New Mountain Finance Corp: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2024

The information in management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations relates to New Mountain Finance Corporation, including its wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively, "we", "us", "our", "NMFC" or the "Company").

Forward-Looking Statements

The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with the financial data and consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report. Some of the statements in this report (including in the following discussion) constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or our financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained in this section involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including:

• statements concerning the impact of a protracted decline in the liquidity of credit markets;
• the general economy, including fluctuating interest and inflation rates, on the industries in which we invest;
• the impact of interest rate volatility, including the replacement of LIBOR with alternative reference rates and rising interest rates, on our business and our portfolio companies;
• our future operating results, our business prospects, the adequacy of our cash resources and working capital;
• the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;
• our ability to make investments consistent with our investment objectives, including with respect to the size, nature and terms of our investments;
• the ability of New Mountain Finance Advisers, L.L.C. (the "Investment Adviser"), formerly known as New Mountain Finance Advisers BDC, L.L.C., or its affiliates to attract and retain highly talented professionals;
• actual and potential conflicts of interest with the Investment Adviser and New Mountain Capital Group, L.P. (together with New Mountain Capital, L.L.C. and its affiliates, "New Mountain Capital"), whose ultimate owners include Steven B. Klinsky, other current and former New Mountain Capital professionals and related vehicles and a minority investor; and
• the risk factors set forth in Item 1A.—Risk Factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Forward-looking statements are identified by their use of such terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "potential", "project", "seek", "should", "target", "will", "would" or similar expressions. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in Item 1A.—Risk Factors contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this report on information available to us on the date of this report. We assume no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we have filed or in the future may file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

Overview

We are a Delaware corporation that was originally incorporated on June 29, 2010 and completed our initial public offering ("IPO") on May 19, 2011. We are a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company ("BDC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"). We have elected to be treated, and intend to comply with the requirements to continue to qualify annually, as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). Since our IPO, and through September 30, 2024, we have raised approximately $1,034.6 million in net proceeds from additional offerings of our common stock.

The Investment Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Mountain Capital. New Mountain Capital is a global investment firm with over $55 billion of assets under management and a track record of investing in the middle market. New Mountain Capital focuses on investing in defensive growth companies across its private equity, credit and net lease investment strategies. The Investment Adviser manages our day-to-day operations and provides us with investment advisory and management services. The Investment Adviser also manages other funds that may have investment mandates that are similar, in whole or in part, to ours. New Mountain Finance Administration, L.L.C. (the "Administrator”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Mountain Capital, provides the administrative services necessary to conduct our day-to-day operations.

We have established the following wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries:

• New Mountain Finance Holdings, L.L.C. ("NMF Holdings") and New Mountain Finance DB, L.L.C. ("NMFDB"), whose assets are used to secure NMF Holdings’ credit facility and were used to secured NMFDB’s credit facility, until its termination on September 30, 2024, respectively;
• New Mountain Finance SBIC, L.P. ("SBIC I") and New Mountain Finance SBIC II, L.P. ("SBIC II"), who have received licenses from the U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA") to operate as small business investment companies ("SBICs") under Section 301(c) of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, as amended (the "1958 Act") and their general partners, New Mountain Finance SBIC G.P., L.L.C. ("SBIC I GP") and New Mountain Finance SBIC II G.P., L.L.C. ("SBIC II GP"), respectively;
• NMF Ancora Holdings, Inc. ("NMF Ancora"), NMF QID NGL Holdings, Inc. ("NMF QID"), NMF YP Holdings, Inc. ("NMF YP"), NMF Permian Holdings, LLC ("NMF Permian"), NMF HB, Inc. ("NMF HB"), NMF TRM, LLC ("NMF TRM"), NMF Pioneer, Inc. ("NMF Pioneer") and NMF OEC, Inc. ("NMF OEC"), which are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and are intended to facilitate our compliance with the requirements to be treated as a RIC under the Code by holding equity or equity related investments in portfolio companies organized as limited liability companies (or other forms of pass-through entities); we consolidate these corporations for accounting purposes but the corporations are not consolidated for income tax purposes and may incur income tax expense as a result of their ownership of the portfolio companies; and
• New Mountain Finance Servicing, L.L.C. ("NMF Servicing"), which serves as the administrative agent on certain investment transactions.

New Mountain Net Lease Corporation ("NMNLC") is a majority-owned consolidated subsidiary of ours, which acquires commercial real estate properties that are subject to "triple net" leases has elected to be treated, and intends to comply with the requirements to continue to qualify annually, as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, within the meaning of Section 856(a) of the Code.

We are a leading BDC focused on providing direct lending solutions to U.S. upper middle market companies backed by top private equity sponsors. Our investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation through the sourcing and origination of senior secured loans and select junior capital positions, to growing businesses in defensive industries that offer attractive risk-adjusted returns. Our differentiated investment approach leverages the deep sector knowledge and operating resources of New Mountain Capital.

Senior secured loans may include traditional first lien loans or unitranche loans. We invest a significant portion of our portfolio in unitranche loans, which are loans that combine both senior and subordinated debt, generally in a first-lien position. Because unitranche loans combine characteristics of senior and subordinated debt, they have risks similar to the risks associated with secured debt and subordinated debt. Certain unitranche loan investments may include “last-out” positions, which generally heighten the risk of loss. In some cases, our investments may also include equity interests.

We primarily invest in senior secured debt of U.S. sponsor-backed, middle market companies. We define middle market companies as those with annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") of $10 million to $200 million. Our focus is on defensive growth businesses that generally exhibit the following characteristics: (i) acyclicality, (ii) sustainable secular growth drivers, (iii) niche market dominance and high barriers to competitive entry, (iv) recurring revenue and strong free cash flow, (v) flexible cost structures and (vi) seasoned management teams.

Similar to us, the investment objective of SBIC I and SBIC II is to generate current income and capital appreciation under the investment criteria we use. However, SBIC I and SBIC II investments must be in SBA eligible small businesses. Our portfolio may be concentrated in a limited number of industries. As of September 30, 2024, our top five industry concentrations were software, business services, healthcare, investment funds (which includes our investments in our joint ventures) and consumer services.

As of September 30, 2024, our net asset value was approximately $1,361.3 million and our portfolio had a fair value, as determined in good faith by the board of directors, of approximately $3,265.3 million in 127 portfolio companies, with a weighted average yield to maturity at cost for income producing investments ("YTM at Cost") of approximately 10.5% and a weighted average yield to maturity at cost for all investments ("YTM at Cost for Investments") of approximately 9.5%. The YTM at Cost calculation assumes that all investments, including secured collateralized agreements, not on non-accrual are purchased at cost on the quarter end date and held until their respective maturities with no prepayments or losses and exited at par at maturity. The YTM at Cost for Investments calculation assumes that all investments, including secured collateralized agreements, are purchased at cost on the quarter end date and held until their respective maturities with no prepayments or losses and exited at par at maturity. YTM at Cost and YTM at Cost for Investments calculations exclude the impact of existing leverage. YTM at Cost and YTM at Cost for Investments use Sterling Overnight Interbank Average Rate ("SONIA"), Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") and Euro Interbank Offered Rate ("EURIBOR") curves at each quarter's end date. The actual yield to maturity may be higher or lower due to the future selection of the SONIA, SOFR and EURIBOR contracts by the individual companies in our portfolio or other factors.

Recent Developments

On October 23, 2024, our board of directors declared a fourth quarter 2024 distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to third quarter earnings of $0.01 per share, each payable on December 31, 2024 to holders of record as of December 17, 2024.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following items as critical accounting policies.

