SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The accompanying consolidated financial statements and related notes of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation – The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the entities where the Company has a controlling financial interest. In order to determine whether the Company has a controlling financial interest, it first evaluates whether an entity is a voting interest entity (“VOE”) or a variable interest entity (“VIE”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Voting Interest Entities	Voting Interest Entities – A VOE is an entity that has sufficient equity and in which equity investors have a controlling financial interest. The Company consolidates VOEs where it has a majority of the voting equity of such VOE.
Variable Interest Entities	Variable Interest Entities – A VIE is defined as an entity in which equity investors (i) do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest, and/or (ii) do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. A VIE is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary, which is defined as the party that has both (i) the power to control the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The Company performs ongoing reassessments of whether changes in the facts and circumstances regarding the Company’s involvement with a VIE causes the Company’s consolidation conclusion to change. Refer to the “Variable Interest Entities” Note for further information.
Equity Method Investments	Equity Method Investments - For entities that are not consolidated, but where the Company has significant influence over the operating or financial decisions of the entity, the Company accounts for the investment under the equity method of accounting. In accordance with the equity method of accounting, the Company will recognize its share of earnings or losses of the investee in the period in which they are reported by the investee. The Company also considers whether there are any indicators of other-than-temporary impairment of joint ventures accounted for under the equity method. These investments are included in Other assets with income or loss included in Other, net.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, cash held in money market funds on an overnight basis and cash pledged as collateral with counterparties. Cash deposited with clearing organizations is carried at cost, which approximates fair value.
Fair Value Measurements and the Fair Value Option	Fair Value Measurements and the Fair Value Option – The Company reports various investments at fair value, including certain eligible financial instruments elected to be accounted for under the fair value option (“FVO”). The Company chooses to elect the FVO in order to simplify the accounting treatment for certain financial instruments. Items for which the FVO has been elected are presented at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and any change in fair value is recorded in Net gains (losses) on investments and other in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). For additional information regarding financial instruments for which the Company has elected the FVO refer to the table in the “Financial Instruments” Note. Refer to the “Fair Value Measurements” Note for a complete discussion on the methodology utilized by the Company to estimate the fair value of certain financial instruments.
Offsetting Assets and Liabilities	Offsetting Assets and Liabilities - The Company elected to present all derivative instruments on a gross basis as discussed in the “Derivative Instruments” Note. Reverse repurchase and repurchase agreements are presented net in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition if they meet the offsetting criteria. Refer to the “Secured Financing” Note for further discussion on reverse repurchase and repurchase agreements.
Derivative Instruments	Derivative Instruments – Derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition with changes in fair value recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The changes in the estimated fair value are presented within Net gains (losses) on derivatives. None of the Company’s derivative transactions have been designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. Refer to the “Derivative Instruments” Note for further discussion. Derivative instruments include, but are not limited to, interest rate swaps, options to enter into interest rate swaps (“swaptions”), TBA derivatives, U.S. Treasury and SOFR futures contracts and certain forward purchase commitments. The Company may also enter into other types of mortgage derivatives such as interest-only securities, credit derivatives referencing the commercial mortgage-backed securities index and synthetic total return swaps. In connection with the Company’s investment/market rate risk management strategy, the Company economically hedges a portion of its interest rate risk by entering into derivative financial instrument contracts, which include interest rate swaps, swaptions and futures contracts. The Company may also enter into TBA derivatives, U.S. Treasury futures contracts, certain forward purchase commitments and credit derivatives to economically hedge its exposure to market risks. The purpose of using derivatives is to manage overall portfolio risk with the potential to generate additional income for distribution to stockholders. These derivatives are subject to changes in market values resulting from changes in interest rates, volatility, Agency mortgage-backed security spreads to U.S. Treasuries and market liquidity. The use of derivatives also creates exposure to credit risk relating to potential losses that could be recognized if the counterparties to these instruments fail to perform their obligations under the stated contract. Additionally, the Company may have to pledge cash or assets as collateral for the derivative transactions, the amount of which may vary based on the market value and terms of the derivative contract. In the case of market agreed coupon (“MAC”) interest rate swaps, the Company may make or receive a payment at the time of entering into such interest rate swaps, which represents fair value of these swaps, to compensate for the out of market nature of such interest rate swaps. Subsequent changes in fair value from inception of these interest rate swaps are reflected within Net gains (losses) on derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Similar to other interest rate swaps, the Company may have to pledge cash or assets as collateral for the MAC interest rate swap transactions. In the event of a default by the counterparty, the Company could have difficulty obtaining its pledged collateral as well as receiving payments in accordance with the terms of the derivative contracts. Derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition with changes in fair value recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The changes in the estimated fair value are presented within Net gains (losses) on derivatives. None of the Company’s derivative transactions have been designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. Interest Rate Swap Agreements – Interest rate swap agreements are the primary instruments used to mitigate interest rate risk. In particular, the Company uses interest rate swap agreements to manage its exposure to changing interest rates on its repurchase agreements by economically hedging cash flows associated with these borrowings. The Company may have outstanding interest rate swap agreements where the floating leg is linked to the SOFR, the overnight index swap rate or another