(14)	Mortgage Servicing Rights, Net (MSR)

A summary of the activity in mortgage servicing rights by class for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 is as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
Mortgage Servicing Rights	2018			2017
Beginning Balance	$	399,349		$	347,558
Additions		6,389			28,806
Purchases from an affiliate		509			—
Amortization		(19,294	)		(17,175	)
Ending Balance	$	386,953		$	359,189
Valuation Allowance
Beginning Balance	$	(6,723	)	$	(7,742	)
Decrease		1,296			3,168
Ending Balance	$	(5,427	)	$	(4,574	)
Net balance	$	381,526		$	354,615

Servicing fees are included in “Management services, servicing fees and other” in Newmark’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and are as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2018		2017
Servicing fees	$	25,132	$	22,050
Escrow interest and placement fees		2,967		1,459
Ancillary fees		827		1,323
Total servicing fees and escrow interest	$	28,926	$	24,832

Newmark’s primary servicing portfolio at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was approximately $55.1 billion and $54.2 billion, respectively. Also, Newmark is the named special servicer for a number of commercial mortgage backed securitizations. Upon certain specified events (such as, but not limited to, loan defaults and loans assumptions), the administration of the loan is transferred to Newmark. Newmark’s special servicing portfolio at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $3.6 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively.

The estimated fair value of the MSRs at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 was $ 422.2 million and $418.1 million, respectively. Fair values are estimated using a valuation model that calculates the present value of the future net servicing cash flows. The cash flows assumptions used are based on assumptions Newmark believes market participants would use to value the portfolio. Significant assumptions include estimates of the cost of servicing per loan, discount rate, earnings rate on escrow deposits and prepayment speeds. The discount rates used in measuring fair value for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and for the year ended December 31, 2017 was between 3.0% and 13.5% and varied based on investor type. An increase in discount rate of 100 bps or 200 bps would result in a decrease in fair value by $13.7 million and $25.0 million, respectively, at March 31, 2018. An increase in discount rate of 100 bps or 200 bps would result in a decrease in fair value by $11.8 million and $23.0 million, respectively, at December 31, 2017.