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      <ShortName>Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail)</ShortName>
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      <LongName>1061 - Disclosure - Market Valuation Adjustments, Net (Detail)</LongName>
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      <LongName>1063 - Disclosure - Residential Loans - Additional Information (Detail)</LongName>
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      <ShortName>Residential Loans - Additional Information (Detail)</ShortName>
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      <LongName>1066 - Disclosure - Recorded Investment in Residential Loans Held-For-Investment Organized by Year of Origination (Detail)</LongName>
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      <LongName>1067 - Disclosure - Summary of Activity in Allowance for Losses on Residential Loans (Detail)</LongName>
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      <LongName>1069 - Disclosure - Recorded Investment and Past Due Status of Residential Loans Collectively Evaluated for Impairment (Detail)</LongName>
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      <LongName>1070 - Disclosure - Loan Modifications Determined to be Troubled Debt Restructuring (Detail)</LongName>
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      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
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      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
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      <LongName>1081 - Disclosure - Available for Sale Securities by Collateral Type (Detail)</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
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      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
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      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.redwoodtrust.com/taxonomy/role/DisclosureImpactOnInterestExpenseOfInterestRateAgreementsAccountedForAsCashFlowHedges</Role>
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      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
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      <ShortName>Summary of Other Assets (Detail)</ShortName>
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      <LongName>1093 - Disclosure - Short-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail)</LongName>
      <ReportType>Sheet</ReportType>
      <Role>http://www.redwoodtrust.com/taxonomy/role/DisclosureShortTermDebtAdditionalInformation</Role>
      <ShortName>Short-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail)</ShortName>
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