UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

1933 Act File No. 333-                    

Form N-2

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

x PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1

o POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.     

GLADSTONE CAPITAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

1521 WESTBRANCH DRIVE, SUITE 200

MCLEAN, VA 22102

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (703) 287-5800

DAVID GLADSTONE

CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

GLADSTONE CAPITAL CORPORATION

1521 WESTBRANCH DRIVE, SUITE 200

MCLEAN, VIRGINIA 22102

(Name and address of agent for service)

COPIES TO:

THOMAS R. SALLEY, ESQ.

DARREN K. DESTEFANO, ESQ.

CHRISTINA L. NOVAK, ESQ.

COOLEY GODWARD KRONISH LLP

ONE FREEDOM SQUARE

RESTON TOWN CENTER

11951 FREEDOM DRIVE

RESTON, VIRGINIA 20190

(703) 456-8000

(703) 456-8100 (facsimile)

Approximate date of proposed public offering:  From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box. x

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 21, 2007

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PROSPECTUS

$300,000,000

COMMON STOCK
DEBT SECURITIES

We may offer, from time to time, up to $300 million aggregate initial offering price of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, or debt securities, which we refer to in this prospectus collectively as our Securities, in one or more offerings. The Securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more supplements to this prospectus. In the case of our common stock, the offering price per share, less any underwriting commissions or discounts, will not be less than the net asset value per share of our common stock at the time we make the offering. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our Securities.

Our Securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers, including existing stockholders in a rights offering, through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of our Securities, and will disclose any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell any of our Securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such Securities. Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “GLAD.” As of June 15, 2007, the last reported sales price for our common stock was $23.08.

This prospectus contains information you should know before investing, including information about risks. Please read it before you invest and keep it for future reference. This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

An investment in our Securities involves certain risks, including, among other things, risks relating to investments in securities of small, private and developing businesses. We describe some of these risks in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” which begins on page 9. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their net asset value and this may increase the risk of loss of purchasers of our Securities. You should carefully consider these risks together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement before making a decision to purchase our Securities.

The Securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities commission nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission or any state securities commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

               , 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying supplement to this prospectus. You must not rely upon any information or representation not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement as if we had authorized it. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any security other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do they constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. The information contained in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement is accurate as of the dates on their respective covers only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such dates.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary contains basic information about this offering. It likely does not contain all the information that is important to an investor. For a more complete understanding of this offering, we encourage you to read this entire document and the documents to which we have referred. Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” and “Gladstone Capital” refer to Gladstone Capital Corporation; “Adviser” refers to Gladstone Management Corporation; “Administrator” refers to Gladstone Administration, LLC; “Gladstone  Commercial” refers to Gladstone  Commercial Corporation,  “Gladstone  Investment” refers to Gladstone  Investment Corporation; and “Gladstone Companies” refers to our Adviser and its affiliated companies.

GLADSTONE CAPITAL CORPORATION

General

We were incorporated under the General Corporation Laws of the State of Maryland on May 30, 2001. Our investment objectives are to achieve a high level of current income by investing in debt securities, consisting primarily of senior notes, second lien notes, and senior subordinated notes of established private businesses that are backed by leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds or others, with a particular emphasis on second lien and senior subordinated notes. In addition, we may acquire existing loans, which meet this profile, from leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds and others. We also seek to provide our stockholders with long-term capital growth through the appreciation in the value of warrants, or other equity instruments that we may receive when we extend loans. We operate as a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company, and have elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which we refer to in this prospectus as the 1940 Act.

We seek to invest in small and medium-sized businesses that meet certain criteria, including some or all of the following: (1) the potential for growth in cash flow, (2) adequate assets for loan collateral, (3) experienced management teams with a significant ownership interest in the borrower, (4) profitable operations based on the borrower’s cash flow, (5) reasonable capitalization of the borrower (usually by buyout funds or venture capital funds) and (6) the potential to realize appreciation and gain liquidity in our equity position, if any. We anticipate that liquidity in our equity position will be achieved through a merger or acquisition of the borrower, a public offering by the borrower or by exercise of our right to require the borrower to buy back its warrants. We lend to borrowers that need funds to, among other things, effect a change of control, restructure their balance sheets, or finance growth, including acquisitions. Our loans typically range from $5 million to $15 million, although this investment size may vary proportionately as the size of our capital base changes, generally mature in no more than seven years and accrue interest at fixed or variable rates.

Our Investment Adviser and Administrator

Our Adviser, is our affiliate and investment adviser and is led by a management team which has extensive experience in our lines of business. All of our directors and executive officers serve as either directors or executive officers, or both, of Gladstone Commercial, a publicly traded real estate investment trust; Gladstone Investment, a publicly traded business development company; our Adviser; and our Administrator. Our Adviser also has a wholly-owned subsidiary, our Administrator, which employs our chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, controller, treasurer and their respective staffs.

Our Adviser and our Administrator also provide investment advisory and administrative services to our affiliates Gladstone Commercial, Gladstone Investment and Gladstone Land Corporation, an agricultural real estate company owned by Mr. Gladstone. In the future, our Adviser may provide

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investment advisory and administrative services to other funds, both public and private, of which it is the sponsor.

We have been externally managed by our Adviser pursuant to an investment advisory and management agreement since October 1, 2004. Our Adviser was organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 2, 2002, and is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Our Adviser is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C., and also has offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Kentucky and Washington.

Our Investment Objectives and Our Strategy

We seek to achieve a high level of current income by investing in debt securities, consisting primarily of senior notes, senior subordinated notes and junior subordinated notes, of established private businesses that are backed by leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds or others. We also seek to provide our stockholders with long-term capital growth through the appreciation in the value of warrants or other equity instruments that we may receive when we make loans. There can be no assurance that we will realize our investment objectives. We seek to invest primarily in three categories of debt of private companies:

·       Senior Subordinated Notes.   We seek to invest a portion of our assets in senior subordinated notes. Holders of senior subordinated notes are subordinated to the rights of holders of senior debt in their right to receive principal and interest payments or, in the case of last out tranches of senior debt, liquidation proceeds from the borrower. As a result, senior subordinated notes are riskier than senior notes. Although such loans are sometimes secured by significant collateral, the lender is largely dependent on the borrower’s cash flow for repayment. Additionally, lenders may receive warrants to acquire shares of stock in borrowers or other yield enhancements in connection with these loans. Senior subordinated notes include second lien loans and syndicated second lien loans.

·       Senior Notes.   We seek to invest a portion of our assets in senior notes of borrowers. Using its assets and cash flow as collateral, the borrower typically uses senior notes to cover a substantial portion of the funding needed to operate. Senior lenders are exposed to the least risk of all providers of debt because they command a senior position with respect to scheduled interest and principal payments. However, unlike senior subordinated and junior subordinated lenders, these senior lenders typically do not receive any stock, warrants to purchase stock of the borrowers or other yield enhancements. As such, they generally do not participate in the equity appreciation of the value of the business. Senior notes may include revolving lines of credit, senior term loans, senior syndicated loans and senior last-out tranche loans.

·       Junior Subordinated Notes.   We also seek to invest a small portion of our assets in junior subordinated notes. Holders of junior subordinated notes are subordinated to the rights of the holders of senior debt and senior subordinated debt in their rights to receive principal and interest payments from the borrower. The risk profile of junior subordinated notes is high, which permits the junior subordinated lender to obtain higher interest rates and more equity and equity-like compensation.

THE OFFERING

We may offer, from time to time, up to $300,000,000 of our Securities, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. Our Securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be disclosed in one or more prospectus supplements. In the case of the offering of our common stock, the offering price per share less any underwriting commissions or discounts will not be less than the net asset value per share of our common stock at the time of the offering.

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Our Securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers, including existing stockholders in a rights offering, by us or through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will disclose the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of our Securities by us, the purchase price, and any fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents or underwriters or among our underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” We may not sell any of our Securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of our Securities.

