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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 23, 2012

Registration No. 333-        

U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-2

ý REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
o PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.  
o POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.    

PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

10 East 40th Street, 44th Floor
New York, NY 10016
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: (212) 448-0702

John F. Barry III
Brian H. Oswald
c/o Prospect Capital Management LLC
10 East 40th Street, 44th Floor
New York, NY 10016
(212) 448-0702
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copies of information to:

Richard T. Prins
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
4 Times Square
New York, NY 10036
(212) 735-3000

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             Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable 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, other than securities offered in connection with a distribution reinvestment plan, check the following box.     ý

            It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

            If appropriate, check the following box:

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

(1)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee. Pursuant to Rule 457(o) of the rules and regulations under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), which permits the registration fee to be calculated on the basis of the maximum offering price of all the securities listed, the table does not specify by each class information as to the amount to be registered, proposed maximum offering price per unit or proposed maximum aggregate offering price. Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6) under the Securities Act, this registration statement covers a total of $131,046,903 of unsold securities that had previously been registered under the registrant's registration statement on Form N-2, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on October 11, 2011 (No. 333-176637) (the "Prior Registration Statement") and that are being carried forward to this registration statement. The Prior Registration Statement initially registered securities for a maximum aggregate offering price of $750,000,000 and of that amount the registrant has previously sold common stock for an aggregate offering price of $618,953,097, leaving a balance of unsold securities with an aggregate offering price of $131,046,903. In connection with the registration of securities on the Prior Registration Statement, the registrant paid a registration fee of $15,018 covering such unsold securities and which registration fee is being carried forward to this registration statement and will continue to be applied to such unsold securities pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6). Pursuant to Rule 415(a)(6), the offering of the unsold securities registered under the Prior Registration Statement will be deemed terminated as of the date of effectiveness of this registration statement. If the registrant sells any of such unsold securities pursuant to the Prior Registration Statement after the date of the initial filing, and prior to the date of effectiveness, of this registration statement, the registrant will file a pre-effective amendment to this registration statement which will reduce the number of such unsold securities included on this registration statement.

(2)

Subject to Note 7 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of common stock or preferred stock, or subscription rights to purchase shares of common stock as may be sold, from time to time separately or as units in combination with other securities registered hereunder.

(3)

Includes such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may, from time to time, be issued upon conversion or exchange of other securities registered hereunder, to the extent any such securities are, by their terms, convertible or exchangeable for common stock.

(4)

Subject to Note 7 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of debt securities as may be sold, from time to time. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price shall be in such greater principal amount as shall result in an aggregate price to investors not to exceed $2,000,000,000.

(5)

Subject to Note 7 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate principal amount of warrants as may be sold, from time to time, representing rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities.

(6)

Subject to Note 7 below, there is being registered hereunder an indeterminate number of units. Each unit may consist of a combination of any one or more securities being registered hereunder and may also include securities being issued by third parties, including the U.S. Treasury.

(7)

In no event will the aggregate offering price of all securities issued from time to time pursuant to this registration statement exceed $2,000,000,000.

             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 THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL THEREAFTER BECOME EFFECTIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8(A) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE ON SUCH DATES AS THE COMMISSION, ACTING PURSUANT TO SAID SECTION 8(A), MAY DETERMINE.

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The information in this preliminary 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 has been declared effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED AUGUST 23, 2012

$2,000,000,000

PROSPECT CAPITAL CORPORATION

Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Subscription Rights
Warrants
Units

         We may offer, from time to time, in one or more offerings or series, together or separately, up to $2,000,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock or units, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or units comprised of any combination of the foregoing, collectively, the Securities, to provide us with additional capital. Securities may be offered at prices and on terms to be disclosed in one or more supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our Securities.

         We may offer shares of common stock, subscription rights, units, warrants, options or rights to acquire shares of common stock, at a discount to net asset value per share in certain circumstances. Sales of common stock at prices below net asset value per share dilute the interests of existing stockholders, have the effect of reducing our net asset value per share and may reduce our market price per share. At our 2011 annual meeting, held on December 8, 2011, subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at any level of discount from net asset value per share for a twelve month period expiring on the anniversary of the date of stockholder approval. We are currently seeking stockholder approval at our 2012 annual meeting, to be held on December 7, 2012, to continue for an additional year our ability to issue shares of common stock below net asset value, subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering.

         Our Securities may be offered directly to one or more purchasers, 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 identify any agents, underwriters or dealers involved in the sale of our Securities, and will disclose any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between us and our agents, underwriters or dealers, 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 the prospectus and 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 "PSEC." As of August 22, 2012, the last reported sales price for our common stock was $11.62.

         Prospect Capital Corporation, or the Company, is a company that lends to and invests in middle market privately-held companies. Prospect Capital Corporation, a Maryland corporation, has been organized as a closed-end investment company since April 13, 2004 and has filed an election to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act, and is a non-diversified investment company within the meaning of the 1940 Act.

         Prospect Capital Management LLC, our investment adviser, manages our investments and Prospect Administration LLC, our administrator, provides the administrative services necessary for us to operate.

          Investing in our Securities involves a heightened risk of total loss of investment and is subject to risks. Before buying any Securities, you should read the discussion of the material risks of investing in our Securities in "Risk Factors" beginning on page 10 of this prospectus.

         This prospectus contains important information about us that you should know before investing in our Securities. Please read it before making an investment decision and keep it for future reference. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information about us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. You may make inquiries or obtain this information free of charge by writing to Prospect Capital Corporation at 10 East 40th Street, 44th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or by calling 212-448-0702. Our Internet address is http://www.prospectstreet.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider information contained on our website to be a part of this prospectus. You may also obtain information about us from our website and the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov).

          The SEC has not approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

         This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

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The date of this Prospectus is                        , 2012.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC, using the "shelf" registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may offer, from time to time on a delayed basis, up to $2,000,000,000 of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock or units, warrants representing rights to purchase shares of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or units comprised of any combination of the foregoing, on the terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The Securities may be offered at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the Securities that we may offer. Each time we use this prospectus to offer Securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Please carefully read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with any exhibits and the additional information described under the heading "Available Information" and the section under the heading "Risk Factors" before you make an investment decision.

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RISK FACTORS

         Investing in our Securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, before you decide whether to make an investment in our Securities. The risks set forth below are not the only risks we face. If any of the adverse events or conditions described below occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, our NAV, and the trading price of our common stock could decline, or the value of our preferred stock, debt securities, and warrants, if any are outstanding, may decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Relating To Our Business

We may suffer credit losses.

        Investment in small and middle-market companies is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk of credit loss. These risks are likely to increase during volatile economic periods, such as the US and many other economies have recently been experiencing. See "Risks Related to Our Investments."

Our financial condition and results of operations will depend on our ability to manage our future growth effectively.

        Prospect Capital Management has been registered as an investment adviser since March 31, 2004, and we have been organized as a closed-end investment company since April 13, 2004. Our ability to achieve our investment objective depends on our ability to grow, which depends, in turn, on our Investment Adviser's ability to continue to identify, analyze, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of our Investment Adviser's structuring of investments, its ability to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us and our access to financing on acceptable terms. As we continue to grow, Prospect Capital Management will need to continue to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees. Failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are dependent upon Prospect Capital Management's key management personnel for our future success.

        We depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the senior management of our Investment Adviser. We also depend, to a significant extent, on our Investment Adviser's access to the investment professionals and the information and deal flow generated by these investment professionals in the course of their investment and portfolio management activities. The senior management team of the Investment Adviser evaluates, negotiates, structures, closes, monitors and services our investments. Our success depends to a significant extent on the continued service of the senior management team, particularly John F. Barry III and M. Grier Eliasek. The departure of any of the senior management team could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment objective. In addition, we can offer no assurance that Prospect Capital Management will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to its investment professionals or its information and deal flow.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities.

        A large number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make in target companies. We compete with other business development companies, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks and commercial financing companies. Additionally, because competition for investment opportunities generally has increased among alternative investment vehicles, such as hedge funds, those entities have begun to invest in areas they have not traditionally invested in,

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including investments in middle-market companies. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities at middle-market companies has intensified, a trend we expect to continue.

        Many of our existing and potential 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, some 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 or fuller relationships with borrowers and sponsors than us. Furthermore, many of our 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 materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of existing and increasing competition and our competitors ability to provide a total package solution, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to identify and make investments that are consistent with our investment objective.

        We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates that we offer, and we believe that some of our competitors make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer. We may lose investment opportunities if we do not match our competitors' pricing, terms and structure. If we match our competitors' pricing, terms and structure, we may experience decreased net interest income and increased risk of credit loss.

Most of our portfolio investments are recorded at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors and, as a result, there is uncertainty as to the value of our portfolio investments.

        A large percentage of our portfolio investments consist of securities of privately held companies. Hence, market quotations are generally not readily available for determining the fair values of such investments. The determination of fair value, and thus the amount of unrealized losses we may incur in any year, is to a degree subjective, and the Investment Adviser has a conflict of interest in making the determination. We value these securities quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our Board of Directors based on input from our Investment Adviser, our Administrator, third party independent valuation firms and our audit committee. Our Board of Directors utilizes the services of independent valuation firms to aid it in determining the fair value of any securities. The types of factors that may be considered in determining the fair values of our investments include the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company's ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow, current market interest rates and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities and private companies, are inherently uncertain, the valuations may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time due to changes in current market conditions. The determinations of fair value by our Board of Directors may differ materially from the values that would have been used if an active market and market quotations existed for these investments. Our NAV could be adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value of our investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon the disposal of such securities.

        In addition, decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation. Unprecedented declines in prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets experienced during the recent financial crises resulted in significant net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio in the past. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio reduced our NAV by increasing net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may continue to suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have no policy regarding holding a minimum level of liquid assets. As such, a high

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percentage of our portfolio generally is not liquid at any given point in time. See "—The lack of liquidity may adversely affect our business."

Senior securities, including debt, expose us to additional risks, including the typical risks associated with leverage and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        We currently use our revolving credit facility to leverage our portfolio and we expect in the future to borrow from and issue senior debt securities to banks and other lenders and may securitize certain of our portfolio investments. We also have the Notes outstanding, which are a form of leverage and are senior in payment to our common stock.

        With certain limited exceptions, as a business development company, or a BDC, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or otherwise issue senior securities, such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, is at least 200% after such borrowing or other issuance. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our Investment Adviser's and our Board of Directors' assessment of market conditions and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. There is no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful. Leverage involves risks and special considerations for stockholders, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including the following:

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A likelihood of greater volatility in the net asset value and market price of our common stock;



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Diminished operating flexibility as a result of asset coverage or investment portfolio composition requirements required by lenders or investors that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act;



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The possibility that investments will have to be liquidated at less than full value or at inopportune times to comply with debt covenants or to pay interest or dividends on the leverage;



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Increased operating expenses due to the cost of leverage, including issuance and servicing costs;



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Convertible or exchangeable securities, such as the Senior Convertible Notes outstanding or those issued in the future, may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock;



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Subordination to lenders' superior claims on our assets as a result of which lenders will be able to receive proceeds available in the case of our liquidation before any proceeds are distributed to our stockholders;



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Making it more difficult for us to meet our payment and other obligations under the Notes and our other outstanding debt;



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The occurrence of an event of default if we fail to comply with the financial and/or other restrictive covenants contained in our debt agreements, including the credit agreement and each indenture governing the Notes, which event of default could result in all or some of our debt becoming immediately due and payable;



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Reduced availability of our cash flow to fund investments, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes, and limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for these purposes;



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The risk of increased sensitivity to interest rate increases on our indebtedness with variable interest rates, including borrowings under our amended senior credit facility; and



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Reduced flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, and increasing our vulnerability to, changes in our business, the industry in which we operate and the general economy.

        For example, the amount we may borrow under our revolving credit facility is determined, in part, by the fair value of our investments. If the fair value of our investments declines, we may be forced to sell investments at a loss to maintain compliance with our borrowing limits. Other debt facilities we may enter into in the future may contain similar provisions. Any such forced sales would reduce our

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NAV and also make it difficult for the net asset value to recover. Our Investment Adviser and our Board of Directors in their best judgment nevertheless may determine to use leverage if they expect that the benefits to our stockholders of maintaining the leveraged position will outweigh the risks.

        In addition, our ability to meet our payment and other obligations of the Notes and our credit facility depends on our ability to generate significant cash flow in the future. This, to some extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors as well as other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations, or that future borrowings will be available to us under our existing credit facility or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to enable us to meet our payment obligations under the Notes and our other debt and to fund other liquidity needs. If we are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt obligations, we may need to refinance or restructure our debt, including the Notes, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, or seek to raise additional capital. If we are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, we may not be able to meet our payment obligations under the Notes and our other debt.

        Illustration.     The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of interest expense. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below. The calculation assumes (i) $2.6 billion in total assets, (ii) an average cost of funds of 5.93%, (iii) $800 million in debt outstanding and (iv) $1.8 billion of shareholders' equity.

        The assumed portfolio return is required by regulation of the SEC and is not a prediction of, and does not represent, our projected or actual performance. Actual returns may be greater or less than those appearing in the table.

The Senior Convertible Notes and the 2022 Notes present other risks to holders of our common stock, including the possibility that such Notes could discourage an acquisition of the Company by a third party and accounting uncertainty.

        Certain provisions of the Senior Convertible Notes and the 2022 Notes could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us. Upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting a fundamental change, holders of the Senior Convertible Notes and the 2022 Notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all of their Senior Convertible Notes and the 2022 Notes or any portion of the principal amount of such Senior Convertible Notes and the 2022 Notes in integral multiples of $1,000, in the case of the Senior Convertible Notes, and $25, in the case of the 2022 Notes. We may also be required to increase the conversion rate or provide for conversion into the acquirer's capital stock in the event of certain fundamental changes with respect to the Senior Convertible Notes. These provisions could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

        The accounting for convertible debt securities is subject to frequent scrutiny by the accounting regulatory bodies and is subject to change. We cannot predict if or when any such change could be made and any such change could have an adverse impact on our reported or future financial results. Any such impacts could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We fund a portion of our investments with borrowed money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing in us.

        Borrowings and other types of financing, also known as leverage, magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and, therefore, increase the risks associated with investing in our securities. Our lenders have fixed dollar claims on our assets that are superior to the claims of our common

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stockholders or any preferred stockholders. If the value of our assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value to increase more sharply than it would have had we not leveraged. Conversely, if the value of our assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not leveraged. Similarly, any increase in our income in excess of consolidated interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would without the leverage, while any decrease in our income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not borrowed. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make common stock dividend payments. Leverage is generally considered a speculative investment technique.

We may in the future determine to fund a portion of our investments with preferred stock, which would magnify the potential for gain or loss and the risks of investing in us in the same way as our borrowings.

        Preferred stock, which is another form of leverage, has the same risks to our common stockholders as borrowings because the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of such dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of such preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and preferred stockholders are not subject to any of our expenses or losses and are not entitled to participate in any income or appreciation in excess of their stated preference.

In addition to regulatory restrictions that restrict our ability to raise capital, our credit facility contains various covenants which, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment under the facility, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

        The agreement governing our credit facility requires us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants include:

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



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restrictions on our ability to incur liens; and



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maintenance of a minimum level of stockholders' equity.

        As of August 22, 2012, we were in compliance with these covenants. However, our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with the covenants in our credit facility. Failure to comply with these covenants would result in a default under this facility which, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the lenders thereunder, could result in an acceleration of repayments under the facility and thereby have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to extend our existing credit facility, the revolving period of which is currently scheduled to expire on March 27, 2015, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position and our ability to pay expenses and make distributions.

        The revolving period for our credit facility with a syndicate of lenders is currently scheduled to terminate on March 27, 2015, with an additional two year amortization period (with distributions allowed) after the completion of the revolving period. During such two year amortization period, all principal payments on the pledged assets will be applied to reduce the balance. At the end of the two year amortization period, the remaining balance will become due, if required by the lenders. If the credit facility is not renewed or extended by the participant banks by March 27, 2015, we will not be able to make further borrowings under the facility after such date and the outstanding principal balance on that date will be due and payable on March 27, 2017. At August 22, 2012 we had no outstanding borrowings under our credit facility. Interest on borrowings under the credit facility is one-month LIBOR plus 275 basis points, with no minimum LIBOR floor. Additionally, the lenders charge a fee on

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the unused portion of the credit facility equal to either 50 basis points if at least half of the credit facility is drawn or 100 basis points otherwise. The credit facility requires us to pledge assets as collateral in order to borrow under the credit facility. If we are unable to extend our facility or find a new source of borrowing on acceptable terms, we will be required to pay down the amounts outstanding under the facility during the two-year term-out period through one or more of the following: (1) principal collections on our securities pledged under the facility, (2) at our option, interest collections on our securities pledged under the facility and cash collections on our securities not pledged under the facility, or (3) possible liquidation of some or all of our loans and other assets, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position and may force us to decrease or stop paying certain expenses and making distributions until the facility is repaid. In addition, our stock price could decline significantly, we would be restricted in our ability to acquire new investments and, in connection with our year-end audit, our independent registered accounting firm could raise an issue as to our ability to continue as a going concern.

Failure to refinance our existing Notes, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

        Our Notes mature at various dates from December 15, 2015 to November 15, 2022. If we are unable to refinance our Notes or find a new source of borrowing on acceptable terms, we will be required to pay down the amounts outstanding at maturity under the facility during the two-year term-out period through one or more of the following: (1) borrowing additional funds under our then current credit facility, (2) issuance of additional common stock or (3) possible liquidation of some or all of our loans and other assets, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position. In addition, our stock price could decline significantly; we would be restricted in our ability to acquire new investments and, in connection with our year-end audit, our independent registered accounting firm could raise an issue as to our ability to continue as a going concern.

Changes in interest rates may affect our cost of capital and net investment income.

        A significant portion of the debt investments we make bears interest at fixed rates and the value of these investments could be negatively affected by increases in market interest rates. In addition, as the interest rate on our revolving credit facility is at a variable rate based on an index, an increase in interest rates would make it more expensive to use debt to finance our investments. As a result, a significant increase in market interest rates could both reduce the value of our portfolio investments and increase our cost of capital, which would reduce our net investment income.

We need to raise additional capital to grow because we must distribute most of our income.

        We need additional capital to fund growth in our investments. A reduction in the availability of new capital could limit our ability to grow. We must distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders to maintain our status as a regulated investment company, or RIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, such earnings are not available to fund investment originations. We have sought additional capital by borrowing from financial institutions and may issue debt securities or additional equity securities. If we fail to obtain funds from such sources or from other sources to fund our investments, we could be limited in our ability to grow, which may have an adverse effect on the value of our common stock. In addition, as a business development company, we are generally required to maintain a ratio of total assets to total borrowings and other senior securities of at least 200%, which may restrict our ability to borrow in certain circumstances.

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The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.

        We generally make investments in private companies. Substantially all of these securities are subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or are otherwise less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, 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 or our Investment Adviser has material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.

We may experience fluctuations in our quarterly results.

        We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest or dividend rates payable on the debt or equity securities we hold, the default rate on debt securities, the level of our expenses, variations in and the timing of the recognition of realized and unrealized gains or losses, the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets, the seasonality of the energy industry, weather patterns, changes in energy prices 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.

Our most recent NAV was calculated as of June 30, 2012 and our NAV when calculated as of September 30, 2012 may be higher or lower.

