Note 8. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Investment Management Agreement

In November 2019, the Corporation completed a stock sale transaction with East Asset Management. Concurrent with the Closing, RCM, a registered investment adviser, was retained by Rand as its external investment adviser and administrator, which resulted in Daniel Penberthy, the Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Margaret Brechtel, the Corporation's Executive Vice President, Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, serving as officers and employees of RCM. Under the Investment Management Agreement, the Corporation pays RCM, as compensation for the investment advisory and management services, fees consisting of two components: (i) the Base Management Fee and (ii) the Incentive Fee.

The “Base Management Fee” is calculated at an annual rate of 1.50% of the Corporation’s total assets (other than cash but including assets purchased with borrowed funds). For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Base Management Fee was $309,265 and $934,532, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Base Management Fee was $268,609 and $769,869, respectively.

The “Incentive Fee” is comprised of two parts: (1) the “Income Based Fee” and (2) the “Capital Gains Fee”. The Income Based Fee is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on the “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” (as defined in the Investment Management Agreement) for the immediately preceding calendar quarter, subject to a hurdle rate of 1.75% per quarter (7% annualized) and is payable promptly following the filing of the Corporation’s financial statements for such quarter, to the extent the Income Based Fee exceeds Accrued Unpaid Income.

The Corporation pays RCM an Incentive Fee with respect to its Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income in each calendar quarter as follows:

The Income Based Fee paid to RCM for any calendar quarter shall not be in excess of the Incentive Fee Cap. The “Incentive Fee Cap” for any quarter is an amount equal to (1) 20.0% of the Cumulative Net Return (as defined below) during the relevant Income Based Fee Calculation Period (as defined below) minus (2) the aggregate Income Based Fee that was paid in respect of the calendar quarters included in the relevant Income Based Fee Calculation Period.

For purposes of the calculation of the Income Based Fee, “Income Based Fee Calculation Period” is defined as, with reference to a calendar quarter, the period of time consisting of such calendar quarter and the additional quarters that comprise the eleven calendar quarters immediately preceding such calendar quarter.

For purposes of the calculation of the Income Based Fee, “Cumulative Net Return” is defined as (1) the aggregate net investment income in respect of the relevant Income Based Fee Calculation Period minus (2) any Net Capital Loss, if any, in respect of the relevant Income Based Fee Calculation Period. If, in any quarter, the Incentive Fee Cap is zero or a negative value, the Corporation pays no Income Based Fee to RCM for such quarter. If, in any quarter, the Incentive Fee Cap for such quarter is a positive value but is less than the Income Based Fee that is payable to RCM for such quarter (before giving effect to the Incentive Fee Cap) calculated as described above, the Corporation pays an Income Based Fee to RCM equal to the Incentive Fee Cap for such quarter. If, in any quarter, the Incentive Fee Cap for such quarter is equal to or greater than the Income Based Fee that is payable to RCM for such quarter (before giving effect to the Incentive Fee Cap) calculated as described above, the Corporation pays an Income Based Fee to the Adviser equal to the Income Based Fee calculated as described above for such quarter without regard to the Incentive Fee Cap.

For purposes of the calculation of the Income Based Fee, “Net Capital Loss,” in respect of a particular period, means the difference, if positive, between (1) aggregate capital losses, whether realized or unrealized, in such period and (2) aggregate capital gains, whether realized or unrealized, in such period.

Any Income Based Fee otherwise payable under the Investment Management Agreement with respect to Accrued Unpaid Income (as described below) (such fees being the “Accrued Unpaid Income Based Fees”) shall be deferred, on a security by security basis, and shall become payable to RCM only if, as, when and to the extent cash is received in respect of any Accrued Unpaid Income. Any Accrued Unpaid Income that is subsequently reversed in connection with a write-down, write-off, impairment or similar treatment of the investment giving rise to such Accrued Unpaid Income will, in the applicable period of reversal, (1) reduce Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income and (2) reduce the amount of Accrued Unpaid Income Based Fees. For purposes of the Investment Management Agreement, Accrued Unpaid Income is defined as any net investment income that consists of any accretion of original issue discount, market discount, payment-in-kind interest, payment-in-kind dividends or other types of deferred or accrued income, including in connection with zero coupon securities, that the Corporation has recognized in accordance with GAAP, but has not yet received in cash. Subsequent payments of Accrued Unpaid Income Based Fees that are deferred as provided for in the Investment Management Agreement shall not reduce the amounts otherwise payable for any quarter as an Income Based Fee.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Income Based Fees earned were $178,218. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, there were no Income Based Fees earned under the Investment Management Agreement. As of September 30, 2024, cumulative accrued Income Based Fees payable were $178,218, and after calculating Accrued Unpaid Income, none was immediately payable. As of December 31, 2023, there were there were no accrued Income Based Fees payable.

The second part of the Incentive Fee is the “Capital Gains Fee”. This fee is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year. Under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, the Capital Gains Fee is calculated at the end of each applicable year by subtracting (1) the sum of the cumulative aggregate realized capital losses and aggregate unrealized capital depreciation from (2) the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, in each case calculated from November 8, 2019. If this amount is positive at the end of any calendar year, then the Capital Gains Fee for such year is equal to 20.0% of such amount, less the cumulative aggregate amount of Capital Gains Fees paid in all prior years. If such amount is negative, then there is no Capital Gains Fee payable for that calendar year. If the Investment Management Agreement is terminated as of a date that is not a calendar year end, the termination date shall be treated as though it were a calendar year end for purposes of calculating and paying the Capital Gains Fee.

For purposes of the Capital Gains Fee:

For purposes of calculating the amount of the capital gains incentive fee accrual to be included as part of a company’s financial statements, GAAP requires a company to consider, as part of such calculation, the amount of cumulative aggregate unrealized capital appreciation that such company has with respect to its investments. As a result, the capital gains incentive fee accrual under GAAP is calculated using the both the cumulative aggregate realized capital gains and losses and the aggregate net change in unrealized capital appreciation/depreciation at the close of the period. If the calculated amount is positive, GAAP requires the Corporation to record a capital gains incentive fee accrual equal to 20% of this cumulative amount, less the aggregate amount of actual capital gains incentive fees paid, or capital gains incentive fees accrued under GAAP, for all prior periods. However, unrealized capital appreciation is not used by the Corporation as part of the calculation to determine the amount of the Capital Gains Fee actually payable to RCM under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement. There can be no assurances that such unrealized capital appreciation will be realized in the future.

As of September 30, 2024, there was no Capital Gains Fee currently payable under the terms of the Investment Management Agreement, and the final calculations are determined annually, and subject to change based on subsequent realized gains, losses or unrealized losses during the remainder of 2024.

In accordance with GAAP, the Corporation is required to accrue a capital gains incentive fee on all realized and unrealized gains and losses, resulting in an accrual of $4,346,000 at September 30, 2024, which represents the fee that would be due based on net portfolio appreciation. The $4,346,000 accrued capital gains incentive fee is recorded in the line item “Capital gains incentive fees” on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position at September 30, 2024. At December 31, 2023, there was an accrual of $2,971,700 for the capital gains incentive fee, which represented both the capital gains fee payable to RCM of $692,000 and $2,279,700 that would be due based on net portfolio appreciation at December 31, 2023. The $692,000 capital gains fee payable was recorded in the line item "Due to investment adviser" on the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position at December 31, 2023, and was paid to RCM during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the capital gains incentive fee expense was $313,000 and $2,066,300, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the capital gains incentive fee expense was ($41,300) and $740,700, respectively.

Administration Agreement

Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, RCM agreed to perform (or oversee, or arrange for, the performance of) the administrative services necessary for the Corporation’s operations, including, but not limited to, office facilities, equipment, clerical, bookkeeping, finance, accounting, compliance and record keeping services at such office facilities and such other services as RCM, subject to review by the Board, will from time to time determine to be necessary or useful to perform its obligations under the Administration Agreement. RCM shall also arrange for the services of, and oversee, custodians, depositories, transfer agents, dividend disbursing agents, other shareholder servicing agents, accountants, attorneys, underwriters, brokers and dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary or desirable.

RCM is responsible for the Corporation’s financial and other records that are required to be maintained and prepares all reports and other materials required to be filed with the SEC or any other regulatory authority, including reports to shareholders. In addition, RCM assists the Corporation in determining and publishing the Corporation’s net asset value (NAV), overseeing the preparation and filing of the tax returns, and the printing and dissemination of reports to shareholders, and generally overseeing the payment of expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered by others. RCM provides, on the Corporation’s behalf, managerial assistance to those portfolio companies that have accepted its offer to provide such assistance.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Corporation recorded administrative fees of $118,167 and $111,750, respectively, related to costs incurred by RCM that are reimbursable under the Administration Agreement.