Basis of Accounting

We consolidate our wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries: NMF Holdings, NMF Servicing, NMFDB, SBIC I, SBIC I GP, SBIC II, SBIC II GP, NMF Ancora, NMF QID, NMF YP, NMF Permian, NMF HB, NMF TRM, NMF Pioneer and NMF OEC and our majority-owned consolidated subsidiary, NMNLC. We are an investment company following accounting and reporting guidance as described in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies ("ASC 946").

Valuation and Leveling of Portfolio Investments

At all times consistent with GAAP and the 1940 Act, we conduct a valuation of our assets, which impacts our net asset value.

We value our assets on a quarterly basis, or more frequently if required under the 1940 Act. In all cases, our board of directors is ultimately and solely responsible for determining the fair value of our portfolio investments on a quarterly basis in good faith, including investments that are not publicly traded, those whose market prices are not readily available and any other situation where our portfolio investments require a fair value determination. Security transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. Our quarterly valuation procedures are set forth in more detail below:

(1) Investments for which market quotations are readily available on an exchange are valued at such market quotations based on the closing price indicated from independent pricing services.

(2) Investments for which indicative prices are obtained from various pricing services and/or brokers or dealers are valued through a multi-step valuation process, as described below, to determine whether the quote(s) obtained is representative of fair value in accordance with GAAP.

a. Bond quotes are obtained through independent pricing services. Internal reviews are performed by the investment professionals of the Investment Adviser to ensure that the quote obtained is representative of fair value in accordance with GAAP and, if so, the quote is used. If the Investment Adviser is unable to sufficiently validate the quote(s) internally and if the investment's par value or its fair value exceeds the materiality threshold, the investment is valued similarly to those assets with no readily available quotes (see (3) below); and

b. For investments other than bonds, we look at the number of quotes readily available and perform the following procedures:

i. Investments for which two or more quotes are received from a pricing service are valued using the mean of the mean of the bid and ask of the quotes obtained. We will evaluate the reasonableness of the quote, and if the quote is determined to not be representative of fair value, we will use one or more of the methodologies outlined below to determine fair value;

ii. Investments for which one quote is received from a pricing service are validated internally. The investment professionals of the Investment Adviser analyze the market quotes obtained using an array of valuation methods (further described below) to validate the fair value. If the Investment Adviser is unable to sufficiently validate the quote internally and if the investment's par value or its fair value exceeds the materiality threshold, the investment is valued similarly to those assets with no readily available quotes (see (3) below).

(3) Investments for which quotations are not readily available through exchanges, pricing services, brokers, or dealers are valued through a multi-step valuation process:

a. Each portfolio company or investment is initially valued by the investment professionals of the Investment Adviser responsible for the credit monitoring;

b. Preliminary valuation conclusions will then be documented and discussed with our senior management;

c. If an investment falls into (3) above for four consecutive quarters and if the investment's par value or its fair value exceeds the materiality threshold, then at least once each fiscal year, the valuation for each portfolio investment for which we do not have a readily available market quotation will be reviewed by an independent valuation firm engaged by our board of directors; and

d. When deemed appropriate by our management, an independent valuation firm may be engaged to review and value investment(s) of a portfolio company, without any preliminary valuation being performed by the Investment Adviser. The investment professionals of the Investment Adviser will review and validate the value provided.

For investments in revolving credit facilities and delayed draw commitments, the cost basis of the funded investments purchased is offset by any costs/netbacks received for any unfunded portion on the total balance committed. The fair value is also adjusted for the price appreciation or depreciation on the unfunded portion. As a result, the purchase of a commitment not completely funded may result in a negative fair value until it is called and funded.

The values assigned to investments are based upon available information and do not necessarily represent amounts which might ultimately be realized, since such amounts depend on future circumstances and cannot be reasonably determined until the individual positions are liquidated. 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 fluctuate from period to period and the fluctuations could be material.

GAAP fair value measurement guidance classifies the inputs used in measuring fair value into three levels as follows:

Level I—Quoted prices (unadjusted) are available in active markets for identical investments and we have the ability to access such quotes as of the reporting date. The type of investments which would generally be included in Level I include active exchange-traded equity securities and exchange-traded derivatives. As required by Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"), we, to the extent that we hold such investments, do not adjust the quoted price for these investments, even in situations where we hold a large position and a sale could reasonably impact the quoted price.

Level II—Pricing inputs are observable for the investments, either directly or indirectly, as of the reporting date, but are not the same as those used in Level I. Level II inputs include the following:

• Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets;
• Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets (examples include corporate and municipal bonds, which trade infrequently);
• Pricing models whose inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability (examples include most over-the-counter derivatives, including foreign exchange forward contracts); and
• Pricing models whose inputs are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data through correlation or other means for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level III—Pricing inputs are unobservable for the investment and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment.

The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels. In all instances when the inputs fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the level within which the fair value measurement is categorized is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. As such, a Level III fair value measurement may include inputs that are both observable and unobservable. Gains and losses for such assets categorized within the Level III table below may include changes in fair value that are attributable to both observable inputs and unobservable inputs.

The inputs into the determination of fair value require significant judgment or estimation by management and consideration of factors specific to each investment. A review of the fair value hierarchy classifications is conducted on a quarterly basis. Changes in the observability of valuation inputs may result in the transfer of certain investments within the fair value hierarchy from period to period.

See Item 1.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 4. Fair Value in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on fair value hierarchy as of September 30, 2024.

We generally use the following framework when determining the fair value of investments where there are little, if any, market activity or observable pricing inputs. We typically determine the fair value of our performing debt investments utilizing an income approach. Additional consideration is given using a market based approach, as well as reviewing the overall underlying portfolio company's performance and associated financial risks. The following outlines additional details on the approaches considered:

Company Performance, Financial Review, and Analysis: Prior to investment, as part of our due diligence process, we evaluate the overall performance and financial stability of the portfolio company. Post investment, we analyze each portfolio company's current operating performance and relevant financial trends versus prior year and budgeted results, including, but not limited to, factors affecting its revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") growth, margin trends, liquidity position, covenant compliance and changes to its capital structure. We also attempt to identify and subsequently track any developments at the portfolio company, within its customer or vendor base or within the industry or the macroeconomic environment, generally, that may alter any material element of our original investment thesis. This analysis is specific to each portfolio company. We leverage the knowledge gained from our original due diligence process, augmented by this subsequent monitoring, to continually refine our outlook for each of our portfolio companies and ultimately form the valuation of our investment in each portfolio company. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent sale occurs, we will consider the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate the private valuation.

For debt investments, we may employ the Market Based Approach (as described below) to assess the total enterprise value of the portfolio company, in order to evaluate the enterprise value coverage of our debt investment. For equity investments or in cases where the Market Based Approach implies a lack of enterprise value coverage for the debt investment, we may additionally employ a discounted cash flow analysis based on the free cash flows of the portfolio company to assess the total enterprise value. After enterprise value coverage is demonstrated for our debt investments through the method(s) above, the Income Based Approach (as described below) may be employed to estimate the fair value of the investment.

Market Based Approach: We may estimate the total enterprise value of each portfolio company by utilizing EBITDA or revenue multiples of publicly traded comparable companies and comparable transactions. We consider numerous factors when selecting the appropriate companies whose trading multiples are used to value our portfolio companies. These factors include, but are not limited to, the type of organization, similarity to the business being valued, and relevant risk factors, as well as size, profitability and growth expectations. We may apply an average of various relevant comparable company EBITDA or revenue multiples to the portfolio company's latest twelve month ("LTM") EBITDA or revenue, or projected EBITDA or revenue to calculate the enterprise value of the portfolio company. Significant increases or decreases in the EBITDA or revenue multiples will result in an increase or decrease in enterprise value, which may result in an increase or decrease in the fair value estimate of the investment.