        Our most recently estimated NAV per share is $10.83 determined by us as of June 30, 2012. NAV per share as of September 30, 2012, may be higher or lower than $10.83 based on potential changes in valuations, issuances of securities and earnings for the quarter then ended. Our Board of Directors has not yet determined the fair value of portfolio investments at any date subsequent to June 30, 2012. Our Board of Directors determines the fair value of our portfolio investments on a quarterly basis in connection with the preparation of quarterly financial statements and based on input from independent valuation firms, our Investment Adviser, our Administrator and the audit committee of our Board of Directors.

Potential conflicts of interest could impact our investment returns.

        Our executive officers and directors, and the executive officers of our Investment Adviser, Prospect Capital Management, may serve as officers, directors or principals of entities that operate in the same or related lines 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 our best interests or those of our stockholders. Nevertheless, it is possible that new investment opportunities that meet our investment objective may come to the attention of one of these entities in connection with another investment advisory client or program, and, if so, such opportunity might not be offered, or otherwise made available, to us. However, as an investment adviser, Prospect Capital Management has a fiduciary obligation to act in the best interests of its clients, including us. To that end, if Prospect Capital Management or its affiliates manage any additional investment vehicles or client accounts in the future, Prospect Capital Management will endeavor to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner over time so as not to discriminate unfairly against any client. If Prospect Capital Management chooses to establish another investment fund in the future, when the investment professionals of Prospect Capital Management identify an investment, they will have to choose which investment fund should make the investment.

        In the course of our investing activities, under the Investment Advisory Agreement we pay base management and incentive fees to Prospect Capital Management, and reimburse Prospect Capital Management for certain expenses it incurs. As a result of the Investment Advisory Agreement, there

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may be times when the senior management team of Prospect Capital Management has interests that differ from those of our stockholders, giving rise to a conflict.

        Prospect Capital Management receives a quarterly income incentive fee based, in part, on our pre-incentive fee net investment income, if any, for the immediately preceding calendar quarter. This income incentive fee is subject to a fixed quarterly hurdle rate before providing an income incentive fee return to the Investment Adviser. This fixed hurdle rate was determined when then current interest rates were relatively low on a historical basis. Thus, if interest rates rise, it would become easier for our investment income to exceed the hurdle rate and, as a result, more likely that our Investment Adviser will receive an income incentive fee than if interest rates on our investments remained constant or decreased. Subject to the receipt of any requisite stockholder approval under the 1940 Act, our Board of Directors may adjust the hurdle rate by amending the Investment Advisory Agreement.

        The income incentive fee payable by us is computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that has a deferred interest feature, it is possible that interest accrued under such loan that has previously been included in the calculation of the income incentive fee will become uncollectible. If this happens, our Investment Adviser is not required to reimburse us for any such income incentive fee payments. If we do not have sufficient liquid assets to pay this incentive fee or distributions to stockholders on such accrued income, we may be required to liquidate assets in order to do so. This fee structure could give rise to a conflict of interest for our Investment Adviser to the extent that it may encourage the Investment Adviser to favor debt financings that provide for deferred interest, rather than current cash payments of interest.

        We have entered into a royalty-free license agreement with Prospect Capital Management. Under this agreement, Prospect Capital Management agrees to grant us a non-exclusive license to use the name "Prospect Capital." Under the license agreement, we have the right to use the "Prospect Capital" name for so long as Prospect Capital Management or one of its affiliates remains our Investment Adviser. In addition, we rent office space from Prospect Administration, an affiliate of Prospect Capital Management, and pay Prospect Administration our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by Prospect Administration in performing its obligations as Administrator under the Administration Agreement, including rent and our allocable portion of the costs of our chief financial officer and chief compliance officer and their respective staffs. This may create conflicts of interest that our Board of Directors monitors.

Our incentive fee could induce Prospect Capital Management to make speculative investments.

        The incentive fee payable by us to Prospect Capital Management may create an incentive for our Investment Adviser to make investments on our behalf that are more speculative or involve more risk than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable is determined (calculated as a percentage of the return on invested capital) may encourage the Investment Adviser to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. Increased use of leverage and this increased risk of replacement of that leverage at maturity, would increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor holders of our common stock. Similarly, because the Investment Adviser will receive an incentive fee based, in part, upon net capital gains realized on our investments, the Investment Adviser may invest more than would otherwise be appropriate in companies whose securities are likely to yield capital gains, as compared to income producing securities. Such a practice could result in our investing in more speculative securities than would otherwise be the case, which could result in higher investment losses, particularly during economic downturns.

        The incentive fee payable by us to Prospect Capital Management could create an incentive for our Investment Adviser to invest on our behalf in instruments, such as zero coupon bonds, that have a deferred interest feature. Under these investments, we would accrue interest income over the life of the

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investment but would not receive payments in cash on the investment until the end of the term. Our net investment income used to calculate the income incentive fee, however, includes accrued interest. For example, accrued interest, if any, on our investments in zero coupon bonds will be included in the calculation of our incentive fee, even though we will not receive any cash interest payments in respect of payment on the bond until its maturity date. Thus, a portion of this incentive fee would be based on income that we may not have yet received in cash in the event of default may never receive.

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

        Our investment adviser is entitled to incentive compensation for each fiscal quarter based, in part, on our pre-incentive fee net investment income if any, for the immediately preceding calendar quarter above a performance threshold for that quarter. Accordingly, since the performance threshold is based on a percentage of our net asset value, decreases in our net asset value make it easier to achieve the performance threshold. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income for incentive compensation purposes excludes realized and unrealized capital losses or depreciation that we may incur in the fiscal quarter, even if such capital losses or depreciation result in a net loss on our statement of operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay Prospect Capital Management 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.

Changes in the laws or regulations governing our business or the businesses of our portfolio companies and any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could negatively affect the profitability of our operations or of our portfolio companies.

        We are subject to changing rules and regulations of federal and state governments, as well as the stock exchange on which our common stock is listed. These entities, including the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the SEC and The NASDAQ Global Select Market, have issued a significant number of new and increasingly complex requirements and regulations over the course of the last several years and continue to develop additional regulations. In particular, changes in the laws or regulations or the interpretations of the laws and regulations that govern BDCs, RICs or non-depository commercial lenders could significantly affect our operations and our cost of doing business. We are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations and are subject to judicial and administrative decisions that affect our operations, including our loan originations, maximum interest rates, fees and other charges, disclosures to portfolio companies, the terms of secured transactions, collection and foreclosure procedures and other trade practices. If these laws, regulations or decisions change, or if we expand our business into jurisdictions that have adopted more stringent requirements than those in which we currently conduct business, we may have to incur significant expenses in order to comply, or we might have to restrict our operations. In addition, if we do not comply with applicable laws, regulations and decisions, we may lose licenses needed for the conduct of our business and be subject to civil fines and criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Foreign and domestic political risk may adversely affect our business.

        We are exposed to political risk to the extent that Prospect Capital Management, on its behalf and subject to its investment guidelines, transacts in securities in the U.S. and foreign markets. The governments in any of these jurisdictions could impose restrictions, regulations or other measures, which may have a material adverse impact on our strategy.

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Capital markets have been in a period of disruption and instability for an extended period of time. These market conditions have materially and adversely affected debt and equity capital markets in the United States and abroad, which have had, and may in the future have, a negative impact on our business and operations.

        The U.S. and foreign capital markets have been in a period of disruption for an extended period of time as evidenced by a lack of liquidity in the debt capital markets, significant write-offs in the financial services sector, the re-pricing of credit risk in the broadly syndicated credit market and the failure of certain major financial institutions. Despite actions of the United States federal government and foreign governments, these events contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular. While these conditions appear to be improving, they could continue for a prolonged period of time or worsen in the future. In addition, while these conditions persist, we and other companies in the financial services sector may have to access, if available, alternative markets for debt and equity capital in order to grow. Equity capital may be difficult to raise because subject to some limited exceptions, as a business development company, we are generally not able to issue additional shares of our common stock at a price less than net asset value without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. At our annual meeting of stockholders held on December 8, 2011, subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock at a price below its then current net asset value per share for a twelve month period expiring on the anniversary of the date of stockholder approval. In addition, our ability to incur indebtedness or issue other senior securities (including by issuing preferred stock) is limited by applicable regulations such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, must equal at least 200% immediately after each time we incur indebtedness or issue other senior securities. The debt capital that will be available, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions in the future. Any inability to raise capital could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

        Moreover, recent market conditions have made, and may in the future make, it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness for borrowed money and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if required. As a result, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments.

        Given the recent extreme volatility and dislocation in the capital markets, many business development companies have faced, and may in the future face, a challenging environment in which to raise capital. Recent significant changes in the capital markets affecting our ability to raise capital have affected the pace of our investment activity. In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including the recent extreme volatility and disruption, has had, and may in the future have, a negative effect on the valuations of our investments and on the potential for liquidity events involving our investments. An inability to raise capital, and any required sale of our investments for liquidity purposes, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The instability in the financial markets has led the U.S. federal government to take a number of unprecedented actions and pass legislation designed to regulate and support certain financial institutions and numerous segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity.

        On July 21, 2010, the President signed into law major financial services reform legislation in the form of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act").

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The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, grants regulatory authorities such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") and SEC broad rulemaking authority to implement various provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, including comprehensive regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market. The regulations adopted to date by these regulators have not had a material adverse effect on our business. However, several significant rulemaking initiatives have not been completed and these could have the effect of reducing liquidity or otherwise adversely affecting us or our investments. There can be no assurance that future regulatory actions authorized by the Dodd-Frank Act will not significantly reduce our profitability. The implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act could also adversely affect us by increasing transaction and/or regulatory compliance costs. In addition, greater regulatory scrutiny may increase our exposure to potential liabilities. Increased regulatory oversight can also impose administrative burdens on us and on PCM, including, without limitation, responding to examinations or investigations and implementing new policies and procedures.

        Additionally, federal, state, foreign and other governments, their regulatory agencies or self regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the securities in which we invest, or the issuers of such securities, in ways that are unforeseeable. Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of our portfolio companies. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose us to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing securities.

        At any time after the date of this prospectus, legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect us or our portfolio companies. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the entities in which we invest. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which we are regulated. There can be no assurance that the Dodd-Frank Act or any future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on us or will not impair our ability to achieve our investment objective.

The recent downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and uncertainty about the financial stability of several countries in the European Union ("EU") could have a significant adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

        Due to long-term federal budget deficit concerns, on August 5, 2011 S&P downgraded the federal government's credit rating from AAA to AA+ for the first time in history. This downgrade could lead to subsequent downgrades by S&P, as well as to downgrades by the other two major credit rating agencies, Moody's and Fitch Ratings. These developments, and the government's credit concerns in general, could cause interest rates and borrowing costs to rise, which may negatively impact both the perception of credit risk associated with our debt portfolio and our ability to access the debt markets on favorable terms. In addition, a decreased credit rating could create broader financial turmoil and uncertainty, which may weigh heavily on our stock price and our financial performance.

        In 2010, a financial crisis emerged in Europe, triggered by high budget deficits and rising direct and contingent sovereign debt in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which created concerns about the ability of these EU "peripheral nations" to continue to service their sovereign debt obligations. Despite assistance packages to Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the creation of a joint EU-IMF European Financial Stability Facility in May 2010, and a recently announced plan to expand financial assistance to Greece, uncertainty over the outcome of the EU governments' financial support programs and worries about sovereign finances persist. Risks and ongoing concerns about the debt crisis in Europe could have a detrimental impact on the global economic recovery, sovereign and non-sovereign debt in these countries and the financial condition of European financial institutions. Market and economic disruptions have affected, and may continue to affect, consumer confidence levels and spending, personal bankruptcy rates, levels of incurrence and default on consumer debt and

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home prices, among other factors. There can be no assurance that the market disruptions in Europe, including the increased cost of funding for certain governments and financial institutions, will not spread, nor can there be any assurance that future assistance packages will be available or, even if provided, will be sufficient to stabilize the affected countries and markets in Europe or elsewhere. To the extent uncertainty regarding the economic recovery continues to negatively impact consumer confidence and consumer credit factors, our business and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected.

Risks Relating To Our Operation As A Business Development Company

A failure on our part to maintain our status as a business development company would significantly reduce our operating flexibility.

        If we do not continue to qualify as a business development company, we might be regulated as a registered closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act; our failure to qualify as a BDC would make us subject to additional regulatory requirements, which may significantly decrease our operating flexibility by limiting our ability to employ leverage and issue common stock.

If we fail to qualify as a RIC, we will have to pay corporate-level taxes on our income, and our income available for distribution would be reduced.

        To maintain our qualification for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, and obtain RIC tax treatment, we must meet certain source of income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements.

        The source of income requirement is satisfied if we derive at least 90% of our annual gross income from interest, dividends, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of securities or options thereon or foreign currencies, or other income derived with respect to our business of investing in such securities or currencies, and net income from interests in "qualified publicly traded partnerships," as defined in the Code.

        The annual distribution requirement for a RIC is satisfied if we distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, if any, to our stockholders on an annual basis. Because we use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the 1940 Act and financial covenants that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to qualify for RIC tax treatment. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC tax treatment and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax on all of our taxable income.

        To maintain our qualification as a RIC, we must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of our taxable year. Failure to meet these tests may result in our having to dispose of certain investments quickly in order to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments are in private companies, any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices and may result in substantial losses.

        If we fail to qualify as a RIC for any reason or become subject to corporate income tax, the resulting corporate taxes would substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution, and the actual amount of our distributions. Such a failure would have a materially adverse effect on us and our stockholders. For additional information regarding asset coverage ratio and RIC requirements, see "Regulation—Senior Securities" and "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations".

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We may have difficulty paying our required distributions if we recognize income before or without receiving cash representing such income.

        For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount or payment-in-kind interest, which represents contractual interest added to the loan balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such amounts could be significant relative to our overall investment activities. We also may be required to include in taxable income certain other amounts that we do not receive in cash. While we focus primarily on investments that will generate a current cash return, our investment portfolio currently includes, and we may continue to invest in, securities that do not pay some or all of their return in periodic current cash distributions.

        The income incentive fee payable by us is computed and paid on income that may include interest that has been accrued but not yet received in cash. If a portfolio company defaults on a loan that is structured to provide accrued interest, it is possible that accrued interest previously used in the calculation of the income incentive fee will become uncollectible.

        Since in some cases we may recognize taxable income before or without receiving cash representing such income, we may have difficulty distributing at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, as required to maintain RIC tax treatment. Accordingly, we may have to sell some of our investments at times we would not consider advantageous, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investment originations to meet these distribution requirements. If we are not able to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to qualify for RIC treatment and thus become subject to corporate-level income tax. See "Regulation—Senior Securities" and "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations".

Regulations governing our operation as a business development company affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital.

        We have incurred indebtedness under our revolving credit facility and through the issuance of the Notes and, in the future, may issue preferred stock and/or borrow additional money from banks or other financial institutions, which we refer to collectively as "senior securities," up to the maximum amount permitted by the 1940 Act. Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are permitted, as a BDC, to incur indebtedness or issue senior securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as defined in the 1940 Act, equals at least 200% after each issuance of senior securities. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test, which would prohibit us from paying dividends and could prohibit us from qualifying as a RIC. If we cannot satisfy this test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments or sell additional shares of common stock at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous in order to repay a portion of our indebtedness. In addition, issuance of additional common stock could dilute the percentage ownership of our current stockholders in us.

        As a BDC regulated under provisions of the 1940 Act, we are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below the current net asset value per share without stockholder approval. If our common stock trades at a discount to net asset value, this restriction could adversely affect our ability to raise capital. We may, however, sell our common stock, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of our common stock in certain circumstances, including if (i)(1) the holders of a majority of our shares (or, if less, at least 67% of a quorum consisting of a majority of our shares) and a similar majority of the holders of our shares who are not affiliated persons of us approve the sale of our common stock at a price that is less than the current net asset value, and (2) a majority of our Directors who have no financial interest in the transaction and a majority of our independent Directors (a) determine that such sale is in our and our stockholders' best interests and (b) in consultation with any underwriter or underwriters of the offering,

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make a good faith determination as of a time either immediately prior to the first solicitation by us or on our behalf of firm commitments to purchase such shares, or immediately prior to the issuance of such shares, that the price at which such shares are to be sold is not less than a price which closely approximates the market value of such shares, less any distributing commission or discount or if (ii) a majority of the number of the beneficial holders of our common stock entitled to vote at our annual meeting, without regard to whether a majority of such shares are voted in favor of the proposal, approve the sale of our common stock at a price that is less than the current net asset value per share. At our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders held on December 8, 2011, we obtained the first method of approval from our shareholders to sell subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering, an unlimited number of shares of common stock at any discount to net asset value per share for a twelve month period expiring on the anniversary of the date of stockholder approval. We are currently seeking stockholder approval at our 2012 annual meeting, to be held on December 7, 2012, to continue for an additional year our ability to issue shares of common stock below net asset value, subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering. We will not sell shares of common stock under a prospectus supplement to the registration statement (the "current registration statement") if the cumulative dilution to our NAV per share from offerings under the current registration statement exceeds 15%. See "If we sell common stock at a discount to our net asset value per share, stockholders who do not participate in such sale will experience immediate dilution in an amount that may be material" discussed below.

        To generate cash for funding new investments, we pledged a substantial portion of our portfolio investments under our revolving credit facility. These assets are not available to secure other sources of funding or for securitization. Our ability to obtain additional secured or unsecured financing on attractive terms in the future is uncertain.

        Alternatively, we may securitize our future loans to generate cash for funding new investments. See "—Securitization of our assets subjects us to various risks."

Securitization of our assets subjects us to various risks.

        We may securitize assets to generate cash for funding new investments. We refer to the term securitize to describe a form of leverage under which a company (sometimes referred to as an "originator" or "sponsor") transfers income producing assets to a single-purpose, bankruptcy-remote subsidiary (also referred to as a "special purpose entity" or SPE), which is established solely for the purpose of holding such assets and entering into a structured finance transaction. The SPE then issues notes secured by such assets. The special purpose entity may issue the notes in the capital markets either publicly or privately to a variety of investors, including banks, non-bank financial institutions and other investors. There may be a single class of notes or multiple classes of notes, the most senior of which carries less credit risk and the most junior of which may carry substantially the same credit risk as the equity of the SPE.

        An important aspect of most debt securitization transactions is that the sale and/or contribution of assets into the SPE be considered a true sale and/or contribution for accounting purposes and that a reviewing court would not consolidate the SPE with the operations of the originator in the event of the originator's bankruptcy based on equitable principles. Viewed as a whole, a debt securitization seeks to lower risk to the note purchasers by isolating the assets collateralizing the securitization in an SPE that is not subject to the credit and bankruptcy risks of the originator. As a result of this perceived reduction of risk, debt securitization transactions frequently achieve lower overall leverage costs for originators as compared to traditional secured lending transactions.

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        In accordance with the above description, to securitize loans, we may create a wholly owned subsidiary and contribute a pool of our assets to such subsidiary. The SPE may be funded with, among other things, whole loans or interests from other pools and such loans may or may not be rated. The SPE would then sell its notes to purchasers who we would expect to be willing to accept a lower interest rate and the absence of any recourse against us to invest in a pool of income producing assets to which none of our creditors would have access. We would retain all or a portion of the equity in the SPE. An inability to successfully securitize portions of our portfolio or otherwise leverage our portfolio through secured and unsecured borrowings could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy, and could decrease our earnings, if any. However, the successful securitization of portions of our portfolio exposes us to a risk of loss for the equity we retain in the SPE and might expose us to greater risk on our remaining portfolio because the assets we retain may tend to be those that are riskier and more likely to generate losses. A successful securitization may also impose financial and operating covenants that restrict our business activities and may include limitations that could hinder our ability to finance additional loans and investments or to make the distributions required to maintain our status as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. The 1940 Act may also impose restrictions on the structure of any securitizations.

        Interests we hold in the SPE, if any, will be subordinated to the other interests issued by the SPE. As such, we will only receive cash distributions on such interests if the SPE has made all cash interest and other required payments on all other interests it has issued. In addition, our subordinated interests will likely be unsecured and rank behind all of the secured creditors, known or unknown, of the SPE, including the holders of the senior interests it has issued. Consequently, to the extent that the value of the SPE's portfolio of assets has been reduced as a result of conditions in the credit markets, or as a result of defaults, the value of the subordinated interests we retain would be reduced. Securitization imposes on us the same risks as borrowing except that our risk in a securitization is limited to the amount of subordinated interests we retain, whereas in a borrowing or debt issuance by us directly we would be at risk for the entire amount of the borrowing or debt issuance.

        Generally, we would expect the SPE not to be consolidated with us and in that event our only interest will be the value of our retained subordinated interest and the income allocated to us, which may be more or less than the cash we receive from the SPE, and none of the SPE's liabilities will be reflected as our liabilities. If the assets of the SPE are not consolidated with our assets and liabilities, then our interest in the SPE may be deemed not to be a qualifying asset for purposes of determining whether 70% of our assets are qualifying assets and the leverage incurred by such SPE may or may not be treated as borrowings by us for purposes of the requirement that we not issue senior securities in an amount in excess of our net assets.

        We may also engage in transactions utilizing SPEs and securitization techniques where the assets sold or contributed to the SPE remain on our balance sheet for accounting purposes. If, for example, we sell the assets to the SPE with recourse or provide a guarantee or other credit support to the SPE, its assets will remain on our balance sheet. Consolidation would also generally result if we, in consultation with the SEC, determine that consolidation would result in a more accurate reflection of our assets, liabilities and results of operations. In these structures, the risks will be essentially the same as in other securitization transactions but the assets will remain our assets for purposes of the limitations described above on investing in assets that are not qualifying assets and the leverage incurred by the SPE will be treated as borrowings incurred by us for purposes of our limitation on the issuance of senior securities.

        Our Investment Adviser may have conflicts of interest with respect to potential securitizations in as much as securitizations that are not consolidated may reduce our assets for purposes of determining its investment advisory fee although in some circumstances our investment adviser may be paid certain fees for managing the assets of the SPE so as to reduce or eliminate any potential bias against securitizations.

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Our ability to invest in public companies may be limited in certain circumstances.

        As a BDC, we must not acquire any assets other than "qualifying assets" specified in the 1940 Act unless, at the time the acquisition is made, at least 70% of our total assets are qualifying assets (with certain limited exceptions). Subject to certain exceptions for follow-on investments and distressed companies, an investment in an issuer that has outstanding securities listed on a national securities exchange may be treated as qualifying assets only if such issuer has a market capitalization that is less than $250 million at the time of such investment.

Price declines and illiquidity in the corporate debt markets have adversely affected, and may in the future adversely affect, the fair value of our portfolio investments, reducing our net asset value through increased net unrealized depreciation.

        As a BDC, we are required to carry our investments at market value or, if no market value is ascertainable, at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the direction of our Board of Directors. As part of the valuation process, the types of factors that we may take into account in determining the fair value of our investments include, as relevant and among other factors: available current market data, including relevant and applicable market trading and transaction comparables, applicable market yields and multiples, security covenants, call protection provisions, information rights, the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company's ability to make payments, its earnings and discounted cash flows, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, comparisons of financial ratios of peer companies that are public, merger and acquisition comparables, our principal market (as the reporting entity) and enterprise values. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation. Unprecedented declines in prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets resulted in significant net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio in the past. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio has reduced our net asset value by increasing net unrealized depreciation in our portfolio. Depending on market conditions, we could incur substantial realized losses and may suffer additional unrealized losses in future periods, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our common stock may trade at a discount to our net asset value per share.

        Common stock of BDCs, like that of closed-end investment companies, frequently trades at a discount to current net asset value, which could adversely affect the ability to raise capital. In the past, our common stock has traded at a discount to our net asset value. The risk that our common stock may continue to trade at a discount to our net asset value is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline.

If we sell shares of our common stock or securities to subscribe for or are convertible into shares of our common stock at a discount to our net asset value per share, stockholders who do not participate in such sale will experience immediate dilution in an amount that may be material.

        At our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders held on December 8, 2011, our stockholders approved our ability, subject to the condition that the maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering, to sell shares of our common stock at any level of discount from net asset value per share during the 12 month period following the December 8, 2011 approval in accordance with the exception described above in "—Regulations governing our operation as a business development company affect our ability to raise, and the way in which we raise, additional capital." We are currently seeking stockholder approval at our 2012 annual meeting, to be held on December 7, 2012, to continue for an additional year our ability to issue shares of common stock below net asset value, subject to the condition that the

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maximum number of shares salable below net asset value pursuant to this authority in any particular offering that could result in such dilution is limited to 25% of our then outstanding common stock immediately prior to each such offering. The issuance or sale by us of shares of our common stock or securities to subscribe for or are convertible into shares of our common stock at a discount to net asset value poses a risk of dilution to our stockholders. In particular, stockholders who do not purchase additional shares of common stock at or below the discounted price in proportion to their current ownership will experience an immediate decrease in net asset value per share (as well as in the aggregate net asset value of their shares of common stock if they do not participate at all). These stockholders will also experience a disproportionately greater decrease in their participation in our earnings and assets and their voting power than the increase we experience in our assets, potential earning power and voting interests from such issuance or sale. In addition, such sales may adversely affect the price at which our common stock trades. For additional information and hypothetical examples of these risks, see "Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value" and the prospectus supplement pursuant to which such sale is made. We have sold shares of our common stock at prices below net asset value per share and may continue to do so to the future. For additional information, see "Recent Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value" in the prospectus supplement pursuant to which such sale is made, if applicable.

Our ability to enter into transactions with our affiliates is restricted.

        We are prohibited under the 1940 Act from knowingly participating in certain transactions with our affiliates without the prior approval of our independent directors. Any person that owns, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of our outstanding voting securities is our affiliate for purposes of the 1940 Act and we are generally prohibited from buying or selling any security or other property from or to such affiliate, absent the prior approval of our independent directors. The 1940 Act also prohibits "joint" transactions with an affiliate, which could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times), without prior approval of our independent directors. We are prohibited from buying or selling any security or other property from or to our Investment Adviser and its affiliates and persons with whom we are in a control relationship, or entering into joint transactions with any such person, absent the prior approval of the SEC.

Risks Relating To Our Investments

We may not realize gains or income from our investments.

        We seek to generate both current income and capital appreciation. However, the securities we invest in may not appreciate and, in fact, may decline in value, and the issuers of debt securities we invest in may default on interest and/or principal payments. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our investments, and any gains that we do realize may not be sufficient to offset any losses we experience. See "Business—Our Investment Objective and Policies."

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Our investments in prospective portfolio companies may be risky and we could lose all or part of our investment.

        Some of our portfolio companies have relatively short or no operating histories. These companies are and will be subject to all of the business risk and uncertainties associated with any new business enterprise, including the risk that these companies may not reach their investment objective and the value of our investment in them may decline substantially or fall to zero.

        In addition, investment in the middle market companies that we are targeting involves a number of other significant risks, including:

•

these companies may have limited financial resources and may be unable to meet their obligations under their securities that we hold, which may be accompanied by a deterioration in the value of their securities or of any collateral with respect to any securities and a reduction in the likelihood of our realizing on any guarantees we may have obtained in connection with our investment;



•

they may have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render them more vulnerable to competitors' actions and market conditions, as well as general economic downturns;



•

because many of these companies are privately held companies, public information is generally not available about these companies. As a result, we will depend on the ability of our Investment Adviser to obtain adequate information to evaluate these companies in making investment decisions. If our Investment Adviser is unable to uncover all material information about these companies, it may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investments;



•

they are more likely to depend on the management talents and efforts of a small group of persons; therefore, the death, disability, resignation or termination of one or more of these persons could have a materially adverse impact on our portfolio company and, in turn, on us;



•

they may have less predictable operating results, may from time to time be parties to litigation, may be engaged in changing businesses with products subject to a risk of obsolescence and may require substantial additional capital to support their operations, finance expansion or maintain their competitive position;



•

they may have difficulty accessing the capital markets to meet future capital needs;



•

changes in laws and regulations, as well as their interpretations, may adversely affect their business, financial structure or prospects;



•

increased taxes, regulatory expense or the costs of changes to the way they conduct business due to the effects of climate change may adversely affect their business, financial structure or prospects.

        In addition, our executive officers, directors and our Investment Adviser could, in the ordinary course of business, be named as defendants in litigation arising from proposed investments or from our investments in the portfolio companies.

Economic recessions or downturns could impair our portfolio companies and harm our operating results.

        The U.S. and foreign capital financial markets have been experiencing a high level of volatility, disruption and distress, which was exacerbated by the failure of several major financial institutions in the last few months of 2008. Despite actions of the United States federal government and foreign governments, these events contributed to worsening general economic conditions that materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial services firms in particular. While these conditions appear to be improving, they could continue for a prolonged period of time or worsen in the

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future both in the U.S. and globally. Our portfolio companies will generally be affected by the conditions and overall strength of the national, regional and local economies, including interest rate fluctuations, changes in the capital markets and changes in the prices of their primary commodities and products. These factors also impact the amount of residential, industrial and commercial growth in the energy industry. Additionally, these factors could adversely impact the customer base and customer collections of our portfolio companies.

        Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions and may be unable to repay our loans or meet other obligations during these periods. Therefore, our non-performing assets are likely to increase, and the value of our portfolio is likely to decrease, during these periods. Adverse economic conditions also may decrease the value of collateral securing some of our loans and the value of our equity investments. Economic slowdowns or recessions could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. These events could prevent us from increasing investments and harm our operating results.

        A portfolio company's failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, termination of its loans and foreclosure on its secured assets, which could trigger cross-defaults under other agreements and jeopardize a portfolio company's ability to meet its obligations under the debt or equity securities that we hold. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting portfolio company. In addition, if one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have structured our interest as senior debt or preferred equity, depending on the facts and circumstances, including the extent to which we actually provided managerial assistance to that portfolio company, a bankruptcy court might re-characterize our debt or equity holding and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to those of other creditors.

Our portfolio contains a limited number of portfolio companies, which subjects us to a greater risk of significant loss if any of these companies defaults on its obligations under any of its debt securities.

        A consequence of the limited number of investments in our portfolio is that the aggregate returns we realize may be significantly adversely affected if one or more of our significant portfolio company investments perform poorly or if we need to write down the value of any one significant investment. Beyond our income tax diversification requirements, we do not have fixed guidelines for diversification, and our portfolio could contain relatively few portfolio companies.

Our failure to make follow-on investments in our portfolio companies could impair the value of our portfolio.

        Following an initial investment in a portfolio company, we may make additional investments in that portfolio company as "follow-on" investments, in order to: (1) increase or maintain in whole or in part our equity ownership percentage; (2) exercise warrants, options or convertible securities that were acquired in the original or subsequent financing or (3) attempt to preserve or enhance the value of our investment.

        We may elect not to make follow-on investments, may be constrained in our ability to employ available funds, or otherwise may lack sufficient funds to make those investments. We have the discretion to make any follow-on investments, subject to the availability of capital resources. The failure to make follow-on investments may, in some circumstances, jeopardize the continued viability of a portfolio company and our initial investment, or may result in a missed opportunity for us to increase our participation in a successful operation. Even if we have sufficient capital to make a desired follow-on investment, we may elect not to make a follow-on investment because we may not want to increase our concentration of risk, because we prefer other opportunities, or because we are inhibited by compliance with BDC requirements or the desire to maintain our tax status.

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We may be unable to invest the net proceeds raised from offerings and repayments from investments on acceptable terms, which would harm our financial condition and operating results.

        Until we identify new investment opportunities, we intend to either invest the net proceeds of future offerings and repayments from investments in interest-bearing deposits or other short-term instruments or use the net proceeds from such offerings to reduce then-outstanding obligations under our credit facility. We cannot assure you that we will be able to find enough appropriate investments that meet our investment criteria or that any investment we complete using the proceeds from an offering will produce a sufficient return.

The lack of liquidity in our investments may adversely affect our business.

        We make investments in private companies. A portion of these investments may be subject to legal and other restrictions on resale, transfer, pledge or other disposition or will otherwise be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. In addition, we face other restrictions on our ability to liquidate an investment in a business entity to the extent that we or our Investment Adviser has or could be deemed to have material non-public information regarding such business entity.

We may have limited access to information about privately held companies in which we invest.

        We invest primarily in privately-held companies. Generally, little public information exists about these companies, and we are required to rely on the ability of our Investment Adviser's investment professionals to obtain adequate information to evaluate the potential returns from investing in these companies. These companies and their financial information are not subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other rules that govern public companies. If we are unable to uncover all material information about these companies, we may not make a fully informed investment decision, and we may lose money on our investment.

We may not be in a position to control a portfolio investment when we are a debt or minority equity investor and its management may make decisions that could decrease the value of our investment.

        We make both debt and minority equity investments in portfolio companies. As a result, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree, and the management of such company, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests. As a result, a portfolio company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

Our portfolio companies may incur debt or issue equity securities that rank equally with, or senior to, our investments in such companies.

        We may invest in mezzanine debt and dividend-paying equity securities issued by our portfolio companies. Our portfolio companies usually have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt, or issue other equity securities, that rank equally with, or senior to, the securities in which we invest. By their terms, such instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which we are entitled to receive payments in respect of the securities in which we invest. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a portfolio company, holders of securities ranking senior to our investment in that portfolio company would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying the senior security holders, the portfolio company may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to us. In the case of securities ranking equally with securities in which we invest, we would have to share on an

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equal basis any distributions with other security holders in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

We may not be able to fully realize the value of the collateral securing our debt investments.

        Although a substantial amount of our debt investments are protected by holding security interests in the assets of the portfolio companies, we may not be able to fully realize the value of the collateral securing our investments due to one or more of the following factors:

•

our debt investments may be in the form of mezzanine loans, therefore our liens on the collateral, if any, are subordinated to those of the senior secured debt of the portfolio companies, if any. As a result, we may not be able to control remedies with respect to the collateral;



•

the collateral may not be valuable enough to satisfy all of the obligations under our secured loan, particularly after giving effect to the repayment of secured debt of the portfolio company that ranks senior to our loan;



•

bankruptcy laws may limit our ability to realize value from the collateral and may delay the realization process;



•

our rights in the collateral may be adversely affected by the failure to perfect security interests in the collateral;



•

the need to obtain regulatory and contractual consents could impair or impede how effectively the collateral would be liquidated and could affect the value received; and



•

some or all of the collateral may be illiquid and may have no readily ascertainable market value.

        The liquidity and value of the collateral could be impaired as a result of changing economic conditions, competition, and other factors, including the availability of suitable buyers.

Our investments in foreign securities may involve significant risks in addition to the risks inherent in U.S. investments.

        Our investment strategy contemplates potential investments in securities of foreign companies including those located in emerging market countries. Investing in foreign companies may expose us to additional risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. These risks include changes in exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of foreign taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than is generally the case in the United States, higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, less developed bankruptcy laws, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility. Such risks are more pronounced in emerging market countries.

        Although currently all of our investments are, and we expect that most of our investments will be, U.S. dollar-denominated, investments that are denominated in a foreign currency will be subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to one or more other currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation, and political developments.

We may expose ourselves to risks if we engage in hedging transactions.

        We may employ hedging techniques to minimize certain investment risks, such as fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates, but we can offer no assurance that such strategies will be effective. If we engage in hedging transactions, we may expose ourselves to risks associated with such transactions. We may utilize instruments such as forward contracts, currency options and interest rate swaps, caps, collars and floors to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the relative values of our portfolio positions from changes in currency exchange rates and market interest rates. Hedging against

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a decline in the values of our portfolio positions does not eliminate the possibility of fluctuations in the values of such positions or prevent losses if the values of such positions decline. However, such hedging can establish other positions designed to gain from those same developments, thereby offsetting the decline in the value of such portfolio positions. Such hedging transactions may also limit the opportunity for gain if the values of the portfolio positions should increase. Moreover, it may not be possible to hedge against an exchange rate or interest rate fluctuation that is so generally anticipated that we are not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an acceptable price. Furthermore, our ability to engage in hedging transactions may also be adversely affected by recent rules adopted by the CFTC.

        The success of our hedging transactions depends on our ability to correctly predict movements, currencies and interest rates. Therefore, while we may enter into such transactions to seek to reduce currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates or interest rates may result in poorer overall investment performance than if we had not engaged in any such hedging transactions. The degree of correlation between price movements of the instruments used in a hedging strategy and price movements in the portfolio positions being hedged may vary. Moreover, for a variety of reasons, we may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between such hedging instruments and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Any such imperfect correlation may prevent us from achieving the intended hedge and expose us to risk of loss. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies. The Company has no current intention of engaging in any of the hedging transaction described above, although it reserves the right to do so in the future.

Our Board of Directors may change our operating policies and strategies without prior notice or stockholder approval, the effects of which may be adverse to us and could impair the value of our stockholders' investment.

        Our Board of Directors has the authority to modify or waive our current operating policies and our strategies without prior notice and without stockholder approval. We cannot predict the effect any changes to our current operating policies and strategies would have on our business, financial condition, and value of our common stock. However, the effects might be adverse, which could negatively impact our ability to pay dividends and cause stockholders to lose all or part of their investment.

Risks Relating To Our Securities

Investing in our securities may involve a high degree of risk and is highly speculative.

        The investments we make in accordance with our investment objective may result in a higher amount of risk than alternative investment options and volatility or loss of principal. Our investments in portfolio companies may be speculative and aggressive, and therefore, an investment in our shares may not be suitable for someone with low risk tolerance.

The market price of our securities may fluctuate significantly.

        The market price and liquidity of the market for our securities may be significantly affected by numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control and may not be directly related to our operating performance. These factors include:

•

significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of business development companies or other companies in the energy industry, which are 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 RIC qualification;

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•

changes in earnings or variations in operating results;



•

changes in the value of our portfolio of investments;



•

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



•

departure of one or more of Prospect Capital Management's key personnel;



•

operating performance of companies comparable to us;



•

changes in prevailing interest rates;



•

litigation matters;



•

general economic trends and other external factors; and



•

loss of a major funding source.

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has, from time to time, been brought against that company.

        If our stock price fluctuates significantly, we may be the target of securities litigation in the future. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management's attention and resources from our business.

Sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities.

        Sales of substantial amounts of our securities or the availability of such securities for sale could adversely affect the prevailing market price for our securities. If this occurs and continues it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of securities should we desire to do so.

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

        We have made and intend to continue to make distributions on a quarterly basis to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. 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. In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a business development company, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions.

Provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law and of our charter and bylaws could deter takeover attempts and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

        Our charter and bylaws and the Maryland General Corporation Law contain provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our stockholders or otherwise be in their best interest. These provisions may prevent stockholders from being able to sell shares of our common stock at a premium over the current of prevailing market prices.

        Our charter provides for the classification of our Board of Directors into three classes of directors, serving staggered three-year terms, which may render a change of control or removal of our incumbent management more difficult. Furthermore, any and all vacancies on our Board of Directors will be filled generally only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term until a successor is elected and qualifies.

        Our Board of Directors is authorized to create and issue new series of shares, to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of stock into one or more classes or series, including preferred stock and,

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without stockholder approval, to amend our charter to increase or decrease the number of shares of common stock that we have authority to issue, which could have the effect of diluting a stockholder's ownership interest. Prior to the issuance of shares of common stock of each class or series, including any reclassified series, our Board of Directors is required by our governing documents to set the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series of shares of stock.