index. Interest rate swap agreements may or may not be cleared through a derivatives clearing organization (“DCO”). Uncleared interest rate swaps are fair valued using internal pricing models and compared to the counterparty market values. Centrally cleared interest rate swaps, including MAC interest rate swaps, are generally fair valued using the DCO’s market values. If an interest rate swap is terminated, the realized gain (loss) on the interest rate swap would be equal to the difference between the cash received or paid and fair value. Swaptions – Swaptions are purchased or sold to mitigate the potential impact of increases or decreases in interest rates. Interest rate swaptions provide the option to enter into an interest rate swap agreement for a predetermined notional amount, stated term and pay and receive interest rates in the future. The Company’s swaptions are not centrally cleared. The premium paid or received for swaptions is reported as an asset or liability in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. If a swaption expires unexercised, the realized gain (loss) on the swaption would be equal to the premium received or paid. If the Company sells or exercises a swaption, the realized gain (loss) on the swaption would be equal to the difference between the cash received or the fair value of the underlying interest rate swap received and the premium paid. The fair value of swaptions are estimated using internal pricing models and compared to the counterparty market values. TBA Dollar Rolls – TBA dollar roll transactions are accounted for as a series of derivative transactions. The fair value of TBA derivatives is based on methods similar to those used to value Agency mortgage-backed securities. Futures Contracts – Futures contracts are derivatives that track the prices of specific assets or benchmark rates. Short sales of futures contracts help to mitigate the potential impact of changes in interest rates on the portfolio performance. The Company maintains margin accounts which are settled daily with Futures Commission Merchants (“FCMs”). The margin requirement varies based on the market value of the open positions and the equity retained in the account. Futures contracts are fair valued based on exchange pricing. Forward Purchase Commitments – The Company may enter into forward purchase commitments with counterparties whereby the Company commits to purchasing residential mortgage loans at a particular price, provided the residential mortgage loans close with the counterparties. The counterparties are required to deliver the committed loans on a “best efforts” basis. Credit Derivatives – The Company may enter into credit derivatives referencing a commercial mortgage-backed securities index, such as the CMBX index, and synthetic total return swaps.
Stock Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation – The Company measures compensation expense for stock-based awards at fair value, which is generally based on the grant-date fair value of the Company’s common stock. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting or requisite service period of the award. Stock-based awards that contain market-based conditions are valued using a model. Compensation expense for awards with performance conditions is recognized based on the probable outcome of the performance condition at each reporting date. Compensation expense for awards with market conditions is recognized irrespective of the probability of the market condition being achieved and is not reversed if the market condition is not met. Stock-based awards that do not require future service (i.e., vested awards) are expensed immediately. Forfeitures are recorded when they occur. The Company generally issues new shares of common stock upon delivery of stock-based awards.
Interest Income	Interest Income - The Company recognizes interest income primarily on Residential Securities (as defined in the “Securities” Note), residential mortgage loans, commercial investments and reverse repurchase agreements. Interest accrued but not received is recognized as Interest receivable in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. Interest income is presented as a separate line item in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). For its securities, the Company recognizes coupon income, which is a component of interest income, based upon the outstanding principal amounts of the financial instruments and their contractual terms. In addition, the Company amortizes or accretes premiums or discounts into interest income for its Agency mortgage-backed securities (other than interest-only securities, multifamily and reverse mortgages), taking into account estimates of future principal prepayments in the calculation of the effective yield. The Company recalculates the effective yield as differences between anticipated and actual prepayments occur. Using third party model and market information to project future cash flows and expected remaining lives of securities, the effective interest rate determined for each security is applied as if it had been in place from the date of the security’s acquisition. The amortized cost of the security is then adjusted to the amount that would have existed had the new effective yield been applied since the acquisition date, which results in a cumulative premium amortization adjustment in each period. The adjustment to amortized cost is offset with a charge or credit to interest income. Changes in interest rates and other market factors will impact prepayment speed projections and the amount of premium amortization recognized in any given period. Premiums or discounts associated with the purchase of Agency interest-only securities, reverse mortgages and residential credit securities are amortized or accreted into interest income based upon current expected future cash flows with any adjustment to yield made on a prospective basis. Premiums or discounts associated with the purchase of multifamily securities are amortized or accreted into interest income based upon their contractual payment terms. If a prepayment occurs, an adjustment is made to the unpaid principal balance and unamortized premium or discount in the current period and the original effective yield continues to be applied. Premiums and discounts associated with the purchase of residential mortgage loans and with those transferred or pledged to securitization trusts are primarily amortized or accreted into interest income over their estimated remaining lives using the effective interest rates inherent in the estimated cash flows from the mortgage loans. Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts are presented in Interest income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). If collection of a loan’s principal or interest is in doubt or the loan is 90 days or more past due, interest income is not accrued. For nonaccrual status loans carried at fair value or held for sale, interest is not accrued but is recognized on a cash basis. For nonaccrual status loans carried at amortized cost, if collection of principal is not in doubt but collection of interest is in doubt, interest income is recognized on a cash basis. If collection of principal is in doubt, any interest received is applied against principal until collectability of the remaining balance is no longer in doubt; at that point, any interest income is recognized on a cash basis. Generally, a loan is returned to accrual status when the borrower has resumed paying the full amount of the scheduled contractual obligation, if all principal and interest amounts contractually due are reasonably assured of repayment within a reasonable period of time and there is a sustained period of repayment performance by the borrower. The Company has made an accounting policy election not to measure an allowance for loans losses for accrued interest receivable. If interest receivable is deemed to be uncollectible or not collected within 90 days of its contractual due date for commercial loans or 120 days for corporate debt carried at amortized cost, it is written off through a reversal of interest income. Any interest written off that is recovered is recognized as interest income.