Investment in Loans - Reverse Mortgage Loans Summary (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2022		Dec. 31, 2021		Oct. 03, 2022
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	$ 11,609,077		$ 2,366,724
Loans, at fair value	$ 11,626,008	[1],[2]	$ 2,415,321	[1],[2]	$ 7,698,426
Weighted Average
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	1.58%		3.52%
Weighted average life	6 years 8 months 1 day		5 years 11 months 8 days
Corporate loan [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	$ 4,132		$ 10,531
Loans, at fair value	$ 4,086		$ 10,531
Corporate loan [Member] | Weighted Average
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	5.47%		16.14%
Weighted average life	2 years 8 months 26 days		4 years 3 days
Reverse mortgage loans
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	$ 7,788,490		$ 0
Loans, at fair value	8,097,237		$ 0
Reverse mortgage loans | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	7,688,050
Loans, at fair value	7,993,635
Reverse mortgage loans | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment | Securitized loans [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	7,577,139
Loans, at fair value	7,873,964
Reverse mortgage loans | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment | Unsecuritized loans
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	110,911
Loans, at fair value	119,671
Reverse mortgage loans | Loans held-for-sale
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	100,440
Loans, at fair value	$ 103,602
Reverse mortgage loans | Weighted Average
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	5.87%
Weighted average life	5 years 2 months 4 days
Reverse mortgage loans | Weighted Average | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	5.81%
Weighted average life	5 years 7 days
Reverse mortgage loans | Weighted Average | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment | Securitized loans [Member]
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	5.80%
Weighted average life	4 years 11 months 26 days
Reverse mortgage loans | Weighted Average | Reverse mortgage loans, held for investment | Unsecuritized loans
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	6.53%
Weighted average life	7 years 1 month 24 days
Reverse mortgage loans | Weighted Average | Loans held-for-sale
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Investment Interest Rate	10.35%
Weighted average life	17 years 7 months 17 days

[1] Ellington Financial Inc.'s Consolidated Balance Sheets include assets and liabilities of variable interest entities it has consolidated. See Note 11 for additional details on Ellington Financial Inc.'s consolidated variable interest entities.

[2] Includes assets pledged as collateral to counterparties. See Note 13 for additional details on the Company's borrowings and related collateral.