representatives may agree to allocate
a
number of shares to underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account
holders. The representatives will allocate shares to underwriters that may
make
Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations. In addition,
shares may be sold by the underwriters to securities dealers who resell shares
to online brokerage account holders.
We
have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute to payments
the
underwriters may be required to make because of any of those
liabilities.
Notice
to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In
relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented
the Prospectus Directive (each, a relevant member state), with effect from
and
including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that
relevant member state (the relevant implementation date), an offer of shares
described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant
member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the
shares
that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member
state
or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified
to
the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance
with
the Prospectus Directive, except that, with effect from and including the
relevant implementation date, an offer of securities may be offered to the
public in that relevant member state at any time:
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·
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to
any legal entity that is authorized or regulated to operate in
the
financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose
corporate
purpose is solely to invest in securities
or
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·
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to
any legal entity that has two or more of (1) an average of at least
250
employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet
of
more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than
€50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts
or
|
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·
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in
any other circumstances that do not require the publication of
a
prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus
Directive.
|
Each
purchaser of shares of our common stock described in this prospectus located
within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged
and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article
2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive.
For
purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in any
relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means
of
sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be
offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the
securities, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure
implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression
“Prospectus Directive" means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant
implementing measure in each relevant member state.
The
sellers of shares of our common stock have not authorized and do not authorize
the making of any offer of shares through any financial intermediary on their
behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final
placement of the shares as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly,
no
purchaser of the shares, other
than
the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the shares on
behalf of the sellers or the underwriters.
Notice
to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
This
prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons
in the
United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article
2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive (“Qualified Investors”) that are also (i)
investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services
and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high
net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated,
falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together
being referred to as “relevant persons”). This prospectus and its contents are
confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole
or
in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom.
Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant persons should not
act
or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Notice
to Prospective Investors in France
Neither
this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the shares described
in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the
Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member
state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés
Financiers.
The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold,
directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus
nor any
other offering material relating to the shares has been or will be
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·
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released,
issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed
to the
public in France or
|
|
·
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used
in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the shares
to the
public in France.
|
Such
offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only
|
·
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to
qualified investors (investisseurs
qualifiés)
and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle
restreint d’investisseurs),
in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in,
and in
accordance with, Article L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1,
D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code
monétaire et financier
or
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·
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to
investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio
management
on behalf of third parties or
|
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·
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in
a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3°
of the French Code
monétaire et financier and
article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement
Général)
of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer
(appel
public à l’épargne).
|
The
shares may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with Articles
L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French
Code
monétaire et financier.
Notice
to Prospective Investors in Italy
Shares
of our common stock have not been, and will not be, offered, sold or delivered
directly or indirectly in Italy or to a resident of Italy other than to
“professional investors” including (i) authorized intermediaries (such term
including both the intermediari
autorizzati and the operatori qualificati
as defined, respectively, by Articles 25 and 31(2) of Regulation No. 11522
of
July 1, 1998 of the Commissione
Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa,
or “CONSOB” (as amended, “CONSOB Regulation No. 11522”), but excluding
individual persons referred to in Article 31(2) of CONSOB Regulation No.
11522),
(ii) management companies (societa’
di gestione del risparmio)
authorized to manage individual portfolios on behalf of third parties and
fiduciary companies authorized to manage individual portfolios pursuant to
Article 60 of the Legislative Decree No. 415 of July 23, 1996 (commonly referred
to as the “Eurosim Decree”), or (iii) a “qualified investor” as defined in
Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive. In each of the cases described
under (i), (ii) and (iii), offers and sales must comply with the forms and
procedures
provided
in the relevant regulation, decree or directive. Any such offer or sale,
any
distribution of this offering memorandum or any rendering of advice in respect
of an investment in the shares of our common stock within Italy must be
conducted either by securities dealing firms or by authorized banks or
investment firms (commonly referred to as “SIMs”), as described in the
Legislative Decree No. 58 of February 24, 1998, as amended (“Decree No. 58”) and
CONSOB Regulation No. 11522, or financial companies enrolled in the special
register provided for under Article 107 of Legislative Decree No. 385 of
September 1, 1993 to the extent duly authorized to engage in the placement
and/or underwriting of financial instruments in Italy in accordance with
the
relevant provisions of Decree No. 58.