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes – The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT and intends to comply with the provisions of the Code, with respect thereto. As a REIT, the Company will not incur federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its taxable income to its stockholders. The Company and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries have made separate joint elections to treat these subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). As such, each of these TRSs is taxable as a domestic C corporation and subject to federal, state and local income taxes based upon its taxable income.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements The Company reviewed other recently issued ASUs and determined that they were not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements when adopted or did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.
Allowance for Losses	Allowance for Losses – Prior to the sale of its corporate debt and commercial loan portfolios, the Company evaluated the need for a loss reserve on each of its loans classified as held-for investment and carried at amortized cost based upon estimated current expected credit losses.
Residential	Residential The Company’s residential mortgage loans are primarily comprised of performing adjustable-rate and fixed-rate whole loans. The Company’s residential loans are accounted for under the fair value option with changes in fair value reflected in Net gains (losses) on investments and other in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company also consolidates securitization trusts in which it retained securities because it also has certain powers and rights to direct the activities of such trusts.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	The Company designates its securities as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity depending upon the type of security and the Company’s intent and ability to hold such security to maturity. Securities classified as available-for-sale and trading are reported at fair value on a recurring basis. The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments carried at fair value. These methodologies are applied to assets and liabilities across the three-level fair value hierarchy, with the observability of inputs determining the appropriate level. Futures contracts and U.S. Treasury securities are valued using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets and are classified as Level 1. Residential Securities, interest rate swaps, swaptions and other derivatives are valued using quoted prices or internally estimated prices for similar assets using internal models. The Company incorporates common market pricing methods, including a spread measurement to the Treasury curve as well as underlying characteristics of the particular security including coupon, prepayment speeds, periodic and life caps, rate reset period and expected life of the security in its estimates of fair value. Fair value estimates for residential mortgage loans are generated by a discounted cash flow model and are primarily based on observable market-based inputs including discount rates, prepayment speeds, delinquency levels, and credit losses. Management reviews and indirectly corroborates its estimates of the fair value derived using internal models by comparing its results to independent prices provided by dealers in the securities and/or third party pricing services. Certain liquid asset classes, such as Agency fixed-rate pass-throughs, may be priced using independent sources such as quoted prices for TBA securities. Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swap and swaption markets and TBA derivatives are considered to be active markets such that participants transact with sufficient frequency and volume to provide transparent pricing information on an ongoing basis. The liquidity of the Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions and TBA derivatives markets and the similarity of the Company’s securities to those actively traded enable the Company to observe quoted prices in the market and utilize those prices as a basis for formulating fair value measurements. Consequently, the Company has classified Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions and TBA derivatives as Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of commercial mortgage-backed securities classified as available-for-sale is determined based upon quoted prices of similar assets in recent market transactions and requires the application of judgment due to differences in the underlying collateral. Consequently, commercial mortgage-backed securities carried at fair value are classified as Level 2. For the fair value of debt issued by securitization vehicles, refer to the “Variable Interest Entities” Note for additional information. The Company has classified its investments in MSR as Level 3. Fair value estimates for these investments are obtained from models, which use significant unobservable inputs in their valuations. These valuations primarily utilize discounted cash flow models that incorporate unobservable market data inputs including discount rates, prepayment rates, delinquency rates and costs to service. Model valuations are then compared to valuations obtained from third party pricing providers. Management reviews the valuations received from third party pricing providers and uses them as a point of comparison to modeled values. The valuation of MSR require significant judgment by management and the third party pricing providers. Assumptions used for which there is a lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore the Company’s financial statements.
Reverse Repurchase and Repurchase Agreements	Reverse Repurchase and Repurchase Agreements – The Company finances a significant portion of its assets with repurchase agreements. At the inception of each transaction, the Company assessed each of the specified criteria in ASC 860, Transfers and Servicing, and has determined that each of the financing agreements should be treated as a secured financing. The Company enters into reverse repurchase agreements to earn a yield on excess cash balances. To mitigate credit exposure, the Company monitors the market value of these securities and delivers or obtains additional collateral based on changes in market value of these securities. Generally, the Company receives or posts collateral with a fair value approximately equal to or greater than the value of the secured financing. Reverse repurchase agreements and repurchase agreements with the same counterparty and the same maturity are presented net in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition when the terms of the agreements meet the criteria to permit netting. The Company reports cash flows on repurchase agreements as financing activities and cash flows on reverse repurchase agreements as investing activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
Contingencies	Contingencies From time to time, the Company is involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

The accompanying consolidated financial statements and related notes of the Company have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation – The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the entities where the Company has a controlling financial interest. In order to determine whether the Company has a controlling financial interest, it first evaluates whether an entity is a voting interest entity (“VOE”) or a variable interest entity (“VIE”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Voting Interest Entities

Voting Interest Entities – A VOE is an entity that has sufficient equity and in which equity investors have a controlling financial interest. The Company consolidates VOEs where it has a majority of the voting equity of such VOE.

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities – A VIE is defined as an entity in which equity investors (i) do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest, and/or (ii) do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. A VIE is required to be consolidated by its primary beneficiary, which is defined as the party that has both (i) the power to control the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

The Company performs ongoing reassessments of whether changes in the facts and circumstances regarding the Company’s involvement with a VIE causes the Company’s consolidation conclusion to change. Refer to the “Variable Interest Entities” Note for further information.

Equity Method Investments

Equity Method Investments - For entities that are not consolidated, but where the Company has significant influence over the operating or financial decisions of the entity, the Company accounts for the investment under the equity method of accounting. In accordance with the equity method of accounting, the Company will recognize its share of earnings or losses of the investee in the period in which they are reported by the investee. The Company also considers whether there are any indicators of other-than-temporary impairment of joint ventures accounted for under the equity method. These investments are included in Other assets with income or loss included in Other, net.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents – Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, cash held in money market funds on an overnight basis and cash pledged as collateral with counterparties. Cash deposited with clearing organizations is carried at cost, which approximates fair value.

Fair Value Measurements and the Fair Value Option

Fair Value Measurements and the Fair Value Option – The Company reports various investments at fair value, including certain eligible financial instruments elected to be accounted for under the fair value option (“FVO”). The Company chooses to elect the FVO in order to simplify the accounting treatment for certain financial instruments. Items for which the FVO has been elected are presented at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and any change in fair value is recorded in Net gains (losses) on investments and other in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). For additional information regarding financial instruments for which the Company has elected the FVO refer to the table in the “Financial Instruments” Note.

Refer to the “Fair Value Measurements” Note for a complete discussion on the methodology utilized by the Company to estimate the fair value of certain financial instruments.

