Monroe Capital (MRCC) Risk Factors

We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation at the local, state and federal level. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may change from time to time, including as the result of interpretive guidance or other directives from the U.S. President and others in the executive branch, and new laws, regulations and interpretations may also come into effect, including those governing the types of investments we or our portfolio companies are permitted to make, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, and political uncertainty could increase regulatory uncertainty in the near term. The effects of legislative and regulatory proposals directed at the financial services industry or affecting taxation, may negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could lose any licenses that we then hold for the conduct of our business and may be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties. Additionally, changes to the laws and regulations governing our operations, including those associated with RICs, may cause us to alter our investment strategy in order to avail ourselves of new or different opportunities or result in the imposition of corporate-level taxes on us. Such changes could result in material differences to the strategies and plans set forth herein and may shift our investment focus from the areas of expertise of MC Advisors to other types of investments in which MC Advisors may have little or no expertise or experience. Any such changes, if they occur, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment. Over the last several years, there also has been an increase in regulatory attention to the extension of credit outside of the traditional banking sector, raising the possibility that some portion of the non-bank financial sector will be subject to new regulation. While it cannot be known at this time whether any regulation will be implemented or what form it will take, increased regulation of non-bank credit extension could negatively impact our operations, cash flows or financial condition, impose additional costs on us, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Neither we, our subsidiaries nor our investment adviser are currently subject to any material legal proceedings.?Item 1A. Risk FactorsIn addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 1, 2023, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. Other than as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.Our business and our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and to risks related to bank impairments or failures.Many of the portfolio companies in which we have invested or expect to make investments are likely to be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans during such periods. 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 our investments and harm business, financial condition, operating results and prospects. In March 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") took control of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and subsequently in May 2023 of First Republic Bank due to liquidity concerns and concerns have arisen regarding the stability of other banks and financial institutions. Also, the impairment or failure of one or more banks with whom we, our portfolio companies, and/or our investment adviser transact may inhibit our ability or the ability of our portfolio companies to access depository accounts. In such cases, we may be forced to delay or forgo investments, resulting in lower performance. In the event of such a failure of a banking institution where we or one or more of our portfolio companies holds depository accounts, access to such accounts could be restricted and U.S. FDIC protection may not be available for balances in excess of amounts insured by the FDIC. In such instances, we and our affected portfolio companies would not recover such excess, uninsured amounts. To the extent that we or the portfolio companies are impacted, our and their ability to access existing cash, cash equivalents and investments, or to access existing or enter into new banking arrangements or facilities to service our portfolio companies, may be threatened.The 1940 Act allows us to incur additional leverage, which could increase the risk of investing in us.The 1940 Act generally prohibits us from incurring indebtedness unless immediately after such borrowing we have an asset coverage for total borrowings of at least 200% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed half of the value of our total assets). However, under the Small Business Credit Availability Act (the "SBCAA"), which became law in March 2018, BDCs have the ability to elect to become subject to a lower asset coverage requirement of 150% (i.e., the amount of debt may not exceed two-thirds of the value of our total assets), subject to the receipt of the requisite board or stockholder approvals under the SBCAA and satisfaction of certain other conditions.On June 20, 2018, our stockholders approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements, as approved by our board of directors on March 27, 2018, and we became subject to the 150% minimum asset coverage ratio, effective June 21, 2018. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique and may increase the risk of investing in our securities. Leverage magnifies the potential for loss on investments in our indebtedness and on invested equity capital. As we use leverage to partially finance our investments, you will experience increased risks of investing in our securities. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value attributable to our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged our business. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net investment income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net investment income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to pay distributions, scheduled debt payments or other payments related to our securities. The effects of leverage would cause any decrease in net asset value for any losses to be greater than any increase in net asset value for any corresponding gains. If we incur additional leverage, you will experience increased risks of investing in our common stock.We maintain a revolving credit facility and use other borrowed funds to make investments or fund our business operations, which exposes us to risks typically associated with leverage and increases the risk of investing in us.We maintain a revolving credit facility, have issued debt securities and may borrow money, including through the issuance of additional debt securities or preferred stock, to leverage our capital structure, which is generally considered a speculative investment technique. As a result:- our common stock is exposed to an increased risk of loss because a decrease in the value of our investments would have a greater negative impact on the value of our common stock than if we did not use leverage;- if we do not appropriately match the assets and liabilities of our business, adverse changes in interest rates could reduce or eliminate the incremental income we make with the proceeds of any leverage;- our ability to pay distributions on our common stock may be restricted if our asset coverage ratio, as provided in the 1940 Act, is not at least 150% and any amounts used to service indebtedness or preferred stock would not be available for such distributions;- any credit facility is subject to periodic renewal by its lenders, whose continued participation cannot be guaranteed;- our revolving credit facility with ING Capital LLC, as agent, is, and any other credit facility we may enter into would be, subject to various financial and operating covenants, including that our portfolio of investments satisfies certain eligibility and concentration limits as well as valuation methodologies;- such securities would be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility;- we bear the cost of issuing and paying interest or distributions on such securities, which costs are entirely borne by our common stockholders; and- any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock.? The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing in the table below.??????????????    Assumed Return on Our Portfolio???(Net of Expenses) (1)?? -10%    -5%    0%    5%    10%?Corresponding return to common stockholder (2)(3) -34.39%  -21.83%  -9.28%   3.28%   15.83%(1)The assumed return on our portfolio is required by regulation of the SEC to assist investors in understanding the effects of leverage and is not a prediction of, and does not represent, our projected or actual performance.(2)Assumes $565.0 million in total assets, $340.0 million in debt outstanding, of which $334.6 million is senior securities outstanding, $225.0 million in net assets and an average cost of funds of 6.14%, which was the weighted average interest rate of borrowing on our revolving credit facility and 2026 Notes as of December 31, 2022. The interest rate on our revolving credit facility is a variable rate. Actual interest payments may be different.(3)In order for us to cover our annual interest payments on indebtedness, we must achieve annual returns on our December 31, 2022 total portfolio assets of at least 3.69%.We are subject to risks associated with our revolving credit facility and the terms of our revolving credit facility may contractually limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness.Our revolving credit facility, as amended, imposes certain conditions that may limit the amount of our distributions to stockholders. Distributions payable in our common stock under our dividend reinvestment plan are not limited by the revolving credit facility. Distributions in cash or property other than our common stock are generally limited to 115% of the amount of distributions required to maintain our ability to be subject to taxation as a RIC. We are required under the revolving credit facility to maintain our ability to be subject to taxation as a RIC.The revolving credit facility requires us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants, including asset coverage ratios and a minimum net worth. For example, the revolving credit facility requires that we maintain an asset coverage ratio of at least 1.5 to 1 and a senior debt coverage ratio of at least 2 to 1 at all times. We may divert cash to pay the lenders in amounts sufficient to cause these tests to be satisfied. Our compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which, such as market conditions, are beyond our control.Our ability to sell our investments is also limited under the revolving credit facility. Under the revolving credit facility, the sale of any portfolio investment may not cause our covered debt amount to exceed our borrowing base. As a result, there may be times or circumstances during which we are unable to sell investments, pay distributions or take other actions that might be in our best interests.Availability of borrowings under the revolving credit facility is linked to the valuation of the collateral pursuant to a borrowing base mechanism. As such, declines in the fair market value of our investments which are collateral to the revolving credit facility may reduce availability under our revolving credit facility.? Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity SecuritiesNone.?Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior SecuritiesNone.?Item 4. Mine Safety DisclosuresNone.?Item 5. Other InformationRule 10b5-1 Trading Plans.For the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, no director or officer of the Company has entered into any (i) contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of securities of the registrant intended to satisfy the alternative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) under the Exchange Act or (ii) any non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement. The Company has adopted insider trading policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and disposition of the Company's securities by officers and directors of the Company that are reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations.??

At any time, the federal income tax laws governing RICs or the administrative interpretations of those laws or regulations may be amended. The Biden Administration has enacted significant changes to the existing U.S. tax rules that include, among others, a minimum tax on book income and profits of certain multinational corporations, and there are a number of proposals in the U.S. Congress that would similarly modify U.S. tax rules. The likelihood of any new legislation being enacted is uncertain. Any new laws, regulations or interpretations may take effect retroactively and could adversely affect the taxation of us or our shareholders. Therefore, changes in tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations or any amendments thereto could diminish the value of an investment in our shares or the value or the resale potential of our investments.

