10-Q

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2014
Commission File Number: 001-35808

ZAIS FINANCIAL CORP.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Maryland	90-0729143
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

Two Bridge Avenue, Suite 322, Red Bank, New Jersey 07701-1106
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

(732) 978-7518
(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

     Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No c

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No c

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer c	Accelerated filer c	Non-accelerated filer x	Smaller reporting company c
		(Do not check if a smaller
		reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes c No x

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

The Company has 7,970,886 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding as of May 12, 2014.

ZAIS FINANCIAL CORP.
FORM 10-Q TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION	1
Item 1. Financial Statements	1
Item 1A. Forward-Looking Statements	30
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	31
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	42
Item 4. Controls and Procedures	46
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION	47
Item 1. Legal Proceedings	47
Item 1A. Risk Factors	47
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds	47
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities	47
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures	47
Item 5. Other Information	47
Item 6. Exhibits	47
SIGNATURES	49

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

ZAIS Financial Corp. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets

	March 31, 2014
	(unaudited)			December 31, 2013
	(Expressed in United States Dollars)
Assets
Cash	$	30,085,010		$	57,060,806
Restricted cash		5,850,364			2,128,236
Mortgage loans, at fair value - $415,348,056 and $331,522,165 pledged as collateral,
respectively		415,613,711			331,785,542
Real estate securities, at fair value - $201,451,523 and $183,722,511 pledged as
collateral, respectively		231,844,899			226,155,221
Other investment securities, at fair value, $11,087,508 and $0 pledged as collateral,
respectively		11,087,508			—
Derivative assets, at fair value		2,261,459			284,454
Other assets		1,473,826			2,666,799
Total assets	$	698,216,777		$	620,081,058
Liabilities
Loan repurchase facility	$	297,401,891		$	236,058,976
Securities repurchase agreements		159,180,562			138,591,678
Exchangeable Senior Notes		54,763,990			54,539,051
Derivative liabilities, at fair value		1,606,416			1,471,607
Dividends and distributions payable		3,559,120			8,452,910
Accounts payable and other liabilities		3,084,241			1,828,947
Accrued interest payable		1,928,256			1,369,327
Total liabilities		521,524,476			442,312,496
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 14)
Stockholders' equity
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000
shares authorized; zero shares issued and outstanding		—			—
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 7,970,886 shares
issued and outstanding		798			798
Additional paid-in capital		164,207,617			164,207,617
Accumulated deficit		(5,922,756	)		(4,958,607	)
Total ZAIS Financial Corp. stockholders' equity		158,285,659			159,249,808
Non-controlling interests in operating partnership		18,406,642			18,518,754
Total stockholders' equity		176,692,301			177,768,562
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	698,216,777		$	620,081,058

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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ZAIS Financial Corp. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
	(Expressed in United States Dollars)
Interest income
Mortgage loans	$	5,649,553		$	28,906
Real estate securities		3,740,615			3,407,127
Other investment securities		102,865			—
Total interest income		9,493,033			3,436,033
Interest expense
Loan repurchase facility		1,830,907			—
Securities repurchase agreements		660,402			514,035
Exchangeable Senior Notes		1,412,643			—
Total interest expense		3,903,952			514,035
Net interest income		5,589,081			2,921,998
Other gains/(losses)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans		689,604			(28,906	)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities		2,736,058			903,277
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities		370,764			—
Realized gain on mortgage loans		230,737			—
Realized gain on real estate securities		73,619			—
(Loss)/gain on derivative instruments		(3,108,681	)		281,144
Total other gains/(losses)		992,101			1,155,515
Expenses
Professional fees		1,811,851			1,261,184
Advisory fee - related party		702,755			488,385
Loan servicing fees		372,132			—
General and administrative expenses		1,211,585			354,249
Total expenses		4,098,323			2,103,818
Net income		2,482,859			1,973,695
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests		258,654			299,094
Preferred dividends		—			15,379
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders	$	2,224,205		$	1,659,222
Net income per share applicable to common stockholders – basic and diluted	$	.28		$	.32
Weighted average number of shares of common stock:
Basic		7,970,886			5,142,053
Diluted		8,897,800			6,068,967

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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ZAIS Financial Corp. and Subsidiaries
ConsolidatedStatements of Stockholders' Equity

	Preferred Stock				Common Stock
														Total ZAIS			Non-Controlling
	Shares of		Preferred		Shares of	Common					(Accumulated			Financial Corp.			Interests in
	Preferred		Stock at		Common	Stock at		Additional Paid-in			Deficit) / Retained			Stockholders'			Operating			Total Stockholders'
	Stock		Par		Stock	Par		Capital			Earnings			Equity			Partnership			Equity
	(Expressed in United States Dollars)
Balance at December 31, 2012	133		$	—	2,071,096	$	207	$	39,759,770		$	5,281,941		$	45,041,918		$	20,098,877		$	65,140,795
Reversal of common stock repurchase
liability	—			—	249,790		25		5,440,150			—			5,440,175			—			5,440,175
Repurchase of preferred shares	(133	)		—	—		—		(133,000	)		—			(133,000	)		—			(133,000	)
Net proceeds from initial public offering	—			—	5,650,000		566		118,861,934			—			118,862,500			—			118,862,500
Equity raise payments	—			—	—		—		(216,658	)		—			(216,658	)		—			(216,658	)
Distributions on OP units	—			—	—		—		—			—			—			(1,965,060	)		(1,965,060	)
Dividends on common stock	—			—	—		—		—			(16,898,276	)		(16,898,276	)		—			(16,898,276	)
Rebalancing of ownership percentage
between the Company and operating
partnership	—			—	—		—		495,421			—			495,421			(495,421	)		—
Net income	—			—	—		—		—			6,657,728			6,657,728			880,358			7,538,086
Balance at December 31, 2013	—			—	7,970,886		798		164,207,617			(4,958,607	)		159,249,808			18,518,754			177,768,562
Distributions on OP units	—			—	—		—		—			—			—			(370,766	)		(370,766	)
Dividends on common stock	—			—	—		—		—			(3,188,354	)		(3,188,354	)		—			(3,188,354	)
Net income	—			—	—		—		—			2,224,205			2,224,205			258,654			2,482,859
Balance at March 31, 2014 (unaudited)	—		$	—	7,970,886	$	798	$	164,207,617		$	(5,922,756	)	$	158,285,659		$	18,406,642		$	176,692,301

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidatedfinancialstatements.

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ZAIS Financial Corp. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
	(Expressed in United States Dollars)
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$	2,482,859		$	1,973,695
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to mortgage loans		(1,602,823	)		(28,906	)
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to real estate
securities		(1,266,177	)		(1,214,431	)
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to other investment
securities		(39,791	)		—
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans		(689,604	)		28,906
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities		(2,736,058	)		(903,277	)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities		(370,764	)		—
Realized gain on mortgage loans		(230,737	)		—
Realized gain on real estate securities		(73,619	)		—
Change in unrealized gain or loss on derivative instruments		2,961,554			(495,280	)
Amortization of Exchangeable Senior Notes discount		224,939			—
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Decrease (increase) in other assets		1,192,973			(524,907	)
Increase in accounts payable and other liabilities		1,255,294			1,163,992
Increase in accrued interest payable		558,929			129,188
Net cash provided by operating activities		1,666,975			128,980
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of mortgage loans		(84,795,975	)		(10,839,809	)
Proceeds from principal repayments on mortgage loans		3,490,970			—
Acquisitions of real estate securities, net of change in payable for real estate
securities purchased		(11,720,695	)		(296,721,567	)
Proceeds from principal repayments on real estate securities		8,034,673			7,386,718
Proceeds from sales of real estate securities, net of changes in receivable for real
estate securities sold		2,072,198			6,801,398
Acquisitions of other investment securities		(10,676,953	)		—
Premium paid for interest rate swaption		(4,803,750	)		—
Restricted cash used in investment activities		(3,722,128	)		(6,092,405	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(102,121,660	)		(299,465,665	)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net		—			118,862,500
Payment of common stock repurchase liability		—			(5,158,750	)
Net borrowings from loan repurchase facility		61,342,915			—
Borrowings from securities repurchase agreements		29,607,805			222,304,476
Repayments of securities repurchase agreements		(9,018,921	)		(42,775,904	)
Dividends on common stock and distributions on OP Units (net of change in
dividends and distributions payable)		(8,452,910	)		—
Repurchase of preferred stock including dividend		—			(148,379	)
Net cash provided by financing activities		73,478,889			293,083,943
Net decrease in cash		(26,975,796	)		(6,252,742	)
Cash
Beginning of period		57,060,806			19,061,110
End of period	$	30,085,010		$	12,808,368
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Interest paid on loan repurchase facility and securities repurchase agreements	$	2,622,379		$	384,847
Taxes paid	$	—		$	—
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities
Increase in dividends and distributions payable	$	3,559,120		$	—

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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ZAIS FINANCIAL CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

1. Formation and Organization

     ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "Company") was incorporated in Maryland on May 24, 2011, and has elected to be taxed and to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was initially capitalized and commenced operations on July 29, 2011, when it completed an exchange of a mutually agreed upon portion of the shareholders' and limited partners' interests in the ZAIS Matrix VI-A Ltd. and ZAIS Matrix VI-B L.P. funds (the "Matrix Funds") managed by ZAIS Group, LLC ("ZAIS"), which included cash of $3,036,222 and real estate securities having a fair value of $57,416,118, for 3,022,617 shares of the Company's common stock. On February 13, 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering ("IPO"), pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of $1.2 million were $118.9 million.

The Company primarily invests in, finances and manages performing and re-performing residential mortgage loans, which may be seasoned or recently originated. The Company also invests in, finances and manages residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS") that are not issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), or an agency of the U.S. Government, such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") ("non-Agency RMBS") with an emphasis on securities that, when originally issued, were rated in the highest rating category by one or more of the nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. The Company also has the discretion to invest in mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs"), RMBS that are issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation or a U.S. Government agency ("Agency RMBS"), including through To-Be-Announced ("TBA") contracts, and in other real estate-related and financial assets, such as interest only strips created from RMBS ("IOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") and asset-backed securities ("ABS"). The Company refers collectively to the assets it targets for acquisition as its target assets.

The Company is externally managed by ZAIS REIT Management, LLC (the "Advisor"), a subsidiary of ZAIS, and has no employees. The Company is the sole general partner of, and conducts substantially all of its business through, ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., the Company's consolidated operating partnership subsidiary (the "Operating Partnership").

The Company's charter authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. The Company's board of directors is authorized to amend its charter, without the approval of stockholders, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares of capital stock or the number of shares of any class or series of capital stock or to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of its capital stock into other classes or series of stock that the Company has authority to issue.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Quarterly Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") as contained within the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for interim financial reporting. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows have been included and are of a normal and recurring nature. The operating results presented for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

The Company currently operates as one business segment.

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Estimates

     The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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 may ultimately differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. The Company, which serves as the sole general partner of and conducts substantially all of its business through the Operating Partnership, holds approximately 89.6% of the operating partnership units ("OP units") in the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The Operating Partnership in turn holds directly or indirectly all of the equity interests in its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Variable Interest Entities

A variable interest entity ("VIE") is an entity that lacks one or more of the characteristics of a voting interest entity. The Company evaluates each of its investments to determine whether it is a VIE based on: (1) the sufficiency of the entity's equity investment at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support provided by any parties, including the equity holders; (2) whether as a group the holders of the equity investment at risk have (a) the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities of a legal entity that most significantly impacts the entity's economic performance, (b) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the legal entity and (c) the right to receive the expected residual returns of the legal entity; and (3) whether the voting rights of these investors are proportional to their obligations to absorb the expected losses of the entity, their rights to receive the expected returns of their equity, or both, and whether substantially all of the entity's activities involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. An investment that lacks one or more of the above three characteristics is considered to be a VIE. The Company reassesses its initial evaluation of an entity as a VIE upon the occurrence of certain reconsideration events.

