UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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

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 o No ý

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 ý No o

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 (Section §232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes o No o

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. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

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

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 29, 2012, based on the closing price on that date of $15.96 on The NASDAQ Global Select Market, was approximately $3,545,525,891. As of February 26, 2013, there were 248,652,699 shares of the registrant's common stock outstanding.

Portions of the registrant's Proxy Statement for its 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

Ares Capital Corporation, a Maryland corporation (together with its subsidiaries, where applicable, "Ares Capital" or the "Company," which may also be referred to as "we," "us" or "our"), is a specialty finance company that is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company. We have elected to be regulated as a business development company, or a "BDC," under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or the "Investment Company Act." We were founded on April 16, 2004, were initially funded on June 23, 2004 and completed our initial public offering on October 8, 2004. We are one of the largest BDCs with approximately $6.4 billion of total assets as of December 31, 2012.

We are externally managed by our investment adviser, Ares Capital Management LLC ("Ares Capital Management" or our "investment adviser"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management LLC ("Ares Management"), a global alternative asset manager and a Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") registered investment adviser with approximately $59 billion of total committed capital under management as of December 31, 2012. Ares Operations LLC ("Ares Operations" or our "administrator"), our administrator, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, provides certain administrative and other services necessary for us to operate.

Our investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. We invest primarily in U.S. middle-market companies, where we believe the supply of primary capital is limited and the investment opportunities are most attractive. However, we may from time to time invest in larger or smaller (in particular, for investments in early-stage and/or venture capital-backed) companies. We generally use the term "middle-market" to refer to companies with annual EBITDA between $10 million and $250 million. As used herein, EBITDA represents net income before net interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization.

We invest primarily in first lien senior secured loans (including "unitranche" loans, which are loans that combine both senior and mezzanine debt, generally in a first lien position), second lien senior secured loans and mezzanine debt, which in some cases includes an equity component. First and second lien senior loans generally are senior debt instruments that rank ahead of subordinated debt of a given portfolio company. Mezzanine debt is subordinated to senior loans and is generally unsecured. Our investments in corporate borrowers generally range between $30 million and $400 million each, investments in project finance/power generation projects generally range between $10 million and $200 million each and investments in early-stage and/or venture capital-backed companies generally range between $1 million and $25 million each. However, the investment sizes may be more or less than these ranges and may vary based on, among other things, our capital availability, the composition of our portfolio and general micro- and macro-economic factors.

To a lesser extent, we also make preferred and/or common equity investments, which have generally been non-control equity investments of less than $20 million (usually in conjunction with a concurrent debt investment). However, we may increase the size or change the nature of these investments.

The proportion of these types of investments will change over time given our views on, among other things, the economic and credit environment in which we are operating. In connection with our investing activities, we may make commitments with respect to indebtedness or securities of a potential portfolio company substantially in excess of our final investment. In such situations, while we may initially agree to fund up to a certain dollar amount of an investment, we may subsequently syndicate a portion of such amount (including, without limitation, to vehicles managed by our portfolio company, Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P. ("IHAM")), such that we are left with a smaller investment than what

was reflected in our original commitment. In addition to originating investments, we may also acquire investments in the secondary market.

The first and second lien senior secured loans in which we invest generally have stated terms of three to 10 years and the mezzanine debt investments in which we invest generally have stated terms of up to 10 years, but the expected average life of such first and second lien loans and mezzanine debt is generally between three and seven years. However, we may invest in loans and securities with any maturity or duration. The instruments in which we invest typically are not rated by any rating agency, but we believe that if such instruments were rated, they would be below investment grade (rated lower than "Baa3" by Moody's Investors Service, lower than "BBB-" by Fitch Ratings or lower than "BBB-" by Standard & Poor's Rating Services), which, under the guidelines established by these entities, is an indication of having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Bonds that are rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as "high yield bonds" or "junk bonds." We may invest without limit in debt or other securities of any rating, as well as debt or other securities that have not been rated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization.

We believe that our investment adviser, Ares Capital Management, is able to leverage the current investment platform, resources and existing relationships of Ares Management and its affiliated companies with financial sponsors, financial institutions, hedge funds and other investment firms to provide us with attractive investment opportunities. For the purposes of this document we refer to Ares Management and its affiliated companies (other than portfolio companies of its affiliated funds) as "Ares." In addition to deal flow, the Ares investment platform assists our investment adviser in analyzing, structuring and monitoring investments. Ares has been in existence for more than 15 years and its senior partners have an average of over 23 years experience in leveraged finance, private equity, distressed debt, commercial real estate finance, investment banking and capital markets. The Company has access to Ares' investment professionals and administrative professionals, who provide assistance in accounting, finance, legal, compliance, operations, information technology and investor relations. As of December 31, 2012, Ares had approximately 240 investment professionals and approximately 320 administrative professionals.

Since our initial public offering on October 8, 2004 through December 31, 2012, our realized gains have exceeded our realized losses by approximately $194 million (excluding the one-time gain on the acquisition of Allied Capital Corporation (the "Allied Acquisition") and gains/losses from the extinguishment of debt and other assets). For this same time period, our exited investments have resulted in an aggregate cash flow realized internal rate of return to us of approximately 13% (based on original cash invested, net of syndications, of approximately $6.8 billion and total proceeds from such exited investments of approximately $8.3 billion). Approximately 72% of these exited investments resulted in an aggregate cash flow realized internal rate of return to us of 10% or greater. Internal rate of return is the discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows related to a particular investment equal to zero. Internal rate of return is gross of expenses related to investments as these expenses are not allocable to specific investments. Investments are considered to be exited when the original investment objective has been achieved through the receipt of cash and/or non-cash consideration upon the repayment of a debt investment or sale of an investment or through the determination that no further consideration was collectible and, thus, a loss may have been realized. These internal rates of return results are historical results relating to our past performance and are not necessarily indicative of future results, the achievement of which cannot be assured.

We and General Electric Capital Corporation and GE Global Sponsor Finance LLC (collectively, "GE") also co-invest through an unconsolidated vehicle, the Senior Secured Loan Fund LLC, which operates using the name "Senior Secured Loan Program" (the "SSLP"). The SSLP was initially formed in December 2007 by Allied Capital Corporation ("Allied Capital") and GE to co-invest in first lien senior secured loans of middle-market companies. In October 2009, we acquired from Allied Capital

subordinated certificates issued by the SSLP and management rights in respect thereto. As of December 31, 2012, the SSLP had available capital of $9.0 billion of which approximately $6.3 billion in aggregate principal amount was funded at December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2012, we had agreed to make available to the SSLP approximately $1.8 billion, of which approximately $1.2 billion was funded. The SSLP is capitalized as transactions are completed and all portfolio decisions and generally all other decisions in respect of the SSLP must be approved by an investment committee of the SSLP consisting of representatives of the Company and GE (with approval from a representative of each required). As of December 31, 2012, our investment in the SSLP was approximately $1.3 billion at fair value (including unrealized appreciation of $25.8 million), which represented approximately 21% of our total portfolio at fair value.

While our primary focus is to generate current income and capital appreciation through investments in first and second lien senior secured loans and mezzanine debt and, to a lesser extent, equity securities of eligible portfolio companies, we also may invest up to 30% of our portfolio in non-qualifying assets, as permitted by the Investment Company Act. Specifically, as part of this 30% basket, we may invest in entities that are not considered "eligible portfolio companies" (as defined in the Investment Company Act), including companies outside of the United States, entities that are operating pursuant to certain exceptions to the Investment Company Act, and publicly traded entities whose public equity market capitalization exceeds the levels provided for in the Investment Company Act.

In the first quarter of 2011, the staff of the SEC (the "Staff") informally communicated to certain BDCs the Staff's belief that certain entities, which would be classified as an "investment company" under the Investment Company Act but for the exception from the definition of "investment company" set forth in Rule 3a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, could not be treated as eligible portfolio companies (as defined in Section 2(a)(46) of the Investment Company Act) (i.e., in a BDC's 70% basket of "qualifying assets"). Subsequently, in August 2011 the SEC issued a concept release (the "Concept Release") which stated that "[a]s a general matter, the Commission presently does not believe that Rule 3a-7 issuers are the type of small, developing and financially troubled businesses in which Congress intended BDCs primarily to invest" and requested comment on whether or not a 3a-7 issuer should be considered an "eligible portfolio company." We provided a comment letter in respect of the Concept Release and continue to believe that the language of Section 2(a)(46) of the Investment Company Act permits a BDC to treat as "eligible portfolio companies" entities that rely on the 3a-7 exception. However, given the current uncertainty in this area (including the language in the Concept Release), we have, solely for purposes of calculating the composition of our portfolio pursuant to Section 55(a) of the Investment Company Act, identified such entities, which include the SSLP, as "non-qualifying assets" should the Staff ultimately take an official view that 3a-7 issuers are not "eligible portfolio companies."

As of December 31, 2012, our portfolio company, IHAM, which became an SEC registered investment adviser effective March 30, 2012, managed 13 credit vehicles and served as the sub-manager/sub-servicer for three other credit vehicles (these vehicles managed or sub-managed/sub-serviced by IHAM are collectively referred to as the "IHAM Vehicles"), which are described in more detail under "Investments—Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P." As of December 31, 2012, IHAM had total committed capital under management of approximately $3.3 billion, which included approximately $0.2 billion invested by Ares Capital in IHAM. In connection with IHAM's registration as a registered investment adviser, on March 30, 2012, we received exemptive relief from the SEC allowing us to, subject to certain conditions, own directly or indirectly up to 100% of IHAM's outstanding equity interests and make additional investments in IHAM.

Founded in 1997, Ares is a global alternative asset manager and an SEC registered investment adviser with approximately $59 billion of total committed capital under management and approximately 560 employees as of December 31, 2012.

Ares specializes in originating and managing assets in both the leveraged finance, commercial real estate and private equity markets. Ares' leveraged finance activities include the origination, acquisition and management of senior loans, high yield bonds, mezzanine debt and special situation investments. Ares' commercial real estate activities generally focus on lending to U.S. middle-market real estate projects. Ares' private equity activities generally focus on control-oriented equity investments in under-capitalized companies with capital structure issues. Ares has the ability to invest across a capital structure, from senior debt to common equity. This flexibility, combined with Ares' "buy and hold" philosophy, enables Ares to structure an investment to meet the specific needs of a company rather than the less flexible demands of the public markets.

The following chart shows the structure and various investment strategies of Ares as of December 31, 2012:

Ares is organized around four primary investment platforms: Private Equity, Capital Markets, Private Debt and Commercial Real Estate. Ares' senior partners have been working together as a group for many years and have an average of over 23 years of experience in leveraged finance, private equity, distressed debt, commercial real estate, investment banking and capital markets. They are backed by a team of approximately 240 highly disciplined investment professionals which as of December 31, 2012 covered investments in more than 1,100 companies across over 30 industries. Ares' rigorous investment approach is based upon an intensive, independent financial analysis, with a focus on preservation of capital, diversification and active portfolio management. These fundamentals underlie Ares' investment strategy and have resulted in large pension funds, banks, insurance companies, endowments and high net worth individuals investing in Ares' funds.

Ares Capital Management, our investment adviser, is served by an origination, investment and portfolio management team of approximately 80 U.S.-based investment professionals as of December 31, 2012 and led by the senior partners of the Ares Private Debt Group: Michael Arougheti, Eric Beckman, Kipp deVeer, Mitchell Goldstein and Michael Smith. Ares Capital Management leverages off of Ares' investment platform and benefits from the significant capital markets, trading and research expertise of Ares' investment professionals. Ares Capital Management's investment committee has eight members, including the senior partners of the Ares Private Debt Group, senior partners in the Ares Private Equity Group and a senior adviser to the Ares Capital Markets Group.

We believe that current market conditions present attractive opportunities for us to invest in middle-market companies; specifically:

We believe that we have the following competitive advantages over other capital providers to middle-market companies:

As of December 31, 2012, Ares had approximately $59 billion of total committed capital under management in the related asset classes of non-syndicated first and second lien corporate and commercial real estate loans, syndicated corporate and commercial real estate loans, high yield bonds,

corporate and commercial real estate mezzanine debt and private equity. We believe Ares' current investment platform provides a competitive advantage in terms of access to origination and marketing activities and diligence for us. In particular, we believe that the Ares platform provides us with an advantage through its deal flow generation and investment evaluation process. Ares' asset management platform also provides additional market information, company knowledge and industry insight that benefit our investment and due diligence process. Ares' professionals maintain extensive financial sponsor and intermediary relationships, which provide valuable insight and access to transactions and information.

The investment professionals in the Ares Private Debt Group and members of our investment adviser's investment committee also have significant experience investing across market cycles. This experience also provides us with a competitive advantage in identifying, originating, investing in and managing a portfolio of investments in middle-market companies.

We focus on self-originating most of our investments by pursuing a broad array of investment opportunities in middle-market companies across multiple channels. We also leverage off of the extensive relationships of the broader Ares platform, including relationships with the portfolio companies in the IHAM Vehicles, to identify investment opportunities. We believe that this allows for asset selectivity and that there is a significant relationship between proprietary deal origination and credit performance. We believe that our focus on generating proprietary deal flow and lead investing also gives us greater control over capital structure, deal terms, pricing and documentation and enables us to actively manage our portfolio investments. Moreover, by leading the investment process, we are often able to secure controlling positions in credit tranches, thereby providing additional control in investment outcomes. We also have originated substantial proprietary deal flow from middle-market intermediaries, which often allows us to act as the sole or principal source of institutional capital to the borrower.

We believe that being one of the largest BDCs makes us a more desirable and flexible capital provider, especially in competitive markets. We are flexible and have significant experience in structuring investments, including the types of investments and the terms associated with such investments. We believe this approach and experience enables our investment adviser to identify attractive investment opportunities throughout economic cycles and across a company's capital structure so we can make investments consistent with our stated investment objective and preserve principal while seeking appropriate risk adjusted returns. In addition, we have the ability to provide "one stop" financing with the ability to invest capital across the balance sheet and syndicate and hold larger investments than many of our competitors. We believe that the ability to underwrite, syndicate and hold larger investments benefits our stockholders by (a) potentially increasing net income and earnings through syndication, (b) increasing originated deal flow flexibility, (c) broadening market relationships and deal flow, (d) allowing us to optimize our portfolio composition and (e) allowing us to provide capital to a broader spectrum of middle-market companies, which we believe currently have limited access to capital from traditional lending sources. In addition, we believe that the ability to provide capital at every level of the balance sheet provides a strong value proposition to middle-market borrowers and our senior debt capabilities provide superior deal origination and relative value analysis capabilities compared to traditional "mezzanine only" lenders.

Ares has historically focused on investments in middle-market companies and we benefit from this experience. In sourcing and analyzing deals, our investment adviser benefits from Ares' extensive network of relationships focused on middle-market companies, including management teams, members of the investment banking community, private equity groups and other investment firms with whom Ares has had long-term relationships. We believe this network enables us to identify well-positioned prospective portfolio company investments. The Ares Private Debt Group works closely with Ares' other investment professionals. As of December 31, 2012, Ares oversaw a portfolio of investments in over 1,100 companies across over 30 industries, which provides access to an extensive network of relationships and insights into industry trends and the state of the capital markets.

In making its investment decisions, our investment adviser has adopted Ares' long-standing, consistent, credit-based investment approach that was developed over 23 years ago by its founders. Specifically, our investment adviser's investment philosophy, portfolio construction and portfolio management involve an assessment of the overall macroeconomic environment and financial markets and company-specific research and analysis. Its investment approach emphasizes capital preservation, low volatility and minimization of downside risk. In addition to engaging in extensive due diligence from the perspective of a long-term investor, our investment adviser's approach seeks to reduce risk in investments by focusing on:

We seek to concentrate our investing activities in industries with a history of predictable and dependable cash flows and in which the Ares investment professionals have had extensive investment experience. Ares investment professionals have developed long-term relationships with management teams and management consultants in over 30 industries, and have accumulated substantial information and identified potential trends within these industries. In turn, we benefit from these relationships, information and identification of potential trends in making investments.

Our investment activities are managed by Ares Capital Management, which is wholly owned by Ares, and supervised by our board of directors, a majority of whom are independent of Ares and its affiliates. Ares Capital Management is registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the "Advisers Act." Under our Amended and Restated Investment Advisory and Management Agreement with Ares Capital Management, referred to herein as our "investment advisory and management agreement," we have agreed to pay Ares Capital Management an annual base management fee based on our total assets, as defined under the Investment Company Act (other than cash and cash equivalents, but including assets purchased with borrowed funds), and an incentive fee based on our

performance. See "Investment Advisory and Management Agreement." Ares Operations provides us with certain administrative and other services necessary for us to operate pursuant to an Amended and Restated Administration Agreement, referred to herein as our "administration agreement." See "Administration Agreement."

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For example, we are not generally permitted to invest in any portfolio company in which a fund managed by Ares or any of its downstream affiliates (other than us and our downstream affiliates) currently has an investment. However, we may co-invest on a concurrent basis with funds managed by Ares or any of its downstream affiliates, subject to compliance with existing regulatory guidance, applicable regulations and our allocation procedures. Certain types of co-investment transactions would only be permitted pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, for which we have applied. Any such order will be subject to certain terms and conditions. Further there is no assurance that this application for exemptive relief will be granted by the SEC.

Also, while we may borrow funds to make investments, our ability to use debt is limited in certain significant aspects. In particular, BDC's must have at least 200% asset coverage calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act in order to incur debt or issue preferred stock (which we refer to collectively as "senior securities"), which requires us to finance our investments with at least as much equity as senior securities in the aggregate. Certain of our credit facilities also require that we maintain asset coverage of at least 200%.

In addition, as a consequence of our being a regulated investment company ("RIC") for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as well as our status as a BDC, our asset growth is dependent on our ability to raise equity capital through the issuance of common stock. RICs generally must distribute substantially all of their earnings to stockholders as dividends in order to preserve their status as a RIC and avoid corporate-level U.S. federal income tax. This requirement, in turn, generally prevents us from using earnings to support our operations including making new investments.

Beginning in 2007, the global financial markets experienced stress, volatility, instability, illiquidity and disruption. While this volatility and disruption peaked in 2008 to 2009 and appears to have abated somewhat, the availability of capital and access to capital markets has been limited over the last several years. As the global liquidity situation and market conditions evolve, we will continue to monitor and adjust our approach to funding accordingly. Given the instability in the global markets over the past several years and the uncertainty around the strength of the U. S. economic recovery, there can be no assurances that these activities will be successful since such market conditions could worsen again in the future. If they do, we could face materially higher financing costs. Consequently, our operating strategy could be materially and adversely affected. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—Capital markets have been in a period of disruption and instability for an extended period of time. These market conditions materially and adversely affected debt and equity capital markets in the United States, which had, and may in the future have, a negative impact on our business and operations."

In connection with the prior depressed market conditions of the general economy, the stocks of BDCs as an industry have in the past traded at near historic lows as a result of concerns over liquidity, credit quality, leverage restrictions and distribution requirements. In some cases, certain BDCs became "forced sellers" of assets, defaulted on their indebtedness, decreased their distributions to stockholders or announced share repurchase programs. Although we believe that we currently have sufficient capital to fund our investments and operations, we cannot assure you that the market pressures we may face in the future will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have built an investment portfolio of primarily first and second lien loans, mezzanine debt and, to a lesser extent, equity investments in private middle-market companies. Our portfolio is well diversified by industry sector and its concentration to any single issuer is limited. Our largest investment as of December 31, 2012 was in the subordinated certificates of the SSLP. The SSLP consists of a diverse portfolio of first lien senior secured loans to 36 different borrowers as of December 31, 2012 and the portfolio companies in the SSLP are in industries similar to the companies in Ares Capital's portfolio. Our investment in the SSLP represented approximately 21% of our portfolio fair value as of December 31, 2012.

Our debt investments in corporate borrowers generally range between $30 million and $400 million each, investments in project finance/power generation projects generally range between $10 million and $200 million each and investments in early-stage and/or venture capital-backed companies generally range between $1 million and $25 million each. However, the sizes of our investments may be more or less than these ranges and may vary based on, among other things, our capital availability, the composition of our portfolio and general micro- and macro-economic factors.

Our preferred and/or common equity investments have generally been non-control equity investments of less than $20 million (usually in conjunction with a concurrent debt investment). However, we may increase the size or change the nature of these investments.

In addition, the proportion of these types of investments will change over time given our views on, among other things, the economic and credit environment in which we are operating. In connection with our investing activities, we may make commitments with respect to indebtedness or securities of a potential portfolio company substantially in excess of our expected final hold size. In such situations, while we may initially agree to fund up to a certain dollar amount of an investment, we may subsequently syndicate a portion of such amount such that we are left with a smaller investment than what was reflected in our original commitment. We may also syndicate a "first out" tranche of a loan to an investor and retain a "last out" tranche of such loan, in which case the "first out" tranche of such loan will generally receive priority with respect to payments of principal, interest and any other amounts due thereunder. In addition to originating investments, we may also acquire investments in the secondary market.

We make senior secured loans primarily in the form of first lien loans (including unitranche loans) and second lien loans. Our senior secured loans generally have terms of three to 10 years. In connection with our senior secured loans we generally receive a security interest in certain of the assets of the borrower and consequently such assets serve as collateral in support of the repayment of such senior secured loans. Senior secured loans are generally exposed to the least amount of credit risk because they typically hold a senior position with respect to scheduled interest and principal payments and security interests in assets of the borrower. However, unlike mezzanine debt, senior secured loans typically do not receive any stock, warrants to purchase stock or other yield enhancements. Senior secured loans may include both revolving lines of credit and term loans.

Structurally, mezzanine debt usually ranks subordinate in priority of payment to senior secured loans and is often unsecured. However, mezzanine debt ranks senior to common and preferred equity in a borrowers' capital structure. Mezzanine debt investments offer lenders fixed returns in the form of interest payments and will often provide lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a borrower, if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest typically takes the form of an equity co-investment and/or warrants. Due to its higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants as compared to senior secured loans, mezzanine debt generally bears a higher stated interest rate than senior secured loans. The equity co-investment and warrants (if any) associated with a

mezzanine debt investment typically allow lenders to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity interest in the borrower. Equity issued in connection with mezzanine debt also may include a "put" feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a price determined through an agreed formula.

In making an equity investment, in addition to considering the factors discussed below under "—Investment Selection," we also consider the anticipated timing of a liquidity event, such as a public offering, sale of the company or redemption of our equity securities.

We generally seek to invest in companies in the industries in which Ares' investment professionals have direct expertise. The following is a representative list of the industries in which we have invested:

However, we may invest in other industries if we are presented with attractive opportunities.