Set forth below is additional information regarding the offering of our Securities:

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Fees and Expenses

The following table is intended to assist you in understanding the costs and expenses that an investor in this offering will bear directly or indirectly. We caution you that some of the percentages indicated in the table below are estimates and may vary. Except where the context suggests otherwise, whenever this prospectus contains a reference to fees or expenses paid by “us” or “Gladstone Capital,” or that “we” will pay fees or expenses, stockholders will indirectly bear such fees or expenses as investors in Gladstone Capital. The following percentages were calculated based on net assets as of March 31, 2007.

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(1)          The expenses of the reinvestment plan are included in stock record expenses, a component of “Other expenses.” We do not have a cash purchase plan. The participants in the dividend reinvestment plan will bear a pro rata share of brokerage commissions incurred with respect to open market purchases, if any. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for information on the dividend reinvestment plan.

(2)          Our annual base management fee is 2.0% (0.5% quarterly) of our average gross assets, which is defined as total assets of Gladstone Capital, including investments made with proceeds of borrowings, less any uninvested cash or cash equivalents pledged to creditors. See “Management—Advisory and Administration Agreements” and footnote 3 below.

(3)          The incentive fee consists of two parts: an income-based fee and a capital gains-based fee. The income-based fee will be payable quarterly in arrears, and will equal 20% of the excess, if any, of our pre-incentive fee net investment income that exceeds a 1.75% quarterly (7.0% annualized) hurdle rate, subject to a “catch-up” provision measured as of the end of each calendar quarter. The “catch-up” provision requires us to pay 100% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income with respect to that portion of such income, if any, that exceeds the hurdle rate but is less than 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate (or 2.1875%) in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized). The catch-up provision is meant to provide our Adviser with 20% of our pre-incentive fee net investment income as if a hurdle rate did not apply when our pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds 125% of the quarterly hurdle rate in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized). The income-based incentive fee will be computed and paid on income that may include interest that is accrued but not yet received in cash. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income used to calculate this part of the income incentive fee is also included in the amount of our gross assets used to calculate the 2% base management fee (see footnote 2 above). The quarter ended December 31, 2006 was the first quarter under our new advisory agreement and, as a result, was the first quarter in which the incentive fee was earned. For purposes of this computation, the aggregate gross amount of the December 31, 2006 and March 31, 2007 fees, exclusive of any credits, was annualized to determine the percentage the fee represents of net assets. After giving effect to credits against the incentive fee, the annualized incentive fee was 0.17% of net assets as of March 31, 2007. There can be no assurance that our Adviser will give any credits against the incentive fee in the future. The capital gains-based portion of the fee did not have an effect on the incentive fee for purposes of this calculation since we have not realized overall net capital gains to date.

Examples of how the incentive fee would be calculated (exclusive of any credits) are as follows:

·       Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 0.55%, there would be no income-based incentive fee because such income would not exceed the hurdle rate of 1.75%.

·       Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 2.00%, the income-based incentive fee would be as follows:

= 100% ´ (2.00% - 1.75%)

= 0.25%

·       Assuming pre-incentive fee net investment income of 2.30%, the income-based incentive fee would be as follows:

= (100% ´ (“catch-up”: 2.1875% - 1.75%)) + (20%´ (2.30% - 2.1875%))

= (100% ´ 0.4375%) + (20% ´ 0.1125%)

= 0.4375% + 0.0225%

= 0.46%

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·       Assuming net realized capital gains of 6% and realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation of 1%, the capital gains-based incentive fee would be as follows:

= 20% ´ (6% - 1%)

= 20% ´ 5%

= 1%

For a more detailed discussion of the calculation of the two-part incentive fee, see “Management—Advisory and Administration Agreements.”

(4)          We have entered into a revolving credit facility, under which our borrowing capacity is $220 million, effective May 29, 2007. We have drawn down on this credit facility and we expect to borrow additional funds in the future up to an amount so that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least 200% after each issuance of our senior securities. Assuming that we borrowed $220 million at an interest rate of 6.07%, interest payments on borrowed funds would have been 7.89% of our net assets as of March 31, 2007.

(5)          Includes our overhead expenses, including payments under the administration agreement based on our projected allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by our Administrator in performing its obligations under the administration agreement. See “Management—Certain Transactions—Advisory and Administration Agreements.”

Example

The following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total cumulative expenses that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in our Securities. In calculating the following expense amounts, we have assumed we would have no leverage and that our annual operating expenses would remain at the levels set forth in the table above. In the event that Securities to which this prospectus relates are sold to or through underwriters, a corresponding prospectus supplement will restate this example to reflect the applicable sales load.

While the example assumes, as required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, a 5% annual return, our performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5%. Additionally, we have assumed that the entire amount of such 5% annual return would constitute ordinary income as we have not historically realized positive capital gains (computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation) on our investments, nor do we expect to realize positive capital gains in the foreseeable future. Because the assumed 5% annual return is significantly below the hurdle rate of 7% (annualized) that we must achieve under the investment advisory and management agreement to trigger the payment of an income-based incentive fee, we have assumed, for purposes of the above example, that no income-based incentive fee would be payable if we realized a 5% annual return on our investments. Additionally, because we have not historically realized positive capital gains (computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation) on our investments, we have assumed that we will not trigger the payment of any capital gains-based incentive fee in any of the indicated time periods. If we achieve sufficient returns on our investments, including through the realization of capital gains, to trigger an incentive fee of a material amount, our expenses, and returns to our investors after such expenses, would be higher than reflected in the example. In addition, while the example assumes reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value, participants in our dividend reinvestment

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plan will receive a number of shares of our common stock, determined by dividing the total dollar amount of the dividend payable to a participant by the market price per share of our common stock at the close of trading on the valuation date for the dividend. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” for additional information regarding our dividend reinvestment plan.

This example and the expenses in the table above should not be considered a representation of our future expenses, and actual expenses (including the cost of debt and incentive fees, if any, and other expenses) may be greater or less than those shown. As noted in the Fees and Expenses table above, we estimate that annual incentive fees payable under the investment advisory and management agreement will be 2.74% of net assets attributable to common stock.

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CONSOLIDATED SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
(in thousands, except per share data)

The following table summarizes our consolidated financial data. The summary financial data as of and for the years ended September 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. The summary financial data as of and for the years ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The summary financial data as of and for the six months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006 is derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. You should read this data together with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto presented elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Consolidated Selected Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.

(1)                For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004, the total return equals the increase of the ending market value over the beginning market value plus monthly dividends divided by the monthly beginning market value. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, total return equals the increase of the ending market value over the beginning market value, plus distributions, dividend by the beginning market value.

(2)                Weighted average yield on investments equals interest income on investments divided by the average investment balance throughout the year.

(3)                Refer to Note 2 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for an explanation of PIK, or “Paid-in-Kind,” interest.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form N-2 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the Securities Act, with respect to the Securities offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which is a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement or exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to our business and our Securities, reference is made to the registration statement, including the amendments, exhibits and schedules thereto, contained in the registration statement.

We also file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act. Such reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the registration statement and the amendments, exhibits and schedules thereto, can be inspected at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Information about the operation of the public reference facilities may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding registrants, including us, that file such information electronically with the SEC. The address of the SEC’s web site is http://www.sec.gov. Copies of such material may also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market and our corporate website is located at http://www.gladstonecapital.com. The information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of this prospectus.

We make available free of charge on our website our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC.

We also furnish to our stockholders annual reports, which include annual financial information that has been examined and reported on, with an opinion expressed, by our independent registered public accounting firm. See “Experts.”

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information provided and incorporated by reference in this prospectus (or any prospectus supplement) before making a decision to purchase our Securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or not presently deemed material by us, may also impair our operations and performance.

If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the trading price of our Securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

We are dependent upon our key management personnel and the key management personnel of our Adviser, particularly David Gladstone, George Stelljes III and Terry Lee Brubaker, and on the continued operations of our Adviser, for our future success.

We have no employees. Our chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief investment officer and chief financial officer, and the employees of our Adviser, do not spend all of their time managing our activities and our investment portfolio. We are particularly dependent upon David Gladstone, George Stelljes III and Terry Lee Brubaker in this regard. Our executive officers and the employees of our Adviser allocate some, and in some cases a material portion, of their time to businesses and activities that are not related to our business. We have no separate facilities and are completely reliant on our Adviser, which has significant discretion as to the implementation and execution of our business strategies and risk

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management practices. We are subject to the risk of discontinuation of our Adviser’s operations or termination of the investment advisory agreement and the risk that, upon such event, no suitable replacement will be found. We believe that our success depends to a significant extent upon our Adviser and that discontinuation of its operations could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objectives.

