Investment in Securities (Maturities of Securities) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2024	Dec. 31, 2023
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)	[1],[2]	$ 1,328,848	$ 1,518,377
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 1,234,745	$ 1,445,337
Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.71%	4.78%
Long
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 1,328,848	$ 1,518,377
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 1,403,951	$ 1,602,641
Long | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.89%	4.95%
Long | Agency RMBS
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 651,761	$ 840,512
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 693,194	$ 883,044
Long | Agency RMBS | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		3.99%	3.99%
Long | Agency RMBS | Less than three years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 79,510	$ 89,649
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 79,994	$ 89,955
Long | Agency RMBS | Less than three years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		5.45%	5.39%
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 244,763	$ 346,074
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 257,937	$ 360,574
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.62%	4.49%
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 327,488	$ 404,789
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 355,263	$ 432,515
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		3.25%	3.30%
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than eleven year [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 0	$ 0
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 0	$ 0
Long | Agency RMBS | Greater than eleven year [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.00%	0.00%
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 10,811	$ 12,712
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 10,291	$ 11,891
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		1.23%	1.08%
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Less than three years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 1,151	$ 1,541
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 1,228	$ 1,546
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Less than three years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.81%	0.57%
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 5,891	$ 8,227
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 5,641	$ 7,601
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		1.45%	1.77%
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 3,512	$ 2,676
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 3,131	$ 2,448
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		1.61%	1.84%
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than eleven year [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 257	$ 268
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 291	$ 296
Long | Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than eleven year [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.68%	0.68%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 223,597	$ 312,245
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 244,422	$ 341,979
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.92%	5.04%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Less than three years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 76,678	$ 116,076
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 78,082	$ 117,707
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Less than three years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.58%	4.41%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 100,758	$ 131,314
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 101,413	$ 135,591
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		7.00%	7.05%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 35,690	$ 58,741
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 44,069	$ 74,401
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.35%	5.04%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than eleven year [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 10,471	$ 6,114
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 20,858	$ 14,280
Long | Non-Agency RMBS and CMBS | Greater than eleven year [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		1.96%	0.38%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 203,796	$ 269,474
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 213,940	$ 287,777
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		5.18%	5.07%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 36,524	$ 38,776
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 32,038	$ 35,214
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.17%	0.17%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Less than three years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 2,531	$ 3,885
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 3,244	$ 4,535
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Less than three years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.16%	0.10%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 10,367	$ 11,014
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 10,225	$ 11,343
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.29%	0.28%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 23,299	$ 23,555
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 18,314	$ 19,072
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.15%	0.15%
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than eleven year [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 327	$ 322
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 255	$ 264
Long | Non-Agency RMBS | Interest only securities | Greater than eleven year [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		1.25%	1.25%
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 388,900	$ 293,004
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 401,886	$ 307,447
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		5.06%	5.40%
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Less than three years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 107,299	$ 99,770
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 117,291	$ 114,709
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Less than three years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		5.50%	6.02%
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 129,772	$ 106,529
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 132,122	$ 107,727
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than three years less than seven years [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.90%	5.13%
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 151,829	$ 86,705
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 152,473	$ 85,011
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than seven years less than eleven [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		4.16%	4.12%
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than eleven year [Member]
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Securities, at fair value(1)(2)		$ 0	$ 0
Debt Securities, Available-for-Sale, Amortized Cost		$ 0	$ 0
Long | CLOs And Other Securities [Member] | Greater than eleven year [Member] | Weighted Average
Securities, Available-for-sale [Line Items]
Weighted Average Coupon		0.00%	0.00%

[1] Ellington Financial Inc.'s Consolidated Balance Sheets include assets and liabilities of variable interest entities it has consolidated. See Note 12 for additional details on Ellington Financial Inc.'s consolidated variable interest entities.

[2] Includes assets pledged as collateral to counterparties. See Note 14 for additional details on the Company's borrowings and related collateral.