The industrial and geographic compositions of our portfolio at fair value as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

	As of December 31,

	2012			2011
Industry
Investment Funds and Vehicles(1)		21.7	%		23.6	%
Healthcare Services		12.9			13.4
Education		7.8			11.2
Financial Services		7.3			6.4
Restaurants and Food Services		7.1			6.8
Other Services		6.7			2.5
Consumer Products		6.6			5.4
Business Services		6.4			6.6
Containers and Packaging		5.1			4.5
Energy		3.7			1.3
Automotive Services		3.4			1.1
Manufacturing		2.4			2.8
Aerospace and Defense		2.0			3.6
Telecommunications		1.6			2.0
Oil and Gas		1.0			0.7
Other		4.3			8.1

Total		100.0	%		100.0	%

We have made investments in our portfolio company, IHAM, an SEC registered investment adviser, as well as in certain IHAM Vehicles. As of December 31, 2012, IHAM managed 13 credit vehicles and served as the sub-manager/sub-servicer for three other vehicles. As of December 31, 2012, IHAM had total committed capital under management of approximately $3.3 billion, which included approximately $0.2 billion invested by Ares Capital in IHAM.

From time to time, IHAM or certain IHAM Vehicles may purchase investments from us or sell investments to us, in each case for a price equal to the fair market value of such investments determined at the time of such transactions.

IHAM is party to an administration agreement, referred to herein as the "IHAM administration agreement," with our administrator, Ares Operations. Pursuant to the IHAM administration agreement, Ares Operations provides IHAM with, among other things, office facilities, equipment, clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services, services relating to the marketing and sale of interests in vehicles managed by IHAM, services of, and oversight of, custodians, depositories, accountants, attorneys, underwriters and such other persons in any other capacity deemed to be necessary. Under the IHAM administration agreement, IHAM reimburses Ares Operations for all of the actual costs associated with such services, including Ares Operations' allocable portion of overhead and the cost of its officers, employees and respective staff in performing its obligations under the IHAM administration agreement.

Ares' investment philosophy was developed over the past 23 years and has remained consistent and relevant throughout a number of economic cycles. We are managed using a similar investment philosophy used by the investment professionals of Ares in Ares' private investment funds.

The foundation of Ares' investment philosophy is intensive credit investment analysis, a portfolio management discipline based on both market technicals and fundamental value-oriented research, and diversification strategy. We follow a rigorous investment process based on:

We seek to identify those companies exhibiting superior fundamental risk-reward profiles and strong defensible business franchises while focusing on the relative value of the investment across the industry as well as for the specific company.

The process through which an investment decision is made involves extensive research into the target company, its industry, its growth prospects and its ability to withstand adverse conditions. If the senior investment professional responsible for the transaction determines that an investment opportunity should be pursued, we will engage in an intensive due diligence process. Approximately

30-40% of the investments initially reviewed by us proceed to this phase. Though each transaction will involve a somewhat different approach, the regular due diligence steps generally undertaken include:

After an investment has been identified and preliminary diligence has been completed, a credit research and analysis report is prepared. This report is reviewed by the senior investment professional in charge of the potential investment. If such senior and other investment professionals are in favor of the potential investment, then it is first presented to an underwriting committee, which is comprised of the senior partners of the Ares Private Debt Group.

After the investment is approved by the underwriting committee, a more extensive due diligence process is employed by the transaction team. Additional due diligence with respect to any investment may be conducted on our behalf by attorneys, independent accountants, and other third party consultants and research firms prior to the closing of the investment, as appropriate on a case-by-case basis. Approximately 7-10% of all investments initially reviewed by us will be presented to the investment committee. Approval of an investment for funding requires the approval of the majority of the investment committee of Ares Capital Management, although unanimous consent is sought.

Once we have determined that a prospective portfolio company is suitable for investment, we work with the management and/or sponsor of that company and its other capital providers, including senior, junior and equity capital providers, if any, to finalize the structure of the investment. Approximately 5-7% of the investments initially reviewed by us eventually result in the issuance of formal commitments and the closing of such transactions.

We invest in portfolio companies primarily in the form of first lien senior secured loans (including unitranche loans), second lien senior secured loans and mezzanine debt. The first and second lien senior secured loans generally have terms of three to 10 years. In connection with our first and second lien senior secured loans we generally receive security interests in the assets of our portfolio companies

that will serve as collateral in support of the repayment of such loans. First and second lien senior secured loans generally have floating interest rates, which may have LIBOR floors, and also may provide for some amortization of principal and excess cash flow payments, with the remaining principal balance due at maturity.

We structure our mezzanine investments primarily as unsecured subordinated loans that provide for relatively high fixed interest rates that provide us with significant current interest income. The mezzanine debt investments generally have terms of up to 10 years. These loans typically have interest-only payments, with amortization of principal, if any, deferred to the later years of the mezzanine investment. In some cases, we may enter into loans that, by their terms, convert into equity or additional debt or defer payments of interest (or at least cash interest) for the first few years after our investment. Also, in some cases our mezzanine debt will be secured by a subordinated lien on some or all of the assets of the borrower.

In some cases, our debt investments may provide for a portion of the interest payable to be payment-in-kind ("PIK") interest. To the extent interest is PIK, it will be payable through the increase of the principal amount of the loan by the amount of interest due on the then-outstanding aggregate principal amount of such loan.

In the case of our first and second lien senior secured loans and mezzanine debt, we tailor the terms of the investment to the facts and circumstances of the transaction and the prospective portfolio company, negotiating a structure that aims to protect our rights and manage our risk while creating incentives for the portfolio company to achieve its business plan and improve its profitability. For example, in addition to seeking a senior position in the capital structure of our portfolio companies, we will seek, where appropriate, to limit the downside potential of our investments by:

We generally require financial covenants and terms that require an issuer to reduce leverage, thereby enhancing credit quality. These methods include: (a) maintenance leverage covenants requiring a decreasing ratio of indebtedness to cash flow over time, (b) maintenance cash flow covenants requiring an increasing ratio of cash flow to the sum of interest expense and capital expenditures and (c) indebtedness incurrence prohibitions, limiting a company's ability to take on additional indebtedness. In addition, by including limitations on asset sales and capital expenditures we may be able to prevent a company from changing the nature of its business or capitalization without our consent.

Our debt investments may include equity features, such as warrants or options to buy a minority interest in the portfolio company. Warrants we receive with our debt investments may require only a nominal cost to exercise, and thus, as a portfolio company appreciates in value, we may achieve additional investment return from this equity interest. We may structure the warrants to provide provisions protecting our rights as a minority-interest holder, as well as puts, or rights to sell such securities back to the portfolio company, upon the occurrence of specified events. In many cases, we also obtain registration rights in connection with these equity interests, which may include demand and "piggyback" registration rights.

We closely monitor each investment we make, maintain a regular dialogue with both the management team and other stakeholders and seek specifically tailored financial reporting. In addition, senior investment professionals may take board seats or obtain board observation rights for our portfolio companies. As of December 31, 2012, of our 152 portfolio companies, we were entitled to board seats or board observation rights on 50% of these companies.

We seek to exert significant influence post-investment, in addition to covenants and other contractual rights and through board participation, when appropriate, by actively working with management on strategic initiatives. We often introduce managers of companies in which we have invested to other portfolio companies to capitalize on complementary business activities and best practices.

Our investment adviser employs an investment rating system to categorize our investments. In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, our investment adviser grades the credit risk of all investments on a scale of 1 to 4 no less frequently than quarterly. This system is intended primarily to reflect the underlying risk of a portfolio investment relative to our initial cost basis in respect of such portfolio investment (i.e., at the time of acquisition), although it may also take into account under certain circumstances the performance of the portfolio company's business, the collateral coverage of the investment and other relevant factors. Under this system, investments with a grade of 4 involve the least amount of risk to our initial cost basis. The trends and risk factors for this investment since origination or acquisition are generally favorable, which may include the performance of the portfolio company or a potential exit. Investments graded 3 involve a level of risk to our initial cost basis that is similar to the risk to our initial cost basis at the time of origination or acquisition. This portfolio company is generally performing as expected and the risk factors to our ability to ultimately recoup the cost of our investment are neutral to favorable. All investments or acquired investments in new portfolio companies are initially assessed a grade of 3. Investments graded 2 indicate that the risk to our ability to recoup the initial cost basis of such investment has increased materially since origination or acquisition, including as a result of factors such as declining performance and non-compliance with debt covenants; however, payments are generally not more than 120 days past due. An investment grade of 1 indicates that the risk to our ability to recoup the initial cost basis of such investment has substantially increased since origination or acquisition, and the portfolio company likely has materially declining performance. For debt investments with an investment grade of 1, most or all of the debt covenants are out of compliance and payments are substantially delinquent. For investments graded 1, it is anticipated that we will not recoup our initial cost basis and may realize a substantial loss of our initial cost basis upon exit. For investments graded 1 or 2, our investment adviser enhances its level of scrutiny over the monitoring of such portfolio company. Our investment adviser grades the investments in our portfolio at least each quarter and it is possible that the grade of a portfolio investment may be reduced or increased over time.

As of December 31, 2012, the weighted average grade of our portfolio was 3.1. For more information, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Portfolio and Investment Activity."

As a BDC, we must offer, and must provide upon request, significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies. This assistance could involve, among other things, monitoring the operations of our portfolio companies, participating in board and management meetings, consulting with and advising officers of portfolio companies and providing other organizational and financial guidance. Ares Operations may provide all or a portion of this assistance pursuant to our administration agreement, the costs of which will be reimbursed by us. We may receive fees for these services.

Our primary competitors include public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial finance companies, other BDCs and private equity funds, each of which we compete with for financing opportunities. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial and marketing resources than we do. For example, some competitors may have 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 relationships than we do. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on us as a BDC. For additional information concerning the competitive risks we face, see "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities."

We believe that the relationships of the members of our investment adviser's investment committee and of the senior partners of Ares enable us to learn about, and compete effectively for, financing opportunities with attractive middle-market companies in the industries in which we seek to invest. We believe that Ares' professionals' deep and long-standing direct sponsor relationships and the resulting proprietary transaction opportunities that these relationships often present, provide valuable insight and access to transactions and information. We use the industry information of Ares' investment professionals to which we have access to assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for our investments in portfolio companies.

We do not currently have any employees and do not expect to have any employees. Services necessary for our business are provided by individuals who are employees or affiliates of our investment adviser, Ares Capital Management, and our administrator, Ares Operations, each of which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, pursuant to the terms of our investment advisory and management agreement and our administration agreement, respectively, each as described below. Each of our executive officers is an employee or affiliate of Ares Capital Management or Ares Operations. Our day-to-day investment activities are managed by our investment adviser. Most of the services necessary for the origination of our investment portfolio are provided by investment professionals employed by Ares Capital Management. Ares Capital Management has approximately 80 U.S.-based investment professionals who focus on origination, transaction development, investment and the ongoing monitoring of our investments. See "Investment Advisory and Management Agreement" below. We reimburse both Ares Capital Management and Ares Operations for a certain portion of expenses incurred in connection with such staffing, as described in more detail below. Because we have no employees, Ares Capital does not have a formal employee relations policy.

Ares Capital Management serves as our investment adviser and is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. Subject to the overall supervision of our board of directors, our investment adviser manages the day-to-day operations of, and provides investment advisory and management services to, Ares Capital. Under the terms of the investment advisory and management agreement, Ares Capital Management:

Ares Capital Management's services to us under the investment advisory and management agreement are not exclusive, and it is free to furnish similar services to other entities. Similarly, affiliates of our investment adviser may directly or indirectly manage funds or other investment vehicles with investment objectives similar to ours. Accordingly, we may compete with these Ares funds or other investment vehicles managed by our investment adviser and its affiliates for capital and investment opportunities. Ares Capital Management endeavors to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, and in any event consistent with any fiduciary duties owed to Ares Capital. Nevertheless, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by investment funds or other investment vehicles managed by Ares Capital Management or its affiliates.

The sole member of Ares Capital Management is Ares Management, a global alternative asset manager and an SEC registered investment adviser. As of December 31, 2012, Ares had approximately $59 billion of total committed capital under management.

Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement and subject to the overall supervision of our board of directors, Ares Capital Management provides investment advisory and management services to us. For providing these services, Ares Capital Management receives a fee from us consisting of two components—a base management fee and an incentive fee.

The base management fee is calculated at an annual rate of 1.5% based on the average value of our total assets (other than cash or cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) at the end of the two most recently completed calendar quarters. The base management fee is payable quarterly in arrears.

The incentive fee has two parts. The first part is calculated and payable quarterly in arrears based on our pre-incentive fee net investment income for the quarter. Pre-incentive fee net investment income means interest income, dividend income and any other income (including any other fees such as commitment, origination, structuring, diligence and consulting fees or other fees that we receive from portfolio companies but excluding fees for providing managerial assistance) accrued during the calendar

quarter, minus operating expenses for the quarter (including the base management fee, any expenses payable under the administration agreement, and any interest expense and dividends paid on any outstanding preferred stock, but excluding the incentive fee). Pre-incentive fee net investment income includes, in the case of investments with a deferred interest feature such as market discount, debt instruments with PIK interest, preferred stock with PIK dividends and zero coupon securities, accrued income that we have not yet received in cash. Our investment adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on accrued interest that we never actually receive. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—There are significant potential conflicts of interest that could impact our investment returns" and "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We may be obligated to pay our investment adviser incentive compensation even if we incur a loss."

Pre-incentive fee net investment income does not include any realized capital gains, realized capital losses, unrealized capital appreciation, unrealized capital depreciation or income tax expense related to realized gains. Because of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible that we may pay an incentive fee in a quarter where we incur a loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the hurdle rate (as defined below) for a quarter, we will pay the applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred a loss in that quarter due to realized and/or unrealized capital losses.

Pre-incentive fee net investment income, expressed as a rate of return on the value of our net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any incentive fees payable during the period) at the end of the immediately preceding calendar quarter, is compared to a fixed "hurdle rate" of 1.75% per quarter. If market credit spreads rise, we may be able to invest our funds in debt instruments that provide for a higher return, which may increase our pre-incentive fee net investment income and make it easier for our investment adviser to surpass the fixed hurdle rate and receive an incentive fee based on such net investment income. To the extent we have retained pre-incentive fee net investment income that has been used to calculate this part of the incentive fee, it is also included in the amount of our total assets (other than cash and cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) used to calculate the 1.5% base management fee.

We pay our investment adviser an incentive fee with respect to our pre-incentive fee net investment income in each calendar quarter as follows:

The following is a graphical representation of the calculation of the income-related portion of the incentive fee:

Quarterly Incentive Fee Based on Net Investment Income
Pre-incentive fee net investment income return
(expressed as a percentage of the value of net assets)

Percentage of pre-incentive fee net investment income
allocated to income-related portion of incentive fee

These calculations will be appropriately pro rated for any period of less than three months and adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases during the calendar quarter.

The second part of the incentive fee (the "Capital Gains Fee"), is determined and payable in arrears as of the end of each calendar year (or, upon termination of our investment advisory and management agreement, as of the termination date) and is calculated at the end of each applicable year by subtracting (a) the sum of our cumulative aggregate realized capital losses and aggregate unrealized capital depreciation from (b) our cumulative aggregate realized capital gains, in each case calculated from October 8, 2004. Realized capital gains and losses include gains and losses on investments and foreign currencies, as well as gains and losses on extinguishment of debt and other assets. If such amount is positive at the end of such year, then the Capital Gains Fee for such year is equal to 20% of such amount, less the aggregate amount of Capital Gains Fees paid in all prior years. If such amount is negative, then there is no Capital Gains Fee for such year.

The cumulative aggregate realized capital gains are calculated as the sum of the differences, if positive, between (a) the net sales price of each investment in our portfolio when sold and (b) the accreted or amortized cost basis of such investment.

The cumulative aggregate realized capital losses are calculated as the sum of the amounts by which (a) the net sales price of each investment in our portfolio when sold is less than (b) the accreted or amortized cost basis of such investment.

The aggregate unrealized capital depreciation is calculated as the sum of the differences, if negative, between (a) the valuation of each investment in our portfolio as of the applicable Capital Gains Fee calculation date and (b) the accreted or amortized cost basis of such investment.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as a result of an amendment to the capital gains portion of the incentive fee under the investment advisory and management agreement (the "Capital Gains Amendment") that was approved on June 6, 2011, if we are required by generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") to record an investment at its fair value as of the time of acquisition instead of at the actual amount paid for such investment by us (including, for example, as a result of the application of the acquisition method of accounting), then solely for the purposes of calculating the Capital Gains Fee, the "accreted or amortized cost basis" of an investment shall be an amount (the "Contractual Cost Basis") equal to (1) (x) the actual amount paid by us for such investment plus (y) any amounts recorded in our financial statements as required by GAAP that are attributable to the accretion of such investment plus (z) any other adjustments made to the cost basis included in our financial statements, including PIK interest or additional amounts funded (net of repayments) minus (2) any amounts recorded in our financial statements as required by GAAP that are attributable to the amortization of such investment, whether such calculated Contractual Cost Basis is higher or lower than the fair value of such investment (as determined in accordance with GAAP) at the time of acquisition.

We defer cash payment of any incentive fee otherwise earned by our investment adviser if during the most recent four full calendar quarter period ending on or prior to the date such payment is to be made the sum of (a) the aggregate distributions to our stockholders and (b) the change in net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any incentive fees payable during the period) is less than 7.0% of our net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness) at the beginning of such period. Any deferred incentive fees are carried over for payment in subsequent calculation periods to the extent such payment is payable under our investment advisory and management agreement.

The services of all investment professionals and staff of our investment adviser, when and to the extent engaged in providing investment advisory and management services to us and routine overhead expenses of such personnel allocable to such services, are provided and paid for by Ares Capital Management. We bear all other costs and expenses of our operations and transactions, including, but not limited to, those relating to: rent; organization; calculation of our net asset value (including, but not limited to, the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm); expenses incurred by Ares Capital Management payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, in monitoring our financial and legal affairs and in monitoring our investments and performing due diligence on our prospective portfolio companies; interest payable on indebtedness, if any, incurred to finance our investments; offerings of our common stock and other securities; investment advisory and management fees; administration fees; fees payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisers, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments; transfer agent and custodial fees; registration fees; listing fees; taxes; independent directors' fees and expenses; costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents with the SEC; the costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to stockholders, including printing costs; to the extent we are covered by any joint insurance policies, our allocable portion of the insurance premiums for such policies; direct costs and expenses of administration, including auditor and legal costs; and all other expenses incurred by us or Ares Operations in connection with administering our business as described in more detail under "Administration Agreement" below.

At an in-person meeting of our board of directors on March 16, 2011, the form of our current investment advisory and management agreement, including two proposed amendments to our then existing investment advisory and management agreement, was approved by our board of directors with the recommendation that stockholders of the Company vote to approve the proposed amendments. On June 6, 2011, our stockholders approved the proposed amendments and we entered into a restated investment advisory and management agreement, reflecting such amendments on June 6, 2011. At an in-person meeting of our board of directors on May 3, 2012, our board of directors, including a majority of the directors who are not "interested persons" of the Company as defined in the Investment Company Act, voted to approve the continuation of the investment advisory and management agreement to June 6, 2013.

Unless terminated earlier, the investment advisory and management agreement will automatically renew for successive annual periods if approved annually by our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, including, in either case, approval by a majority of our directors who are not "interested persons" of the Company (as defined in the Investment Company Act).

In voting to approve the current investment advisory and management agreement, the independent directors had the opportunity to consult in executive session with counsel to the Company regarding the approval of such agreement. In reaching a decision to approve the current investment advisory and

management agreement, our board of directors reviewed a significant amount of information and considered, among other things:

In voting to approve the current investment advisory and management agreement, our board of directors, including all of the directors who are not "interested persons," of the Company, made the following conclusions:

In view of the wide variety of factors that our board of directors considered in connection with its evaluation of the investment advisory and management agreement, it is not practical to quantify, rank or otherwise assign relative weights to the specific factors it considered in reaching its decision. Our board of directors did not undertake to make any specific determination as to whether any particular factor, or any aspect of any particular factor, was favorable or unfavorable to the ultimate determination of our board of directors. Rather, our board of directors based its approval on the totality of information presented to, and the investigation conducted by, it. In considering the factors discussed above, individual directors may have given different weights to different factors.

Based on the information reviewed and the factors discussed above, our directors (including those directors who are not "interested persons" of the Company) concluded that the terms of the investment advisory and management agreement, including the fee rates thereunder, are fair and reasonable in relation to the services provided and approved the continuation of the investment advisory and management agreement with our investment adviser as being in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

The investment advisory and management agreement will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The investment advisory and management agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days' written notice to the other party.

Conflicts of interest may arise if our investment adviser seeks to change the terms of our investment advisory and management agreement, including, for example, the amount of the management fee, the incentive fee or other compensation terms. Material amendments to our investment advisory and management agreement must be approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities and by a majority of our independent directors, and we may from time to time decide it is appropriate to seek the requisite approval to change the terms of the agreement.

The investment advisory and management agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of its duties and obligations, Ares Capital Management, its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from us for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of Ares Capital Management's services under the investment advisory and management agreement or otherwise as our investment adviser.

Ares Capital Management is a Delaware limited liability company that is registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act. The principal executive offices of Ares Capital Management are located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90067.

We are also party to a separate administration agreement with Ares Operations, an affiliate of our investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management. Our board of directors approved the continuation of our administration agreement on May 3, 2012, which extended the term of the agreement to June 1, 2013. Pursuant to the administration agreement, Ares Operations furnishes us with office equipment and clerical, bookkeeping and record keeping services at our office facilities. Under the administration agreement, Ares Operations also performs, or oversees the performance of, our required administrative services, which include, among other things, providing assistance in accounting, legal, compliance, operations, technology, and investor relations, being responsible for the financial records that we are required to maintain and preparing reports to our stockholders and reports filed with the SEC. In addition, Ares Operations assists us in determining and publishing our net asset value, assists us in providing managerial assistance to our portfolio companies, oversees the preparation and filing of our tax returns and the printing and dissemination of reports to our stockholders, and generally oversees the payment of our expenses and the performance of administrative and professional services rendered to us by others. Payments under the administration agreement are equal to an amount based upon our allocable portion of Ares Operations' overhead and other expenses (including travel expenses) incurred by Ares Operations in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including our allocable portion of the compensation of certain of our officers (including our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer, general counsel, treasurer and assistant treasurer) and their respective staffs. The administration agreement may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days' written notice to the other party.

The administration agreement provides that, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of its duties and obligations, Ares Operations, its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it are entitled to indemnification from us for any damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) arising from the rendering of Ares Operations' services under the administration agreement or otherwise as our administrator.

We may from time to time borrow funds to make investments, a practice known as "leverage," to attempt to increase returns to our stockholders. With certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act, equals at least 200% after such borrowing. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on our investment adviser's and our board of directors' assessments of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing. As of February 22, 2013, we had $2.0 billion of total principal debt outstanding under the various debt instruments described below. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing with us."

We may from time to time seek to retire or repurchase our common stock through cash purchases, as well as retire, cancel or purchase our outstanding debt through cash purchases and/or exchanges, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved may be material.

We are party to a revolving credit facility, which as of December 31, 2012, allows us to borrow up to $900 million at any one time outstanding (the "Revolving Credit Facility"). The Revolving Credit

Facility also includes an "accordion" feature that allows us, under certain circumstances, to increase the size of the facility to a maximum of $1.35 billion. The Revolving Credit Facility matures on May 4, 2016. Subject to certain exceptions, the interest rate charged on the Revolving Credit Facility is based on LIBOR plus an applicable spread of 2.25% (with no LIBOR floor) or on a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the Revolving Credit Facility) plus an applicable spread of 1.25% (with no base rate floor).

