FAIR VALUE

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

NOTE 16. FAIR VALUE

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price). A fair value measure should reflect the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including the assumptions about the risk inherent in a particular valuation technique, the effect of a restriction on the sale or use of an asset and the risk of non-performance. Required disclosures include stratification of balance sheet amounts measured at fair value based on inputs the Company uses to derive fair value measurements. These stratifications are:

Level 1 valuations, where the valuation is based on quoted market prices for identical assets or liabilities traded in active markets (which include exchanges and over-the-counter markets with sufficient volume),

Level 2 valuations, where the valuation is based on quoted market prices for similar instruments traded in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market, and

Level 3 valuations, where the valuation is generated from model-based techniques that use significant assumptions not observable in the market, but observable based on Company-specific data. These unobservable assumptions reflect the Company’s own estimates for assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Valuation techniques typically include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques, but may also include the use of market prices of assets or liabilities that are not directly comparable to the subject asset or liability.

MBS, Orchid common stock, retained interests and TBA securities were all recorded at fair value on a recurring basis during 2019 and 2018. When determining fair value measurements, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and considers assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset. When possible, the Company looks to active and observable markets to price identical assets. When identical assets are not traded in active markets, the Company looks to market observable data for similar assets. Fair value measurements for the retained interests are generated by a model that requires management to make a significant number of assumptions, and this model resulted in a value of zero at both December 31, 2019 and 2018.

The Company's MBS and TBA securities are valued using Level 2 valuations, and such valuations currently are determined by the Company based on independent pricing sources and/or third party broker quotes, when available. Because the price estimates may vary, the Company must make certain judgments and assumptions about the appropriate price to use to calculate the fair values. The Company and the independent pricing sources use various valuation techniques to determine the price of the Company’s securities. These techniques include observing the most recent market for like or identical assets, spread pricing techniques (option adjusted spread, zero volatility spread, spread to the U.S. Treasury curve or spread to a benchmark such as a TBA security), and model driven approaches (the discounted cash flow method, Black Scholes and SABR models which rely upon observable market rates such as the term structure of interest rates and the volatility). The appropriate spread pricing method used is based on market convention. The pricing source determines the spread of recently observed trade activity or observable markets for assets similar to those being priced. The spread is then adjusted based on variances in certain characteristics between the market observation and the asset being priced. Those characteristics include: type of asset, the expected life of the asset, the stability and predictability of the expected future cash flows of the asset, whether the coupon of the asset is fixed or adjustable, the guarantor of the security if applicable, the coupon, the maturity, the issuer, size of the underlying loans, year in which the underlying loans were originated, loan to value ratio, state in which the underlying loans reside, credit score of the underlying borrowers and other variables if appropriate. The fair value of the security is determined by using the adjusted spread.

The following table presents financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2019 and 2018:

(in thousands)
				Quoted Prices
				in Active		Significant
				Markets for		Other		Significant
				Identical		Observable		Unobservable
		Fair Value		Assets		Inputs		Inputs
		Measurements		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
December 31, 2019
Mortgage-backed securities	$	217,841	$	-	$	217,841	$	-
Orchid Island Capital, Inc. common stock		8,892		8,892		-		-
TBA securities		(59)		-		(59)		-
December 31, 2018
Mortgage-backed securities	$	212,424	$	-	$	212,424	$	-
Orchid Island Capital, Inc. common stock		9,713		9,713		-		-
TBA securities		(938)		-		(938)		-

The following table illustrates a roll forward for all assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

(in thousands)
		Retained Interests
		2019		2018
Balances, January 1	$	-	$	653
Gain included in earnings		315		1,103
Collections		(315)		(1,756)
Balances, December 31	$	-	$	-

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were no transfers of financial assets or liabilities between levels 1, 2 or 3.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company exercised its optional early termination rights with respect to certain securitizations and received net distributions of approximately $1.4 million. That distribution, along with the cash flow of approximately $0.4 million received prior to the exercise, resulted in a gain of $1.1 million for the year that was recorded in gains on retained interests in securitizations on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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