Notice
to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
Shares
of our common stock may be offered in Switzerland only on the basis of a
non-public offering. This prospectus does not constitute an issuance prospectus
according to Articles 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations
or a
listing prospectus according to Article 32 of the Listing Rules of the Swiss
Exchange. Shares of our common stock may not be offered or distributed on
a
professional basis in or from Switzerland and neither this prospectus nor
any
other offering material relating to shares of our common stock may be publicly
issued in connection with any such offer or distribution. Shares of our common
stock have not been and will not be approved by any Swiss regulatory authority.
In particular, shares of our common stock are not and will not be registered
with or supervised by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission, and investors
may
not claim protection under the Swiss Investment Fund Act.
LEGAL
MATTERS
Certain
legal matters regarding the securities offered by this prospectus will be
passed
upon for GSC Investment LLC by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York,
and Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Davis Polk & Wardwell and Venable LLP
have from time to time represented certain of the underwriters, GSC Group
and
our investment adviser on unrelated matters. Certain legal matters in connection
with the offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Clifford Chance
US
LLP, New York, New York.
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
The
financial statements as of October 31, 2006 and for the period from May 12,
2006
(inception date) to October 31, 2006 included in this prospectus have been
audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting
firm, and have been so included in reliance on the report of such firm given
upon their authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
We
have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form N-2, together with
all
amendments and related exhibits, under the Securities Act, with respect to
our
shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. The registration
statement contains additional information about us and our shares of our
common
stock being offered by this prospectus.
Upon
completion of this offering, we will file with or submit to the SEC annual,
quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information
meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. You may inspect
and
copy these reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and the related
exhibits and schedules, at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F
Street,
N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation
of the
Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Copies of these
reports, proxy and information statements and other information may be obtained,
after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail
address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC’s Public Reference Section,
Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet website
that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information
filed electronically by us with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
INDEX
TO AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR
GSC INVESTMENT LLC
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
|
F-2
|
|
|
Statement
of Assets, Liabilities and Member’s Capital as of October 31,
2006
|
F-3
|
|
|
Statement
of Operations for the period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to
October 31, 2006
|
F-4
|
|
|
Statement
of Member’s Capital for the period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to October 31, 2006
|
F-5
|
|
|
Statement
of Cash Flows for the period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to
October 31, 2006
|
F-6
|
|
|
Notes
to the Financial Statements
|
F-7
|
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Management of GSC Investment LLC:
We
have audited the accompanying statement of assets, liabilities and member’s
capital of GSC Investment LLC (the “Company”) as of October 31, 2006, and the
related statements of operations, Member’s capital and cash flows for the period
from May 12, 2006 (inception) to October 31, 2006. These financial statements
are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to
express an opinion on these financial statements based on our
audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we
plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. We were not engaged to perform
an
audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Our audit
included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis
for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but
not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no
such opinion. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in
all
material respects, the financial position of GSC Investment LLC at October
31,
2006, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from
May 12, 2006 (inception) to October 31, 2006, in conformity with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles.
/s/
Ernst & Young LLP
New
York, New York
November
30, 2006
GSC
Investment LLC
Statement
of Assets, Liabilities, and Member’s Capital
October
31, 2006
Assets
|
|
|
|
Deferred
offering costs
|
|
$
|
231,550
|
|
Cash
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Total
Assets
|
|
$
|
232,550
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
and member’s capital
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued
offering costs
|
|
$
|
200,000
|
|
Accrued
expenses
|
|
|
95,000
|
|
Due
to affiliate
|
|
|
31,743
|
|
Total
liabilities
|
|
|
326,743
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Member’s
capital
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
contributed
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Accumulated
loss
|
|
|
(95,193
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
member’s capital
|
|
|
(94,193
|
)
|
Total
liabilities and member’s capital
|
|
$
|
232,550
|
|
See
accompanying notes.
GSC
Investment LLC
Statement
of Operations
For
the
period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to
October 31, 2006
Income
|
|
|
|
Interest
and dividends
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
Total
income
|
|
|
-
|
|
Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
Organization
costs
|
|
$
|
95,193
|
|
Total
expenses
|
|
|
95,193
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(95,193
|
)
|
See
accompanying notes.
GSC
Investment LLC
Statement
of Member’s Capital
For
the
period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to
October 31, 2006
Member’s
capital, May 12, 2006
|
|
|
-
|
|
Capital
contributions
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(95,193
|
)
|
Member’s
capital, October 31, 2006
|
|
$
|
(95,193
|
)
|
See
accompanying notes.
GSC
Investment LLC
Statement
of Cash Flows
For
the
period from May 12, 2006 (date of inception)
to
October 31, 2006
Cash
flows from operating activities
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
$
|
(95,193
|
)
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash and cash equivalents from operating
activities:
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
in deferred offering costs
|
|
|
(231,550
|
)
|
Increase
in accrued deferred offering costs
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
Increase
in due to affiliate
|
|
|
31,743
|
|
Increase
in accrued expenses
|
|
|
95,000
|
|
Net
cash and cash equivalents from operating activities
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from financing activities
|
|
|
|
|
Contribution
from Member
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Net
cash and cash equivalents provided by financing activities
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
change in cash
|
|
|
1,000
|
|
Cash,
beginning of period
|
|
|
-
|
|
Cash,
end of the period
|
|
$
|
1,000
|
|
See
accompanying notes.
1.
Organization
GSC
Investment LLC (the “LLC”) was organized on May 12, 2006 as a Maryland
limited liability company. The LLC is a newly organized closed-end management
investment company that intends to elect to be regulated as a business
development company (“BDC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended, prior to the initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company intends to
raise common equity in an IPO which is anticipated to be finalized in the first
quarter of 2007. In connection with the IPO, the LLC will convert, in accordance
with Maryland Law, to a Maryland corporation to be named GSC Investment Corp.
(“the Company”).
Other
than the capitalization of the LLC by its member and certain organizational
costs and registration fees incurred related to the pending IPO, the LLC has
not
commenced operations.
2.
Significant Accounting Policies
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
The
LLC considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three
months or less to be cash equivalents.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the
financial statements and the reported amounts of income or loss and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Deferred
Offering Cost
Deferred
offering costs consist principally of legal fees incurred through October 31,
2006 that are related to the IPO and that will be charged to capital upon the
receipt of the capital raised.
3.
Organizational Expenses and Offering Costs
Organizational
expenses consist principally of professional fees incurred in connection with
the organization of the LLC and have been expensed as incurred. GSCP (NJ),
L.P.,
an affiliate of the LLC, has agreed to pay organizational expenses on behalf
of
the LLC, and to be subsequently reimbursed through the proceeds of the
offering.
A
portion of the net proceeds of the proposed IPO will be used to pay offering
costs. Offering costs will be charged against proceeds from the IPO when
received. Offering costs are currently estimated to be $1.6 million. These
offering costs reflect management’s best estimate and are subject to change upon
the completion of the IPO. In the event the IPO does not occur, the LLC will
not
incur all such expenses and may not be able to pay expenses that are incurred.
As of October 31, 2006, the LLC has accrued $231,550 relating to offering
costs.
4.
Federal Income Taxes
No
provision for federal, state and local income taxes has been made in the
accompanying financial statements, as the member is individually liable for
its
own tax payments.
When
the LLC converts to a corporation it intends to file an election to be treated
as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended, and, among other things, intends
to
make the requisite distributions to its stockholders which will relieve it
from
Federal income or excise taxes. Therefore, no provision is anticipated to be
recorded for Federal income or excise taxes.
5.
Related Party Transactions
The
due to affiliate balance of $31,743 includes amounts paid by GSCP (NJ), L.P.
on
behalf of the LLC for certain organizational expenses and offering
costs.
On
May 16, 2006, GSC Secondary Interest Fund, LLC contributed $1,000 to the LLC
in
exchange for 66 2/3 shares, constituting all of the outstanding shares of the
LLC.
6.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
On
July 13, 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) released FASB
Interpretation No. 48 “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes” (FIN 48”).
FIN 48 provides guidance for how uncertain tax positions should be recognized,
measured, presented and disclosed in the financial statements. FIN 48 requires
the evaluation of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course
of
preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are
“more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax
positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold would be
recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Adoption of FIN 48
is
required for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006 and is to be applied
to all open tax years as of the effective date. At this time, management is
evaluating the implications of FIN 48 and its impact on the financial statements
has not yet been determined.