Income Based Approach: We also may use a discounted cash flow analysis to estimate the fair value of the investment. Projected cash flows represent the relevant security's contractual interest, fee and principal payments plus the assumption of full principal recovery at the investment's expected maturity date. These cash flows are discounted at a rate established utilizing a combination of a yield calibration approach and a comparable investment approach. The yield calibration approach incorporates changes in the credit quality (as measured by relevant statistics) of the portfolio company, as compared to changes in the yield associated with comparable credit quality market indices, between the date of origination and the valuation date. The comparable investment approach utilizes an average yield-to maturity of a selected set of high-quality, liquid investments to determine a comparable investment discount rate. Significant increases or decreases in the discount rate would result in a decrease or increase in the fair value measurement.

See Item 1.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 4. Fair Value in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information on unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of our Level III investments as of September 30, 2024.

NMFC Senior Loan Program III LLC

NMFC Senior Loan Program III LLC ("SLP III") was formed as a Delaware limited liability company and commenced operations on April 25, 2018. SLP III is structured as a private joint venture investment fund between us and SkyKnight Income II, LLC (“SkyKnight II”) and operates under a limited liability company agreement (the "SLP III Agreement"). The purpose of the joint venture is to invest primarily in senior secured loans issued by portfolio companies within our core industry verticals. These investments are typically broadly syndicated first lien loans. All investment decisions must be unanimously approved by the board of managers of SLP III, which has equal representation from us and SkyKnight II. SLP III has a five year investment period and will continue in existence until July 8, 2029. On July 3, 2024, the investment period was extended until July 8, 2027. The investment period may be extended for up to one year pursuant to certain terms of the SLP III Agreement.

SLP III is capitalized with equity contributions which are called from its members, on a pro-rata basis based on their equity commitments, as transactions are completed. Any decision by SLP III to call down on capital commitments requires approval by the board of managers of SLP III. As of September 30, 2024, we and SkyKnight II have committed and contributed $160.0 million and $40.0 million, respectively, of equity to SLP III. Our investment in SLP III is disclosed on our Consolidated Schedule of Investments as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

On May 2, 2018, SLP III entered into its revolving credit facility with Citibank, N.A. As of the amendment on July 3, 2024, the maturity date of SLP III's revolving credit facility was extended from January 8, 2026 to January 8, 2029, and the reinvestment period was extended from July 8, 2026 to July 8, 2027. As of the amendment on July 3, 2024, during the reinvestment period, the credit facility bears interest at a rate of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") plus 1.65%, and after the reinvestment period it will bear interest at a rate of SOFR plus 1.95%. From June 23, 2023 to July 3, 2024, during the reinvestment period, the credit facility bore interest at a rate of SOFR plus 1.80%, and after the reinvestment period it bore interest at a rate of SOFR plus 2.10%. Prior to the amendment on June 23, 2023, the facility bore interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.60% per annum during the reinvestment period and LIBOR plus 1.90% per annum after the reinvestment period. As of September 30, 2024, SLP III's revolving credit facility has a maximum borrowing capacity of $600.0 million. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, SLP III had total investments with an aggregate fair value of approximately $680.7 million and $636.6 million, respectively, and debt outstanding under its credit facility of $473.2 million and $453.2 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, none of SLP III's investments were on non-accrual. Additionally, as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, SLP III had unfunded commitments in the form of delayed draws of $1.8 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

Below is a summary of SLP III's portfolio as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:

(in thousands)

(1) Reflects principal amount or par value of investment.

(2) Computed as the all in interest rate in effect on accruing investments divided by the total principal amount of investments.

See Item 1.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3. Investments in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a listing of the individual investments in SLP III's portfolio as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and additional information on certain summarized financial information for SLP III as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023.

NMFC Senior Loan Program IV LLC

NMFC Senior Loan Program IV LLC ("SLP IV") was formed as a Delaware limited liability company on April 6, 2021, and commenced operations on May 5, 2021. SLP IV is structured as a private joint venture investment fund between us and SkyKnight Income Alpha, LLC ("SkyKnight Alpha") and operates under the First Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of NMFC Senior Loan Program IV LLC, dated May 5, 2021 (the "SLP IV Agreement"). Upon the effectiveness of the SLP IV Agreement, the members contributed their respective membership interests in NMFC Senior Loan Program I LLC ("SLP I") and NMFC Senior Loan Program II LLC ("SLP II") to SLP IV. Immediately following the contribution of their membership interests, SLP I and SLP II became wholly-owned subsidiaries of SLP IV. The purpose of the joint venture is to invest primarily in senior secured loans issued by portfolio companies within our core industry verticals. These investments are typically broadly syndicated first lien loans. All investment decisions must be unanimously approved by the board of managers of SLP IV, which has equal representation from us and SkyKnight Alpha. SLP IV had a five year investment period and will continue in existence until May 5, 2029. On March 15, 2024, the investment period was extended until May 5, 2027 pursuant to the terms of the SLP IV Agreement.

SLP IV is capitalized with equity contributions which were transferred and contributed from its members. As of September 30, 2024, we and SkyKnight Alpha have transferred and contributed $112.4 million and $30.6 million, respectively, of their membership interests in SLP I and SLP II to SLP IV. Our investment in SLP IV is disclosed on our Consolidated Schedule of Investments as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

On May 5, 2021, SLP IV entered into a $370.0 million revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association which matures on March 27, 2029. As of the amendment on March 27, 2024, the facility bears interest at a rate of SOFR plus 1.90%. From April 28, 2023 to March 27, 2024, the facility bore interest at a rate of SOFR plus 1.70%. Prior to the amendment on April 28, 2023, the facility bore interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 1.60% per annum. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, SLP IV had total investments with an aggregate fair value of approximately $466.3 million and $467.9 million, respectively, and debt outstanding under its credit facility of $341.9 million and $306.5 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, none of SLP IV’s investments were on non-accrual. Additionally, as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, SLP IV had unfunded commitments in the form of delayed draws of $0.8 million and $0.8 million, respectively.

Below is a summary of SLP IV's consolidated portfolio as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:

(in thousands)

(1) Reflects principal amount or par value of investment.

(2) Computed as the all in interest rate in effect on accruing investments divided by the total principal amount of investments.

See Item 1.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 3. Investments in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a listing of the individual investments in SLP IV's consolidated portfolio as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and additional information on certain summarized financial information for SLP IV as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023.

New Mountain Net Lease Corporation

NMNLC was formed to acquire commercial real estate properties that are subject to "triple net" leases. NMNLC's investments are disclosed on our Consolidated Schedule of Investments as of September 30, 2024.

On March 30, 2020, an affiliate of the Investment Adviser purchased directly from NMNLC 105,030 shares of NMNLC’s common stock at a price of $107.73 per share, which represented the net asset value per share of NMNLC at the date of purchase, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $11.3 million. Immediately thereafter, NMNLC redeemed 105,030 shares of its common stock held by NMFC in exchange for a promissory note with a principal amount of $11.3 million and a 7.0% interest rate, which was repaid by NMNLC to NMFC on March 31, 2020. Effective July 1, 2024, NMNLC purchased 63,575 shares of NMNLC's common stock from an affiliate of the Investment Adviser at remaining original cost, a price of $73.39 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.7 million. Immediately thereafter, NMNLC sold the 63,575 shares of its common stock to NMFC at remaining original cost, a price of $73.39 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.7 million.

