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Represents the percentage of annual REIT taxable income that the entity intends to distribute to its stockholders.

No definition available.

Name:	mfa_PercentageOfAnnualREITTaxableIncomeDistributedToStockholders
Namespace Prefix:	mfa_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
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Period Type:	duration

Represents the forfeiture rate applied to equity based awards granted in 2009 and prior years for determining the fair value of the awards.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	mfa_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

Represents the period over which changes in the entity's closing stock price and dividends declared on the entity's common stock are measured to determine stockholder returns that represent a market condition upon which an employee's right to exercise an award is contingent.

No definition available.

Name:	mfa_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardMarketConditionPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	mfa_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
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- Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
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The sum of the current income tax expense or benefit and the deferred income tax expense or benefit pertaining to continuing operations.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 9

-Subparagraph (a),(b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 109

-Paragraph 45

-Subparagraph a, b

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 235

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(h))

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 08

-Paragraph h

-Article 4

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Income Tax Expense (or Benefit)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6515339

Name:	us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

Period which an employee's right to exercise an award is no longer contingent on satisfaction of either a service condition, market condition or a performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents the reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 718

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (a)(1)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901