On
September 20, 2006, the FASB released Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 157 “Fair Value Measurements” (“FAS 157”). FAS 157 establishes an
authoritative definition of fair value, sets out a framework for measuring
fair
value, and requires additional disclosures about fair-value measurements. The
application of FAS 157 is required for fiscal years beginning after November
15,
2007 and interim periods within those fiscal years. At this time, management
is
evaluating the implications of FAS 157 and its impact on the financial
statements has not yet been determined.
Shares
GSC
Investment Corp.
Common
Stock
[LOGO]
PROSPECTUS
,
2007
PART
C—OTHER INFORMATION
Item
25. Financial Statements and Exhibits
1. Financial
Statements
Not
applicable.
2. Exhibits
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
a
|
|
Form
of Charter of GSC Investment Corp.*
|
b
|
|
Form
of bylaws of GSC Investment Corp.*
|
c
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
d.1
|
|
Specimen
certificate of GSC Investment Corp.’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per
share.*
|
d.2
|
|
Form
of Registration Rights Agreement dated , 2007 between GSC Investment
Corp., GSCP (NJ) L.P., JP Morgan Securities, Inc., and UBS Securities
LLC.*
|
e
|
|
Form
of Dividend Reinvestment Plan.***
|
f.1
|
|
Form
of senior secured revolving Credit Facility
dated , 2007 among GSC
Investment Corp., the lenders party thereto and Citibank, N.A., as
administrative agent.*
|
f.2
|
|
Form
of short-term senior secured Credit Facility
dated , 2007 between GSC
Partners CDO Fund III, Limited and Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase
Bank,
N.A.*
|
g
|
|
Form
of Investment Advisory and Management Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
h
|
|
Form
of Underwriting Agreement dated , 2007 between the Company and Citigroup
Global Markets, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., as representatives
of the underwriters named therein.*
|
i.
|
|
Not
Applicable.
|
j
|
|
Form
of Custody Agreement dated , 2007 between GSC Investment LLC
and
.***
|
k.1
|
|
Form
of Transfer Agency and Registrar Agreement dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and American Stock Transfer and Trust
Company.*
|
k.2
|
|
Form
of Administration Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
k.3
|
|
Form
of Trademark License Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
k.4
|
|
Contribution
and Exchange Agreement dated October 17, 2007 among GSC Investment
LLC,
GSC CDO III, L.L.C., GSCP (NJ), L.P., and the other investors party
thereto. ***
|
k.5
|
|
Portfolio
Acquisition Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and GSC Partners CDO Fund III,
Limited.***
|
k.6
|
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and each officer and director of the
Company.***
|
k.7
|
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and each investment committee member of GSCP (NJ)
L.P.***
|
k.8
|
|
Collateral
Management Agreement dated November 5, 2001 among GSC Partners CDO
Fund
III, Limited and GSCP (NJ), L.P. *
|
k.9
|
|
Amended
and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of GSC Partners CDO GP
III,
L.P. dated October 16, 2001.*
|
k.10
|
|
Amended
and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of GSC Partners CDO Investors
III,
|
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
|
|
L.P.
dated August 27, 2001.* |
l
|
|
Opinion
of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel to the
Registrant.*
|
m.
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
n.1
|
|
Consent
of Thomas V. Inglesby pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act of
1933 to be named as a director.***
|
n.2
|
|
Consent
of Richard M. Hayden pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act of 1933
to be named as a director.***
|
n.3
|
|
Consent
of Robert F. Cummings, Jr. pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act
of 1933 to be named as a director.***
|
n.4
|
|
Consent
of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm.****
|
n.5
|
|
Consent
of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel to the Registrant (included in
Exhibit l).*
|
n.6
|
|
Consent
of Valuation Research Corporation, Independent Valuation
Firm.**
|
o
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
p
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
q
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
rr
|
|
Code
of Ethics of the Company adopted under Rule
17j-1.*
|
|
*
To be filed by amendment. |
|
|
**
Filed herewith. |
|
|
*** |
Incorporated
by reference to Amendment No. 2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on
Form N-2, File No. 333-138051, filed on January 12,
2007.
|
|
|
**** |
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form N-2, File No.
333-138051, filed on December 1,
2006.
|
Item
26. Marketing Arrangements
The
information contained under the heading “Underwriting” in this Registration
Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
27. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The
following table sets forth the estimated expenses payable by us in connection
with the offering (excluding underwriting discounts and
commissions):
|
|
Amount
|
|
SEC
registration fee
|
|
$
|
16,050
|
|
NASD
filing fee
|
|
|
*
|
|
The
New York Stock Exchange listing fee
|
|
|
*
|
|
Accounting
fees and expenses
|
|
|
*
|
|
Legal
fees and expenses
|
|
|
*
|
|
Printing
expenses
|
|
|
*
|
|
Blue
sky qualification fees and expenses
|
|
|
*
|
|
Transfer
Agent’s fee
|
|
|
*
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
*
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
*
|
|
|
*
To be completed by amendment. |
The
amounts set forth above, except for the Securities and Exchange Commission,
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange
listing fees, are in each case estimated. All of the expenses set forth above
shall be borne by the Registrant.
Item
28. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control
The
information contained under the heading “Control Persons and Principal
Stockholders” is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
29. Number of Holders of Securities
The
following table sets forth the number of record holders of the Registrant’s
common equity at , 2006.
Title
of Class
|
|
Number
of
Record
Holders
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
To be completed by amendment. |
Item
30. Indemnification
The
information contained under the heading “Description of Our Common
Stock—Limitation on liability of directors and officers; indemnification and
advance of expenses” is incorporated herein by reference.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933,
as
amended (the “Securities Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and
controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the provisions described
above, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of
the
Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy
as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than
the
payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer
or
controlling person in the successful defense of an action, suit or proceeding)
is asserted by a director, officer or controlling person in connection with
the
securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of
its
counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court
of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it
is
against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
Prior
to the completion of this offering, the Registrant will carry liability
insurance for the benefit of its directors and officers (other than with respect
to claims resulting from the willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence
or
reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office)
on a claims-made basis of up to
$ , subject to a
$ retention and the
other terms thereof.
We
have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against specified liabilities for
actions taken in their capacities as such, including liabilities under the
Securities Act.
Item
31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
The
information contained under the heading “Certain Relationships — Certain
Affiliations” is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
32. Location of Accounts and Records
Following
the election to be treated as a business development company, the Registrant
will maintain physical possession of each account, book or other document
required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder at the offices
of:
(1) The
Registrant, 12 East 49th Street, Suite 3200, New York, New York
10017
(2) The
Custodian; and
(3) The
Transfer Agent.
Item
33. Management Services
The
information contained under the heading “Management — Investment advisory and
management agreement” is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
34. Undertakings
1. The
Registrant undertakes to suspend the offering of shares until the prospectus
is
amended if (1) subsequent to the effective date of this registration statement,
the net asset value declines more than ten percent from the net asset value
as
of the effective date of this registration statement or (2) the net asset value
increases to an amount greater than the net proceeds as stated in the
prospectus.
2. Not
applicable.
3. Not
applicable.
4. Not
applicable.
5. The
Registrant undertakes that:
(a) for
the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the
information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this
registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of
prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the Securities Act
shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it
was
declared effective; and
(b) for
the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each
post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed
to
be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein,
and
the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide offering thereof.
6. The
Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to
ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written
or oral request, any Statement of Additional Information.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly
caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, and State
of
New York, on the 6th day of February 2007.
|
|
|
|
|
GSC
INVESTMENT LLC
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
/s/ Thomas
V. Inglesby
|
|
Name:
|
|
THOMAS
V. INGLESBY
|
|
Title:
|
|
Director
and Chief Executive Officer, GSC Investment
LLC
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement
has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates
indicated.