Below is certain summarized property information for NMNLC as of September 30, 2024:

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Collateralized agreements or repurchase financings

We follow the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 860, Transfers and Servicing—Secured Borrowing and Collateral ("ASC 860") when accounting for transactions involving the purchases of securities under collateralized agreements to resell (resale agreements). These transactions are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are recorded at their contracted resale or repurchase amounts, as specified in the respective agreements. Interest on collateralized agreements is accrued and recognized over the life of the transaction and included in interest income. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we held one collateralized agreement to resell with a cost basis of $30.0 million and $30.0 million, respectively, and a fair value of $13.5 million and $16.5 million, respectively. The collateralized agreement to resell is on non-accrual. The collateralized agreement to resell is guaranteed by a private hedge fund, PPVA Fund, L.P. The private hedge fund is currently in liquidation under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to the terms of the collateralized agreement, the private hedge fund was obligated to repurchase the collateral from us at the par value of the collateralized agreement. The private hedge fund has breached its agreement to repurchase the collateral under the collateralized agreement. The default by the private hedge fund did not release the collateral to us, therefore, we do not have full rights and title to the collateral. A claim has been filed with the Cayman Islands joint official liquidators to resolve this matter. The joint official liquidators have recognized our contractual rights under the collateralized agreement. We continue to exercise our rights under the collateralized agreement and continue to monitor the liquidation process of the private hedge fund. The fair value of the collateralized agreement to resell is reflective of the increased risk of the position.

PPVA Black Elk (Equity) LLC

On May 3, 2013, we entered into a collateralized securities purchase and put agreement (the “SPP Agreement”) with a private hedge fund. Under the SPP Agreement, we purchased twenty million Class E Preferred Units of Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC (“Black Elk”) for $20.0 million with a corresponding obligation of the private hedge fund, PPVA Black Elk (Equity) LLC, to repurchase the preferred units for $20.0 million plus other amounts due under the SPP Agreement. The majority owner of Black Elk was the private hedge fund. In August 2014, we received a payment of $20.5 million, the full amount due under the SPP Agreement.

In August 2017, a trustee (the “Trustee”) for Black Elk informed us that the Trustee intended to assert a fraudulent conveyance claim (the “Claim”) against us and one of its affiliates seeking the return of the $20.5 million repayment. Black Elk filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition pursuant to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in August 2015. The Trustee alleged that individuals affiliated with the private hedge fund conspired with Black Elk and others to improperly use proceeds from the sale of certain Black Elk assets to repay, in August 2014, the private hedge fund’s obligation to us under the SPP Agreement. We were unaware of these claims at the time the repayment was received. The private hedge fund is currently in liquidation under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

On December 22, 2017, we settled the Trustee’s $20.5 million Claim for $16.0 million and filed a claim with the Cayman Islands joint official liquidators of the private hedge fund for $16.0 million that is owed to us under the SPP Agreement. The SPP Agreement was restored and is in effect since repayment has not been made. We continue to exercise our rights under the SPP Agreement and continue to monitor the liquidation process of the private hedge fund. During the year ended December 31, 2018, we received a $1.5 million payment from our insurance carrier in respect to the settlement. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the SPP Agreement had a cost basis of $14.5 million and $14.5 million, respectively, and a fair value of $6.5 million and $8.0 million, respectively, which is reflective of the higher inherent risk in this transaction.

Revenue Recognition

Sales and paydowns of investments: Realized gains and losses on investments are determined on the specific identification method.

Interest and dividend income: Interest income, including amortization of premium and discount using the effective interest method, is recorded on the accrual basis and periodically assessed for collectability. Interest income also includes interest earned from cash on hand. Upon the prepayment of a loan or debt security, any prepayment penalties are recorded as part of interest income. We have loans and certain preferred equity investments in the portfolio that contain a payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest or dividend provision. PIK interest and dividends are accrued and recorded as income at the contractual rates, if deemed collectible. The PIK interest and dividends are added to the principal or share balances on the capitalization dates and are generally due at maturity or when redeemed by the issuer. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 we recognized PIK and non-cash interest from investments of approximately $9.1 million and $27.7 million, respectively, and PIK and non-cash dividends from investments of approximately $8.3 million and $23.5 million, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we recognized PIK and non-cash interest from investments of approximately $7.9 million and $24.8 million, respectively, and PIK and non-cash dividends from investments of approximately $7.0 million and $20.2 million, respectively.

Dividend income on common equity is recorded on the record date for private portfolio companies or on the ex-dividend date for publicly traded portfolio companies. Dividend income on preferred securities is recorded as dividend income on an accrual basis to the extent that such amounts are deemed collectible.

Non-accrual income: Investments are placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due for 30 days or more and when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected. Accrued cash and un-capitalized PIK interest or dividends are reversed when an investment is placed on non-accrual status. Previously capitalized PIK interest or dividends are not reversed when an investment is placed on non-accrual status. Interest or dividend payments received on non-accrual investments may be recognized as income or applied to principal depending upon management’s judgment of the ultimate collectibility. Non-accrual investments are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest is paid and, in management’s judgment, are likely to remain current.

Other income: Other income represents delayed compensation, consent or amendment fees, revolver fees, structuring fees, upfront fees and other miscellaneous fees received and are typically non-recurring in nature. Delayed compensation is income earned from counterparties on trades that do not settle within a set number of business days after trade date. Other income may also include fees from bridge loans. We may from time to time enter into bridge financing commitments, an obligation to provide interim financing to a counterparty until permanent credit can be obtained. These commitments are short-term in nature and may expire unfunded. A fee is received for providing such commitments. Structuring fees and upfront fees are recognized as income when earned, usually when paid at the closing of the investment, and are non-refundable.

Monitoring of Portfolio Investments

We monitor the performance and financial trends of our portfolio companies on at least a quarterly basis. We attempt to identify any developments within the portfolio company, the industry or the macroeconomic environment that may alter any material element of our original investment strategy. Our portfolio monitoring procedures are designed to provide a simple yet comprehensive analysis of our portfolio companies based on their operating performance and underlying business characteristics, which in turn forms the basis of its Risk Rating (as defined below).

We use an investment risk rating system to characterize and monitor the credit profile and expected level of returns on each investment in the portfolio. As such, we assign each investment a composite score (“Risk Rating”) based on two metrics – 1) Operating Performance and 2) Business Characteristics:

• Operating Performance assesses the health of the investment in context of its financial performance and the market environment it faces. The metric is expressed in Tiers of “4” to “1”, with “4” being the best and “1” being the worst:
• Tier 4 – Business performance is in-line with or above expectations
• Tier 3 – Moderate business underperformance and/or moderate market headwinds
• Tier 2 – Significant business underperformance and/or significant market headwinds
• Tier 1 – Severe business underperformance and/or severe market headwinds
• Business Characteristics assesses the health of the investment in context of the underlying portfolio company’s business and credit quality, the underlying portfolio company’s current balance sheet, and the level of support from the

equity sponsor. The metric is expressed as on a qualitative scale of “A” to “C”, with “A” being the best and “C” being the worst.

The Risk Rating for each investment is a composite of these two metrics. The Risk Rating is expressed in categories of Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, with Green reflecting an investment that is in-line with or above expectations and Red reflecting an investment performing materially below expectations. The mapping of the composite scores to these categories are below:

• Green – 4C, 3B, 2A, 4B, 3A, and 4A (e.g., Tier 4 for Operating Performance and C for Business Characteristics)
• Yellow – 3C, 2B, and 1A
• Orange – 2C and 1B
• Red – 1C

The following table shows the Risk Rating of our portfolio companies as of September 30, 2024:

(in millions)

As of September 30, 2024, all investments in our portfolio had a Green Risk Rating with the exception of four portfolio companies that had a Yellow Risk Rating, and six portfolio companies that had an Orange Risk Rating. As of September 30, 2024, no portfolio companies had a Red Risk Rating.

During the second quarter of 2022, we placed our second lien positions in National HME, Inc. ("National HME") on non-accrual status. As of September 30, 2024, our second lien position in National HME had an aggregate cost basis of $7.9 million, an aggregate fair value of $3.0 million and total unearned interest income of $0.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, for the three and nine months then ended. As of September 30, 2024, our investment in National HME had an Orange Risk Rating.