The U.S. capital markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption following the spread of COVID-19 in the United States that began in December 2019. The global impact of the outbreak is rapidly evolving, and many countries have reacted by instituting quarantines, prohibitions on travel and the closure of offices, businesses, schools, retail stores and other public venues. Businesses have also implemented similar precautionary measures. Such measures, as well as the general uncertainty surrounding the dangers and impact of COVID-19, have created significant disruption in supply chains and economic activity. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant volatility in the global public equity markets and it is uncertain how long this volatility will continue. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the potential impacts, including a global, regional or other economic recession, remain uncertain and difficult to assess. Some economists and major investment banks have expressed concern that the continued spread of the virus globally could lead to a long-term world-wide economic downturn. Disruptions in the capital markets have increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets. These and future market disruptions and/or illiquidity would be expected to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Unfavorable economic conditions also would be expected to 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 have limited and could continue to limit our investment originations, limit our ability to grow and have a material negative impact on our operating results and the fair values of our debt and equity investments. Additionally, the disruption in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a negative effect on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required, and as a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes. An inability to raise or access capital, and any required sale of all or a portion of our investments as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Periods of market volatility could occur in response to pandemics or other events outside of our control. We, MC Advisors, and the portfolio companies in which we invest in could be affected by force majeure events (i.e., events beyond the control of the party claiming that the event has occurred, such as acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, war, terrorism, labor strikes, major plant breakdowns, pipeline or electricity line ruptures, failure of technology, defective design and construction, accidents, demographic changes, government macroeconomic policies, social instability, etc.). Some force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of a party (including us, MC Advisors, a portfolio company or a counterparty to us, MC Advisors, or a portfolio company) to perform its obligations until it is able to remedy the force majeure event. In addition, force majeure events, such as the cessation of the operation of equipment for repair or upgrade, could similarly lead to the unavailability of essential equipment and technologies. These risks could, among other effects, adversely impact the cash flows available from a portfolio company, cause personal injury or loss of life, including to a senior manager of MC Advisors or its affiliates, damage property, or instigate disruptions of service. In addition, the cost to a portfolio company or us of repairing or replacing damaged assets resulting from such force majeure event could be considerable. It will not be possible to insure against all such events, and insurance proceeds received, if any, could be inadequate to completely or even partially cover any loss of revenues or investments, any increases in operating and maintenance expenses, or any replacements or rehabilitation of property. Certain events causing catastrophic loss could be either uninsurable, or insurable at such high rates as to adversely impact us, MC Advisors, or portfolio companies, as applicable. Force majeure events that are incapable of or are too costly to cure could have permanent adverse effects. Certain force majeure events (such as war or an outbreak of an infectious disease) could have a broader negative impact on the world economy and international business activity generally, or in any of the countries in which we invest or our portfolio companies operate specifically. Such force majeure events could result in or coincide with: increased volatility in the global securities, derivatives and currency markets; a decrease in the reliability of market prices and difficulty in valuing assets; greater fluctuations in currency exchange rates; increased risk of default (by both government and private issuers); further social, economic, and political instability; nationalization of private enterprise; greater governmental involvement in the economy or in social factors that impact the economy; less governmental regulation and supervision of the securities markets and market participants and decreased monitoring of the markets by governments or self-regulatory organizations and reduced enforcement of regulations; limited, or limitations on, the activities of investors in such markets; controls or restrictions on foreign investment, capital controls and limitations on repatriation of invested capital; inability to purchase and sell investments or otherwise settle security or derivative transactions (i.e., a market freeze); unavailability of currency hedging techniques; substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation, which can last many years and have substantial negative effects on credit and securities markets as well as the economy as a whole; recessions; and difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments. Additionally, a major governmental intervention into industry, including the nationalization of an industry or the assertion of control over one or more portfolio companies or its assets, could result in a loss to us, including if the investment in such portfolio companies is canceled, unwound or acquired (which could result in inadequate compensation). Any of the foregoing could therefore adversely affect the performance of us and our investments.