Signature
|
|
Title
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Chairman
of the Board of Directors
|
|
February
6, 2007
|
RICHARD
M. HAYDEN
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Thomas
V. Inglesby
|
|
Director
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
February
6, 2007
|
THOMAS
V. INGLESBY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Richard
J. Allorto, Jr.
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer
|
|
February
6, 2007
|
RICHARD
J. ALLORTO, JR.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Director
|
|
February
6, 2007
|
ROBERT
F. CUMMINGS, JR.
|
|
|
|
*
By:
|
/s/ Thomas
V. Inglesby
|
|
THOMAS
V. INGLESBY
Attorney-in-Fact
|
|
|
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
a
|
|
Form
of Charter of GSC Investment Corp.*
|
b
|
|
Form
of bylaws of GSC Investment Corp.*
|
c
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
d.1
|
|
Specimen
certificate of GSC Investment Corp.’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per
share.*
|
d.2
|
|
Form
of Registration Rights Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp., GSCP (NJ) L.P., JP Morgan Securities, Inc.,
and UBS
Securities LLC.*
|
e
|
|
Form
of Dividend Reinvestment Plan.***
|
f.1
|
|
Form
of senior secured revolving Credit Facility
dated , 2007 among GSC
Investment Corp., the lenders party thereto and Citibank, N.A.,
as
administrative agent.*
|
f.2
|
|
Form
of short-term senior secured Credit Facility dated , 2007 between
GSC
Partners CDO Fund III, Limited and Citibank, N.A. and JPMorgan
Chase Bank,
N.A.*
|
g
|
|
Form
of Investment Advisory and Management Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
h
|
|
Form
of Underwriting Agreement
dated , 2007 between the
Company and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and J.P. Morgan
Securities
Inc., as representatives of the underwriters named
therein.*
|
i.
|
|
Not
Applicable.
|
j
|
|
Form
of Custody Agreement dated , 2007 between GSC Investment LLC
and
.***
|
k.1
|
|
Form
of Transfer Agency and Registrar Agreement dated , 2007 between
GSC
Investment Corp. and American Stock Transfer and Trust
Company.*
|
k.2
|
|
Form
of Administration Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
k.3
|
|
Form
of Trademark License Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment Corp. and GSCP (NJ) L.P.***
|
k.4
|
|
Contribution
and Exchange Agreement dated October 17, 2007 among GSC Investment
LLC,
GSC CDO III, L.L.C., GSCP (NJ), L.P., and the other investors
party
thereto. ***
|
k.5
|
|
Portfolio
Acquisition Agreement
dated , 2007 between
GSC Investment Corp. and GSC Partners CDO Fund III,
Limited.***
|
k.6
|
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and each officer and director of the
Company.***
|
k.7
|
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement
dated , 2007 between GSC
Investment LLC and each investment committee member of GSCP
(NJ)
L.P.***
|
k.8
|
|
Collateral
Management Agreement dated November 5, 2001 among GSC Partners
CDO Fund
III, Limited and GSCP (NJ), L.P. *
|
k.9
|
|
Amended
and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of GSC Partners
CDO GP III,
L.P. dated October 16, 2001.*
|
k.10
|
|
Amended
and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of GSC Partners
CDO Investors
III, L.P. dated August 27, 2001.*
|
l
|
|
Opinion
of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel to the
Registrant.*
|
m.
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
n.1
|
|
Consent
of Thomas V. Inglesby pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act of
1933 to be named as a director.***
|
n.2
|
|
Consent
of Richard M. Hayden pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act of 1933
to be
|
Exhibit
Number
|
|
Description
|
|
|
named
as a director.*** |
n.2
|
|
Consent
of Richard M. Hayden pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act of 1933
to be named as a director.***
|
n.3
|
|
Consent
of Robert F. Cummings, Jr. pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities
Act
of 1933 to be named as a director.***
|
n.4
|
|
Consent
of Ernst & Young LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm.****
|
n.5
|
|
Consent
of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel to the Registrant (included in
Exhibit l).*
|
n.6
|
|
Consent
of Valuation Research Corporation, Independent Valuation
Firm.**
|
o
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
p
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
q
|
|
Not
applicable.
|
rr
|
|
Code
of Ethics of the Company adopted under Rule
17j-1.*
|
|
*
To be filed by amendment. |
|
|
**
Filed herewith. |
|
|
*** |
Incorporated
by reference to Amendment No. 2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on
Form N-2, File No. 333-138051, filed on January 12,
2007.
|
|
|
**** |
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form N-2, File No.
333-138051, filed on December 1,
2006.
|
Unassociated Document
Exhibit
n.6
Consent
of
Independent Valuation Firm
We hereby consent
to be
named as the source of the information relating to the valuation of the
portfolio of debt investments to be purchased by GSC Investment Corp. and to
the
reference to us under the headings “Prospectus Summary—Initial Investment” and
“Business—Prospective Investments—The Portfolio” of this Registration Statement
No. 333-138051 on Form N-2.
/s/ Stuart C.
Gruskin
Senior Vice President
Valuation Research
Corporation
New York, New
York
February 6,
2007