Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2024

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Segment Reporting

The Company’s operations are classified into two reportable segments: the asset management segment and the investment portfolio segment. These segments are evaluated by management in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The accounting policies of the operating segments are the same as the Company’s accounting policies with the exception that inter-segment revenues and expenses are included in the presentation of segment results. For further information see Note 13.

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Bimini Capital and its subsidiaries, as listed above. All inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they may not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine and three-month periods ended September 30, 2024 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending  December 31, 2024.

The consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2023 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. For further information, refer to the financial statements and footnotes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could significantly differ from those estimates. Significant estimates affecting the accompanying consolidated financial statements include determining the fair values of MBS and derivatives, the fair value of Orchid Common Stock, determining the amounts of asset valuation allowances, and the computation of the income tax provision or benefit and the deferred tax asset allowances recorded for each accounting period.

Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Variable Interest Entities (“VIEs”)

A variable interest entity ("VIE") is consolidated by an enterprise if it is deemed the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The Company obtains interests in VIEs through its investments in MBS. The interests in these VIEs are passive in nature and are not expected to result in the Company obtaining a controlling financial interest in these VIEs in the future. As a result, the Company does not consolidate these VIEs and accounts for the interest in these VIEs as mortgage-backed securities. See Note 3. The maximum exposure to loss for these VIEs is the carrying value of the MBS.

Bimini Capital has a common share investment in a trust, Bimini Capital Trust II, ("BCTII"), used in connection with the issuance of Bimini Capital's junior subordinated notes. BCTII is a VIE, as the holders of the equity investment at risk do not have adequate decision making ability over BCTII’s activities. Bimini Capital's investment was financed directly by BCTII as a result of its loan of the proceeds to Bimini Capital, therefore that investment is not an equity investment at risk and is not a variable interest.  Since Bimini Capital is not the primary beneficiary of BCTII, the Company has not consolidated the financial statements of BCTII into its consolidated financial statements, and this investment is accounted for on the equity method. See Note 7.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on deposit with financial institutions and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase. Restricted cash includes cash pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements and margin for derivative instruments. The following table presents the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

	September 30, 2024		December 31, 2023
Cash and cash equivalents	$	4,561,973	$	3,716,386
Restricted cash		1,144,529		753,900
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	5,706,502	$	4,470,286

The Company maintains cash balances at several banks and excess margin with two exchange clearing members. At times, balances may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses related to these balances. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures eligible accounts up to $250,000 per depositor at each financial institution. Restricted cash balances are uninsured, but are held in separate accounts that are segregated from the general funds of the counterparty. The Company limits uninsured balances to only large, well-known banks and exchange clearing members and believes that it is not exposed to significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents or restricted cash balances.

Advisory Services [Policy Text Block]

Advisory Services

Bimini Advisors manages and advises Orchid pursuant to the terms of a management agreement. See Note 2. Under the terms of the management agreement, Orchid is obligated to pay Bimini Advisors a monthly management fee and a pro rata portion of certain overhead costs and to reimburse the Company for any direct expenses incurred on its behalf. Revenues from management fees are recognized over the period of time in which the service is performed. 

Marketable Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Mortgage-Backed Securities

The Company invests primarily in mortgage pass-through (“PT”) mortgage-backed securities issued by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or Ginnie Mae (“MBS”), collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), interest-only (“IO”) securities and inverse interest-only (“IIO”) securities representing interest in or obligations backed by pools of mortgage-backed loans. The Company refers to MBS and CMOs as PT MBS and IO and IIO securities as structured MBS. The Company has elected to account for its investment in MBS under the fair value option. Electing the fair value option requires the Company to record changes in fair value in the consolidated statement of operations, which, in management’s view, more appropriately reflects the results of the Company’s operations for a particular reporting period and is consistent with the underlying economics and how the portfolio is managed.

The Company records MBS transactions on the trade date. Security purchases that have not settled as of the balance sheet date are included in the MBS balance with an offsetting liability recorded, whereas securities sold that have not settled as of the balance sheet date are removed from the MBS balance with an offsetting receivable recorded.

