THL Credit Advisors Announces Proprietary ESG Investment Framework

BOSTON, Sept. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- THL Credit Advisors, LLC ("THL Credit" or the "Company") today announced that it has developed and begun utilizing a new investment framework for assessing environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") factors in analyzing credit quality and risk factors. THL Credit said the goal is to increase the consideration of ESG factors and better understand their impact on the long-term value and strength of its borrowers across the firm's Tradable Credit portfolio, which includes syndicated bank loans, high yield debt, and CLO debt and equity, as well as its Direct Lending portfolio.

"A global transition is now underway to finance a more resilient, transparent and sustainable economy, and we want to demonstrate leadership in responsible investing in the credit management sector with our current products and future ESG strategies," said Chris Flynn, CEO of THL Credit, which manages $16.8 billion of assets globally. "We believe our proprietary, systematic approach to analyzing ESG related metrics provides a valuable insight into an issuer's credit profile."

THL Credit's ESG investment framework is based on guidelines that are predominantly consistent with the United Nations-backed Principles of Responsible Investment ("PRI"), the world's leading proponent of responsible investing.  The proprietary framework measures ESG metrics and comparable data sets to evaluate a company's ESG risks, trajectory and momentum.  These factors, in conjunction with THL Credit's existing fundamental credit and collateral scoring and rating system, produce measurements and ratings grounded in engagement, robust data sourcing and on-going diligence.

"Joining the PRI in September of 2018 was a significant step in THL Credit's ongoing integration of ESG factors into our investment approach," said Brian Good, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the firm's Tradable Credit team. "We believe that being a signatory and integrating ESG considerations has improved our investment process and provided a more comprehensive framework for the firm's portfolio managers and credit analysts to consider potential risks that could affect the performance of companies and issuers."

"We are very pleased to welcome THL Credit Advisors as a signatory to the PRI. The firm's commitment to integrating ESG factors in its investment process shows leadership in responsible investing in the credit management sector, and we look forward to working with the team," commented PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds.

For more detailed information on THL Credit's approach to Responsible Investment, please visit www.thlcredit.com/responsible-investment.

About THL Credit
THL Credit is a $16 billion alternative credit investment manager with strategies invested in broadly syndicated investments and direct lending through public and private vehicles, collateralized loan obligations, separately managed accounts and commingled funds. THL Credit maintains a variety of advisory and sub-advisory relationships across its investment platforms, including THL Credit, Inc. TCRD, a publicly traded business development company, and THL Credit Senior Loan Fund TSLF, a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company.

About the PRI
The UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is the world's leading initiative on responsible investment. The six Principles for Responsible Investment are a voluntary and aspirational set of investment principles for incorporating environmental, social and governance issues into investment practices. In implementing the principles, signatories contribute to developing a more sustainable global financial system. The principles have signatories including asset owners, investment managers and service providers from over 50 countries. Visit www.unpri.org and follow @PRI_News.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements included herein may constitute "forward-looking statements", which relate to future events or our future performance or financial condition.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance, condition or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  THL Credit undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made herein.

Media Contact for THL Credit:
Emily Meringolo
Stanton
(646) 502-3559
emeringolo@stantonprm.com

Business Inquiries:
Andrew Park
THL Credit
(212) 829-3126
apark@thlcredit.com