A VIE is subject to consolidation if the equity investors either do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, are unable to direct the entity's activities, or are not exposed to the entity's losses or entitled to its residual returns. VIEs are required to be consolidated by their primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is determined to be the party that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. This determination can sometimes involve complex and subjective analyses.

The Company has evaluated its real estate securities investments to determine if each represents a variable interest in a VIE. The Company monitors these investments and analyzes them for potential consolidation. The Company's real estate securities investments represent variable interests in VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no VIEs required consolidation as the Company was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the maximum exposure of the Company to VIEs is limited to the fair value of its investments in real estate securities as disclosed in the consolidated balance sheets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers highly liquid short-term interest bearing instruments with original maturities of three months or less and other instruments readily convertible into cash to be cash equivalents. The Company's deposits with financial institutions may exceed federally insurable limits of $250,000 per institution. The Company mitigates this risk by depositing funds with major financial institutions. At March 31, 2014, the Company's cash was held with two custodians.

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Restricted Cash

     Restricted cash represents the Company's cash held by counterparties as collateral against the Company's derivatives and/or securities repurchase agreements. Cash held by counterparties as collateral is not available to the Company for general corporate purposes, but may be applied against amounts due to derivative or securities repurchase agreement counterparties or returned to the Company when the collateral requirements are exceeded or at the maturity of the derivatives or securities repurchase agreements.

Other Investment Securities

At March 31, 2014, other investment securities were comprised of investments in Fannie Mae's Risk Transfer Notes ("FMRT Notes" or "Other Investment Securities"). The FMRT Notes represent unsecured general obligations of Fannie Mae and are structured to be subject to the performance of a certain pool of residential mortgage loans.

Mortgage Loans, Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities—Fair Value Election

U.S. GAAP permits entities to choose to measure certain eligible financial instruments at fair value. The Company has elected the fair value option for each of its mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at the date of purchase. The fair value option election is irrevocable and requires the Company to measure these mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at estimated fair value with the change in estimated fair value recognized in earnings. The Company has established a policy for these assets to separate interest income from the full change in fair value in the consolidated statements of operations. The interest income component is presented as interest income on mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities and the remainder of the change in fair value is presented separately as change in unrealized gain or loss in the Company's consolidated statements of operations.

Determination of Fair Value Measurement

The "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" Topic of the FASB ASC defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and requires certain disclosures about fair value measurements under U.S. GAAP. Specifically, this guidance defines fair value based on exit price, or the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or the transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

     Fair value under U.S. GAAP represents an exit price in the normal course of business, not a forced liquidation price. If the Company was forced to sell assets in a short period to meet liquidity needs, the prices it receives could be substantially less than their recorded fair values. Furthermore, the analysis of whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell securities in an unrealized loss position prior to an expected recovery in fair value (if any), the amount of such expected required sales, and the projected identification of which securities would be sold is also subject to significant judgment.

Any proposed changes to the valuation methodology will be reviewed by the Advisor to ensure changes are consistent with the applicable accounting guidance and approved as appropriate. The fair value methodology may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company anticipates that the Advisor's valuation methods will be appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies, or assumptions by other market participants, to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date.

The Company categorizes its financial instruments in accordance with U.S. GAAP, based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). If the inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument.

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     Financial assets and liabilities recorded on the consolidated balance sheets are categorized based on the inputs to the valuation techniques as follows:

Level 1	Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market.
Level 2	Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on the following:

• Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets
    
• Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in nonactive markets.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3  Prices or valuation techniques based on inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The Company may use valuation techniques consistent with the market and income approaches to measure the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future projected cash flows to a single discounted present value amount. When applying either approach, the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. The Company's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires significant judgment and considers factors specific to the investment. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis to support the independent third party broker quotes selected to determine the fair value of its real estate securities, Other Investment Securities and derivative instruments.

The following is a description of the valuation techniques used to measure fair value and the general classification of these instruments pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

Mortgage Loans

The fair value of the Company's mortgage loans considers data such as loan origination information and additional updated borrower and loan servicing data, as available, forward interest rates, general economic conditions, home price index forecasts and valuations of the underlying properties. The variables considered most significant to the determination of the fair value of the Company's mortgage loans include market-implied discount rates, projections of default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity (considering mortgage insurance) and prepayment rates. The Company uses loan level data, macro-economic inputs and forward interest rates to generate loss adjusted cash flows and other information in determining the fair value of its mortgage loans. Because of the inherent uncertainty of such valuation, the fair values established for mortgage loans held by the Company may differ from the fair values that would have been established if a ready market existed for these mortgage loans. Accordingly, mortgage loans are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

At March 31, 2014, approximately 11.9% in unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loans carries mortgage insurance and there are no foreclosures or claims outstanding against mortgage insurers.

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The fair value of the Company's real estate securities and Other Investment Securities considers the underlying characteristics of each security including coupon, maturity date and collateral. The Company estimates the fair value of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities based upon a combination of observable prices in active markets, multiple indicative quotes from brokers and executable bids. In evaluating broker quotes the Company also considers additional observable market data points including recent observed trading activity for identical and similar securities, back-testing, broker challenges and other interactions with market participants, as well as yield levels generated by model-based valuation techniques. In the absence of observable quotes, the Company utilizes model-based valuation techniques that may contain unobservable valuation inputs. 

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     When available, the fair value of real estate securities is based on quoted prices in active markets. If quoted prices are not available, fair values are obtained from either broker quotes, observed traded levels or model-based valuation techniques using observable inputs such as benchmark yields or issuer spreads.

While the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are valued using the same process with similar inputs as the Agency RMBS as described below, a significant amount of inputs are unobservable due to relatively low levels of market activity. The fair value of these securities is typically based on broker quotes or the Company's model-based valuation. Accordingly, the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Model-based valuation consists primarily of discounted cash flow and yield analyses. Significant model inputs and assumptions include constant voluntary prepayment rates, constant default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity, market-implied discount rates, default rates, expected loss severity, weighted average life, collateral composition, borrower characteristics and prepayment rates, and may also include general economic conditions, including home price index forecasts, servicing data and other relevant information. Where possible, collateral-related assumptions are determined on an individual loan level basis.

The Company's Agency RMBS, if any, are valued using the market data described above, which includes inputs determined to be observable or whose significant fair value drivers are observable. Accordingly, Agency RMBS securities are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

Derivative Instruments

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

An interest rate swaption agreement represents an option that gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon interest rate swap agreement on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swaption agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swaption agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

An interest rate swap is an agreement between the Company and a counterparty to exchange periodic interest payments where one party to the contract makes a fixed rate payment in exchange for a floating rate payment from the other party. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swap agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swap agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

TBA Securities

A TBA security is a forward contract for the purchase of Agency RMBS at a predetermined price with a stated face amount, coupon and stated maturity at an agreed upon future date. The specific Agency RMBS delivered into the contract upon the settlement date, published each month by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA"), are not known at the time of the transaction. The Company estimates the fair value of TBA securities based on independent third party closing levels. Accordingly, TBAs are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. 

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Interest Income Recognition and Impairment—Mortgage Loans

     Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on mortgage loans, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of mortgage loans to interest income.

When the Company purchases mortgage loans that have shown evidence of credit deterioration since origination and management determines that it is probable the Company will not collect all contractual cash flows on those assets, the Company will apply the guidance that addresses accounting for differences between contractual cash flows and cash flows expected to be collected if those differences are attributable to, at least in part, credit quality.

The Company recognizes interest income in accordance with ASC 310-30 "Loans and Debt Securities with Deteriorated Credit Quality". Interest income is recognized on a level-yield basis over the life of the loan as long as cash flows can be reasonably estimated. The level-yield is determined by the excess of the Company's initial estimate of undiscounted expected principal, interest, and other cash flows (cash flows expected at acquisition to be collected) over the Company's initial investment in the mortgage loan (accretable yield). The amount of interest income to be recognized cannot result in a carrying amount that exceeds the payoff amount of the loan. The excess of contractual cash flows over cash flows expected to be collected (nonaccretable difference) will not be recognized as an adjustment of yield.

On a quarterly basis, the Company updates its estimate of the cash flows expected to be collected. For purposes of interest income recognition, any subsequent increases in cash flows expected to be collected are generally recognized as prospective yield adjustments (which establishes a new level yield) and any subsequent decreases in cash flows expected to be collected are recognized as an impairment to be recorded through change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income recognition is suspended for a loan when cash flows cannot be reasonably estimated.

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment—Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on real estate securities and Other Investment Securities, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities to interest income.

Interest income on Agency RMBS, if any, is accrued based on the effective yield method on the outstanding principal balance and their contractual terms in accordance with ASC 310-20 "Non-refundable Fees and Other Costs". Premiums and discounts associated with Agency RMBS at the time of purchase are amortized into interest income over the life of such securities using the effective yield method and adjusted for actual prepayments.

Interest income on the non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities, which were purchased at a discount to par value and/or were rated below AA at the time of purchase, is recognized based on the effective yield method in accordance with ASC 325-40 "Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets". The effective yield on these securities is based on the projected cash flows from each security, which are estimated based on the Company's observation of current information and events and include assumptions related to interest rates, prepayment rates and the timing and amount of credit losses. On a monthly basis, the Company reviews and, if appropriate, makes adjustments to its cash flow projections based on input and analysis received from external sources, internal models and its judgment about interest rates, prepayment rates, the timing and amount of credit losses, and other factors. Changes in cash flows from those originally projected, or from those estimated at the last evaluation, may result in a prospective change in the yield/interest income recognized on such securities. Actual maturities of the securities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses. Therefore, actual maturities of the securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities.

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     Based on the projected cash flows from the Company's non-Agency RMBS purchased at a discount to par value, a portion of the purchase discount may be designated as credit protection against future credit losses and, therefore, not accreted into interest income. The amount designated as credit discount is determined, and may be adjusted over time, based on the actual performance of the security, its underlying collateral, actual and projected cash flow from such collateral, economic conditions and other factors. If the performance of a security with a credit discount is more favorable than forecasted, a portion of the amount designated as credit discount may be accreted into interest income prospectively.

RMBS and Other Investment Securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") each quarter. A security with a fair value that is less than amortized cost is considered impaired. Impairment of a security is considered to be other-than-temporary when: (i) the holder has the intent to sell the impaired security; (ii) it is more likely than not the holder will be required to sell the security; or (iii) the holder does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost of the security. When a security has been deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, the amount of OTTI is bifurcated into: (i) the amount related to expected credit losses; and (ii) the amount related to fair value adjustments in excess of expected credit losses. The portion of OTTI related to expected credit losses is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as a realized loss on real estate securities and realized loss on Other Investment Securities. The remaining OTTI related to the valuation adjustment is recognized as a component of change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains and losses on sale of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities are determined using the specific identification method. Real estate securities and Other Investment Securities transactions are recorded on the trade date.

Expense Recognition

Expenses are recognized when incurred. Expenses include, but are not limited to, loan servicing fees, advisory fees, professional fees for legal, accounting and consulting services, and general and administrative expenses such as insurance, custodial and miscellaneous fees.

Offering Costs

Offering costs are accounted for as a reduction of additional paid-in capital. Offering costs in connection with the Company's IPO were paid out of the proceeds of the IPO. Costs incurred to organize the Company were expensed as incurred. The Company's obligation to pay for organization and offering expenses directly related to the IPO was capped at $1.2 million and the Advisor paid for such expenses incurred above the cap.

Loan Repurchase Facility

The Company finances a portion of its mortgage loan portfolio through the use of repurchase agreements entered into under a master repurchase agreement with Citibank, N.A. ("Citi"), pursuant to which the Company may sell, and later repurchase trust certificates representing interests in residential mortgage loans (the "Trust Certificates") in an aggregate principal amount of up to $325 million (the "Loan Repurchase Facility"). The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreement. The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are recorded on the trade date at the contract amount.