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell the asset or paid to transfer the liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The fair value measurement assumes that the transaction to sell the asset or transfer the liability either occurs in the principal market for the asset or liability, or in the absence of a principal market, occurs in the most advantageous market for the asset or liability. Estimated fair values for MBS are based on independent pricing sources and/or third-party broker quotes, when available.

Income on PT MBS is based on the stated interest rate of the security. Premiums or discounts present at the date of purchase are not amortized. Premium loss and discount accretion resulting from monthly principal repayments are reflected in unrealized gains and losses on MBS in the consolidated statements of operations. For IO securities, the income is accrued based on the carrying value and the effective yield. The difference between income accrued and the interest received on the security is characterized as a return of investment and serves to reduce the asset’s carrying value. At each reporting date, the effective yield is adjusted prospectively for future reporting periods based on the new estimate of prepayments and the contractual terms of the security. For IIO securities, effective yield and income recognition calculations also take into account the index value applicable to the security. Changes in fair value of MBS during each reporting period are recorded in earnings and reported as unrealized gains or losses on mortgage-backed securities in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The amount reported as unrealized gains or losses on mortgage-backed securities thus captures the net effect of changes in the fair market value of securities caused by market developments and any premium or discount lost as a result of principal repayments during the period. Realized gains and losses on sales of MBS, using the specific identification method, are reported as a separate component of net portfolio income on the statement of operations.

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Orchid Island Capital, Inc. Common Stock

The Company accounts for its investment in Orchid common shares at fair value. The change in the fair value and dividends received on this investment are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations for each reporting period. We estimate the fair value of Orchid’s common shares on a market approach using “Level 1” inputs based on the quoted market price of Orchid’s common stock on a national stock exchange.

Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company has historically used derivative instruments to manage interest rate risk, facilitate asset/liability strategies and manage other exposures, and it may continue to do so in the future. The principal instruments that the Company has used are interest rate futures contracts, and “to-be-announced” (“TBA”) securities transactions. The Company accounts for TBA securities as derivative instruments. Other types of derivative instruments may be used in the future. Gains and losses associated with derivative transactions are reported in gain (loss) on derivative instruments in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

During the nine and three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company only held U.S. Treasury Note ("T-Note") and Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") futures contracts. The Company recorded losses of approximately $0.6 million and $2.0 million on these instruments during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, and gains of approximately $1.4 million and $1.2 million during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. 

Derivative instruments are carried at fair value, and changes in fair value are recorded in the consolidated operations for each period. The Company’s derivative financial instruments are not designated as hedge accounting relationships, but rather are used as economic hedges of its portfolio assets and liabilities. Gains and losses on derivatives, except those that result in cash receipts or payments, are included in operating activities on the statements of cash flows. Cash payments and cash receipts from settlement of derivatives, including current period net cash settlements on interest rate swaps, are classified as an investing activity on the statements of cash flows. The Company's derivative agreements generally contain provisions that allow for netting or setting off derivative assets and liabilities with the counterparty; however, related assets and liabilities are reported on a gross basis in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Derivative instruments in a gain position, if any, are reported as derivative assets at fair value and derivative instruments in a loss position, if any, are reported as derivative liabilities at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets. 

Holding derivatives creates exposure to credit risk related to the potential for failure by counterparties to honor their commitments. In the event of default by a counterparty, the Company may have difficulty recovering its collateral and may not receive payments provided for under the terms of the agreement. The Company’s derivative agreements require it to post or receive collateral to mitigate such risk. In addition, the Company uses only registered central clearing exchanges and well-established commercial banks as counterparties, monitors positions with individual counterparties and adjusts posted collateral as required. The Company’s futures contracts are exchange traded contracts that are valued based on exchange pricing with daily margin requirements. The margin requirement varies based on the market value of the open position and the equity retained in the account. Margin posted is treated as settlement of the outstanding value of the futures contract. Any margin excess or deficit outstanding is recorded as a receivable or payable as of the date of the Company’s balance sheets. The Company realizes gains and losses on these contracts upon expiration equal to the difference between the current fair value of the underlying asset and the contractual price of the futures contract.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Financial Instruments

The fair value of financial instruments is disclosed either in the body of the consolidated financial statements or in the accompanying notes. MBS, Orchid common stock and derivative assets and liabilities are accounted for at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets. The methods and assumptions used to estimate fair value for these instruments are presented in Note 12.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment, net

Property and equipment, net, consists of computer equipment with a depreciable life of 3 years, office furniture and equipment with depreciable lives of 8 to 20 years, land which has no depreciable life, and our building and its improvements with depreciable lives of 30 years. Property and equipment is recorded at acquisition cost and depreciated to their respective salvage values using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Depreciation is included in administrative and other expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.

