4. Mortgage-Backed Securities

All of the Company’s agency MBS were classified as available-for-sale and, as such, are reported at their estimated fair value. The agency MBS market is primarily an over-the-counter market. As such, there are no standard, public market quotations or published trading data for individual agency MBS. The Company estimates the fair value of the Company’s agency MBS based on a market approach obtaining values for its securities primarily from third-party pricing services and dealer quotes. To ensure the Company’s fair value determinations are consistent with the ASC Topic on Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, the Company regularly reviews the prices obtained and the methods used to derive those prices. The Company evaluates the pricing information it receives taking into account factors such as coupon, prepayment experience, fixed/adjustable rate, annual and life caps, coupon index, time to next reset and issuing agency, among other factors to ensure that estimated fair values are appropriate. The Company reviews the methods and inputs used by providers of pricing data to determine that the fair value of its assets and liabilities are properly classified in the fair value hierarchy.

The third-party pricing services gather trade data and use pricing models that incorporate such factors as coupons, primary mortgage rates, prepayment speeds, spread to the U.S. Treasury and interest rate swap curves, periodic and life caps and other similar factors. Traders at broker-dealers function as market-makers for these securities, and these brokers have a direct view of the trading activity. Brokers do not receive compensation for providing pricing information to the Company. The broker prices received are non-binding offers to trade. The brokers receive data from traders that participate in the active markets for these securities and directly observe numerous trades of securities similar to the securities owned by the Company. The Company’s analysis of fair value for these includes comparing the data received to other information, if available, such as repurchase agreement pricing or internal pricing models.

If the fair value of a security is not available using the Level 2 inputs as described above, or such data appears unreliable, the Company may estimate the fair value of the security using a variety of methods including, but not limited to, other independent pricing services, repurchase agreement pricing, discounted cash flow analysis, matrix pricing, option adjusted spread models and other fundamental analysis of observable market factors. At June 30, 2012, all of the Company’s agency MBS values were based on third-party sources.

The Company’s MBS portfolio consists solely of agency MBS, which are backed by a U.S. Government agency or a U.S. Government sponsored entity. The following table presents certain information about the Company’s MBS at June 30, 2012.


	MBS Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Loss		Gross Unrealized Gain		Estimated Fair Value
Agency MBS
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMS	$	13,443,060	$	—	$	309,182	$	13,752,242
Fixed Rate		1,028,329		—		13,067	$	1,041,396

Total Freddie Mae		14,471,389		—		322,249	$	14,793,638


Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMS		6,850,805		—		126,621	$	6,977,426
Fixed Rate		588,594		—		7,463	$	596,057

Total Fannie Mae		7,439,399		—		134,084	$	7,573,483



Total Agency MBS	$	21,910,788	$	—	$	456,333	$	22,367,121

The following table presents certain information about the Company’s agency MBS at December 31, 2011.


	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Loss			Unrealized Gain		Estimated Fair Value
Agency MBS
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMS	$	11,446,397	$	—		$	278,559	$	11,724,956
Fixed Rate		493,648		(132	)		1,076		494,592

Total Fannie Mae		11,940,045		(132	)		279,635		12,219,548


Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMS		4,925,438		—			103,540		5,028,978
Fixed Rate		491,289		(6	)		2,064		493,347

Total Freddie Mae		5,416,727		(6	)		105,604		5,522,325



Total Agency MBS	$	17,356,772	$	(138	)	$	385,239	$	17,741,873

The components of the carrying value of available-for-sale MBS at June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 are presented below.


	June 30, 2012			December 31, 2011
Principal balance	$	21,335,477		$	16,938,710
Unamortized premium		575,318			418,071
Unamortized discount		(7	)		(9	)
Gross unrealized gains		456,333			385,239
Gross unrealized losses		—			(138	)

Carrying value/estimated fair value	$	22,367,121		$	17,741,873

The Company monitors the performance and market value of its agency MBS portfolio on an ongoing basis. At June 30, 2012, the Company did not have any securities in a loss position. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had the following securities in an unrealized loss position presented below:


	Less than 12 months as of December 31, 2011
	Fair Market Value		Unrealized Loss
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMS	$	—	$	—
Fixed Rate		210,743		(132	)
Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMS		—		—
Fixed Rate		23,012		(6	)

Total temporarily impaired securities	$	233,755	$	(138	)

The Company did not make the decision to sell the above securities as of December 31, 2011, nor was it deemed more likely than not the Company would be required to sell these securities before recovery of their amortized cost basis.

The following table presents components of interest income on the Company’s agency MBS portfolio for the three and six months ended June 30, 2012 and 2011:


	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	June 30, 2012			June 30, 2011			June 30, 2012			June 30, 2011
Coupon interest on MBS	$	164,652		$	130,943		$	306,954		$	230,733
Net premium amortization		(35,932	)		(17,755	)		(65,474	)		(30,610	)

Interest income on MBS, net	$	128,720		$	113,188		$	241,480		$	200,123

The contractual maturity of the Company’s agency MBS ranges from 15 to 30 years. Because of prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans, the actual weighted-average maturity is expected to be significantly less than the stated maturity.

Unsettled Agency MBS Purchases

While most of the Company’s purchases of agency MBS are accounted for using trade date accounting, some forward purchases, such as certain TBA’s do not qualify for trade date accounting and are considered derivatives for financial statement purposes. Pursuant to ASC Topic 815, the Company accounts for these derivatives as all-in-one cash flow hedges. The net fair value of the forward commitment is reported on the balance sheet as an asset (or liability), with a corresponding unrealized gain (or loss) recognized in other comprehensive income. The following table shows the agency MBS forward purchase commitments shown as a net asset on the balance sheet as of June 30, 2012.


					Fair Market		Due to		Net
	Face		Cost		Value		Brokers (1)		Asset
June 30, 2012	$	1,289,000	$	1,332,916	$	1,336,938	$	1,332,916	$	4,022

The following table shows the agency MBS forward purchase commitments shown as a net asset on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2011.


					Fair Market		Due to		Net
	Face		Cost		Value		Brokers (1)		Asset
December 31, 2011	$	340,000	$	348,937	$	351,249	$	348,937	$	2,312

(1)	Amounts due to brokers are usually settled within 30-90 days after period end.

Since the Company purchases forward for the purposes of holding the securities for investment, the Company considers all its agency MBS, settled or unsettled, as part of its portfolio for the purposes of cash flow and interest rate sensitivity, and consequently hedging, duration measurement, and other related investment management activity.