The Company pledges cash and certain of its Trust Certificates as collateral under the Loan Repurchase Facility. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the Trust Certificates pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of underlying mortgage loans and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged Trust Certificates, the lender may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Securities Repurchase Agreements—Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The Company finances a portion of its RMBS portfolio and Other Investment Securities through the use of securities repurchase agreements entered into under master repurchase agreements with four financial institutions as of March 31, 2014. Repurchase agreements are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreements. Repurchase agreements are recorded on trade date at the contract amount. 

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     The Company pledges cash and certain of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities as collateral under these securities repurchase agreements. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the RMBS and Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of securities and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged RMBS and Other Investment Securities, the lenders may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

The Company accounts for its derivative financial instruments in accordance with derivative accounting guidance, which requires an entity to recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and to measure those instruments at fair value. The Company has not designated any of its derivative agreements as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. As a result, changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded through current period earnings.

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swaption agreement allows the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014, all collateral provided under this agreement consisted of cash collateral.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

The Company's interest rate swap agreements contain legally enforceable provisions that allow for netting or setting off of all individual interest rate swap receivables and payables with each respective counterparty and, therefore, the fair value of those interest rate swap agreements are netted. The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swap agreements allow the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, all collateral provided under these agreements consisted of cash collateral.

TBA Securities

The Company may, and has in the past, entered into TBA contracts as a means of acquiring exposure to Agency RMBS and may, from time to time, utilize TBA dollar roll transactions to finance Agency RMBS purchases. The Company may also enter into TBA contracts as a means of hedging against short-term changes in interest rates. The Company may choose, prior to settlement, to move the settlement of these securities to a later date by entering into an offsetting position (referred to as a "pair off"), settling the paired off positions against each other for cash, and simultaneously entering into a similar TBA contract for a later settlement date, which is commonly and collectively referred to as a "dollar roll" transaction. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any TBA contracts outstanding.

8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

On November 25, 2013, the Operating Partnership issued $57.5 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured 8.00% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016 (the "Exchangeable Senior Notes"). The Exchangeable Senior Notes are carried at amortized cost. Interest expense on the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed using the effective interest method. The conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes are deemed to be an embedded derivative. Accordingly, the Company is required to bifurcate the embedded derivative related to the conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company recognized the embedded derivative as a liability in its consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, measures it at its estimated fair value and recognizes changes in its estimated fair value in gain/(loss) on derivative instruments in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. 

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Net Income (Loss) Per Share

     The Company's basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if outstanding OP units and Exchangeable Senior Notes were converted to common stock, where such exercise or conversion would result in a lower EPS. The dilutive effect of OP units is computed assuming all units are converted to common stock. The dilutive effect of the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed assuming shares converted are limited to 1,779,560 pursuant to New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") restrictions. However, the 1,779,560 shares of common stock were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Income Taxes

The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was organized and has operated and intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of the Company's annual REIT taxable income to its stockholders (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP). As a REIT, the Company will not be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income that it distributes to its stockholders. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost unless the Internal Revenue Service grants the Company relief under certain statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect the Company's net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, the Company intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify for treatment as a REIT.

The Company evaluates uncertain income tax positions when applicable. Based upon its analysis of income tax positions, the Company concluded that it does not have any uncertain tax positions that meet the recognition or measurement criteria as of either March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

The Company has elected to treat two of its subsidiaries, ZAIS I TRS, Inc. ("ZAIS I TRS") and ZFC Trust TRS I, LLC ("ZFC Trust TRS"), as taxable REIT subsidiaries (the "TRS entities"). The Company may perform certain activities through these TRS entities that could adversely impact the Company's REIT qualification if performed other than through a TRS. Earnings from activities conducted through the TRS entities are subject to federal and state income taxes irrespective of the dividends-paid deduction available to REITs for federal income tax purposes. In addition, for the Company to continue to qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the Company's total investment in all TRS entities may not exceed 25% of the value of the total assets of the Company determined for federal income tax purposes.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, the Company did not have any significant activity in the TRS entities. No provision for federal income taxes has been made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as the TRS entities did not generate taxable income for the periods presented.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-04: Reclassification of Residential Real Estate Collateralized Consumer Mortgage Loans upon Foreclosure ("ASU 2014-04"), to reduce diversity in practice by clarifying when an in substance repossession or foreclosure has occurred and when a creditor should derecognize the associated loan receivable and recognize the real estate property. ASU 2014-04 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2014. Adoption of ASU 2014-04 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

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3. Fair Value

Fair Value Measurement

     Financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	—	$	—	$	415,613,711	$	415,613,711
Non-Agency RMBS		—		—		231,844,899		231,844,899
Other Investment Securities		—		—		11,087,508		11,087,508
Derivative assets		—		2,261,459		—		2,261,459
Total	$	—	$	2,261,459	$	658,546,118	$	660,807,577
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	—	$	1,606,416	$	—	$	1,606,416
Total	$	—	$	1,606,416	$	—	$	1,606,416

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	—	$	—	$	331,785,542	$	331,785,542
Non-Agency RMBS		—		—		226,155,221		226,155,221
Derivative assets		—		284,454		—		284,454
Total	$	—	$	284,454	$	557,940,763	$	558,225,217
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	—	$	1,471,607	$	—	$	1,471,607
Total	$	—	$	1,471,607	$	—	$	1,471,607

The following table presents additional information about the Company's financial instruments which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014								Year Ended December 31, 2013
							Other
	Mortgage						Investment		Mortgage
	Loans			RMBS			Securities		Loans			RMBS
Beginning balance	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221		$	—	$	—		$	100,911,651
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3		—			—			—		—			—
Acquisitions		84,795,975			11,720,695			10,676,953		334,162,044			234,397,506
Proceeds from sales		—			(2,072,198	)		—		—			(68,190,593	)
Net accretion of discounts		1,602,823			1,266,177			39,791		3,059,231			3,727,702
Proceeds from principal repayments		(3,490,970	)		(8,034,673	)		—		(13,871,059	)		(39,338,730	)
Total losses (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		(4,622,238	)		(312,022	)		—		(6,344,877	)		(9,138,009	)
Total gains (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		5,542,579			3,121,699			370,764		14,780,203			3,785,694
Ending balance	$	415,613,711		$	231,844,899		$	11,087,508	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221

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	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014						Year Ended December 31, 2013
					Other
	Mortgage				Investment		Mortgage
	Loans		RMBS		Securities		Loans		RMBS
The amount of total gains or (losses) for
the period included in earnings
attributable to the change in unrealized
gains or losses relating to assets or
liabilities still held at the
reporting date	$	715,014	$	2,771,903	$	370,764	$	7,136,482	$	(2,822,969	)

     There were no financial assets or liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. There were no transfers into or out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2014.

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's mortgage loans which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Mortgage Loans	$	415,613,711	Model	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.1	%	8.4	%	3.6	%
				Constant default rate	0.4	%	4.4	%	3.1	%
				Loss severity	6.4	%	44.0	%	25.2	%
				Delinquency	3.6	%	14.6	%	11.5	%

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's real estate securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Non-Agency RMBS(1)
Alternative – A	$	88,917,447	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.2	%	27.3	%	12.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.2	%	11.8	%	3.2	%
				Loss severity	0.0	%	90.2	%	24.6	%
				Delinquency	1.2	%	28.0	%	10.4	%
Pay option adjustable rate		27,431,057	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.3	%	19.8	%	9.1	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	2.3	%	9.8	%	4.8	%
				Loss severity	0.3	%	61.6	%	40.6	%
				Delinquency	8.1	%	33.6	%	16.4	%
Prime		96,823,049	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	2.1	%	17.8	%	9.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.7	%	13.5	%	4.1	%
				Loss severity	0.1	%	66.8	%	29.9	%
				Delinquency	2.8	%	28.0	%	13.0	%
Subprime		18,673,346	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.8	%	11.9	%	6.3	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	3.5	%	11.2	%	4.6	%
				Loss severity	5.5	%	94.7	%	44.1	%
				Delinquency	14.4	%	26.8	%	17.6	%
Total Non-Agency RMBS	$	231,844,899

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

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     The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's Other Investment Securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation		Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Average
Other Investment			Broker quotes/
Securities(1)	$	11,087,508	comparable trades	Constant voluntary prepayment	10.0	%

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

The fair value measurements of these assets are sensitive to changes in assumptions regarding prepayment, probability of default, loss severity in the event of default, forecasts of home prices, and significant activity or developments in the real estate market. Significant changes in any of those inputs in isolation may result in significantly higher or lower fair value measurements. A change in the assumption used for forecasts of home price changes is accompanied by directionally opposite changes in the assumptions used for probability of default and loss severity. Significant increases (decreases) in any of these inputs in isolation would result in significantly lower (higher) fair value measurements.

Fair Value Option

Changes in fair value for assets and liabilities for which the fair value option was elected are recognized in earnings as they occur. The fair value option may be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis at initial recognition of an asset or liability or upon an event that gives rise to a new basis of accounting for that instrument.

The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal amount and/or notional balance of assets for which the fair value option was elected:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
			and/or							and/or
			Notional							Notional
	Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference			Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference
Financial instruments, at fair value
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)
Non-Agency RMBS		231,844,899		324,327,923		(92,483,024	)		226,155,221		324,241,597		(98,086,376	)
Other Investment Securities		11,087,508		10,000,000		1,087,508			—		—		—
Total financial instruments, at fair value	$	658,546,118	$	830,315,053	$	(171,768,935	)	$	557,940,763	$	723,070,094	$	(165,129,331	)

____________________
 

(1)        Non-Agency RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million and $64.3 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

In addition to the above disclosures regarding assets or liabilities which are recorded at fair value, U.S. GAAP requires disclosure about the fair value of all other financial instruments. Estimated fair value of financial instruments was determined by the Company using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. Considerable judgment is necessary to interpret market data and develop estimated fair values. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on estimated fair values.

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     The following table summarizes the estimated fair value for all other financial instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
	2014		2013
Other financial instruments
Assets
Cash	$	30,085,010	$	57,060,806
Restricted cash		5,850,364		2,128,236
Liabilities
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	296,833,831	$	236,727,512
Securities repurchase agreements		159,385,307		138,790,158
Exchangeable Senior Notes		55,674,168		54,737,573

Cash includes cash on hand for which fair value equals carrying value (a Level 1 measurement). Restricted cash represents the Company's cash held by counterparties as collateral against the Company's derivatives, Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements. Due to the short-term nature of the restrictions, fair value approximates carrying value (a Level 1 measurement). The fair value of securities repurchase agreements and of the Loan Repurchase Facility is based on an expected present value technique using observable market interest rates. As such, the Company considers the estimated fair value to be a Level 2 measurement. This method discounts future estimated cash flows using rates the Company determined best reflect current market interest rates that would be offered for loans with similar characteristics and credit quality. The fair value of the Exchangeable Senior Notes is based on observable market prices (a Level 2 measurement).

4. Mortgage Loans

On March 22, 2013, the Company purchased a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $17.7 million.

On May 30, 2013, the Company entered into the Loan Repurchase Facility and utilized approximately $10.6 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to finance its then existing residential mortgage loan portfolio.

On May 31, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $78.5 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $134.5 million.

On July 25, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $98.7 million of its Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $162.4 million.

On August 28, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $54.8 million of its Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $98.2 million.

