SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Summary of Interest Income Recognition Methodology for Residential Investment Securities

The table below summarizes the interest income recognition methodology for Residential Investment Securities:



	Interest Income Methodology
Agency
Fixed-rate pass-through ⁽¹⁾	Effective yield ⁽³⁾
Adjustable-rate pass-through ⁽¹⁾	Effective yield ⁽³⁾
Multifamily ⁽¹⁾	Contractual cash flows
Collateralized Mortgage Obligation (“CMO”) ⁽¹⁾	Effective yield ⁽³⁾
Debentures ⁽¹⁾	Contractual cash flows
Reverse mortgages ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Interest-only ⁽²⁾	Prospective



Residential Credit
CRT ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Alt-A ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Prime ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Subprime ⁽²⁾	Prospective
NPL/RPL ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Prime Jumbo ⁽²⁾	Prospective
Prime Jumbo interest-only ⁽²⁾	Prospective

(1) Changes in fair value are recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

(2) Changes in fair value are recognized in Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments measured at fair value through earnings on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

(3) Effective yield is recalculated for differences between estimated and actual prepayments and the amortized cost is adjusted as if the new effective yield had been applied since inception.

Schedule of Useful Lives of Investments in Commercial Real Estate

Investments in commercial real estate are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, summarized as follows:



Category	Term
Building	30 - 40 years
Site improvements	1 - 28 years

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

ASUs not listed below were determined to be either not applicable, are not expected to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements when adopted, or did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption.



Standard	Description	Effective Date	Effect on the financial statements or other significant matters
Standards that are not yet adopted
ASU 2017-01 Business Combinations (Topic 805) Clarifying the Definition of a Business	This update provides a screen to determine and a framework to evaluate when a set of assets and activities is a business.	January 1, 2018 (early adoption permitted)	The amendments are expected to result in fewer transactions being accounted for as business combinations.
ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments	This ASU updates the existing incurred loss model to a current expected credit loss (“CECL”) model for financial assets and net investments in leases that are not accounted for at fair value through earnings. The amendments affect loans, held-to-maturity debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off-balance sheet credit exposures and any other financial assets not excluded from the scope. There are also limited amendments to the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities.	January 1, 2020 (early adoption permitted)	The Company currently plans to adopt the new standard on its effective date. While the Company is continuing to assess the impact the ASU will have on the consolidated financial statements, the measurement of expected credit losses under the CECL model will be based on relevant information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amounts of the financial assets in scope of the model. Further, based on the amended guidance for available-for-sale debt securities, the Company: • will be required to use an allowance approach to recognize credit impairment, with the allowance to be limited to the amount by which the security’s fair value is less than its amortized cost basis; • may not consider the length of time fair value has been below amortized cost, and • may not consider recoveries of fair value after the balance sheet date when assessing whether a credit loss exists.