Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No R

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No R

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  þ        No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ¨        No  ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ¨        No  þ

Portions of the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement relating to the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015

Item 1.  Business.

Our investments generally range from $5.0 to $35.0 million per portfolio company. In certain situations, we have partnered with other funds to provide larger financing commitments. We operate Triangle SBIC and Triangle SBIC II as SBICs and utilize the proceeds from the sale of SBA-guaranteed debentures, referred to herein as SBA leverage, to enhance returns to our stockholders. As of December 31, 2015, we had investments in 92 portfolio companies, with an aggregate cost of approximately $1.0 billion.

We invest primarily in subordinated notes and, on a more limited basis, invest in senior secured debt. Subordinated notes are junior to senior secured debt. Our subordinated debt investments and senior secured debt investments generally have terms of three to seven years, do not have scheduled amortization and are due at maturity. Our subordinated debt investments generally provide for fixed interest rates between 10.0% and 15.0% per annum. In addition, our senior secured debt investments generally provide for variable interest at rates ranging from LIBOR plus 350 basis points to LIBOR plus 950 basis points per annum. Our subordinated debt investments generally are secured by a second priority security interest in the assets of the borrower and generally include an equity component, such as warrants to purchase common stock in the portfolio company. In addition, certain loan investments may have a form of interest that is not paid currently but is accrued and added to the loan balance and paid at the end of the term, referred to as payment-in-kind, or PIK, interest. In our negotiations with potential portfolio companies, we generally seek to minimize PIK interest as such income is taxable in the year accrued, and we may have to borrow money or raise additional capital in order to meet the requirement of generally having to pay out at least 90.0% of our taxable income to continue to qualify as a Regulated Investment Company, or RIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. At December 31, 2015, the weighted average yield on our outstanding debt investments other than non-accrual debt investments was approximately 12.2%, the weighted average yield on all of our outstanding investments (including equity and equity-linked investments but excluding non-accrual debt investments) was approximately 10.6% and the weighted average yield on all of our outstanding investments (including equity and equity-linked investments and non-accrual debt investments) was approximately 10.2%.

Each portfolio company debt investment is rated based upon the following numeric investment rating system: 

We have established and documented processes and methodologies for determining the fair values of portfolio company investments on a recurring (quarterly) basis in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC Topic 820”). ASC Topic 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.

Level 1 Inputs – include quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 Inputs – include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

Level 3 Inputs – include inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

We did not pay any brokerage commissions during the three years ended December 31, 2015 in connection with the acquisition and/or disposal of our investments. We generally acquire and dispose of our investments in privately negotiated transactions; therefore, we infrequently use brokers in the normal course of our business. Our management team is primarily responsible for the execution of any publicly traded securities portion of our portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage commissions. We do not expect to execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but will seek to obtain the best net results for us, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, and operational facilities of the firm and the firm’s risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While we will generally seek reasonably competitive trade execution costs, we will not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available. Subject to applicable legal requirements, if we use a broker, we may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to us. In return for such services, we may pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if we determine in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.

As of December 31, 2015, we employed twenty-six individuals, including investment and portfolio management professionals, operations professionals and administrative staff. We expect to expand our management team and administrative staff in the future in proportion to our growth.

As a RIC, so long as we meet certain minimum distribution, source-of-income and asset diversification requirements, we generally are required to pay U.S. federal income taxes only on the portion of our taxable income and gains we do not distribute (actually or constructively) and certain built-in gains. We intend to distribute to our stockholders substantially all of our income. We may, however, make deemed distributions to our stockholders of any retained net long-term capital gains. If this happens, our stockholders will be treated as if they received an actual distribution of the net capital gains and reinvested the net after-tax proceeds in us. Our stockholders also may be eligible to claim a tax credit (or, in certain circumstances, a tax refund) equal to their allocable share of the corporate-level U.S. federal income tax we pay on the deemed distribution. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.” We met the minimum distribution requirements for 2013, 2014 and 2015 and continually monitor our distribution requirements with the goal of ensuring compliance with the Code.    

We have adopted a code of ethics, which we call our “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics,” and corporate governance guidelines, which collectively cover ethics and business conduct. These documents apply to our directors, officers and employees. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and corporate governance guidelines are publicly available on the Investor Relations section of our website under "Corporate Governance" at http://

tcap.client.shareholder.com/governance.cfm. We will report any amendments to or waivers of a required provision of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and corporate governance guidelines on our website or in a Current Report on Form 8-K. You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information regarding the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you should not consider that information to be part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

An SBIC (or group of SBICs under common control) can currently have outstanding at any time debentures guaranteed by the SBA in amounts up to two times (and in certain cases, up to three times) the amount of its regulatory capital, which generally is the amount raised from private investors. Debentures guaranteed by the SBA have a maturity of ten years, with interest payable semi-annually. As of December 31, 2015, the maximum statutory limit on the dollar amount of outstanding SBA-guaranteed debentures that may be issued by a single SBIC was $150.0 million and by a group of SBICs under common control was $350.0 million.