        Our charter and bylaws also provide that our Board of Directors has the exclusive power to adopt, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws, and to make new bylaws. The Maryland General Corporation Law also contains certain provisions that may limit the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, such as:

•

The Maryland Business Combination Act, which, subject to certain limitations, prohibits certain business combinations between us and an "interested stockholder" (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of the common stock or an affiliate thereof) for five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder and, thereafter, imposes special minimum price provisions and special stockholder voting requirements on these combinations; and



•

The Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act, which provides that "control shares" of a Maryland corporation (defined as shares of common stock which, when aggregated with other shares of common stock controlled by the stockholder, entitles the stockholder to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing directors, as described more fully below) acquired in a "control share acquisition" (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of "control shares") have no voting rights except to the extent approved by stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares of common stock.

        The provisions of the Maryland Business Combination Act will not apply, however, if our Board of Directors adopts a resolution that any business combination between us and any other person will be exempt from the provisions of the Maryland Business Combination Act. Our Board of Directors has adopted a resolution that any business combination between us and any other person is exempted from the provisions of the Business Combination Act, provided that the business combination is first approved by the Board of Directors, including a majority of the directors who are not interested persons as defined in the 1940 Act. There can be no assurance that this resolution will not be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time. If the resolution is altered or repealed, the provisions of the Maryland Business Combination Act may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us.

        As permitted by Maryland law, our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act any and all acquisitions by any person of our common stock. Although our bylaws include such a provision, such a provision may also be amended or eliminated by our Board of Directors at any time in the future, provided that we will notify the Division of Investment Management at the SEC prior to amending or eliminating this provision. However, as noted above, the SEC has recently taken the position that the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act is inconsistent with the 1940 Act and may not be invoked by a BDC. It is the view of the staff of the SEC that opting into the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act would be acting in a manner inconsistent with section 18(i) of the 1940 Act.

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Your interest in us may be diluted if you do not fully exercise your subscription rights in any rights offering. In addition, if the subscription price is less than our net asset value per share, then you will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of your shares.

        In the event we issue subscription rights, stockholders who do not fully exercise their subscription rights should expect that they will, at the completion of a rights offering pursuant to this prospectus, own a smaller proportional interest in us than would otherwise be the case if they fully exercised their rights. We cannot state precisely the amount of any such dilution in share ownership because we do not know at this time what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering.

        In addition, if the subscription price is less than the net asset value per share of our common stock, then our stockholders would experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of their shares as a result of the offering. The amount of any decrease in net asset value is not predictable because it is not known at this time what the subscription price and net asset value per share will be on the expiration date of a rights offering or what proportion of the shares will be purchased as a result of such rights offering. Such dilution could be substantial. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating To Our Operation As A Business Development Company—If we sell shares of our common stock or securities to subscribe for or are convertible into shares of our common stock at a discount to our net asset value per share, stockholders who do not participate in such sale will experience immediate dilution in an amount that may be material." and "Sales of Common Stock Below Net Asset Value."

We may in the future choose to pay dividends in our own stock, in which case our stockholders may be required to pay tax in excess of the cash they receive.

        We may distribute taxable dividends that are payable in part in our stock. Under IRS Revenue Procedure 2010-12, up to 90% of any such taxable dividend could be payable in our stock for dividends declared on or before December 31, 2012 with respect to any taxable year ending on or before December 31, 2011. The IRS has also issued (and where Revenue Procedure 2010-12 is not currently applicable, the IRS continues to issue) private letter rulings on cash/stock dividends paid by RICs and real estate investment trusts if certain requirements are satisfied and we have received such a ruling permitting us to declare such taxable cash/stock dividends, up to 80% in stock, with respect to our taxable years ending August 31, 2012 and August 31, 2013. Taxable stockholders receiving such dividends would be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income (or as long-term capital gain to the extent such distribution is properly designated as a capital gain dividend) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits for United States federal income tax purposes. As a result, a U.S. Stockholder (as defined in "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations") may be required to pay tax with respect to such dividends in excess of any cash received. If a U.S. Stockholder sells the stock it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, it may be subject to transaction fees (e.g. broker fees or transfer agent fees) and the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to Non-U.S. Stockholders (as defined in "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations"), we may be required to withhold U.S. tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our stock. It is unclear whether and to what extent we will be able to pay dividends in cash and our stock (whether pursuant to Revenue Procedure 2010-12, a private letter ruling, or otherwise).

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

(All figures in this section are in thousands except share, per share and other data)

         The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. In addition to historical information, the following discussion and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking information that involves risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking information due to the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" appearing elsewhere herein.

Note on Forward Looking Statements

        Some of the statements in this section of the prospectus constitute forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition. The forward-looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties, including statements as to:

•

our future operating results;



•

our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies;



•

the impact of investments that we expect to make;



•

our contractual arrangements and relationships with third parties;



•

the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which we invest;



•

the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives;



•

our expected financings and investments;



•

the adequacy of our cash resources and working capital; and



•

the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies.

        We generally use words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus. These forward-looking statements do not meet the safe harbor for forward-looking statements pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act.

        We have based the forward-looking statements included in herein on information available to us on the date of this document, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Although we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, you are advised to consult any additional disclosures that we may make directly to you or through reports that we in the future may file with the SEC, including any annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

Overview

        We are a financial services company that primarily lends to and invests in middle market privately-held companies. We are a closed-end investment company that has filed an election to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, or the 1940 Act. We invest primarily in senior and subordinated debt and equity of companies in need of capital for

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acquisitions, divestitures, growth, development and recapitalization. We work with the management teams or financial sponsors to seek investments with historical cash flows, asset collateral or contracted pro-forma cash flows.

        We seek to be a long-term investor with our portfolio companies. From our July 27, 2004 inception to the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, we invested primarily in industries related to the industrial/energy economy. Since then, we have widened our strategy to focus in other sectors of the economy and continue to reduce our exposure to the energy industry, and our holdings in the energy and energy related industries now represent less than 7% of our investment portfolio.

        The aggregate value of our portfolio investments was $2,094,221 and $1,463,010 as of June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, our net cost of investments increased by $663,579, or 46.2%, as a result of thirty-eight new investments, seventeen follow-on investments and revolver advances of $1,115,012, accrued of payment-in-kind interest of $5,647 and accretion of purchase discount of $7,284, while we received full repayment on seventeen investments, sold five investments and received several partial prepayments and revolver repayments totaling of $500,952, including a net realized gain of $36,588. During the year ended June 30, 2012, Deb Shops, Inc. ("Deb Shops") filed for bankruptcy and a plan for reorganization was proposed. The plan was approved by the bankruptcy court and our debt position was eliminated with no payment to us. As a result, we determined that the impairment of Deb Shops was other-than-temporary on September 30, 2011 and recorded a realized loss of $14,607 for the full amount of the amortized cost. The asset was completely written off when the plan of reorganization was approved. This realized loss was primarily offset the sale of our shares in NRG Manufacturing Inc. ("NRG") common stock for which we realized a gain of $36,940. The remaining net realized gain of $14,255 is primarily due to the sale of our equity investments in C&J Cladding, LLC ("C&J"), The Copernicus Group, Inc. ("Copernicus"), Nupla Corporation ("Nupla") and Sport Helmets Holdings, LLC ("Sport Helmets").

        Compared to the end of last fiscal year (ended June 30, 2011), net assets increased by $397,617 or 35.7% during the year ended June 30, 2012, from $1,114,357 to $1,511,974. This increase resulted from the issuance of new shares of our common stock (less offering costs) in the amount of $337,562, dividend reinvestments of $10,530, and another $190,904 from operations. These increases, in turn, were offset by $141,379 in dividend distributions to our stockholders. The $190,904 increase in net assets resulting from operations is net of the following: net investment income of $186,684, net realized gain on investments of $36,588, and a decrease in net assets due to changes in net unrealized depreciation of investments of $32,368.

        The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reported period. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ and those differences could be material.

Patriot Acquisition

        On December 2, 2009, we acquired the outstanding shares of Patriot Capital Funding, Inc. ("Patriot") common stock for $201,083. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Patriot common shareholders received 0.363992 shares of our common stock for each share of Patriot common stock, resulting in 8,444,068 shares of common stock being issued by us. In connection with the transaction, we repaid all the outstanding borrowings of Patriot, in compliance with the merger agreement.

        The fair value of Patriot's investments was determined by the Board of Directors in conjunction with an independent valuation agent. This valuation resulted in a purchase price of $207,126 which was $98,150 below the amortized cost of such investments. During the year ended June 30, 2012, we recognized $6,613 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from

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Patriot. Included in the $6,613 is $3,083 of normal accretion and $3,530 of accelerated accretion resulting from the repayment of Mac & Massey Holdings, LLC ("Mac & Massey"), Nupla, ROM Acquisition Corporation ("ROM") and Sport Helmets.

        During the year ended June 30, 2011, we recognized $22,084 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot. Included in the $22,084 is $4,912 of normal accretion, $12,035 of accelerated accretion resulting from the repayment of Impact Products, LLC ("Impact Products"), Label Corp Holdings Inc ("Label Corp") and Prince Mineral Company, Inc. ("Prince") and $4,968 of accelerated accretion resulting from the recapitalization of our debt investments in Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, Inc. ("Arrowhead"), Copernicus, Fischbein, LLC ("Fischbein") and Northwestern Management Services, LLC ("Northwestern"). The restructured loans for Arrowhead, Copernicus, Fischbein and Northwestern were issued at market terms comparable to other industry transactions. In accordance with ASC 320-20-35 the cost basis of the new loan was recorded at par value, which precipitated the acceleration of original purchase discount from the loan repayment which was recognized as interest income.

        During the period from the acquisition of Patriot on December 2, 2009 to June 30, 2010, we recognized $18,795 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot. Included in this amount $4,579 of normal accretion and $14,216 of accelerated accretion resulting from the early repayments of four loans, three revolving lines of credit, sale of one investment position and restructuring of our loans to Aircraft Fasteners International, LLC ("AFI"), EXL Acquisition Corp. ("EXL"), LHC Holdings Corp. ("LHC"), Prince, and ROM. The revised terms were more favorable than the original terms and increased the present value of the future cash flows. In accordance with ASC 320-20-35 the cost basis of the new loans were recorded at par value, which precipitated the acceleration of original purchase discount from the loan repayment which was recognized as interest income.

Investment Holdings

        As of June 30, 2012, we continue to pursue our investment strategy. In May 2007, we changed our name to "Prospect Capital Corporation" and terminated our policy to invest at least 80% of our net assets in energy companies. Since that time, we have reduced our exposure to the energy industry, and our holdings in the energy and energy related industries now represent less than 20% of our investment portfolio.

        At June 30 2012, approximately $2,094,221 or 138.5% of our net assets are invested in 82 long-term portfolio investments and 7.8% of our net assets invested in money market funds.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we originated $1,115,012 of new investments. Our origination efforts are focused primarily on secured lending, to reduce the risk in the portfolio, investing primarily in first lien loans, and subordinated notes in CLOs, though we also continue to close selected junior debt and equity investments. In addition to targeting investments senior in corporate capital structures with our new originations, we have also increased our origination business mix of third party private equity sponsor owned companies, which tend to have more third party equity capital supporting our debt investments than non-sponsor transactions. Our performing loan's annualized current yield increased from 12.8% as of June 30, 2011 to 13.6% as of June 30, 2012 across all long-term investments. This increase in yield is primarily due to the acquisition of First Tower. Excluding our loans to First Tower, our annualized current yield would have been 12.5% as of June 30, 2012. We expect Prospect's current asset yield may continue to decline modestly as we continue to reduce credit risk. Generally, we have seen a decrease in interest rates on first lien loans issued during our fiscal years ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2012 in comparison to the rates in effect at June 30, 2010 along with the effects from reducing the percentage level of second lien loans. Monetization of other equity positions that we hold is not included in this yield calculation. In many of our portfolio

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companies we hold equity positions, ranging from minority interests to majority stakes, which we expect over time to contribute to our investment returns. Some of these equity positions include features such as contractual minimum internal rates of returns, preferred distributions, flip structures and other features expected to generate additional investment returns, as well as contractual protections and preferences over junior equity, in addition to the yield and security offered by our cash flow and collateral debt protections.

        We classify our investments by level of control. As defined in the 1940 Act, control investments are those where there is the ability or power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company. Control is generally deemed to exist when a company or individual possesses or has the right to acquire within 60 days or less, a beneficial ownership of 25% or more of the voting securities of an investee company. Affiliated investments and affiliated companies are defined by a lesser degree of influence and are deemed to exist through the possession outright or via the right to acquire within 60 days or less, beneficial ownership of 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of another person.

        As of June, 2012, we own controlling interests in AIRMALL USA, Inc. ("AIRMALL"), Ajax Rolled Ring & Machine, Inc. ("Ajax"), AWCNC, LLC, Borga, Inc., Energy Solutions Holdings, Inc. ("Energy Solutions"), First Tower, Integrated Contract Services, Inc. ("ICS"), Manx Energy, Inc. ("Manx"), NMMB Holdings, Inc. ("NMMB"), R-V Industries, Inc. ("R-V") and Wolf Energy Holdings, Inc. ("Wolf"). We also own an affiliated interest in BNN Holdings Corp. f/k/a Biotronic NeuroNetwork ("Biotronic"), Boxercraft Incorporated ("Boxercraft") and Smart, LLC.

        The following is a summary of our investment portfolio by level of control at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively:

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        The following is our investment portfolio presented by type of investment at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively:

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        The following is our investments in debt securities presented by type of security at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively:

        The following is our investment portfolio presented by geographic location of the investment at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively:

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        The following is our investment portfolio presented by industry sector of the investment at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively:

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Portfolio Investment Activity

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we acquired $1,000,885 of new investments, completed follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies, totaling approximately $112,627, funded $1,500 of revolver advances, and recorded PIK interest of $5,647, resulting in gross investment originations of $1,120,659. The more significant of these investments are described briefly in the following:

        On July 1, 2011, we made a senior secured follow-on investment of $2,300 in Boxercraft to support the acquisition of Jones & Mitchell, a supplier of college-licensed apparel. The first lien note bears interest in cash at Libor plus 7.50% and has a final maturity on September 16, 2013.

        On July 8, 2011, we made a senior secured investment of $39,000 to support the recapitalization of Totes Isotoner Corporation ("Totes"). The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 10.75% or Libor plus 9.25% and has a final maturity on January 8, 2018.

        On August 5, 2011 and September 7, 2011, we made senior secured follow-on investments of $3,850 and $11,800, respectively, in ROM to support the acquisitions of Havis Lighting Solutions, a supplier of products primarily used by emergency response and police vehicles, and the acquisition of a leading manufacturer of personal safety products for the transportation and industrial markets. The first lien notes bear interest in cash at the greater of 10.50% or Libor plus 9.50% and have a final maturity on May 8, 2013.

        On August 9, 2011, we provided a $15,000 term loan to support the acquisition of Nobel Learning Communities, Inc., a leading national operator of private schools. The unsecured note bears interest in cash at 11.50% and interest in kind of 1.50% and has a final maturity on August 9, 2017.

        On August 9, 2011, we made an investment of $32,116 to purchase 66.2% of the unrated subordinated notes in Babson CLO Ltd 2011-I.

        On September 16, 2011, we acted as the facility agent and lead lender of a syndication of lenders that collectively provided $132,000 in senior secured financing to support the financing of Capstone Logistics, LLC ("Capstone"), a leading logistics company. This company provides a broad array of logistics services to a diverse group of blue chip customers in the grocery, food service, retail, and specialty automotive industries. As of June 30, 2012 our investment is $75,418 structured as $33,793 of Term Loan A and $41,625 of Term Loan B first lien notes. After the financing, we received repayment of the loan that was outstanding for Progressive Logistics Services, LLC. The Term Loan A notes bear interest in cash at the greater of 7.50% or Libor plus 5.50% and have a final maturity on September 16, 2016. The Term Loan B notes bear interest in cash at the greater of 13.50% or Libor plus 11.50% and have a final maturity on September 16, 2016.

        On September 30, 2011, we provided a $23,000 senior secured loan to support the recapitalization of Anchor Hocking, LLC ("Anchor Hocking"), a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of high quality glass products for the retail, food service, and OEM channels. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 10.50% or Libor plus 9.00% and has a final maturity on September 27, 2016.

        On October 13, 2011 and October 19, 2011, we made investments of $9,319 and $1,358, respectively, to purchase 32.9% of the unrated subordinated notes to Apidos CLO VIII, Ltd ("Apidos VIII").

        On October 24, 2011, we made a secured second lien investment of $6,000 in Renaissance Learning, Inc., a leading provider of technology based school improvement and student assessment programs. The second lien loan bears interest in cash at the greater of 12.0% or Libor plus 10.50% and has a final maturity on October 19, 2018.

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        On October 28, 2011, we made a follow-on investment of $8,200 in Empire Today, LLC. The follow-on first lien note bears interest in cash at 11.375% and has a final maturity on February 1, 2017.

        On November 4, 2011, we made a secured second lien investment of $15,000 to support the acquisition of Injured Workers Pharmacy, LLC, a specialty pharmacy services company, in a private equity backed transaction. The secured loan bears interest in cash at the greater of 12.0% or Libor plus 7.50% and has a final maturity on November 4, 2017.

        On December 2, 2011, we made a secured second-lien follow-on investment of $7,500 to American Gilsonite Company ("American Gilsonite") for a dividend recapitalization. After the financing, we received a $1,383 dividend as a result of our equity holdings in American Gilsonite. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 12.0% or Libor plus 10.0% and interest in kind of 2.5% and has a final maturity on March 10, 2016.

        On December 22, 2011, we made a secured first lien investment of $31,083 to VanDeMark Chemicals, Inc ("VanDeMark"), a specialty chemical manufacturer. The secured loan bears interest in cash at the greater of 12.2% or Libor plus 10.2% and has a final maturity on December 31, 2014.

        On December 22, 2011, we made an investment of $17,900 to purchase 13.2% of the secured Class D Notes and 86.0% of the unsecured Class E Notes in CIFC Funding 2011-I, Ltd ("CIFC"). The $2,500 secured Class D Notes bear interest in cash at Libor plus 5.0% and have a final maturity date on January 19, 2023. The $15,400 unsecured Class E Notes bear interest in cash at Libor plus 7.0% and have a final maturity on January 19, 2023.

        On December 28, 2011, we made a secured first-lien follow-on investment of $4,750 in Energy Solutions in order to facilitate the acquisition of a new vessel by Vessel Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Freedom Marine. We invested $1,250 of equity in Energy Solutions and $3,500 of debt to Vessel Holdings LLC. The first lien note bears interest in cash at 18.0% and has a final maturity of December 12, 2016.

        On December 28, 2011, we made a secured debt investment of $10,000 to support the acquisition of Hoffmaster Group, Inc. After the financing we received a repayment of the loan that was previously outstanding. The $10,000 second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 11.0% or Libor plus 9.50% and has a final maturity date of January 3, 2019.

        On December 28, 2011, we made a secured debt investment of $37,218 to support the recapitalization of NRG. After the financing, we received repayment of the $13,080 loan that was previously outstanding and a dividend of $6,711 as a result of our equity holdings. In addition, we sold 392 shares of NRG common stock for $13,266, realizing a gain of $12,131. Our remaining 408 shares of NRG common stock held by us were sold back to NRG on February 2, 2012. The secured first lien note bears interest at 15.0% and has a final maturity on December 27, 2016.

        On December 30, 2011, we provided $8,000 of senior secured debt to Hi-Tech Testing Service, Inc. and Wilson Inspection X-Ray Services, Inc, a provider of non-destructive testing services to detect leaks and other defects in pipes, vessels, and related equipment for the oil and gas pipeline, chemical and paper and pulp industries. The secured note bears interest in cash at 11.0% and has a final maturity on September 26, 2016.

