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Agreements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Agreements Agreements
The Company entered into an investment advisory and management agreement (the “Investment Management Agreement”) with the Investment Adviser, which was most recently re-approved by the Company's board of directors on January 30, 2024, at an in-person meeting, for a period of 12 months commencing on March 1, 2024. Under the Investment Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser manages the day-to-day operations of, and provides investment advisory services to, the Company. For providing these services, the Investment Adviser receives a fee from the Company, consisting of two components—a base management fee and an incentive fee. On November 1, 2021, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Investment Management Agreement (“Amendment No. 1”). As described below, the sole purpose of Amendment No. 1 was to reduce the base management fee from 1.75% of the Company’s gross assets to 1.4% of the Company’s gross assets.
Pursuant to Amendment No. 1, the base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.4% of the Company's gross assets, which equals the Company's total assets on the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities, less cash and cash equivalents. Prior to Amendment No. 1, pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement, the base management fee was calculated at an annual rate of 1.75% of the Company's gross assets, which equaled the Company's total assets on the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities, less (i) the borrowings under the New Mountain Finance SPV Funding, L.L.C. Loan and Security Agreement, as amended and restated, dated October 27, 2010 (the "SLF Credit Facility") and (ii) cash and cash equivalents. The base management fee is payable quarterly in arrears, and is calculated based on the average value of the Company's gross assets, which equals the Company's total assets, as determined in accordance with GAAP, less cash and cash equivalents at the end of each of the two most recently completed calendar quarters, and appropriately adjusted on a pro rata basis for any equity capital raises or repurchases during the current calendar quarter. The Company has not invested, and currently is not invested, in derivatives. To the extent the Company invests in derivatives in the future, the Company will use the actual value of the derivatives, as reported on the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities, for purposes of calculating its base management fee.
Effective as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 through the quarter ending December 31, 2024, the Investment Adviser entered into a fee waiver agreement (the "Fee Waiver Agreement"), amended on August 7, 2023, pursuant to which the Investment Adviser will waive base management fees in order to reach a target base management fee of 1.25% on gross assets (the “Reduced Base Management Fee”). The Fee Waiver Agreement was most recently extended for a period of one year through the quarter ending December 31, 2024 by the Investment Adviser on August 7, 2023. The Investment Adviser cannot recoup management fees that the Investment Adviser has previously waived. For the years ended December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, management fees waived were approximately $4,117, $4,402 and $13,104, respectively.
The incentive fee consists of two parts. The first part is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears and equals 20.0% of the Company's “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” for the immediately preceding quarter, subject to a “preferred return”, or “hurdle”, and a “catch-up” feature. "Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income" means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any other fees (other than fees for providing managerial assistance), such as commitment, origination, structuring, upfront, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that the Company receives from portfolio companies) accrued during the calendar quarter, minus the Company's operating expenses for the quarter (including the base management fee, expenses payable under an administration agreement, as amended and restated (the “Administration Agreement”), with the Administrator, and any interest expense and distributions paid on any issued and outstanding preferred stock (of which there were none as of December 31, 2023), but excluding the incentive fee). Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as original issue discount, debt instruments with PIK interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that the Company has not yet received in cash. Pre-Incentive Fee
Net Investment Income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses or unrealized capital appreciation or depreciation.
Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of the Company's net assets at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, will be compared to a "hurdle rate" of 2.0% per quarter (8.0% annualized), subject to a "catch-up" provision measured as of the end of each calendar quarter. The hurdle rate is appropriately pro-rated for any partial periods. The calculation of the Company's incentive fee with respect to the Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income for each quarter is as follows:
No incentive fee is payable to the Investment Adviser in any calendar quarter in which the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income does not exceed the hurdle rate of 2.0% (the "preferred return" or "hurdle").
100.0% of the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income with respect to that portion of such Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, if any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than or equal to 2.5% in any calendar quarter (10.0% annualized) is payable to the Investment Adviser. This portion of the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income (which exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than or equal to 2.5%) is referred to as the "catch-up". The catch-up provision is intended to provide the Investment Adviser with an incentive fee of 20.0% on all of the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income as if a hurdle rate did not apply when the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income exceeds 2.5% in any calendar quarter.
20.0% of the amount of the Company's Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, if any, that exceeds 2.5% in any calendar quarter (10.0% annualized) is payable to the Investment Adviser once the hurdle is reached and the catch-up is achieved.
For the years ended December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 no incentive fees were waived by the Investment Adviser.
The second part of the incentive fee will be determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or upon termination of the Investment Management Agreement) and will equal 20.0% of the Company's realized capital gains, if any, on a cumulative basis from inception through the end of each calendar year, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gain incentive fee.
In accordance with GAAP, the Company accrues a hypothetical capital gains incentive fee based upon the cumulative net realized capital gains and realized capital losses and the cumulative net unrealized capital appreciation and unrealized capital depreciation on investments held at the end of each period. Actual amounts paid to the Investment Adviser are consistent with the Investment Management Agreement and are based only on actual realized capital gains computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis from inception through the end of each calendar year.
The following table summarizes the management fees and incentive fees incurred by the Company for the years ended December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.
 Year Ended December 31,
 202320222021
Management fee$45,610 $46,617 $52,960 
Less: management fee waiver(4,117)(4,402)(13,104)
Total management fee41,493 42,215 39,856 
Incentive fee, excluding accrued capital gains incentive fees$38,303 $29,901 $29,710 
Accrued capital gains incentive fees(1)$— $— $— 
(1)As of December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, no actual capital gains incentive fee was owed under the Investment Management Agreement by the Company, as cumulative net realized capital gains did not exceed cumulative unrealized capital depreciation.
