FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

11. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company follows fair value guidance in accordance with GAAP to account for its financial instruments that are accounted for at fair value. The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

GAAP requires classification of financial instruments into a three-level hierarchy based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation technique. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).

If the inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest priority input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument. Financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition or disclosed in the related notes are categorized based on the inputs to the valuation techniques as follows:

Level 1 – inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.

Level 2 – inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

Level 3 – inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to overall fair value.

The Company designates its securities as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity depending upon the type of security and the Company’s intent and ability to hold such security to maturity. Securities classified as available-for-sale and trading are reported at fair value on a recurring basis.

The following is a description of the valuation methodologies used for instruments carried at fair value. These methodologies are applied to assets and liabilities across the three-level fair value hierarchy, with the observability of inputs determining the appropriate level.

Futures contracts are valued using quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets and are classified as Level 1.

Residential Securities, interest rate swaps, swaptions and other derivatives are valued using quoted prices or internally estimated prices for similar assets using internal models. The Company incorporates common market pricing methods, including a spread measurement to the Treasury curve as well as underlying characteristics of the particular security including coupon, prepayment speeds, periodic and life caps, rate reset period and expected life of the security in its estimates of fair value. Fair value estimates for residential mortgage loans are generated by a discounted cash flow model and are primarily based on observable market-based inputs including discount rates, prepayment speeds, delinquency levels, and credit losses. Management reviews and indirectly corroborates its estimates of the fair value derived using internal models by comparing its results to independent prices provided by dealers in the securities and/or third party pricing services. Certain liquid asset classes, such as Agency fixed-rate pass-throughs, may be priced using independent sources such as quoted prices for TBA securities.

Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swap and swaption markets, TBA derivatives and MBS options are considered to be active markets such that participants transact with sufficient frequency and volume to provide transparent pricing information on an ongoing basis. The liquidity of the Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions, TBA derivatives and MBS options markets and the similarity of the Company’s securities to those actively traded enable the Company to observe quoted prices in the market and utilize those prices as a basis for formulating fair value measurements. Consequently, the Company has classified Residential Securities, residential mortgage loans, interest rate swaps, swaptions, TBA derivatives and MBS options as Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy.

The fair value of commercial mortgage-backed securities classified as available-for-sale is determined based upon quoted prices of similar assets in recent market transactions and requires the application of judgment due to differences in the underlying collateral. Consequently, commercial real estate debt investments carried at fair value are classified as Level 2.

For the fair value of debt issued by securitization vehicles, refer to the Note titled “Variable Interest Entities” for additional information.

The Company classifies its investments in MSRs as Level 3 in the fair value measurements hierarchy. Fair value estimates for these investments are obtained from models, which use significant unobservable inputs in their valuations. These valuations primarily utilize discounted cash flow models that incorporate unobservable market data inputs including prepayment rates, delinquency levels, costs to service and discount rates. Model valuations are then compared to valuations obtained from third-party pricing providers. Management reviews the valuations received from third-party pricing providers and uses them as a point of comparison to modeled values. The valuation of MSRs requires significant judgment by management and the third-party pricing providers. Assumptions used for which there is a lack of observable inputs may significantly impact the resulting fair value and therefore the Company’s financial statements.

The following tables present the estimated fair values of financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis. There were no transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy during the periods presented.



September 30, 2019
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets	(dollars in thousands)
Securities
Agency mortgage-backed securities	$	—	$	114,462,524	$	—	$	114,462,524
Credit risk transfer securities	—		474,765		—		474,765
Non-Agency mortgage-backed securities	—		1,015,921		—		1,015,921
Commercial mortgage-backed securities	—		140,851		—		140,851
Loans
Residential mortgage loans	—		1,219,402		—		1,219,402
Mortgage servicing rights	—		—		386,051		386,051
Assets transferred or pledged to securitization vehicles	—		3,878,139		—		3,878,139
Derivative assets
Interest rate swaps	—		2,556		—		2,556
Other derivatives	102,400		63,799		—		166,199
Total assets	$	102,400	$	121,257,957	$	386,051	$	121,746,408
Liabilities
Debt issued by securitization vehicles	—		3,856,082		—		3,856,082
Derivative liabilities
Interest rate swaps	—		861,067		—		861,067
Other derivatives	80,563		30,785		—		111,348
Total liabilities	$	80,563	$	4,747,934	$	—	$	4,828,497