On March 27, 2014, the Company utilized approximately $60.6 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $100.4 million.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at March 31, 2014:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	251,746,179	$	(47,755,347	)	$	203,990,832	$	9,565,952	$	(2,750,993	)	$	210,805,791	4.73	%	7.07	%
ARM		218,006,277		(33,133,709	)		184,872,568		4,853,505		(2,269,336	)		187,456,737	3.64		6.73
Total performing		469,752,456		(80,889,056	)		388,863,400		14,419,457		(5,020,329	)		398,262,528	4.22		6.91
Non-performing(3)		26,234,674		(7,310,449	)		18,924,225		544,555		(2,117,597	)		17,351,183	5.00		7.58
Total Mortgage Loans	$	495,987,130	$	(88,199,505	)	$	407,787,625	$	14,964,012	$	(7,137,926	)	$	415,613,711	4.26	%	6.94	%

- 17 -

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans. The Company recorded a gain of $0.7 million and a loss of $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

     The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at December 31, 2013:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	212,701,494	$	(43,530,581	)	$	169,170,913	$	7,842,598	$	(3,558,171	)	$	173,455,340	4.56	%	7.05	%
ARM		170,178,466		(25,617,563	)		144,560,903		5,088,302		(1,556,430	)		148,092,775	3.76		6.67
Total performing		382,879,960		(69,148,144	)		313,731,816		12,930,900		(5,114,601	)		321,548,115	4.20		6.88
Non-performing(3)		15,948,537		(5,031,293	)		10,917,244		456,024		(1,135,841	)		10,237,427	5.06		8.03
Total Mortgage Loans	$	398,828,497	$	(74,179,437	)	$	324,649,060	$	13,386,924	$	(6,250,442	)	$	331,785,542	4.24	%	6.91	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

     The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
	Fair Value		Balance		Difference			Fair Value		Balance		Difference
Loan Type
Performing loans:
Fixed	$	210,805,791	$	251,746,179	$	(40,940,388	)	$	173,455,340	$	212,701,494	$	(39,246,154	)
ARM		187,456,737		218,006,277		(30,549,540	)		148,092,775		170,178,466		(22,085,691	)
Total performing
loans		398,262,528		469,752,456		(71,489,928	)		321,548,115		382,879,960		(61,331,845	)
Non-performing
loans		17,351,183		26,234,674		(8,883,491	)		10,237,427		15,948,537		(5,711,110	)
Total	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)

As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company’s mortgage loan portfolio consisted of mortgage loans on residential real estate located throughout the U.S. The following is a summary of certain concentrations of credit risk in the mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Concentration
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans with unpaid-principal-balance-to current-property-
value in excess of 100%	65.9	%	73.6	%
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans secured by properties in the following states:
Each representing 10% or more of fair value:
California	25.2	%	25.6	%
Florida	16.4	%	17.8	%
Additional state representing more than 5% of fair value:
Georgia	6.3	%	6.8	%

At March 31, 2014 the interest rates on the Company's mortgage loan portfolio ranged from 1.75% - 12.20% and the contractual maturities ranged from 1 - 46 years.

- 18 -

     The following table presents the change in accretable yield for the three months ended March 31, 2014:

Accretable yield, January 1, 2014	$	223,401,697
Acquisitions		55,532,098
Accretion		(5,649,553	)
Reclassifications to nonaccretable difference		4,326,116
Accretable yield, March 31, 2014	$	277,610,358

5. Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The Company's non-Agency RMBS portfolio is not issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or any other U.S. Government agency or a federally chartered corporation and is therefore subject to additional credit risks.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS and Other Investment Securities at March 31, 2014:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative – A(3)	$	164,764,296	$	(78,482,420	)	$	86,281,876	$	2,963,208	$	(327,637	)	$	88,917,447	4.09	%	7.11	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		33,700,568		(6,646,540	)		27,054,028		605,224		(228,195	)		27,431,057	0.74		6.83
Prime		105,995,923		(13,051,352	)		92,944,571		4,113,891		(235,413	)		96,823,049	4.71		6.59
Subprime		19,867,136		(1,701,070	)		18,166,066		689,080		(181,800	)		18,673,346	1.06		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,327,923	$	(99,881,382	)	$	224,446,541	$	8,371,403	$	(973,045	)	$	231,844,899	3.71	%	6.77	%
Other investment securities	$	10,000,000	$	716,744		$	10,716,744	$	370,764	$	—		$	11,087,508	5.40	%	6.66	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities and Other Investment Securities. The Company recorded a gain of $2.7 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also recorded a gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS at December 31, 2013:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative – A(3)	$	160,590,487	$	(80,206,745	)	$	80,383,742	$	2,414,864	$	(1,112,077	)	$	81,686,529	4.26	%	6.77	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		34,374,028		(7,057,026	)		27,317,002		464,756		(345,915	)		27,435,843	0.76		6.80
Prime		109,136,108		(13,590,489	)		95,545,619		3,751,248		(767,825	)		98,529,042	4.77		6.45
Subprime		20,140,974		(1,894,417	)		18,246,557		536,407		(279,157	)		18,503,807	1.07		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,241,597	$	(102,748,677	)	$	221,492,920	$	7,167,275	$	(2,504,974	)	$	226,155,221	3.80	%	6.57	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $64.3 million.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%
	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%

- 19 -

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

     At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturities of the real estate securities ranged from 7.3 to 32.9 years, with a weighted average maturity of 23.9 years. All real estate securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Other Investment Securities as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Other Investment Securities
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%
	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of other investment securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturity of the Other Investment Securities was 9.6 years. All Other Investment Securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of December 31, 2013 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%
	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

At December 31, 2013, the contractual maturities of the real estate securities ranged from 7.7 to 33.0 years, with a weighted average maturity of 24.0 years. All real estate securities held by the Company at December 31, 2013 were issued by issuers based in the United States of America.

The following table presents certain additional information regarding the Company's RMBS:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Proceeds from the sale of real estate securities	$	2,072,198	$	6,801,398
Realized gain on the sale of real estate securities		73,619		—
Realized loss on OTTI		—		—

There were no sales or realized losses on OTTI on Other Investment Securities for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

6. Loan Repurchase Facility

The Loan Repurchase Facility is used to fund purchases of the Company's mortgage loans, including the March 27, 2014 purchase of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $100.4 million at the time of acquisition. The Loan Repurchase Facility closed on May 30, 2013, and is committed for a period of 364 days from inception. The obligations are fully guaranteed by the Company. On March 27, 2014, the Company entered into an amendment of the Loan Repurchase Facility providing it with an additional $75 million of uncommitted borrowing capacity. As of March 31, 2014, the Company’s total borrowing capacity is $325.0 million. The Company is in discussions with the lender and expects to renew the Loan Repurchase Facility for an additional 364 day commitment period prior to the expiration of the initial commitment period. However, the renewal is subject to the finalization of definitive agreements and there can be no assurance that the renewal will occur.

- 20 -

     The principal amount paid by Citi under the Loan Repurchase Facility for the Trust Certificate, which represent interests in residential mortgage loans, is based on a percentage of the lesser of the market value or the unpaid principal balance of such mortgage loans backing the Trust Certificate. Upon the Company's repurchase of a Trust Certificate sold to Citi under the Loan Repurchase Facility, the Company is required to repay Citi a repurchase amount based on the purchase price plus accrued interest. The Company is also required to pay Citi a commitment fee for the Loan Repurchase Facility, as well as certain other administrative costs and expenses in connection with Citi's structuring, management and ongoing administration of the Loan Repurchase Facility. The commitment fee is included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Loan Repurchase Facility contains margin call provisions that provide Citi with certain rights in the event of a decline in the market value of the mortgage loans backing the purchased Trust Certificate, subject to a floor amount. Under these provisions, Citi may require the Company to transfer cash sufficient to eliminate any margin deficit resulting from such a decline.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, by remaining maturity:

	March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
			Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Loan Repurchase Facility borrowings maturing within
31-60 days	$	297,401,891	2.90	%		—	—
91 - 180 days		—	—		$	236,058,976	2.92	%
Total/weighted average	$	297,401,891	2.90	%	$	236,058,976	2.92	%

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of mortgage loan collateral for the Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility secured by mortgage loans	$	297,401,891	$	236,058,976
Fair value of Trust Certificates pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		415,348,056		331,522,165
Fair value of mortgage loans not pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		265,655		263,377
Cash pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		—		—
Unused Amount(1)		27,598,109		13,941,024

____________________
 

(1) The amount the Company is able to borrow under the Loan Repurchase Facility is tied to the fair value of unencumbered Trust Certificates eligible to secure those agreements and the Company's ability to fund the agreements' margin requirements relating to the collateral sold.

The following table presents additional information with respect to the Loan Repurchase Facility:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
During the period:
Weighted average interest rate		2.91	%	—
Average balance of loans sold under agreements to repurchase	$	192,380		—
Maximum daily amount outstanding	$	297,524,403		—
Total interest expense	$	1,830,907		—

- 21 -

7. Securities Repurchase Agreements

     Repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities involve the sale and a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the transferred assets or similar assets at a future date. The amount borrowed generally is equal to the fair value of the assets pledged less an agreed-upon discount, referred to as a "haircut." Repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities entered into by the Company are accounted for as financings and require the repurchase of the transferred securities at the end of each arrangement's term, typically 30 to 90 days. The Company maintains the beneficial interest in the specific securities pledged during the term of the repurchase arrangement and receives the related principal and interest payments. Interest rates on these borrowings are fixed based on prevailing rates corresponding to the terms of the borrowings, and interest is paid at the termination of the repurchase arrangement at which time the Company may enter into a new repurchase arrangement at prevailing market rates with the same counterparty or repay that counterparty and negotiate financing with a different counterparty. In response to declines in fair value of pledged securities due to changes in market conditions or the publishing of monthly security paydown factors, the lender requires the Company to post additional securities as collateral, pay down borrowings or establish cash margin accounts with the counterparty in order to re-establish the agreed-upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. Under the terms of the Company's master repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities, the counterparty may sell or re-hypothecate the pledged collateral.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's securities repurchase agreements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 by remaining maturity and collateral type:

	March 31, 2014								December 31, 2013
	Non-Agency RMBS				Other Investment Securities				Non-Agency RMBS
			Weighted				Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Securities repurchase agreements
maturing within
30 days or less	$	125,330,562	1.89	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	121,913,678	1.90	%
31-60 days		6,104,000	1.84			—	—			6,415,000	1.84
61-90 days		20,186,000	1.83			—	—			10,263,000	1.85
Greater than 90 days		—	—			—	—			—	—
Total/weighted average	$	151,620,562	1.88	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	138,591,678	1.89	%

Although securities repurchase agreements are committed borrowings until maturity, the lender retains the right to mark the underlying collateral to fair value. A reduction in the value of pledged assets would require the Company to provide additional collateral or cash to fund margin calls.

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of collateral under its securities repurchase agreements at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

			December 31,
	March 31, 2014		2013
Securities repurchase agreements secured by non-Agency RMBS	$	151,620,562	$	138,591,678
Securities repurchase agreements secured by Other Investment Securities		7,560,000		—
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS pledged as collateral		201,451,523		183,722,511
Fair value of Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral		11,087,508		—
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS not pledged as collateral		30,393,376		42,432,710
Cash pledged as collateral		2,416,464		1,360,528

8. 8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016

On November 25, 2013 the Operating Partnership issued the Exchangeable Senior Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $57.5 million. The Exchangeable Senior Notes were issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated November 25, 2013, between the Company, as guarantor, the Operating Partnership and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The sale of the Exchangeable Senior Notes generated net proceeds of approximately $55.3 million. Aggregate estimated offering expenses in connection with the transaction, including the initial purchasers' discount of approximately $1.7 million, were approximately $2.2 million. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying value of the Exchangeable Senior Notes was $54.8 million and $54.5 million, respectively.

- 22 -

     The Exchangeable Senior Notes bear interest at a rate of 8.0% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2014. The estimated effective interest rate of the Exchangeable Senior Notes, which is equal to the stated rate of 8.0% plus the amortization of the original issue discount and associated costs, is 10.2%. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the interest incurred on this indebtedness was $1.4 million. The Exchangeable Senior Notes will mature on November 15, 2016 (the "Maturity Date"), unless previously exchanged or repurchased in accordance with their terms. The Exchangeable Senior Notes are the Company's senior unsecured obligations and rank senior in right of payment to the Company's existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Exchangeable Senior Notes; equal in right of payment to the Company's existing and future unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company's secured indebtedness (including existing unsecured indebtedness that the Company later secures) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all existing and future indebtedness (including trade payables) incurred by the Company's subsidiaries, financing vehicles or similar facilities.