Our wholly owned subsidiary, Ares Capital CP Funding LLC ("Ares Capital CP"), is party to a revolving funding facility, which as of December 31, 2012, allows us to borrow up to $620 million at any one time outstanding (the "Revolving Funding Facility"). The Revolving Funding Facility provides for a three-year reinvestment period until April 18, 2015 and has a stated maturity of April 18, 2017. Subject to certain exceptions, the interest rate charged on the Revolving Funding Facility is based on LIBOR plus an applicable spread of between 2.25% and 2.50% (with no LIBOR floor) or on a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the Revolving Funding Facility) plus an applicable spread of between 1.25% and 1.50% (with no base rate floor), in each case, determined monthly based on the composition of the borrowing base relative to outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Funding Facility. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Recent Developments" and Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 for information on a recent amendment to the Revolving Funding Facility.

Our wholly owned subsidiary, Ares Capital JB Funding LLC ("ACJB LLC") is party to a revolving funding facility with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation ("SMBC"), which as of December 31, 2012, allows us to borrow up to $400 million at any one time outstanding (the "SMBC Funding Facility" and together with the Revolving Credit Facility and the Revolving Funding Facility, the "Facilities"). The SMBC Funding Facility provides for a three-year reinvestment period until September 14, 2015 and has a stated maturity of September 14, 2020. The reinvestment period and the stated maturity date are both subject to two one-year extensions by mutual agreement. Subject to certain exceptions, the interest rate charged on the SMBC Funding Facility is based on LIBOR plus 2.125% (with no LIBOR floor) or on a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the SMBC Funding Facility) plus an applicable spread of 1.125% (with no base rate floor).

The Company currently has approximately $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes outstanding comprised of $575.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes that mature on February 1, 2016 and bear interest at a rate of 5.75% (the "February 2016 Convertible Notes"), $230.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes that mature on June 1, 2016 and bear interest at a rate of 5.125% (the "June 2016 Convertible Notes"), $162.5 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes that mature on March 15, 2017 and bear interest at rate of 4.875% (the "2017 Convertible Notes") and $270.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes that mature on January 15, 2018 and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% (the "2018 Convertible Notes", and together with the February 2016 Convertible Notes, the June 2016 Convertible Notes and the 2017 Convertible Notes, the "Convertible Unsecured Notes").

The Company also currently has approximately $756.3 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes outstanding comprised of $143.8 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes that mature on February 15, 2022 and bear interest at a rate of 7.00% (the "February 2022 Notes"), $182.5 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes that mature on October 1, 2022 and bear interest at a rate of 5.875% (the "October 2022 Notes"), $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes that mature on October 15, 2040 and bear interest at a rate of 7.75% (the "2040 Notes") and $230.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes that mature on April 15, 2047 and bear interest at a rate of 6.875% (the "2047 Notes" and together with the February 2022 Notes, the October 2022 Notes and the 2040 Notes, the "Unsecured Notes"). The Unsecured Notes are listed on The New York Stock Exchange.

We intend to continue borrowing under the Facilities in the future and we may increase the size of the Facilities, add additional credit facilities or otherwise issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness in the future, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.

For more information on the Company's debt, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources."

We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the Investment Company Act and have elected to be treated as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As with other companies regulated by the Investment Company Act, a BDC must adhere to certain substantive regulatory requirements. The Investment Company Act contains prohibitions and restrictions relating to certain transactions between BDCs and certain affiliates (including any investment advisers or sub-advisers), principal underwriters and certain affiliates of those affiliates or underwriters. Among other things, we generally cannot invest in any portfolio company in which funds managed by Ares or any of its downstream affiliates (including Ares Capital Management) (other than Ares Capital and its downstream affiliates) currently has an investment (although we may co-invest on a concurrent basis with other funds managed by Ares or any of its downstream affiliates (including Ares Capital Management), subject to compliance with existing regulatory guidance, applicable regulations and our allocation procedures). Certain types of co-investment transactions would only be permitted pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC, for which we have applied. Any such order will be subject to certain terms and conditions. Further, there is no assurance that the application for exemptive relief will be granted by the SEC.

The Investment Company Act also requires that a majority of our directors be persons other than "interested persons," as that term is defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act, referred to herein as "independent directors." In addition, the Investment Company Act provides that we may not change the nature of our business so as to cease to be, or to withdraw our election as, a BDC unless that change is approved by holders of at least a majority of our outstanding voting securities. Under the Investment Company Act, the vote of holders of at least a "majority of outstanding voting securities" means the vote of the holders of the lesser of: (a) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock present at a meeting or represented by proxy if holders of more than 50% of the shares of our common stock are present or represented by proxy or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

We may invest up to 100% of our assets in securities acquired directly from issuers in privately negotiated transactions. With respect to such securities, we may, for the purpose of public resale, be deemed an "underwriter" as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). Our intention is to not write (sell) or buy put or call options to manage risks associated with the publicly traded securities of our portfolio companies. We may enter into hedging transactions to manage the risks associated with interest rate and currency fluctuations. We may purchase or otherwise receive warrants or options to purchase the common stock of our portfolio companies in connection with acquisition financings or other investments. In connection with such an acquisition, we may acquire rights to require the issuers of acquired securities or their affiliates to repurchase them under certain circumstances.

We also do not intend to acquire securities issued by any investment company that exceed the limits imposed by the Investment Company Act. Under these limits, we generally cannot acquire more than 3% of the voting stock of any investment company (as defined in the Investment Company Act), invest more than 5% of the value of our total assets in the securities of one investment company or invest more than 10% of the value of our total assets in the securities of investment companies in the

aggregate. With regard to that portion of our portfolio invested in securities issued by investment companies, it should be noted that such investments might subject our stockholders to additional expenses.

We are committed to maintaining the privacy of our stockholders and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information we collect, how we protect that information and why, in certain cases, we may share information with select other parties.

Generally, we do not receive any non-public personal information relating to our stockholders, although certain non-public personal information of our stockholders may become available to us. The non-public personal information that we may receive falls into the following categories:

We do not disclose any non-public personal information about our stockholders or former stockholders to anyone, except:

When the Company shares non-public stockholder personal information referred to above, the information is made available for limited business purposes and under controlled circumstances designed to protect our stockholders' privacy. The Company does not permit use of stockholder information for any non-business or marketing purpose, nor does the Company permit third parties to rent, sell, trade or otherwise release or disclose information to any other party.

The Company's service providers, such as its investment adviser, administrator and transfer agent, are required to maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect stockholder non-public personal information to prevent unauthorized access or use and to dispose of such information when it is no longer required.

Personnel of our affiliates may access stockholder information only for business purposes. The degree of access is based on the sensitivity of the information and on personnel need for the information to service a stockholder's account or comply with legal requirements.

If a stockholder ceases to be a stockholder, we will adhere to the privacy policies and practices as described above. We may choose to modify our privacy policies at any time. Before we do so, we will notify stockholders and provide a description of our privacy policy.

In the event of a corporate change in control resulting from, for example, a sale to, or merger with, another entity, or in the event of a sale of assets, we reserve the right to transfer stockholders' non-public personal information to the new party in control or the party acquiring assets.

We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). This information is available free of charge by calling us collect at (310) 201-4200 or on our website at www.arescapitalcorp.com. The information on our website is not deemed incorporated by reference in this Annual Report. You also may inspect and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information, as well as the Annual Report and related exhibits and schedules, at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed electronically by us with the SEC which are available on the SEC's Internet site at www.sec.gov. Copies of these reports, proxy and information statements and other information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549.

You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, before you decide whether to make an investment in our securities. The risks set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the net asset value of our common stock and the trading price of our securities could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

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

The global capital markets have been in an extended period of instability as evidenced by periodic disruptions in 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 major financial institutions. Despite actions of the U.S. 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 recent market conditions have improved there have been continuing periods of volatility and there can be no assurance that adverse market conditions will not repeat themselves or worsen in the future. If these adverse and volatile market conditions worsen, 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 BDC, 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 2012 annual stockholders meeting, subject to certain determinations required to be made by our board of directors, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock, not exceeding 25% of our then outstanding common stock, at a price below the then current net asset value per share during a period beginning on June 4, 2012 and expiring on the earlier of June 4, 2013 and the date of our 2013 annual stockholders meeting. In addition, our ability to incur indebtedness (including by issuing preferred stock) is limited by applicable regulations such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act, must equal at least 200% immediately after each time we incur indebtedness. The debt capital that will be available to us in the future, if at all, may be at a higher cost and on less favorable terms and conditions than what we currently experience. Any inability to raise capital could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Moreover, the re-appearance of market conditions similar to those experienced from 2007 through 2009 for any substantial length of time could make it difficult to extend the maturity of or refinance our existing indebtedness under similar terms and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Given the extreme volatility and dislocation in the capital markets over the past several years, many BDCs have faced, and may in the future face, a challenging environment in which to raise or access capital. At times during the recent significant changes in the capital markets, our ability to raise

capital was affected and consequently the pace of our investment activity had slowed. In addition, significant changes in the capital markets, including the extreme volatility and disruption over the past several years, 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. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity). As a result, volatility in the capital markets can adversely affect our investment valuations. Further, the illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments to access capital if required. As a result, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded our investments if we were required to sell them for liquidity purposes. An inability to raise or access capital could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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

If we fail to maintain our status as a BDC, we might be regulated as a closed-end investment company that is required to register under the Investment Company Act, which would subject us to additional regulatory restrictions and significantly decrease our operating flexibility. In addition, any such failure could cause an event of default under our outstanding indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are dependent upon certain key personnel of Ares for our future success and upon their access to other Ares investment professionals.

We depend on the diligence, skill and network of business contacts of certain key personnel of the Ares Private Debt Group. We also depend, to a significant extent, on access to the investment professionals of other groups within Ares and the information and deal flow generated by Ares' investment professionals in the course of their investment and portfolio management activities. Our future success depends on the continued service of the key personnel of the Ares Private Debt Group. The departure of any of these individuals, or of a significant number of the investment professionals or partners of Ares, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we cannot assure you that Ares Capital Management will remain our investment adviser or that we will continue to have access to Ares' investment professionals or its information and deal flow. Further, there can be no assurance that Ares Capital will replicate Ares' historical success, and we caution you that our investment returns could be substantially lower than the returns achieved by other Ares managed funds.

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

Our ability to achieve our investment objective depends on our ability to acquire suitable investments and monitor and administer those investments, which depends, in turn, on our investment adviser's ability to identify, invest in and monitor companies that meet our investment criteria.

Accomplishing this result on a cost-effective basis is largely a function of the structuring of our investment process and the ability of our investment adviser to provide competent, attentive and efficient services to us. Our executive officers and the members of our investment adviser's investment committee have substantial responsibilities in connection with their roles at Ares and with the other Ares funds, as well as responsibilities under the investment advisory and management agreement. They may also be called upon to provide significant managerial assistance to certain of our portfolio companies. These demands on their time, which will increase as the number of investments grow, may distract them or slow the rate of investment. In order to grow, Ares will need to hire, train, supervise,

manage and retain new employees. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so effectively. Any failure to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, as we grow, we may open up new offices in new geographic regions that may increase our direct operating expenses without corresponding revenue growth.

We will need to periodically access the capital markets to raise cash to fund new investments in excess of our repayments. We have elected to be treated as a RIC and operate in a manner so as to qualify for the U.S. federal income tax treatment applicable to RICs. Among other things, in order to maintain our RIC status, we must distribute to our stockholders on a timely basis generally an amount equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income, and, as a result, such distributions will not be available to fund investment originations. We must continue to borrow from financial institutions and issue additional securities to fund our growth. Unfavorable economic or capital market conditions may increase our funding costs, limit our access to the capital markets or could result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to us. An inability to successfully access the capital markets could limit our ability to grow our business and fully execute our business strategy and could decrease our earnings, if any.

In addition, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts or issue debt securities or preferred stock, which we refer to collectively as "senior securities," such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act, equals at least 200% immediately after such borrowing, which, in certain circumstances, may restrict our ability to borrow or issue debt securities or preferred stock. The amount of leverage that we employ will depend on our investment adviser's and our board of directors' assessments of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing or issuance of senior securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current Facilities, obtain other lines of credit or issue senior securities at all or on terms acceptable to us.

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

We may issue senior securities or borrow money from banks or other financial institutions, up to the maximum amount permitted by the Investment Company Act. Under the provisions of the Investment Company Act, we are permitted, as a BDC, to incur indebtedness or issue senior securities only in amounts such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act, equals at least 200% after each such incurrence or issuance. If the value of our assets declines, we may be unable to satisfy this test, which may prohibit us from paying dividends and could prevent us from maintaining our status as a RIC or may prohibit us from repurchasing shares of our common stock. In addition, our inability to satisfy this test could cause an event of default under our existing indebtedness. If we cannot satisfy this test, we may be required to sell a portion of our investments at a time when such sales may be disadvantageous and, depending on the nature of our leverage, repay a portion of our indebtedness. Accordingly, any failure to satisfy this test could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. As of December 31, 2012, our asset coverage calculated in accordance with the Investment Company Act was 282%. Also, to generate cash for funding new investments, we may in the future seek to issue additional debt or to securitize certain of our loans. The Investment Company Act may impose restrictions on the structure of any such securitization.

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, or warrants, options or rights to acquire our common

stock, at a price below the current net asset value per share of our common stock if our board of directors determines that such sale is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, and our stockholders approve such sale. Any such sale would be dilutive to the net asset value per share of our common stock. In any such case, the price at which our securities 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 commission or discount). If our common stock trades at a discount to net asset value, this restriction could adversely affect our ability to raise capital.

At our 2012 annual stockholders meeting, subject to certain determinations required to be made by our board of directors, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock, not exceeding 25% of our then outstanding common stock, at a price below the then current net asset value per share during a period beginning on June 4, 2012 and expiring on the earlier of June 4, 2013 and the date of our 2013 annual stockholders meeting.

We borrow money, which magnifies the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested and may increase the risk of investing with us.

Borrowings, 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. We currently borrow under our Facilities and have issued or assumed other senior securities, and in the future may borrow from, or issue additional senior securities to, banks, insurance companies, funds, institutional investors and other lenders and investors. Lenders and holders of such senior securities have fixed dollar claims on our consolidated assets that are superior to the claims of our common stockholders or any preferred stockholders. If the value of our consolidated assets increases, then leveraging would cause the net asset value per share of our common stock to increase more sharply than it would have had we not incurred leverage.

Conversely, if the value of our consolidated assets decreases, leveraging would cause net asset value to decline more sharply than it otherwise would have had we not incurred leverage. Similarly, any increase in our consolidated income in excess of consolidated interest payable on the borrowed funds would cause our net income to increase more than it would had we not incurred leverage, while any decrease in our consolidated income would cause net income to decline more sharply than it would have had we not incurred leverage. Such a decline could negatively affect our ability to make common stock dividend payments. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

As of December 31, 2012, we had $300.0 million of outstanding borrowings under our Facilities, $756.3 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of the Unsecured Notes and $1,237.5 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding of the Convertible Unsecured Notes. In order for us to cover our annual interest payments on our outstanding indebtedness at December 31, 2012, we must achieve annual returns on our December 31, 2012 total assets of at least 2.0%. The weighted average stated interest rate charged on our outstanding indebtedness as of December 31, 2012 was 5.5%. We intend to continue borrowing under the Facilities in the future and we may increase the size of the Facilities or issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness (although there can be no assurance that we will be successful in doing so). Our ability to service our debt depends largely on our financial performance and is subject to prevailing economic conditions and competitive pressures. The amount of leverage that we employ at any particular time will depend on our investment adviser's and our board of directors' assessments of market and other factors at the time of any proposed borrowing.

Our Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes impose financial and operating covenants that restrict our business activities, including 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. A failure to renew our Facilities or to add new or replacement debt facilities or issue additional debt securities or other evidences of indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The following table illustrates the effect on return to a holder of our common stock of the leverage created by our use of borrowing at the weighted average stated interest rate of 5.5% as of December 31, 2012, together with (a) our total value of net assets as of December 31, 2012; (b) $2,293.8 million in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness outstanding as of December 31, 2012 and (c) hypothetical annual returns on our portfolio of minus 15% to plus 15%.

In addition to regulatory requirements that restrict our ability to raise capital, the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes contain various covenants that, if not complied with, could accelerate repayment under the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes, thereby materially and adversely affecting our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

The agreements governing the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes require us to comply with certain financial and operational covenants. These covenants may include, among other things:

As of the date of this Annual Report, we are in compliance in all material respects with the covenants of the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes. However, our continued compliance with these covenants depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control. For example, depending on the condition of the public debt and equity markets and pricing levels, unrealized depreciation in our portfolio may increase in the future. Any such increase could result in our inability to comply with our obligation to restrict the level of indebtedness that we are able to incur in relation to the value of our assets or to maintain a minimum level of stockholders' equity.

Accordingly, although we believe we will continue to be in compliance, there are no assurances that we will continue to comply with the covenants in the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes and the

Convertible Unsecured Notes. Failure to comply with these covenants could result in a default under the Facilities, the Unsecured Notes or the Convertible Unsecured Notes that, if we were unable to obtain a waiver from the lenders or holders of such indebtedness, as applicable, such lenders or holders could accelerate repayment under such indebtedness and thereby have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A number of entities compete with us to make the types of investments that we make in middle-market companies. We compete with other BDCs, public and private funds, commercial and investment banks, commercial financing companies, insurance companies, hedge funds, and, to the extent they provide an alternative form of financing, private equity funds. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. 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 relationships than us. Furthermore, many of our competitors are not subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on us as a BDC and that the Code imposes on us as a RIC. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this competition, we may not be able to pursue attractive investment opportunities from time to time.

We do not seek to compete primarily based on the interest rates we offer and we believe that some of our competitors may make loans with interest rates that are comparable to or lower than the rates we offer. Rather, we compete with our competitors based on our existing investment platform, seasoned investment professionals, experience and focus on middle-market companies, disciplined investment philosophy, extensive industry focus and flexible transaction structuring. For a more detailed discussion of these competitive advantages, see "Business—Competitive Advantages."

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. As a result of operating in such a competitive environment, we may make investments that are on less favorable terms than what we may have originally anticipated, which may impact our return on these investments.

We may be subject to additional U.S. federal corporate-level taxes if we fail to maintain our status as a RIC.

We have elected to be treated as a RIC under the Code and operate in a manner so as to qualify for the U.S. federal income tax treatment applicable to RICs. As a RIC, we generally will not pay U.S. federal corporate-level income taxes on our income and net capital gains that we distribute to our stockholders as dividends on a timely basis. We will be subject to U.S. federal corporate-level income tax on any undistributed income and/or gains. To maintain our status as a RIC, we must meet certain source of income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. We may also be subject to certain U.S. federal excise taxes, as well as state, local and foreign taxes.

To satisfy the annual distribution requirement for a RIC we must distribute to our stockholders on a timely basis generally an amount equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income for each year. We have the ability to pay a large portion of our dividends in shares of our stock, and as long as a portion of such dividend is paid in cash and other requirements are met, such stock dividends will be taxable as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This may result in our U.S. stockholders having to pay tax on such dividends, even if no cash is received, and may result in our non-U.S. stockholders being subject to withholding tax in respect of amounts distributed in our stock.

Because we use debt financing, we are subject to certain asset coverage ratio requirements under the Investment Company Act and financial covenants under our indebtedness that could, under certain circumstances, restrict us from making distributions necessary to qualify as a RIC. If we are unable to obtain cash from other sources, we may fail to maintain our status as a RIC and, thus, may be subject to corporate-level income tax on all of our income and/or gains.

To maintain our status as a RIC, in addition to the annual distribution requirement, we must also meet certain annual source of income requirements at the end of each taxable year and asset diversification requirements at the end of each calendar quarter. Failure to meet these requirements may result in our having to (a) dispose of certain investments quickly or (b) raise additional capital to prevent the loss of RIC status. Because most of our investments are in private companies and are generally illiquid, any such dispositions may be at disadvantageous prices and may result in losses. Also, the rules applicable to our qualification as a RIC are complex with many areas of uncertainty. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that we have qualified or will continue to qualify as a RIC. If we fail to maintain our status as a RIC for any reason and become subject to regular "C" corporation income tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce our net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of our distributions. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and on any investment in us. The "Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010," which is effective for 2011 and later tax years, provides some relief from RIC disqualification due to failures of the source of income and asset diversification requirements, although there may be additional taxes due in such cases. We cannot assure you that we would qualify for any such relief should we fail the source of income or asset diversification requirements.

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

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we are required to include in income certain amounts that we have not yet received in cash, such as original issue discount, which may arise, for example, if we receive warrants in connection with the making of a loan, or PIK interest representing contractual interest added to the loan principal balance and due at the end of the loan term. Such original issue discount or PIK interest is included in income before we receive any corresponding cash payments. We also may be required to include in income certain other amounts that we will not receive in cash, including, for example, amounts attributable to hedging and foreign currency transactions or cancellation of indebtedness income resulting from a restructuring of an investment in debt securities.

Since, in certain cases, we may recognize income before or without receiving cash in respect of such income, we may have difficulty meeting the U.S. federal income tax requirement to distribute generally an amount equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income to maintain our status as a RIC. 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 as a RIC and thus be subject to additional corporate-level income taxes. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on us and on any investment in us.

General interest rate fluctuations may have a substantial negative impact on our investments and investment opportunities and, accordingly, may have a material adverse effect on our investment objective and rate of return on invested capital. Because we borrow money and may issue debt securities or preferred stock to make investments, our net investment income is dependent upon the difference between the rate at which we borrow funds or pay interest or dividends on such debt securities or preferred stock and the rate at which we invest these funds. As a result, there can be no

assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income.

Trading prices for debt that pays a fixed rate of return tend to fall as interest rates rise. Trading prices tend to fluctuate more for fixed-rate securities that have longer maturities. In the past, we have entered into certain hedging transactions, such as interest rate swap agreements, to mitigate our exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates, and we may do so again in the future. In addition, we may increase our floating rate investments to position the portfolio for rate increases. However, we cannot assure you that such transactions will be successful in mitigating our exposure to interest rate risk. Hedging transactions may also limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to our portfolio investments.

Although we have no policy governing the maturities of our investments, under current market conditions we expect that we will invest in a portfolio of debt generally having maturities of up to 10 years. This means that we are subject to greater risk (other things being equal) than a fund invested solely in shorter-term securities. A decline in the prices of the debt we own could adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. Also, an increase in interest rates available to investors could make an investment in our common stock less attractive if we are not able to increase our dividend rate, which could reduce the value of our common stock.

Most of our portfolio investments are not publicly traded and, as a result, the fair value of these investments may not be readily determinable.

