INVESTMENTS IN RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS - Variable Interest Entities, Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	[1]	$ 251,058	$ 295,798
Intangible assets		18,708	0
Prepaid expenses and other assets		688,408	312,181
Total assets		31,691,013	22,213,562
Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	[1]	490,510	239,114
Reserve for sales recourse		5,880	0
Total liabilities		25,602,718	$ 17,417,400
Shelter Mortgage Company, LLC | VIE
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents		17,346
Property and equipment, net		137
Intangible assets		70
Prepaid expenses and other assets		411
Total assets		17,964
Liabilities
Accrued expenses and other liabilities		1,315
Reserve for sales recourse		967
Total liabilities		$ 2,282

[1] New Residential’s Consolidated Balance Sheets include the assets and liabilities of certain consolidated VIEs, Advance Purchaser LLC (the “Buyer”) (Note 6), the RPL Borrowers, Shellpoint Asset Funding Trust 2013-1 (“SAFT 2013-1”) and the Shelter retail mortgage origination joint ventures (“Shelter JVs”) (Note 8) and the Consumer Loan SPVs (Note 9), which primarily hold investments in Servicer Advance Investments, residential mortgage loans and consumer loans, respectively, financed with notes and bonds payable. The balance sheets of the Buyer, the RPL Borrowers, SAFT 2013-1, Shelter JVs and the Consumer Loan SPVs are included in Notes 6, 8 and 9, respectively. The creditors of the Buyer, the RPL Borrowers, SAFT 2013-1, Shelter JVs and the Consumer Loan SPVs do not have recourse to the general credit of New Residential and the assets of the Buyer, the RPL Borrowers, SAFT 2013-1, Shelter JVs and the Consumer Loan SPVs are not directly available to satisfy New Residential’s obligations. See Note 8 regarding deconsolidation of the RPL Borrowers during 2018.