In the past, the global capital markets experienced periods of disruption resulting in increasing spreads between the yields realized on riskier debt securities and those realized on securities perceived as being risk-free and a lack of liquidity in parts of the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector relating to subprime mortgages and the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated market. These events, along with the deterioration of the housing market, illiquid market conditions, declining business and consumer confidence and the failure of major financial institutions in the United States, led to a general decline in economic conditions. This economic decline materially and adversely affected the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and to financial firms in particular. If such a period of disruption were to occur in the future, to the extent that we wish to use debt to fund our investments, the debt capital that will be available to us, if at all, may be at a higher cost, and on terms and conditions that may be less favorable, than what we expect, which could negatively affect our financial performance and results. A prolonged period of market illiquidity may cause us to reduce the volume of loans we originate and/or fund below historical levels and adversely affect the value of our portfolio investments, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The spread between the yields realized on riskier debt securities and those realized on securities perceived as being risk-free has remained narrow on a relative basis recently. If these spreads were to widen or if there were deterioration of market conditions, these events could materially and adversely affect our business.

We do not have any internal management capacity or employees. We depend on the investment expertise, skill and network of business contacts of the senior investment professionals of MC Advisors, who evaluate, negotiate, structure, execute, monitor and service our investments in accordance with the terms of the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement. Our success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of the senior investment professionals of MC Advisors, particularly Messrs. Koenig, Solimene Jr., Egan and VanDerMeid, who comprise the MC Advisors investment committee. These individuals may have other demands on their time now and in the future, and we cannot assure you that they will continue to be actively involved in our management. Each of these individuals is an employee of MC Management and is not subject to an employment contract. The departure of any of these individuals or competing demands on their time in the future could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. MC Advisors evaluates, negotiates, structures, closes and monitors our investments in accordance with the terms of the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement. We can offer no assurance, however, that MC Advisors' senior investment professionals will continue to provide investment advice to us. If these individuals do not maintain their existing relationships with Monroe Capital and its affiliates and do not develop new relationships with other sources of investment opportunities, we may not be able to grow our investment portfolio or achieve our investment objective. In addition, individuals with whom Monroe Capital's senior investment professionals have relationships are not obligated to provide us with investment opportunities. Therefore, we can offer no assurance that such relationships will generate investment opportunities for us. MC Advisors, an affiliate of Monroe Capital, provides us with access to Monroe Capital's investment professionals. MC Advisors also depends upon Monroe Capital to obtain access to deal flow generated by the investment professionals of Monroe Capital and its affiliates. The Staffing Agreement provides that MC Management will make available to MC Advisors experienced investment professionals and access to the senior investment personnel of Monroe Capital for purposes of evaluating, negotiating, structuring, closing and monitoring our investments. We are not a party to this Staffing Agreement and cannot assure you that MC Management will continue to fulfill its obligations under the agreement. Furthermore, the Staffing Agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days' written notice to the other party. If MC Management fails to perform or terminates the agreement, we cannot assure you that MC Advisors will enforce the Staffing Agreement or that such agreement will not be terminated by either party or that we will continue to have access to the investment professionals of Monroe Capital and its affiliates or their information and deal flow. The investment committee that oversees our investment activities is provided by MC Advisors under the Investment Advisory and Management Agreement. The loss of any member of MC Advisors' investment committee or of other Monroe Capital senior investment professionals would limit our ability to achieve our investment objective and operate as we anticipate. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

MC Advisors is subject to numerous laws in various jurisdictions relating to privacy and the storage, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of information that we and our affiliates hold. The European Union's (the "EU") General Data Protection Regulation, the Cayman Islands Data Protection Law, 2017, and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 are recent examples of such laws, and MC Advisors anticipates new privacy and data protection laws will be passed in other jurisdictions in the future. In general, these laws introduce many new obligations on MC Advisors and its affiliates and service providers and create new rights for parties who have given us their personal information, such as investors and others. Breach of these laws could result in significant financial penalties for MC Advisors and/or us. As interpretation of these laws evolves and new laws are passed, MC Advisors could be required to make changes to its business practices, which could result in additional risks, costs and liabilities to us and adversely affect investment returns. While MC Advisors intends to comply with its privacy and data protection obligations under the privacy and data protection laws that are applicable to it, it is possible that MC Advisors will not be able to accurately anticipate the ways in which regulators and courts will apply or interpret these laws. A violation of applicable privacy and data protection law could result in negative publicity and/or subject MC Advisors or us, to significant costs associated with litigation, settlements, regulatory action, judgments, liabilities and/or penalties.