We may be obligated to pay our Adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a loss.

On December 2, 2005, our stockholders approved a proposal to enter into an amended and restated investment advisory agreement with our Advisor, which we refer to as the Amended Advisory Agreement. On October 1, 2006, the Amended Advisory Agreement became effective. The Amended Advisory Agreement entitles our Adviser to incentive compensation for each fiscal quarter in an amount equal to a percentage of the excess of our investment income for that quarter (before deducting incentive compensation, net operating losses and certain other items) above a threshold return for that quarter. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income for incentive compensation purposes excludes realized and unrealized capital losses that we may incur in the fiscal quarter, even if such capital losses result in a net loss on our statement of operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay our Adviser incentive compensation for a fiscal quarter even if there is a decline in the value of our portfolio or we incur a net loss for that quarter. For additional information on incentive compensation under the Amended Advisory Agreement with our Adviser, see “Business—Investment Advisory and Administration Agreements—Management services and fees under the amended and restated investment advisory agreement.”

Our Adviser’s failure to identify and invest in securities that meet our investment criteria or perform its responsibilities under the Amended Advisory Agreement may adversely affect our ability for future growth.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives will depend on our ability to grow, which in turn will depend on our Adviser’s ability to identify and invest in securities that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis will be largely a function of our Adviser’s structuring of the investment process, its ability to provide competent and efficient services to us, and our access to financing on acceptable terms. The senior management team of our Adviser has substantial responsibilities under the Amended Advisory Agreement. In order to grow, our Adviser will need to hire, train supervise and manage new employees successfully. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

A large number of entities compete with us and make the types of investments that we seek to make in small and medium-sized privately owned businesses. We compete with a large number of private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds and venture capital funds, investment banks and other equity and non-equity based investment funds, and other sources of financing, including traditional financial services companies such as commercial banks. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, certain of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships and build their market shares. Furthermore, many of our potential competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the 1940 Act imposes on us as a business development company. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial

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condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time and there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that satisfy our investment objectives or that we will be able to fully invest our available capital.

Our business model is dependent upon developing and sustaining strong referral relationships with leveraged buyout funds and venture capital funds.

We are dependent upon informal relationships with leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds, and traditional lending institutions to provide us with deal flow. If we fail to maintain our relationship with such funds or institutions, or if we fail to establish strong referral relationships with other funds, we will not be able to grow our portfolio of loans and fully execute our business plan.

Our loans to small and medium-sized borrowers are extremely risky and you could lose all or a part of your investment.

Loans to small and medium-sized borrowers are subject to a number of significant risks including the following:

·       Small and medium-sized businesses may have limited financial resources and may not be able to repay the loans we make to them.   Our strategy includes providing financing to borrowers that typically is not readily available to them. While we believe that this provides an attractive opportunity for us to generate profits, this may make it difficult for the borrowers to repay their loans to us upon maturity. A borrower’s ability to repay its loan may be adversely affected by numerous factors, including the failure to meet its business plan, a downturn in its industry or negative economic conditions. Deterioration in a borrower’s financial condition and prospects usually will be accompanied by deterioration in the value of any collateral and a reduction in the likelihood of us realizing on any guarantees we may have obtained from the borrower’s management. Although we will sometimes seek to be the senior, secured lender to a borrower, in most of our loans we expect to be subordinated to a senior lender, and our interest in any collateral would, accordingly, likely be subordinate to another lender’s security interest.

·       Small and medium-sized businesses typically have narrower product lines and smaller market shares than large businesses.   Because our target borrowers are smaller businesses, they will tend to be more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns. In addition, our portfolio companies may face intense competition, including competition from companies with greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and other capabilities and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel.

·       There is generally little or no publicly available information about these businesses.   Because we seek to make loans to privately owned businesses, there is generally little or no publicly available operating and financial information about our potential borrowers. As a result, we rely on our officers, our Adviser and its employees and consultants to perform due diligence investigations of these borrowers, their operations and their prospects. We may not learn all of the material information we need to know regarding these businesses through our investigations.

·       Small and medium-sized businesses generally have less predictable operating results.   We expect that our borrowers may have significant variations in their operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in rapidly changing businesses with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive position, may otherwise have a weak financial position or may be adversely affected by changes in the business cycle. Our portfolio

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companies may not meet net income, cash flow and other coverage tests typically imposed by their senior lenders. A borrower’s failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by senior lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, foreclosure on its senior credit facility, which could additionally trigger cross-defaults in other agreements. If this were to occur, it is possible that the borrower’s ability to repay our loan would be jeopardized.

·       Small and medium-sized businesses are more likely to be dependent on one or two persons.   Typically, the success of a small or medium-sized business also depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons. The death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on our borrower and, in turn, on us.

·       Small and medium-sized businesses are likely to have greater exposure to economic downturns than larger businesses.   We expect that our borrowers will have fewer resources than larger businesses and an economic downturn is more likely to have a material adverse effect on them. If one of our borrowers is adversely impacted by an economic downturn, its ability to repay our loan would be diminished.

·       Small and medium-sized businesses may have limited operating histories.   While we intend to target stable companies with proven track records, we may make loans to new companies that meet our other investment criteria. Borrowers with limited operating histories will be exposed to all of the operating risks that new businesses face and may be particularly susceptible to, among other risks, market downturns, competitive pressures and the departure of key executive officers.

We may not realize gains from our equity investments and other yield enhancements.

When we make a subordinated loan, we may receive warrants to purchase stock issued by the borrower or other yield enhancements, such as success fees (conditional interest). Our goal is to ultimately dispose of these equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. We expect that, over time, the gains we realize on these warrants and other yield enhancements will offset any losses we experience on loan defaults. However, any warrants we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value and any other yield enhancements, such as success fees, may not be realized. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests or other yield enhancements and any gains we do recognize may not be sufficient to offset losses we experience on our loan portfolio. Because the loans we make and equity securities we receive when we make loans are not publicly traded, there will be uncertainty regarding the value of our privately held securities that could adversely affect our determination of our net asset value.

A large percentage of our portfolio investments are, and will continue to be, in the form of securities that are not publicly traded. The fair value of securities and other investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable. Our Board of Directors has established a valuation policy and consistently applied valuation procedures used to determine the fair value of these securities quarterly. These procedures for the determination of value of many of our debt securities rely on the opinions of value submitted to us by Standard & Poor’s Securities Evaluations, Inc., which we refer to as SPSE. SPSE will only evaluate the debt portion of our investments for which we specifically request evaluation, and SPSE may decline to make requested evaluations for any reason in its sole discretion. However, to date, SPSE has accepted each of our requests for evaluation.

Our procedures also include provisions whereby our Adviser will establish the fair value of any equity securities we may hold where SPSE is unable to provide evaluations. The types of factors that may be considered in determining the fair value of our debt and equity investments include some or all of the following: the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s earnings and cash flows and its ability to make payments on its obligations, the markets in which the portfolio company does

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business, comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow, and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time, and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that might have resulted from a readily available market for these securities.

In the future, we anticipate that a small portion of our assets may consist of equity securities that are valued based on internal assessment, using our own valuation methods approved by our Board of Directors, without the input of SPSE or any other third-party evaluator. We believe that our equity valuation methods reflect those regularly used as standards by other professionals in our industry who value equity securities. However, determination of fair value for securities that are not publicly traded, whether or not we use the recommendations of an independent third party evaluator, necessarily involves the exercise of subjective judgment. Our net asset value could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such securities.

The lack of liquidity of our privately held investments may adversely affect our business.

