Financial Highlights (Expense Ratios to Average Equity) (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Investment Company, Financial Highlights [Abstract]
Operating expenses, before interest expense and other investment related expenses	(2.86%)
Investment Company, Incentive Fee to Average Net Assets	(0.12%)
Interest expense and other investment related expenses	(12.03%)
Total Expenses	(15.01%)

The ratio of interest and other investment related expenses to average total equity (including non-controlling interest).

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

The ratio of operating expenses (before incentive fee, interest expense, and other investment related expenses) to average total equity (inclusive of non-controlling interest).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	efc_
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- Definition

Percentage of expense, after incentive allocation, to average net assets.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 946
-SubTopic 205
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25866437&loc=d3e10342-115837

+ Details

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- References

No definition available.

+ Details

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- Definition

Percentage of incentive fee expense to average net assets.

+ References

+ Details

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Data Type:	num:percentItemType
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Period Type:	duration