ARCC vs DFS

Ares Capital Corporation

Ares Capital Corporation is a business development company specializing in acquisition, recapitalization, mezzanine debt, restructurings, rescue financing, and leveraged buyout transactions of middle market companies. It also makes growth capital and general refinancing. It prefers to make investments in companies engaged in the basic and growth manufacturing, business services, consumer products, health care products and services, and information technology service sectors. The fund will also consider investments in industries such as restaurants, retail, oil and gas, and technology sectors. It focuses on investments in Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Southwest regions from its New York office, the Midwest region, from the Chicago office, and the Western region from the Los Angeles office. The fund typically invests between $20 million and $200 million and a maximum of $400 million in companies with an EBITDA between $10 million and $250 million. It makes debt investments between $10 million and $100 million The fund invests through revolvers, first lien loans, warrants, unitranche structures, second lien loans, mezzanine debt, private high yield, junior capital, subordinated debt, and non-control preferred and common equity. The fund also selectively considers third-party-led senior and subordinated debt financings and opportunistically considers the purchase of stressed and discounted debt positions. The fund prefers to be an agent and/or lead the transactions in which it invests. The fund also seeks board representation in its portfolio companies.

Discover Financial Services

Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, operates as a digital banking and payment services company in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; and other consumer products and services, including private student loans, personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending, as well as deposit products, such as certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts, checking accounts, and sweep accounts. The Payment Services segment operates the PULSE network, an automated teller machine, debit, and electronic funds transfer network; Diners Club International, a payments network that issues Diners Club branded charge cards and/or provides card acceptance services; and Discover Network that processes transactions for Discover-branded credit and debit cards, as well as offers payment transaction processing and settlement services. Discover has strategic network alliance agreement with Arab Financial Services. The company was incorporated in 1960 and is based in Riverwoods, Illinois.