Most of our investments presently consist of, and will continue to consist of, loans and warrants acquired in private transactions directly from borrowers or from the originators of loans to such borrowers. Substantially all of the investments we presently hold are, and the investments we expect to acquire in the future will be, subject to restrictions on resale, including, in some instances, legal restrictions, or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to quickly obtain cash equal to the value at which we record our investments if the need arises. This could cause us to miss important business opportunities. In addition, if we are required to quickly liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. In addition, we may face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a portfolio company to the extent that we, our Adviser, or our respective officers, employees or affiliates have material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.

Due to the uncertainty inherent in valuing these securities, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would exist if a ready market for these securities existed. Our net asset value could be materially affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of our investments are materially different from the values that we ultimately realize on our disposal of such securities.

Our business plan is dependent upon external financing which may expose us to risks associated with leverage.

Our business requires a substantial amount of cash to operate and grow. We may acquire such additional capital from the following sources:

·       Senior Securities.   We intend to issue debt securities, other evidences of indebtedness (including borrowings under our line of credit) and possibly preferred stock, up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act currently permits us, as a business development company, to issue debt securities and preferred stock, to which we refer collectively as senior securities, in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least 200% after each issuance of senior securities. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will be exposed to the risks associated with leverage. Although borrowing money for investments increases the potential for gain, it also increases the risk of a loss. A decrease in the value of our investments will have a greater impact on the value of our common stock to the extent that we have borrowed money to make investments. There is a possibility that the costs of borrowing could exceed the income we receive on the investments we make with such borrowed funds. In addition, our ability to pay

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dividends or incur additional indebtedness would be restricted if asset coverage is not at least twice our indebtedness. If the value of our assets declines, we might be unable to satisfy that test. If this happens, we may be required to liquidate a portion of our loan portfolio and repay a portion of our indebtedness at a time when a sale may be disadvantageous. Furthermore, any amounts that we use to service our indebtedness will not be available for distributions to our stockholders.

·       Common Stock.   Because we are constrained in our ability to issue debt for the reasons given above, we are dependent on the issuance of equity as a financing source. If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock, the percentage ownership of our stockholders at the time of the issuance would decrease and they may experience dilution. In addition, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock.

·       Securitization.   In addition to issuing securities to raise capital as described above, we anticipate that in the future we will securitize our loans to generate cash for funding new investments. An inability to successfully securitize our loan portfolio could limit our ability to grow our business, fully execute our business strategy and impact our profitability. Moreover, successful securitization of our loan portfolio might expose us to losses as the loans in which we do not plan to sell interests will be those that are riskier and more apt to generate losses.

A change in interest rates may adversely affect our profitability and our hedging strategy may expose us to additional risks.

We anticipate using a combination of equity and long-term and short-term borrowings to finance our lending activities. As a result, a portion of our income will depend upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds and the rate at which we loan these funds. Certain of our borrowings may be at fixed rates and others at variable rates. Ultimately, we expect approximately 20% of the loans in our portfolio to be at fixed rates and approximately 80% to be at variable rates determined on the basis of a benchmark prime rate. As of March 31, 2007, our portfolio had approximately 56% of the total of the loan cost value at variable rates with a floor, approximately 2% of the total loan cost value at variable rates with a floor and ceiling, 40% at variable rates without a floor or ceiling and approximately 1% of the total loan portfolio cost basis at a fixed rate. Pursuant to our initial line of credit, we agreed to enter into hedging transactions such as interest rate cap agreements, futures, options and forward contracts. To date, we hold only one interest rate cap agreement. In the event that we securitize a portion of our loan portfolio in the future, we believe that we will likely be required to enter into similar arrangements with respect to the securitized loans. While hedging activities may insulate us against adverse fluctuations in interest rates, they may also limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to the hedged portfolio. Adverse developments resulting from changes in interest rates or hedging transactions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our credit facility imposes certain limitations on us.

We will have a continuing need for capital to finance our loans. In order to maintain RIC status, we will be required to distribute to our stockholders at least 90% of our ordinary income and short-term capital gains on an annual basis. Accordingly, such earnings will not be available to fund additional loans. Therefore, we are party to a credit agreement arranged by Deutsche Bank AG as the structuring agent. The agreement provides us with a revolving credit line facility of $220 million. In the future, borrowings outstanding on the credit line facility may be repaid with the proceeds we may receive from securitizing some or all of the loans in our portfolio for long-term funding. The line of credit facility will permit us to fund additional loans and investments as long as we are within the conditions set out in the credit agreement.

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As a result of the line of credit facility, we are subject to certain limitations on the type of loan investments we make, including restrictions on geographic concentrations, sector concentrations, loan size, payment frequency and status, and average life. Our failure to satisfy these limitations could result in foreclosure by our lenders which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our investments are typically long term and will require several years to realize liquidation events.

Since we generally intend to make five to seven year term loans and hold our loans and related warrants or other yield enhancements until the loans mature, you should not expect realization events, if any, to occur over the near term. In addition, we expect that any warrants or other yield enhancements that we receive when we make loans may require several years to appreciate in value and we cannot give any assurance that such appreciation will occur.

Prepayments by our portfolio companies could adversely impact our results of operations and reduce our return on equity.

In addition to risks associated with delays in investing our capital, we are also subject to the risk that investments that we make in our portfolio companies may be repaid prior to maturity. We will first use any proceeds from prepayments to repay any borrowings outstanding on our line of credit. In the event that funds remain after repayment of our outstanding borrowings, then we will generally reinvest these proceeds in government securities, pending their future investment in new debt securities. These government securities will typically have substantially lower yields than the debt securities being prepaid and we could experience significant delays in reinvesting these amounts. As a result, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if one or more of our portfolio companies elects to prepay amounts owed to us. Additionally, prepayments could negatively impact our return on equity, which could result in a decline in the market price of our common stock.

We will be subject to corporate level tax if we are unable to satisfy Internal Revenue Code requirements for RIC qualification.

To maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must meet income source, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. The annual distribution requirement is satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and short-term capital gains to our stockholders on an annual basis. Because we use leverage, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and could, under certain circumstances, be restricted from making distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. Warrants we receive with respect to debt investments will create “original issue discount,” which we must recognize as ordinary income, increasing the amounts we are required to distribute to maintain RIC status. Because such warrants will not produce distributable cash for us at the same time as we are required to make distributions in respect of the related original issue discount, we will need to use cash from other sources to satisfy such distribution requirements. The asset diversification requirements must be met at the end of each calendar quarter. If we fail to meet these tests, we may need to quickly dispose of certain investments to prevent the loss of RIC status. Since most of our investments will be illiquid, such dispositions, if even possible, may not be made at prices advantageous to us and, in fact, may result in substantial losses. If we fail to qualify as a RIC for any reason and become fully subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution, and the actual amount distributed. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and our shares. For additional information regarding asset coverage ratio and RIC requirements, see “Business—Leverage” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

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There are significant potential conflicts of interest which could impact our investment returns.

Our executive officers and directors, and the officers and directors of our Adviser and our Administrator serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or a related line of business as we do or of investment funds managed by our affiliates. Accordingly, they may have obligations to investors in those entities, the fulfillment of which might not be in the best interests of us or our stockholders. In addition, all of our directors and executive officers serve as either directors or executive officers, or both, of Gladstone Commercial and Gladstone Investment and our Adviser and Administrator also provide investment advisory and administrative services to these affiliates as well as Gladstone Land. In the future, our Adviser and our Administrator may provide investment advisory and administrative services, as applicable, to other funds, both public and private, of which it is the sponsor. Moreover, our Adviser may establish or sponsor other investment vehicles which from time to time may have potentially overlapping investment objectives with those of ours and accordingly may invest in, whether principally or secondarily, asset classes similar to those we targeted. While our Adviser generally has broad authority to make investments on behalf of the investment vehicles that it advises, our Adviser has adopted investment allocation procedures to address these potential conflicts and intends to direct investment opportunities to the Gladstone affiliate with the investment strategy that most closely fits the investment opportunity to ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all the funds it manages. Nevertheless, the management of our Adviser may face conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities to other entities managed by our Adviser. As a result, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by other members of the Gladstone Companies or investment funds managed by investment managers affiliated with our Adviser.

In certain circumstances, we may make investments in a portfolio company in which one of our affiliates has or will have an investment, subject to satisfaction of any regulatory restrictions and, where required, to the prior approval of our Board of Directors. As of March 31, 2007, our Board of Directors has approved the following types of co-investment transactions:

·       Our affiliate, Gladstone Commercial, may lease property to portfolio companies that we do not control under certain circumstances. We may pursue such transactions only if (i) the portfolio company is not controlled by us or any of our affiliates, (ii) the portfolio company satisfies the tenant underwriting criteria of Gladstone Commercial, and (iii) the transaction is approved by a majority of our independent directors and a majority of the independent directors of Gladstone Commercial. We expect that any such negotiations between Gladstone Commercial and our portfolio companies would result in lease terms consistent with the terms that the portfolio companies would be likely to receive were they not portfolio companies of ours.

·       We may invest simultaneously with our affiliate Gladstone Investment in senior syndicated loans whereby neither we nor any affiliate has the ability to dictate the terms of the loans.

Certain of our officers, who are also officers of our Adviser, may from time to time serve as directors of certain of our portfolio companies. If an officer serves in such capacity with one of our portfolio companies, such officer will owe fiduciary duties to all shareholders of the portfolio company, which duties may from time to time conflict with the interests of our stockholders.

In the course of our investing activities, we will pay management and incentive fees to our Adviser and will reimburse our Administrator for certain expenses it incurs. As a result, investors in our common stock will invest on a “gross” basis and receive distributions on a “net” basis after expenses, resulting in, among other things, a lower rate of return than one might achieve through our investors themselves making direct investments. As a result of this arrangement, there may be times when the management team of our Adviser or our Administrator has interests that differ from those of our stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.

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Our Adviser is not obligated to provide a waiver of the incentive fee, which could negatively impact our earnings and our ability to maintain our current level of, or increase, distributions to our stockholders.

On October 1, 2006, we implemented the Amended Advisory Agreement with our Adviser. In addition to providing for a base management fee based on our total assets, this agreement contemplates a quarterly incentive fee based on our pre-incentive fee net investment income and an annual incentive fee based on our capital gains, if any. Our Adviser has the ability to issue a full or partial waiver of the incentive fee for current and future periods, however our Adviser is not required to issue this waiver. If our Adviser does not issue this waiver in future quarters, it could negatively impact our earnings and may compromise our ability to maintain our current level of, or increase, distributions to our stockholders, which could have a material adverse impact on our stock price.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations, or changes in the interpretation thereof, and any failure by us to comply with laws or regulations governing our operations may adversely affect our business.

We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation by laws at the local, state and federal levels. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may be changed from time to time. Accordingly, any change in these laws or regulations, or their interpretation, or any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations may adversely affect our business. For additional information regarding the regulations to which we are subject, see “Regulation as a Business Development Company” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

We may experience fluctuation in our quarterly results.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors including, among others, the interest rates payable on our debt securities, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the level of our expenses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets and general economic conditions. As a result of these factors, results for any period should not be relied upon as being indicative of performance in future periods.

There is a risk that you may not receive dividends or that our dividends may not grow over time.

Our current intention is to distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and short-term capital gains to our stockholders on a quarterly basis. We expect to retain net realized long-term capital gains to supplement our equity capital and support the growth of our portfolio, although our Board of Directors may determine in certain cases to distribute these gains. We cannot assure you that we will achieve investment results or maintain a tax status that will allow or require any specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and adversely impact the price of our shares.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and the Maryland General Corporation Law contain provisions that may have the effect of discouraging, delaying or making more difficult a change in control and preventing the removal of incumbent directors. The existence of these provisions may negatively impact the price of our shares and may discourage third-party bids. These provisions may reduce any premiums paid to you for our shares. Furthermore, we are subject to Section 3-602 of the Maryland General Corporation Law which governs business combinations with interested stockholders and could delay or prevent a change in control. In addition, our Board of Directors is elected in staggered terms which makes it more difficult for a hostile bidder to acquire control of us.

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The market price of our shares may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and marketability of our shares may from time to time be significantly affected by numerous factors, including many over which we have no control and that may not be directly related to us. These factors include the following:

·       price and volume fluctuations in the stock market from time to time, which are often unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies;

·       significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of shares of RICs, business development companies or other companies in our sector, which is not necessarily related to the operating performance of these companies;

·       changes in regulatory policies or tax guidelines, particularly with respect to RICs or business development companies;

·       loss of business development company status;

·       loss of RIC status;

·       changes in our earnings or variations in our operating results;

·       changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;

·       any shortfall in our revenue or net income or any increase in losses from levels expected by securities analysts;

·       departure of key personnel;

·       operating performance of companies comparable to us;

·       short-selling pressure with respect to our shares or business development companies generally;

·       general economic trends and other external factors; and

·       loss of a major funding source.

Fluctuations in the trading prices of our shares may adversely affect the liquidity of the trading market for our shares and, if we seek to raise capital through future equity financings, our ability to raise such equity capital.

Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from net asset value.

Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from net asset value. This characteristic of shares of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share will decline. Although shares of our common stock have historically traded at a premium to net asset value, there can be no guarantee that they will continue to do so.

We could face losses and potential liability if intrusion, viruses or similar disruptions to our technology jeopardize our confidential information or that of users of our technology.

Although we have implemented, and will continue to implement, security measures, our technology platform is and will continue to be vulnerable to intrusion, computer viruses or similar disruptive problems caused by transmission from unauthorized users. The misappropriation of proprietary information could expose us to a risk of loss or litigation.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

All statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus summary, other than historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements”. These statements may relate to, among other things, future events or our future performance or financial condition. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “might,” “believe,” “will,” “provided,” “anticipate,” “future,” “could,” “growth,” “plan,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “if,” “seek,” “possible,” “potential,” “likely” or the negative of such terms or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: (1) adverse changes in interest rates; (2) our failure or inability to establish or maintain referral arrangements with leveraged buyout funds and venture capital funds to generate loan opportunities; (3) the loss of one or more of our executive officers, in particular David Gladstone, Terry Lee Brubaker, or George Stelljes III; (4) our inability to extend, refinance, or maintain our credit facilities on terms reasonably acceptable to us, if at all, in future equity capital resources; (5) our inability to successfully securitize our loan portfolio on terms reasonably acceptable to us, if at all; (6) the decision of our competitors to aggressively seek to make senior and subordinated loans to small and medium-sized businesses on terms more favorable than we intend to provide; and (7) those factors described in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this prospectus.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise specified in any prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities for general corporate purposes. We expect the proceeds to be used first to pay down existing short-term debt, then to make investments in small and medium sized businesses in accordance with our investment objectives, and any remaining proceeds to be used for other general corporate purposes. Indebtedness under our credit line facility currently accrues interest at the rate of approximately 6.07% and matures on May 23, 2008. We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of any offering of Securities will be utilized in the manner described above within three months of the completion of such offering. Pending such utilization, we intend to invest the net proceeds of any offering of Securities primarily in cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities, and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment, consistent with the requirements for continued qualification as a RIC for federal income tax purposes.

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DISTRIBUTIONS

We have distributed and currently intend to distribute in the form of cash dividends, a minimum of 90% of our ordinary income and short-term capital gains, if any, on a quarterly basis to our stockholders in the form of monthly dividends. We intend to retain long-term capital gains and treat them as deemed distributions for tax purposes. We report the estimated tax characteristics of each dividend when declared while the actual tax characteristics of dividends are reported annually to each stockholder on Form 1099 DIV. There is no assurance that we will achieve investment results or maintain a tax status that will permit any specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. At the option of a holder of record of common stock, all cash distributions can be reinvested automatically under our Dividend Reinvestment Plan in additional whole and fractional shares. A stockholder whose shares are held in the name of a broker or other nominee should contact the broker or nominee regarding participation in our Dividend Reinvestment Plan on the stockholder’s behalf. See “Risk Factors—We will be subject to corporate level tax if we are unable to satisfy Internal Revenue Code requirements for RIC qualification;” “Dividend Reinvestment Plan;” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

Our common stock is quoted on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “GLAD.” Our common stock has historically traded at prices above its net asset value. There can be no assurance, however, that any premium to net asset value will be maintained. As of June 15, 2007, we had 80 stockholders of record. The following table sets forth the range of high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (for periods prior to July 1, 2006, The Nasdaq National Market) and the dividends declared by us for the last two completed fiscal years and the current fiscal year through June 15, 2007.

(1)          Net asset value per share is determined as of the last day in the relevant quarter and therefore may not reflect the net asset value per share on the date of the high and low sale price. The net asset values shown are based on outstanding shares at the end of each period.

(2)          The premiums set forth in these columns represent the high or low, as applicable, closing price per share for the relevant quarter minus the net asset value per share as of the end of such quarter, and therefore may not reflect the premium to net asset value per share on the date of the high and low closing prices.

*                    Not available.

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CONSOLIDATED SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
(in thousands, except per share data)

The following consolidated selected financial data as of and for the years ended September 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. The consolidated selected financial data as of and for the years ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The consolidated selected financial data as of and for the six months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006 is derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. You should read this data together with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto presented elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for more information.

(1)                For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004, the total return equals the increase of the ending market value over the beginning market value plus monthly dividends divided by the monthly beginning market value. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, total return equals the increase of the ending market value over the beginning market value, plus distributions, dividend by the beginning market value.

(2)                Weighted average yield on investments equals interest income on investments divided by the average investment balance throughout the year.

(3)                Refer to Note 2 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” for an explanation of PIK, or “Paid-in-Kind,” interest.

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

OVERVIEW

We were incorporated under the General Corporation Laws of the State of Maryland on May 30, 2001. Our investment objectives are to achieve a high level of current income by investing in debt securities, consisting primarily of senior notes, second lien notes, and senior subordinated notes of established private businesses that are backed by leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds or others, with a particular emphasis on second lien and senior subordinated notes. In addition, we may acquire existing loans, which meet this profile, from leveraged buyout funds, venture capital funds and others. We also seek to provide our stockholders with long-term capital growth through the appreciation in the value of warrants, or other equity instruments that we may receive when we extend loans. We operate as a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company, and have elected to be treated as a business development company under the 1940 Act.

We seek to invest in small and medium-sized businesses that meet certain criteria, including some or all of the following: (1) the potential for growth in cash flow, (2) adequate assets for loan collateral, (3) experienced management teams with a significant ownership interest in the borrower, (4) profitable operations based on the borrower’s cash flow, (5) reasonable capitalization of the borrower (usually by buyout funds or venture capital funds) and (6) the potential to realize appreciation and gain liquidity in our equity position, if any. We anticipate that liquidity in our equity position will be achieved through a merger or acquisition of the borrower, a public offering by the borrower or by exercise of our right to require the borrower to buy back its warrants. We lend to borrowers that need funds to, among other things, effect a change of control, restructure their balance sheets, or finance growth, including acquisitions.

Our loans typically range from $5 million to $15 million, although this investment size may vary proportionately as the size of our capital base changes, generally mature in no more than seven years and accrue interest at fixed or variable rates. Some of our loans may contain a provision that calls for some portion of the interest payments to be deferred and added to the principal balance so that the interest is paid, together with the principal, at maturity. This form of deferred interest is often called “paid in kind” or PIK interest, and, when earned, we record PIK interest as interest income and add the PIK interest to the principal balance of the loans. We seek to avoid PIK interest with all potential investments under review. We currently do not hold any investments with PIK and, therefore, there was no PIK accrued on our balance sheet as of March 31, 2007.

Because the majority of our portfolio loans consist of term debt of private companies who typically cannot or will not expend the resources to have their debt securities rated by a credit rating agency, we expect that most of the debt securities we acquire will be unrated. We cannot accurately predict what ratings these loans might receive if they were in fact rated, and thus cannot determine whether or not they could be considered “investment grade” quality.

To the extent possible, our loans generally are collateralized by a security interest in the borrower’s assets. Interest payments are generally made monthly or quarterly (except to the extent of any PIK interest) with amortization of principal generally being deferred for several years. The principal amount of the loans and any accrued but unpaid interest generally become due at maturity at five to seven years. When we receive a warrant to purchase stock in a borrower in connection with a loan, the warrant will typically have an exercise price equal to the fair value of the portfolio company’s common stock at the time of the loan and entitle us to purchase a modest percentage of the borrower’s stock.

Original issue discount, or OID, arises when we extend a loan and receive an equity interest in the borrower at the same time. To the extent that the price paid for the equity is not at market value, we must

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allocate part of the price paid for the loan to the value of the equity. Then the amount allocated to the equity, the OID, must be amortized over the life of the loan. As with PIK interest, the amortization of OID also produces income that must be recognized for purposes of satisfying the distribution requirements for a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code, which we refer to as the Code, whereas the cash is received, if at all, when the equity instrument is sold. We seek to avoid OID and to date do not hold any investments with OID.

In addition, as a business development company under the 1940 Act, we are required to make available significant managerial assistance to our portfolio companies.  We provide these services through our Adviser, who provides these services on our behalf through its officers who are also our officers. In addition, our Adviser provides other services to our portfolio companies, for which it receives fees, in connection with our investments. The fees for these services are generally paid to our Adviser in part at the time a prospective portfolio company signs a non-binding term sheet with us (as further described in the following paragraph), with the remainder paid at the closing of the investment. These fees are generally non-recurring, however in some instances they may have a recurring component which is also paid to our Adviser. Any fees received for other services, with the exception of recurring monitoring and review fees, by our Adviser are currently credited against the base management fee payable to our Adviser pursuant to the terms of the Amended Advisory Agreement, which has the effect of reducing our expenses to the extent of any such credits. The specific other services our Adviser provides vary by portfolio company, but generally include a broad array of services to the portfolio companies such as investment banking services, arranging bank financing, arranging equity financing, structuring financing from multiple lenders and investors, reviewing existing credit facilities, restructuring existing loans, raising equity and debt capital, turnaround management, merger and acquisition services and recruiting new management personnel. To date our Adviser has not charged for managerial assistance services, however, if our Adviser does receive fees for such managerial assistance, our Adviser will credit the managerial assistance fees to the base management fee due from us to our Adviser.

Prior to making an investment, we ordinarily enter into a non-binding term sheet with the potential borrower. These non-binding term sheets are generally subject to a number of conditions, including, but not limited to, the satisfactory completion of our due diligence investigations of the potential borrower’s business, reaching agreement on the legal documentation for the loan, and the receipt of all necessary consents. Upon execution of the non-binding term sheet, the potential borrower generally pays our Adviser a non-refundable fee for its services rendered through the date of the non-binding term sheet. These fees are received by our Adviser and are offset against the base management fee payable to our Adviser, which has the effect of reducing our expenses to the extent of any such fees received by our Adviser.

In the event that we expend significant effort in considering and negotiating a potential investment that ultimately is not consummated, we generally will seek reimbursement from the proposed borrower for our reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the transaction, including legal fees. Any amounts collected for expenses incurred by our Adviser in connection with unconsummated investments will be reimbursed to our Adviser.  Amounts collected for these expenses incurred by us will be reimbursed to us and will be recognized in the period in which such reimbursement is received, however, there can be no guarantee that we will be successful in collecting any such reimbursements.

During the six months ended March 31, 2007, we extended, directly or through participations, approximately $127.6 million of new loans to a total of 32 companies. Also, during the six months ended March 31, 2007, one borrower repaid its loans ahead of contractual maturity, one borrower refinanced its investment and we sold or were repaid in full on 11 syndicated loans of approximately $56.9 million, and we received scheduled contractual principal repayments of approximately $5.1 million, for total principal repayments of approximately $62.0 million. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006, we extended, directly or through participations, approximately $136 million of new loans to a total of 22 companies. Also, during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006, 7 borrowers repaid their loans ahead of contractual

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maturity and we sold or repaid in full on 9 syndicated loans, and sold 3 loan investments at a loss for an aggregate return of capital of approximately $20 million and we received scheduled contractual principal repayments of approximately $20 million, for total principal repayments of approximately $124 million. Since our initial public offering in August 2001, we have made approximately 220 different loans to, or investments in approximately 120 companies for a total of approximately $755.5 million, before giving effect to principal repayments on investments and divestitures.

We are continuously working toward the consummation of more loan originations and syndicated investments in an effort to grow our loan portfolio. These prospective loans are subject to, among other things, the satisfactory completion of our due diligence investigation of each borrower, acceptance of terms and structure and attainment of necessary consents. With respect to each prospective loan, we will only agree to provide the loan if, among other things, the results of our due diligence investigations are satisfactory, the terms and conditions of the loan are acceptable and all necessary consents are received. Our management has initiated its due diligence investigations of the potential borrowers, however we cannot assure you that we will not discover facts in the course of completing our due diligence that would render a particular investment imprudent or that any of these loans will actually be made.

Our Investment Adviser and Administrator

Our Adviser is led by a management team which has extensive experience in our lines of business. Our Adviser is controlled by David Gladstone, our chairman and chief executive officer. Mr. Gladstone is also the chairman and chief executive officer of our Adviser. Terry Lee Brubaker, our vice chairman, chief operating officer, secretary and director, is a member of the board of directors of our Adviser and its vice chairman and chief operating officer. George Stelljes III, our president, chief investment officer and director, is a member of the board of directors of our Adviser and its president and chief investment officer. Harry Brill, our chief financial officer, is also the chief financial officer of our Adviser. Our Adviser’s wholly-owned subsidiary, our Administrator, employs our chief financial officer, chief compliance officer, controller, treasurer and their respective staffs.

Our Adviser and Administrator also provide investment advisory and administrative services to our affiliates, Gladstone Commercial, a publicly traded real estate investment trust; Gladstone Investment, a publicly traded business development company; and Gladstone Land Corporation, an agricultural real estate company owned by Mr. Gladstone. All of our directors and executive officers serve as either directors or executive officers, or both, of Gladstone Commercial and Gladstone Investment. In the future, our Adviser may provide investment advisory and administrative services to other funds, both public and private, of which it is the sponsor.

We have been externally managed by our Adviser pursuant to an investment advisory and management agreement since October 1, 2004. Our Adviser was organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 2, 2002, and is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Our Adviser is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C., and also has offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Kentucky and Washington.

Investment Advisory and Management Agreements

On December 2, 2005, our stockholders approved a proposal to enter into an amended and restated investment advisory agreement, which we refer to as the Amended Advisory Agreement, with our Adviser and an administration agreement which we refer to as the Administration Agreement, with our Administrator, both of which became effective on October 1, 2006. The Amended Advisory Agreement replaced the original advisory agreement which terminated on September 30, 2006 and we refer to as the Initial Advisory Agreement. We continue to pay our direct expenses including, but not limited to, directors

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fees, legal and accounting fees, and stockholder related expenses under the Amended Advisory Agreement.

Pursuant to the Initial Advisory Agreement, we paid our Adviser an annual advisory fee of 1.25% of our total assets (as reduced by cash and cash equivalents pledged to creditors), payable in quarterly computed increments of 0.3125%, and an annual administrative fee of 0.75% of our total assets (as reduced by cash and cash equivalents pledged to creditors), payable in quarterly computed increments of 0.1875%, for a total annual base management fee of 2%. This fee was then directly reduced by the amount of loan servicing fees paid to our Adviser and any other fees received by our Adviser from our borrowers and potential borrowers.

Under the Amended Advisory Agreement, we pay our Adviser an annual base management fee of 2% of our average gross assets, which is defined as total assets less cash and cash equivalents pledged to creditors calculated as of the end of the two most recently completed fiscal quarters and also consists of a two-part incentive fee.

The first part of the incentive fee is an income-based incentive fee which rewards our Adviser if our quarterly net investment income (before giving effect to any incentive fee) exceeds 1.75% of our net assets (the “hurdle rate”). We will pay our Adviser an income incentive fee with respect to our pre-incentive fee net investment income in each calendar quarter as follows:

·       no incentive fee in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the hurdle rate (7% annualized);

·       100% of our 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 2.1875% in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized); and

·       20% of the amount of our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, that exceeds 2.1875% in any calendar quarter (8.75% annualized).

Quarterly Incentive Fee Based on Net Investment Income

Pre-incentive fee net investment income
(expressed as a percentage of the value of net assets)

Percentage of pre-incentive fee net investment income
allocated to income-related portion of incentive fee

The second part of the incentive fee is a capital gains incentive fee that will be determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each fiscal year (or upon termination of the Amended Advisory Agreement, as of the termination date), commencing on October 1, 2006, and will equal 20% of our realized capital gains as of the end of the fiscal year. In determining the capital gains incentive fee payable to our Adviser, we will calculate the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains and cumulative aggregate realized capital losses since our inception, and the aggregate unrealized capital depreciation as of the date of the calculation, as applicable, with respect to each of the investments in our portfolio. A discussion regarding the basis for our Board of Directors’ approval of the Amended Advisory Agreement is available in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2006.

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Our Adviser’s board of directors agreed to voluntarily waive 1.5% of the annual 2.0% base management fee to 0.5% for senior syndicated loans for each of the three months ended December 31, 2006 and March 31, 2007.

In addition to the base management and incentive fees under the Amended Advisory Agreement, certain fees received by our Adviser from our portfolio companies were credited against the investment advisory fee under the Initial Advisory Agreement, and will continue to be paid to our Adviser and credited under the Amended Advisory Agreement. Our Adviser services our loan portfolio pursuant to a loan servicing agreement with Gladstone Business Loan, LLC, which we refer to as Business Loan, in return for a 1.5% annual fee, based on the monthly aggregate outstanding loan balance of the loans pledged under our credit facility. Effective in April 2006, our Adviser’s board of directors voted to reduce the portion of the annual fee to 0.5% for senior syndicated loans. This fee directly reduces the amount of the fees payable under both the Initial and Amended Advisory Agreements. For the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006, we incurred $760,623 and $734,644, respectively, and for the six months ended March 31, 2007 and 2006 we incurred $1,479,775 and $1,450,059, respectively, in loan servicing fees.

For the three months ended March 31, 2007, the gross base management fee, based on the Amended Advisory Agreement, before reductions for loan servicing and other fees was $1,211,108, as compared to $1,087,023 for the three months ended March 31, 2006. After being reduced by loan servicing fees of $760,623 and other fees received by our Adviser of $775,000, our net base management fee was a credit of $324,516 for the three months ended March 31, 2007, as compared to reductions for loan servicing fees of $734,644 and other fees received by our Adviser of $673,000, our net base management fee was a credit of $320,621 for the three months ended March 31, 2006. For the six months ended March 31, 2007, the gross base management fee, based on the Amended Advisory Agreement, before reductions for loan servicing fees and other fees was $2,328,692. After being reduced by loan servicing fees of $1,479,775 and other fees received by our Adviser of $1,086,000, our net base management fee for the six months ended March 31, 2007 was a credit of $237,084. For the six months ended March 31, 2006, the gross base management fee, before reductions for loan servicing fees and other fees was $2,071,139. After being reduced by loan servicing fees of $1,450,059 and other fees received by our Adviser of $1,223,000, our net base management fee for the six months ended March 31, 2006 was a credit of $601,920. At March 31, 2007, $217,631 of unpaid loan servicing fees and $324,516 of base management fee due to us was recorded net in fees due from Adviser in the accompanying consolidated statement of assets and liabilities.

For the three and six months ended March 31, 2007, we recorded a gross incentive fee of $1,158,995 and $2,307,478, respectively, which was offset by a waiver voluntarily issued by our Adviser’s board of directors of $1,088,378 and $1,657,372, respectively, which resulted in a net incentive fee due to our Adviser of $70,617 and $650,106, respectively, of which $70,617 is unpaid and is netted and recorded in fees due from Adviser on our consolidated statements of assets and liabilities. There was no incentive fee recorded for the three and six months ended March 31, 2006 as the Amended Advisory Agreement was not in effect.