As of December 31, 2015, Triangle SBIC had issued $150.0 million of SBA-guaranteed debentures and Triangle SBIC II had issued $75.0 million in face amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures. The weighted average interest rate for all SBA-guaranteed debentures as of December 31, 2015 was 4.02%. As of December 31, 2015, all SBA-guaranteed debentures were pooled.

SBICs are periodically examined and audited by the SBA’s staff to determine their compliance with SBIC regulations and are periodically required to file certain forms with the SBA. Triangle SBIC and Triangle SBIC II were audited by the SBA during 2015, and there were no unresolved findings from the audit.

If we purchase shares in a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, we may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by us to our stockholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on us in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains. If we invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a “qualified electing fund” under the Code, or QEF, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, we will be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of the QEF, even if such income is not distributed to it. Alternatively, we can elect to mark-to-market at the end of each taxable year our shares in a PFIC; in this case, we will recognize as ordinary income any increase in the value of such shares and as ordinary loss any decrease in such value to the extent it does not exceed prior increases included in income. Under either election, we may be required to recognize in a year income in excess of our distributions from PFICs and our proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock during that year, and such income will nevertheless be subject to the Annual Distribution Requirement and will be taken into account for purposes of the 4% excise tax.

We have adopted a code of ethics, which we call our “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics,” which every director, officer and employee is expected to observe. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is publicly available on the Investor Relations section of our website under “Corporate Governance” at http://tcap.client.shareholder.com/governance.cfm and is referenced in this Annual Report as Exhibit 14.1.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

federal budget, the instability in the geopolitical environment in many parts of the world, sovereign debt conditions in Europe and other disruptions may continue to put pressure on economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad.

On May 4, 2015, we entered into an amended and restated credit agreement providing for a revolving line of credit, which we refer to as the Credit Facility. Committed funding under the Credit Facility was $300.0 million as of December 31, 2015. The Credit Facility has an accordion feature which allows for an increase in the total loan size up to $350.0 million. However, if we are unable to meet the terms of the accordion feature, we will be unable to expand the facility. The revolving period of the Credit Facility ends May 3, 2019, followed by a one-year amortization period with a final maturity date of May 3, 2020. If the facility is not renewed or extended, all principal and interest will be due and payable.

Senior Securities.    Currently we, through our SBIC subsidiaries, have issued debt securities guaranteed by the SBA. We have also issued three classes of notes in registered public offerings. In the future, we may issue additional debt securities or preferred stock, and/or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions (including borrowings under our Credit Facility), which we refer to collectively as senior securities. As a result of issuing senior securities, we will be exposed to additional risks, including, but not limited to, the following:

Additional Common Stock.    Under the provisions of the 1940 Act, we are not generally able to issue and sell our common stock at a price below net asset value per share. We may, however, sell our common stock, warrants, options or rights to acquire our common stock, at a price below the current net asset value of the common stock if our Board of Directors determines that such sale is in the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. At our Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 6, 2015, our stockholders voted to allow us to sell or otherwise issue common stock at a price below net asset value per share for a period of one year ending on the earlier of May 6, 2016 or the date of our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders. Our stockholders did not specify a maximum discount below net asset value at which we are able to sell or otherwise issue our common stock; however, we do not intend to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock below net asset value unless our Board of Directors determines that it would be in our stockholders’ best interests to do so. In any such case, however, the price at which our common stock are to be issued and sold may not be less than a price which, in the determination of our Board of Directors, closely approximates the market value of such securities (less any distributing commission or discount). We may also make rights offerings to our stockholders at prices per share less than the net asset value per share, subject to applicable requirements of the 1940 Act. If we raise additional funds by issuing more common stock or senior securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, the percentage ownership of our stockholders at that time would decrease, and they may experience dilution. Moreover, we can offer no assurance that we will be able to issue and sell additional equity securities in the future, on favorable terms or at all.

We will have a continuing need for capital to finance our investments. We are party to the Credit Facility, which provides us with a revolving credit line of up to $350 million, of which $300.0 million was committed for funding and $168.7 million was available for borrowings as of December 31, 2015. The Credit Facility contains customary terms and conditions, including, without limitation, affirmative and negative covenants such as information reporting requirements, minimum consolidated tangible net worth, minimum interest coverage, minimum asset coverage, maintenance of RIC and BDC status and minimum liquidity. The Credit Facility also contains customary events of default with customary cure and notice, including, without limitation, nonpayment, misrepresentation of representations and warranties in a material respect, breach of covenant, cross-default to other indebtedness, bankruptcy, change of control and materially adverse effect. The Credit Facility permits us to fund additional loans and investments as long as we are within the conditions set out in the credit agreement. Our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, and there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with these covenants. Our failure to satisfy these covenants could result in foreclosure by our lenders, which would accelerate our repayment obligations under the facility and thereby have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, results of operations and ability to pay distributions to our stockholders.

The SBA regulations currently limit the dollar amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures that can be issued by any one SBIC to $150.0 million or to a group of SBICs under common control to $350.0 million. Moreover, an SBIC may not borrow an amount in excess of two times (and in certain cases, up to three times) its regulatory capital, which generally is the amount raised from private investors. As of December 31, 2015, Triangle SBIC had issued the statutory maximum of $150.0 million of SBA-guaranteed debentures and Triangle SBIC II had issued $75.0 million in face amount of SBA-guaranteed debentures. If we require additional capital, our cost of capital is likely to increase, and there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms.