        On January 12, 2012, we made a follow-on investment of $16,500 to purchase 86.8% of the secured Class D Notes in CIFC. The secured Class D Notes bear interest in cash at Libor plus 5.0% and have a final maturity date on January 19, 2023.

        On January 17, 2012, we provided $18,332 of secured second-lien financing to National Bankruptcy Solutions, LLC, a financial services processing company purchased by a leading private

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equity sponsor. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 12.00% or Libor plus 9.0% and interest in kind of 1.50% and has a final maturity of July 17, 2017.

        On February 10, 2012, we provided $15,000 of secured second-lien financing to Rocket Software, Inc., a leading global infrastructure software company. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 10.25% or Libor plus 8.75% and has a final maturity of February 8, 2019.

        On February 15, 2012, we provided $25,000 of secured second-lien financing to Blue Coat Systems, Inc., a leading provider of Web security and wide area network (WAN) optimization solutions. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 11.50% or Libor plus 10.0% and has a final maturity of August 15, 2018.

        On February 24, 2012, we made a follow-on investment of $7,856 to purchase 23.9% of the unrated subordinated notes to Apidos VIII.

        On February 28, 2012, we made a senior secured follow-on investment of $9,500 in Clearwater Seafoods LP ("Clearwater") to finance the repayment of a senior secured note due to mature in 2012 and settle outstanding claims senior to our own investment. The second lien note bears interest in cash at 12.00% and has a final maturity of February 4, 2016.

        On February 29, 2012, we provided $15,000 of secured second-lien financing to Focus Brands, Inc., a leading franchiser and operator of restaurants, cafes, ice cream stores and retail bakeries. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 10.25% or Libor plus 9.00% and has a final maturity on August 21, 2018.

        On March 1, 2012, we made a senior secured follow-on investment of $27,500 in SG Acquisition Inc. ("Safe-Guard") to support a recapitalization. As of June 30, 2012, our investment is $26,367 structured as $12,686 of Term Loan C and $13,681 of Term Loan D first lien notes. The Term Loan C note bears interest in cash at the greater of 8.50% or Libor plus 6.50% and has a final maturity of March 18, 2016. The Term Loan D notes bears interest in cash at the greater of 14.50% or Libor plus 12.50% and has a final maturity of March 18, 2016.

        On March 14, 2012, we made an investment of $26,569 to purchase 74.4% of the unrated subordinated notes in Babson CLO Ltd 2012-I.

        On March 27, 2012, we provided $12,500 of senior secured financing to IDQ Holdings, Inc., a manufacturer of a refrigerant refill kit for automobile air conditioners. The senior secured note bears interest in cash at 11.50% and has a final maturity of April 1, 2017.

        On April 2, 2012 we made an investment of $22,000 to purchase 51.2% of the subordinated notes in Galaxy.

        On April 16, 2012, we made a senior secured debt investment of $15,000 to support the acquisition of Nixon, a designer and distributor of watches and accessories. The first lien note bears interest in cash at 8.75% and interest in kind of 2.75% and has a final maturity of April 16, 2018.

        On April 20, 2012 we made an investment of $43,195 to purchase 71.1% of the LP Certificates in Symphony.

        On May 17, 2012, we made an investment of $50,000 in Archipelago, providers of educational software which deliver online curriculum and assessments to the U.S. educational market. The second lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 11.25% or Libor plus 9.75% and has a final maturity of May 17, 2019.

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        On May 21, 2012, we made a follow-on investment of $10,500 in Stauber. The first lien note bears interest in cash at the greater of 10.5% or Libor plus 7.5% and has a final maturity of May 21, 2017.

        On June 1, 2012, we made a senior secured second lien investment of $17,500 in SMC. The second lien note bears interest in cash at 12.0% and interest in kind of 5.0% and has a final maturity of May 31, 2017.

        On June 7, 2012, we provided $51,100 of senior secured financing to Naylor, an outsourced provider of media and communications services to professional, trade and interest associations, of which $48,600 was funded at closing. The first lien notes bear interest in cash at the greater of 11.0% or Libor plus 8.0% and has a final maturity of June 7, 2017.

        On June 7, 2012, we made an investment of $27,449 to purchase 73.6% of the unrated subordinated notes in Babson 2012-IIA.

        On June 14, 2012, we made an investment of $18,723 to purchase 52.7% of the subordinated notes in Apidos IX.

        On June 15, 2012, we completed the acquisition of the businesses of First Tower. We acquired 80.1% of First Tower's businesses for $110,200 in cash and 14,518,207 unregistered shares of our common stock. The first lien note bears interest at the greater of 18.50% or Libor plus 17.0% and has a final maturity of June 30, 2022.

        On June 22, 2012, we made an investment of $25,810 to purchase 51.0% of the subordinated notes in Madison IX.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we closed-out fifteen positions which are briefly described below.

        On October 31, 2011, IEC-Systems, LP/Advanced Rig Services, LLC ("IEC/ARS") repaid the $20,909 loan receivable to us.

        On November 21, 2011, we received an equity distribution from the sale of our shares of Fairchild Industrial Products, Co. ("Fairchild") common and preferred stock, realizing $1,549 of gross proceeds and a total gain of $960 on settlement of the investment.

        On December 29, 2011, Iron Horse Coiled Tubing, Inc ("Iron Horse") repaid the $11,338 loan receivable to us.

        On December 30, 2011, we exited our investment in Mac & Massey and received $10,239 for repayment of the $9,323 loan receivable to us and monetization of our equity position, resulting in a realized gain of $820. We recognized $694 of accelerated purchase discount accretion in the quarter ended December 31, 2011.

        On January 9, 2012, Arrowhead repaid the $27,000 loan receivable to us.

        On January 31, 2012, AFI repaid the $7,441 loan receivable to us.

        On February 2, 2012, NRG was sold to an outside buyer for $123,258. In conjunction with the sale, the $37,218 loan that was outstanding was repaid. We also received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income in the year ended June 30, 2012. Further, we received a $3,800 advisory fee for the transaction, which was recorded as other income in the year ended June 30, 2012. After expenses, including the make whole and advisory fees discussed above, $40,886 was available to be distributed to stockholders. While our 408 shares of NRG common stock represented 67.1% of the ownership, we received net proceeds of $25,991 as our contribution to the escrow amount was proportionately higher than the other shareholders. In connection with the sales, we recognized a realized gain of $24,810 in the

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results for year ended June 30, 2012. In total, we received proceeds of $93,977 at closing. In addition, there is $11,125 being held in escrow of which 80% is due to us upon release of the escrowed amounts. This will be recognized as additional gain when and if received.

        On March 16, 2012, VPSI, Inc. repaid the $16,958 loan receivable to us.

        On March 23, 2012, Anchor Hocking repaid the $20,444 loan receivable to us.

        On March 30, 2012, ROM repaid the $31,638 loan receivable to us.

        On May 8, 2012, SonicWALL repaid the $23,000 loan receivable to us.

        On May 31, 2012, Copernicus repaid the remaining $17,596 loan receivable to us and we received $2,562 for our preferred stock positions, resulting in a realized gain of $2,283.

        On June 1, 2012, we sold our membership interests in C&J for $4,000, recognizing a realized gain of $3,420 on the sale, and received an advisory fee of $1,500.

        On June 15, 2012, we exited our investment in Nupla for a sales price of $6,850. After payment of expenses, including accumulated managerial assistance of $450 paid to our Administrator and a $1,500 structuring fee paid to us, the proceeds were applied to repayment of the loans receivable to us, resulting in a realized gain of $2,907, as this loan was acquired in the Patriot Capital acquisition at a discount to the par amount outstanding.

        On June 29, 2012, Sport Helmets repaid the $17,556 loan receivable to us. We recognized $2,585 of accelerated purchase discount accretion in the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we also received principal amortization payments of $23,923 on several loans, and $38,418 of partial prepayments primarily related to AIRMALL, AFI, Ajax, Byrider Systems Acquisition Corp., Copernicus, EXL, Fischbein, Iron Horse, LHC, Nupla, Northwestern, Progrexion Holdings, Inc. ("Progrexion"), ROM, Seaton Corp. and Stauber Performance Ingredients, Inc.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we recognized $6,613 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot. Included in the $6,613 is $3,083 of normal accretion and $3,530 of accelerated accretion resulting from the repayment of Mac & Massey, Nupla, ROM and Sport Helmets. We expect to recognize $284 of normal accretion during the three months ended September 30, 2012.

        During the year ended June 30, 2011, we recognized $22,084 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot. Included in the $22,084 is $4,912 of normal accretion, $12,035 of accelerated accretion resulting from the repayment of Impact Products, Label Corp and Prince, and $4,968 of accelerated accretion resulting from the recapitalization of our debt investments in Arrowhead, Copernicus, Fischbein and Northwestern. The restructured loans for Arrowhead, Copernicus, Fischbein and Northwestern were issued at market terms comparable to other industry transactions. In accordance with ASC 320-20-35 the cost basis of the new loans were recorded at par value, which precipitated the acceleration of original purchase discount from the loan repayments which were recognized as interest income.

        During the period from the acquisition of Patriot on December 2, 2009 to June 30, 2010, we recognized $18,795 of interest income due to purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot. Included in this amount is $4,579 of normal accretion and $14,216 of accelerated accretion resulting from the early repayments of four loans, three revolving lines of credit, sale of one investment position and restructuring of our loans to AFI, EXL, LHC, Prince and ROM. The revised terms were more favorable than the original terms and increased the present value of the future cash flows. In accordance with ASC 320-20-35 the cost basis of the new loans were recorded at par value, which precipitated the acceleration of original purchase discount from the loan repayment which was recognized as interest income.

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        The following is a quarter-by-quarter summary of our investment activity:

Investment Valuation

        In determining the fair value of our portfolio investments at June 30, 2012 the Audit Committee considered valuations from the independent valuation firm having an aggregate range of $2,018,360 to $2,190,139, excluding money market investments.

        In determining the range of value for debt instruments, the independent valuation firm generally shadow rated the investment and then based upon the range of ratings, determined appropriate yields

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to maturity for a loan rated as such. A discounted cash flow analysis was then prepared using the appropriate yield to maturity as the discount rate, yielding the ranges. For equity investments, the enterprise value was determined by applying EBITDA multiples for similar recent investment sales. For stressed equity investments, a liquidation analysis was prepared.

        The Board of Directors looked at several factors in determining where within the range to value the asset including: recent operating and financial trends for the asset, independent ratings obtained from third parties and comparable multiples for recent sales of companies within the industry. The composite of all these analysis, applied to each investment, was a total valuation of $2,094,221, excluding money market investments.

        Our portfolio companies are generally lower middle market companies, outside of the financial sector, with less than $150,000 of annual EBITDA. We believe our market has experienced less volatility than others because we believe there are more buy and hold investors who own these less liquid investments.

        Control investments offer increased risk and reward over straight debt investments. Operating results and changes in market multiples can result in dramatic changes in values from quarter to quarter. Significant downturns in operations can further result in our looking to recoveries on sales of assets rather than the enterprise value of the investment. Several control investments in our portfolio are under enhanced scrutiny by our senior management and our Board of Directors and are discussed below.

AIRMALL USA, Inc.

        AIRMALL is a leading developer and manager of airport retail operations. AIRMALL has developed and presently manages all or substantially all of the retail operations and food and beverage concessions at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). AIRMALL does so pursuant to long-term, infrastructure-like contracts with the respective municipal agencies that own and operate the airports.

        On July 30, 2010, we invested $52,420 of combined debt and equity as follows: $30,000 senior term loan, $12,500 senior subordinated note and $9,920 preferred equity. We own 100% of AIRMALL's equity securities. AIRMALL's financial performance has been consistent since the acquisition and we continue to monitor the medium to long-term growth prospects for the company.

        The Board of Directors decreased the fair value of our investment in AIRMALL to $47,982 as of June 30, 2012, a discount of $3,788 from its amortized cost, compared to the $694 unrealized depreciation recorded at June 30, 2011.

Ajax Rolled Ring & Machine, Inc.

        Ajax forges large seamless steel rings on two forging mills in the company's York, South Carolina facility. The rings are used in a range of industrial applications, including in construction equipment and power turbines. Ajax also provides machining and other ancillary services.

        We acquired a controlling equity interest in Ajax in a recapitalization of Ajax that was closed on April 4, 2008. We funded $22,000 of senior secured term debt, $11,500 of subordinated term debt and $6,300 of equity as of that closing. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, we funded an additional $3,530 of secured subordinated debt to refinance a third-party revolver provider and provide working capital. Ajax repaid $3,461 of this secured subordinated debt during the quarter ended September 30, 2010. As of June 30, 2012, we control 78.01% of the fully-diluted common

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and preferred equity. The principal balance of our senior debt to Ajax was $20,167 and new debt was $15,035 as of June 30, 2012.

        The Board of Directors increased the fair value of our investment in Ajax to $52,410 as of June 30, 2012, a premium of $11,151 from its amortized cost, compared to the $7,822 unrealized depreciation recorded at June 30, 2011.

Energy Solutions Holdings In c. (f/k/a Gas Solutions Holdings, Inc.)

        Energy Solutions owns interests in other companies operating in the energy sector. These include operating offshore supply vessels and ownerships of a non-operating biomass plant and several coal mines. Energy Solutions subsidiaries formerly owned interests in a gas gathering and processing system in the East Texas.

        In December 2011, we completed a reorganization of Gas Solutions Holdings, Inc. ("GSHI") renaming the company Energy Solutions and transferring ownership of other operating companies owned by us and operating within the energy industry with the intent of strategically expanding Energy Solutions operations across energy sectors. As part of the reorganization, we transferred our equity interests in CCEHI, CCEI, Freedom Marine and Yatesville to Energy Solutions. On December 28, 2011, we made a follow-on investment of $4,750 to support the acquisition of a new vessel by Vessel Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Freedom Marine.

        On January 4, 2012, Energy Solutions sold its gas gathering and processing assets ("Gas Solutions") for a sale price of $199,805, adjusted for the final working capital settlement, including a potential earnout of $28,000 that will be paid based on the future performance of Gas Solutions. Our loans to and investment in Energy Solutions remain outstanding as Energy Solutions and will continue as a portfolio company of Prospect managing other energy-related subsidiaries. The cash balances of Energy Solutions continue to collateralize our loan positions.

        In determining the value of Energy Solutions, we have utilized two valuation techniques to determine the value of the investment. Our Board of Directors has determined the value to be $126,868 for our debt and equity positions at June 30, 2012 based upon a combination of a current value method for the cash balances of Energy Solutions and a liquidation analysis for our interests in CCEHI, CCEI, Freedom Marine and Yatesville. At June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, Energy Solutions, including the underlying portfolio companies affected by the reorganization, was valued at $63,623 and $51,491 above its amortized cost, respectively. We received a distribution of $33,250 from Energy Solutions which was recorded as dividend income during the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

First Tower Holdings of Delaware LLC

        First Tower is a multiline specialty finance company based in Flowood, Mississippi with over 150 branch offices.

        On June 15, 2012, we acquired 80.1% of First Tower's businesses for $110,200 in cash and 14,518,207 unregistered shares of our common stock. Based on our share price of $11.06 at the time of issuance, we acquired our 80.1% interest in First Tower for approximately $270,771. As consideration for our investment, First Tower Holdings of Delaware, which is 100% owned by us, recorded a secured revolving credit facility to us of $244,760 and equity of $43,193. First Tower Delaware owns 80.1% of First Tower Holdings LLC, the holding company of First Tower. The assets of First Tower acquired include, among other things, the subsidiaries owned by First Tower, which hold finance receivables, leaseholds, and tangible property associated with First Tower's businesses. We received $8,075 in structuring fee income as part of the acquisition.

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        The Board of Directors set the fair value of our investment in First Tower to $287,953 as of June 30, 2012, equal to its amortized cost.

Integrated Contract Services, Inc.

        ICS is a company that was created to purchase the assets of ESA Environmental Specialists, Inc. ("ESA") out of bankruptcy in April 2007. ESA was a contract management company with core expertise in construction, environmental and engineering services and competed in the market for government contracts. Prior to January 2009, ICS owned the assets of ESA and 100% of the stock of The Healing Staff ("THS"). THS is a contractor focused on providing outsourced medical staffing solutions primarily to government agencies.

        ESA originally defaulted under our contract governing our investment in ESA, prompting us to commence foreclosure actions with respect to certain ESA assets in respect of which we have a priority lien. In response to our actions, ESA filed voluntarily for reorganization under the bankruptcy code on August 1, 2007. On September 20, 2007, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved a Section 363 Asset Sale from ESA to us. To complete this transaction, we contributed our ESA debt to a newly-formed entity, ICS, and provided funds for working capital on October 9, 2007. In return for the ESA debt, we received senior secured debt in ICS of equal amount to our ESA debt, preferred stock of ICS, and 49% of the ICS common stock. ICS subsequently ceased operations and assigned the collateral back to us. ICS is in default of both payment and financial covenants. During September and October 2007, we provided $1,170 to THS for working capital.

        In January 2009, we foreclosed on the real and personal property of ICS. Through this foreclosure process, we gained 100% ownership of THS and certain ESA assets. THS provides outsourced medical staffing and security staffing services to governmental and commercial enterprises. In November 2009, THS was informed that the U.S. Air Force would not exercise its option to renew its contract. THS continues to solicit new contracts to replace the revenue lost when the Air Force contract ended. As part of its strategy to recovery from the loss of the Air Force contract, in 2010 THS started a new business, Vets Securing America, Inc. ("VSA"), to provide out-sourced security guards staffed primarily using retired military veterans. During the year ended June 30, 2011 and the six months ended December 31, 2011, we made follow-on secured debt investments of $1,708 and $874, respectively, to support the ongoing operations of THS and VSA. In early May 2012, we made short-term secured debt investments of $118 and $42, respectively, to support the operations of THS and VSA, which short term debt was repaid in early June 2012. There were no additional fundings during the six months ended June 30, 2012. In October 2011, we sold a building acquired from ESA for $894. In January 2012, we received $2,250 towards an ESA litigation settlement. The proceeds from both of these transactions were used to reduce the outstanding loan balance due to us. In May 2012, in connection with the implementation of accounts receivable based funding programs for THS and VSA with a third party provider we agreed to subordinate our first priority security interest in all of the accounts receivable and other assets of THS and VSA to the third party provider of that accounts receivable based funding.

        Based upon an analysis of the liquidation value of the ESA assets and the enterprise value of THS/VSA, our Board of Directors determined the fair value of our investment in ICS to be zero at June 30, 2012, a reduction of $15,949 from its amortized cost, compared to the $16,453 unrealized loss recorded at June 30, 2011.

Manx Energy, Inc.

        Manx was formed for the purpose of rolling up the assets of two existing Prospect portfolio companies, Coalbed, LLC ("Coalbed") and Appalachian Energy Holdings, LLC ("AEH"), bringing

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them under new management, restructuring the outstanding debt, and infusing additional capital to allow for future growth. Coalbed is the owner of 100% of the outstanding equity interests of Coalbed Pipelines, LLC and Coalbed Operator, LLC. Coalbed was formed in October 2009 to acquire our outstanding senior secured loan and assigned interests in Conquest Cherokee, LLC ("Conquest"). Conquest's assets consisted primarily of coalbed methane reserves in the Cherokee Basin. AEH was formed in 2006 and is the owner of 100% of the outstanding equity interests of East Cumberland L.L.C., a provider of outsourced mine site development and construction services for coal production companies operating in Southern Appalachia, and C&S Oilfield and Pipeline Construction, a provider of support services to companies engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas.

