INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN TERRA INCOME FUND 6, INC. AND TERRA INCOME ADVISORS, LLC
Exhibit (g)(1)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
AND
TERRA INCOME ADVISORS, LLC
This Investment Advisory and Administrative Services Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made this 20th day of April, 2015, by and between TERRA INCOME FUND 6, INC., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and TERRA INCOME ADVISORS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Advisor”).
(i) in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions that are set forth in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) (File No. 333-202399), as amended from time to time (the “Registration Statement”);
(ii) in accordance with all other applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations, and the Company’s Articles of Amendment and Restatement (the “Articles”) and bylaws (the “Bylaws”), in each case as amended from time to time;
(iii) in accordance with such investment policies, directives and regulatory restrictions as the Company may from time to time establish or issue and communicate to the Advisor in writing; and
(iv) in accordance with the Company’s compliance policies and procedures as applicable to the Advisor and as administered by the Company’s chief compliance officer.
(i) determine the composition and allocation of the portfolio of the Company, the nature and timing of the changes therein and the manner of implementing such changes;
(ii) identify, evaluate and negotiate the structure of the investments made by the Company;
(iii) execute, close, service and monitor the Company’s investments;
(iv) determine the securities and other assets that the Company shall purchase, retain or sell;
(v) perform due diligence on prospective portfolio companies; and
(vi) provide the Company with such other investment advisory, research and related services as the Company may, from time to time, reasonably request or require for the investment of its funds and the disposition of such investments.
(i) The Advisor and not the Company shall be responsible for any compensation payable to any Sub-Advisor.
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(ii) Any sub-advisory agreement entered into by the Advisor shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Investment Company Act, including without limitation the requirements relating to Board approval and the Company’s stockholder approval thereunder, and other applicable federal and state law.
(iii) Any Sub-Advisor shall be subject to the same fiduciary duties imposed on the Advisor pursuant to this Agreement, the Investment Company Act and the Advisers Act, as well as other applicable federal and state law.
The following provisions in this Section 1 shall apply for only so long as the shares of common stock of the Company (“Shares”) are not listed on a national securities exchange.
2. The Company’s Responsibilities and Expenses Payable by the Company.
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Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be liable for Organization and Offering Expenses to the extent that Organization and Offering Expenses, together with all prior Organization and Offering Expenses, exceed 1.5% of the aggregate gross proceeds from the Company’s offering of Shares (the “Reimbursable O&O Expenses”).
The following provisions in this Section 2(c) shall apply for only so long as the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
(c) Limitations on Reimbursement of Expenses.
(i) In addition to the compensation paid to the Advisor pursuant to Section 3, the Company shall reimburse the Advisor for all expenses of the Company incurred by the Advisor as well as the actual cost of goods and services used for or by the Company and obtained from entities not affiliated with the Advisor. The Advisor may be reimbursed for the administrative services performed by it on behalf of the Company; provided, however, the reimbursement shall be an amount equal to the lesser of the Advisor’s actual cost or the amount the Company would be required to pay third parties for the provision of comparable administrative services in the same geographic location; and provided, further, that such costs are reasonably allocated to the Company on the basis of assets, revenues, time records or other method conforming with generally accepted accounting principles. No reimbursement shall be permitted for services for which the Advisor is entitled to compensation by way of a separate fee. Excluded from the allowable reimbursement shall be:
(A) rent or depreciation, utilities, capital equipment and other costs of administrative items of the Advisor; and
(B) salaries, fringe benefits, travel expenses and other administrative items incurred or allocated to any executive officer or board member of the Advisor (or any individual performing such services) or a holder of 10% or greater equity interest in the Advisor (or any person having the power to direct or cause the direction of the Advisor, whether by ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise).
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(b) Incentive Fee. The Incentive Fee shall consist of two parts, as follows:
(i) The first part, referred to as the “Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income,” shall be calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on the Company’s “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” for the immediately preceding quarter. The payment of the Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income shall be subject to payment of a preferred return to investors each quarter, expressed as a quarterly rate of return on Adjusted Capital (as defined below) at the beginning of the most recently completed calendar quarter, of 2.0% (8.0% annualized), subject to a “catch up” feature (as described below).
For purposes of this fee, “Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income” means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any other fees, other than fees for providing managerial assistance, such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that the Company receives from portfolio companies) accrued during the calendar quarter, minus the Company’s operating expenses for the quarter (including the Base Management Fee, expenses payable under this Agreement and any interest expense and dividends paid on any issued and outstanding preferred shares, but excluding the Incentive Fee). Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature (such as original issue discount, debt instruments with payment-in-kind interest and zero coupon securities), accrued income that the Company has not yet received in cash. Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses or unrealized capital appreciation or depreciation.