As of December 31, 2015, we had $166.8 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of our unsecured notes, $225.0 million in outstanding SBA-guaranteed debentures payable and $131.3 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. In order for us to cover our annual interest payments on this indebtedness, we must achieve annual returns on our December 31, 2015 total assets of at least 2.3%.

Illustration.     The following table illustrates the effect of leverage on returns from an investment in our common stock assuming various annual returns, net of expenses. The calculations in the table below are hypothetical and actual returns may be higher or lower than those appearing below.

(1) Assumes $1,039.3 million in total assets, $523.0 million in principal amount of debt outstanding, $508.4 million in net assets and an average cost of funds of 5.05%, which was the weighted average borrowing cost of our borrowings at December 31, 2015.

As of December 31, 2015, the fair value of our non-accrual assets was approximately $6.9 million, which comprised approximately 0.7% of the total fair value of our portfolio. The cost of these non-accrual assets as of December 31, 2015 was approximately $20.4 million, which comprised approximately 2.0% of the total cost of our portfolio.

In addition to our non-accrual assets, as of December 31, 2015, we had debt investments in two portfolio companies (our first-out subordinated note to BFN Operations LLC (3% Cash, 14% PIK) and our term loan B senior note to FCL Graphics, Inc. (8.0% Cash, 2% PIK)) that were on non-accrual only with respect to the PIK interest component of the loans. As of December 31, 2015, the fair value of these PIK non-accrual assets was approximately $2.2 million, or 0.2% of the total fair value of our portfolio, and the cost of these PIK non-accrual assets was approximately $15.4 million, or 1.5% of the total cost of our portfolio.

In addition, as of December 31, 2015, we had, on a fair value basis, approximately $101.4 million of debt investments, or 10.4% of the total fair value of our portfolio, which were current with respect to scheduled interest and principal payments, but which were carried at less than cost. In light of current economic conditions, certain of our portfolio companies may be unable to service our debt investments on a timely basis. These conditions may also decrease the value of collateral securing some of our debt investments, as well as the value of our equity investments. As a result, the number of non-performing assets in our portfolio may increase, and the overall value of our portfolio may decrease, which could lead to financial losses in our portfolio and a decrease in our investment income, net investment income, dividends and assets.

•sudden electrical or telecommunications outages;

•natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes;

•disease pandemics;

•events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; and

•cyber attacks.

Shares of closed-end investment companies, including BDCs, frequently trade at a discount from net asset value. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies and BDCs is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. We cannot predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below net asset value. In addition, if our common stock trades below net asset value, we will generally not be able to issue additional common stock at the market price without first obtaining the approval of our stockholders and our independent directors. On May 6, 2015, our stockholders voted to allow us to sell or otherwise issue common stock at a price below net asset value per share for a period of one year ending on the earlier of May 6, 2016 or the date of our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders. Our stockholders did not specify a maximum discount below net asset value at which we are able to sell or otherwise issue our common stock; however, we do not intend to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock below net asset value unless our Board of Directors determines that it would be in our stockholders’ best interests to do so.

As of December 31, 2015, we had 33,375,126 shares of common stock outstanding. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of shares for sale, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock. If this occurs and continues, it could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities should we desire to do so.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Item 2. Properties.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Our common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the ticker symbol “TCAP” on December 29, 2010. Prior to that, our common stock traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market since February 15, 2007. The following table sets forth the range of high and low intraday sales prices per share of our common stock as reported on the NYSE for the periods indicated. 

As of February 23, 2016, there were approximately 65 holders of record of our common stock. This number does not include stockholders for whom shares are held in “nominee” or “street name.”

The following table summarizes our distributions declared during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015: 

The table below shows the detail of our distributions for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014: 

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan, or DRIP, that provides for reinvestment of our distributions on behalf of our common stockholders, unless a common stockholder elects to receive cash as provided below. See "Business — Dividend Reinvestment Plan" included in Item I of Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The following table provides information regarding the number of shares of restricted stock authorized and available under the Amended and Restated 2007 Equity Incentive Plan, or the Amended and Restated Plan, as of December 31, 2015: 

While we did not engage in any sales of unregistered securities during the year ended December 31, 2015, we issued a total of 179,075 shares of our common stock under our DRIP. This issuance was not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The aggregate value of the shares of common stock issued under our DRIP during the year ended December 31, 2015 was approximately $3.7 million.

The following graph compares the cumulative total return on our common stock with the cumulative total return of the Triangle Capital Corporation Peer Group Index, the Nasdaq Composite Index and the NYSE Composite Index for the five years ended December 31, 2015. This comparison assumes $100.00 was invested in our common stock at the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2010 and in the comparison groups and assumes the reinvestment of all cash dividends on the ex-dividend date prior to any tax effect. The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

The selected financial data at and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been derived from our financial statements that have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. You should read this selected financial and other data in conjunction with our “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and notes thereto.