Repurchase and Resale Agreements Policy [Policy Text Block]

Repurchase Agreements

The Company finances the acquisition of the majority of its PT MBS through the use of repurchase agreements under master repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements are accounted for as collateralized financing transactions, which are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreements.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings Per Share

Basic EPS is calculated as income available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS is calculated using the treasury stock or two-class method, as applicable for common stock equivalents. However, the common stock equivalents are not included in computing diluted EPS if the result is anti-dilutive.

Outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock, participating and convertible into Class A Common Stock, are entitled to receive dividends in an amount equal to the dividends declared, if any, on each share of Class A Common Stock. Accordingly, shares of the Class B Common Stock are included in the computation of basic EPS using the two-class method and, consequently, are presented separately from Class A Common Stock.

The shares of Class C Common Stock are not included in the basic EPS computation as these shares do not have participation rights. The outstanding shares of Class B and Class C Common Stock are not included in the computation of diluted EPS for the Class A Common Stock as the conditions for conversion into shares of Class A Common Stock were not met.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

Income taxes are provided for using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities represent the differences between the financial statement and income tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates. The measurement of net deferred tax assets is adjusted by a valuation allowance if, based on the Company’s evaluation, it is more likely than not that they will not be fully realized in future accounting periods.

The Company’s U.S. federal income tax returns for years ended on or after December 31, 2021 remain open for examination. Although management believes its calculations for tax returns are correct and the positions taken thereon are reasonable, the final outcome of a tax examination, should it occur, could be materially different from the tax returns filed by the Company, and those differences could result in significant costs or benefits to the Company. Bimini Capital and its includable subsidiaries, and Royal Palm and its includable subsidiaries, file their tax returns as separate tax paying entities.

The Company assesses the likelihood, based on their technical merit, that uncertain tax positions will be sustained during a tax examination based on the facts, circumstances and information available. The measurement of uncertain tax positions is adjusted when new information is available, or when an event occurs that requires a change. The Company recognizes tax positions in the consolidated financial statements only when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination by the relevant taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. A position that meets this standard is measured at the largest amount of benefit that will more likely than not be realized upon settlement. The difference between the benefit recognized and the tax benefit claimed on a tax return is referred to as an unrecognized tax benefit and is recorded as a liability in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company has recorded no such liabilities. The Company records income tax-related interest and penalties, if applicable, within the income tax provision.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2023-07 “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segments.” The amendments in ASU 2023-07 improve financial reporting by requiring disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis. Amendments in ASU 2023-07 include: a requirement that a public entity provide all annual disclosures about a reportable segment’s profit or loss in its interim period disclosures, disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), disclosure of amounts for other segment items by reportable segment and a description of its composition, clarification that if the CODM uses more than one measure of a segment’s profit or loss in assessing segment performance and deciding how to allocate resources, a public entity may report one or more of those additional measures of segment profit or loss, requires that a public entity disclose the title and position of the CODM and an explanation of how the CODM uses the reported measure(s) of segment profit or loss, and requires that a public entity that has a single reportable segment provide all the disclosures required by ASU 2023-07 as well as all existing disclosures required in Topic 280. The amendments in ASU 2023-07 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2023-07 on its future financial statements but does not anticipate that its adoption will have a material impact.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures.” The FASB issued ASU 2023-09 to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 address investor requests for more transparency about income tax information through improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. The amendments in ASU 2023-09 are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2023-09 on its future income tax related disclosures but does not anticipate that its adoption will have a material impact.