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities - The Company elected to present all derivative instruments on a gross basis as discussed in the “Derivative Instruments” Note. Reverse repurchase and repurchase agreements are presented net in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition if they meet the offsetting criteria. Refer to the “Secured Financing” Note for further discussion on reverse repurchase and repurchase agreements.

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments – Derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition with changes in fair value recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The changes in the estimated fair value are presented within Net gains (losses) on derivatives. None of the Company’s derivative transactions have been designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. Refer to the “Derivative Instruments” Note for further discussion.

Derivative instruments include, but are not limited to, interest rate swaps, options to enter into interest rate swaps (“swaptions”), TBA derivatives, U.S. Treasury and SOFR futures contracts and certain forward purchase commitments. The Company may also enter into other types of mortgage derivatives such as interest-only securities, credit derivatives referencing the commercial mortgage-backed securities index and synthetic total return swaps.

In connection with the Company’s investment/market rate risk management strategy, the Company economically hedges a portion of its interest rate risk by entering into derivative financial instrument contracts, which include interest rate swaps, swaptions and futures contracts. The Company may also enter into TBA derivatives, U.S. Treasury futures contracts, certain forward purchase commitments and credit derivatives to economically hedge its exposure to market risks. The purpose of using derivatives is to manage overall portfolio risk with the potential to generate additional income for distribution to stockholders. These derivatives are subject to changes in market values resulting from changes in interest rates, volatility, Agency mortgage-backed security spreads to U.S. Treasuries and market liquidity. The use of derivatives also creates exposure to credit risk relating to potential losses that could be recognized if the counterparties to these instruments fail to perform their obligations under the stated contract. Additionally, the Company may have to pledge cash or assets as collateral for the derivative transactions, the amount of which may vary based on the market value and terms of the derivative contract. In the case of market agreed coupon (“MAC”) interest rate swaps, the Company may make or receive a payment at the time of entering into such interest rate swaps, which represents fair value of these swaps, to compensate for the out of market nature of such interest rate swaps. Subsequent changes in fair value from inception of these interest rate swaps are reflected within Net gains (losses) on derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Similar to other interest rate swaps, the Company may have to pledge cash or assets as collateral for the MAC interest rate swap transactions. In the event of a default by the counterparty, the Company could have difficulty obtaining its pledged collateral as well as receiving payments in accordance with the terms of the derivative contracts.

Derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities at fair value in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition with changes in fair value recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The changes in the estimated fair value are presented within Net gains (losses) on derivatives. None of the Company’s derivative transactions have been designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements – Interest rate swap agreements are the primary instruments used to mitigate interest rate risk. In particular, the Company uses interest rate swap agreements to manage its exposure to changing interest rates on its repurchase agreements by economically hedging cash flows associated with these borrowings. The Company may have outstanding interest rate swap agreements where the floating leg is linked to the SOFR, the overnight index swap rate or another index. Interest rate swap agreements may or may not be cleared through a derivatives clearing organization (“DCO”). Uncleared interest rate swaps are fair valued using internal pricing models and compared to the counterparty market values. Centrally cleared interest rate swaps, including MAC interest rate swaps, are generally fair valued using the DCO’s market values. If an interest rate swap is terminated, the realized gain (loss) on the interest rate swap would be equal to the difference between the cash received or paid and fair value.

Swaptions – Swaptions are purchased or sold to mitigate the potential impact of increases or decreases in interest rates. Interest rate swaptions provide the option to enter into an interest rate swap agreement for a predetermined notional amount, stated term and pay and receive interest rates in the future. The Company’s swaptions are not centrally cleared. The premium paid or received for swaptions is reported as an asset or liability in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. If a swaption expires unexercised, the realized gain (loss) on the swaption would be equal to the premium received or paid. If the Company sells or exercises a swaption, the realized gain (loss) on the swaption would be equal to the difference between the cash received or the fair value of the underlying interest rate swap received and the premium paid. The fair value of swaptions are estimated using internal pricing models and compared to the counterparty market values.

TBA Dollar Rolls – TBA dollar roll transactions are accounted for as a series of derivative transactions. The fair value of TBA derivatives is based on methods similar to those used to value Agency mortgage-backed securities.

Futures Contracts – Futures contracts are derivatives that track the prices of specific assets or benchmark rates. Short sales of futures contracts help to mitigate the potential impact of changes in interest rates on the portfolio performance. The Company maintains margin accounts which are settled daily with Futures Commission Merchants (“FCMs”). The margin requirement varies based on the market value of the open positions and the equity retained in the account. Futures contracts are fair valued based on exchange pricing.