        On January 19, 2010, we modified the terms of our senior secured debt in AEH and Coalbed in conjunction with the formation of Manx, a new entity consisting of the assets of AEH, Coalbed and Kinley Exploration LLC. The assets of the three companies were combined under new common management. We funded $2,800 at closing to Manx to provide for working capital. A portion of our loans to AEH and Coalbed was exchanged for Manx preferred equity, while our AEH equity interest was converted into Manx common stock. There was no change to fair value at the time of restructuring, and we continue to fully reserve any income accrued for Manx. During the year ended June 30, 2011, we made a follow-on secured debt investments of $750 in Manx to support ongoing operations. On June 30, 2012, Manx assigned the membership interests of Coalbed and AEH to Wolf Energy Holdings, Inc. ("Wolf"), a newly-formed, separately owned holding company.

        The Board of Directors decreased the fair value of our investment in Manx to zero as of June 30, 2012, a reduction of $11,028 from its amortized cost, compared to the $17,707 unrealized loss recorded at June 30, 2011.

Wolf Energy Holdings, Inc.

        Wolf Energy Holdings, Inc. ("Wolf") is a holding company formed to hold 100% of the outstanding membership interests of each of Coalbed and AEH. The membership interests of Coalbed and AEH, which were previously owned by Manx, were assigned to Wolf effective June 30, 2012. The purpose of assignment was to remove those activities from Manx deemed non-core by the Manx convertible debt investors who were not interested in funding those operations. In addition, effective June 29, 2012 C&J Cladding Holding Company, Inc. ("C&J") merged with and into Wolf, with Wolf surviving. At the time of the merger, C&J held the remaining undistributed proceeds from the sale of its membership interests in C&J Cladding, LLC. The merger was effectuated in connection with the broader simplification of our energy investment holdings.

        The Board of Directors set the fair value of our investment in Wolf to zero as of June 30, 2012, a reduction of $7,991 from its amortized cost.

        Equity positions in the portfolio are susceptible to potentially significant changes in value, both increases as well as decreases, due to changes in operating results. Two of our portfolio companies experienced such volatility due to improved operating results and experienced meaningful increases in valuation during the year ended June 30, 2012—Ajax and R-V. The valuation of Ajax increased due to improved operating results and emergent customer base. The value of our equity position in Ajax has increased to $17,191 as of June 30, 2012, a premium of $11,134 to its cost, compared to the $6,057 unrealized loss recorded at June 30, 2011. The valuation of R-V has increased due to improved operating results. The value of our equity position in R-V has increased to $23,856 as of June 30, 2012, a premium of $17,087 to its cost, compared to the $1,348 unrealized gain recorded at June 30, 2011. Six of the other controlled investments have been valued at discounts to the original investment. Four of

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the control investments are valued at the original investment amounts or higher. Overall, at June 30, 2012, the control investments are valued at $46,474 above their amortized cost.

        We hold three affiliate investments at June 30, 2012. The affiliate investments reported strong operating results with valuations remaining relatively consistent from June 30, 2011. Our equity investment in Biotronic experienced a decrease in valuation as in the prior year we anticipated that the company would be sold at a substantial premium to our cost basis. This sales process was discontinued during the year ended June 30, 2012 as the buyer and Biotronic could not agree to terms acceptable to each party. The value of our equity position in Biotronic has decreased to $2,693 as of June 30, 2012, a discount of $186 to its amortized cost, compared to the $4,127 unrealized gain recorded at June 30, 2011. Overall, at June 30, 2012, affiliate investments are valued $1,887 above their amortized cost.

        With the Non-control/Non-affiliate investments, generally, there is less volatility related to our total investments because our equity positions tend to be smaller than with our control/affiliate investments, and debt investments are generally not as susceptible to large swings in value as equity investments. For debt investments, the fair value is limited on the high side to each loan's par value, plus any prepayment premia that could be imposed. Many of the debt investments in this category have not experienced a significant change in value, as they were previously valued at or near par value. The exception to this categorization relates to investments which were acquired in the Patriot Acquisition, many of which were acquired at significant discounts to par value, and any changes in operating results or interest rates can have a significant effect on the value of such investments. During the year ended June 30, 2012, our investment in Stryker Energy, LLC ("Stryker") experienced a decrease in valuation due to declining operating results and lower natural gas prices. The value of our investment in Stryker has decreased to $1,623 as of June 30, 2012, a discount of $31,088 to its amortized cost, compared to the $6,706 unrealized loss recorded at June 30, 2011. The decrease was due primarily to a drop in natural gas prices during the year ended June 30, 2012. During the year ended June 30, 2012, our investment in H&M Oil & Gas, LLC ("H&M") also experienced a significant decrease in valuation due to declining operating results. The value of our investment in H&M has decreased to $35,031 as of June 30, 2012, a discount of $29,418 to its amortized cost, compared to the $21,556 unrealized loss recorded at June 30, 2011. Other Non-control/Non-affiliate investments did not experience significant changes in valuation and are generally performing as expected or better than expected. Overall, at June 30, 2012, other Non-control/Non-affiliate investments are valued $7,053 above their amortized cost, excluding our investments in H&M and Stryker.

Capitalization

        Our investment activities are capital intensive and the availability and cost of capital is a critical component of our business. We capitalize our business with a combination of debt and equity. Our debt currently consists of a revolving credit facility availing us of the ability to borrow debt subject to borrowing base determinations and Senior Convertible Notes which we issued in December 2010, February 2011 and April 2012, Prospect Capital InterNotes®, which we may issue from time to time, and our equity capital, which is comprised entirely of common equity. The following table shows the Revolving Credit Facility, Senior Convertible Notes, Senior Unsecured Notes and InterNotes® amounts and outstanding borrowings at June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011:

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        The following table shows the contractual maturity of our Revolving Credit Facility, Senior Convertible Notes, Senior Unsecured Notes and InterNotes® at June 30, 2012:

        We have and expect to continue to fund a portion of our cash needs through borrowings from banks, issuances of senior securities, including secured, unsecured and convertible debt securities and preferred stock, or issuances of common equity. For flexibility, we maintain a universal shelf registration statement that allows for the public offering and sale of our debt securities, common stock, preferred stock and warrants to purchase such securities in an amount up to $465,163 as of June 30, 2012. We may from time to time issue securities pursuant to the shelf registration statement or otherwise pursuant to private offerings. The issuance of debt or equity securities will depend on future market conditions, funding needs and other factors and there can be no assurance that any such issuance will occur or be successful.

Revolving Credit Facility

        On June 11, 2010, we closed an extension and expansion of our existing credit facility with a syndicate of lenders through PCF (the "2010 Facility"). The 2010 Facility, which had $325,000 total commitments as of June 30, 2011, included an accordion feature which allowed the Syndicated Facility to accept up to an aggregate total of $400,000 of commitments, a limit which was met on September 1, 2011. Interest on borrowings under the 2010 Facility was one-month Libor plus 325 basis points, subject to a minimum Libor floor of 100 basis points. Additionally, the lenders charged a fee on the unused portion of the 2010 Facility equal to either 75 basis points if at least half of the credit facility is used or 100 basis points otherwise.

        On March 27, 2012, we renegotiated the Syndicated Facility and closed on an expanded five-year $650,000 revolving credit facility (the "2012 Facility"). The lenders have extended commitments of $492,500 under the 2012 Facility as of June 30, 2012; which was increased by $507,500 in July 2012 (See Recent Developments ). The 2012 Facility includes an accordion feature which allows commitments to be increased up to $650,000 in the aggregate. The revolving period of the 2012 Facility extends through March 2015, with an additional two year amortization period (with distributions allowed) after the completion of the revolving period. During such two year amortization period, all principal payments on the pledged assets will be applied to reduce the balance. At the end of the two year amortization period, the remaining balance will become due, if required by the lenders.

        The 2012 Facility contains restrictions pertaining to the geographic and industry concentrations of funded loans, maximum size of funded loans, interest rate payment frequency of funded loans, maturity dates of funded loans and minimum equity requirements. The 2012 Facility also contains certain requirements relating to portfolio performance, including required minimum portfolio yield and limitations on delinquencies and charge-offs, violation of which could result in the early termination of the 2012 Facility. The 2012 Facility also requires the maintenance of a minimum liquidity requirement. At June 30, 2012, we were in compliance with the applicable covenants.

        Interest on borrowings under the 2012 Facility is one-month Libor plus 275 basis points with no minimum Libor floor. Additionally, the lenders charge a fee on the unused portion of the 2012 Facility

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equal to either 50 basis points if at least half of the credit facility is drawn or 100 basis points otherwise. The 2012 Facility requires us to pledge assets as collateral in order to borrow under the credit facility. As of June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, we had $451,252 and $255,673, respectively, available to us for borrowing under our 2012 Facility, of which the amount outstanding was $96,000 and $84,200, respectively. As additional investments that are eligible are transferred to PCF and pledged under the 2012 Facility, PCF will generate additional availability up to the commitment amount of $492,500. At June 30, 2012, the investments used as collateral for the 2012 Facility had an aggregate market value of $783,384, which represents 51.8% of our net assets. These assets have been transferred to PCF, a bankruptcy remote special purpose entity, which owns these investments and as such, these investments are not available to our general creditors. PCF holds all of these investments at market value as of June 30, 2012. The release of any assets from PCF requires the approval of the facility agent.

        Concurrent with the extension of our 2012 Facility, in March 2012, we wrote off $304 of the unamortized debt issue costs associated with the previous credit facility, in accordance with ASC 470-50, Debt Modifications and Extinguishments. In connection with the origination and amendments of the 2012 Facility, we incurred $8,428 of fees, including $1,319 of fees carried over from the previous facility, which are being amortized over the term of the facility in accordance with ASC 470-50, Debt Modifications and Extinguishments , of which $8,722 remains to be amortized.

        During the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, we recorded $14,883, $8,507 and $8,382 of interest costs, unused fees and amortization of financing costs on our credit facility as interest expense, respectively.

Senior Convertible Notes

        On December 21, 2010, we issued $150,000 in aggregate principal amount of our 6.25% senior convertible notes due 2015 ("2015 Notes") for net proceeds following underwriting expenses of approximately $145,200. Interest on the 2015 Notes is paid semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15, at a rate of 6.25% per year, commencing June 15, 2011. The 2015 Notes mature on December 15, 2015 unless converted earlier. The 2015 Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion rate and conversion rate at June 30, 2012 of 88.0902 and 88.1030 shares of common stock, respectively, per $1 principal amount of 2015 Notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $11.35 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion price in effect at June 30, 2012 was last calculated on the anniversary of the issuance (December 21, 2010) and will next be adjusted on the next anniversary, unless the exercise price shall have changed by more than 1% before the anniversary. The conversion rate for the 2015 Notes will be increased if monthly cash dividends paid to common shares exceed the rate of $0.101125 cents per share, subject to adjustment.

        On February 18, 2011, we issued $172,500 in aggregate principal amount of our 5.50% senior convertible notes due 2016 ("2016 Notes") for net proceeds following underwriting expenses of approximately $167,325. Interest on the 2016 Notes is paid semi-annually in arrears on February 15 and August 15, at a rate of 5.50% per year, commencing August 15, 2011. The 2016 Notes mature on August 15, 2016 unless converted earlier. The 2016 Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion rate and conversion rate at June 30, 2012 of 78.3699 and 78.3835 shares, respectively, of common stock per $1 principal amount of 2016 Notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $12.76 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion price in effect at June 30, 2012 was last calculated on the anniversary of the issuance (February 18, 2011) and will next be adjusted on the next anniversary, unless the exercise price shall have changed by more than 1% before the anniversary. The conversion rate for the 2016 Notes will be increased when monthly cash dividends paid to common shares exceed the rate of $0.101150 per share.

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        On April 16, 2012, we issued $130,000 in aggregate principal amount of our 5.375% senior convertible notes due 2017 ("2017 Notes") for net proceeds following underwriting expenses of approximately $126,035. Interest on the 2017 Notes is paid semi-annually in arrears on October 15 and April 15, at a rate of 5.375% per year, commencing October 15, 2012. The 2017 Notes mature on October 15, 2017 unless converted earlier. The 2017 Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion rate and conversion rate at June 30, 2012 of 85.8442 shares of common stock per $1 principal amount of 2017 Notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $11.65 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion price has not been adjusted since the issuance (April 16, 2012) and will next be adjusted on the first anniversary, unless the exercise price shall have changed by more than 1% before the anniversary. The conversion rate for the 2017 Notes will be increased when monthly cash dividends paid to common shares exceed the monthly dividend rate of $0.10150 per share.

        In no event will the total number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion exceed 96.8992 per $1 principal amount of the 2015 Notes (the "conversion rate cap"), except that, to the extent we receive written guidance or a no-action letter from the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Guidance") permitting us to adjust the conversion rate in certain instances without regard to the conversion rate cap and to make the 2015 Notes convertible into certain reference property in accordance with certain reclassifications, business combinations, asset sales and corporate events by us without regard to the conversion rate cap, we will make such adjustments without regard to the conversion rate cap and will also, to the extent that we make any such adjustment without regard to the conversion rate cap pursuant to the Guidance, adjust the conversion rate cap accordingly. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to obtain such Guidance as promptly as practicable.

        Prior to obtaining the Guidance, we will not engage in certain transactions that would result in an adjustment to the conversion rate of the 2015 Notes increasing the conversion rate beyond what it would have been in the absence of such transaction unless we have engaged in a reverse stock split or share combination transaction such that in our reasonable best estimation, the conversion rate following the adjustment for such transaction will not be any closer to the conversion rate cap than it would have been in the absence of such transaction.

        Upon conversion, unless a holder converts after a record date for an interest payment but prior to the corresponding interest payment date, the holder will receive a separate cash payment with respect to the Notes surrendered for conversion representing accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including the conversion date. Any such payment will be made on the settlement date applicable to the relevant conversion on the Senior Convertible Notes.

        No holder of Senior Convertible Notes will be entitled to receive shares of our common stock upon conversion to the extent (but only to the extent) that such receipt would cause such converting holder to become, directly or indirectly, a beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) of more than 5.0% of the shares of our common stock outstanding at such time. The 5.0% limitation shall no longer apply following the effective date of any fundamental change. We will not issue any shares in connection with the conversion or redemption of the Notes which would equal or exceed 20% of the shares outstanding at the time of the transaction in accordance with NASDAQ rules.

        Subject to certain exceptions, holders may require us to repurchase, for cash, all or part of their Notes upon a fundamental change at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes being repurchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date. In addition, upon a fundamental change that constitutes a non-stock change of control we will also pay holders an amount in cash equal to the present value of all remaining interest payments (without duplication of the foregoing amounts) on such Senior Convertible Notes through and including the maturity date.

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        In connection with the issuance of the Senior Convertible Notes, we incurred $14,527 of fees which are being amortized over the term of the notes in accordance with ASC 470-50, Debt Modifications and Extinguishments, of which $11,713 remains to be amortized and is included within deferred financing costs on the consolidated statements of assets and liabilities.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we recorded $22,197 of interest costs and amortization of financing costs on the Senior Convertible Notes as interest expense.

Senior Unsecured Notes

        On May 1, 2012, we issued $100,000 in aggregate principal amount of 6.95% senior unsecured notes due 2022 for net proceeds net of offering expenses of $97,000 (the "2022 Notes"). Interest on the 2022 Notes is paid quarterly in arrears on August 15, November 15, February 15 and May 15, at a rate of 6.95% per year, commencing on August 15, 2012. The 2022 Notes mature on November 15, 2022. These notes will be our direct unsecured obligations and rank equally with all of our unsecured senior indebtedness from time to time outstanding.

        In connection with the issuance of the 2022 Notes, we incurred $3,200 of fees which are being amortized over the term of the notes in accordance with ASC 470-50, Debt Modifications and Extinguishments, of which $3,180 remains to be amortized and is included within deferred financing costs on the consolidated statements of assets and liabilities.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we recorded $1,178 of interest costs and amortization of financing costs on the 2022 Notes as interest expense.

Prospect Capital InterNotes ®

        On February 16, 2012, we entered into a Selling Agent Agreement (the "Selling Agent Agreement") with Incapital LLC, as purchasing agent for our issuance and sale from time to time of up to $500,000 of Prospect Capital InterNotes® (the "InterNotes Offering"). Additional agents appointed by the Company from time to time in connection with the InterNotes Offering may become parties to the Selling Agent Agreement.

        These notes will be our direct unsecured senior obligations and will rank equally with all of our unsecured senior indebtedness from time to time outstanding. Each series of notes will be issued by a separate trust. These notes bear interest at fixed interest rates and offer a variety of maturities no less than twelve months from the original date of issuance.

        In connection with the issuance of the Prospect Capital InterNotes®, we incurred $812 of fees which are being amortized over the term of the notes in accordance with ASC 470-50, Debt Modifications and Extinguishments, of which $800 remains to be amortized and is included within deferred financing costs on the consolidated statements of assets and liabilities.

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we issued $20,638 in aggregate principal amount of our Prospect Capital InterNotes® for net proceeds of approximately $20,202. These notes were issued with stated interest rates ranging from 6.50% to 7.00% with an average rate of 6.78%. These notes mature between June 15, 2019 and June 15, 2022. We issued an additional $38,473 in aggregate principal amount of our Prospect Capital InterNotes® subsequent to June 30, 2012. (See Recent Developments .)

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        The following table shows our issuances to date:

Net Asset Value

        During the year ended June 30, 2012, we raised $337,562 of additional equity, net of offering costs, by issuing 30,970,696 shares of our common stock. The following table shows the calculation of net asset value per share as of June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011:

        At June 30, 2012, we had 139,633,870 of our common stock issued and outstanding.

Results of Operations

        Net increase in net assets resulting from operations for the years ended June 30, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was $190,904, $118,238 and $19,625, respectively, representing $1.67, $1.38 and $0.33 per weighted average share, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 2012, we experienced net unrealized and realized gains of $4,220 or approximately $0.04 per weighted average share primarily from significant write-ups of our investments in Ajax, Energy Solutions and R-V, and our sale of NRG for which we realized a gain of $36,940. These instances of appreciation were partially offset by unrealized depreciation in Biotronic, H&M, New Meatco Provisions, LLC ("Meatco"), NMMB, Stryker and Wind River Resources Corp. and Wind River II Corp. ("Wind River"). Net investment income increased on a weighted average per share basis from $1.10 to $1.63 for the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2012, respectively. This increase is primarily due to the sale of NRG, for which we received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income in the year ended June 30, 2012, and an increase in dividend income received from Energy Solutions and NRG. These increases were partially offset by a $15,471 decline in interest income from purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot.

        During the year ended June 30, 2011, we experienced net unrealized and realized gains of $24,017, or approximately $0.28 per weighted average share, primarily from significant write-ups of our investments in Ajax, Biotronic, GSHI, Iron Horse, NRG and Sport Helmets, and our sale of our

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common equity in Fischbein and Miller Petroleum, Inc. ("Miller"), for which we realized gains of $9,893 and $7,977, respectively. These instances of realized and unrealized appreciation were partially offset by unrealized depreciation in H&M, Shearer's Food's Inc. ("Shearer's") and Stryker. During the year ended June 30, 2010, we experienced net unrealized and realized losses of $47,565 or approximately $0.80 per weighted average share due primarily due to the impairment of Yatesville (See Investment Valuations for further discussion.). The $51,228 realized loss for Yatesville was partially offset by write-ups of our investments in Ajax, Freedom Marine, H&M, Manx, NRG, and R-V. Net investment income decreased on a weighted average per share basis from $1.13 to $1.10 for the years ended June 30, 2010 and 2011, respectively. The per share decrease for the year ended June 30, 2011 is primarily due to a decrease in dividends from existing equity investments along with new equity investments in the portfolio which have not yet declared any dividends and the non-recurring nature of the gain from the Patriot Acquisition during the year ended June 30, 2010 offset by an increase in structuring fees collected in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011.

        While we seek to maximize gains and minimize losses, our investments in portfolio companies can expose our capital to risks greater than those we may anticipate. These companies are typically not issuing securities rated investment grade, have limited resources, have limited operating history, have concentrated product lines or customers, are generally private companies with limited operating information available and are likely to depend on a small core of management talents. Changes in any of these factors can have a significant impact on the value of the portfolio company.

Investment Income

        We generate revenue in the form of interest income on the debt securities that we own, dividend income on any common or preferred stock that we own, fees generated from the structuring of new deals. Our investments, if in the form of debt securities, will typically have a term of one to ten years and bear interest at a fixed or floating rate. To the extent achievable, we will seek to collateralize our investments by obtaining security interests in our portfolio companies' assets. We also may acquire minority or majority equity interests in our portfolio companies, which may pay cash or in-kind dividends on a recurring or otherwise negotiated basis. In addition, we may generate revenue in other forms including prepayment penalties and possibly consulting fees. Any such fees generated in connection with our investments are recognized as earned.

        Investment income, which consists of interest income, including accretion of loan origination fees and prepayment penalty fees, dividend income and other income, including settlement of net profits interests, overriding royalty interests and structuring fees, was $320,910, $169,476, and $114,559 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 2012, the primary driver of the increase in investment income is primarily the result of a larger income producing portfolio and the deployment of additional capital in revenue-producing assets through increased origination and increased dividends and other income received from Energy Solutions, First Tower and NRG. We received dividends from NRG of $15,011 and $3,600 during the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. We received dividends from Energy Solutions of $47,850 and $9,850 during the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. In conjunction with the sale of NRG, we also received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income during the year ended June 30, 2012. We recognized $22,212 of structuring and advisory fees during the year ended June 30, 2012 form our investments in Energy Solutions, First Tower and NRG. During the year ended June 30, 2011, the primary driver of the increase in investment income is the deployment of additional capital in revenue-producing assets through increased origination, for which we recognized an increase of $16,107 in structuring fee income, and $44,685 in cash and payment-in-kind interest income. This $44,685 of interest income excludes purchase discount accretion from the assets acquired from Patriot and is the result of a larger income producing investment portfolio. These increases were partially offset by a

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$4,650 decline in dividend income from GSHI as well as a decline, year over year, related to the one-time gain of $8,632 in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, recorded upon acquiring Patriot.

        The following table describes the various components of investment income and the related levels of debt investments:

        Average interest income producing assets have increased from $871,400 for the year ended June 30, 2011 to $1,391,588 for the year ended June 30, 2012. The increase in annual returns is primarily the result of the sale of our investment in NRG for which we received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income in the year ended June 30, 2012. Without this adjustment, the weighted average interest rate earned on debt investments would have been 13.7% for the year ended June 30, 2012. The remaining decrease in annual returns is primarily the result of accretion on the assets acquired from Patriot on which we recognized $6,613 and $22,084 during the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. Without these adjustments, the weighted average interest rates earned on debt investments would have been 13.2% and 12.7% for the year ended June 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

        Average interest income producing assets have increased from $507,907 for the year ended June 30, 2010 and $871,400 for the year ended June 30, 2011. The decrease in annual returns is primarily the accretion on the assets acquired from Patriot on which we recognized $22,084 and $18,794 during the years ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively. Without these adjustments, the weighted average interest rates earned on debt investments would have been 12.7% and 13.2% for the years ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

        Investment income is also generated from dividends and other income. Dividend income increased from $15,092 for the year ended June 30, 2011 to $64,881 for the year ended June 30, 2012. This $49,789 increase in dividend income is primarily attributed to an increase in the dividends received from our investments in Energy Solutions and NRG due to increased profits generated by the portfolio companies. We received dividends from NRG of $15,011 and $3,600 during the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. We received dividends from Energy Solutions of $47,850 and $9,850 during the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011, respectively. The sale of Gas Solutions by Energy Solutions has resulted in significant earnings and profits, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, at Energy Solutions for calendar year 2012. As a result, distributions from Energy Solutions to us will be required to be recognized as dividend income, in accordance with ASC 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies , as cash distributions are received from Energy Solutions to the extent there are current year earnings and profits sufficient to support such recognition.

        Other income has come primarily from structuring fees, overriding royalty interests, and settlement of net profits interests. Comparing the year ended June 30, 2011 to the year ended June 30, 2012, income from other sources increased from $19,930 to $36,493. This $16,563 increase is primarily due to $14,137 of structuring and advisory fees recognized during the year ended June 30, 2012 from our investments in Energy Solutions and NRG. The remaining $2,426 increase is primarily due to $21,088 of structuring fees recognized, excluding those received from our investments in Energy Solutions and

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NRG, during the year ended June 30, 2012 primarily from the Capstone, First Tower, Naylor and Totes originations, in comparison to $18,494 of structuring fees recognized during the year ended June 30, 2011.

        Comparing the year ended June 30, 2010 to the year ended June 30, 2011, income from other sources, excluding the $8,632 gain on the Patriot acquisition, increased from $4,043 to $19,930. This $15,887 increase is primarily due to $18,494 of structuring fees recognized during the year ended June 30, 2011 primarily from the AIRMALL, Cargo Airport Services USA, LLC, CRT MIDCO, LLC, Progrexion, Safe-Guard, Springs Window Fashion, LLC, and NMMB originations, in comparison to $2,388 of structuring fees recognized during the year ended June 30, 2010.

Operating Expenses

        Our primary operating expenses consist of investment advisory fees (base management and income incentive fees), borrowing costs, legal and professional fees and other operating and overhead-related expenses. These expenses include our allocable portion of overhead under the Administration Agreement with Prospect Administration under which Prospect Administration provides administrative services and facilities for us. Our investment advisory fees compensate Prospect Capital Management (the "Investment Adviser") for its work in identifying, evaluating, negotiating, closing and monitoring our investments. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions in accordance with our Administration Agreement with Prospect Administration. Operating expenses were $134,226, $75,255 and $47,369 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively.

        The base investment advisory expenses were $35,836, $22,496 and $13,929 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively. These increases are directly related to our growth in total assets. For the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, income incentive fees earned were $46,761, $23,555 and $16,798, respectively. The $23,116 increase in the income incentive fee for the year ended June 30, 2012 is driven by an increase in pre-incentive fee net investment income of $115,279 primarily due to an increase in interest income from a larger asset base and increased interest, dividend and other income generated by our investments in Energy Solutions, First Tower and NRG. In conjunction with the sale of NRG, we received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income during the year ended June 30, 2012. No capital gains incentive fee has yet been incurred pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement.

        During the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, we incurred $38,534, $17,598 and $8,382, respectively, of expenses related to our Syndicated Facility, InterNotes®, Senior Unsecured Notes and Senior Convertible Notes. These expenses are related directly to the leveraging capacity put into place for each of those years and the levels of indebtedness actually undertaken in those years. The table below describes the various expenses of our Syndicated Facility, InterNotes®, Senior Unsecured Notes and Senior Convertible Notes and the related indicators of leveraging capacity and indebtedness during these years.

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        The increase in interest expense for the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011 is due to the issuance of Senior Convertible Notes on December 21, 2010, February 18, 2011 and April 16, 2012 for which we incurred $20,234 and $8,374 of interest expense, respectively.

        As our asset base has grown and we have added complexity to our capital raising activities, we have commensurately increased the size of our administrative and financial staff, accounting for a significant increase in the overhead allocation from Prospect Administration. Over the last two years, Prospect Administration has increased staffing levels along with costs passed through. The allocation of overhead expense from Prospect Administration was $6,848, $4,979 and $3,361 for the years ended June 30, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. As our portfolio continues to grow, we expect to continue to increase the size of our administrative and financial staff on a basis that provides increasing returns to scale. Other allocated expenses from Prospect Administration will continue to increase along with the increase in staffing and asset base.

        Total operating expenses, net of management fees, interest costs and allocation of overhead from Prospect Administration ("Other Operating Expenses"), were $6,337, $6,627 and $4,899 for the years ended June 30, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The decrease in Other Operating Expenses during the year ended June 30, 2012 when compared to the year ended June 30, 2011 is primarily the result of a $1,000 insurance claim settlement for legal fees expensed in previous periods that was received during the year ended June 30, 2012. The increase in Other Operating Expenses during the year ended June 30, 2011 when compared to the year ended June 30, 2010 is primarily the result of a $1,058 increase in costs expensed in connection with abandoned originations and portfolio company acquisitions, an $818 increase in administrative expenses incurred to support of our portfolio and a $589 increase in unreimbursed legal and consulting fees incurred related to the management of loans. These increases were offset by the non-recurrence of the costs incurred in connection with the merger discussions with Allied Capital Corporation expensed in the 2010 period.

Net Investment Income

        Net investment income represents the difference between investment income and operating expenses. Our net investment income was $186,684, $94,221 and $67,190 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively, or $1.63 per share, $1.10 per share and $1.13 per share, respectively. The $92,463 increase for the year ended June 30, 2012 is primarily due to a $151,434 increase in investment income offset by an increase in operating expenses of $58,971. The $151,434 increase in investment income is due to increases of $85,082, $49,789 and $16,563 in interest income, dividend income and other income, respectively, due to the increased size of our portfolio for which we have recognized additional interest income, dividends, structuring fees and advisory fees recognized primarily from our investments in Energy Solutions, First Tower and NRG. In conjunction with the sale of NRG we also received a $26,936 make-whole fee for early repayment of the outstanding loan, which was recorded as interest income in the year ended June 30, 2012. The offsetting $58,971 increase in operating expenses is primarily due to a $36,456 increase in advisory fees due to the growing size of our portfolio and related income, $20,936 of additional interest and credit facility expenses and a $1,869 increase in overhead allocated from Prospect Administration.

        The $27,031 increase for the year ended June 30, 2011 in comparison to the year ended June 30, 2010 is due to an increase of $54,917 in investment income primarily due to increases of $47,936 and $7,255 in interest income and other income, respectively, due to the increased size of our portfolio for which we have recognized additional interest income and structuring fees. The $54,917 increase in investment income is offset by an increase in operating expenses of $27,886, primarily due to a $15,324 increase in advisory fees due to the growing size of our portfolio and related income, and $9,216 of additional interest and credit facility expenses. The per share decrease for the year ended June 30, 2011 is primarily due to a decrease in dividends from existing equity investments along with new equity investments in the portfolio which have not yet declared any dividends and the non-recurring nature of

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the gain from the Patriot Acquisition during the year ended June 30, 2010 offset by an increase in structuring fees collected in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011.

Net Realized Gains (Losses), Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Net Changes in Unrealized Appreciation/Depreciation

        Net realized gains (losses) were $36,588, $16,465 and ($51,545) for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively. The net realized gain for the year ended June 30, 2012 was due primarily to the sale of NRG common stock for which we realized a gain of $36,940 and the sale of our equity interests in Copernicus, C&J, Fairchild, Fischbein, Mac & Massey, Nupla and Sport Helmets for which we realized a total gain of $14,317. These gains were offset by our impairment of Deb Shops. During the year ended June 30, 2012, Deb Shops filed for bankruptcy and a plan for reorganization was proposed. The plan was approved by the bankruptcy court and our debt position was eliminated with no payment to us. We determined that the impairment of Deb Shops was other-than-temporary on September 30, 2011 and recorded a realized loss of $14,607 for the full amount of the amortized cost. The asset was completely written off when the plan of reorganization was approved. The net realized gain for the year ended June 30, 2011 was due primarily to gains from the sales of our common equity in Fischbein and Miller of $9,893 and $7,977, respectively. The net realized loss of $51,545 for the year ended June 30, 2010 was due primarily to the impairment of Yatesville. (See Investment Valuations for further discussion.)

        Net (decrease) increase in net assets from changes in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) was ($32,368), $7,552 and $3,980 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively, or ($0.28) per share, $0.09 per share and $0.07 per share, respectively. For the year ended June 30, 2012, the $32,368 decrease in net assets from the net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation was driven by write-downs of $68,197 related to our investments in H&M, Meatco and Stryker, as well as the elimination of the unrealized appreciation resulting from the sale of NRG mentioned above. The unrealized depreciation was partially offset by unrealized appreciation of approximately $34,712 related to our investments in Ajax and R-V. For the year ended June 30, 2011, the $7,552 increase in net assets from the net change in unrealized appreciation was driven by significant write-ups of $54,916 related to our investments in Ajax, Biotronic, GSHI, Iron Horse, NRG and Sport Helmets. The unrealized appreciation were partially offset by unrealized depreciation of approximately $35,689 related to our investments in H&M, ICS, Manx, Shearer's, Stryker, and $10,840 related to the repayment of Prince. For the year ended June 30, 2010, the net unrealized appreciation was driven by $25,184 of write-ups in our investments in Fischbein, GSHI, Prince, Shearer's, and Regional Management Corporation, and by the disposition of previously written-down investment in Yatesville mentioned above with an unrealized net appreciation of $35,471, which, in turn, were offset by $56,954 of write-downs in our investments in Deb Shops, Freedom Marine, H&M, Manx, NRG, R-V and Wind River.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources

        For the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and Jun 30, 2010, our operating activities (used)/provided ($448,452), ($581,609) and $54,838 of cash, respectively. Investing activities used $106,586 for the acquisition of Patriot for the year ended June 30, 2010. There were no investing activities for the years ended June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011. Financing activities provided cash flows of $449,785, $582,020 and $42,887 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively. Dividends paid were $127,564, $91,247 and $82,908 for the years ended June 30, 2012, June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010, respectively.

        Our primary uses of funds have been to continue to invest in portfolio companies, through both debt and equity investments, acquire Patriot, repay outstanding borrowings and to make cash distributions to holders of our common stock.

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        Our primary sources of funds have been issuances of debt and equity. We have and may continue to fund a portion of our cash needs through borrowings from banks, issuances of senior securities or secondary offerings. We may also securitize a portion of our investments in mezzanine or senior secured loans or other assets. Our objective is to put in place such borrowings in order to enable us to expand our portfolio. During the year ended June 30, 2012, we borrowed $726,800 and made repayments totaling $715,000 under our revolving credit facility. As of June 30, 2012, we had $96,000 outstanding borrowings on our revolving credit facility, $447,500 outstanding on our Senior Convertible Notes, $100,000 outstanding on our Senior Unsecured Notes and $20,638 outstanding on InterNotes®. (See Note 5, Note 6 and Note 7 to our consolidated financial statements).

        On October 21, 2011, our Registration Statement on Form N-2 was declared effective by the SEC. Under this Shelf Registration, we can issue up to $465,163 of additional equity securities as of June 30, 2012.

        We also continue to generate liquidity through public and private stock offerings. (See Recent Developments. )

        On July 18, 2011, we issued 1,500,000 shares in connection with the exercise of an overallotment option granted with the June 21, 2011 offering of 10,000,000 shares which were delivered June 24, 2011, raising an additional $15,225 of gross proceeds and $14,895 of net proceeds.

        On February 28, 2012, we issued 12,000,000 shares of our common stock, raising an additional $131,400 of gross proceeds and $129,480 of net proceeds.

        On June 1, 2012, we and KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. entered into an equity distribution agreement relating to sales by us through KeyBanc Capital Markets, by means of at-the-market offerings from time to time, of up to 9,500,000 shares of our common stock (the "ATM Program"). Through the ATM Program, we anticipate generating an aggregate of approximately $100,000 in net proceeds after deducting the estimated commissions and estimated offering expenses. We expect to use proceeds from the ATM Program initially to maintain balance sheet liquidity, involving repayment of all or a portion of the amounts outstanding under the our credit facility, if any, investment in high quality short-term debt instruments or a combination thereof, and thereafter to make long-term investments in accordance with our investment objective. During the period from June 7, 2012 to June 30, 2012, we sold 2,952,489 shares of our common stock at an average price of $11.22 per share, and raised $33,130 of gross proceeds, under the ATM Program. Net proceeds were $32,799 after 1% commission to the broker-dealer on shares sold.

        Our Board of Directors, pursuant to the Maryland General Corporation Law, executed Articles of Amendment to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance from 200,000,000 to 500,000,000 in the aggregate. The amendment became effective July 30, 2012.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

        At June 30, 2012, we did not have any off-balance sheet liabilities or other contractual obligations that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, other than those which originate from 1) the investment advisory and management agreement and the administration agreement and 2) the portfolio companies.

Recent Developments

        On July 5, 2012, we made a senior secured debt investment of $28,000 to support the acquisition of Material Handling Services, LLC, d/b/a/ Total Fleet Solutions, a provider of forklift and other material handling equipment fleet management and procurement services, by funds managed by CI Capital Partners, LLC.

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        During the period from July 6, 2012 to August 23, 2012, we issued approximately $38,473 in aggregate principal amount of Prospect Capital InterNotes® for net proceeds of $37,800, as follows:

        On July 16, 2012, we issued 21,000,000 shares of our common stock at $11.15 per share (or $11.05 per share net proceeds excluding expenses), raising $234,150 of gross proceeds.

        On July 16, 2012 we provided $15,000 of secured second lien financing to Pelican Products, Inc., a leading provider of unbreakable, watertight protective cases and technically advanced professional lighting equipment.

        On July 20, 2012, we provided $12,000 of senior secured financing to EIG Investors Corp., a provider of an array of online services such as web presence, domain hosting, e-commerce, e-mail and other related services to small- and medium-sized businesses.

        On July 20, 2012, we provided $10,000 of senior secured financing to FPG, LCC a supplier of branded consumer and commercial products sold to the retail, foodservice, and hospitality sectors.

        On July 24, 2012, we issued 205,834 shares of our common stock in connection with the dividend reinvestment plan.

        On July 24, 2012, we sold our 3,821 shares of Iron Horse common stock in connection with the exercise of an equity buyout option, receiving $2,040 of net proceeds and realizing a gain of approximately $1,772 on the sale.

        On July 27, 2012, we issued 3,150,000 shares in connection with the exercise of an option granted with the July 12, 2012 offering of 21,000,000 shares which were delivered July 16, 2012, raising an additional $35,123 of gross proceeds and $34,808 of net proceeds.

        On July 27, 2012 we closed an increase of $15,000 to our commitments to our credit facility. The commitments to the credit facility now stand at $507,500.

        On July 27, 2012, we provided $85,000 of senior subordinated financing to support the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Arctic Glacier Income Funds by funds affiliated with H.I.G. Capital, LLC ("H.I.G."). The new company, Arctic Glacier Holdings, Inc., will continue to conduct business under the "Arctic Glacier" name and be a leading producer, marketer, and distributor of high-quality packaged ice to consumers in Canada and the United States.

        On July 30, 2012, we amended our charter to increase the shares of common stock authorized for issuance by us from 200,000,000 to 500,000,000 in the aggregate.

        On August 2, 2012, we provided a $27,000 secured loan to support the acquisition of New Star Metals, Inc., a provider of specialized processing services to the steel industry, by funds managed by Insight Equity Management Company.

        On August 3, 2012, we provided $110,000 senior secured financing to support the acquisition of InterDent, Inc., a leading provider of dental practice management services to dental professional corporations and associations in the United States, by funds managed by H.I.G.

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        On August 3, 2012, we provided $44,000 of secured subordinated financing to support the refinancing of New Century Transportation, Inc., a leading transportation and logistics company.

        On August 3, 2012, we provided $10,000 of senior secured financing to Paradigm Geophysical, Ltd., the largest multi-national software company focused on the delivery of analytical and information management solutions for the discovery and extraction of subsurface natural resources.

        On August 3, 2012, Pinnacle Treatment Centers, Inc. repaid the $17,450 loan receivable to us.

        On August 6, 2012, we made an investment of $22,210 to purchase 62.9% of the subordinated notes in Halcyon Loan Advisors Funding 2012-I.

        On August 7, 2012, we made an investment of $36,798 to purchase 95.0% of the subordinated notes in ING IM CLO 2012-II.

        On August 10, 2012, U.S. HealthWorks Holding Company, Inc. repaid the $25,000 loan receivable to us.

        On August 14, 2012, we issued $200,000 in aggregate principal amount of our 5.75% senior convertible notes due 2018 ("2018 Notes") for net proceeds following underwriting expenses of approximately $193,600. Interest on the 2018 Notes is paid semi-annually in arrears on March 15 and September 15, at a rate of 5.75% per year, commencing March 15, 2013. The 2018 Notes mature on March 15, 2018 unless converted earlier. The 2018 Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at an initial conversion rate of 82.3451 shares of common stock per $1 principal amount of 2018 Notes, which is equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $12.14 per share of common stock, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. The conversion rate for the 2018 Notes will be increased when monthly cash dividends paid to common shares exceed the monthly dividend rate of $0.1016 per share.

        On August 17, 2012, we made a secured second lien investment of $38,500 to support the recapitalization of American Gilsonite. After the financing we expect to receive a repayment of the loans currently outstanding.

        On August 21, 2012, we announced the declaration of monthly dividends in the following amounts and with the following dates:

•

$0.101625 per share for September 2012 to holders of record on September 28, 2012 with a payment date of October 24, 2012; and



•

$0.101650 per share for October 2012 to holders of record on October 31, 2012 with a payment date of November 22, 2012.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

        Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining such estimates could cause actual results to differ materially. In addition to the discussion below, our critical accounting policies are further described in the notes to the financial statements.

Basis of Consolidation

        Under the 1940 Act rules, the regulations pursuant to Article 6 of Regulation S-X, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Audit and Accounting Guide for Investment Companies, we are precluded from consolidating any entity other than another investment company or

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an operating company which provides substantially all of its services and benefits to us. Our June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2011 financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of Prospect Capital Funding, LLC, our only wholly-owned, closely-managed subsidiary that is also an investment company. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Investment Classification

        We are a non-diversified company within the meaning of the 1940 Act. We classify our investments by level of control. As defined in the 1940 Act, control investments are those where there is the ability or power to exercise a controlling influence over the management or policies of a company. Control is generally deemed to exist when a company or individual possesses or has the right to acquire within 60 days or less, a beneficial ownership of 25% or more of the voting securities of an investee company. Affiliated investments and affiliated companies are defined by a lesser degree of influence and are deemed to exist through the possession outright or via the right to acquire within 60 days or less, beneficial ownership of 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities of another person.

        Investments are recognized when we assume an obligation to acquire a financial instrument and assume the risks for gains or losses related to that instrument. Investments are derecognized when we assume an obligation to sell a financial instrument and forego the risks for gains or losses related to that instrument. Specifically, we record all security transactions on a trade date basis. Investments in other, non-security financial instruments are recorded on the basis of subscription date or redemption date, as applicable. Amounts for investments recognized or derecognized but not yet settled are reported as Receivables for investments sold and Payables for investments purchased, respectively, in the Consolidated Statements of Assets and Liabilities.

Investment Valuation

        Our Board of Directors has established procedures for the valuation of our investment portfolio. These procedures are detailed below.

        Investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at such market quotations.

        For most of our investments, market quotations are not available. With respect to investments for which market quotations are not readily available or when such market quotations are deemed not to represent fair value, our Board of Directors has approved a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

1)

Each portfolio company or investment is reviewed by our investment professionals with the independent valuation firms engaged by our Board of Directors;



2)

the independent valuation firms conduct independent appraisals and make their own independent assessment;



3)

the audit committee of our Board of Directors reviews and discusses the preliminary valuation of our Investment Adviser and that of the independent valuation firms; and



4)

the Board of Directors discusses the valuations and determines the fair value of each investment in our portfolio in good faith based on the input of our Investment Adviser, the independent valuation firms and the audit committee.

        Effective July 1, 2008, we adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC" or "Codification") 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures ("ASC 820"). ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in GAAP, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.

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        ASC 820 classifies the inputs used to measure these fair values into the following hierarchy:

         Level 1:     Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities, accessible by us at the measurement date.

         Level 2:     Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, or quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other observable inputs other than quoted prices.

         Level 3:     Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

        In all cases, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls has been determined based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to each investment.

        In April 2009, the FASB issued ASC 820-10-65, Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly" ("ASC 820-10-65"). This update provides further clarification for ASC 820 in markets that are not active and provides additional guidance for determining when the volume of trading level of activity for an asset or liability has significantly decreased and for identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not orderly. ASC 820-10-65 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of ASC 820-10-65 did not have any effect on our net asset value, financial position or results of operations as there was no change to the fair value measurement principles set forth in ASC 820.

        In January 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements ("ASC 2010-06"). ASU 2010-06 amends ASC 820-10 and clarifies and provides additional disclosure requirements related to recurring and non-recurring fair value measurements and employers' disclosures about postretirement benefit plan assets. ASU 2010-06 is effective December 15, 2009, except for the disclosure about purchase, sales, issuances and settlements in the roll forward of activity in level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010 (or July 1, 2011 for us) and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of ASC 2010-06 for the year ended June 30, 2012, did not have any effect on our financial statements.

Federal and State Income Taxes

        We have elected to be treated as a regulated investment company and intend to continue to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Code"), applicable to regulated investment companies. We are required to distribute at least 90% of our investment company taxable income and intend to distribute (or retain through a deemed distribution) all of our investment company taxable income and net capital gain to stockholders; therefore, we have made no provision for income taxes. The character of income and gains that we will distribute is determined in accordance with income tax regulations that may differ from GAAP. Book and tax basis differences relating to stockholder dividends and distributions and other permanent book and tax differences are reclassified to paid-in capital.

        If we do not distribute at least 98% of our annual income and 98.2% of our capital gains in the calendar year earned, we will generally be required to pay an excise tax equal to 4% of the amount by which 98% of our annual ordinary income and 98.2% of our capital gains exceeds the distributions from such taxable income for the year. To the extent that we determine that our estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions from such taxable income, we accrue excise taxes, if any, on estimated excess taxable income as taxable income is

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earned using an annual effective excise tax rate. The annual effective excise tax rate is determined by dividing the estimated annual excise tax by the estimated annual taxable income.

        If we fail to satisfy the Annual Distribution Requirement or otherwise fail to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, we would be subject to tax on all of our taxable income at regular corporate rates. We would not be able to deduct distributions to stockholders, nor would we be required to make distributions. Distributions would generally be taxable to our individual and other non-corporate taxable stockholders as ordinary dividend income eligible for the reduced maximum rate for taxable years beginning before 2013 (but not for taxable years beginning thereafter, unless the relevant provisions are extended by legislation) to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, provided certain holding period and other requirements are met. Subject to certain limitations under the Code, corporate distributions would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction. To qualify again to be taxed as a RIC in a subsequent year, we would be required to distribute to our shareholders our accumulated earnings and profits attributable to non-RIC years reduced by an interest charge of 50% of such earnings and profits payable by us as an additional tax. In addition, if we failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, then, in order to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year, we would be required to elect to recognize and pay tax on any net built-in gain (the excess of aggregate gain, including items of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if we had been liquidated) or, alternatively, be subject to taxation on such built-in gain recognized for a period of ten years.

        We adopted FASB ASC 740, Income Taxes ("ASC 740"). ASC 740 provides guidance for how uncertain tax positions should be recognized, measured, presented, and disclosed in the financial statements. ASC 740 requires the evaluation of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing our tax returns to determine whether the tax positions are "more-likely-than-not" of being sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. Adoption of ASC 740 was applied to all open tax years as of July 1, 2007. The adoption of ASC 740 did not have an effect on our net asset value, financial condition or results of operations as there was no liability for unrecognized tax benefits and no change to our beginning net asset value. As of June 30, 2012 and for the year then ended, we did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax benefits. Management's determinations regarding ASC 740 may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based upon factors including, but not limited to, an on-going analysis of tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

Revenue Recognition

        Realized gains or losses on the sale of investments are calculated using the specific identification method.

        Interest income, adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, is recorded on an accrual basis. Origination, closing and/or commitment fees associated with investments in portfolio companies are accreted into interest income over the respective terms of the applicable loans. Upon the prepayment of a loan or debt security, any prepayment penalties and unamortized loan origination, closing and commitment fees are recorded as interest income.

        Interest income from investments in the "equity" class of security of CLO Funds (typically income notes or subordinated notes) is recorded based upon an estimation of an effective yield to expected maturity utilizing assumed cash flows in accordance with ASC 325-40-35, Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets . We monitor the expected cash inflows from our CLO equity investments, including the expected residual payments and the effective yield is determined and updated periodically.

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        Loans are placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 90 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected. Unpaid accrued interest is generally reversed when a loan is placed on non-accrual status. Interest payments received on non-accrual loans may be recognized as income or applied to principal depending upon management's judgment. Non-accrual loans are restored to accrual status when past due principal and interest is paid and in management's judgment, are likely to remain current. As of June 30, 2012, approximately 2.9% of our net assets are in non-accrual status.

        Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

        Structuring fees and similar fees are recognized as income as earned, usually when paid. Structuring fees, excess deal deposits, net profits interests and overriding royalty interests are included in other income.

Dividends and Distributions

        Dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount, if any, to be paid as a dividend or distribution is approved by our Board of Directors each quarter and is generally based upon our management's estimate of our earnings for the quarter. Net realized capital gains, if any, are distributed at least annually.

Financing Costs

        We record origination expenses related to our credit facility and Senior Notes as deferred financing costs. These expenses are deferred and amortized as part of interest expense using the straight-line method for our revolving credit facility and the effective interest method for our Senior Notes, over the respective expected life.

        We record registration expenses related to shelf filings as prepaid assets. These expenses consist principally of Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") registration fees, legal fees and accounting fees incurred. These prepaid assets will be charged to capital upon the receipt of an equity offering proceeds or charged to expense if no offering completed.

Guarantees and Indemnification Agreements

        We follow ASC 460, Guarantees ("ASC 460"). ASC 460 elaborates on the disclosure requirements of a guarantor in its interim and annual financial statements about its obligations under certain guarantees that it has issued. It also requires a guarantor to recognize, at the inception of a guarantee, for those guarantees that are covered by ASC 460, the fair value of the obligation undertaken in issuing certain guarantees.

Per Share Information

        Net increase or decrease in net assets resulting from operations per common share are calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period presented. In accordance with ASC 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies , convertible securities are not considered in the calculation of net assets per share.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

        In January 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements ("ASC 2010-06"). ASU 2010-06 amends ASC 820-10 and clarifies and provides additional disclosure requirements related to recurring and non-recurring fair value measurements and employers' disclosures about postretirement benefit plan assets. ASU 2010-06 is effective December 15, 2009, except for the

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disclosure about purchase, sales, issuances and settlements in the roll forward of activity in level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010 (or July 1, 2011 for us) and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of amended guidance in ASU 2010-06 did not have a significant effect on our financial statements.

        In February 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-02, Receivables (Topic 310): A Creditor's Determination of Whether a Restructuring is a Troubled Debt Restructuring ("ASU 2011-02"). ASU 2011-02 clarifies which loan modifications constitute troubled debt restructurings. It is intended to assist creditors in determining whether a modification of the terms of a receivable meets the criteria to be considered a troubled debt restructuring, both for purposes of recording an impairment loss and for disclosure of troubled debt restructurings. In evaluating whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring, a creditor must separately conclude that both of the following exist: (a) the restructuring constitutes a concession; and (b) the debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. ASU 2011-02 provides guidance to clarify whether the creditor has granted a concession and whether a debtor is experiencing financial difficulties. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning on or after June 15, 2011, and applies retrospectively to restructurings occurring on or after the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption or July 1, 2011 for us. The adoption of the amended guidance in ASU 2011-02 did not have a significant effect on our financial statements.

        In May 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2011-04, Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs ("ASU 2011-04"). ASU 2011-04 amends Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements" ("ASC 820") by: (1) clarifying that the highest-and-best-use and valuation-premise concepts only apply to measuring the fair value of non-financial assets; (2) allowing a reporting entity to measure the fair value of the net asset or net liability position in a manner consistent with how market participants would price the net risk position, if certain criteria are met; (3) providing a framework for considering whether a premium or discount can be applied in a fair value measurement; (4) providing that the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity's shareholders' equity is estimated from the perspective of a market participant that holds the identical item as an asset; and (5) expanding the qualitative and quantitative fair value disclosure requirements. The expanded disclosures include, for Level 3 items, a description of the valuation process and a narrative description of the sensitivity of the fair value to changes in unobservable inputs and interrelationships between those inputs if a change in those inputs would result in a significantly different fair value measurement. ASU 2011-4 also requires disclosures about the highest-and-best-use of a non-financial asset when this use differs from the asset's current use and the reasons for such a difference. In addition, this ASU amends Accounting Standards Codification 820, "Fair Value Measurements," to require disclosures to include any transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments of ASU 2011-04, when adopted, are not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

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QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

        We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates and equity price risk. Some of the loans in our portfolio have floating interest rates.

        We may hedge against interest rate fluctuations by using standard hedging instruments such as futures, options and forward contracts subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. While hedging activities may insulate us against adverse changes in interest rates, they may also limit our ability to participate in the benefits of higher interest rates with respect to our portfolio of investments. During the twelve months ended June 30, 2012, we did not engage in hedging activities.

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REPORT OF MANAGEMENT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

        Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, and for performing an assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2012. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to assets of the Company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

        Management performed an assessment of the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2012 based upon criteria in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission ("COSO"). Based on our assessment, management determined that the Company's internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2012 based on the criteria on Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30, 2012 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

        Our management's assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2012 has been audited by our independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears in the 10-K.

USE OF PROCEEDS

        Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from selling Securities pursuant to this prospectus initially to maintain balance sheet liquidity, involving repayment of debt under our credit facility, if any, investments in high quality short-term debt instruments or a combination thereof, and thereafter to make long-term investments in accordance with our investment objective. A supplement to this prospectus relating to each offering will provide additional detail, to the extent known at the time, regarding the use of the proceeds from such offering including any intention to utilize proceeds to pay expenses in order to avoid sales of long-term assets.

        We anticipate that substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of Securities pursuant to this prospectus will be used for the above purposes within six months, depending on the availability of appropriate investment opportunities consistent with our investment objective and market conditions. In addition, we expect that there will be several offerings pursuant to this prospectus; we expect that substantially all of the proceeds from all offerings will be used within three years. Pending our new investments, we plan to invest a portion of net proceeds in cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and other high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less from the date of investment and other general corporate purposes. The management fee payable by us will not be reduced while our assets are invested in such securities. See "Regulation—Temporary Investments" for additional information about temporary investments we may make while waiting to make longer-term investments in pursuit of our investment objective.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        Our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2012, any of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K, or any other oral or written statements made in press

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releases or otherwise by or on behalf of Prospect Capital Corporation including this prospectus may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements predict or describe our future operations, business plans, business and investment strategies and portfolio management and the performance of our investments and our investment management business. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, our beliefs, and our assumptions. Words such as "intends," "intend," "intended," "goal," "estimate," "estimates," "expects," "expect," "expected," "project," "projected," "projections," "plans," "seeks," "anticipates," "anticipated," "should," "could," "may," "will," "designed to," "foreseeable future," "believe," "believes" and "scheduled" and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Our actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those anticipated. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was 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. These forward-looking statements do not meet the safe harbor for forward-looking statements pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation:

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our future operating results,



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our business prospects and the prospects of our portfolio companies,



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the impact of investments that we expect to make,



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the dependence of our future success on the general economy and its impact on the industries in which we invest,



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the ability of our portfolio companies to achieve their objectives,



•

difficulty in obtaining financing or raising capital, especially in the current credit and equity environment,



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the level and volatility of prevailing interest rates and credit spreads, magnified by the current turmoil in the credit markets,



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adverse developments in the availability of desirable loan and investment opportunities whether they are due to competition, regulation or otherwise,



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a compression of the yield on our investments and the cost of our liabilities, as well as the level of leverage available to us,



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our regulatory structure and tax treatment, including our ability to operate as a business development company and a regulated investment company;



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the adequacy of our cash resources and working capital;



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the timing of cash flows, if any, from the operations of our portfolio companies;



•

the ability of our investment adviser to locate suitable investments for us and to monitor and administer our investments,



•

authoritative generally accepted accounting principles or policy changes from such standard-setting bodies as the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, Internal Revenue Service, NASDAQ, and other authorities that we are subject to, as well as their counterparts in any foreign jurisdictions where we might do business; and

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•

the risks, uncertainties and other factors we identify in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus and in our filings with the SEC.

        Although we believe that the assumptions on which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those assumptions also could be inaccurate. Important assumptions include our ability to originate new loans and investments, certain margins and levels of profitability and the availability of additional capital. In light of these and other uncertainties, the inclusion of a projection or forward-looking statement in this prospectus should not be regarded as a representation by us that our plans and objectives will be achieved. These risks and uncertainties include those described or identified in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this prospectus. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this prospectus.

DISTRIBUTIONS

        We have paid and intend to continue to distribute monthly distributions to our stockholders out of assets legally available for distribution. Our distributions, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors. Certain amounts of the monthly distributions may from time to time be paid out of our capital rather than from earnings for the period as a result of our deliberate planning or by accounting reclassifications.

        In order to maintain RIC tax treatment, we must distribute at least 90% of our ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses. In order to avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, we are required to distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of

•

98% of our ordinary income for the calendar year,



•

98.2% of our capital gains in excess of capital losses for the one-year period ending on October 31 of the calendar year, and



•

any ordinary income and net capital gains for preceding years that were not distributed during such years.

        In addition, although we currently intend to distribute realized net capital gains (which we define as net long-term capital gains in excess of short-term capital losses), if any, at least annually, out of the assets legally available for such distributions, we may decide in the future to retain such capital gains for investment. In such event, the consequences of our retention of net capital gains are as described under "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations." We can offer no assurance that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions and, if we issue senior securities, we will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes us to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of our borrowings.

        We maintain an "opt out" dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. As a result, if we declare a dividend, then stockholders' cash dividends will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, unless they specifically "opt out" of the dividend reinvestment plan so as to receive cash dividends. Stockholders who receive distributions in the form of stock are subject to the same U.S. federal, state and local tax consequences as are stockholders who elect to receive their distributions in cash. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan." The tax consequences of distributions to stockholders are described under the label "Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations." To the extent prudent and practicable, we intend to declare and pay dividends on a monthly basis.

        With respect to the distributions paid to stockholders, income from origination, structuring, closing, commitment and other upfront fees associated with investments in portfolio companies were treated as

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taxable income and accordingly, distributed to stockholders. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2010, we recorded total distributions of approximately $101.0 million. On June 18, 2010, we announced a change in dividend policy from quarterly to monthly dividends. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, we recorded total distributions of approximately $106.2 million. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, we recorded total distributions of approximately $141.4 million.

        Tax characteristics of all distributions will be reported to stockholders, as appropriate, on Form 1099-DIV after the end of the year. Our ability to pay distributions could be affected by future business performance, liquidity, capital needs, alternative investment opportunities and loan covenants.

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        The following table reflects the distributions per share that we have declared on our common stock to date. In June 2010, we changed our distribution policy from a quarterly payment to a monthly payment.

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SENIOR SECURITIES

        Information about our senior securities is shown in the following table as of each fiscal year ended June 30 since the Company commenced operations and as of June 30, 2012.