The Exchangeable Senior Notes are exchangeable for shares of the Company's common stock or, to the extent necessary to satisfy NYSE listing requirements, cash, at the applicable exchange rate at any time prior to the close of business on the scheduled trading day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may not elect to issue shares of common stock upon exchange of the Exchangeable Senior Notes to the extent such election would result in the issuance of 20% or more of the common stock outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of the Exchangeable Senior Notes (or more than 1,779,560 shares of common stock) unless the Company receives stockholder approval for issuances above this threshold.

As a result of the NYSE related limitation on the use of share-settlement for the full conversion option, the embedded conversion option does not qualify for equity classification and instead is separately valued and accounted for as a derivative liability. The initial value allocated to the derivative liability was $1.3 million, which represents a discount to the debt to be amortized through interest expense using the effective interest method through the Maturity Date. During each reporting period, the derivative liability is marked to fair value through earnings. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the derivative liability had a fair value of $1.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

The exchange rate was initially 52.5417 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes (equivalent to an initial exchange price of approximately $19.03 per share of common stock). The exchange rate will be subject to adjustment for certain events, including for regular quarterly dividends in excess of $0.50 per share, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, if certain corporate events occur prior to the Maturity Date, the exchange rate will be increased but will in no event exceed 60.4229 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes. The exchange rate was adjusted on December 27, 2013, to 54.3103 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes pursuant to the Company's special dividend of $0.55 per share of common stock and OP unit declared on December 19, 2013.

The Company does not have the right to redeem the Exchangeable Senior Notes prior to the Maturity Date, except to the extent necessary to preserve its qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No sinking fund is provided for the Exchangeable Senior Notes. In addition, if the Company undergoes certain corporate events that constitute a "fundamental change," the holders of the Exchangeable Senior Notes may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or part of their Exchangeable Senior Notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Exchangeable Senior Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

9. Derivative Instruments

Interest Rate Swap and Swaption Agreements

To help mitigate exposure to higher short-term interest rates, the Company uses currently-paying and forward-starting, three-month LIBOR-indexed, pay-fixed, receive-variable, interest rate swap agreements. Additionally, the Company enters into interest rate swaption agreements which gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon swap contract on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest. These swap agreements establish an economic fixed rate on related borrowings because the variable-rate payments received on the interest rate swap agreements largely offset interest accruing on the related borrowings, leaving the fixed-rate payments to be paid on the interest rate swap agreements as the Company's effective borrowing rate, subject to certain adjustments including changes in spreads between variable rates on the interest rate swap agreements and actual borrowing rates.

- 23 -

     The Company's interest rate swap agreements and interest rate swaption agreement have not been designated as hedging instruments.

TBA Securities

The Company may, and has in the past, entered into TBA contracts as a means of acquiring exposure to Agency RMBS and may, from time to time, utilize TBA dollar roll transactions to finance Agency RMBS purchases. The Company may also enter into TBA contracts as a means of hedging against short-term changes in interest rates. The Company accounts for its TBA contracts as derivative instruments due to the fact that it does not intend to take physical delivery of the securities. The Company had no exposure to TBA contracts at any time during the three months ended March 31, 2014. During the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company paired off purchases of TBA securities with a combined notional amount of $60.0 million by entering into simultaneous sales of TBA securities and recognized a loss of $112,149 as a result.

Conversion Option – 8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

Changes in the fair value of the conversion option derivative related to the Exchangeable Senior Notes are recorded through earnings.

Derivative Instruments

The following table summarizes information related to derivative instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	2014		2013
Notional amount of interest rate swaption	$	225,000,000	$	—
Notional amount of interest rate swaps		17,200,000		17,200,000
Total notional amount	$	242,200,000	$	17,200,000

The following table presents the fair value of the Company's derivative instruments and their balance sheet location:

			March 31,			December 31,
Derivative instruments	Designation	Balance Sheet Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Non-hedge	Derivative assets, at fair value	$	2,261,459		$	—
Interest rate swaps	Non-hedge	Derivative (liabilities)/assets, at fair value	$	(25,705	)	$	284,454
Exchangeable Senior Notes
conversion option	Non-hedge	Derivative liabilities, at fair value	$	(1,580,711	)	$	(1,471,607	)

The following table summarizes gains and losses related to derivatives:

		Three Months Ended
		March 31,			March 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	Income Statement Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(2,542,292	)	$	—
Interest rate swaps	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(457,285	)	$	(55,302	)
Exchangeable Senior Notes conversion option	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(109,104	)	$	—
TBAs	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	—		$	336,446

- 24 -

     The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of March 31, 2014:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $0.9 million of cash pledged as collateral against interest rate swap agreements.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swaption agreement as of March 31, 2014:

	Notional
Swaption Expiration	Amount		Strike Rate		Swap Maturity
2015	$	225,000,000	3.64	%	2025

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $2.5 million of cash pledged as collateral against an interest rate swaption agreement.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of December 31, 2013:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6

Restricted cash at December 31, 2013 included $0.8 million of cash pledged as collateral against interest rate swaps.

10. Earnings Per Share

The following table presents a reconciliation of the earnings and shares used in calculating basic and diluted earnings per share:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Numerator:
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common
stockholders	$	2,224,205	$	1,659,222
Effect of dilutive securities:
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests		258,654		299,094
Dilutive net income available to stockholders	$	2,482,859	$	1,958,316
Denominator:
Weighted average number of shares of common stock		7,970,886		5,142,053
Effect of dilutive securities:
Weighted average number of OP units		926,914		926,914
Weighted average dilutive shares		8,897,800		6,068,967
Net income per share applicable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders - Basic/Diluted	$	.28	$	.32

As of March 31, 2014, there were 1,779,560 potential shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the Exchangeable Senior Notes excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

- 25 -

11. Related Party Transactions

ZAIS REIT Management, LLC

     The Company is externally managed and advised by the Advisor, a subsidiary of ZAIS. Subject to certain restrictions and limitations, the Advisor is responsible for managing the Company's affairs on a day-to-day basis including, among other responsibilities, (i) the selection, purchase and sale of the Company's portfolio of assets, (ii) the Company's financing activities and (iii) providing the Company with advisory services.

The Company pays to its Advisor an advisory fee, calculated and payable quarterly in arrears, equal to 1.5% per annum of the Company's stockholders' equity, as defined in the amended and restated investment advisory agreement between the Company and the Advisor, as amended from time to time (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"). Prior to the Company's IPO, the advisory fee paid to the Advisor was calculated based on the Company's net asset value, as set forth in the Investment Advisory Agreement.

The Advisor may be paid or reimbursed for the documented cost of its performing certain services for the Company, which may include legal, accounting, due diligence tasks and other services, that outside professionals or outside consultants otherwise would perform, provided that such costs and reimbursements are in amounts which are no greater than those which would be payable to outside professionals or consultants engaged to perform such services pursuant to agreements negotiated on an arm's-length basis. In addition, the Company may be required to pay its portion of rent, telephone, utilities, office furniture, equipment, machinery and other office, internal and overhead expenses of the Advisor and its affiliates required for the Company's operations. To date, the Advisor has not sought reimbursement for the services and expenses described in the two preceding sentences. The Advisor may seek such reimbursement in the future, as a result of which the expense ratio of the Company may increase. The Company will also pay directly, or reimburse the Advisor for, products and services provided by third parties to the Company, other than those operating expenses required to be borne by the Advisor under the Investment Advisory Agreement. After an initial three-year term, the Advisor may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Company's independent directors or by a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock based upon (i) unsatisfactory performance by the Advisor that is materially detrimental to the Company or (ii) a determination that the advisory fees payable to the Advisor are not fair, subject to the Advisor's right to prevent such termination due to unfair fees by accepting a reduction of advisory fees agreed to by at least two-thirds of the Company's independent directors. Additionally, upon such a termination without cause, the Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Company will pay the Advisor a termination fee equal to three times the average annual advisory fee earned by the Advisor during the prior 24-month period immediately preceding such termination, calculated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year before the date of termination.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, the Company incurred $0.7 million and $0.5 million in advisory fee expense, respectively. At March 31, 2014, $0.7 million in advisory fee expense was included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The advisory fee was calculated and payable as set forth above.

12. Stockholders' Equity

Common Stock

The holders of shares of the Company's common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters voted on by common stockholders, including election of the Company's directors. The Company's charter does not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Therefore, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock can elect its entire board of directors. Subject to any preferential rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock, the holders of shares of the Company's common stock are entitled to such distributions as may be authorized from time to time by the Company's board of directors out of legally available funds and declared by the Company and, upon liquidation, are entitled to receive all assets available for distribution to stockholders. Holders of shares of the Company's common stock do not have preemptive rights. This means that stockholders do not have an automatic option to purchase any new shares of common stock that the Company issues. In addition, stockholders only have appraisal rights under circumstances specified by the Company's board of directors or where mandated by law.

- 26 -

Initial Public Offering

     On February 13, 2013, the Company completed its IPO, pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock to the public at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of approximately $1.2 million were $118.9 million. In connection with the IPO, the Advisor paid $6.3 million in underwriting fees. The Company did not pay any underwriting fees, discounts or commissions in connection with the IPO above those paid by the Advisor.

Common Stock Repurchase

In January 2013, the Company's agreement with one of its stockholders to repurchase 515,035 shares of common stock was amended to require the Company to repurchase only 265,245 shares of the Company's common stock. The amended repurchase amount was approximately $5.8 million which was predominantly paid to such stockholder during the three months ended March 31, 2013 with the remaining amount paid during the three months ended June 30, 2013.

Private Placements

In October 2012, the Company completed a private placement in which it sold 195,458 shares of common stock and the Operating Partnership sold 22,492 OP units. In December 2012, the Company completed a private placement in which it sold 36,581 shares of common stock and the Operating Partnership sold 904,422 OP units. Net proceeds from the two private placements were $25,151,174, net of approximately $763,000 in offering costs.

Dividends and Distributions

During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and year ended December 31, 2013, the Company declared the following dividends:

Declaration Date	Record Date	Payment Date	Amount per Share
May 14, 2013	May 24, 2013	May 31, 2013	$	0.22
June 25, 2013	July 9, 2013	July 23, 2013	$	0.45
September 18, 2013	September 30, 2013	October 11, 2013	$	0.50
December 19, 2013(1)	December 31, 2013	January 15, 2014	$	0.95
March 20, 2014	March 31, 2014	April 14, 2014	$	0.40

____________________
 

(1) Regular cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock and OP unit for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013, and an additional special cash dividend of $0.55 per share of its common stock and OP unit. The Company declared the special cash dividend to distribute taxable income from 2013 attributable to the termination of interest rate swap contracts.

Preferred Shares

The Company's charter authorizes its board of directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of its common stock and preferred stock into other classes or series of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each class or series, the board of directors is required by the Company's charter to set, subject to the charter restrictions on transfer of its stock, the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. Thus, the board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of common stock or preferred stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or change in control that might involve a premium price for holders of the Company's common stock or otherwise be in their best interest.

On January 18, 2012 the Company completed a private placement of 133 shares of its 12.5% Series A Cumulative Non-Voting Preferred Stock (the "Series A Preferred Stock") raising net proceeds of $115,499, net of $17,501 in offering fees.

On February 15, 2013, the Company redeemed all 133 shares of its 12.5% Series A Preferred Stock outstanding for an aggregate redemption price, including preferred dividend, of $148,379.

- 27 -

13. Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership

     Non-controlling interests in the Operating Partnership in the accompanying consolidated financial statements relate to OP units in the Operating Partnership held by parties other than the Company.

