Borrowings- Warehouse lines of credit (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2025	Dec. 31, 2024
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Other secured borrowings(1)	[1]	$ 189,203	$ 253,300
Warehouse facility A | Reverse mortgage loans
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Other secured borrowings(1)		0	57,646
Fair Value of Assets Transfered and Accounted for as Secured Borrowings		$ 0	$ 68,209
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Rate		0.00%	7.09%
Warehouse facility B | Reverse mortgage loans
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Other secured borrowings(1)		$ 29,481	$ 112,748
Fair Value of Assets Transfered and Accounted for as Secured Borrowings		$ 31,709	$ 124,705
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Rate		7.29%	7.07%
Warehouse LOC | Reverse mortgage loans
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Other secured borrowings(1)		$ 29,481	$ 170,394
Fair Value of Assets Transfered and Accounted for as Secured Borrowings		$ 31,709	$ 192,914
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Rate		7.29%	7.08%

[1] Ellington Financial Inc.'s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets include assets and liabilities of variable interest entities it has consolidated. See Note 12 for additional details on Ellington Financial Inc.'s consolidated variable interest entities.