For purposes of this fee, “Adjusted Capital” shall mean cumulative gross proceeds generated from sales of the Shares (including proceeds from the Company’s distribution reinvestment plan) reduced for distributions from non-liquidating dispositions of the Company’s investments paid to stockholders and amounts paid for share repurchases pursuant to the Company’s share repurchase program.
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The calculation of the Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income for each quarter is as follows:
(A) No Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income shall be payable to the Advisor in any calendar quarter in which the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income does not exceed the preferred return rate of 2.0% or 8.0% annualized (the “Preferred Return”) on Adjusted Capital;
(B) 100% of the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, if any, that exceeds the preferred return but is less than or equal to 2.5% in any calendar quarter (10% annualized) shall be payable to the Advisor, all or any portion of which may be waived or deferred in the Advisor’s discretion. This portion of the Company’s Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income is referred to as the “catch up” and is intended to provide the Advisor with an incentive fee of 20% on all of the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income when the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income reaches 2.5% (10% annualized) in any calendar quarter; and
(C) For any quarter in which the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income exceeds 2.5% (10% annualized), the Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income shall equal 20% of the amount of the Company’s Pre-Incentive Fee Net Investment Income, as the Preferred Return and catch up will have been achieved.
(ii) The second part of the Incentive Fee, referred to as the “Incentive Fee on Capital Gains,” shall be an incentive fee on capital gains earned on liquidated investments from the portfolio and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or upon termination of the investment advisory Agreement). This fee shall equal 20.0% of the Company’s incentive fee capital gains, which shall equal the Company’s realized capital gains on a cumulative basis from inception, calculated as of the end of the applicable period, computed net of all realized capital losses and unrealized capital depreciation on a cumulative basis, less the aggregate amount of any previously paid capital gain incentive fees.
(c) Waiver or Deferral of Fees.
The Advisor shall have the right to elect to temporarily or permanently waive or defer all or a portion of the Base Management Fee or Incentive Fee that would otherwise be paid to it. Prior to the payment of any fee to the Advisor, the Company shall obtain written instructions from the Advisor with respect to any waiver or deferral of any portion of such fees. Any portion of a deferred fee payable to the Advisor and not paid over to the Advisor with respect to any month, calendar quarter or year shall be deferred without interest and may be paid over in any such other month prior to the occurrence of termination of this Agreement, as the Advisor may determine upon written notice to the Company. Any of the fees payable to the Advisor under this Agreement for any partial month or calendar quarter shall be appropriately prorated.
The following provisions in this Section 4 shall apply for only so long as the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
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(A) A balance sheet as of the end of each fiscal year and statements of income, equity and cash flow, for the year then ended, all of which shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and accompanied by an auditor’s report containing an opinion of an independent certified public accountant;
(B) A report of the activities of the Company during the period covered by the report;
(C) Where forecasts have been provided to the Company’s stockholders, a table comparing the forecasts previously provided with the actual results during the period covered by the report; and
(D) A report setting forth distributions by the Company for the period covered thereby and separately identifying distributions from (a) cash flow from operations during the period, (b) cash flow from operations during a prior period which have been held as reserves and (c) proceeds from disposition of the Company’s assets.
(A) A review of the time records of individual employees, the costs of whose services were reimbursed; and
(B) A review of the specific nature of the work performed by each such employee.
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5. Brokerage Commissions; Limitations on Front End Fees; Period of Offering; Assessments.
The following provisions in this Section 5 shall apply for only so long as the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
(b) Limitations. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary:
(i) All fees and expenses paid by any party for any services rendered to organize the Company and to acquire assets for the Company (“Front End Fees”) shall be reasonable and shall not exceed 15% of the gross offering proceeds, regardless of the source of payment. Any reimbursement to the Advisor or any other person for deferred organizational and offering expenses, including any interest thereon, if any, will be included within this 15% limitation.
(ii) The Advisor shall commit at least 82% of the gross offering proceeds toward the investment or reinvestment of assets and reserves as set forth in Section 4(d) on behalf of the Company. The remaining proceeds may be used to pay Front End Fees.
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6. Other Activities of the Advisor.
The services of the Advisor to the Company are not exclusive, and the Advisor may engage in any other business or render similar or different services to others including, without limitation, the direct or indirect sponsorship or management of other investment based accounts or commingled pools of capital, however structured, having investment objectives similar to those of the Company, so long as its services to the Company hereunder are not impaired thereby, and nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any manager, partner, member (including its members and the owners of its members), officer or employee of the Advisor to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to any other business, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, or to receive any fees or compensation in connection therewith (including fees for serving as a director of, or providing consulting services to, one or more of the Company’s portfolio companies, subject to applicable law). The Advisor assumes no responsibility under this Agreement other than to render the services called for hereunder. It is understood that directors, officers, employees and stockholders of the Company are or may become interested in the Advisor and its affiliates, as directors, officers, employees, partners, stockholders, members, managers or otherwise, and that the Advisor and directors, officers, employees, partners, stockholders, members and managers of the Advisor and its affiliates are or may become similarly interested in the Company as stockholders or otherwise.
8. Indemnification; Limitation of Liability.
The following provisions in this Section 8 shall apply for only so long as the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
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(i) the Indemnified Party has determined, in good faith, that the course of conduct which caused the loss or liability was in the best interests of the Company;
(ii) the Indemnified Party was acting on behalf of or performing services for the Company;
(iii) such liability or loss was not the result of negligence or misconduct by the Indemnified Party; and
(iv) such indemnification or agreement to hold harmless is recoverable only out of the Company’s net assets and not from stockholders.
Furthermore, the Indemnified Party shall not be indemnified for any losses, liabilities or expenses arising from or out of an alleged violation of federal or state securities laws unless one or more of the following conditions are met:
(i) there has been a successful adjudication on the merits of each count involving alleged securities law violations;
(ii) such claims have been dismissed with prejudice on the merits by a court of competent jurisdiction; or
(iii) a court of competent jurisdiction approves a settlement of the claims against a particular indemnitee and finds that indemnification of the settlement and related costs should be made, and the court of law considering the request for indemnification has been advised of the position of the SEC and the published position of any state securities regulatory authority in which securities of the Company were offered or sold as to indemnification for violations of securities laws.
(i) the proceeding relates to acts or omissions with respect to the performance of duties or services on behalf of the Company;
(ii) the Indemnified Party provides the Company with written affirmation of his or her good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Company has been met;
(iii) the legal proceeding was initiated by a third party who is not a stockholder or, if by a stockholder of the Company acting in his or her capacity as such, a court of competent jurisdiction approves such advancement; and
(iv) the Indemnified Party provides the Company with a written agreement to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the Company, together with the applicable legal rate of interest thereon, in cases in which such Indemnified Party is found not to be entitled to indemnification.
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9. Effectiveness, Duration and Termination of Agreement.
(c) Payments to and Duties of Advisor Upon Termination.
(i) After the termination of this Agreement, the Advisor shall not be entitled to compensation for further services provided hereunder, except that it shall be entitled to receive from the Company within 30 days after the effective date of such termination all unpaid reimbursements and all earned but unpaid fees payable to the Advisor prior to termination of this Agreement.
(ii) The Advisor shall promptly upon termination:
(A) Deliver to the Board a full accounting, including a statement showing all payments collected by it and a statement of all money held by it, covering the period following the date of the last accounting furnished to the Board;
(B) Deliver to the Board all assets and documents of the Company then in custody of the Advisor; and
(C) Cooperate with the Company to provide an orderly management transition.
The following provisions in this Section 9 shall apply for only so long as the Shares are not listed on a national securities exchange.
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10. Conflicts of Interests and Prohibited Activities.
(b) Rebates, Kickbacks and Reciprocal Arrangements.
(i) The Advisor agrees that it shall not (A) receive or accept any rebate, give-up or similar arrangement that is prohibited under applicable federal or state securities laws, (B) participate in any reciprocal business arrangement that would circumvent provisions of applicable federal or state securities laws governing conflicts of interest or investment restrictions or (C) enter into any agreement, arrangement or understanding that would circumvent the restrictions against dealing with affiliates or promoters under applicable federal or state securities laws.
(ii) The Advisor agrees that it shall not directly or indirectly pay or award any fees or commissions or other compensation to any person or entity engaged to sell the Shares or give investment advice to a potential stockholder; provided, however, that this subsection shall not prohibit the payment to a registered broker-dealer of sales commissions for selling or distributing Shares.
14. Entire Agreement; Governing Law. This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings and arrangements with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding the place where this Agreement may be executed by any of the parties hereto, this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. For so long as the Company is regulated as a BDC under the Investment Company Act, this Agreement shall also be construed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act. In such case, to the extent the applicable laws of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein, conflict with the provisions of the Investment Company Act, the latter shall control.
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Company:
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By: | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
ADVISOR:
Terra Income Advisors, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Name: | Xxxxx X. Xxxxxx | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
Appendix A
Example 1: Subordinated Incentive Fee on Income for Each Calendar Quarter
Scenario 1
Assumptions
Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 1.25%
Hurdle rate(1) = 2.0%
Base management fee(2) = 0.5%
Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.)(3) = 0.2%
Pre-incentive fee net investment income
(investment income – (base management fee + other expenses)) = 0.55%
Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the hurdle rate; therefore, there is no subordinated incentive fee on income payable.
Scenario 2
Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 2.9%
Hurdle rate(1) = 2.0%
Base management fee(2) = 0.5%
Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.)(3) = 0.2%
Pre-incentive fee net investment income
(investment income – (base management fee + other expenses)) = 2.2%
Subordinated incentive fee on income = 100% × pre-incentive fee net investment income (subject to “catch-up”)(4)
Catch up | = 100% x (2.2% – 2.0%) |
= 0.2% |
Pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds the hurdle rate, but does not fully satisfy the “catch-up” provision; therefore, the subordinated incentive fee on income is 0.2%.
Scenario 3
Assumptions
Investment income (including interest, dividends, fees, etc.) = 3.5%
Hurdle rate(1) = 2.0%
Base management fee(2) = 0.5%
Other expenses (legal, accounting, custodian, transfer agent, etc.)(3) = 0.2%
Pre-incentive fee net investment income
(investment income – (base management fee + other expenses)) = 2.8%
Catch up = 100% × pre-incentive fee net investment income (subject to “catch-up”)(4)
Subordinated incentive fee on income = 100% × “catch-up” + (20.0% × (pre-incentive fee net investment income – 2.5%))
Catch up | = 2.5% – 2.0% |
= 0.50% |
A-1 |
Subordinated incentive fee on income = (100% × 0.5%) + (20.0% × (2.8% – 2.5%))
= 0.5% + (20% × 0.3%)
= 0.5% + 0.06%
= 0.56%
Pre-incentive fee net investment income exceeds the hurdle rate and fully satisfies the “catch-up” provision, therefore the subordinated incentive fee on income is 0.56%.
(1) | Represents 8.0% annualized hurdle rate. |
(2) | Represents 2.0% annualized base management fee on average gross assets. Examples assume assets are equal to adjusted capital. |
(3) | Excludes organizational and offering expenses. |
(4) | The “catch-up” provision is intended to provide our advisor with an incentive fee of 20.0% on all pre-incentive fee net investment income when our net investment income exceeds 2.5% in any calendar quarter. |
Example 2: Incentive Fee on Capital Gains
Scenario 1
Assumptions
Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”), and $30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”)
Year 2: Investment A sold for $50 million and fair market value (“FMV”) of Investment B determined to be $32 million
Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million
Year 4: Investment B sold for $31 million
The incentive fee on capital gains would be:
Year 1: None
Year 2: Incentive fee on capital gains of $6 million ($30 million realized capital gains on sale of Investment A multiplied by 20.0%)
Year 3: None " $5 million (20.0% multiplied by ($30 million cumulative realized capital gains less $5 million cumulative unrealized capital depreciation)) less $6 million (previous capital gains fee paid in Year 2)
Year 4: Incentive fee on capital gains of $200,000 " $6.2 million ($31 million cumulative realized capital gains multiplied by 20.0%) less $6 million (incentive fee on capital gains taken in Year 2)
Scenario 2
Assumptions
Year 1: $20 million investment made in Company A (“Investment A”), $30 million investment made in Company B (“Investment B”) and $25 million investment made in Company C (“Investment C”)
Year 2: Investment A sold for $50 million, FMV of Investment B determined to be $25 million and FMV of Investment C determined to be $25 million
Year 3: FMV of Investment B determined to be $27 million and Investment C sold for $30 million
Year 4: FMV of Investment B determined to be $35 million
A-2 |
Year 5: Investment B sold for $20 million
The incentive fee on capital gains would be:
Year 1: None
Year 2: Incentive fee on capital gains of $5 million " 20.0% multiplied by $25 million ($30 million realized capital gains on Investment A less unrealized capital depreciation on Investment B)
Year 3: Incentive fee on capital gains of $1.4 million " $6.4 million (20.0% multiplied by $32 million ($35 million cumulative realized capital gains less $3 million unrealized capital depreciation)) less $5 million incentive fee on capital gains received in Year 2
Year 4: None
Year 5: None " $5 million (20.0% multiplied by $25 million (cumulative realized capital gains of $35 million less realized capital losses of $10 million)) less $6.4 million cumulative incentive fee on capital gains paid in Year 2 and Year 3
* | The returns shown are for illustrative purposes only. No incentive fee is payable to Terra Income Advisors in any calendar quarter in which our pre-incentive fee net investment income does not exceed the hurdle rate. Positive returns are shown to demonstrate the fee structure and there is no guarantee that positive returns will be realized. Actual returns may vary from those shown in the examples above. |
A-3 |