Triangle Capital Corporation Declares Cash Dividend of $0.47 Per Share

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 28, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Triangle Capital Corporation (NYSE:TCAP) ("Triangle" or the "Company"), a leading specialty finance company that provides customized financing solutions to lower middle market companies located throughout the United States, today announced that its board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.47 per share. This is the Company's twenty-first consecutive quarterly dividend since its initial public offering in February, 2007, and represents an 11.9% increase over the first quarter of 2011.

The Company's dividend will be payable as follows:

Triangle has adopted a dividend reinvestment plan ("DRIP") that provides for reinvestment of dividends on behalf of its shareholders, unless a shareholder elects to receive cash. As a result, when the Company declares a cash dividend, shareholders who have not opted out of the DRIP will have their cash dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Company's common stock, rather than receiving cash dividends. 

When the Company declares and pays dividends, it determines the allocation of the distribution between current income, accumulated income and return of capital on the basis of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP").  At each year end, the Company is required for tax purposes to determine the dividend allocation based on tax accounting principles. Due to differences between GAAP and tax accounting principles, the portion of each dividend distribution that is ordinary income, capital gain or return of capital may differ for GAAP and tax purposes. 

About Triangle Capital Corporation

Triangle Capital Corporation (www.TCAP.com) is a specialty finance company organized to provide customized financing solutions to lower middle market companies located throughout the United States. Triangle's investment objective is to seek attractive returns by generating current income from debt investments and capital appreciation from equity related investments. Triangle's investment philosophy is to partner with business owners, management teams and financial sponsors to provide flexible financing solutions to fund growth, changes of control, or other corporate events. Triangle typically invests $5.0 million - $20.0 million per transaction in companies with annual revenues between $20.0 million and $100.0 million and EBITDA between $3.0 million and $20.0 million.

Triangle has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act"). Triangle is required to comply with a series of regulatory requirements under the 1940 Act as well as applicable NYSE, federal and state laws and regulations. Triangle has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Failure to comply with any of the laws and regulations that apply to Triangle could have a material adverse effect on Triangle and its stockholders.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any such statements, other than statements of historical fact, are likely to be affected by other unknowable future events and conditions, including elements of the future that are or are not under the Company's control, and that the Company may or may not have considered; accordingly, such statements cannot be guarantees or assurances of any aspect of future performance. Actual developments and results are highly likely to vary materially from these estimates and projections of the future and some of these uncertainties are enumerated in Triangle's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements are included in our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, each as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Such statements speak only as of the time when made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any such statement now or in the future.

CONTACT: Sheri Blair Colquitt
         Vice President, Investor Relations
         919-719-4784
         scolquitt@tcap.com

         Steven C. Lilly
         Chief Financial Officer
         919-719-4789
         slilly@tcap.com

Released February 28, 2012