Certain individuals and entities own OP units in the Operating Partnership. An OP unit and a share of common stock of the Company have substantially the same economic characteristics in as much as they effectively share equally in the net income or loss of the Operating Partnership. OP unit holders have the right to redeem their OP units, subject to certain restrictions. The redemption is required to be satisfied in shares of common stock or cash at the Company's option, calculated as follows: one share of the Company's common stock, or cash equal to the fair value of a share of the Company's common stock at the time of redemption, for each OP unit. When an OP unit holder redeems an OP unit, non-controlling interest in the Operating Partnership is reduced and the Company's equity is increased. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the non-controlling interest OP unit holders owned 926,914 OP units, or 10.4% of the OP Units issued by the Operating Partnership.

Pursuant to ASC 810, Consolidation, regarding the accounting and reporting for non-controlling interests and changes in ownership interests of a subsidiary, changes in a parent's ownership interest (and transactions with non-controlling interest unit holders in the Operating Partnership) while the parent retains its controlling interest in its subsidiary, should be accounted for as equity transactions. The carrying amount of the non-controlling interest shall be adjusted to reflect the change in its ownership interest in the subsidiary, with the offset to equity attributable to the Company.

14. Commitments and Contingencies

Advisor Services

The Company is dependent on the Advisor for certain services that are essential to the Company, including the identification, evaluation, negotiation, origination, acquisition and disposition of investments; management of the daily operations of the Company's investment portfolio including determination of fair value; and other general and administrative responsibilities. In the event that the Advisor is unable to provide the respective services, the Company will be required to obtain such services from an alternative source.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company may become involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. Management is not aware of any contingencies that would require accrual or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements at March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

15. Counterparty Risk and Concentration

Counterparty risk is the risk that counterparties may fail to fulfill their obligations, including their inability to post additional collateral in circumstances where their pledged collateral value becomes inadequate. The Company attempts to manage its exposure to counterparty risk through diversification, use of financial instruments and monitoring the creditworthiness of counterparties.

As explained in the notes above, while the Company engages in repurchase financing activities with several financial institutions, the Company maintains custody accounts with two custodians at March 31, 2014. There is no guarantee that these custodians will not become insolvent. While there are certain regulations that seek to protect customer property in the event of a failure, insolvency or liquidation of a custodian, there is no certainty that the Company would not incur losses due to its assets being unavailable for a period of time in the event of a failure of a custodian that has custody of the Company's assets. Although management monitors the credit worthiness of its custodians, such losses could be significant and could materially impair the ability of the Company to achieve its investment objective.

- 28 -

16. Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

     The following tables present information about certain assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements (or similar agreements) and can potentially be offset on the Company's consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

Offsetting of Assets

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Assets
	Gross		Amounts			Presented in
	Amounts of		Offset in the			the				Cash
	Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial		Collateral
	Assets		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments		Received(1)		Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Interest rate swaption	$	2,261,459		—			2,261,459		—	$	—	$	2,261,459
Total	$	2,261,459	$	—		$	2,261,459	$	—	$	—	$	2,261,459
December 31, 2013
Interest rate swap agreements	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	—	$	—	$	284,454
Total	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	—	$	—	$	284,454

____________________
 

(1) As of March 31, 2014, the Company pledged $2,542,291 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swaption; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $4,803,750. As of December 31, 2013, the Company pledged $767,708 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swap agreements; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $1,052,162.

Offsetting of Liabilities

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Liabilities
			Amounts			Presented in
	Gross Amounts		Offset in the			the					Cash
	of Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial			Collateral
	Liabilities		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments			Pledged			Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	297,401,891	$	—		$	297,401,891	$	(297,401,891	)	$	—		$	—
Securities repurchase agreements		159,180,562		—			159,180,562		(156,764,098	)		(2,416,464	)		—
Interest rate swap agreements		240,452		(214,747	)		25,705		—			(25,705	)		—
Total	$	456,822,905	$	(214,747	)	$	456,608,158	$	(454,165,989	)	$	(2,442,169	)	$	—
December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	236,058,976	$	—		$	236,058,976	$	(236,058,976	)	$	—		$	—
Securities repurchase agreements		138,591,678		—			138,591,678		(137,231,150	)		(1,360,528	)		—
	$	374,650,654	$	—		$	374,650,654	$	(373,290,126	)	$	(1,360,528	)	$	—

17. Subsequent Events

None

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Item 1A. Forward-Looking Statements

The Company makes forward-looking statements in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). For these statements, the Company claims the protections of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in such Sections. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When the Company uses the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "could," "would," "may," "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, the Company intends to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking:

• the Company's investment objectives and business strategy;
   
• the Company's ability to obtain future financing arrangements;
   
• the Company's expected leverage;
   
• the Company's expected investments;
   
• estimates or statements relating to, and the Company's ability to make, future distributions;
   
• the Company's ability to compete in the marketplace;
   
• the Company's ability to originate or acquire the assets it targets and achieve risk-adjusted returns;
   
• the Company's ability to borrow funds at favorable rates;
   
• market, industry and economic trends;
   
• recent market developments and actions taken and to be taken by the U.S. Government, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Depositary Insurance Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC");
   
• mortgage loan modification programs and future legislative actions;
   
• the Company's ability to maintain its qualification as a real estate investment trust ("REIT");
   
• the Company's ability to maintain its exemption from qualification under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act");
   
• projected capital and operating expenditures;
   
• availability of qualified personnel;
   
• prepayment rates; and
   
• projected default rates.

     The Company's beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to the Company or are within its control, including:

• the factors referenced in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K, including those set forth under Item 1, "Business" and Item 1A, "Risk Factors" therein and the factors described herein under this heading, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and under the heading "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk";
   
• general volatility of the capital markets;
   
• changes in the Company's investment objectives and business strategy;
   
• the availability, terms and deployment of capital;
   
• the availability of suitable investment opportunities;

- 30 -

• the Company's dependence on its external advisor, ZAIS REIT Management, LLC (the "Advisor"), and the Company's ability to find a suitable replacement if the Company or the Advisor were to terminate the investment advisory agreement the Company has entered into with the Advisor;
   
• changes in the Company's assets, interest rates or the general economy;
   
• increased rates of default and/or decreased recovery rates on the Company's investments;
   
• changes in interest rates, interest rate spreads, the yield curve or prepayment rates; changes in prepayments of the Company's assets;
   
• limitations on the Company's business as a result of its qualification as a REIT; and
   
• the degree and nature of the Company's competition, including competition for residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS"), loans or its other target assets.

     Upon the occurrence of these or other factors, the Company's business, financial condition, liquidity and consolidated results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any such forward-looking statements.

     Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. These forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The Company is not obligated, and does not intend, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of the Company's annual report on Form 10-K.

Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and accompanying Notes included in Item 1, "Financial Statements," of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

Overview

     The Company primarily invests in, finances and manages performing and re-performing residential mortgage loans, which may be seasoned or recently originated. The Company also invests in, finances and manages non-Agency RMBS with an emphasis on securities that, when originally issued, were rated in the highest rating category by one or more of the nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. The Company also has the discretion to invest in MSRs, Agency RMBS, including through TBA contracts, and in other real estate-related and financial assets, such as IOs, CMBS and ABS.

     The Company plans over time to evolve its whole loan strategy to include newly originated residential mortgage loans, which the Company expects to become a core component of its strategy. While the Company has not yet begun originating or purchasing newly originated loans, it has taken steps to build out its capabilities. The Company believes that this business will benefit from the Advisor's existing expertise in mortgage product development, loan pricing, hedging and analytics, due diligence, risk management and servicing oversight. The Company may pursue opportunities for the origination and purchase of newly originated mortgage loans through a loan seller network or through the acquisition or establishment of a mortgage origination platform.

     The Company's income is generated primarily by the net spread between the income it earns on its assets and the cost of its financing and hedging activities. The Company's objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to its stockholders, primarily through quarterly distributions and secondarily through capital appreciation.

     The Company completed its formation transaction and commenced operations on July 29, 2011. On February 13, 2013, the Company successfully completed its IPO, pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock to the public at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of approximately $1.2 million were $118.9 million. In connection with the IPO, the Advisor paid $6.3 million in underwriting fees. The Company did not pay any underwriting fees, discounts or commissions in connection with the IPO. The Operating Partnership issued and sold the 8% Exchangeable Senior Notes (the "Exchangeable Senior Notes") in a private transaction on November 25, 2013.

- 31 -

     As of March 31, 2014, the Company held a diversified portfolio of fixed rate mortgage loans and adjustable rate mortgage loans ("ARMs") with an estimated fair value of $415.6 million. As of March 31, 2014, the Company also held RMBS assets with an estimated fair value of $231.8 million, consisting primarily of senior tranches of non-Agency RMBS that were originally highly rated but subsequently downgraded and other investment securities ("FMRT Notes" or "Other Investment Securities") with an estimated fair value of $11.1 million. The borrowings the Company used to fund the purchase of its portfolio totaled approximately $512.9 million as of March 31, 2014 under the loan repurchase facility used to finance the Company's residential mortgage loan portfolio (the "Loan Repurchase Facility"), master securities repurchase agreements with four counterparties and the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Exchangeable Senior Notes were issued and sold by the Operating Partnership in a private transaction on November 25, 2013. See Item 2, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources" of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, for a discussion of the terms of the Exchangeable Senior Notes.

The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company is organized in a format pursuant to which it serves as the general partner of, and conducts substantially all of its business through, its Operating Partnership subsidiary, ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership. The Company also expects to operate its business so that it is not required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act.

Results of Operations

The following discussion of the Company's consolidated results of operations highlights the Company's performance for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Financial Overview

A summary of the Company’s first quarter 2014 results is below, followed by an overview of the market conditions that impacted our results during the quarter:

• The quarter ended March 31, 2014 was the fourth full quarter in which the Company operated as a public mortgage REIT following its initial public offering (“IPO”) completed on February 13, 2013;
   
• GAAP net income for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was $2.5 million, or $0.28 per weighted average share outstanding compared with net income of $2.0 million, or $0.32 per weighted average share outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2013;
   
• Core Earnings (which excludes changes in unrealized gains or losses on mortgage loans, real estate securities and other investment securities, realized gains or losses on mortgage loans and real estate securities, gains or losses on derivative instruments and certain non-recurring adjustments) was $1.5 million, or $0.17 per weighted average share outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2014 compared with Core Earnings of $0.8 million, or $0.13 per weighted average share outstanding for the quarter ended March 31, 2013. Core Earnings is a non-GAAP financial measure;
   
• At March 31, 2014 the Company’s book value was $19.86 per share of common stock and OP unit, compared with book value per share of common stock and OP unit of $19.98 as of December 31, 2013;
   
• 2.90x leverage ratio as of March 31, 2014

The Company's results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2014, were impacted by a number of factors. In the first quarter of 2014 the market experienced a rally in interest rates from the 2013 highs, due primarily to perceived weakness in the economic environment. This weakness was confirmed with the recent first quarter GDP release estimating annualized growth of 0.1%. At the same time volatility in the fixed income markets continued to decline, largely looking past the first quarter weakness. As a result, market conditions remained quite supportive of risk assets. Despite the first quarter slowdown, economic conditions seem to have improved meaningfully late in the first quarter and subsequent to quarter end. Importantly, the housing market remains strong and continues to benefit from tight supply conditions.