A large percentage of our portfolio investments are not publicly traded. The fair value of investments that are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable. We value these investments quarterly at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors based on, among other things, the input of our management and audit committee and independent valuation firms that have been engaged at the direction of our board of directors to assist in the valuation of each portfolio investment without a readily available market quotation at least once during a trailing 12-month period (with certain de minimis exceptions). The valuation process is conducted at the end of each fiscal quarter, with a minimum of 50% (based on value) of our valuations of portfolio companies without readily available market quotations subject to review by an independent valuation firm each quarter. However, we may use these independent valuation firms to review the value of our investments more frequently, including in connection with the occurrence of significant events or changes in value affecting a particular investment. In addition, our independent accountants review our valuation process as part of their overall integrated audit.

The types of factors that may be considered in valuing our investments include the enterprise value of the portfolio company (the entire value of the portfolio company to a market participant, including the sum of the values of debt and equity securities used to capitalize the enterprise at a point in time), the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company's ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flows, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, a comparison of the portfolio company's securities to similar publicly traded securities, changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets generally that may affect the price at which similar investments would trade in their principal markets and other relevant factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we consider the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private investments and private companies, are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these investments existed and may differ materially from the values that we may ultimately realize. Our net asset value per share could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments are materially higher than the values that we realize upon disposition of such investments.

As we generally make investments in private companies, substantially all of these investments 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 could realize significantly less than the value at which we have 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 an affiliated manager of Ares has material non-public information regarding such portfolio company.

We could experience fluctuations in our quarterly operating results due to a number of factors, including the interest rates payable on the debt investments we make, the default rates on such investments, 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 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.

There are significant potential conflicts of interest that could impact our investment returns.

Certain of our executive officers and directors, and members of the investment committee of our investment adviser, serve or may serve as officers, directors or principals of other entities and affiliates of our investment adviser and 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 or our stockholders' best interests or that may require them to devote time to services for other entities, which could interfere with the time available to provide services to us. Certain members of our investment adviser's investment committee have significant responsibilities for other Ares funds. For example, Mr. Rosenthal is required to devote a substantial majority of his business time to the affairs of the Ares Private Equity Group. Similarly, although the professional staff of our investment adviser will devote as much time to the management of the Company as appropriate to enable our investment adviser to perform its duties in accordance with the investment advisory and management agreement, the investment professionals of our investment adviser may have conflicts in allocating their time and services among the Company, on the one hand, and investment vehicles managed by Ares or one or more of its affiliates, on the other hand. These activities could be viewed as creating a conflict of interest insofar as the time and effort of the professional staff of our investment adviser and its officers and employees will not be devoted exclusively to the business of the Company but will instead be allocated between the business of the Company and the management of these other investment vehicles. However, Ares believes that the efforts of such individuals are synergistic with and beneficial to the affairs of Ares Capital and these other investment vehicles managed by Ares or its affiliates.

In addition, certain Ares funds may have investment objectives that compete or overlap with, and may from time to time invest in asset classes similar to those targeted by, Ares Capital. Consequently, we, on the one hand, and these other entities, may from time to time pursue the same or similar capital and investment opportunities. Ares and our investment adviser endeavor to allocate investment opportunities in a fair and equitable manner, and in any event consistent with any fiduciary duties owed to Ares Capital. Nevertheless, it is possible that we may not be given the opportunity to participate in certain investments made by investment funds managed by investment managers affiliated with Ares. In addition, there may be conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities among us and the funds managed by us or one or more of our controlled affiliates or among the funds they manage. We may or may not participate in investments made by funds managed by us or one or more of our controlled affiliates.

We have from time to time sold assets to certain of the vehicles managed by IHAM and, as part of our investment strategy, we may offer to sell additional assets to vehicles managed by us and/or one or more of our controlled affiliates (including IHAM) or we may purchase assets from vehicles managed by us and/or one or more of our controlled affiliates. In addition, vehicles managed by us or one or more of our controlled affiliates (including IHAM) may offer assets to or may purchase assets from one another. While assets may be sold or purchased at prices that are consistent with those that could be obtained from third parties in the marketplace, and although these types of transactions generally require approval of one or more independent parties, there may be an inherent conflict of interest in such transactions between us and funds managed by us or one of our controlled affiliates.

We pay management and incentive fees to our investment adviser, and reimburse our investment adviser for certain expenses it incurs. In addition, investors in our common stock will invest on a gross basis and receive distributions on a net basis after expenses, resulting in, among other things, a lower rate of return than one might achieve if distributions were made on a gross basis.

Our investment adviser's base management fee is based on a percentage of our total assets (other than cash or cash equivalents but including assets purchased with borrowed funds) and, consequently, our investment adviser may have conflicts of interest in connection with decisions that could affect our total assets, such as decisions as to whether to incur indebtedness or to make future investments.

The part of the incentive fee payable by us to our investment advisor that relates to our pre-incentive fee net investment income is computed and paid on income that may include interest that is 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 incentive fee will become uncollectible.

Our investment advisory and management agreement renews for successive annual periods if approved by our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities, including, in either case, approval by a majority of our directors who are not "interested persons" of the Company as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act. However, both we and our investment adviser have the right to terminate the agreement without penalty upon 60 days' written notice to the other party. Moreover, conflicts of interest may arise if our investment adviser seeks to change the terms of our investment advisory and management agreement, including, for example, the terms for compensation. While any material change to the investment advisory and management agreement must be submitted to stockholders for approval under the Investment Company Act, we may from time to time decide it is appropriate to seek stockholder approval to change the terms of the agreement.

We are party to an administration agreement with our administrator, Ares Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, pursuant to which our administrator furnishes us with certain administrative and other services and we pay our administrator at cost our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses (including travel expenses) incurred by our administrator in performing its obligations under our administration agreement, including our allocable portion of the cost of certain of our officers (including our chief compliance officer, chief financial officer, general counsel, secretary and treasurer) and their respective staffs, but not investment professionals.

Our portfolio company, IHAM, is party to an administration agreement, referred to herein as the "IHAM administration agreement," with Ares Operations. Pursuant to the IHAM administration agreement, our administrator provides IHAM with administrative services and IHAM reimburses our administrator for all of the actual costs associated with such services, including its allocable portion of our administrator's overhead and the cost of our administrator's officers and respective staff in performing its obligations under the IHAM administration agreement. Prior to entering into the IHAM administration agreement, IHAM was party to a services agreement with our investment adviser, pursuant to which our investment adviser provided similar services.

We are party to a New York office lease that will expire in February 2026 pursuant to which we are leasing office facilities from a third party. We are also party to an office sublease with Ares Commercial Real Estate Management LLC ("ACREM"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management and the manager of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, pursuant to which we are subleasing approximately 12% of ACREM's Chicago office space for a fixed rent equal to 12% of the basic annual rent payable by ACREM under its Chicago office lease, plus certain additional costs and expenses. We also entered into separate subleases with Ares Management and IHAM, pursuant to which Ares Management and IHAM sublease approximately 15% and 20%, respectively, of our New York office space, for a fixed rent equal to 15% and 20%, respectively, of the basic annual rent payable by us under our office lease, plus certain additional costs and expenses.

As a result of the arrangements described above, there may be times when the management team of Ares (including those members of management focused primarily on managing Ares Capital) has interests that differ from those of yours, giving rise to a conflict.

Our stockholders may have conflicting investment, tax and other objectives with respect to their investments in us. The conflicting interests of individual stockholders may relate to or arise from, among other things, the nature of our investments, the structure or the acquisition of our investments, and the timing of dispositions of our investments. As a consequence, conflicts of interest may arise in connection with decisions made by our investment adviser, including with respect to the nature or structuring of our investments, that may be more beneficial for one stockholder than for another stockholder, especially with respect to stockholders' individual tax situations. In selecting and structuring investments appropriate for us, our investment adviser will consider the investment and tax objectives of the Company and our stockholders, as a whole, not the investment, tax or other objectives of any stockholder individually.

Changes in laws or regulations governing our operations or the operations of our portfolio companies, changes in the interpretation thereof or newly enacted laws or regulations, such as the Dodd-Frank Act, and any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could require changes to certain business practices of us or our portfolio companies, negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

We and our portfolio companies are subject to regulation by laws and regulations at the local, state, federal and, in some cases, foreign levels. These laws and regulations, as well as their interpretation, may be changed from time to time, and new laws and regulations may be enacted. Accordingly, any change in these laws or regulations, changes in their interpretation, or newly enacted laws or regulations and any failure by us or our portfolio companies to comply with these laws or regulations, could require changes to certain business practices of us or our portfolio companies, negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Act. Many of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act have had extended implementation periods and delayed effective dates and have required extensive rulemaking by regulatory authorities. While many of the rules required to be written have been promulgated, some have not yet been implemented. Many of these rules will be implemented in 2013. Although the full impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on us and our portfolio companies may not be known for an extended period of time, the Dodd-Frank Act, including the rules implementing its provisions and the interpretation of those rules, along with other legislative and regulatory proposals directed at the financial services industry or affecting taxation that are proposed or pending in the U.S. Congress, may negatively impact the operations, cash flows or financial condition

of us or our portfolio companies, impose additional costs on us or our portfolio companies, intensify the regulatory supervision of us or our portfolio companies or otherwise adversely affect our business or the business of our portfolio companies.

Our investment adviser's liability is limited under the investment advisory and management agreement, and we are required to indemnify our investment adviser against certain liabilities, which may lead our investment adviser to act in a riskier manner on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account.

Our investment adviser has not assumed any responsibility to us other than to render the services described in the investment advisory and management agreement, and it will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors in declining to follow our investment adviser's advice or recommendations. Pursuant to the investment advisory and management agreement, our investment adviser and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it will not be liable to us for their acts under the investment advisory and management agreement, absent willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. We have agreed to indemnify, defend and protect our investment adviser and its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons and members and any other person or entity affiliated with it with respect to all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses resulting from acts of our investment adviser not arising out of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties under the investment advisory and management agreement. These protections may lead our investment adviser to act in a riskier manner when acting on our behalf than it would when acting for its own account. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Investments—Our investment adviser's incentive fee may induce it to make certain investments, including speculative investments."

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 in an amount equal to a percentage of the excess of our pre-incentive fee net investment income for that quarter (before deducting incentive compensation and certain other items) above a threshold return for that quarter. Our pre-incentive fee net investment income for incentive compensation purposes excludes realized and unrealized capital losses or depreciation and income taxes related to realized gains that we may incur in the fiscal quarter, even if such capital losses or depreciation and income taxes related to realized gains result in a net loss on our statement of operations for that quarter. Thus, we may be required to pay our investment adviser 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.

Under the investment advisory and management agreement, we will defer cash payment of any incentive fee otherwise earned by our investment adviser if, during the most recent four full calendar quarter periods ending on or prior to the date such payment is to be made, the sum of (a) our aggregate distributions to our stockholders and (b) our change in net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness and before taking into account any incentive fees payable during the period) is less than 7.0% of our net assets (defined as total assets less indebtedness) at the beginning of such period. These calculations will be adjusted for any share issuances or repurchases. Any deferred incentive fees will be carried over for payment in subsequent calculation periods to the extent such payment can then be made under the investment advisory and management agreement.

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 incentive fee will become uncollectible. Our investment adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the

incentive fee it received that was based on accrued income that we never receive as a result of a default on the obligation that resulted in the accrual of such income.

Declines in market prices and liquidity in the corporate debt markets can result in significant net unrealized depreciation of our portfolio, which in turn would reduce our net asset value.

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. We may take into account the following types of factors, if relevant, in determining the fair value of our investments: the enterprise value of a portfolio company (the entire value of the portfolio company to a market participant, including the sum of the values of debt and equity securities used to capitalize the enterprise at a point in time), the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company's ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, a comparison of the portfolio company's securities to similar publicly traded securities, changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets generally that may affect the price at which similar investments would trade in their principal markets and other relevant factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we use the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation. While most of our investments are not publicly traded, applicable accounting standards require us to assume as part of our valuation process that our investments are sold in a principal market to market participants (even if we plan on holding an investment through its maturity). As a result, volatility in the capital markets can also adversely affect our investment valuations. Decreases in the market values or fair values of our investments are recorded as unrealized depreciation. The effect of all of these factors on our portfolio can reduce 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 unrealized losses, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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

Many of our portfolio companies may be susceptible to economic downturns or recessions (including the economic downturn that began in 2007) and may be unable to repay our loans during these periods. Therefore, during these periods our non-performing assets may increase and the value of our portfolio may decrease if we are required to write down the values of our investments. Adverse economic conditions may also 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. We experienced to some extent such effects during the economic downturn that began in 2007 and may experience such effects again in any future downturn or recession.

A portfolio company's failure to satisfy financial or operating covenants imposed by us or other lenders could lead to defaults and, potentially, acceleration of the time when the loans are due and foreclosure on its assets representing collateral for its obligations, which could trigger cross defaults under other agreements and jeopardize our portfolio company's ability to meet its obligations under the debt that we hold and the value of any equity securities we own. We may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting portfolio company.

Investments in privately held middle-market companies involve significant risks.

We primarily invest in privately held U.S. middle-market companies. Investments in privately held middle-market companies involve a number of significant risks, including the following:

Our debt investments may be risky and we could lose all or part of our investment.

The debt that we invest in is typically not initially rated by any rating agency, but we believe that if such investments were rated, they would be below investment grade (rated lower than "Baa3" by Moody's Investors Service, lower than "BBB-" by Fitch Ratings or lower than "BBB-" by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services), which under the guidelines established by these entities is an indication of having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Bonds that are rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as "high yield bonds" or "junk bonds." Therefore, our investments may result in an above average amount of risk and volatility or loss of principal.

Our investment portfolio includes our investment in the SSLP, which as of December 31, 2012 represented approximately 21% of our portfolio at fair value. While the SSLP's portfolio is comprised of 36 separate first lien senior secured loans, any material degradation of the performance of these loans in the aggregate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also may invest in assets other than first and second lien and mezzanine debt investments, including high-yield securities, U.S. government securities, credit derivatives and other structured securities and certain direct equity investments. These investments entail additional risks that could adversely affect our investment returns.

Investments in equity securities, many of which are illiquid with no readily available market, involve a substantial degree of risk.

We may purchase common and other equity securities. Although common stock has historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long-term, common stock also has experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and in recent years has significantly under performed relative to fixed income securities. The equity securities we acquire may fail to appreciate and may decline in value or become worthless and our ability to recover our investment will depend on our portfolio company's success. Investments in equity securities involve a number of significant risks, including:

There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:

Additionally, when we invest in first lien senior secured loans (including unitranche loans), second lien senior secured loans or mezzanine debt, we may acquire warrants or other equity securities as well. Our goal is ultimately to dispose of such equity interests and realize gains upon our disposition of such interests. However, the equity interests we receive may not appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, we may not be able to realize gains from our equity interests and any gains that we do realize on the disposition of any equity interests may not be sufficient to offset any other losses we experience.

We may invest, to the extent permitted by law, in the equity securities of investment funds that are operating pursuant to certain exceptions to the Investment Company Act and in advisers to similar investment funds and, to the extent we so invest, will bear our ratable share of any such company's

expenses, including management and performance fees. We will also remain obligated to pay management and incentive fees to Ares Capital Management with respect to the assets invested in the securities and instruments of such companies. With respect to each of these investments, each of our common stockholders will bear his or her share of the management and incentive fee of Ares Capital Management as well as indirectly bearing the management and performance fees and other expenses of any such investment funds or advisers.

There may be circumstances where our debt investments could be subordinated to claims of other creditors or we could be subject to lender liability claims.

If one of our portfolio companies were to go bankrupt, even though we may have structured our interest as senior debt, depending on the facts and circumstances, a bankruptcy court might recharacterize our debt holding as an equity investment and subordinate all or a portion of our claim to that of other creditors. In addition, lenders can be subject to lender liability claims for actions taken by them where they become too involved in the borrower's business or exercise control over the borrower. For example, we could become subject to a lender's liability claim, if, among other things, we actually render significant managerial assistance.

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

Our portfolio companies may have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt, or issue other equity securities, that rank equally with, or senior to, our investments. 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 our investments. These debt instruments would usually prohibit the portfolio companies from paying interest on or repaying our investments in the event and during the continuance of a default under such debt. 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 typically are entitled to receive payment in full before we receive any distribution in respect of our investment. After repaying such 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 our investments, we would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other security holders in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant portfolio company.

The rights we may have with respect to the collateral securing any junior priority loans we make to our portfolio companies may also be limited pursuant to the terms of one or more intercreditor agreements (including agreements governing "first out" and "last out" structures) that we enter into with the holders of senior debt. Under such an intercreditor agreement, at any time that senior obligations are outstanding, we may forfeit certain rights with respect to the collateral to the holders of the senior obligations. These rights may include the right to commence enforcement proceedings against the collateral, the right to control the conduct of such enforcement proceedings, the right to approve amendments to collateral documents, the right to release liens on the collateral and the right to waive past defaults under collateral documents. We may not have the ability to control or direct such actions, even if as a result our rights as junior lenders are adversely affected.

When we are a debt or minority equity investor in a portfolio company, we are often not in a position to exert influence on the entity, and other equity holders and management of the company may make decisions that could decrease the value of our portfolio holdings.

When we make debt or minority equity investments, we are subject to the risk that a portfolio company may make business decisions with which we disagree and the other equity holders and

management of such company 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 investment.

Some of our portfolio companies may be highly leveraged, which may have adverse consequences to these companies and to us as an investor. These companies may be subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants and the leverage may impair these companies' ability to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies' flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions and to take advantage of business opportunities may be limited. Further, a leveraged company's income and net assets will tend to increase or decrease at a greater rate than if borrowed money were not used.

Our investment adviser's incentive fee may induce it to make certain investments, including speculative investments.

The incentive fee payable by us to Ares Capital Management may create an incentive for Ares Capital Management to make investments on our behalf that are risky or more speculative than would be the case in the absence of such compensation arrangement. The way in which the incentive fee payable to our investment adviser is determined, which is calculated as a percentage of the return on invested capital, may encourage our investment adviser to use leverage to increase the return on our investments. Under certain circumstances, the use of leverage may increase the likelihood of default, which would disfavor the holders of our common stock and the holders of securities convertible into our common stock. In addition, our investment adviser will receive the incentive fee based, in part, upon net capital gains realized on our investments. Unlike the portion of the incentive fee based on income, there is no hurdle rate applicable to the portion of the incentive fee based on net capital gains. As a result, our investment adviser may have a tendency to invest more in investments that are likely to result in 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 part of the incentive fee payable by us that relates to our pre-incentive fee net investment income will be computed and paid on income that may include interest that is 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 incentive fee will become uncollectible. Our investment adviser is not under any obligation to reimburse us for any part of the incentive fee it received that was based on such accrued interest that we never actually receive.

Because of the structure of the incentive fee, it is possible that we may have to pay an incentive fee in a quarter where we incur a loss. For example, if we receive pre-incentive fee net investment income in excess of the hurdle rate for a quarter, we will pay the applicable incentive fee even if we have incurred a loss in that quarter due to realized and/or unrealized capital losses. In addition, if market interest rates rise, we may be able to invest our funds in debt instruments that provide for a higher return, which would increase our pre-incentive fee net investment income and make it easier for our investment adviser to surpass the fixed hurdle rate and receive an incentive fee based on such net investment income.

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

Our investment strategy contemplates potential investments in foreign companies. 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 (potentially at confiscatory levels), less liquid markets, 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.

Although most of our investments will be U.S. dollar denominated, our 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 employ hedging techniques to minimize these risks, but we cannot assure you that such strategies will be effective or without risk to us.

We have and may in the future enter into hedging transactions, which may expose us 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. Use of these hedging instruments may include counter-party credit risk.

Hedging against 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 underlying 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.

The success of our hedging transactions will depend on our ability to correctly predict movements in 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. In addition, 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 (or be able 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 because the value of those securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of factors not related to currency fluctuations. See also "Risk Factors—Risk Relating to Our Business—We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates."

Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount from net asset value and may do so again in the future, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital.

Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a market price that is less than the net asset value that is attributable to those shares. This characteristic of closed-end investment companies is separate and distinct from the risk that our net asset value per share may decline. It is not possible to predict whether any shares of our common stock will trade at, above, or below net asset value. In the recent past, including during much of 2009, the stocks of BDCs as an industry, including

at times shares of our common stock, traded below net asset value and at near historic lows as a result of concerns over liquidity, leverage restrictions and distribution requirements. When our common stock is trading below its net asset value per share, we will generally not be able to issue additional shares of our common stock at its market price without first obtaining approval for such issuance from our stockholders and our independent directors. At our 2012 annual stockholders meeting, subject to certain determinations required to be made by our board of directors, our stockholders approved our ability to sell or otherwise issue shares of our common stock, not exceeding 25% of our then outstanding common stock, at a price below the then current net asset value per share during a period beginning on June 4, 2012 and expiring on the earlier of June 4, 2013 and the date of our 2013 annual stockholders meeting.

There is a risk that investors in our common stock may not receive dividends or that our dividends may not grow over time and that investors in our debt securities may not receive all of the interest income to which they are entitled.

We intend 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 that will allow us to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. If we declare a dividend and if more stockholders opt to receive cash distributions rather than participate in our dividend reinvestment plan, we may be forced to sell some of our investments in order to make cash dividend payments.

In addition, due to the asset coverage test applicable to us as a BDC, we may be limited in our ability to make distributions. Further, if we invest a greater amount of assets in equity securities that do not pay current dividends, it could reduce the amount available for distribution. See "Dividend/Distribution Policy."

The above-referenced restrictions on distributions may also inhibit our ability to make required interest payments to holders of our debt, which may cause a default under the terms of our debt agreements. Such a default could materially increase our cost of raising capital, as well as cause us to incur penalties under the terms of our debt agreements.

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.

The Maryland General Corporation Law, our charter and our bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or make more difficult a change in control of Ares Capital or the removal of our directors. We are subject to the Maryland Business Combination Act (the "Business Combination Act"), subject to any applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act. Our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting from the Business Combination Act any business combination between us and any other person, subject to prior approval of such business combination by our board, including approval by a majority of our disinterested directors. If the resolution exempting business combinations is repealed or our board or disinterested directors do not approve a business combination, the Business Combination Act may discourage third parties from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer. Our bylaws exempt from the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act (the "Control Share Acquisition Act") acquisitions of our stock by any person. If we amend our bylaws to repeal the exemption from the Control Share Acquisition Act, the Control Share Acquisition Act also may make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating such an offer.

We have also adopted measures that may make it difficult for a third party to obtain control of us, including provisions of our charter classifying our board of directors into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, and provisions of our charter authorizing our board of directors to classify or

reclassify shares of our stock into one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, and to amend our charter from time to time, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue. These provisions, as well as other provisions of our charter and bylaws, may discourage, delay, defer, make more difficult or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might otherwise be in your best interest.

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 highly speculative and aggressive and, therefore, an investment in our securities may not be suitable for someone with lower risk tolerance.

The capital and credit markets have experienced periods of extreme volatility and disruption over the past several years. The market price and liquidity of the market for shares of our common stock 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:

In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often 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.

We may in the future determine to issue preferred stock, which could adversely affect the market value of our common stock.

The issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. In addition, the dividends on any preferred stock we issue must be cumulative. Payment of dividends and repayment of the liquidation preference of preferred stock must take preference over any dividends or other payments to our common stockholders, and holders of preferred stock 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 (other than convertible preferred stock that converts into common stock). In addition, under the Investment Company Act, preferred stock constitutes a "senior security" for purposes of the 200% asset coverage test.

Our stockholders will experience dilution in their ownership percentage if they opt out of our dividend reinvestment plan.

All dividends declared in cash payable to stockholders that are participants in our dividend reinvestment plan are automatically reinvested in shares of our common stock. As a result, our stockholders that opt out of our dividend reinvestment plan will experience dilution in their ownership percentage of our common stock over time.

Our stockholders may experience dilution upon the conversion of the Convertible Unsecured Notes.

The February 2016 Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of our common stock beginning August 15, 2015 or, under certain circumstances, earlier. The June 2016 Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of our common stock beginning on December 15, 2015 or, under certain circumstances, earlier. The 2017 Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of our common stock beginning on September 15, 2016 or, under certain circumstances, earlier. The 2018 Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of our common stock beginning on July 15, 2017 or, under certain circumstances, earlier. Upon conversion of the Convertible Unsecured Notes, we have the choice to pay or deliver, as the case may be, at our election, cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock. The current conversion price of the February 2016 Convertible Notes is approximately $18.89 per share of common stock, the current conversion price of the June 2016 Convertible Notes is approximately $18.80 per share, the current conversion price of the 2017 Convertible Notes is approximately $19.21 per share and the current conversion price of the 2018 Convertible Notes is approximately $19.81 per share, in each case subject to adjustment in certain circumstances. If we elect to deliver shares of common stock upon a conversion at the time our tangible book value per share exceeds the conversion price in effect at such time, our stockholders may incur dilution. In addition, our stockholders will experience dilution in their ownership percentage of common stock upon our issuance of common stock in connection with the conversion of the Convertible Unsecured Notes and any dividends paid on our common stock will also be paid on shares issued in connection with such conversion after such issuance.

Our stockholders may receive shares of our common stock as dividends, which could result in adverse tax consequences to them.

In order to satisfy the annual distribution requirement applicable to RICs, we have the ability to declare a large portion of a dividend in shares of our common stock instead of in cash. As long as a portion of such dividend is paid in cash (which portion can be as low as 10% for dividends declared with respect to our taxable years ending on or before December 31, 2011) and certain requirements are met, the entire distribution would be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, a stockholder would be taxed on 100% of the fair market value of the dividend on the date a

stockholder received it in the same manner as a cash dividend, even though most of the dividend was paid in shares of our common stock.

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

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or the availability of such common stock for sale (including as a result of the conversion of our Convertible Unsecured Notes into common stock), could adversely affect the prevailing market prices for our common stock. 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.

The trading market or market value of our publicly issued debt securities may fluctuate.

Our publicly issued debt securities may or may not have an established trading market. We cannot assure our noteholders that a trading market for our publicly issued debt securities will ever develop or be maintained if developed. In addition to our creditworthiness, many factors may materially adversely affect the trading market for, and market value of, our publicly issued debt securities. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

Our noteholders should also be aware that there may be a limited number of buyers when they decide to sell their debt securities. This too may materially adversely affect the market value of the debt securities or the trading market for the debt securities.

Terms relating to redemption may materially adversely affect our noteholders return on any debt securities that we may issue.

If our noteholders' debt securities are redeemable at our option, we may choose to redeem their debt securities at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on their debt securities. In addition, if our noteholders' debt securities are subject to mandatory redemption, we may be required to redeem their debt securities also at times when prevailing interest rates are lower than the interest rate paid on their debt securities. In this circumstance, our noteholders may not be able to reinvest the redemption proceeds in a comparable security at an effective interest rate as high as their debt securities being redeemed.

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of an investment in our debt securities.

Our credit ratings are an assessment by third parties of our ability to pay our obligations. Consequently, real or anticipated changes in our credit ratings will generally affect the market value of our debt securities. Our credit ratings, however, may not reflect the potential impact of risks related to

market conditions generally or other factors discussed above on the market value of or trading market for the publicly issued debt securities.

We do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. Our headquarters are currently located at 245 Park Avenue, 44th Floor, New York, New York 10167. We rent the New York office space directly from a third party pursuant to a lease that expires in February 2026. We entered into separate subleases with Ares Management and IHAM, pursuant to which Ares Management and IHAM sublease approximately 15% and 20%, respectively, of our New York office space, for a fixed rent equal to 15% and 20%, respectively, of the basic annual rent payable by us under our office lease, plus certain additional costs and expenses. We have also entered into a sublease with ACREM, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, pursuant to which we are subleasing approximately 12% of ACREM's Chicago office space for a fixed rent equal to 12% of the basic annual rent payable by ACREM under its Chicago office lease, plus certain additional costs and expenses.

We are party to certain lawsuits in the normal course of business. In addition, Allied Capital was involved in various legal proceedings that we assumed in connection with the Allied Acquisition. Furthermore, third parties may try to seek to impose liability on us in connection with the activities of our portfolio companies. While the outcome of any such legal proceedings cannot at this time be predicted with certainty, we do not expect that these legal proceedings will materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Item 5. Market For Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters And Issuer Purchases Of Equity Securities

Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "ARCC." Our common stock has historically traded at prices both above and below our net asset value per share. It is not possible to predict whether our common stock will trade at, above or below net asset value. See "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Common Stock and Publicly Traded Notes—Our shares of common stock have traded at a discount from net asset value and may do so again in the future, which could limit our ability to raise additional equity capital."

The following table sets forth the net asset value per share of our common stock, the range of high and low closing sales prices of our common stock as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market and the dividends declared by us for each fiscal quarter for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2012. On February 22, 2013, the last reported closing sales price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $18.30 per share, which represented a premium of approximately 14% to the net asset value per share reported by us as of December 31, 2012.

As of February 22, 2013, there were 1,892 holders of record of our common stock (including Cede & Co.).

We currently intend to distribute dividends or make distributions to our stockholders on a quarterly basis out of assets legally available for distribution. We may also distribute additional dividends or make additional distributions to our stockholders from time to time. Our quarterly and additional dividends or distributions, if any, will be determined by our board of directors.

Date Declared	Record Date	Payment Date	Amount

March 1, 2011	March 15, 2011	March 30, 2011	$	0.35
May 3, 2011	June 15, 2011	June 30, 2011	$	0.35
August 4, 2011	September 15, 2011	September 30, 2011	$	0.35
November 8, 2011	December 15, 2011	December 30, 2011	$	0.36

Total declared for 2011			$	1.41

February 28, 2012	March 15, 2012	March 30, 2012	$	0.37
May 8, 2012	June 15, 2012	June 29, 2012	$	0.37
August 7, 2012	September 14, 2012	September 28, 2012	$	0.38
August 7, 2012	September 14, 2012	September 28, 2012	$	0.05	(1)
November 5, 2012	December 14, 2012	December 28, 2012	$	0.38
November 5, 2012	December 14, 2012	December 28, 2012	$	0.05	(1)

Total declared for 2012			$	1.60

Of the $1.60 per share in dividends declared during the year ended December 31, 2012, $1.56 per share was comprised of ordinary income and $0.04 per share was comprised of long-term capital gains.

To maintain our RIC status, we must timely distribute an amount equal to at least 90% of our investment company taxable income (as defined by the Code, which generally includes net ordinary income and net short term taxable gains) to our stockholders. In addition, the Company generally will be required to pay an excise tax equal to 4% of the amount by which (i) 98% of the Company's ordinary income recognized during a calendar year and (ii) 98.2% of the Company's capital gain net income, as defined by the Code, recognized for the one year period ending on October 31^st of a calendar year exceeds the distributions for the year. The taxable income on which excise tax is paid is generally distributed to stockholders in the next tax year. Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income for distribution in the following year, and pay any applicable excise tax. For the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011, we recorded an excise tax expense of $7.9 million and $6.6 million, respectively. We cannot assure you that we will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions. We maintain an "opt out" dividend reinvestment plan for our common stockholders. As a result, if we declare a cash dividend, 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.

We have reported all sales of our unregistered equity securities that occurred during the period covered by this report in our Reports on Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, as applicable.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, we did not purchase any shares of our common stock.

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN AMONG ARES CAPITAL
CORPORATION, S&P 500 INDEX AND S&P SPECIALIZED FINANCE INDEX

Comparison of Cumulative Five-Year Total Return

The graph and other information furnished under this Part II Item 5(d) of this Form 10-K shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C, or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, as amended.

The following selected financial and other data for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 are derived from our consolidated financial statements which have been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm whose report thereon is included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
(dollar amounts in millions, except per share data)

	As of and For the Year Ended December 31,

	2012			2011			2010			2009			2008
Total Investment Income	$	748.0		$	634.5		$	483.4		$	245.3		$	240.4
Total Expenses		387.9			344.6			262.2			111.3			113.2

Net Investment Income Before Income Taxes		360.1			289.9			221.2			134.0			127.2
Income Tax Expense, Including Excise Tax		11.2			7.5			5.4			0.6			0.2

Net Investment Income		348.9			282.4			215.8			133.4			127.0
Net Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Investments, Foreign Currencies, Extinguishment of Debt and Other Assets		159.3			37.1			280.1			69.3			(266.5	)
Gain on the Allied Acquisition(1)		—			—			195.9			—			—

Net Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity Resulting from Operations	$	508.2		$	319.5		$	691.8		$	202.7		$	(139.5	)

Per Share Data:
Net Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity Resulting from Operations:
Basic(2)	$	2.21		$	1.56		$	3.91		$	1.99		$	(1.56	)
Diluted(2)	$	2.21		$	1.56		$	3.91		$	1.99		$	(1.56	)
Cash Dividends Declared	$	1.60		$	1.41		$	1.40		$	1.47		$	1.68
Net Asset Value	$	16.04		$	15.34		$	14.92		$	11.44		$	11.27
Total Assets	$	6,401.2		$	5,387.4		$	4,562.5		$	2,313.5		$	2,091.3
Total Debt (Carrying Value)	$	2,195.9		$	2,073.6		$	1,378.5		$	969.5		$	908.8
Total Debt (Principal Value)	$	2,293.8		$	2,170.5		$	1,435.1		$	969.5		$	908.8
Total Stockholders' Equity	$	3,988.3		$	3,147.3		$	3,050.5		$	1,257.9		$	1,094.9
Other Data:
Number of Portfolio Companies at Period End(3)		152			141			170			95			91
Principal Amount of Investments Purchased	$	3,161.6		$	3,239.0		$	1,583.9		$	575.0		$	925.9
Principal Amount of Investments Acquired as part of the Allied Acquisition	$	—		$	—		$	1,833.8		$	—		$	—
Principal Amount of Investments Sold and Repayments	$	2,482.9		$	2,468.2		$	1,555.9		$	515.2		$	485.3
Total Return Based on Market Value(4)		23.6	%		2.3	%		43.6	%		119.9	%		(45.3	)%
Total Return Based on Net Asset Value(5)		14.3	%		10.5	%		31.6	%		17.8	%		(11.2	)%
Weighted Average Yield of Debt and Other Income Producing Securities at Fair Value(6)		11.3	%		12.0	%		12.9	%		12.7	%		12.8	%
Weighted Average Yield of Debt and Other Income Producing Securities at Amortized Cost(6)		11.4	%		12.1	%		13.2	%		12.1	%		11.7	%

shares of common stock that we issued to stockholders of record as of March 24, 2008 in connection with a rights offering.

(3): Includes commitments to portfolio companies for which funding had yet to occur.
(4): Total return based on market value for the year ended December 31, 2012 equalled the increase of the ending market value at December 31, 2012 of $17.50 per share from the ending market value at December 31, 2011 of $15.45 per share plus the declared dividends of $1.60 per share for the year ended December 31, 2012. Total return based on market value for the year ended December 31, 2011 equalled the decrease of the ending market value at December 30, 2011 of $15.45 per share from the ending market value at December 31, 2010 of $16.48 per share plus the declared dividends of $1.41 per share for the year ended December 31, 2011. Total return based on market value for the year ended December 31, 2010 equalled the increase of the ending market value at December 31, 2010 of $16.48 per share over the ending market value at December 31, 2009 of $12.45 per share plus the declared dividends of $1.40 per share for the year ended December 31, 2010. Total return based on market value for the year ended December 31, 2009 equalled the increase of the ending market value at December 31, 2009 of $12.45 per share over the ending market value at December 31, 2008 of $6.33 per share plus the declared dividends of $1.47 per share for the year ended December 31, 2009. Total return based on market value for the year ended December 31, 2008 equalled the decrease of the ending market value at December 31, 2008 of $6.33 per share from the ending market value at December 31, 2007 of $14.63 per share plus the declared dividends of $1.68 per share for the year ended December 31, 2008. Total return based on market value is not annualized. Our shares fluctuate in value. Our performance changes over time and currently may be different than that shown. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
(5): Total return based on net asset value for the year ended December 31, 2012 equalled the change in net asset value during the period (adjusted for share issuances) plus the declared dividends of $1.60 per share for the year ended December 31, 2012, divided by the beginning net asset value. Total return based on net asset value for the year ended December 31, 2011 equalled the change in net asset value during the period (adjusted for share issuances) plus the declared dividends of $1.41 per share for the year ended December 31, 2011, divided by the beginning net asset value. Total return based on net asset value for the year ended December 31, 2010 equalled the change in net asset value during the period (adjusted for share issuances) plus the declared dividends of $1.40 per share for the year ended December 31, 2010, divided by the beginning net asset value. Total return based on net asset value for the year ended December 31, 2009 equalled the change in net asset value during the period (adjusted for share issuances) plus the declared dividends of $1.47 per share for the year ended December 31, 2009, divided by the beginning net asset value. Total return based on net asset value for the year ended December 31, 2008 equalled the change in net asset value during the period (adjusted for share issuances) plus the declared dividends of $1.68 per share for the year ended December 31, 2008, divided by the beginning net asset value. Total return based on net asset value is not annualized. Our performance changes over time and currently may be different than that shown. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
(6): Weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities at fair value is computed as (a) the annual stated interest rate or yield earned plus the net annual amortization of original issue discount and market discount earned on accruing debt and income producing securities, divided by (b) total debt and income producing securities at fair value and income producing securities. Weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities at amortized cost is computed as (a) annual stated interest rate or yield earned plus the net annual amortization of original issue discount and market discount earned on accruing debt and income producing securities, divided by (b) total debt and income producing securities at amortized cost.

Item 7. Management's Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations

The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data and our financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. In addition, some of the statements in this report (including in the following discussion) constitute forward- looking statements, which relate to future events or the future performance or financial condition of Ares Capital Corporation (the "Company," "ARCC," "Ares Capital," "we," "us," or "our"). The forward-looking statements contained in this report involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements concerning:

We use words such as "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," "will," "should," "may" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include these words. Our actual results and condition could differ materially from those implied or expressed in the forward-looking statements for any reason, including the factors set forth in "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

We have based the forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on information available to us on the date of this Annual Report, 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 have filed or in the future may file with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, registration statements on Form N-2, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

We are a specialty finance company that is a closed-end, non-diversified management investment company incorporated in Maryland. We have elected to be regulated as a BDC under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (together with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the "Investment Company Act").

We are externally managed by Ares Capital Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, a global alternative asset manager and an SEC-registered investment adviser, pursuant to our investment advisory and management agreement. Ares Operations, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management, provides certain administrative and other services necessary for us to operate.

Our investment objective is to generate both current income and capital appreciation through debt and equity investments. We invest primarily in first lien senior secured loans (including unitranche loans), second lien senior secured loans and mezzanine debt, which in some cases includes an equity component like warrants.

To a lesser extent, we also make preferred and/or common equity investments, which have generally been non-control equity investments, of less than $20 million (usually in conjunction with a concurrent debt investment). However, we may increase the size or change the nature of these investments.

As a BDC, we are required to comply with certain regulatory requirements. For instance, we generally have to invest at least 70% of our total assets in "qualifying assets," including securities and indebtedness of private U.S. companies and certain public U.S. companies, cash, cash equivalents, U.S. government securities and high-quality debt investments that mature in one year or less. We also may invest up to 30% of our portfolio in non-qualifying assets, as permitted by the Investment Company Act. Specifically, as part of this 30% basket, we may invest in entities that are not considered "eligible portfolio companies" (as defined in the Investment Company Act), including companies located outside of the United States, entities that are operating pursuant to certain exceptions under the Investment Company Act, and publicly traded entities whose public equity market capitalization exceeds the levels provided for under the Investment Company Act.

We have elected to be treated as a RIC under the Code, and operate in a manner so as to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify as a RIC, we must, among other things, meet certain source-of-income and asset diversification requirements and timely distribute to our stockholders generally at least 90% of our investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. Pursuant to this election, we generally will not have to pay corporate level taxes on any income that we distribute to our stockholders provided that we satisfy those requirements.

The Company's investment activity for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 is presented below (information presented herein is at amortized cost unless otherwise indicated).

	Year Ended December 31,

(dollar amounts in millions)	2012			2011			2010
New investment commitments(1):
New portfolio companies	$	1,794.7		$	1,778.0		$	774.3
Existing portfolio companies(2)		1,402.3			1,896.4			933.8

Total new investment commitments		3,197.0			3,674.4			1,708.1
Less:
Investment commitments exited		2,614.5			2,603.1			1,644.5

Net investment commitments	$	582.5		$	1,071.3		$	63.6
Principal amount of investments funded:
Senior term debt	$	2,686.4		$	2,484.2		$	1,376.4
Subordinated Certificates of the SSLP(3)		270.0			496.8			391.6
Senior subordinated debt		101.3			51.8			1,055.3
Collateralized loan obligations		—			—			166.1
Preferred equity securities		—			164.1			91.7
Other equity securities		103.9			41.2			295.4
Commercial real estate		—			0.9			41.2

Total	$	3,161.6		$	3,239.0		$	3,417.7
Principal amount of investments sold or repaid:
Senior term debt	$	1,786.9		$	1,607.5		$	987.4
Subordinated Certificates of the SSLP		66.3			—			15.4
Senior subordinated debt		409.0			463.2			461.9
Collateralized loan obligations		55.5			166.3			6.8
Preferred equity securities		26.2			43.5			21.5
Other equity securities		126.0			166.1			61.9
Commercial real estate		13.0			21.6			1.0

Total	$	2,482.9		$	2,468.2		$	1,555.9
Number of new investment commitments(4)		82			72			63
Average new investment commitment amount	$	39.0		$	51.0		$	27.1
Weighted average term for new investment commitments (in months)		66			63			61
Percentage of new investment commitments at floating rates		88	%		94	%		71	%
Percentage of new investment commitments at fixed rates		8	%		5	%		23	%
Weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities(5):
Funded during the period at fair value(6)		9.9	%		10.9	%		13.1	%
Funded during the period at amortized cost		9.9	%		10.9	%		13.2	%
Exited or repaid during the period at fair value(6)		9.6	%		10.1	%		12.9	%
Exited or repaid during the period at amortized cost		9.7	%		10.2	%		12.9	%

The weighted average yields at fair value and amortized cost of the following portions of our portfolio as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:


	As of December 31,
	2012		2011
	Amortized Cost		Fair Value	Amortized Cost		Fair Value
Debt and other income producing securities		11.4	%	11.3	%		12.1	%	12.0	%
Total portfolio		10.1	%	10.0	%		10.4	%	10.4	%
Senior term debt		9.5	%	9.6	%		10.5	%	10.5	%
First lien senior term debt		9.0	%	9.0	%		9.6	%	9.7	%
Second lien senior term debt		10.5	%	10.7	%		12.4	%	12.4	%
Subordinated Certificates of the SSLP(1)		15.8	%	15.4	%		16.0	%	15.7	%
Senior subordinated debt		11.7	%	14.5	%		10.3	%	11.9	%
Collateralized loan obligations		—	%	—	%		8.8	%	9.1	%
Income producing equity securities (excluding collateralized loan obligations)		9.9	%	8.8	%		10.4	%	10.0	%

Ares Capital Management, our investment adviser, employs an investment rating system to categorize our investments. In addition to various risk management and monitoring tools, our investment adviser grades the credit risk of all investments on a scale of 1 to 4 no less frequently than quarterly. This system is intended primarily to reflect the underlying risk of a portfolio investment relative to our initial cost basis in respect of such portfolio investment (i.e., at the time of acquisition), although it may also take into account under certain circumstances the performance of the portfolio company's business, the collateral coverage of the investment and other relevant factors. Under this system, investments with a grade of 4 involve the least amount of risk to our initial cost basis. The trends and risk factors for this investment since origination or acquisition are generally favorable, which may include the performance of the portfolio company or a potential exit. Investments graded 3 involve a level of risk to our initial cost basis that is similar to the risk to our initial cost basis at the time of origination or acquisition. This portfolio company is generally performing as expected and the risk factors to our ability to ultimately recoup the cost of our investment are neutral to favorable. All investments or acquired investments in new portfolio companies are initially assessed a grade of 3. Investments graded 2 indicate that the risk to our ability to recoup the initial cost basis of such investment has increased materially since origination or acquisition, including as a result of factors such as declining performance and non-compliance with debt covenants; however, payments are generally not more than 120 days past due. An investment grade of 1 indicates that the risk to our ability to recoup the initial cost basis of such investment has substantially increased since origination or acquisition, and the portfolio company likely has materially declining performance. For debt investments with an investment grade of 1, most or all of the debt covenants are out of compliance and payments are substantially delinquent. For investments graded 1, it is anticipated that we will not recoup our initial cost basis and may realize a substantial loss of our initial cost basis upon exit. For investments graded 1 or 2, our investment adviser enhances its level of scrutiny over the monitoring of such portfolio company. Our investment adviser grades the investments in our portfolio at least each quarter and it is possible that the grade of a portfolio investment may be reduced or increased over time.

Set forth below is the grade distribution of our portfolio companies as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the weighted average grade of the investments in our portfolio at fair value was 3.1 and 3.0, respectively.

As of December 31, 2012, loans on non-accrual status represented 2.3% and 0.6% of the total investments at amortized cost and at fair value, respectively. As of December 31, 2011, loans on non-accrual status represented 3.3% and 0.9% of the total investments at amortized cost and at fair value, respectively.

The Company co-invests in first lien senior secured loans of middle market companies with GE through an unconsolidated Delaware limited liability company, the Senior Secured Loan Fund LLC (d/b/a "The Senior Secured Loan Program") or the SSLP. The SSLP is capitalized as transactions are completed and all portfolio decisions and generally all other decisions in respect of the SSLP must be approved by an investment committee of the SSLP consisting of representatives of the Company and GE (with approval from a representative of each required). The Company provides capital to the SSLP in the form of subordinated certificates (the "SSLP Certificates").