Administration Agreement

Under the Administration Agreement, we pay separately for administrative services. The Administration Agreement provides for payments equal to our allocable portion of our Administrator’s overhead expenses in performing its obligations under the Administration Agreement including, but not limited to, rent for employees of our Administrator, and our allocable portion of the salaries and benefits expenses of our chief financial officer, controller, chief compliance officer, treasurer and their respective staffs. Our allocable portion of expenses is derived by multiplying our Administrator’s total allocable expenses by the percentage of our average total assets (the total assets at the beginning and end of each quarter) in comparison to the average total assets of all companies managed by our Adviser under similar agreements.

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Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which we refer to as GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported consolidated amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the period reported. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Our accounting policies are more fully described in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained elsewhere in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We have identified our investment valuation process as our most critical accounting policy.

Investment Valuation

The most significant estimate inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements is the valuation of investments and the related amounts of unrealized appreciation and depreciation of investments recorded.

General Valuation Policy:   Using procedures established by our Board of Directors, we value our investment portfolio each quarter. We carry our investments at fair value, as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our Board of Directors. Securities that are publicly traded, if any, are valued at the closing price of the exchange or securities market on which they are listed on the valuation date. Securities that are not traded on a public exchange or securities market, but for which a limited market exists and that have been rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, or NRSRO, (such as certain participations in syndicated loans) are valued at the indicative bid price offered by the syndication agent on the valuation date.

Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded, for which a limited market does not exist, or for which a limited market exists but that have not been rated by a NRSRO (or for which we have various degrees of trading restrictions) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our Board of Directors. In making the good faith determination of the value of these securities, we start with the cost basis of the security, which includes the amortized OID and PIK interest, if any. We then apply the methods set out below in “Valuation Methods.” Members of our Adviser’s portfolio management team prepare the valuations of our investments in portfolio companies using the most recent portfolio company financial statements and forecasts. These individuals also consult with portfolio company senior management and ownership to obtain further updates on the portfolio company’s performance, including information such as industry trends, new product development, and other operational issues. Due to the uncertainty inherent in the valuation process, such estimates of fair value may differ significantly from the values that would have been obtained had a ready market for the securities existed, and the differences could be material. Additionally, changes in the market environment and other events that may occur over the life of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be different than the valuations currently assigned. There is no single standard for determining fair value in good faith, as fair value depends upon circumstances of each individual case. In general, fair value is the amount that we might reasonably expect to receive upon the current sale of the security.

At March 31, 2007, we engaged Standard & Poor’s Securities Evaluations, Inc., or SPSE, to submit opinions of value for most of our loan securities. We request that SPSE also evaluate and assign values to success fees (conditional interest included in some loan securities) when we determine that the probability of receiving a success fee on a given loan is above 6-8%, a threshold of significance. Upon completing our collection of data with respect to the investments (including the information described under “Credit Information,” the risk ratings of the loans described under “Loan Grading and Risk Rating” and the factors described under “Valuation Methods”), this valuation data is forwarded along to SPSE for review

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and analysis. SPSE makes its independent assessment of the data that we have assembled and assesses its independent data to form an opinion as to what they consider to be the market values for the securities. With regard to its work, SPSE has issued the following paragraph:

SPSE provides evaluated price opinions which are reflective of what SPSE believes the bid side of the market would be for each loan after careful review and analysis of descriptive, market and credit information. Each price reflects SPSE’s best judgment based upon careful examination of a variety of market factors. Because of fluctuation in the market and in other factors beyond its control, SPSE cannot guarantee these evaluations. The evaluations reflect the market prices, or estimates thereof, on the date specified. The prices are based on comparable market prices for similar securities. Market information has been obtained from reputable secondary market sources. Although these sources are considered reliable, SPSE cannot guarantee their accuracy.

SPSE opinions of value are submitted to our Board of Directors along with our Adviser’s supplemental assessment and recommendation regarding valuation of each of these investments. Our Adviser generally accepts the opinion of value given by SPSE, however, in certain limited circumstances, such as when our Adviser may learn new information regarding an investment between the time of submission to SPSE and the date of the Board assessment, our Adviser’s conclusions as to value may differ from the opinion of value delivered by SPSE. Our Board of Directors then reviews whether our Adviser has followed its established procedures for determinations of fair value, and votes whether to accept the recommended valuation of our investment portfolio. Our Adviser and our management recommended, and the Board of Directors elected to accept, the opinions of value delivered by SPSE on the loans in our portfolio as denoted on the schedule of investments as of March 31, 2007, September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005, included in our consolidated financial statements.

Because there is a delay between when we close an investment and when the investment can be evaluated by SPSE, new loans are not valued immediately by SPSE; rather, management makes its own determination about the value of these investments in accordance with our valuation policy. Because SPSE does not provide values for equity securities, our Adviser determines the fair value of these investments using valuation policies approved by our Board of Directors.

Credit Information:   Our Adviser monitors a wide variety of key credit statistics that provide information regarding our portfolio companies to help us assess credit quality and portfolio performance. If we held a controlled or affiliate investment, we and our Adviser would participate in periodic board meetings of such portfolio companies and also require them to provide annual audited and monthly unaudited financial statements. Using these statements and board discussions, our Adviser would calculate and evaluate the credit statistics.

Loan Grading and Risk Rating:   As part of our valuation procedures we risk rate all of our investments in debt securities. For syndicated loans that have been rated by a NRSRO (as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act), we use the NRSRO’s risk rating for such security. For all other debt securities, we use a proprietary risk rating system. Our risk rating system uses a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the lowest probability of default. This system is used to estimate the probability of default on debt securities and the probability of loss if there is a default. These types of systems are referred to as risk rating systems and are used by banks and rating agencies. The risk rating system covers both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the business and the securities we hold.

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For the debt securities for which we do not use a third-party NRSRO risk rating, we seek to have our risk rating system mirror the risk rating systems of major risk rating organizations, such as those provided by a NRSRO. While we seek to mirror the NRSRO systems, we cannot provide any assurance that our risk rating system will provide the same risk rating as a NRSRO for these securities. The following chart is an estimate of the relationship of our risk rating system to the designations used by two NRSROs as they risk rate debt securities of major companies. Because our system rates debt securities of companies that are unrated by any NRSRO, there can be no assurance that the correlation to the NRSRO set out below is accurate. We believe our risk rating would be significantly higher than a typical NRSRO risk rating because the risk rating of the typical NRSRO is designed for larger businesses. However, our risk rating has been designed to risk rate the securities of smaller businesses that are not rated by a typical NRSRO. Therefore, when we use our risk rating on larger business securities, the risk rating is higher than a typical NRSRO rating. The primary difference between our risk rating and the rating of a typical NRSRO is that our risk rating uses more quantitative determinants and includes qualitative determinants that we believe are not used in the NRSRO rating. It is our understanding that most debt securities of medium-sized companies do not exceed the grade of BBB on a NRSRO scale, so there would be no debt securities in the middle market that would meet the definition of AAA, AA or A. Therefore, our scale begins with the designation 10 as the best risk rating which may be equivalent to a BBB from a NRSRO, however, no assurance can be given that a 10 on our scale is equal to a BBB on a NRSRO scale.

(a)           The default rates set here are for a ten year term debt security. If the company’s debt security is less than ten years then the probability of default is adjusted to a lower percentage for the shorter period which may move the security higher on our risk rating scale.

The above scale gives an indication of the probability of default and the magnitude of the loss if there is a default. Our policy is to stop accruing interest on an investment if we determine that interest is no longer collectible. Currently, none of our investments are on non-accrual. At March 31, 2007, no payments were past due on any of our debt securities. Additionally, we do not risk rate our equity securities.

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The following table lists the risk ratings for all non-syndicated loans in our portfolio at March 31, 2007, September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005, representing approximately 64%, 73% and 62%, respectively, of all loans in our portfolio:

The following table lists the risk ratings for syndicated loans in our portfolio that are not currently rated by an NRSRO at March 31, 2007, September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005, representing approximately 14%, 17% and 32%, respectively, of all loans in our portfolio:

For syndicated loans that are currently rated by an NRSRO, we risk rate such loans in accordance with the risk rating systems of major risk rating organizations such as those provided by a NRSRO. The following table lists the risk ratings for all syndicated loans in our portfolio that are currently rated by an NRSRO at March 31, 2007, September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2005, representing approximately 22%, 10% and 6%, respectively, of all loans in our portfolio: