Segment Information - Supplemental Information by Segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Real estate securities	[1]	$ 344,125	$ 1,099,874
Other investments	[1]	348,175	358,130
Goodwill and intangible assets	[1]	56,865	161,464
Total Assets	[1]	10,355,066	17,995,440
Residential loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		4,249,051	7,714,850
Business Purpose Loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		4,136,353	3,506,743
Multifamily securities
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		492,221	4,408,524
Operating Segments | Residential Lending
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Real estate securities		160,780	229,074
Other investments		8,815	42,224
Goodwill and intangible assets		0	0
Total Assets		1,989,802	5,410,540
Operating Segments | Residential Lending | Residential loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		1,741,963	4,939,745
Operating Segments | Residential Lending | Business Purpose Loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Operating Segments | Residential Lending | Multifamily securities
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Operating Segments | Business Purpose Lending
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Real estate securities		0	0
Other investments		21,627	21,002
Goodwill and intangible assets		56,865	161,464
Total Assets		4,323,040	3,786,641
Operating Segments | Business Purpose Lending | Residential loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Operating Segments | Business Purpose Lending | Business Purpose Loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		4,136,353	3,506,743
Operating Segments | Business Purpose Lending | Multifamily securities
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Operating Segments | Third-Party Investments
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Real estate securities		183,345	870,800
Other investments		317,282	294,904
Goodwill and intangible assets		0	0
Total Assets		3,232,415	8,028,946
Operating Segments | Third-Party Investments | Residential loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		2,221,153	2,367,215
Operating Segments | Third-Party Investments | Business Purpose Loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Operating Segments | Third-Party Investments | Multifamily securities
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		492,221	4,408,524
Corporate/ Other
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Real estate securities		0	0
Other investments		451	0
Goodwill and intangible assets		0	0
Total Assets		809,809	769,313
Corporate/ Other | Residential loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		285,935	407,890
Corporate/ Other | Business Purpose Loans
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		0	0
Corporate/ Other | Multifamily securities
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Loans, at fair value		$ 0	$ 0

[1] Our consolidated balance sheets include assets of consolidated variable interest entities (“VIEs”) that can only be used to settle obligations of these VIEs and liabilities of consolidated VIEs for which creditors do not have recourse to Redwood Trust, Inc. or its affiliates. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, assets of consolidated VIEs totaled $8,141,069 and $11,931,869, respectively. At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, liabilities of consolidated VIEs totaled $7,148,414 and $10,717,072, respectively. See Note 4 for further discussion.