December 31, 2018
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets	(dollars in thousands)
Securities
Agency mortgage-backed securities	$	—	$	90,752,995	$	—	$	90,752,995
Credit risk transfer securities	—		552,097		—		552,097
Non-Agency mortgage-backed securities	—		1,161,938		—		1,161,938
Commercial mortgage-backed securities	—		156,758		—		156,758
Loans
Residential mortgage loans	—		1,359,806		—		1,359,806
Mortgage servicing rights	—		—		557,813		557,813
Assets transferred or pledged to securitization vehicles	—		3,833,200		—		3,833,200
Derivative assets
Interest rate swaps	—		48,114		—		48,114
Other derivatives	—		152,389		—		152,389
Total assets	$	—	$	98,017,297	$	557,813	$	98,575,110
Liabilities
Debt issued by securitization vehicles	$	—	$	3,347,062	$	—	$	3,347,062
Derivative liabilities
Interest rate swaps	—		420,365		—		420,365
Other derivatives	462,309		7,076		—		469,385
Total liabilities	$	462,309	$	3,774,503	$	—	$	4,236,812

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

The Company considers unobservable inputs to be those for which market data is not available and that are developed using the best information available to us about the assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset. Relevant inputs vary depending on the nature of the instrument being measured at fair value. The sensitivities of significant unobservable inputs along with interrelationships between and among the significant unobservable inputs and their impact on the fair value measurements are described below. The effect of a change in a particular assumption in the sensitivity analysis below is considered independently from changes in any other assumptions. In practice, simultaneous changes in assumptions may not always have a linear effect on the inputs discussed below. Interrelationships may also exist between observable and unobservable inputs. Such relationships have not been included in the discussion below. For each of the individual relationships described below, the inverse relationship would also generally apply. For MSRs, in general, increases in the discount, prepayment or delinquency rates or in annual servicing costs in isolation would result in a lower fair value measurement. A decline in interest rates could lead to higher-than-expected prepayments of mortgages underlying the Company’s investments in MSRs, which in turn could result in a decline in the estimated fair value of MSRs. Refer to the Note titled “Mortgage Servicing Rights” for additional information.

The table below presents information about the significant unobservable inputs used for recurring fair value measurements for Level 3 MSRs. The table does not give effect to the Company’s risk management practices that might offset risks inherent in these Level 3 investments.



	September 30, 2019		December 31, 2018
Valuation Technique	Unobservable Input ⁽¹⁾	Range (Weighted Average )	Unobservable Input ⁽¹⁾	Range (Weighted Average )
Discounted cash flow	Discount rate	9.0% -12.0% (9.3%)	Discount rate	9.0% -12.0% (9.4%)
	Prepayment rate	6.8% - 30.0% (15.7%)	Prepayment rate	4.7% - 13.9% (8.0%)
	Delinquency rate	0.0% - 4.0% (2.1%)	Delinquency rate	0.0% - 5.0% (2.3%)
	Cost to service	$81 - $131 ($106)	Cost to service	$82 - $138 ($110)
⁽¹⁾ Represents rates, estimates and assumptions that the Company believes would be used by market participants when valuing these assets.

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values for financial assets and liabilities that are not carried at fair value at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018.



		September 30, 2019				December 31, 2018
	Level in Fair Value Hierarchy	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Financial assets		(dollars in thousands)
Loans
Commercial real estate debt and preferred equity, held for investment⁽¹⁾	3	$	1,421,434	$	1,434,293	$	1,296,803	$	1,303,487
Commercial loans held for sale, net	3	—		—		42,184		42,184
Corporate debt, held for investment	2	2,115,783		2,073,721		1,887,182		1,863,524
Financial liabilities
Repurchase agreements	1,2	$	102,682,104	$	102,682,104	$	81,115,874	$	81,115,874
Other secured financing	1,2	4,466,030		4,466,210		4,183,311		4,183,805
Mortgage payable	3	485,657		529,198		511,056		507,770
⁽¹⁾Includes assets of a consolidated VIE.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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