4. Mortgage-Backed Securities

All of the Company’s agency securities were classified as available-for-sale and, as such, are reported at their estimated fair value. The agency securities market is primarily an over-the-counter market. As such, there are no standard, public market quotations or published trading data for individual agency securities. The Company estimates the fair value of the Company’s agency securities 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 March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, all of the Company’s agency securities values were based on third-party sources.

The Company’s investment portfolio consists of agency securities, which are backed by a U.S. Government agency or a U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. The following table presents certain information about the Company’s agency securities at March 31, 2014.

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Loss			Gross Unrealized Gain		Estimated Fair Value
Agency Securities
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMs	$	9,553,321	$	(36,442	)	$	171,484	$	9,688,363
Fixed Rate		303,611		(345	)		817		304,083
Total Fannie Mae		9,856,932		(36,787	)		172,301		9,992,446

Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMs		6,964,182		(54,734	)		63,071		6,972,519
Fixed Rate		173,086		(196	)		101		172,991
Total Freddie Mac		7,137,268		(54,930	)		63,172		7,145,510

Total Agency Securities	$	16,994,200	$	(91,717	)	$	235,473	$	17,137,956

The following table presents certain information about the Company’s agency securities at December 31, 2013.

	Amortized Cost		Gross Unrealized Loss			Gross Unrealized Gain		Estimated Fair Value
Agency Securities
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMs	$	9,620,743	$	(44,871	)	$	167,848	$	9,743,720
Fixed Rate		806,312		(1,798	)		3,832		808,346
Total Fannie Mae		10,427,055		(46,669	)		171,680		10,552,066

Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMs		6,671,013		(70,752	)		57,808		6,658,069
Fixed Rate		338,738		(1,600	)		21		337,159
Total Freddie Mac		7,009,751		(72,352	)		57,829		6,995,228

Ginnie Mae Certificates
ARMs		—		—			—		—
Fixed Rate		96,236		(998	)		—		95,238
Total Ginnie Mae		96,236		(998	)		—		95,238

Total Agency Securities	$	17,533,042	$	(120,019	)	$	229,509	$	17,642,532

The components of the carrying value of available-for-sale agency securities at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 are presented below.

	March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
Principal balance	$	16,525,003		$	17,044,190
Unamortized premium		469,197			488,854
Unamortized discount		-			(2	)
Gross unrealized gains		235,473			229,509
Gross unrealized losses		(91,717	)		(120,019	)
Carrying value/estimated fair value	$	17,137,956		$	17,642,532

The following table presents components of interest income on the Company’s agency securities portfolio for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

	Three Months Ended March 31
	2014			2013
Coupon interest on MBS	$	118,398		$	167,434
Net premium amortization		(22,091	)		(43,193	)
Interest income on MBS, net	$	96,307		$	124,241

Gross gains and losses from sales of securities for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows.

	Three Months Ended March 31
	2014		2013
Gross gains on MBS	$	7,436	$	2,500
Gross losses on MBS		-		-
Net gain (loss) on MBS	$	7,436	$	2,500

The Company monitors the performance and market value of its agency securities portfolio on an ongoing basis, and on a quarterly basis reviews its agency securities for impairment. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had the following securities in a loss position presented below:

	Less than 12 months					Less than 12 months
	as of March 31, 2014					as of December 31, 2013
	Fair Market		Unrealized			Fair Market		Unrealized
	Value		Loss			Value		Loss
Fannie Mae Certificates
ARMs	$	3,133,610	$	(36,442	)	$	3,233,274	$	(44,871	)
Fixed Rate		171,707		(345	)		281,760		(1,798	)
Freddie Mac Certificates
ARMs		3,806,999		(54,734	)		4,046,473		(70,752	)
Fixed Rate		153,804		(196	)		316,835		(1,600	)
Ginnie Mae Certificates
ARMs		-		-			-		-
Fixed Rate		-		-			95,238		(998	)
Total temporarily impaired securities	$	7,266,120	$	(91,717	)	$	7,973,580	$	(120,019	)
Number of securities in an unrealized loss position				233					279

The Company did not make the decision to sell the above securities as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, 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 contractual maturity of the Company’s agency securities 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.