Investments

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at March 31, 2014:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	251,746,179	$	(47,755,347	)	$	203,990,832	$	9,565,952	$	(2,750,993	)	$	210,805,791	4.73	%	7.07	%
ARM		218,006,277		(33,133,709	)		184,872,568		4,853,505		(2,269,336	)		187,456,737	3.64		6.73
Total performing		469,752,456		(80,889,056	)		388,863,400		14,419,457		(5,020,329	)		398,262,528	4.22		6.91
Non-performing(3)		26,234,674		(7,310,449	)		18,924,225		544,555		(2,117,597	)		17,351,183	5.00		7.58
Total Mortgage Loans	$	495,987,130	$	(88,199,505	)	$	407,787,625	$	14,964,012	$	(7,137,926	)	$	415,613,711	4.26	%	6.94	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans. The Company recorded a gain of $0.7 million and a loss of $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

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     The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS and Other Investment Securities at March 31, 2014:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative – A(3)	$	164,764,296	$	(78,482,420	)	$	86,281,876	$	2,963,208	$	(327,637	)	$	88,917,447	4.09	%	7.11	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		33,700,568		(6,646,540	)		27,054,028		605,224		(228,195	)		27,431,057	0.74		6.83
Prime		105,995,923		(13,051,352	)		92,944,571		4,113,891		(235,413	)		96,823,049	4.71		6.59
Subprime		19,867,136		(1,701,070	)		18,166,066		689,080		(181,800	)		18,673,346	1.06		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,327,923	$	(99,881,382	)	$	224,446,541	$	8,371,403	$	(973,045	)	$	231,844,899	3.71	%	6.77	%
Other investment
securities	$	10,000,000	$	716,744		$	10,716,744	$	370,764	$	—		$	11,087,508	5.40	%	6.66	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities and Other Investment Securities. The Company recorded a gain of $2.7 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also recorded a gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million.

Investment Activity

Mortgage Loans. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company acquired fixed rate mortgage loans and ARMs with an unpaid principal balance of $100.4 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company did not sell any mortgage loans. The fair value of the Company's mortgage loans at March 31, 2014 was approximately $415.6 million.

RMBS. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company acquired non-Agency RMBS with a principal balance of $14.5 million and also sold non-Agency RMBS with a principal balance of $2.7 million. During the same period, the Company did not acquire any Agency RMBS. The fair value of the Company's non-Agency RMBS at March 31, 2014 was $231.8 million. The Company did not own any Agency RMBS as of March 31, 2014.

Other Investment Securities. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company acquired the FMRT Notes with a principal balance of $10.0 million. The fair value of the Company's Other Investment Securities at March 31, 2014 was $11.1 million.

TBA Securities. During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company did not have any exposure to TBA contracts to purchase or sell Agency RMBS.

Financing and Other Liabilities. As of March 31, 2014, the Company had the Loan Repurchase Facility outstanding totaling $297.4 million, which was used to finance mortgage loans. The Loan Repurchase Facility is secured by a portion of the Company's mortgage loan portfolio and bears interest at a rate that has historically moved in close relationship to LIBOR. On March 27, 2014, the Company entered into an amendment of the Loan Repurchase Facility providing it with an additional $75 million of uncommitted borrowing capacity. As of March 31, 2014, the Company’s total borrowing capacity is $325.0 million. As of March 31, 2014, the Company also had 49 securities repurchase agreements outstanding with four counterparties totaling $159.2 million, which was used to finance investments in non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities. These agreements are secured by cash collateral and a portion of the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities and bear interest at rates that have historically moved in close relationship to LIBOR. As of March 31, 2014, the Company had Exchangeable Senior Notes outstanding totaling $57.5 million of aggregate principal balance. As of March 31, 2014, the Company was fully invested in its target assets contemplated by its long term business plan. However, for a portion of the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company was not fully invested in its long-term target assets.

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     The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014, by remaining maturity and collateral type:

	Mortgage loans
			Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate
Loan Repurchase Facility borrowings maturing within
31-60 days	$	297,401,891	2.90	%
Total/weighted average	$	297,401,891	2.90	%

     The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's securities repurchase agreements as of March 31, 2014 by remaining maturity:

	Non-Agency RMBS				Other Investment Securities
			Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Repurchase agreements maturing within
30 days or less	$	125,330,562	1.89	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%
31-60 days		6,104,000	1.84			—	—
61-90 days		20,186,000	1.83			—	—
Greater than 90 days		—	—			—	—
Total/weighted average	$	151,620,562	1.88	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%

Derivative Instruments

     As of March 31, 2014, the Company had outstanding interest rate swap agreements designed to mitigate the effects of increases in interest rates under a portion of its repurchase agreements. These interest rate swap agreements provide for the Company to pay fixed interest rates and receive floating interest rates indexed to LIBOR. The swap agreements effectively fixed the floating interest rates on $17.2 million of borrowings under the Company's repurchase agreements at March 31, 2014. At March 31, 2014, the Company also had an interest rate swaption agreement outstanding which gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon swap contract on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of March 31, 2014:

					Weighted		Weighted
			Weighted		Average		Average
	Notional		Average Pay		Receive		Years to
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Rate		Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3

     The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swaption agreement as of March 31, 2014:

	Notional				Swap
Swaption Expiration	Amount		Strike Rate		Maturity
2015	$	225,000,000	3.64	%	2025

     The following analysis focuses on the results generated during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013.

Net Interest Income

     For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company's interest income was $9.5 million as compared with $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The increase in interest income was mainly due to the deployment of capital raised in the Company's February 2013 IPO and November 2013 issuance of the Exchangeable Senior Notes, which is now primarily allocated to whole loans. This allocation to whole loans increased interest income by $5.6 million. Other factors contributing to the increase in interest income included increases in the average RMBS portfolio yield and the purchase of Other Investment Securities, which increased interest income by $1.0 million and $0.1 million, respectively. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in the Company's average RMBS portfolio balance which decreased interest income by $0.6 million. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 the Company's interest expense was $3.9 million as compared to $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The increase in interest expense was due to an increase in borrowings from the Loan Repurchase Facility, securities repurchase agreements used to finance the Company's RMBS portfolio and the issuance of the Exchangeable Senior Notes.

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As of March 31, 2014, the weighted average net interest spread between the yield on the Company's assets and the cost of funds, including the impact of interest rate hedging, was 3.97% for the Company's mortgage loans and 4.82% for the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities. As of March 31, 2013, the weighted average net interest spread between the yield on the Company's assets and the cost of funds, including the impact of interest rate hedging, was 1.58% for the Company's Agency RMBS and 3.97% for the Company's non-Agency RMBS.

The Company's net interest income is also impacted by prepayment speeds, as measured by the weighted average Constant Prepayment Rate ("CPR") on its assets. The three-month average and the six-month average CPR for the period ended March 31, 2014 were 12.3% and 14.2%, respectively, for the Company's non-Agency RMBS. The Company held no Agency RMBS at March 31, 2014. The three-month average and the six-month average CPR for the period ended March 31, 2013 of the Company's Agency RMBS were 5.2% and 7.3%, respectively, and were 16.7% and 18.2%, respectively, for the Company's non-Agency RMBS. The non-Agency RMBS CPR includes both voluntary and involuntary amounts. The three-month average and the six-month average CPR for the period ended March 31, 2014 were 2.14% and 3.25%, respectively, for the Company’s mortgage loans.

Expenses

Professional Fees. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company incurred professional fees of $1.8 million as compared to $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013 (primarily related to legal fees, audit fees and consulting fees). The increase in professional fees was primarily due to procedures performed by the independent auditors for the 2013 annual financial statements audit and additional legal and accounting expenses related to the Company's registration statement filings on Form S-3.

Advisory Fee Expense (Related Party). Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Company incurred advisory fee expense of $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, as compared to $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The increase in advisory fee expense over these periods was due to an increase in stockholders' equity resulting from the Company's February 2013 IPO.

General and Administrative Expenses. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, general and administrative expenses were $1.2 million as compared to $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily attributable to due diligence costs and professional fees related to the Company's evaluation of a potential acquisition.

Loan Servicing Fees. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, loan servicing fees were $0.4 million. The increase in loan servicing fees was due to the acquisition of whole loans as the Company executed on its investment strategy. There were no loan servicing fees for the three months ended March 31, 2013.

Realized and Change in Unrealized Gain or Loss

The following amounts related to realized gains and losses, as well as changes in estimated fair value of the Company's mortgage loan portfolio, RMBS portfolio, Other Investment Securities and derivative instruments are included in the Company's unaudited consolidated statements of operations.

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans	$	689,604		$	(28,906	)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities		2,736,058			903,277
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities		370,764			—
Realized gain on mortgage loans		230,737			—
Realized gain on real estate securities		73,619			—
Loss/(gain) on derivative instruments		(3,108,681	)		281,144
Total other gains/(losses)	$	992,101		$	1,155,515

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     The Company's interest rate swap agreements and interest rate swaption agreement have not been designated as hedging instruments.

The Company recorded the change in estimated fair value related to an interest rate swaption agreement held during the three months ended March 31, 2014, interest rate swaps held during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013 and TBAs held during the three months ended March 31, 2013 in earnings as (loss)/gain on derivative instruments. Included in (loss)/gain on derivative instruments are the net interest rate swap payments and net TBA payments for the derivative instruments.

The Company has elected to record the change in estimated fair value related to its mortgage loans, RMBS and Other Investment Securities in earnings by electing the fair value option.

Factors Impacting Operating Results

The Company held a diversified portfolio of mortgage loans with a fair value of $415.6 million, RMBS assets with a fair value of $231.8 million and Other Investment Securities with a fair value of $11.1 as of March 31, 2014, and mortgage loans with a fair value of $331.8 million and RMBS assets with a fair value of $226.2 million as of December 31, 2013. In addition, the Company is in negotiations with counterparties and anticipates having additional available borrowing capacity from which it expects to be able to acquire additional assets. The Company's operating results will be impacted by the Company's actual available borrowing capacity.

The Company expects that the results of its operations will also be affected by a number of other factors, including the level of its net interest income, the fair value of its assets and the supply of, and demand for, the target assets in which it may invest. The Company's net interest income, which includes the amortization of purchase premiums and accretion of purchase discounts, varies, primarily as a result of changes in market interest rates and prepayment speeds, as measured by CPR on the Company's target assets. Interest rates and prepayment speeds vary according to the type of investment, conditions in the financial markets, competition and other factors, none of which can be predicted with any certainty. The Company's operating results may also be impacted by credit losses in excess of initial anticipations or unanticipated credit events experienced by borrowers whose mortgage loans are held directly by the Company or included in its non-Agency RMBS or Other Investment Securities or in other assets it may originate or acquire in the future.

Changes in Fair Value of the Company's Assets

The Company's mortgage loans, RMBS and Other Investment Securities are carried at fair value and future mortgage-related assets may also be carried at fair value. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of the Company's assets may impact the results of its operations for the period in which such change in value occurs. The expectation of changes in real estate prices is a major determinant of the value of mortgage loans and, therefore, of RMBS and Other Investment Securities. This factor is beyond the Company's control.

Changes in Market Interest Rates

With respect to the Company's business operations, increases in interest rates, in general, may, over time, cause: (i) the interest expense associated with the Company's borrowings to increase; (ii) the value of its fixed-rate portfolio to decline; (iii) coupons on its ARMs and hybrid ARMs (including RMBS secured by such collateral) and on its residential mortgage loans and other floating rate securities to reset, although on a delayed basis, to higher interest rates; (iv) prepayments on its residential mortgage loans and RMBS to slow, thereby slowing the amortization of the Company's purchase premiums and the accretion of its purchase discounts and (v) the value of its interest rate swap agreements to increase. 

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     Conversely, decreases in interest rates, in general, may, over time, cause: (i) prepayments on the Company's residential mortgage loans and RMBS to increase, thereby accelerating the amortization of its purchase premiums and the accretion of its purchase discounts; (ii) the interest expense associated with its borrowings to decrease; (iii) the value of its fixed-rate portfolio to increase; (iv) the value of its interest rate swap agreements to decrease and (v) coupons on its ARMs and hybrid ARMs (including RMBS secured by such collateral) and on its residential mortgage loans and other floating rate securities to reset, although on a delayed basis, to lower interest rates. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, 47.1% and 46.1% of the Company's performing mortgage loan portfolio, respectively, as measured by fair value consisted of mortgage loans with a variable interest rate component, including ARMs and hybrid ARMs. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, 22.7% and 23.3% of the Company's RMBS assets, respectively, as measured by fair value, consisted of RMBS assets with a variable interest rate component, including ARMs and hybrid ARMs. Additionally, as of March 31, 2014, 100% of the Company's Other Investment Securities, as measured by fair value, consisted of FMRT Notes with a variable interest rate component.