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the SSLP had available capital of $9.0 billion and $7.7 billion, respectively, of which approximately $6.3 billion and $5.0 billion in aggregate principal amount was funded at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company had agreed to make available to the SSLP approximately $1.8 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively, of which approximately $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion was funded, respectively. Investment of any unfunded amount must still be approved by the investment committee of the SSLP as described above.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the SSLP had total assets of $6.3 billion and $5.1 billion, respectively. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, GE's investment in the SSLP consisted of senior notes of $4.8 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively, and SSLP Certificates of $178 million and $149 million, respectively. The SSLP Certificates are junior in right of payment to the senior notes held by GE. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company and GE owned 87.5% and 12.5%, respectively, of the outstanding SSLP Certificates.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the SSLP's portfolio was comprised of all first lien senior secured loans to U.S. middle-market companies and none of these loans was on non-accrual status. The portfolio companies in the SSLP are in industries similar to the companies in the Company's portfolio.

Below is a summary of the SSLP's portfolio, followed by a listing of the individual first lien senior secured loans in the SSLP's portfolio as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

(dollar amounts in millions) Portfolio Company	Business Description				Principal Amount		Fair Value(2)

Access CIG, LLC(3)	Records and information management services provider	10/2017	7.0	%	$	152.8	$	152.8
ADG, LLC	Dental services	10/2016	8.8	%		199.4		199.4
AMZ Products Merger Corporation	Specialty chemicals manufacturer	12/2018	6.8	%		240.0		240.0
BECO Holding Company, Inc.(5)	Wholesale distributor of first response fire protection equipment and related parts	12/2017	8.3	%		160.0		160.0
Cambridge International, Inc.	Manufacturer of custom designed and engineered metal products	4/2018	8.0	%		88.3		83.9
CCS Group Holdings, LLC(5)	Correctional facility healthcare operator	4/2016	8.0	%		142.8		142.8
Chariot Acquisition, LLC	Distributor and designer of aftermarket golf cart parts and accessories	1/2018	8.8	%		146.8		146.8
CIBT Holdings, Inc.(5)	Expedited travel document processing services	12/2017	8.5	%		146.4		146.4
CT Technologies Intermediate Holdings, Inc. and CT Technologies Holdings LLC(3)(5)	Healthcare analysis services	3/2017	7.8	%		284.9		273.5
CWD, LLC	Supplier of automotive aftermarket brake parts	3/2014	8.8	%		119.8		110.2
Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, LLC	Outpatient physical therapy provider	7/2018	7.5	%		138.1		138.1
Driven Holdings, LLC(5)	Automotive aftermarket car care franchisor	3/2017	7.0	%		160.4		160.4
Excelligence Learning Corporation(5)	Developer, manufacturer and retailer of educational products	8/2016	8.0	%		115.8		115.8
Fleischmann's Vinegar Company, Inc.	Manufacturer and marketer of industrial vinegar	5/2016	8.9	%		59.6		59.6
Fox Hill Holdings, LLC	Operating company that develops middle market manufacturing and industrial distribution companies	12/2017	8.0	%		292.5		292.5
III US Holdings, LLC	Provider of library automation software and systems	3/2018	7.6	%		202.9		202.9
Implus Footcare, LLC(5)	Provider of footwear and other accessories	10/2016	9.5	%		178.0		178.0
Instituto de Banca y Comercio, Inc. & Leeds IV Advisors, Inc.(5)	Private school operator	6/2015	10.5	%		165.6		165.6
Intermedix Corporation(4)	Revenue cycle management provider to the emergency healthcare industry	12/2018	6.3	%		330.0		330.0
LJSS Acquisition, Inc.	Fluid power distribution company in the industrial and mobile equipment markets	9/2017	6.8	%		163.9		163.9
MWI Holdings, Inc.(3)	Highly engineered springs, fasteners, and other precision components	6/2017	8.0	%		251.2		251.2
Nordco, Inc.	Designer and manufacturer of railroad maintenance-of-way machinery	6/2016	7.0	%		113.2		113.2
Oak Parent, Inc.(3)	Manufacturer of athletic apparel	4/2018	8.0	%		282.8		282.8
Opinionology, LLC and Survey Sampling International LLC	Provider of outsourced data collection to the market research industry	7/2017	8.5	%		152.3		152.3
Penn Detroit Diesel Allison, LLC	Distributor of new equipment and aftermarket parts to the heavy-duty truck industry	12/2016	9.0	%		65.3		65.3
PetroChoice Holdings, LLC	Provider of lubrication solutions	1/2017	10.0	%		162.4		162.4
Power Buyer, LLC	Provider of emergency maintenance services for power transmission, distribution, and substation infrastructure	12/2018	8.8	%		208.0		208.0
Powersport Auctioneer Holdings, LLC(5)	Powersport vehicle auction operator	12/2016	8.5	%		40.7		40.7
Pregis Corporation, Pregis Intellipack Corp. and Pregis Innovative Packaging Inc.(3)	Provider of highly-customized and tailored protective packaging solutions	3/2017	7.8	%		125.9		125.9
PSSI Holdings, LLC	Provider of mission-critical outsourced cleaning and sanitation services to the food processing industry	6/2017	6.8	%		161.7		161.7
Selig Sealing Products, Inc.	Manufacturer of container sealing products for rigid packaging applications	7/2018	7.8	%		169.6		169.6
Singer Sewing Company	Manufacturer of consumer sewing machines	6/2017	7.3	%		199.0		199.0
Strategic Partners, Inc.	Designer, manufacturer and distributor of medical uniforms	8/2018	7.8	%		234.4		234.4
Talent Partners G.P. and Print Payroll Services, G.P.	Provider of technology-enabled payroll to the advertising industry	10/2017	8.0	%		65.5		65.5
The Teaching Company, LLC and The Teaching Company Holdings, Inc.(3)(5)	Education publications provider	3/2017	9.0	%		113.9		113.9
WB Merger Sub, Inc.	Importer, distributor and developer of premium wine and spirits	12/2016	9.0	%		164.2		164.2

					$	5,998.1	$	5,972.7

(dollar amounts in millions) Portfolio Company	Business Description				Principal Amount		Fair Value(2)

ADG, LLC	Dental services	10/2016	8.8	%	$	176.4	$	176.4
AMZ Products Merger Corporation	Specialty chemicals manufacturer	6/2014	7.8	%		156.6		156.6
Anthony, Inc. and Anthony Holdings, Inc.	Manufacturer of refrigeration glass doors and related products	6/2017	7.1	%		243.8		243.8
Augusta Sportswear, Inc.(3)	Manufacturer of athletic apparel	7/2015	8.5	%		239.9		239.9
BECO Holding Company, Inc.(5)	Wholesale distributor of first response fire protection equipment and related parts	7/2015	9.0	%		116.0		116.0
Cambridge International, Inc.	Manufacturer of custom designed and engineered metal products	12/2015	8.8	%		73.7		73.7
CCS Group Holdings, LLC(5)	Correctional facility healthcare operator	4/2016	8.0	%		109.9		109.9
CIBT Holdings, Inc.(5)	Expedited travel document processing services	12/2017	9.3	%		133.0		133.0
CWD, LLC	Supplier of automotive aftermarket brake parts	3/2014	8.8	%		123.8		123.8
CT Technologies Intermediate Holdings, Inc. and CT Technologies Holdings LLC (3)(5)	Healthcare analysis services	3/2017	7.8	%		288.5		274.1
Driven Holdings, LLC(5)	Automotive aftermarket car care franchisor	12/2016	8.5	%		170.0		170.0
Excelligence Learning Corporation(5)	Developer, manufacturer and retailer of educational products	8/2016	8.0	%		121.0		121.0
Fleischmann's Vinegar Company, Inc.	Manufacturer and marketer of industrial vinegar	5/2016	8.8	%		62.3		62.3
Fox Hill Holdings, LLC	Operating company that develops middle market manufacturing and industrial distribution companies	12/2017	8.8	%		300.0		300.0
Huddle House, Inc.(4)(5)	Restaurant owner and operator	6/2013	11.0	%(6)		58.2		58.2
Implus Footcare, LLC(5)	Provider of footwear and other accessories	10/2016	9.5	%		179.8		179.8
Industrial Air Tool, L.P.	Industrial products	6/2014	7.5	%		34.1		34.1
Instituto de Banca y Comercio, Inc. & Leeds IV Advisors, Inc.(5)	Private school operator	6/2015	10.5	%		173.8		173.8
Intermedix Corporation	Revenue cycle management provider to the emergency healthcare industry	8/2016	6.0	%		225.9		225.9
LJSS Acquisition, Inc.	Fluid power distribution company in the industrial and mobile equipment markets	10/2017	8.8	%		167.0		167.0
MWI Holdings, Inc.(3)	Highly engineered springs, fasteners, and other precision components	6/2017	8.0	%		253.7		253.7
Nivel Parts and Manufacturing Co., LLC	Provider of golf car aftermarket parts and accessories	2/2016	8.0	%		88.0		88.0
Nordco, Inc.	Designer and manufacturer of railroad maintenance-of-way machinery	6/2016	7.0	%		119.4		119.4
Opinionology, LLC and Survey Sampling International LLC	Provider of outsourced data collection to the market research industry	7/2017	9.0	%		158.5		158.5
Penn Detroit Diesel Allison, LLC	Distributor of new equipment and aftermarket parts to the heavy-duty truck industry	12/2016	9.0	%		66.0		66.0
PG Mergersub, Inc. and PGA Holdings, Inc.(3)(4)(5)	Provider of patient surveys, management reports and national databases for the integrated healthcare delivery system	11/2015	6.8	%		267.3		267.3
Powersport Auctioneer Holdings, LLC	Powersport vehicle auction operator	12/2016	8.8	%		74.5		74.5
PSSI Holdings, LLC	Provider of mission-critical outsourced cleaning and sanitation services to the food processing industry	6/2017	6.8	%		158.8		158.8
The Teaching Company, LLC and The Teaching Company Holdings, Inc.(5)	Education publications provider	3/2017	9.0	%		116.2		116.2
United Central Industrial Supply Company, LLC	Provider of mining supplies and services to the U.S. underground coal mining industry	10/2015	6.3	%		152.5		152.5
WB Merger Sub, Inc.	Importer, distributor and developer of premium wine and spirits	12/2016	9.0	%		155.9		155.9
WP CPP Holdings, LLC(3)	Precision engineered castings manufacturer	10/2017	8.5	%		253.4		248.3

					$	5,017.9	$	4,998.4

The amortized cost and fair value of the SSLP Certificates held by the Company was $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2012, and $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2011. The SSLP Certificates pay a weighted average contractual coupon of three month LIBOR plus approximately 8.0% and also entitle the holders thereof to receive a portion of the excess cash flow from the underlying loan portfolio, which may result in a return to the holders of the SSLP Certificates that is greater than both the contractual coupon on the SSLP Certificates as well as the weighted average yield on the SSLP's portfolio of 8.0% and 8.2% at December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. The Company's yield on its investment in the SSLP at fair value was 15.4% and 15.7% as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company earned interest income of $185 million, $118 million and $50 million, respectively, from its investment in the SSLP Certificates.

The Company is also entitled to certain fees in connection with the SSLP. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, in connection with the SSLP, the Company earned capital structuring service fees and sourcing, management and other fees totaling $58 million, $55 million and $36 million, respectively.

Effective March 30, 2012, Ares Capital Management assumed from the Company the role of co-manager of the SSLP. However, this change did not impact the Company's economics in respect of its participation in the SSLP and Ares Capital Management does not receive any remuneration in respect of its co-manager role.

Below is certain summarized financial information for the SSLP as of and for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011:

	For the Years Ended December 31,

(in millions)	2012		2011
Selected Balance Sheet Information:
Investments in loans receivable, net of discount for loan origination fees	$	5,952.3	$	4,981.3
Cash and other assets	$	369.2	$	126.4
Total assets	$	6,321.5	$	5,107.7
Senior notes	$	4,840.4	$	3,846.2
Other liabilities	$	46.9	$	66.7
Total liabilities	$	4,887.3	$	3,912.9
Subordinated certificates and members' equity	$	1,434.2	$	1,194.8
Total liabilities and members' capital	$	6,321.5	$	5,107.7
Selected Statement of Operations Information:
Total revenues	$	479.4	$	284.8
Total expenses	$	258.7	$	155.7
Net income	$	220.7	$	129.1

Operating results for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

	For the Years Ended December 31,

(in millions)	2012			2011			2010
Total investment income	$	748.0		$	634.5		$	483.4
Total expenses		387.9			344.6			262.2

Net investment income before income taxes		360.1			289.9			221.2
Income tax expense, including excise tax		11.2			7.5			5.4

Net investment income		348.9			282.4			215.8
Net realized gains on investments		46.7			96.6			45.5
Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments		115.3			(40.2	)		230.7
Gain from the acquisition of Allied Capital		—			—			195.9
Realized losses on extinquishment of debt		(2.7	)		(19.3	)		(2.0	)
Realized gain on sale of other assets		—			—			5.9

Net increase in stockholders' equity resulting from operations	$	508.2		$	319.5		$	691.8

The increase in interest income from investments for the year ended December 31, 2012 from the comparable period in 2011 was primarily due to the increase in the size of the portfolio, which increased from an average of $4.6 billion at amortized cost for the year ended December 31, 2011 to an average of $5.5 billion at amortized cost for the comparable period in 2012. Even though new investment commitments decreased from $3.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2011 to $3.2 billion for the comparable period in 2012, capital structuring service fees increased for the year ended December 31, 2012 from the comparable period in 2011 primarily due to the increase in the average capital structuring service fees received on new investments, which increased from 2.7% in 2011 to 3.2% in 2012. For the year ended December 31, 2012, dividend income included $19.9 million from the Company's investment in IHAM as well as $2.2 million of dividend income that was non-recurring in nature from non-income producing equity securities. The increase in other income for the year ended December 31, 2012 from the comparable period in 2011 was primarily attributable to higher amendment, letter of credit and agency fees.

The increase in interest income from investments for the year ended December 31, 2011 from the comparable period in 2010 was primarily due to the increase in the size of the portfolio, which increased from an average of $3.7 billion at amortized cost for the year ended December 31, 2010 to an average of $4.6 billion at amortized cost from the comparable period in 2011. The increase in

capital structuring service fees for the year ended December 31, 2011 from the comparable period in 2010 was primarily due to the increase in new investment commitments, which increased from $1.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2010 to $3.7 billion for the comparable period in 2011. The increase in dividend income for the year ended December 31, 2011 from the comparable period in 2010 is primarily attributable to the increase in dividend income from IHAM, which was $7.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 and $19.0 million for the comparable period in 2011, which resulted from the growth of and increased earnings of IHAM. In addition, there was an increase in dividends from certain portfolio companies in which we have an equity investment. Total dividend income for the year ended December 31, 2011 included $10.3 million of dividend income that was non-recurring in nature from non-income producing equity securities.

Interest and credit facility fees for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, were comprised of the following:

Stated interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2012 increased from the comparable period in 2011 due to the increase in the average principal amount of debt outstanding and an increase in our weighted average stated interest rate of our debt. For the year ended December 31, 2012, our average principal debt outstanding was $2.2 billion as compared to $1.8 billion for the comparable period in 2011, and the weighted average stated interest rate on our debt was 5.2% for the year ended December 31, 2012 as compared to 5.1% for the comparable period in 2011.

Stated interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased from the comparable period in 2010 due to the increase in our average principal debt outstanding and an increase in our weighted average stated interest rate of our debt. For the year ended December 31, 2011, our average principal debt outstanding was $1.8 billion as compared to $1.5 billion for the comparable period in 2010, and the weighted average stated interest rate on our debt was 5.1% as compared to 3.9% for the comparable period in 2010. Our weighted average stated interest rate of our debt for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased from 2010 due to having higher amounts of unsecured indebtedness, with

longer durations to maturity and higher stated interest rates, outstanding during the comparable period in 2011. Amortization of debt issuance costs for the year ended December 31, 2011 increased from the comparable period in 2010 primarily due to the debt issuance costs associated with convertible notes that we issued in early 2011.

The increase in base management fees and incentive fees related to pre-incentive fee net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2012 from the comparable period in 2011 and for the year ended December 31, 2011 from the comparable period in 2010 were both primarily due to the increase in the size of the portfolio and in the case of incentive fees, the related increase in pre-incentive fee net investment income.

For the year ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 the capital gains incentive fee expense accrual calculated in accordance with GAAP was $31.9 million, $33.3 million and $15.6 million, respectively. As a result of the Capital Gains Amendment to our investment advisory and management agreement during 2011 we accrued $26.0 million of capital gains incentive fees in accordance with GAAP for the year ended December 31, 2011 as a result of the application of the Capital Gains Amendment with respect to the assets purchased in the Allied Acquisition. The capital gains incentive fee accrued under GAAP includes an accrual related to unrealized capital appreciation, whereas the capital gains incentive fee actually payable under our investment advisory and management agreement does not. There can be no assurance that such unrealized capital appreciation will be realized in the future. The accrual for any capital gains incentive fee under GAAP in a given period may result in an additional expense if such cumulative amount is greater than in the prior period or a reduction of previously recorded expense if such cumulative amount is less than in the prior period. If such cumulative amount is negative, then there is no accrual. As of December 31, 2012, the total capital gains incentive fee accrual calculated in accordance with GAAP was $80.8 million (included in management and incentive fees payable in the consolidated balance sheet). However, the Capital Gains Fee actually payable under our investment advisory and management agreement for the year ended December 31, 2012 was $11.5 million. For the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, there was no Capital Gains Fee payable under our investment advisory and management agreement.

See Note 3 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 for more information on the incentive and base management fees.

Professional fees include legal, accounting, valuation and other professional fees incurred related to the management of the Company. The decrease in professional fees for the year ended December 31, 2012 from the comparable period in 2011 as well as the decrease from the year ended December 31, 2011 from the comparable period in 2010 primarily resulted from declines in professional fees related to the Allied Acquisition following its completion in 2010 and having substantially completed the integration of Allied Capital by early 2011. Administrative fees represent fees paid to Ares Operations for our allocable portion of overhead and other expenses incurred by Ares Operations in performing its obligations under the administration agreement, including our allocable portion of the cost of certain of our executive officers and their respective staffs. Other general and administrative expenses include rent, insurance, depreciation, director's fees and other costs.

The Company has elected to be treated as a RIC under the Code and operates in a manner so as to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify as a RIC, the Company must, among other things, timely distribute to its stockholders generally at least 90% of its investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. In order to maintain its RIC status, the Company, among other things, has made and intends to continue to make the requisite distributions to its stockholders which will generally relieve the Company from U.S. federal income taxes.

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year dividend distributions from such current year taxable income into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income, as required. To the extent that the Company determines that its estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions from such income, the Company accrues excise tax on estimated excess taxable income as such taxable income is earned. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, a net expense of $7.9 million, $6.6 million and $2.2 million was recorded for U.S. federal excise tax, respectively.

Certain of our consolidated subsidiaries are subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, we recorded a tax expense of approximately $3.2 million, $0.9 million and $3.2 million, respectively, for these subsidiaries.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company had $2.5 billion of sales, repayments or exits of investments resulting in $46.7 million of net realized gains. These sales, repayments or exits included $256.9 million of investments sold to IHAM and certain vehicles managed by IHAM. A net realized gain of $2.3 million was recorded on these transactions. See Note 14 to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 for more detail on IHAM and its managed vehicles. Net realized gains of $46.7 million on investments were comprised of $172.0 million of gross realized gains and $125.3 million of gross realized losses. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2012, in connection with the repayment in full of the $60 million aggregate principal amount of the Company's asset-backed notes (the "CLO Notes") issued under its 2006 debt securitization (the "Debt Securitization") ahead of their scheduled maturities, $2.7 million of unamortized debt issuance costs were expensed and recorded as a realized loss on the extinguishment of debt.

The realized gains and losses on investments during the year ended December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Realized Gains (Losses)

Reed Group, Ltd.	$	41.5
Stag-Parkway, Inc.		30.0
R3 Education, Inc. and EIC Acquisitions Corp.		18.3
Savers, Inc. and SAI Acquisition Corporation		15.2
BenefitMall Holdings Inc.		12.5
Things Remembered Inc. and TRM Holdings Corporation		9.6
Sunquest Information Systems, Inc.		9.1
Norwesco		5.7
OTG Management, Inc.		4.0
Crescent Hotels & Resorts, LLC and affiliates		(5.5	)
LVCG Holdings LLC		(6.6	)
Direct Buy Holdings, Inc. and Direct Buy Investors, LP		(8.3	)
Aquila Binks Forest Development, LLC		(9.5	)
Making Memories Wholesale, Inc.		(12.3	)
Firstlight Financial Corporation		(26.0	)
Prommis Solutions, LLC		(46.8	)
Other, net		15.8

Total (net)	$	46.7

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company had $2.5 billion of sales, repayments or exits of investments resulting in $96.6 million of net realized gains. These sales, repayments or exits included $261.3 million of investments sold to IHAM or certain vehicles managed by IHAM. A net realized gain of $0.1 million was recorded on these transactions. Net realized gains of $96.6 million on investments were comprised of $249.1 million of gross realized gains and $152.5 million of gross realized losses. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2011, in connection with the redemptions of all of the Company's outstanding 6.000% notes due on April 1, 2012 (the "2012 Notes") and all the Company's outstanding 6.625% notes due on July 15, 2011 (the "2011 Notes"), the Company recognized a realized loss on the extinguishment of debt of $19.3 million.

The realized gains and losses on investments during the year ended December 31, 2011 consisted of the following:

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Realized Gains (Losses)

Reflexite Corporation	$	40.9
DSI Renal, Inc.		27.5
Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund VI, Ltd.		23.9
Industrial Container Services, LLC		19.9
Dryden XVIII Leveraged Loan 2007 Limited		19.3
Penn Detroit Diesel Allison, LLC		18.4
Callidus MAPS CLO Fund I LLC		15.0
Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund VII, Ltd.		10.8
Callidus MAPS CLO Fund II, Ltd.		8.2
Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund IV, Ltd.		8.0
Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund V, Ltd.		5.7
Border Foods, Inc.		5.2
Driven Brands, Inc.		4.5
Callidus Debt Partners CLO Fund III, Ltd.		4.4
Sigma International Group, Inc.		(4.3	)
AWTP, LLC		(7.6	)
Universal Trailer Corporation		(7.9	)
HB&G Building Products, Inc.		(9.1	)
Summit Business Media, LLC		(10.1	)
Wastequip, Inc.		(10.2	)
Coverall North America, Inc.		(12.3	)
Primis Marketing Group, Inc.		(14.1	)
Cook Inlet Alternative Risk, LLC		(15.7	)
Direct Buy Holdings, Inc.		(17.7	)
MPBP Holdings, Inc.		(27.7	)
Other, net		21.6

Total (net)	$	96.6

During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company had $1.6 billion of sales, repayments or exits of investments resulting in $45.5 million of net realized gains. These sales, repayments or exits included $113.1 million of investments sold to IHAM or certain vehicles managed by IHAM. A net realized loss of $1.3 million was recorded on these transactions. Net realized gains of $45.5 million on investments were comprised of $64.6 million of gross realized gains and $19.1 million of gross realized losses. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2010, the Company purchased $19.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2011 Notes and $34.4 million aggregate principal amount of the 2012

Notes. As a result of these transactions, the Company recognized a realized loss on the extinguishment of debt of $2.0 million.