The Company has entered into the Administration Agreement with the Administrator under which the Administrator provides administrative services. The Administration Agreement was most recently re-approved by the board of directors on January 30, 2024 for a period of 12 months commencing on March 1, 2024. The Administrator maintains, or oversees the maintenance of, the Company’s consolidated financial records, prepares reports filed with the SEC, generally monitors the payment of the Company's expenses and oversees the performance of administrative and professional services rendered by others. The Company reimburses the Administrator for the Company's allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by the Administrator in performing its obligations to the Company under the Administration Agreement. Pursuant to
the Administration Agreement and further restricted by the Company, the Administrator may, in its own discretion, submit to the Company for reimbursement some or all of the expenses that the Administrator has incurred on behalf of the Company during any quarterly period. As a result, the amount of expenses for which the Company 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 the Company for reimbursement in the future. However, it is expected that the Administrator will continue to support part of the expense burden of the Company 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 years ended December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, approximately $2,341, $2,459 and $2,827, respectively, of indirect administrative expenses were included in administrative expenses of which $0, $238 and $244, respectively, were waived by the Administrator. As of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, $682 and $605, respectively, of indirect administrative expenses were included in payable to affiliates. For the years ended December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the reimbursement to the Administrator represented approximately 0.07%, 0.07% and 0.08%, respectively, of the Company's gross assets.
The Company, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator have also entered into a Trademark License Agreement, as amended, with New Mountain Capital, pursuant to which New Mountain Capital has agreed to grant the Company, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the "New Mountain" and the "New Mountain Finance" names, as well as the NMF logo. Under the Trademark License Agreement, as amended, subject to certain conditions, the Company, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator will have a right to use the "New Mountain" and "New Mountain Finance" names, as well as the NMF logo, for so long as the Investment Adviser or one of its affiliates remains the investment adviser of the Company. Other than with respect to this limited license, the Company, the Investment Adviser and the Administrator will have no legal right to the "New Mountain" or the "New Mountain Finance" names, as well as the NMF logo.
In addition, pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC on April 8, 2020 and applicable to all BDCs through December 31, 2020 (the “Temporary Relief), the Company was permitted, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to complete follow-on investments in its existing portfolio companies with certain affiliates that are private funds if such private funds did not hold an investment in such existing portfolio company. Without the Temporary Relief, such private funds would not be able to participate in such co-investments with the Company unless the private funds had previously acquired securities of the portfolio company in a co-investment transaction with the Company. Although the Temporary Relief expired on December 31, 2020, the SEC’s Division of Investment Management had indicated that until March 31, 2022, it would not recommend enforcement action, to the extent that any BDC with an existing co-investment order continued to engage in certain transactions described in the Temporary Relief, pursuant to the same terms and conditions described therein. The Temporary Relief is no longer effective; however, on August 30, 2022, the Company received an Order from the SEC that amended its existing Exemptive Order to permit the Company to complete follow-on investments in its 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.
Related Parties
The Company has entered into a number of business relationships with affiliated or related parties.
The Company has 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.
The Company has entered into 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 the Company under the Investment Management Agreement beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2021 through the quarter ended December 31, 2022. Subsequently, the Company and the Investment Adviser extended the term of the Fee Waiver Agreement to be effective through the quarter ending December 31, 2024. See Note 5. Agreements, for details.
The Company has entered into the Administration Agreement with the Administrator, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Mountain Capital. The Administrator arranges office space for the Company and provides office equipment and administrative services necessary to conduct their respective day-to-day operations pursuant to the Administration Agreement. The Company reimburses the Administrator for the allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by it in performing its obligations to the Company under the Administration Agreement, which includes the fees and expenses
associated with performing administrative, finance and compliance functions, and the compensation of the Company's chief financial officer and chief compliance officer and their respective staffs.
The Company, 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 the Company, 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.
The Company has adopted a formal code of ethics that governs the conduct of its officers and directors. 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 the Company’s investment mandates. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates may determine that an investment is appropriate for the Company or 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 the Company 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 the Company 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, the Company is permitted to co-invest with its affiliates if a “required majority” (as defined in Section 57(o) of the 1940 Act) of the Company's 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 the Company and its stockholders and do not involve overreaching in respect of the Company or its stockholders on the part of any person concerned, and (2) the potential co-investment transaction is consistent with the interests of the Company's stockholders and is consistent with its then-current investment objective and strategies. The Exemptive Order was amended on August 30, 2022 to permit the Company to complete follow-on investments in its 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 $11,315. Immediately thereafter, NMNLC redeemed 105,030 shares of its common stock held by the Company in exchange for a promissory note with a principal amount of $11,315 and a 7.0% interest rate, which was repaid by NMNLC to the Company on March 31, 2020.
On March 30, 2020, the Company entered into an unsecured revolving credit facility with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, with a $30,000 maximum amount of revolver borrowings available and a maturity date of December 31, 2022. On May 4, 2020, the Company 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 $30,000 to $50,000. On December 17, 2021, the Company 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 a Second Amended and Restated Uncommitted Revolving Loan Agreement with NMF Investments III, L.L.C., which increased the maximum amounts of revolving borrowings thereunder from $50,000 to $100,000, extended the maturity date from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2027 and changed the interest rate to the Applicable Federal Rate. Refer to Note 7. Borrowings for discussion of the Unsecured Management Company Revolver (defined below).