BlackRock TCP Capital Corp

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factors discussed below and the 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. 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.

Our use of borrowed funds, including under the Leverage Program, to make investments exposes us to risks typically associated with leverage.

The Company borrows money, both directly and indirectly, through SVCP, TCPC Funding II, SBIC and Merger Sub. As a result:

our common stock is exposed to incremental risk of loss, and a decrease in the value of our investments would have a greater negative impact on the value of our common stock than if we did not use leverage;

adverse changes in interest rates, whether as a result of fluctuations in the reference rates for our floating rate debt, changes in margin, higher fixed rate debt or otherwise, could reduce or eliminate the incremental income we make with the proceeds of leverage;

we, and indirectly our common stockholders, bear the entire cost of issuing and paying interest or dividends on any borrowed funds issued by us or our subsidiaries; and

our ability to pay dividends on our common stock will be restricted if our asset coverage ratio is not at least 150% and any amounts used to service indebtedness would not be available for such dividends.

The use of leverage creates increased risk of loss and is considered a speculative investment technique. The use of leverage magnifies the potential gains and losses from an investment and increases the risk of loss of capital. To the extent that income derived by us from investments purchased with borrowed funds is greater than the cost of borrowing such funds, our net income will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income from investments purchased from these sources is not sufficient to cover the cost of the leverage, our net investment income will be less than if leverage had not been used, and the amount available for ultimate distribution to the holders of common stock will be reduced. The extent of any gains and losses associated with our leverage generally will depend on the degree of leverage employed. We may, under some circumstances, be required to dispose of investments under unfavorable market conditions in order to maintain our leverage, thus causing us to recognize a loss that might not otherwise have occurred. In the event of a sale of investments upon default under our borrowing arrangements, secured creditors will be contractually entitled to direct such sales and may do so in their interest, rather than in the interests of the holders of common stock. Holders of common stock will incur losses if the proceeds from a sale in any of the foregoing circumstances are insufficient, after payment in full of amounts due and payable on leverage, including administrative and other fees and expenses, to repay the cost of such holders investment in our common stock. As a result, you could experience a total loss of your investment. Any decrease in our revenue would cause our net income to decline more than it would have had we not borrowed funds and could negatively affect our ability to make distributions on our common stock. The ability to service any debt that we have or may have outstanding depends largely on our financial performance and is subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. There is no limitation on the percentage of portfolio investments that can be pledged to secure borrowings. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on our Advisors and our board of directors assessments of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing.

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In addition to regulatory restrictions that restrict our ability to raise capital, the Leverage Program contains various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment of our debt, which may materially and adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the Leverage Program, we must comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include:

restrictions on the level of indebtedness that we are permitted to incur in relation to the value of our assets;

restrictions on our ability to make distributions and other restricted payments under certain circumstances;

restrictions on extraordinary events, such as mergers, consolidation and sales of assets;

restrictions on our ability to incur liens and incur indebtedness; and

maintenance of a minimum level of stockholders equity.

In addition, by limiting the circumstances in which borrowings may occur under the SVCPOperating Facility, Funding Facility II and Merger Sub Facility, the credit agreements related to such facilities (the Credit Agreements) in effect provide for various asset coverage, credit quality and diversification limitations on our investments. Such limitations may cause us to be unable to make or retain certain potentially attractive investments or to be forced to sell investments at an inappropriate time and consequently impair our profitability or increase losses or result in adverse tax consequences.

As of JuneSeptember 30, 2024, we were in compliance with applicable covenants under the Leverage Program. However our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with the covenants under the Leverage Program (including any covenants that may be included in future debt arrangements that become part of the Leverage Program). Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default under our debt arrangements which, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the applicable creditors, would enable the applicable creditors to accelerate outstanding balances under our debt and terminate their commitments to lend to us. This would be expected to have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations and place limitations on our operational flexibility.

The Operating Facility also has certain key man provisions. For example, it is an event of default if the Advisor is controlled by any person or group other than (i) a BlackRock, Inc. or a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. or (ii) any two of a group of four listed individuals (or any replacement manager or individual reasonably acceptable to the administrative agent and approved by the required lenders), provided that if the Advisor is no longer under the control of at least two of such four individuals (or their previously approved replacements) through an event resulting in the death or disability of such individuals, the Advisor has 60 calendar days to replace such individuals with other managers or individuals reasonably acceptable to the administrative agent and approved by the required lenders, provided further that a default (but not an event of default) shall be deemed to exist during such period.

The Operating Facility matures on May 6August 1, 20269, subject to extension by the lenders at the request of SVCP, the Funding Facility II matures on August 4, 2027, subject to extension by the lender at the request of TCPC Funding II and the Merger Sub Facility matures on September 6, 2028. Any inability to renew, extend or replace the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II or Merger Sub Facility could adversely impact our liquidity and ability to find new investments or maintain distributions to our stockholders.

The Operating Facility matures on May 6August 1, 20269, subject to extension by the lenders at the request of SVCP. Borrowings under the Operating Facility generally bear interest at a rate of SOFR plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.110%, plus a margin equal to either 1.75% or 2.00%, depending on a ratio of the borrowing base thereunder to the facility commitments, subject to certain limitations. Funding Facility II matures on August 4, 2027, subject to extension by the lender at the request of TCPC Funding II. Borrowings under the Funding Facility II generally bear interest at a rate of SOFR plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.15%, plus a margin of 2.05%, subject to certain funding requirements, plus an agency fee of 0.15% per annum. The Merger Sub Facility matures on September 6, 2028. Borrowings under the Merger Sub Facility generally bear interest at a rate of SOFR plus a credit spread adjustment of 0.10%, plus a margin equal to either 1.75% or 2.00%, depending on a ratio of the borrowing base to the facility commitments, subject to certain limitations.

We do not currently know whether we will renew, extend or replace the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II or Merger Sub Facility upon their maturities or whether we will be able to do so on terms that are as favorable as the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II and Merger Sub Facility, as applicable.

Our ability to replace the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II and Merger Sub Facility may be constrained by then-current economic conditions affecting the credit markets. In the event that we are not able to replace the Operating Facility, Funding Facility II or Merger Sub Facility at the time of its respective maturity, this may require us to liquidate assets to repay amounts due under such

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facility and could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and ability to fund new investments, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and our ability to qualify as a RIC.

Lenders under the Operating Facility may have a veto power over the Companys investment policies.

If a default has occurred under the Operating Facility, the lenders under the Operating Facility may veto changes in investment policies. The Operating Facility and the Merger Sub Facility also have certain limitations on unusual types of investments such as commodities, real estate and speculative derivatives, which are not part of the Companys investment strategy or policies in any event.

We may be unable to realize the benefits anticipated by the Merger, including estimated cost savings, or it may take longer than anticipated to achieve such benefits.

The realization of certain benefits anticipated as a result of the Merger will depend in part on our ability to realize estimated cost savings. It is possible that our estimates of the potential Merger-related cost savings ultimately could be incorrect. If our estimates turn out to be incorrect, the anticipated cost savings may not be fully realized or realized at all or may take longer to realize than expected.

We are dependent upon senior management personnel of the Advisor for our future success; if the Advisor is unable to retain qualified personnel or if the Advisor loses any member of its senior management team, our ability to achieve our investment objective could be significantly harmed.

The success of the Company is highly dependent on the financial and managerial expertise of the Advisor. The loss of one or more of the voting members of the Investment Committee could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company. Although the Advisor and the voting members of the Investment Committee devote a significant amount of their respective efforts to the Company, they actively manage investments for other clients and are not required to (and will not) devote all of their time to the Companys affairs. In addition, in connection with the acquisition of the Advisor by BlackRock in August 2018, certain senior members of the Advisor's investment team and other key advisory personnel were granted retention bonuses. As the last of such retention bonuses have recently been paid, there may be less economic incentive for certain senior investment team members and certain other key personnel to remain with the Advisor than in prior periods. Certain members of the Advisor's investment team that received such bonuses have left the firm. The loss of key members of the Advisors investment team, or a material portion of other key advisory personnel, could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Company if the Advisor were unable to replace such persons in a timely manner.