Residential Whole Loans (Carrying Value Accretable Yield Rollforward) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Residential Whole Loans Accretable Yield [Roll Forward]
Balance at beginning of period	$ 415,330	$ 421,872
Additions	0	0
Accretion	(11,399)	(11,031)
Liquidations and other	(10,488)	(2,170)
Reclassifications from non-accretable difference, net	5,515	4,733
Balance at end of period	$ 398,958	$ 413,404

Residential Whole Loans [Roll Forward]

No definition available.

Name:	mfa_ResidentialWholeLoansRollForward
Namespace Prefix:	mfa_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of the excess of a loan's cash flows expected to be collected over the investor's initial investment in acquired loans not accounted for as debt securities with evidence of deterioration of credit quality.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 30
-Section 15
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82894507&loc=d3e13503-111538

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82894903&loc=d3e15032-111544

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CertainLoansAcquiredInTransferNotAccountedForAsDebtSecuritiesAccretableYield
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of accretion recognized for the excess of a loan's cash flows expected to be collected over the investor's initial investment in acquired loans not accounted for as debt securities, with evidence of deterioration of credit quality.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CertainLoansAcquiredInTransferNotAccountedForAsDebtSecuritiesAccretableYieldAccretion
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of additions to the excess of a loan's cash flows expected to be collected over the investor's initial investment in acquired loans not accounted for as debt securities with evidence of deterioration of credit quality.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CertainLoansAcquiredInTransferNotAccountedForAsDebtSecuritiesAccretableYieldAdditions
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of reduction, resulting from a sale or transfer of a loan, in the excess of a loan's cash flows expected to be collected over the investor's initial investment in acquired loans not accounted for as debt securities with evidence of deterioration of credit quality.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 30
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82894903&loc=d3e15032-111544

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 310
-SubTopic 30
-Section 15
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=82894507&loc=d3e13503-111538

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CertainLoansAcquiredInTransferNotAccountedForAsDebtSecuritiesAccretableYieldDisposalsOfLoans
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of reclassification (to) from nonaccretable difference (from) to the excess of a loan's cash flows expected to be collected over the investor's initial investment in acquired loans not accounted for as debt securities with evidence of deterioration of credit quality.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_CertainLoansAcquiredInTransferNotAccountedForAsDebtSecuritiesAccretableYieldReclassificationsToFromNonaccretableDifference
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration