Note 24 - Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$ (43,378)	$ (22,382)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of fixed assets	(637)	(111)
Purchases of other investments	(844)	(994)
Sales or distributions from other investments	8,312	768
Funding of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued	(35,153)	(72,642)
Funding of loans held for investment	(25,102)	(63,245)
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued	23,806	82,909
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans held for investment	6,876	1,431
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash due to deconsolidation of subsidiaries	(27,771)
Investment in subsidiary
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(50,513)	(51,884)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of asset-backed securities issued	(801)	(332,100)
Distributions and distribution equivalents paid on common shares and RSUs	(1,070)	(2,038)
Purchase of common shares for treasury	(669)	(1,044)
Distributions to non-controlling interest shareholders	(913)	(108)
Employee taxes paid on shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes	(84)
Capital contributions of parent		445
Net cash provided by financing activities	4,213	55,222
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(89,678)	(19,044)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	132,808	137,321
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	43,130	118,277
Proceeds from issuance of repurchase agreement		3,878
Proceeds from sale of note payable to affiliate		829
Payment of debt issuance costs		(1,837)
Proceeds of issuance from asset-backed securities issued		327,646
Capital contributions of nonredeemable non-controlling interest holders		445
Capital contributions of parent
BNP Paribas [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities	7,750	51,550
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit	7,750	51,550
CNB [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities		8,000
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit		8,000
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Parent Company [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	15,198	11,760
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of fixed assets
Purchases of other investments	(11)	(5,021)
Sales or distributions from other investments	625	228
Funding of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Funding of loans held for investment	(646)
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans held for investment	4	1,166
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash due to deconsolidation of subsidiaries
Investment in subsidiary	(13,228)	4,865
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(13,256)	1,238
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of asset-backed securities issued
Distributions and distribution equivalents paid on common shares and RSUs	(1,070)	(2,038)
Purchase of common shares for treasury	(669)	(1,044)
Distributions to non-controlling interest shareholders	(913)
Employee taxes paid on shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes	(84)
Capital contributions of parent	(1,111)
Net cash provided by financing activities	(3,847)	(22,526)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(1,905)	(9,528)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	4,863	13,632
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	2,958	4,104
Proceeds from issuance of repurchase agreement		3,878
Proceeds from sale of note payable to affiliate
Payment of debt issuance costs
Proceeds of issuance from asset-backed securities issued
Capital contributions of nonredeemable non-controlling interest holders	(1,111)
Capital contributions of parent		(23,322)
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Parent Company [Member] | BNP Paribas [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Parent Company [Member] | CNB [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Subsidiary Issuer [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(19,139)	(566)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of fixed assets
Purchases of other investments		(426)
Sales or distributions from other investments
Funding of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Funding of loans held for investment	(876)
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans held for investment
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash due to deconsolidation of subsidiaries
Investment in subsidiary	739	(1,194)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(137)	(1,620)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of asset-backed securities issued
Distributions and distribution equivalents paid on common shares and RSUs
Purchase of common shares for treasury
Distributions to non-controlling interest shareholders
Employee taxes paid on shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes
Capital contributions of parent	16,624
Net cash provided by financing activities	16,624	2,027
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2,652)	(159)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	9,976	6,290
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	7,324	6,131
Proceeds from issuance of repurchase agreement
Proceeds from sale of note payable to affiliate
Payment of debt issuance costs		(122)
Proceeds of issuance from asset-backed securities issued
Capital contributions of nonredeemable non-controlling interest holders	16,624
Capital contributions of parent		2,149
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Subsidiary Issuer [Member] | BNP Paribas [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Subsidiary Issuer [Member] | CNB [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(29,283)	(29,990)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of fixed assets	(637)	(111)
Purchases of other investments	(833)
Sales or distributions from other investments	8,565	540
Funding of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued	(35,153)	(72,642)
Funding of loans held for investment	(23,580)	(63,245)
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued	23,806	82,909
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans held for investment	6,872	265
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash due to deconsolidation of subsidiaries	(27,771)
Investment in subsidiary
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(48,731)	(52,284)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of asset-backed securities issued	(1,679)	(332,100)
Distributions and distribution equivalents paid on common shares and RSUs
Purchase of common shares for treasury
Distributions to non-controlling interest shareholders		(108)
Employee taxes paid on shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes
Capital contributions of parent	(13,182)	445
Net cash provided by financing activities	(7,111)	72,917
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(85,125)	(9,357)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	117,969	117,399
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	32,844	108,042
Proceeds from issuance of repurchase agreement
Proceeds from sale of note payable to affiliate		829
Payment of debt issuance costs		(1,715)
Proceeds of issuance from asset-backed securities issued		332,100
Capital contributions of nonredeemable non-controlling interest holders	(13,182)	445
Capital contributions of parent		13,916
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | BNP Paribas [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities	7,750	51,550
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit	7,750	51,550
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | CNB [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities		8,000
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit		8,000
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(10,154)	(3,586)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of fixed assets
Purchases of other investments		4,453
Sales or distributions from other investments	(878)
Funding of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Funding of loans held for investment
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans collateralizing asset-backed securities issued
Sale, payoff and principal receipts of loans held for investment
Net decrease in cash and restricted cash due to deconsolidation of subsidiaries
Investment in subsidiary	12,489	(3,671)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	11,611	782
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of asset-backed securities issued	878
Distributions and distribution equivalents paid on common shares and RSUs
Purchase of common shares for treasury
Distributions to non-controlling interest shareholders
Employee taxes paid on shares withheld for tax-withholding purposes
Capital contributions of parent	(2,331)
Net cash provided by financing activities	(1,453)	2,804
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	4
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period	4
Proceeds from issuance of repurchase agreement
Proceeds from sale of note payable to affiliate
Payment of debt issuance costs
Proceeds of issuance from asset-backed securities issued		(4,453)
Capital contributions of nonredeemable non-controlling interest holders	(2,331)
Capital contributions of parent		7,257
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member] | BNP Paribas [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member] | CNB [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from drawdowns on CLO warehouse facilities
Proceeds from drawdowns on line of credit