The realized gains and losses on investments during the year ended December 31, 2010 consisted of the following:

We value our portfolio investments quarterly and the changes in value are recorded as unrealized gains or losses. Net unrealized gains and losses for the Company's portfolio for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, were comprised of the following:

The changes in unrealized appreciation and depreciation during the year ended December 31, 2012 consisted of the following:

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P.	$	41.6
ADF Restaurant Group, LLC		12.2
R3 Education, Inc.		6.9
Performant Financial Corporation		6.5
Tradesmen International, Inc.		6.5
AWTP, LLC		6.2
Financial Pacific Company		6.0
ELC Acquisition Corp.		5.1
The Dwyer Group		5.0
Campus Management Corp.		(4.5	)
Community Education Centers, Inc.		(4.6	)
Matrixx Initiatives, Inc.		(4.8	)
HCP Acquisition Holdings, LLC		(6.2	)
UL Holding Co., LLC		(7.0	)
RE Community Holdings II, Inc.		(7.3	)
American Broadband Communications, LLC		(8.5	)
Orion Foods, LLC		(10.4	)
eInstruction Corporation		(16.7	)
MVL Group, Inc		(27.9	)
Other, net		26.2

Total (net)	$	24.3

The changes in unrealized appreciation and depreciation during the year ended December 31, 2011 consisted of the following:

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P.	$	48.9
Firstlight Financial Corporation		15.4
BenefitMall Holdings, Inc.		9.5
Things Remembered Inc.		5.5
American Broadband Holding Company		5.3
Insight Pharmaceuticals Corporation		4.9
Savers, Inc.		4.9
The Step2 Company, LLC		(4.5	)
Direct Buy Holdings, Inc.		(5.6	)
VSS-Tranzact Holdings, LLC		(6.3	)
Orion Foods, LLC		(6.8	)
Making Memories Wholesale, Inc.		(7.0	)
Reed Group, Ltd.		(8.3	)
CitiPostal Inc.		(11.0	)
Pillar Processing, LLC		(12.6	)
Ciena Capital LLC		(27.0	)
eInstruction Corporation		(27.9	)
Prommis Solutions, LLC		(43.2	)
Other, net		4.8

Total (net)	$	(61.0	)

The changes in unrealized appreciation and depreciation during the year ended December 31, 2010 consisted of the following:

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

DSI Renal Inc.	$	24.7
Senior Secured Loan Fund LLC		24.3
Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P.		21.6
R3 Education, Inc.		16.3
Stag-Parkway, Inc.		15.5
Callidus Debt Partners CDO Fund VI, Ltd.		12.7
Hot Stuff Foods, LLC		11.3
Things Remembered, Inc.		11.1
Dryden XVIII Leveraged Loan 2007 Limited		8.2
Vantage Oncology, Inc.		7.8
Tradesmen International, Inc.		7.7
Industrial Container Services, LLC		7.0
Callidus Debt Partners CDO Fund VII, Ltd.		7.0
S.B. Restaurant Company		6.8
Callidus MAPS CLO Fund I, Ltd.		6.2
Reflexite Corporation		5.9
Callidus MAPS CLO Fund II, Ltd.		5.7
Component Hardware Group, Inc.		5.5
Woodstream Corporation		5.2
American Broadband Holding Company		4.8
Callidus Debt Partners CDO Fund IV, Ltd.		4.7
Direct Buy Holdings, Inc.		4.2
The Step2Company, LLC		4.0
MPBP Holdings, Inc.		(4.7	)
Reed Group, Ltd.		(5.6	)
Ciena Capital LLC		(6.1	)
Aquila Binks Forest Development, LLC		(6.5	)
ADF Restaurant Group, LLC		(6.7	)
Coverall North America, Inc.		(7.6	)
Other, net		41.2

Total (net)	$	232.2

The Company's liquidity and capital resources are generated primarily from the net proceeds of public offerings of equity and debt securities, advances from the Facilities, net proceeds from the issuance of other securities, including convertible notes, as well as cash flows from operations.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had $269.0 million in cash and cash equivalents and $2.2 billion in total debt outstanding at carrying value ($2.3 billion at principal amount). Subject to leverage and borrowing base restrictions, the Company had approximately $1.6 billion available for additional borrowings under the Facilities as of December 31, 2012.

if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved may be material. In addition, we may from time to time enter into additional debt facilities, increase the size of existing facilities or issue additional debt securities, including unsecured debt and/or debt securities convertible into common stock. Any such incurrence or issuance would be subject to prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual and regulatory restrictions and other factors. In accordance with the Investment Company Act, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, calculated pursuant to the Investment Company Act, is at least 200% after such borrowing.

The following table summarizes the total shares issued and proceeds we received in underwritten public offerings of our common stock net of underwriting discounts and offering costs for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2010. There were no sales of our equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2011.

The Company used the net proceeds from these public equity offerings in 2012 and 2010 to repay outstanding debt and for general corporate purposes, which included funding investments in accordance with our investment objective.

As of December 31, 2012, total equity market capitalization for the Company was $4.4 billion compared to $3.2 billion as of December 31, 2011.

Our debt obligations consisted of the following as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

	As of December 31,

	2012								2011
(in millions)	Total Aggregate Principal Amount Committed/ Outstanding(1)			Principal Amount Outstanding		Carrying Value			Total Aggregate Principal Amount Committed/ Outstanding(1)		Principal Amount Outstanding		Carrying Value
Revolving Credit Facility	$	900.0	(2)	$	—	$	—		$	810.0	$	395.0	$	395.0
Revolving Funding Facility		620.0	(3)		300.0		300.0			500.0		463.0		463.0
SMBC Funding Facility		400.0			—		—			—		—		—
Debt Securitization		—			—		—			77.5		77.5		77.5
February 2016 Convertible Notes		575.0			575.0		548.5	(4)		575.0		575.0		541.2	(4)
June 2016 Convertible Notes		230.0			230.0		218.8	(4)		230.0		230.0		215.9	(4)
2017 Convertible Notes		162.5			162.5		158.3	(4)		—		—		—
2018 Convertible Notes		270.0			270.0		262.8	(4)		—		—		—
February 2022 Notes		143.8			143.8		143.8			—		—		—
October 2022 Notes		182.5			182.5		182.5			—		—		—
2040 Notes		200.0			200.0		200.0			200.0		200.0		200.0
2047 Notes		230.0			230.0		181.2	(5)		230.0		230.0		181.0	(5)

	$	3,913.8		$	2,293.8	$	2,195.9		$	2,622.5	$	2,170.5	$	2,073.6

(1): Subject to borrowing base and leverage restrictions. Represents the total aggregate amount committed or outstanding, as applicable, under such instrument.
(2): Provides for a feature that allows the Company, under certain circumstances, to increase the size of the Revolving Credit Facility to a maximum of $1,350.0 million as of December 31, 2012.
(3): Provides for a feature that allows the Company and Ares Capital CP, under certain circumstances, to increase the size of the Revolving Funding Facility to a maximum of $865.0 million as of December 31, 2012.
(4): Represents the aggregate principal amount outstanding of the Convertible Unsecured Notes less the unaccreted discount initially recorded upon issuance of the Convertible Unsecured Notes. The total unaccreted discount for the February 2016 Convertible Notes, the June 2016 Convertible Notes, the 2017 Convertible Notes and the 2018 Convertible Notes was $26.5 million, $11.2 million, $4.2 million and $7.2 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2012. The total unaccreted discount for the February 2016 Convertible Notes and the June 2016 Convertible Notes was $33.8 million and $14.1 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2011.
(5): Represents the aggregate principal amount outstanding less the unaccreted purchased discount. The total unaccreted purchased discount on the 2047 Notes was $48.8 million and $49.0 million as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

The weighted average stated interest rate and weighted average maturity, both on aggregate principal amount, of all our debt outstanding as of December 31, 2012 were 5.5% and 9.8 years, respectively, and as of December 31, 2011 were 4.8% and 9.3 years, respectively.

The ratio of total principal amount of debt outstanding to stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2012 was 0.58:1.00 compared to 0.69:1.00 as of December 31, 2011. The ratio of total carrying value of debt outstanding to stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2012 was 0.55:1.00 compared to 0.66:1.00 as of December 31, 2011.

In accordance with the Investment Company Act, with certain limited exceptions, we are only allowed to borrow amounts such that our asset coverage, as calculated in accordance with the

Investment Company Act, is at least 200% after such borrowing. As of December 31, 2012, our asset coverage was 282%.

In December 2005, we entered into a senior secured revolving credit facility (as amended and restated, the "Revolving Credit Facility"), which as of December 31, 2012, allowed us to borrow up to $900 million at any one time outstanding. In May 2012, we amended and restated the Revolving Credit Facility to, among other things, increase the size of the facility from $810 million to $900 million, extend the expiration of the revolving period from January 22, 2013 to May 4, 2015 and extend the stated maturity date from January 22, 2013 to May 4, 2016. The Revolving Credit Facility also provides for a feature that allows us, under certain circumstances, to increase the size of the facility to a maximum of $1.35 billion. As of December 31, 2012, the interest rate charged on the Revolving Credit Facility is based on LIBOR plus an applicable spread of 2.25% or a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the Revolving Credit Facility) plus an applicable spread of 1.25%. Additionally, we are required to pay a commitment fee of 0.375% per annum on any unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2012, there were no amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and we were in compliance in all material respects with the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility.

In October 2004, we established through our consolidated subsidiary, Ares Capital CP Funding LLC ("Ares Capital CP"), a revolving funding facility (as amended, the "Revolving Funding Facility"), which as of December 31, 2012 allowed Ares Capital CP to borrow up to $620 million at any one time outstanding. The Revolving Funding Facility is secured by all of the assets held by, and its membership interest in, Ares Capital CP. In June 2012, we and Ares Capital CP amended the Revolving Funding Facility to, among other things, (i) increase the size of the Revolving Funding Facility from $500 million to $580 million, (ii) add a feature that allows, under certain circumstances, for an increase in the size of the facility to a maximum of $865 million, (iii) extend the reinvestment period from January 18, 2015 to April 18, 2015, and (iv) extend the stated maturity date from January 18, 2017 to April 18, 2017. In July 2012, the Company and Ares Capital CP received an increase in the commitments under the Revolving Funding Facility of $40 million, bringing the total commitments to $620 million. As of December 31, 2012, the interest rate charged on the Revolving Funding Facility was one month LIBOR plus an applicable spread of 2.50% or a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the Revolving Funding Facility) plus an applicable spread of 1.50%. See "Recent Developments" as well as Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 for more information on a recent amendment to the Revolving Funding Facility. Additionally, we are required to pay a commitment fee of between 0.50% and 1.75% depending on the size of the unused portion of the Revolving Funding Facility. As of December 31, 2012, the principal amount outstanding under the Revolving Funding Facility was $300.0 million and we and Ares Capital CP were in compliance in all material respects with the terms of the Revolving Funding Facility.

In January 2012, we established through our consolidated subsidiary, Ares Capital JB Funding LLC, ("ACJB"), a revolving funding facility (as amended, the "SMBC Funding Facility"), which as of December 31, 2012 allowed ACJB to borrow up to $400 million at any one time outstanding. The SMBC Funding Facility is secured by all of the assets held by ACJB. In September 2012, the Company and ACJB amended the SMBC Funding Facility to, among other things, (i) increase the size of the SMBC Funding Facility from $200 million to $400 million, (ii) extend the

reinvestment period from January 20, 2015 to September 14, 2015 and (iii) extend the stated maturity date from January 20, 2020 to September 14, 2020. The reinvestment period and the stated maturity date are both subject to two one-year extensions by mutual agreement. As of December 31, 2012, the interest rate charged on the SMBC Funding Facility is based on one month LIBOR plus an applicable spread of 2.125% or a "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the SMBC Funding Facility) plus an applicable spread of 1.125%. As a result of the September 2012 amendment to the SMBC Funding Facility described above, ACJB is not required to pay a commitment fee until September 15, 2013, at which time ACJB is required to pay a commitment fee of 0.50% depending on the size of the unused portion of the SMBC Funding Facility. As of December 31, 2012, there was no amounts outstanding under the SMBC Funding Facility and we and ACJB were in compliance in all material respects with the terms of the SMBC Funding Facility.

In July 2006, through ARCC Commercial Loan Trust 2006, a vehicle serviced by our consolidated subsidiary, ARCC CLO 2006 LLC ("ARCC CLO"), we completed the $400 million debt securitization (the "Debt Securitization") and issued approximately $314 million aggregate principal amount of asset backed notes to third parties (the "CLO Notes") that were secured by a pool of middle market loans that were purchased or originated by us. We initially retained approximately $86 million of aggregate principal amount of certain "BBB" and non-rated securities in the Debt Securitization and subsequently repurchased $35 million of the CLO Notes. In June 2012, we repaid in full the $60 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of the CLO Notes and terminated or discharged the agreements governing the Debt Securitization.

In January 2011, we issued $575 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured convertible senior notes that mature on February 1, 2016, unless previously converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms (the "February 2016 Convertible Notes"). In March 2011, we issued $230 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured convertible senior notes that mature on June 1, 2016, unless previously converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms (the "June 2016 Convertible Notes"). In March 2012, we issued $162.5 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured convertible senior notes that mature on March 15, 2017, unless previously converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms (the "2017 Convertible Notes"). In the fourth quarter of 2012, we issued $270.0 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured convertible senior notes that mature on January 15, 2018, unless previously converted or repurchased in accordance with their terms (the "2018 Convertible Notes" and together with the February 2016 Convertible Notes, the June 2016 Convertible Notes and the 2017 Convertible Notes, the "Convertible Unsecured Notes"). We do not have the right to redeem the Convertible Unsecured Notes prior to maturity. The February 2016 Convertible Notes, the June 2016 Convertible Notes, the 2017 Convertible Notes and the 2018 Convertible Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.750%, 5.125%, 4.875% and 4.750%, respectively, per year, payable semi-annually.

In certain circumstances, the Convertible Unsecured Notes will be convertible into cash, shares of our common stock or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock, at our election, at their respective conversion rates (listed below as of December 31, 2012) subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments and the requirements of their respective indenture (the "Convertible Unsecured Notes Indentures"). Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding their respective conversion date (listed below), holders may convert their Convertible Unsecured Notes only under certain circumstances set forth in the respective Convertible Unsecured Notes Indenture. On or after their respective conversion dates until the close of business on the scheduled trading day immediately preceding their respective maturity date, holders may convert their Convertible Unsecured Notes at any time. In addition, if we engage in certain corporate events as described in their respective Convertible

Unsecured Notes Indenture, holders of the Convertible Unsecured Notes may require us to repurchase for cash all or part of the Convertible Unsecured Notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Unsecured Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest through, but excluding, the required repurchase date.

Certain key terms related to the convertible features for each of the Convertible Unsecured Notes are listed below.

As of December 31, 2012, we were in compliance in all material respects with the terms of the Convertible Unsecured Notes Indentures.

In February 2012, we issued $143.8 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes, which bear interest at a rate of 7.00% per year and mature on February 15, 2022 (the "February 2022 Notes"). The February 2022 Notes require payment of interest quarterly, and all principal is due upon maturity. These notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option on or after February 15, 2015, at a par redemption price of $25.00 per security plus accrued and unpaid interest.

In September 2012 and October 2012, we issued $182.5 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes, which bear interest at a rate of 5.875% per year and mature on October 1, 2022 (the "October 2022 Notes"). The October 2022 Notes require payment of interest quarterly commencing on January 1, 2013, and all principal is due upon maturity. These notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option on or after October 1, 2015, at a par redemption price of $25.00 per security plus accrued interest and unpaid interest.

In October 2010, we issued $200 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes which bear interest at a rate of 7.75% and mature on October 15, 2040 (the "2040 Notes"). The 2040 Notes require payment of interest quarterly, and all principal is due upon maturity. These notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option on or after October 15, 2015, at a par redemption price of $25.00 per security plus accrued and unpaid interest.

As part of the Allied Acquisition, we assumed $230 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of senior unsecured notes which bear interest at a rate of 6.875% and mature on April 15, 2047 (the "2047 Notes" and together with the February 2022 Notes, the October 2022 Notes and the 2040 Notes,

the "Unsecured Notes"). The 2047 Notes require payment of interest quarterly, and all principal is due upon maturity. These notes are redeemable in whole or in part at any time or from time to time at our option, at a par redemption price of $25.00 per security plus accrued and unpaid interest and upon the occurrence of certain tax events as described in the indenture governing the 2047 Notes.

As of December 31, 2012 we were in compliance in all material respects with the terms of the indentures governing the Unsecured Notes.

The Convertible Unsecured Notes and the Unsecured Notes are our senior unsecured obligations and rank senior in right of payment to our existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Convertible Unsecured Notes and the Unsecured Notes; equal in right of payment to our existing and future unsecured indebtedness that is not expressly subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of our secured indebtedness (including existing unsecured indebtedness that we later secure) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all existing and future indebtedness (including trade payables) incurred by our subsidiaries, financing vehicles or similar facilities.

See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012 for more detail on the Company's debt obligations.

A summary of the maturities of our principal amounts of debt and other contractual payment obligations as of December 31, 2012 are as follows:

	Payments Due by Period

(in millions)	Total		Less than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		After 5 years
Revolving Credit Facility	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—
Revolving Funding Facility		300.0		—		—		300.0		—
SMBC Funding Facility		—		—		—		—		—
February 2016 Convertible Notes		575.0		—		—		575.0		—
June 2016 Convertible Notes		230.0		—		—		230.0		—
2017 Convertible Notes		162.5		—		—		162.5		—
2018 Convertible Notes		270.0		—		—		—		270.0
February 2022 Notes		143.8		—		—		—		143.8
October 2022 Notes		182.5		—		—		—		182.5
2040 Notes		200.0		—		—		—		200.0
2047 Notes		230.0		—		—		—		230.0
Operating lease obligations		73.0		7.1		11.8		10.9		43.2

	$	2,366.8	$	7.1	$	11.8	$	1,278.4	$	1,069.5

The Company has various commitments to fund investments in its portfolio, as described below.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company had the following commitments to fund various revolving and delayed draw senior secured and subordinated loans, including commitments to fund which are at (or substantially at) the Company's discretion:

Included within the total revolving and delayed draw commitments as of December 31, 2012 were commitments to issue up to $62.3 million in standby letters of credit through a financial intermediary on behalf of certain portfolio companies. Under these arrangements, if the standby letters of credit were to be issued, the Company would be required to make payments to third parties if the portfolio companies were to default on their related payment obligations. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had $41.4 million in standby letters of credit issued and outstanding under these commitments on behalf of the portfolio companies, of which no amounts were recorded as a liability on our balance sheet as such letters of credit are considered in the valuation of the investments in the portfolio company. Of these letters of credit $41.3 million expire in 2013 and $0.1 million expire in 2014.

As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company was party to subscription agreements to fund equity investments in private equity investment partnerships as follows:

In addition, as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company had outstanding guarantees or similar obligations on behalf of certain portfolio companies totaling $0.8 million.

In the ordinary course of business, we may sell certain of our investments to third party purchasers. In particular, in connection with the sale of certain controlled portfolio company equity investments (as well as certain other sales), we have, and may continue to do so in the future, agreed to indemnify such purchasers for future liabilities arising from the investments and the related sale transaction. Such indemnification provisions may give rise to future liabilities.

As of December 31, 2012, one of the Company's portfolio companies, Ciena Capital LLC ("Ciena"), had one non-recourse securitization Small Business Administration ("SBA") loan warehouse facility, which has reached its maturity date but remains outstanding. Ciena is working with the providers of the SBA loan warehouse facility with regard to the repayment of that facility. Allied Capital had previously issued a performance guaranty (which Ares Capital succeeded to as a result of the Allied Acquisition) whereby Ares Capital must indemnify the warehouse providers for any damages, losses, liabilities and related costs and expenses that they may incur as a result of Ciena's failure to perform any of its obligations as loan originator, loan seller or loan servicer under the warehouse facility. As of December 31, 2012, there were no known issues or claims with respect to this performance guaranty.

On January 25, 2013, Ares Capital and Ares Capital CP, entered into an amendment to the Revolving Funding Facility. The amendment, among other things, modified the interest charged on the Revolving Funding Facility from the previous applicable spreads of 2.50% over LIBOR and 1.50% over "base rate" (as defined in the agreements governing the Revolving Funding Facility) to applicable spreads ranging from 2.25% to 2.50% over LIBOR and ranging from 1.25% to 1.50% over "base rate," in each case, determined monthly based on the composition of the borrowing base relative to outstanding borrowings under the facility. After giving effect to the amendment and the relevant borrowing base and amounts outstanding thereunder, the interest charged on the Revolving Funding Facility as of January 25, 2013 was based on a spread over one-month LIBOR of 2.25% or a spread over "base rate" of 1.25%. As of such date, one-month LIBOR was 0.2037% and the "base rate" was 3.25%.

From January 1, 2013 through February 22, 2013, we made new investment commitments of $165 million, of which $162 million were funded. Of these new commitments, 60% were in second lien senior secured loans, 30% were in first lien senior secured loans, 9% were investments in subordinated certificates of the SSLP, the proceeds of which were applied to co-investments with GE to fund first lien senior secured loans through the SSLP, and 1% were in preferred equity securities. Of the $165 million of new investment commitments, 92% were floating rate and 8% were fixed rate. The weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities funded during the period at amortized cost was 9.5%. We may seek to syndicate a portion of these new investment commitments, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so.

From January 1, 2013 through February 22, 2013, we exited $208 million of investment commitments. Of these investment commitments, 47% were first lien senior secured loans, 45% were second lien senior secured loans, 7% were investments in subordinated certificates of the SSLP and 1% were other equity securities. Of the $208 million of exited investment commitments, 97% were floating rate, 2% were fixed rate and 1% were non-interest bearing. The weighted average yield of debt and other income producing securities exited or repaid during the period at amortized cost was 9.8%. On the $208 million of investment commitments exited from January 1, 2013 through February 22, 2013, we recognized total net realized gains of approximately $10 million.

In addition, as of February 22, 2013, we had an investment backlog and pipeline of approximately $290 million and $155 million, respectively. Investment backlog includes transactions approved by our investment adviser's investment committee and/or for which a formal mandate, letter of intent or a signed commitment have been issued, and therefore we believe are likely to close. Investment pipeline includes transactions where due diligence and analysis are in process, but no formal mandate, letter of intent or signed commitment have been issued. The consummation of any of the investments in this backlog and pipeline depends upon, among other things, one or more of the following: satisfactory completion of our due diligence investigation of the prospective portfolio company, our acceptance of the terms and structure of such investment and the execution and delivery of satisfactory transaction

documentation. In addition, we may syndicate a portion of these investments. We cannot assure you that we will make any of these investments or that we will syndicate any portion of these investments.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with GAAP, and include the accounts of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments and reclassifications that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for the fair presentation of the results of the operations and financial condition as of and for the periods presented. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Cash and cash equivalents include funds from time to time deposited with financial institutions and short-term, liquid investments in a money market fund. Cash and cash equivalents are carried at cost which approximates fair value.