Forward Purchase Commitments – The Company may enter into forward purchase commitments with counterparties whereby the Company commits to purchasing residential mortgage loans at a particular price, provided the residential mortgage loans close with the counterparties. The counterparties are required to deliver the committed loans on a “best efforts” basis.

Credit Derivatives – The Company may enter into credit derivatives referencing a commercial mortgage-backed securities index, such as the CMBX index, and synthetic total return swaps.

Stock Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation – The Company measures compensation expense for stock-based awards at fair value, which is generally based on the grant-date fair value of the Company’s common stock. Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting or requisite service period of the award. Stock-based awards that contain market-based conditions are valued using a model.

Compensation expense for awards with performance conditions is recognized based on the probable outcome of the performance condition at each reporting date. Compensation expense for awards with market conditions is recognized irrespective of the probability of the market condition being achieved and is not reversed if the market condition is not met. Stock-based awards that do not require future service (i.e., vested awards) are expensed immediately. Forfeitures are recorded when they occur. The Company generally issues new shares of common stock upon delivery of stock-based awards.

Interest Income

Interest Income - The Company recognizes interest income primarily on Residential Securities (as defined in the “Securities” Note), residential mortgage loans, commercial investments and reverse repurchase agreements. Interest accrued but not received is recognized as Interest receivable in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. Interest income is presented as a separate line item in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

For its securities, the Company recognizes coupon income, which is a component of interest income, based upon the outstanding principal amounts of the financial instruments and their contractual terms. In addition, the Company amortizes or accretes premiums or discounts into interest income for its Agency mortgage-backed securities (other than interest-only securities, multifamily and reverse mortgages), taking into account estimates of future principal prepayments in the calculation of the effective yield. The Company recalculates the effective yield as differences between anticipated and actual prepayments occur. Using third party model and market information to project future cash flows and expected remaining lives of securities, the effective interest rate determined for each security is applied as if it had been in place from the date of the security’s acquisition. The amortized cost of the security is then adjusted to the amount that would have existed had the new effective yield been applied since the acquisition date, which results in a cumulative premium amortization adjustment in each period. The adjustment to amortized cost is offset with a charge or credit to interest income. Changes in interest rates and other market factors will impact prepayment speed projections and the amount of premium amortization recognized in any given period.

Premiums or discounts associated with the purchase of Agency interest-only securities, reverse mortgages and residential credit securities are amortized or accreted into interest income based upon current expected future cash flows with any adjustment to yield made on a prospective basis.

Premiums or discounts associated with the purchase of multifamily securities are amortized or accreted into interest income based upon their contractual payment terms. If a prepayment occurs, an adjustment is made to the unpaid principal balance and unamortized premium or discount in the current period and the original effective yield continues to be applied.

Premiums and discounts associated with the purchase of residential mortgage loans and with those transferred or pledged to securitization trusts are primarily amortized or accreted into interest income over their estimated remaining lives using the effective interest rates inherent in the estimated cash flows from the mortgage loans. Amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts are presented in Interest income in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

If collection of a loan’s principal or interest is in doubt or the loan is 90 days or more past due, interest income is not accrued. For nonaccrual status loans carried at fair value or held for sale, interest is not accrued but is recognized on a cash basis. For nonaccrual status loans carried at amortized cost, if collection of principal is not in doubt but collection of interest is in doubt, interest income is recognized on a cash basis. If collection of principal is in doubt, any interest received is applied against principal until collectability of the remaining balance is no longer in doubt; at that point, any interest income is recognized on a cash basis. Generally, a loan is returned to accrual status when the borrower has resumed paying the full amount of the scheduled contractual obligation, if all principal and interest amounts contractually due are reasonably assured of repayment within a reasonable period of time and there is a sustained period of repayment performance by the borrower.

