November, 2007

An Introduction to the Senior Loan Asset Class

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What is a Senior Loan?

Senior Loans are debt obligations issued by public and private companies with a need for capital.

Companies typically issue Senior Loans in the form of a term loan with a maturity of 5 to 7 years.

The proceeds generated from Senior Loan issuance are often used for acquisitions, recapitalizations, restructurings, and leveraged buyouts.

Senior loans are not securities and are not DTC eligible.

Senior Loans are also known as Leveraged Loans, Syndicated Loans,

or Senior Secured Loans

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Key Characteristics of Senior Loans

Senior Claim on Assets or Stock: Senior Loans generally occupy the highest priority claim for principal and interest payments. In the event of default, Senior Loans are typically repaid first.

Secured by Stock and Assets: Further enhancing the likelihood of higher recoveries in the event of default, Senior Loans benefit from being secured by specific collateral.

Floating Rate Coupon: The majority of Senior Loans bear interest based on a floating rate index such as LIBOR, the Prime Rate or other such “base rate.”

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Historical Spread (LIBOR) on Senior Loans

L+0

L+100

L+200

L+300

L+400

L+500

L+600

L+700

Jan-97Jul-97

Jan-98Jul-98

Jan-99Jul-99

Jan-00Jul-00

Jan-01Jul-01

Jan-02Jul-02

Jan-03Jul-03

Jan-04Jul-04

Jan-05Jul-05

Jan-06Jul-06

Jan-07Jul-07

* Assumes discount from par is amortized evenly over a three-year life.

* Excludes all loans trading at 70 cents on the dollar or less.

B Loans

All BB/B Loans

BB Loans

Source: Standard and Poor’s LCD and S&P/LSTA (Loan Syndication and Trading Association) Leveraged Loan Index

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Attractiveness of Senior Loans

Senior loan portfolios exhibit high risk-adjusted return characteristics. Historically low price volatility. Low or negative correlation with other asset classes. High risk-adjusted returns (Sharpe Ratio).

High recovery rates compared to other fixed income assets. Senior position and shortest maturity in a leveraged company’s capital structure. Collateral protection through a lien on the assets of the borrower. Restrictive financial covenants improve lender’s control and security.

Increased secondary market liquidity Increasing number of non-bank investors with an emphasis on total return. Improved secondary trading and assignment efficiency. Increased number of rated issues.

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Low Correlation to Other Asset Classes

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Senior Loan Returns vs. Other Asset Classes

Risk & Return Comparison between Various Assets: 1/1992 - 12/2006

Overview of Senior Secured Bank Loans

Source: Russell/Mellon Analytical SystemsIndices Sources: CS Leveraged Loan Index, Lehman Brothers High Yield Index, Lehman Aggregate Bond Index, Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, Russell 2000® Index, MSCI EAFE Index, 3-Month LIBOR Index. 1. Calculated as the Standard Deviation (monthly observations).

Asset Class Correlation Annualized Return (%) Volatility (%)1 Sharpe Ratio

Correlation (Bank Loans)

Bank Loans 6.71 2.13 1.32 1.00

High Yield Bonds 8.44 6.42 0.71 0.51

Investment Grade Bonds 6.50 3.77 0.69 -0.06

Large Cap Equity 10.64 13.45 0.50 0.13

Small Cap Equity 11.47 17.75 0.43 0.26

International Equity 8.20 14.53 0.30 0.14

3-Month LIBOR 4.25 0.48 0.72 -0.03

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Historically Low Default Rates

From 1983 – 2005, the average annual default rates for Ba3 and B1 credits were 2.1% and 3.2%, respectively.

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Historically High Recovery Rates

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Institutional Senior (Leveraged) Loan Market

As Figure 1 shows, the institutional-tranche leveraged loan market has increased dramatically in recent years, mostly as a result of LBO financing and more non-bank buyers actively participating in the market.

Along with growth in the size of the asset class, the investor base has also grown dramatically. Today investors in senior loans include not just banks but mutual funds, hedge funds, and other institutional buyers.