The Company places its cash and cash equivalents with financial institutions and, at times, cash held in money market accounts may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limit.

Investment transactions are recorded on the trade date. Realized gains or losses are measured by the difference between the net proceeds from the repayment or sale and the amortized cost basis of the investment without regard to unrealized gains or losses previously recognized, and include investments charged off during the period, net of recoveries. Unrealized gains or losses primarily reflect the change in investment values, including the reversal of previously recorded unrealized gains or losses when gains or losses are realized.

Investments for which market quotations are readily available are typically valued at such market quotations. In order to validate market quotations, we look at a number of factors to determine if the quotations are representative of fair value, including the source and nature of the quotations. Debt and equity securities that are not publicly traded or whose market prices are not readily available (i.e., substantially all of our investments) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors, based on, among other things, the input of our investment adviser, audit committee and independent third-party valuation firms that have been engaged at the direction of our board of directors to assist in the valuation of each portfolio investment without a readily available market quotation at least once during a trailing 12 month period (with certain de minimis exceptions) and under a valuation policy and a consistently applied valuation process. The valuation process is conducted at the end of each fiscal quarter, and a minimum of 50% of our portfolio at fair value is subject to review by an independent valuation firm each quarter. In addition, our independent accountants review our valuation process as part of their overall integrated audit.

As part of the valuation process, we may take into account the following types of factors, if relevant, in determining the fair value of our investments: the enterprise value of a portfolio company (the entire value of the portfolio company to a market participant, including the sum of the values of debt and equity securities used to capitalize the enterprise at a point in time), the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company's ability to make payments and its earnings and discounted cash flow, the markets in which the portfolio company does business, a comparison of the

portfolio company's securities to any similar publicly traded securities, changes in the interest rate environment and the credit markets generally that may affect the price at which similar investments would trade in their principal markets and other relevant factors. When an external event such as a purchase transaction, public offering or subsequent equity sale occurs, we consider the pricing indicated by the external event to corroborate our valuation.

Because there is not a readily available market value for most of the investments in our portfolio, we value substantially all of our portfolio investments at fair value as determined in good faith by our board of directors, as described herein. Due to the inherent uncertainty of determining the fair value of investments that do not have a readily available market value, the fair value of our investments may fluctuate from period to period. Additionally, the fair value of our investments may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market existed for such investments and may differ materially from the values that we may ultimately realize. Further, such investments are generally subject to legal and other restrictions on resale or otherwise are less liquid than publicly traded securities. If we were required to liquidate a portfolio investment in a forced or liquidation sale, we could realize significantly less than the value at which we have recorded it.

In addition, changes in the market environment and other events that may occur over the life of the investments may cause the gains or losses ultimately realized on these investments to be different than the unrealized gains or losses reflected in the valuations currently assigned.

Our board of directors undertakes a multi-step valuation process each quarter, as described below:

Interest income is recorded on an accrual basis and includes the accretion of discounts and amortization of premiums. Discounts from and premiums to par value on securities purchased are accreted/amortized into interest income over the life of the respective security using the effective yield method. The amortized cost of investments represents the original cost adjusted for the accretion of discounts and amortization of premiums, if any.

Loans are generally placed on non-accrual status when principal or interest payments are past due 30 days or more or when there is reasonable doubt that principal or interest will be collected in full. Accrued and unpaid 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 regarding collectability. 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. The Company may make exceptions to this if the loan has sufficient collateral value and is in the process of collection.

Dividend income on preferred equity securities is recorded as dividend income on an accrual basis to the extent that such amounts are payable by the portfolio company and are expected to be collected. Dividend income on common equity securities is recorded on the record date for private portfolio companies or on the ex-dividend date for publicly traded portfolio companies.

The Company has loans in its portfolio that contain PIK provisions. The PIK interest, computed at the contractual rate specified in each loan agreement, is added to the principal balance of the loan and recorded as interest income. To maintain the Company's status as a RIC, this non-cash source of income must be paid out to stockholders in the form of dividends even though the Company has not yet collected the cash.

The Company's investment adviser seeks to provide assistance to our portfolio companies in connection with the Company's investments and in return the Company may receive fees for capital structuring services. These fees are generally only available to the Company as a result of the Company's underlying investments, are normally paid at the closing of the investments, are generally non-recurring and are recognized as revenue when earned upon closing of the investment. The services that the Company's investment adviser provides vary by investment, but generally include reviewing existing credit facilities, arranging bank financing, arranging equity financing, structuring financing from multiple lenders, structuring financing from multiple equity investors, restructuring existing loans, raising equity and debt capital, and providing general financial advice, which concludes upon closing of the investment. Any services of the above nature subsequent to the closing would generally generate a separate fee payable to the Company. In certain instances where the Company is invited to participate as a co-lender in a transaction and does not provide significant services in connection with the investment, a portion of loan fees paid to the Company in such situations will be deferred and amortized over the estimated life of the loan. The Company's investment adviser may also take a seat on the board of directors of a portfolio company, or observe the meetings of the board of directors without taking a formal seat.

Other income includes fees for asset management, management and consulting services, loan guarantees, commitments, amendments and other services rendered by the Company to portfolio companies. Such fees are recognized as income when earned or the services are rendered.

The Company's books and records are maintained in U.S. dollars. Any foreign currency amounts are translated into U.S. dollars on the following basis:

Results of operations based on changes in foreign exchange rates are separately disclosed in the statement of operations. Foreign security and currency translations may involve certain considerations and risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies and U.S. government securities. These risks include, but are not limited to, currency fluctuations and revaluations and future adverse political, social and economic developments, which could cause investments in foreign markets to be less liquid and prices more volatile than those of comparable U.S. companies or U.S. government securities.

The Company's offering costs, excluding underwriters' fees, are charged against the proceeds from equity offerings when received.

Debt issuance costs are amortized over the life of the related debt instrument using the straight line method, which closely approximates the effective yield method.

The Company has elected to be treated as a RIC under the Code and operates in a manner so as to qualify for the tax treatment applicable to RICs. To qualify as a RIC, the Company must, among other things, timely distribute to its stockholders at least 90% of its investment company taxable income, as defined by the Code, for each year. The Company, among other things, has made and intends to continue to make the requisite distributions to its stockholders, which will generally relieve the Company from U.S. federal income taxes.

Depending on the level of taxable income earned in a tax year, we may choose to carry forward taxable income in excess of current year dividend distributions from such income into the next tax year and pay a 4% excise tax on such income, as required. To the extent that the Company determines that its estimated current year annual taxable income will be in excess of estimated current year dividend distributions, the Company accrues excise tax, if any, on estimated excess taxable income as such taxable income is earned.

Certain of our consolidated subsidiaries are subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes.

Dividends and distributions to common stockholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount to be paid out as a dividend is determined by our board of directors each quarter and is generally based upon the earnings estimated by management. Net realized capital gains, if any, are generally distributed, although we may decide to retain such capital gains for investment.

We have adopted a dividend reinvestment plan that provides for reinvestment of any distributions we declare in cash on behalf of our stockholders, unless a stockholder elects to receive cash. As a result, if our board of directors authorizes, and we declare, a cash dividend, then our stockholders who have not "opted out" of our dividend reinvestment plan will have their cash dividends automatically reinvested in additional shares of our common stock, rather than receiving the cash dividend. We intend to use primarily newly issued shares to implement the dividend reinvestment plan (so long as we are trading at a premium to net asset value). If our shares are trading at a significant enough discount to net asset value and we are otherwise permitted under applicable law to purchase such shares, we intend to purchase shares in the open market in connection with our obligations under our dividend reinvestment plan. However, we reserve the right to issue new shares of our common stock in connection with our obligations under the dividend reinvestment plan even if our shares are trading below net asset value.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of actual and contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income or loss and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates include the valuation of investments.

We are subject to financial market risks, including changes in interest rates and the valuations of our investment portfolio.

Interest rate sensitivity refers to the change in our earnings that may result from changes in the level of interest rates. Because we fund a portion of our investments with borrowings, our net investment income is affected by the difference between the rate at which we invest and the rate at which we borrow. As a result, there can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on our net investment income. See "Risk Factors—We are exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates."

As of December 31, 2012, approximately 13% of the investments at fair value in our portfolio bore interest at fixed rates, approximately 75% bore interest at variable rates, 11% were non-interest earning and 1% were on non-accrual status. Additionally, for the variable rate investments, 70% of these investments contained interest rate floors (representing 53% of total investments at fair value). The Facilities all bear interest at variable rates with no interest rate floors, while the Unsecured Notes and the Convertible Unsecured Notes bear interest at fixed rates.

We regularly measure our exposure to interest rate risk. We assess interest rate risk and manage our interest rate exposure on an ongoing basis by comparing our interest rate sensitive assets to our interest rate sensitive liabilities. Based on that review, we determine whether or not any hedging transactions are necessary to mitigate exposure to changes in interest rates.

While hedging activities may mitigate our exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates, certain hedging transactions that we may enter into in the future, such as interest rate swap agreements, may also limit our ability to participate in the benefits of lower interest rates with respect to our portfolio investments. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively hedge our interest rate risk.

Based on our December 31, 2012 balance sheet, the following table shows the annual impact on net income of base rate changes in interest rates (considering interest rate floors for variable rate instruments) assuming no changes in our investment and borrowing structure:

Based on our December 31, 2011 balance sheet, the following table shows the annual impact on net income of base rate changes in interest rates (considering interest rate floors for variable rate instruments) assuming no changes in our investment and borrowing structure:

Item 9. Changes In And Disagreements With Accountants On Accounting And Financial Disclosure

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company's management, with the participation of the Company's President and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon such evaluation, the Company's President and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of December 31, 2012, to provide assurance that information that is required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified by the SEC's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its President and Chief Financial Officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

(b) Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. The Company's management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the President and Chief Financial Officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company's internal controls over financial reporting based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on the Company's evaluation under the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework, management concluded that the Company's internal controls over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2012. The Company's internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, has been audited by our independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, as stated in its report titled "Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" on page F-2.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

(c) Audit Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm. The Company's independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, has issued an audit report on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting which is set forth under the heading "Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" on page F-2.

(d) Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during our most recently completed fiscal quarter, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

The information required by this item will be contained in the Company's definitive Proxy Statement for its 2013 Annual Stockholder Meeting, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after December 31, 2012, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Number			Description

	2.1		Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 26, 2009, among Ares Capital Corporation, ARCC Odyssey Corp. and Allied Capital Corporation(1)
	3.1		Articles of Amendment and Restatement, as amended(2)
	3.2		Second Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended(3)
	4.1		Form of Stock Certificate(4)
	4.2		Indenture, dated June 16, 2006, between Allied Capital Corporation and The Bank of New York, as trustee(5)
	4.3		Form of Note under the Indenture, dated June 16, 2006, between Allied Capital Corporation and The Bank of New York, as trustee(5)
	4.4		Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 28, 2007, between Allied Capital Corporation and The Bank of New York, as trustee(6)
	4.5		Form of 6.875% Notes due 2047(6)
	4.6		Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of April 1, 2010, among Ares Capital Corporation, Allied Capital Corporation and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee(7)
	4.7		Indenture, dated as of October 21, 2010, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(8)
	4.8		First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 21, 2010, relating to the 7.75% Senior Notes due 2040, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(8)
	4.9		Form of 7.75% Senior Notes due 2040(8)
	4.10		Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 2, 2012, relating to the 7.00% Senior Notes due 2022, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(9)
	4.11		Form of 7.00% Senior Notes due 2022(9)
	4.12		Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of September 25, 2012, relating to the 5.875% Senior Notes due 2022, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(10)
	4.13		Form of 5.875% Senior Notes due 2022(10)
	4.14		Indenture, dated as of January 25, 2011, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(11)

Number			Description

	4.15		Form of 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2016(11)
	4.16		Indenture, dated as of March 28, 2011, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(12)
	4.17		Form of 5.125% Convertible Senior Notes due 2016(12)
	4.18		Indenture, dated as of March 14, 2012, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(13)
	4.19		Form of 4.875% Convertible Senior Notes due 2017(13)
	4.20		Indenture, dated as of October 10, 2012, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee(14)
	4.21		Form of 4.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2018(14)
	10.1		Dividend Reinvestment Plan of Ares Capital Corporation(15)
	10.2		Restated Investment Advisory and Management Agreement, dated as of June 6, 2011, between Ares Capital Corporation and Ares Capital Management LLC(16)
	10.3		Amended and Restated Custodian Agreement, dated as of May 15, 2009, between Ares Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association (17)
	10.4		Amended and Restated Administration Agreement, dated as of June 1, 2007, between Ares Capital Corporation and Ares Operations LLC(18)
	10.5		Trademark License Agreement between Ares Capital Corporation and Ares Management LLC(19)
	10.6		Form of Indemnification Agreement between Ares Capital Corporation and directors and certain officers(4)
	10.7		Form of Indemnification Agreement between Ares Capital Corporation and members of Ares Capital Management LLC investment committee(4)
	10.8		Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of January 22, 2010, among Ares Capital Corporation, as seller, and Ares Capital CP Funding Holdings LLC, as purchaser(20)
	10.9		Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of June 7, 2012, among Ares Capital Corporation, as seller, and Ares Capital CP Funding Holdings LLC, as purchaser(21)
	10.10		Second Tier Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of January 22, 2010, among Ares Capital CP Funding Holdings LLC, as seller, and Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as purchaser(20)
	10.11		Amendment No. 1 to Second Tier Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of June 7, 2012, among Ares Capital CP Funding Holdings LLC, as seller, and Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as purchaser(21)
	10.12		Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 22, 2010, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer, Wachovia Bank, National Association, as note purchaser, U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee and collateral custodian, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent(20)

Number			Description

	10.13		Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2010, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank as note purchaser, U.S. Bank, National Association, as trustee and collateral custodian, and Wells Fargo Securities LLC, as agent(22)
	10.14		Amendment No. 2 to the Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 18, 2011, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank as note purchaser, U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee and collateral custodian, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent(23)
	10.15		Amendment No. 3 to the Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of October 13, 2011, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and as transferor, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank, National Association), as note purchaser, U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, collateral custodian and bank and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent(24)
	10.16		Amendment No. 4 to the Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 18, 2012, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and transferor, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank, National Association), as note purchaser, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent, and U.S. Bank National Association, as collateral custodian, trustee and bank(25)
	10.17		Amendment No. 5 to the Amended and Restated Sale and Servicing Agreement, dated as of June 7, 2012, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and transferor, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (as successor by merger to Wachovia Bank, National Association), as note purchaser, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent, and U.S. Bank National Association, as collateral custodian, trustee and bank(21)
	10.18		Amendment No. 6 to Loan and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 25, 2013, among Ares Capital CP Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and transferor, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as agent, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as swingline lender, and the other lenders party thereto(26)
	10.19		Second Amended and Restated Senior Secured Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of May 4, 2012, between Ares Capital Corporation, the lenders party thereto, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent(27)
	10.20		First Amendment Agreement and Waiver, dated as of November 13, 2007, between Ares Capital Corporation, as borrower, Ares Capital FL Holdings LLC, ARCC CIC Flex Corp., ARCC Imperial Corporation and ARCC Imperial LLC, as subsidiary guarantors, and BMO Capital Markets Financing, Inc., Merrill Lynch Capital Corporation, SunTrust Bank, Commerzbank AG, New York and Grand Cayman Branches, UBS Loan Finance LLC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Wachovia Bank, National Association and KBC Bank N.V., as lenders(28)
	10.21		Form of Indemnification Agreement between Allied Capital Corporation and its directors and certain officers (29)
	10.22		Custodian Agreement, dated as of April 3, 2009, between Allied Capital Corporation and U.S. Bank National Association(30)

Number			Description

	10.23		Loan and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 20, 2012, among Ares Capital JB Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and transferor, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, as administrative agent, collateral agent and lender, and U.S. Bank National Association, as collateral custodian and bank(31)
	10.24		Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of January 20, 2012, between Ares Capital JB Funding LLC, as purchaser, and Ares Capital Corporation, as seller(31)
	10.25		Omnibus Amendment No. 1, dated as of September 14, 2012, among Ares Capital JB Funding LLC, as borrower, Ares Capital Corporation, as servicer and transferor, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, as administrative agent, lender and collateral agent, and U.S. Bank National Association, as collateral custodian and bank (amending the Loan and Servicing Agreement, dated as of January 20, 2012, and the Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated as of January 20, 2012)(32)
	10.26		Form of Underwriting Agreement for Equity Securities(27)
	10.27		Form of Underwriting Agreement for Debt Securities(27)
	11.1		Statement of Computation of Per Share Earnings(33)
	21.1		Subsidiaries of Ares Capital Corporation*
	31.1		Certification by President pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
	31.2		Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
	32.1		Certification by President and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*

*: Filed herewith
(1): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on October 30, 2009.
(2): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q (File No. 814-00663) for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, filed on November 5, 2012.
(3): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q (File No. 814-00663) for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, filed on August 5, 2010.
(4): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits (d), (k)(4) and (k)(5), as applicable, to the Company's pre-effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-2 (File No. 333-114656), filed on September 28, 2004.
(5): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit d.2 to Allied Capital's Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-2/A (File No. 333-133755), filed on June 21, 2006.
(6): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits d.8 and d.9, as applicable, to Allied Capital's post-effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-2/A (File No. 333-133755), filed on March 28, 2007.
(7): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on April 7, 2010.

(8): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on October 22, 2010.
(9): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on February 2, 2012.
(10): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on September 25, 2012.
(11): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on January 28, 2011.
(12): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on March 28, 2011.
(13): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on March 14, 2012.
(14): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1 and 4.2, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on October 10, 2012.
(15): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on February 27, 2012.
(16): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on June 8, 2011.
(17): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (j) to the Company's pre-effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-2 (File No. 333-158211), filed on May 28, 2009.
(18): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q (File No. 814-00663) for the quarter ended June 30, 2007, filed on August 9, 2007.
(19): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(3) to the Company's pre-effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-2 (File No. 333-114656), filed on September 17, 2004.
(20): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 10.2 through 10.4, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on January 25, 2010.
(21): Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 10.1 through 10.3, as applicable, to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-0663), filed on June 8, 2012.
(22): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Form 10-Q (File No. 814-00663) for the quarter ended March 30, 2010, filed on May 10, 2010.
(23): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on January 19, 2011.
(24): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on October 14, 2011.
(25): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on January 19, 2012.
(26): Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 8-K (File No. 814-00663), filed on January 28, 2013.


ý		ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012
OR
o		TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission File No. 814-00663


Maryland		33-1089684
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
245 Park Avenue, 44^th Floor, New York, New York 10167 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 750-7300 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


Large accelerated filer ý		Accelerated filer o		Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)		Smaller reporting company o

			Price Range

	Net Asset Value(1)		Price Range				Cash Dividend Per Share(2)
	Net Asset Value(1)		High		Low		Cash Dividend Per Share(2)
Fiscal 2011
First Quarter	$	15.45	$	17.83	$	16.08	$	0.35
Second Quarter	$	15.28	$	17.71	$	15.70	$	0.35
Third Quarter	$	15.13	$	16.30	$	13.07	$	0.35
Fourth Quarter	$	15.34	$	15.95	$	13.26	$	0.36
Fiscal 2012
First Quarter	$	15.47	$	16.70	$	15.51	$	0.37
Second Quarter	$	15.51	$	16.55	$	14.67	$	0.37
Third Quarter	$	15.74	$	17.68	$	16.04	$	0.43	(3)
Fourth Quarter	$	16.04	$	17.74	$	16.08	$	0.43	(3)


SOURCE:		Standard & Poor's Institutional Market Services
NOTES:		Assumes $100 invested on December 31, 2007 in Ares Capital, in S&P 500 Index and in S&P Specialized Finance Index. Assumes all dividends are reinvested on the respective dividend payment dates without commissions.


Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share		The NASDAQ Global Select Market
5.875% Senior Notes due 2022		The New York Stock Exchange
7.00% Senior Notes due 2022		The New York Stock Exchange
7.75% Senior Notes due 2040		The New York Stock Exchange
6.875% Senior Notes due 2047		The New York Stock Exchange

	As of December 31,

	2012			2011
Geographic Region
West		49.1	%		48.4	%
Midwest		19.2			14.5
Southeast		14.7			21.2
Mid Atlantic		12.8			12.8
Northeast		2.3			1.7
International		1.9			1.4

Total		100.0	%		100.0	%


Assumed Return on Portfolio (Net of Expenses)(1)	-15	%	-10	%	-5	%	0	%	5	%	10	%	15	%
Corresponding Return to Common Stockholders(2)	-27	%	-19	%	-11	%	-3	%	5	%	13	%	21	%



Ares Capital	56.08	123.70	179.88	184.54	225.86
S&P 500 Index	63.00	79.67	91.68	93.61	108.59
S&P Specialized Finance Index	34.72	44.53	46.56	42.76	50.47

(in millions) Portfolio Company	Net Realized Gains (Losses)

Air Medical Group Holdings, LLC	$	14.9
Bumble Bee Foods, LLC		6.1
Growing Family, Inc.		(7.7	)
Other, net		32.2

Total (net)	$	45.5

(in millions, except per share data)		Offering price per share			Proceeds net of underwriting discounts and offering costs

2012
August 2012 public offering	25.9	$	16.55	(1)	$	427.6
January 2012 public offering	16.4	$	15.41	(2)	$	252.4

Total for the year ended December 31, 2012	42.3				$	680.0
2010
November 2010 public offering	11.5	$	16.50		$	180.6
February 2010 public offering	23.0	$	12.75		$	277.2

Total for the year ended December 31, 2010	34.5				$	457.8



Conversion premium	17.5	%	17.5	%	17.5	%	17.5	%
Closing stock price at issuance	$16.28		$16.20		$16.46		$16.91
Closing stock price date	January 19, 2011		March 22, 2011		March 8, 2012		October 3, 2012
Conversion price as of December 31, 2012	$18.89		$18.80		$19.21		$19.81
Conversion rate as of December 31, 2012 (shares per one thousand dollar principal amount)	52.9289		53.1903		52.0606		50.4731
Conversion dates	August 15, 2015		December 15, 2015		September 15, 2016		July 15, 2017

(in millions) Basis Point Change	Interest Income			Interest Expense			Net Income

Up 300 basis points	$	62.8		$	9.0		$	53.8
Up 200 basis points	$	22.1		$	6.0		$	16.1
Up 100 basis points	$	(14.8	)	$	3.0		$	(17.8	)
Down 100 basis points	$	5.8		$	(0.6	)	$	6.4
Down 200 basis points	$	5.8		$	(0.6	)	$	6.4
Down 300 basis points	$	5.6		$	(0.6	)	$	6.2

(in millions) Basis Point Change	Interest Income		Interest Expense			Net Income

Up 300 basis points	$	65.7	$	28.1		$	37.6
Up 200 basis points	$	32.5	$	18.7		$	13.8
Up 100 basis points	$	0.5	$	9.4		$	(8.9	)
Down 100 basis points	$	3.8	$	(3.1	)	$	6.9
Down 200 basis points	$	3.6	$	(3.1	)	$	6.7
Down 300 basis points	$	3.4	$	(3.1	)	$	6.5