The Company has made an accounting policy election not to measure an allowance for loans losses for accrued interest receivable. If interest receivable is deemed to be uncollectible or not collected within 90 days of its contractual due date for commercial loans or 120 days for corporate debt carried at amortized cost, it is written off through a reversal of interest income. Any interest written off that is recovered is recognized as interest income.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes – The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT and intends to comply with the provisions of the Code, with respect thereto. As a REIT, the Company will not incur federal income tax to the extent that it distributes its taxable income to its stockholders. The Company and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries have made separate joint elections to treat these subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”). As such, each of these TRSs is taxable as a domestic C corporation and subject to federal, state and local income taxes based upon its taxable income.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company reviewed other recently issued ASUs and determined that they were not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements when adopted or did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

Allowance for Losses

Allowance for Losses – Prior to the sale of its corporate debt and commercial loan portfolios, the Company evaluated the need for a loss reserve on each of its loans classified as held-for investment and carried at amortized cost based upon estimated current expected credit losses.

Residential

The Company’s residential mortgage loans are primarily comprised of performing adjustable-rate and fixed-rate whole loans. The Company’s residential loans are accounted for under the fair value option with changes in fair value reflected in Net gains (losses) on investments and other in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company also consolidates securitization trusts in which it retained securities because it also has certain powers and rights to direct the activities of such trusts.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company designates its securities as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity depending upon the type of security and the Company’s intent and ability to hold such security to maturity. Securities classified as available-for-sale and trading are reported at fair value on a recurring basis.

The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments carried at fair value. These methodologies are applied to assets and liabilities across the three-level fair value hierarchy, with the observability of inputs determining the appropriate level.

Futures contracts and U.S. Treasury securities are valued using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets and are classified as Level 1.

Residential Securities, interest rate swaps, swaptions and other derivatives are valued using quoted prices or internally estimated prices for similar assets using internal models. The Company incorporates common market pricing methods, including a spread measurement to the Treasury curve as well as underlying characteristics of the particular security including coupon, prepayment speeds, periodic and life caps, rate reset period and expected life of the security in its estimates of fair value. Fair value estimates for residential mortgage loans are generated by a discounted cash flow model and are primarily based on observable market-based inputs including discount rates, prepayment speeds, delinquency levels, and credit losses. Management reviews and indirectly corroborates its estimates of the fair value derived using internal models by comparing its results to independent prices provided by dealers in the securities and/or third party pricing services. Certain liquid asset classes, such as Agency fixed-rate pass-throughs, may be priced using independent sources such as quoted prices for TBA securities.

Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swap and swaption markets and TBA derivatives are considered to be active markets such that participants transact with sufficient frequency and volume to provide transparent pricing information on an ongoing basis. The liquidity of the Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions and TBA derivatives markets and the similarity of the Company’s securities to those actively traded enable the Company to observe quoted prices in the market and utilize those prices as a basis for formulating fair value measurements. Consequently, the Company has classified Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions and TBA derivatives as Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy.

The fair value of commercial mortgage-backed securities classified as available-for-sale is determined based upon quoted prices of similar assets in recent market transactions and requires the application of judgment due to differences in the underlying collateral. Consequently, commercial mortgage-backed securities carried at fair value are classified as Level 2.

For the fair value of debt issued by securitization vehicles, refer to the “Variable Interest Entities” Note for additional information.

The Company has classified its investments in MSR as Level 3. Fair value estimates for these investments are obtained from models, which use significant unobservable inputs in their valuations. These valuations primarily utilize discounted cash flow models that incorporate unobservable market data inputs including discount rates, prepayment rates, delinquency rates and costs to service. Model valuations are then compared to valuations obtained from third party pricing providers. Management reviews the valuations received from third party pricing providers and uses them as a point of comparison to modeled values. The valuation of MSR require significant judgment by management and the third party pricing providers. Assumptions used for which there is a lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore the Company’s financial statements.

Reverse Repurchase and Repurchase Agreements

Reverse Repurchase and Repurchase Agreements – The Company finances a significant portion of its assets with repurchase agreements. At the inception of each transaction, the Company assessed each of the specified criteria in ASC 860, Transfers and Servicing, and has determined that each of the financing agreements should be treated as a secured financing.

The Company enters into reverse repurchase agreements to earn a yield on excess cash balances. To mitigate credit exposure, the Company monitors the market value of these securities and delivers or obtains additional collateral based on changes in market value of these securities. Generally, the Company receives or posts collateral with a fair value approximately equal to or greater than the value of the secured financing.

Reverse repurchase agreements and repurchase agreements with the same counterparty and the same maturity are presented net in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition when the terms of the agreements meet the criteria to permit netting. The Company reports cash flows on repurchase agreements as financing activities and cash flows on reverse repurchase agreements as investing activities in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Contingencies

From time to time, the Company is involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.