As of September 30, 2024, our aggregate principal amount of our subordinated position and first lien term loans in American Achievement Corporation ("AAC") was $5.2 million and $31.4 million, respectively. During the first quarter of 2021, we placed an aggregate principal amount of $5.2 million of our subordinated position on non-accrual status. During the third quarter of 2021, we placed an aggregate principal amount of $13.5 million of our first lien term loans on non-accrual status. During the third quarter of 2023, we placed the remaining aggregate principal amount of $17.9 million of our first lien term loans on non-accrual status. As of September 30, 2024, our positions in AAC on non-accrual status had an aggregate cost basis of $31.4 million, an aggregate fair value of $18.0 million and total unearned interest income of $1.3 million and $3.7 million, for the three and nine months then ended. As of September 30, 2024, our investment in AAC had an Orange Risk Rating.

During the first quarter of 2020, we placed our investment in our junior preferred shares of UniTek Global Services, Inc. ("UniTek") on non-accrual status. As of September 30, 2024, our junior preferred shares of UniTek had an aggregate cost basis of $34.4 million, an aggregate fair value of $0 and total unearned dividend income of $2.2 million and $6.4 million, respectively, for the three and nine months then ended. During the third quarter of 2021, we placed an aggregate principal amount of $19.8 million of our investment in our senior preferred shares of UniTek on non-accrual status. As of September 30, 2024, our senior preferred shares of UniTek had an aggregate cost basis of $19.8 million, an aggregate fair value of approximately $2.4 million and total unearned dividend income of approximately $1.7 million and $4.9 million, respectively, for the three and nine months then ended. As of September 30, 2024, our investment in UniTek had a Green Risk Rating.

During the second quarter of 2024, we placed our investment in our junior preferred shares in Eclipse Topco Holdings, Inc. (fka Transcendia Holdings, Inc.) ("Transcendia") on non-accrual status. As of September 30, 2024, our junior preferred shares in Transcendia had an aggregate cost basis of $2.6 million, an aggregate fair value of $2.7 million and total unearned income of $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively, for the three and nine months then ended. As of September 30, 2024, our investment in Transcendia had a Green Risk Rating.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, our security purchased under collateralized agreements to resell was placed on non-accrual. As of September 30, 2024, our investment in this security had a Yellow Risk Rating and had an aggregate cost basis of $30.0 million and an aggregate fair value of approximately $13.5 million.

Portfolio and Investment Activity

The fair value of our investments, as determined in good faith by our board of directors, was approximately $3,265.3 million in 127 portfolio companies at September 30, 2024 and approximately $3,011.3 million in 110 portfolio companies at December 31, 2023.

The following table shows our portfolio and investment activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023:

(in millions)

Recent Accounting Standards Updates

See Item 1.—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 13. Recent Accounting Standards Updates in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for details on recent accounting standards updates.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023

Revenue

(in thousands)

Our total investment income increased by approximately $1.0 million, or 1%, for the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, total investment income of approximately $95.3 million consisted of approximately $61.9 million in cash interest from investments, approximately $9.0 million in PIK and non-cash interest from investments, approximately $0.1 million in prepayment fees, net amortization of purchase premiums and discounts of approximately $1.7 million, approximately $12.0 million in cash dividends from investments, approximately $8.4 million in PIK and non-cash dividends from investments and approximately $2.2 million in other income. The decrease in interest income of approximately $1.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily due to the decrease in total coupon rates on our floating rate investments, partially offset by a larger invested balance. The increase in dividend income of approximately $2.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily due to an increase in cash dividends from SLP III and an increase in PIK dividends on our preferred equity investments. Other income during the three months ended September 30, 2024, which represents fees that are generally non-recurring in nature, was primarily attributable to upfront and amendment fees received from 19 different portfolio companies.

Operating Expenses

(in thousands)

Our total net operating expenses increased by approximately $6.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. Our management fee, net of a management fee waiver, remained relatively flat for the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. Our incentive fee decreased by approximately $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in incentives fees was attributable to a decrease in net investment income. Interest and other financing expenses increased by approximately $6.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 as a result of the acceleration of financing costs upon termination of the DB Credit Facility, an increase in our cost of borrowings due to higher SOFR rates on our floating rate facilities, our 8.250% Unsecured Notes, issued on November 13, 2023 and our 6.875% Unsecured Notes, issued on February 1, 2024, partially offset by the repayment of our 2019A Unsecured Notes on February 5, 2024. Our total professional fees, administrative expenses and total other general and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 remained relatively flat.

Net Realized Gains (Losses) and Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

(in thousands)

Our net realized losses and unrealized gains and losses resulted in a net loss of approximately $11.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to net realized gains and unrealized losses resulting in a net loss of approximately $12.0 million for the same period in 2023. As movement in unrealized appreciation or depreciation can be the result of realizations, we look at net realized and unrealized gains or losses together. The net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2024 was primarily driven by unrealized depreciation in New Permian Holdco, Inc., TVG-Edmentum Holdings, LLC ("Edmentum") and AAC, partially offset by unrealized appreciation in HB Wealth Management, LLC ("Homrich"), NM NL Holdings, L.P. and NM YI, LLC. The provision for income taxes was attributable to equity investments that are held as of September 30, 2024 in eight of our corporate subsidiaries. The net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily driven by unrealized depreciation in Edmentum and UniTek, partially offset by realized gains in Haven Midstream Holdings LLC and unrealized appreciation in Vectra Co. and TMK Hawk Parent, Corp. See Monitoring of Portfolio Investments above for more details regarding the health of our portfolio companies.

Investment Income and Net Realized and Unrealized (Losses) Gains Related to Non-Controlling Interest in New Mountain Net Lease Corporation ("NMNLC")

(in thousands)

Results of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023

Revenue

(in thousands)

Our total investment income remained relatively flat for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, total investment income of approximately $280.5 million consisted of approximately $174.8 million in cash interest from investments, approximately $27.7 million in PIK and non-cash interest from investments, approximately $0.6 million in prepayment fees, net amortization of purchase premiums and discounts of approximately $5.8 million, approximately $39.4 million in cash dividends from investments, approximately $23.6 million in PIK and non-cash dividends from investments and approximately $8.6 million in other income. The decrease in interest income of approximately $10.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily due to lower leverage, resulting in a smaller invested asset base, along with slightly lower yields on the portfolio. The increase in dividend income of approximately $8.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily driven by an increase in cash dividends from our investments in SLP III and SLP IV, an increase in PIK dividends on our preferred equity investments and a cash distribution from our common shares investment in OA Topco, L.P. Other income during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, which represents fees that are generally non-recurring in nature, was primarily attributable to upfront and amendment fees received from 61 different portfolio companies.

Operating Expenses

(in thousands)

Our total net operating expenses increased by approximately $6.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Our management fee, net of a management fee waiver, remained relatively flat for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Our incentive fee decreased by approximately $2.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in incentive fees was attributable to a decrease in net investment income. Interest and other financing expenses increased by approximately $7.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as a result of the acceleration of financing costs upon termination of the DB Credit Facility, an increase in our cost of borrowings due to higher SOFR rates on our floating rate facilities, our 8.250% Unsecured Notes, issued on November 13, 2023 and our 6.875% Unsecured Notes, issued on February 1, 2024, partially offset by the repayment of our 2019A Unsecured Notes on February 5, 2024. Our total professional fees, administrative expenses and total other general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 remained relatively flat.

Net Realized Gains (Losses) and Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

(in thousands)

Our net realized losses and unrealized gains and losses resulted in a net loss of approximately $24.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to net realized gains and unrealized losses resulting in a net loss of approximately $10.4 million for the same period in 2023. As movement in unrealized appreciation or depreciation can be the result of realizations, we look at net realized and unrealized gains or losses together. The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was primarily driven by realized losses in New Trojan Parent, Inc., TMK Hawk Parent, Corp., and Transcendia and unrealized depreciation in Edmentum, Permian and New Benevis Holdco, Inc., partially offset by realized gains in Haven Midstream Holdings LLC and unrealized appreciation in NM GP Holdco, LLC, UniTek, Homrich and CentralSquare Technologies, LLC. The benefit for income taxes was attributable to equity investments that are held as of September 30, 2024 in eight of our corporate subsidiaries. The net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily driven by realized losses in National HME and ADG, LLC, and unrealized depreciation in Ansira, Edmentum and

New Trojan Parent, Inc., partially offset by realized gains in Haven Midstream Holdings LLC and unrealized appreciation in UniTek. See Monitoring of Portfolio Investments above for more details regarding the health of our portfolio companies.

Investment Income and Net Realized and Unrealized (Losses) Gains Related to Non-Controlling Interest in New Mountain Net Lease Corporation ("NMNLC")

(in thousands)

Liquidity, Capital Resources, Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Contractual Obligations

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The primary use of existing funds and any funds raised in the future is expected to be for repayment of indebtedness, investments in portfolio companies, cash distributions to our stockholders or for other general corporate purposes.

Since our IPO, and through September 30, 2024, we have raised approximately $1,034.6 million in net proceeds from additional offerings of common stock.

Our liquidity is generated and generally available through advances from the revolving credit facilities, from cash flows from operations, and, we expect, through periodic follow-on equity offerings. In addition, we may from time to time enter into additional debt facilities, increase the size of existing facilities or issue additional debt securities, including unsecured debt and/or debt securities convertible into common stock. Any such incurrence or issuance would be subject to prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors. On June 8, 2018 our shareholders approved the application of the modified asset coverage requirements set forth in Section 61(a) of the 1940 Act, which resulted in the reduction of the minimum asset coverage ratio applicable to us from 200.0% to 150.0% as of June 9, 2018. In accordance with the 1940 Act, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, calculated pursuant to the 1940 Act, is at least 150.0% after such borrowing (which means we can borrow $2 for every $1 of our equity). As a result of our exemptive relief received on November 5, 2014, we are permitted to exclude the SBA-guaranteed debentures held by SBIC I and SBIC II from the 150.0% asset coverage ratio that we are required to maintain under the 1940 Act. The agreements governing the NMFC Credit Facility, the Convertible Notes and certain of the Unsecured Notes (as defined in Item 1— Financial Statements—Note 7. Borrowings) contain certain covenants and terms, including a requirement that we not exceed a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65 to 1.00 at the time of incurring additional indebtedness and a requirement that we not exceed a secured debt ratio of 0.70 to 1.00 at any time. As of September 30, 2024, our asset coverage ratio was 179.2%.

As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, our borrowings consisted of the 2019A Unsecured Notes (repaid on February 5, 2024), 2021A Unsecured Notes, 2022A Unsecured Notes, 8.250% Unsecured Notes, 6.875% Unsecured Notes (issued on February 1, 2024), SBA-guaranteed debentures, Holdings Credit Facility, 2022 Convertible Notes, DB Credit Facility (repaid and terminated on September 30, 2024), NMFC Credit Facility, NMNLC Credit Facility II and Unsecured Management Company Revolver. See Item 1—Financial Statements —Note 7. Borrowings in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional information.

At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $61.9 million and $70.1 million, respectively. Our cash (used in) provided by operating activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 was approximately $(153.2) million and $207.0 million, respectively. We expect that all current liquidity needs will be met with cash flows from operations and other activities.

On November 3, 2021, we entered into an equity distribution agreement, as amended on May 18, 2023, August 23, 2023, June 27, 2024 and August 1, 2024 (the “Distribution Agreement”) with B. Riley Securities, Inc. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (collectively, the “Agents”). The Distribution Agreement originally provided that we may issue and sell our shares from time to time through the Agents, up to $250.0 million worth of our common stock by means of at-the-market ("ATM") offerings. As of the amendment on June 27, 2024, we increased the maximum amount of shares to be sold through the ATM program from $250.0 million to $400.0 million.

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, we did not sell any shares of common stock under the Distribution Agreement. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we sold 5,292,556 shares of common stock under the Distribution Agreement and received total accumulated net proceeds of approximately $67.7 million, including $0.0 million of offering expenses, from these sales. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we sold 502,623 and 502,623 shares, respectively, of common stock, under the Distribution Agreement and received total accumulated net proceeds of approximately $6.6 million and $6.6 million, respectively, including $0.0 million and $0.0 million, respectively, of offering expenses, from these sales.

We generally use net proceeds from these ATM offerings to make investments, to pay down liabilities and for general corporate purposes. As of September 30, 2024, shares representing approximately $258.0 million of our common stock remain available for issuance and sale under the Distribution Agreement.

Off-Balance Sheet Agreements

We may become a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financial needs of our portfolio companies. These instruments may include commitments to extend credit and involve, to varying degrees, elements of liquidity and credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the balance sheet. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had outstanding commitments to third parties to fund investments totaling $277.4 million and $156.8 million, respectively, under various undrawn revolving credit facilities, delayed draw commitments or other future funding commitments.

We may from time to time enter into financing commitment letters or bridge financing commitments, which could require funding in the future. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had commitment letters to purchase investments in an aggregate par amount of $87.6 million and $11.1 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had not entered into any bridge financing commitments which could require funding in the future.

Contractual Obligations

A summary of our significant contractual payment obligations as of September 30, 2024 is as follows:

(in millions)

(1) $200.0 million of the 2021A Unsecured Notes will mature on January 29, 2026 unless earlier repurchased, $75.0 million of the 2022A Unsecured Notes will mature on June 15, 2027 unless earlier repurchased, $115.0 million of the 8.250% Unsecured Notes will mature on November 15, 2028 unless earlier redeemed, $300.0 million of the 6.875% Unsecured Notes will mature on February 1, 2029 unless earlier redeemed and $300.0 million of the 6.200% Unsecured Notes will mature on October 15, 2027 unless earlier redeemed.

(2) Under the terms of the $730.0 million Holdings Credit Facility, all outstanding borrowings under that facility ($407.6 million as of September 30, 2024) must be repaid on or before October 26, 2028. As of September 30, 2024, there was approximately $322.4 million of available capacity remaining, subject to borrowing base limitations, under the Holdings Credit Facility.

(3) The SBA-guaranteed debentures held by SBIC I and SBIC II will begin to mature on March 1, 2025.

(4) The 2022 Convertible Notes will mature on October 15, 2025 unless earlier converted or purchased at the holder's option or redeemed by us.

(5) Under the terms of the $638.5 million NMFC Credit Facility, all outstanding borrowings under that facility ($55.0 million, which included £26.7 million denominated in GBP and €17.4 million denominated in EUR that have been converted to U.S. dollars as of September 30, 2024) must be repaid on or before June 4, 2026 for Non-Extending Lenders and on or before September 28, 2029 for Extending Lenders. As of September 30, 2024, there was approximately $583.5 million of available capacity remaining, subject to borrowing base limitations, under the NMFC Credit Facility.

(6) Under the terms of the NMNLC Credit Facility II, all outstanding borrowings under that facility must be repaid on or before November 1, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, the outstanding borrowings under the NMNLC Credit Facility II for all borrowers was $25.5 million, of which $2.9 million was outstanding for NMNLC.

(7) Under the terms of the $100.0 million Unsecured Management Company Revolver, all outstanding borrowings under that facility must be repaid on or before December 31, 2027. As of September 30, 2024, there were no borrowings outstanding.

We have entered into an investment management and advisory agreement (the "Investment Management Agreement") with the Investment Adviser in accordance with the 1940 Act. Under the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser has agreed to provide us with investment advisory and management services. We have agreed to pay for these services (1) a management fee and (2) an incentive fee based on our performance.

