Formation and Organization

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Formation and Organization [Abstract]

Formation and Organization

1.	Formation and Organization
	ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "Company") was incorporated in Maryland on May 24, 2011, and has elected to be taxed and to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was initially capitalized and commenced operations on July 29, 2011, when it completed an exchange of a mutually agreed upon portion of the shareholders' and limited partners' interests in the ZAIS Matrix VI-A Ltd. and ZAIS Matrix VI-B L.P. funds (the "Matrix Funds") managed by ZAIS Group, LLC ("ZAIS"), which included cash of $3,036,222 and real estate securities having a fair value of $57,416,118, for 3,022,617 shares of the Company's common stock or operating partnership units ("OP units") in ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., the Company's consolidated operating partnership subsidiary (the "Operating Partnership"), pursuant to an exchange offer statement dated May 25, 2011 and the related contribution agreements executed on July 29, 2011. All OP units were converted into shares of common stock upon issuance. On February 13, 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering ("IPO"), pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of $1.2 million were $118.9 million.
	The Company primarily invests in, finances and manages residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS"), including RMBS that are not issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), or an agency of the U.S. Government, such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") ("non-Agency RMBS"), as well as RMBS that are issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation or a U.S. Government agency ("Agency RMBS"). The Company's strategy also emphasizes the purchase of performing and re-performing residential whole loans. The Company will also have the discretion to invest in other real estate-related and financial assets, including mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs"), interest only strips created from RMBS ("IOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") and asset-backed securities ("ABS"). The Company is externally managed by ZAIS REIT Management, LLC (the "Advisor"), a subsidiary of ZAIS, and has no employees. The Company is the sole general partner of, and conducts substantially all of its business through, the Operating Partnership.
	The Company's charter authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. The Company's board of directors is authorized to amend its charter, without the approval of stockholders, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares of capital stock or the number of shares of any class or series that the Company has authority to issue.