We have also entered into the administration agreement, as amended and restated (the "Administration Agreement") with the Administrator. Under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator has agreed to arrange office space for us and provide office equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services and other administrative services necessary to conduct our respective day-to-day operations. The Administrator has also agreed to maintain, or oversee the maintenance of, our financial records, our reports to stockholders and reports filed with the SEC.

If any of the contractual obligations discussed above are terminated, our costs under any new agreements that are entered into may increase. In addition, we would likely incur significant time and expense in locating alternative parties to provide the services we expect to receive under the Investment Management Agreement and the Administration Agreement.

Distributions and Dividends

Distributions declared and paid to stockholders for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 totaled approximately $111.6 million.

The following table reflects cash distributions, including dividends and returns of capital, if any, per share that have been declared by our board of directors for the two most recently completed fiscal years and the current fiscal year to date:

(1) Tax characteristics of all distributions paid are reported to stockholders on Form 1099 after the end of the calendar year. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, total distributions were $150.7 million and $122.4 million, respectively, of which the distributions were comprised of approximately 93.14% and 70.59%, respectively, of ordinary income, 6.86% and 0.00%, respectively, of qualified income, 0.00% and 20.79%, respectively, of long-term capital gains and approximately 0.00% and 8.62%, respectively, of a return of capital. Future quarterly distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of directors.

(2) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to second quarter 2024 earnings of $0.02 per share.

(3) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to first quarter 2024 earnings of $0.02 per share.

(4) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to fourth quarter 2023 earnings of $0.04 per share.

(5) Special distribution of excess undistributed taxable income, driven primarily from the gain realized on our investment in Haven Midstream Holdings LLC.

(6) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to third quarter 2023 earnings of $0.04 per share.

(7) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to second quarter 2023 earnings of $0.04 per share.

(8) Includes a regular quarterly distribution of $0.32 per share and a supplemental distribution related to first quarter 2023 earnings of $0.03 per share.

We intend to pay quarterly distributions to our stockholders in amounts sufficient to maintain our status as a RIC. We intend to distribute approximately all of our net investment income on a quarterly basis and substantially all of our taxable income on an annual basis, except that we may retain certain net capital gains for reinvestment.

We maintain an "opt out" dividend reinvestment plan on behalf of our common stockholders, pursuant to which each of our stockholders' cash distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless the stockholder elects to receive cash. See Item 1— Financial Statements—Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional details regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

Related Parties

We have entered into a number of business relationships with affiliated or related parties, including the following:

• We have entered into the Investment Management Agreement with the Investment Adviser, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Mountain Capital. Therefore, New Mountain Capital is entitled to any profits earned by the Investment Adviser, which includes any fees payable to the Investment Adviser under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, less expenses incurred by the Investment Adviser in performing its services under the Investment Management Agreement.
• We have entered into a fee waiver agreement (the "Fee Waiver Agreement") with the Investment Adviser, pursuant to which the Investment Adviser agreed to voluntarily reduce the base management fees payable to the Investment Adviser by us under the Investment Management Agreement beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2021 through the quarter ending December 31, 2024. See Item 1— Financial Statements—Note 5. Agreements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for details.
• We have entered into the Administration Agreement with the Administrator, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Mountain Capital. The Administrator arranges our office space and provides office equipment and administrative services necessary to conduct our respective day-to-day operations pursuant to the Administration Agreement. We reimburse the Administrator for the allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by it in performing its obligations to us under the Administration Agreement, which includes the fees and expenses associated with performing administrative, finance, and compliance functions, and the compensation of our chief financial officer and chief compliance officer and their respective staffs. Pursuant to the Administration Agreement and further restricted by us, the Administrator may, in its own discretion, submit to us for reimbursement some or all of the expenses that the Administrator has incurred on our behalf during any quarterly period. As a result, the amount of expenses for which we will have to reimburse the Administrator may fluctuate in future quarterly periods and there can be no assurance given as to when, or if, the Administrator may determine to limit the expenses that the Administrator submits to us for reimbursement in the future. However, it is expected that the Administrator will continue to support part of our expense burden in the near future and may decide to not calculate and charge through certain overhead related amounts as well as continue to cover some of the indirect costs. The Administrator cannot recoup any expenses that the Administrator has previously waived. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 approximately $0.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively, of indirect administrative expenses were included in administrative expenses, of which no expenses were waived by the Administrator. As of September 30, 2024, approximately $0.6 million of indirect administrative expenses were included in payable to affiliates. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the reimbursement to the Administrator represented approximately 0.02% and 0.05%, respectively, of our gross assets.
• We, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator have entered into a royalty-free Trademark License Agreement, as amended, with New Mountain Capital, pursuant to which New Mountain Capital has agreed to grant us, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the name "New Mountain" and "New Mountain Finance", as well as the NMF logo.

In addition, we have adopted a formal code of ethics that governs the conduct of our officers and directors, which is available on our website at www.newmountainfinance.com (http://www.newmountainfinance.com). These officers and directors also remain subject to the duties imposed by the 1940 Act and the Delaware General Corporation Law.

The Investment Adviser and its affiliates may also manage other funds in the future that may have investment mandates that are similar, in whole or in part, to our investment mandates. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates may determine that an investment is appropriate for us and for one or more of those other funds. In such event, depending on the availability of such investment and other appropriate factors, the Investment Adviser or its affiliates may determine that we should invest side-by-side with one or more other funds. Any such investments will be made only to the extent permitted by applicable law and interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff, and consistent with the Investment Adviser's allocation procedures. On October 8, 2019, the SEC issued an exemptive order (the “Exemptive Order”), which superseded a prior order issued on December 18, 2017, which permits us to co-invest in portfolio companies with certain funds or entities managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates in certain negotiated transactions where co-investing would otherwise be prohibited under the 1940 Act, subject to the conditions of the Exemptive Order. Pursuant to the Exemptive Order, we are permitted to co-invest with our affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of our independent directors make certain conclusions in connection with a co-investment transaction, including, but not limited to, that (1) the terms of the potential co-investment transaction, including the consideration to be paid, are reasonable and fair to us and our stockholders and do not involve overreaching in respect of us or our stockholders on the part of any person concerned, and (2) the potential co-investment transaction is consistent with the interests of our stockholders and is consistent with our then-current investment objective and strategies. The Exemptive Order was amended on August 30, 2022 to permit us to complete follow-on investments in our existing portfolio companies with certain affiliates that are private funds if such private funds do not hold an investment in such existing portfolio company, subject to certain conditions.

On March 30, 2020, an affiliate of the Investment Adviser purchased directly from NMNLC 105,030 shares of NMNLC’s common stock at a price of $107.73 per share, which represented the net asset value per share of NMNLC at the date of purchase, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $11.3 million. Immediately thereafter, NMNLC redeemed 105,030 shares of its common stock held by NMFC in exchange for a promissory note with a principal amount of $11.3 million and a 7.0% interest rate, which was repaid by NMNLC to NMFC on March 31, 2020. Effective July 1, 2024, NMNLC purchased 63,575 shares of NMNLC's common stock from an affiliate of the Investment Adviser at remaining original cost, a price of $73.39 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.7 million. Immediately thereafter, NMNLC sold the 63,575 shares of its common stock to NMFC at remaining original cost, a price of $73.39 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $4.7 million.

On March 30, 2020, we entered into the Uncommitted Revolving Loan Agreement with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, with a $30.0 million maximum amount of revolver borrowings available and a maturity date of December 31, 2022. On May 4, 2020, we entered into an Amended and Restated Uncommitted Revolving Loan Agreement with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., which increased the maximum amounts of revolving borrowings available thereunder from $30.0 million to $50.0 million. On December 17, 2021, we entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Uncommitted Revolving Loan Agreement with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., which lowered the interest rate and extended the maturity date from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. On October 31, 2023, we entered into the Second Amended and Restated Uncommitted Revolving Loan Agreement with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., which increased the maximum amount of revolving borrowings thereunder from $50.0 million to $100.0 million, extended the maturity date from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2027 and changed the interest rate to the Applicable Federal Rate. Refer to Item 1 — Financial Statements — Note 7. Borrowings for discussion of the Unsecured Management Company Revolver.

We are subject to certain financial market risks, such as interest rate fluctuations. Because we fund a portion of our investments with borrowings, our net investment income is affected by the difference between the rate at which we invest and the rate at which we borrow. As a result, there can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. From March 2022 to July 2023, the Federal Reserve was periodically raising interest rates to combat inflation and maintained the same rate benchmark from July 2023 to September 2024. While the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate in the third quarter of 2024 for the first time since March 2020 and indicated that there may be additional rate cuts in 2024, future reductions to benchmark rates are not certain. In a high interest rate environment, our net investment income would increase due to an increase in interest income generated by our investment portfolio. However, our cost of funds would also increase, which could also impact net investment income. It is possible that the Federal Reserve's tightening cycle could result in a recession in the United States, which would likely decrease interest rates. Alternatively, in a prolonged low interest rate environment, including a reduction of base rates, such as SONIA or SOFR, to zero, the difference between the total interest income earned on interest earning assets and the total interest expense incurred on interest bearing liabilities may be compressed, reducing our net interest income and potentially adversely affecting our operating results. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, certain of the loans held in our portfolio had floating SOFR, SONIA, EURIBOR or Prime interest rates. As of September 30, 2024, approximately 84.94% of our investments at fair value (excluding investments on non-accrual, unfunded debt investments and non-interest bearing equity investments) represent floating-rate investments with a SOFR, SONIA or EURIBOR floor (includes investments bearing prime interest rate contracts) and approximately 15.06% of investments at fair value represent fixed-rate investments. Additionally, our senior secured revolving credit facilities are also subject to floating interest rates and are currently paid based on floating SOFR, SONIA or EURIBOR rates.

The following table estimates the potential changes in interest income, net of interest expense, should interest rates decrease by 200, 150, 100 or 50 basis points, or increase by 50, 100, 150 or 200 basis points. Interest income is calculated as revenue from interest generated from our portfolio of investments held on September 30, 2024. Interest expense is calculated based on the terms of our outstanding revolving credit facilities, convertible notes and unsecured notes. For our credit facilities, we use the outstanding balance as of September 30, 2024. This analysis does not take into account the impact of the incentive fee or other expenses. These hypothetical calculations are based on a model of the investments in our portfolio, held as of September 30, 2024, and are only adjusted for assumed changes in the underlying base interest rates.

Actual results could differ significantly from those estimated in the table.

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(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of September 30, 2024 (the end of the period covered by this report), we, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective and provided reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our periodic SEC filings is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. However, in evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of such possible controls and procedures.

(b) Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

Management has not identified any change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended September 30, 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

The terms “we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company” refers to New Mountain Finance Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results, including the Risk Factor titled "Small Business Credit Availability Act allows us to incur additional leverage, which could increase the risk of investing in our securities". The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks we face. 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. There have been no material changes during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 to the risk factors discussed in Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, other than those set forth below:

We may be subject to additional risks if we invest in foreign securities.

The 1940 Act generally requires that 70.0% of our investments be in issuers each of whom is, among other things, organized under the laws of, and has its principal place of business in the United States. Our investment strategy does not presently contemplate significant investments in securities of non-U.S. companies. However, we may desire to make such investments in the future, to the extent that such transactions and investments are permitted under the 1940 Act and any other applicable laws. We expect that these investments would focus on the same types of investments that we make in U.S. middle market companies and accordingly would be complementary to our overall strategy and enhance the diversity of our holdings. Investing in foreign companies could 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 U.S., 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 denominated in foreign currencies would 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 can offer no assurance that we will, in fact, hedge currency risk, or that if we do, such strategies will be effective.

Hedging using derivatives may impact investment performance.

We may use over-the-counter (OTC) and cleared derivatives to hedge against fluctuations of the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in market interest rates or currency exchange rates. Hedging against a decline in the values of our portfolio positions would not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of the positions declined. However, such hedging could establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions.

Hedging transactions may limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the underlying portfolio positions increased. Moreover, it might not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that was so generally anticipated that we would not be able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. If we choose to engage in hedging transactions, there can be no assurances that we will achieve the intended benefits of such transactions and, depending on the degree of exposure such transactions could create, such transactions may expose us to risk of loss.

While we may enter into derivatives transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates could 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 could vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we might not seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any imperfect correlation could prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it might 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 would likely fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations.

Our ability to enter into transactions involving derivatives and unfunded commitment transactions may be limited.

In 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which relates to the use of derivatives and other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations by BDCs (and other funds that are registered investment companies). Under Rule 18f-4, for which compliance was required beginning in August 2022, BDCs that use derivatives are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit, certain derivatives risk management program and testing requirements and requirements related to board reporting. These new requirements apply unless the BDC qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” as defined in Rule 18f-4. A BDC that enters into reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions could either (i) comply with the asset coverage requirements of Section 18, as modified by Section 61 of the 1940 Act, when engaging in reverse repurchase agreements or (ii) choose to treat such agreements as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4. In addition, under Rule 18f-4, a BDC may enter into an unfunded commitment agreement that is not a derivatives transaction, such as an agreement to provide financing to a portfolio company, if the BDC has a reasonable belief, at the time it enters into such an agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as it becomes due. If the BDC cannot meet this requirement, it is required to treat the unfunded commitment as a derivatives transaction subject to the aforementioned requirements of Rule 18f-4.

We qualify as a “limited derivatives user” for purposes of Rule 18f-4 and as a result the requirements applicable to us under Rule 18f-4 may limit our ability to use derivatives and enter into certain other financial contracts. However, if we fail to qualify as a limited derivatives user and become subject to the additional requirements under Rule 18f-4, compliance with such requirements may increase cost of doing business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Valuing OTC derivatives may be less certain than actively traded financial instruments.

In general, valuing OTC derivatives is less certain than valuing actively traded financial instruments such as exchange traded futures contracts and securities or cleared swaps because, for OTC derivatives, the price and terms on which such OTC derivatives are entered into or can be terminated are individually negotiated, and those prices and terms may not reflect the best price or terms available from other sources. In addition, while market makers and dealers generally quote indicative prices or terms for entering into or terminating OTC contracts, they typically are not contractually obligated to do so, particularly if they are not a party to the transaction. As a result, it may be difficult to obtain an independent value for an outstanding OTC derivatives transaction.

Our rights under an OTC derivative may be restricted by regulations.

Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators that are now in effect require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts and certain other financial contracts terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to any of our counterparties that located in those jurisdictions. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional resulted government regulation, could adversely affect our ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights, or satisfy obligations owed to us with collateral received under such contracts.

The use of OTC derivatives may expose us to early termination risk, which could result in significant losses.

OTC derivatives do not have uniform terms. An OTC derivatives counterparty may have the right to close out our position due to the occurrence of certain events (for example, if a counterparty is unable to hedge its obligations to us, or if we defaults on certain terms of the OTC swaps agreement, or if there is a material decline in our NAV on a particular day) and request immediate payment of amounts owed by us under the agreement. If the level of our NAV has a dramatic intraday move, the terms of our OTC derivatives document may permit the counterparty to early close out a transaction with us at a price calculated by the counterparty that, in good faith, represents such counterparty’s loss, which may not represent fair market value. An OTC derivatives counterparty may also have the right to close out our position for no reason, in some cases with same day notice.