Prepayment Speeds

Prepayment speeds on residential mortgage loans, and therefore, RMBS vary according to interest rates, the type of investment, conditions in the financial markets, competition, defaults, foreclosures and other factors that cannot be predicted with any certainty. In general, when interest rates rise, it is relatively less attractive for borrowers to refinance their mortgage loans and, as a result, prepayment speeds tend to decrease. This can extend the period over which the Company earns interest income. When interest rates fall, prepayment speeds on residential mortgage loans, and therefore, RMBS tend to increase, thereby decreasing the period over which the Company earns interest income. Additionally, other factors such as the credit rating of the borrower, the rate of home price appreciation or depreciation, financial market conditions, foreclosures and lender competition, none of which can be predicted with any certainty, may affect prepayment speeds on residential mortgage loans and RMBS. In particular, despite the historically low interest rates, recent severe dislocations in the housing market, including home price depreciation resulting in many borrowers owing more on their mortgage loans than the values of their homes, have prevented many such borrowers from refinancing their mortgage loans, which has impacted prepayment rates and the value of RMBS assets. However, mortgage loan modification and refinance programs or future legislative action may make refinancing mortgage loans more accessible or attractive to such borrowers, which could cause the rate of prepayments on residential mortgage loans and RMBS assets to accelerate. For RMBS assets, higher prepayment rates would adversely affect the value of such assets or cause the holder to incur losses with respect to such assets.

Spreads on Non-Guaranteed Mortgage Loans and Securities

Since the financial crisis that began in 2007, the spreads between swap rates and residential mortgage loans and non-Agency RMBS have been volatile. Spreads on these assets initially moved wider due to the difficult credit conditions and have only recovered a portion of that widening. As the prices of securitized assets declined, a number of investors and a number of structured investment vehicles faced margin calls from dealers and were forced to sell assets in order to reduce leverage. The price volatility of these assets also impacted lending terms in the repurchase market, as counterparties raised margin requirements to reflect the more difficult environment. The spread between the yield on the Company's assets and its funding costs is an important factor in the performance of this aspect of the Company's business. Wider spreads imply greater income on new asset purchases but may have a negative impact on the Company's stated book value. Wider spreads generally negatively impact asset prices. In an environment where spreads are widening, counterparties may require additional collateral to secure borrowings, which may require the Company to reduce leverage by selling assets. Conversely, tighter spreads imply lower income on new asset purchases, but may have a positive impact on the Company's stated book value. Tighter spreads generally have a positive impact on asset prices. In this case, the Company may be able to reduce the amount of collateral required to secure borrowings.

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Mortgage Extension Risk

     The Advisor computes the projected weighted-average life of the Company's investments based on assumptions regarding the rate at which the borrowers will prepay the underlying mortgages and the rate at which defaults, foreclosures and recoveries will occur. In general, when the Company originates or acquires a fixed-rate mortgage or hybrid ARM asset, the Company may, but is not required to, enter into an interest rate swap agreement or other hedging instrument that effectively fixes the Company's borrowing costs for a period close to the anticipated average life of the fixed-rate portion of the related assets. This strategy is designed to protect the Company from rising interest rates, because the borrowing costs are effectively fixed for the duration of the fixed-rate portion of the related RMBS.

However, if prepayment rates decrease in a rising interest rate environment, the life of the fixed-rate portion of the related assets could extend beyond the term of the swap agreement or other hedging instrument. This could have a negative impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, as borrowing costs would no longer be fixed after the maturity or termination of hedging instruments while the income earned on the assets would remain fixed. This situation may also cause the fair value of the Company's assets to decline, with little or no offsetting gain from the related hedging transactions. In extreme situations, the Company may be forced to sell assets to maintain adequate liquidity, which could cause the Company to incur losses.

In addition, the use of this swap hedging strategy effectively limits increases in the Company's book value in a declining rate environment, due to the effectively fixed nature of the Company's hedged borrowing costs. In an extreme rate decline, prepayment rates on the Company's assets might actually result in certain of its assets being fully paid off while the corresponding swap or other hedge instrument remains outstanding. In such a situation, the Company may be forced to liquidate the swap or other hedge instrument at a level that causes it to incur a loss.

Credit Risk

The Company is subject to credit risk in connection with its investments. Although the Company does not expect to encounter credit risk in its Agency RMBS, it does expect to encounter credit risk related to its non-Agency RMBS, mortgage loans and other target assets, including assets it may originate or acquire in the future. Increases in defaults and delinquencies will adversely impact the Company's operating results, while declines in rates of default and delinquencies may improve the Company's operating results from this aspect of its business. The Company is subject to counterparty risk under the FMRT Notes if Fannie Mae is unable to perform its obligations under the FMRT Notes.

A large portion of the mortgage loans that the Company acquired were current in their payment status at the time of acquisition. The Company calculates delinquency roll rates for its mortgage loan portfolio which represent the percentage of loans, as measured by unpaid principal balance, that were in current payment status in the prior month but became delinquent in the measured month. The Company’s delinquency roll rates have generally outperformed its model projections from late 2013 when the whole loan portfolio achieved scale through March 31, 2014.

Size of Investment Portfolio

The size of the Company's investment portfolio, as measured by the aggregate principal balance of its mortgage-related securities and the other assets the Company owns, is a key revenue driver. Generally, as the size of the Company's investment portfolio grows, the amount of interest income the Company receives increases. A larger investment portfolio, however, drives increased expenses, as the Company incurs additional interest expense to finance the purchase of its assets.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

See "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" included in Item 1, "Financial Statement" included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the Company's Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity is a measure of the Company's ability to turn non-cash assets into cash and to meet potential cash requirements. The Company uses significant cash to purchase assets, pay dividends, repay principal and interest on its borrowings, fund its operations and meet other general business needs. The Company's primary sources of liquidity are its existing cash balances, borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility and under its securities repurchase agreements, the net proceeds from offerings of equity and debt securities and notes issued by the Operating Partnership and net cash provided by operating activities, private funding sources, including other borrowings structured as repurchase agreements, securitizations, term financings and derivative agreements, and future issuances of common equity, preferred equity, convertible securities, exchangeable notes, trust preferred and/or debt securities. The Company does not currently have any committed borrowing capacity, other than pursuant to the Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements discussed below. 

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     The borrowings the Company used to fund the purchase of its portfolio totaled approximately $512.9 million, as of March 31, 2014 under the Loan Repurchase Facility, master securities repurchase agreements with four counterparties and the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company is also in discussions with other financial institutions to provide it with additional borrowing capacity under various agreements including repurchase agreements and other types of financing arrangements.

As of March 31, 2014, the Company had a total of $415.3 million in fair value of trust certificates representing interests in residential mortgage loans (the "Trust Certificates") pledged against its borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility and $201.5 million in fair value of RMBS and $11.1 million of Other Investment Securities pledged against its securities repurchase agreement borrowings.

Under the Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements, the Company may be required to pledge additional assets to its counterparties (lenders) in the event that the estimated fair value of the existing pledged collateral under such agreements declines and such lenders demand additional collateral, which may take the form of additional securities or cash. Generally, the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements contain a LIBOR-based financing rate, term and haircuts depending on the types of collateral and the counterparties involved. Further, as of March 31, 2014, the range of haircut provisions associated with the Company's repurchase agreements was between 27% and 28% for pledged Trust Certificates and was between 15% and 40% for pledged non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities.

If the estimated fair value of the assets increases due to changes in market interest rates or market factors, lenders may release collateral back to the Company. Specifically, margin calls may result from a decline in the value of the investments securing the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements, prepayments on the mortgages securing such investments and from changes in the estimated fair value of such investments generally due to principal reduction of such investments from scheduled amortization and resulting from changes in market interest rates and other market factors. Counterparties also may choose to increase haircuts based on credit evaluations of the Company and/or the performance of the assets in question. Historically disruptions in the financial and credit markets have resulted in increased volatility in these levels, and this volatility could persist as market conditions continue to change rapidly. Should prepayment speeds on the mortgages underlying the Company's investments or market interest rates suddenly increase, margin calls on the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements could result, causing an adverse change in its liquidity position. To date, the Company has satisfied all of its margin calls and has never sold assets in response to any margin call under these borrowings.

The Loan Repurchase Facility is committed for a period of 364 days from its May 30, 2013 inception. The obligations under this facility are fully guaranteed by the Company. On March 27, 2014, the Company entered into an amendment of the Loan Repurchase Facility providing it with an additional $75 million of uncommitted borrowing capacity. The Company is in discussions with the lender and expects to renew the Loan Repurchase Facility for an additional 364 day commitment period prior to the expiration of the initial commitment period. However, the renewal is subject to the finalization of definitive agreements and there can be no assurance that the renewal will occur.

The Company's borrowings under repurchase agreements are renewable at the discretion of its lenders and, as such, the Company's ability to roll-over such borrowings is not guaranteed. The terms of the repurchase transaction borrowings under the Company's repurchase agreements generally conform to the terms in the standard master repurchase agreement as published by SIFMA, as to repayment, margin requirements and the segregation of all assets the Company has initially sold under the repurchase transaction. In addition, each lender typically requires that the Company include supplemental terms and conditions to the standard master repurchase agreement. Typical supplemental terms and conditions, which differ by lender, may include changes to the margin maintenance requirements, required haircuts and purchase price maintenance requirements, requirements that all controversies related to the repurchase agreement be litigated in a particular jurisdiction, and cross default and setoff provisions.

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     As of March 31, 2014, the Company had a leverage ratio of 2.90x.

The Company maintains certain assets, which, from time to time, may include cash, unpledged mortgage loans, non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities (which may be subject to various haircuts if pledged as collateral to meet margin requirements) and collateral in excess of margin requirements held by the Company's counterparties (collectively, the "Cushion") to meet routine margin calls and protect against unforeseen reductions in the Company's borrowing capabilities. The Company's ability to meet future margin calls will be impacted by the Cushion, which varies based on the fair value of its securities, its cash position and margin requirements. The Company's cash position fluctuates based on the timing of its operating, investing and financing activities and is managed based on the Company's anticipated cash needs. As of March 31, 2014, the Company had a Cushion of $55.2 million in addition to certain reserves held with respect to the Loan Repurchase Facility.

As of March 31, 2014, the Company had a total of $5.9 million of restricted cash pledged against its interest rate swaps, swaption and repurchase agreements.

On November 25, 2013, the Operating Partnership issued the Exchangeable Senior Notes, which may be exchanged for shares of the Company's common stock or, to the extent necessary to satisfy NYSE listing requirements, cash, at the applicable exchange rate at any time prior to the close of business on the scheduled trading day prior to the maturity date. The Company may not elect to issue shares of common stock upon exchange of the Exchangeable Senior Notes to the extent such election would result in the issuance of 20% or more of the common stock outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of the Exchangeable Senior Notes (or more than 1,779,560 shares of common stock) until the Company receives stockholder approval for issuances above this threshold. The initial exchange rate for each $1,000 aggregate principal amount of the Exchangeable Senior Notes was 52.5417 shares of common stock, equivalent to an exchange price of approximately $19.03 per share, representing an approximately 15% premium to the last reported sale price of the common stock on November 19, 2013 (the date of the initial sale of the Exchangeable Senior Notes), which was $16.55 per share. The exchange rate will be subject to adjustment for certain events, including for regular quarterly dividends in excess of $0.50 per share, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, if certain corporate events occur prior to the maturity date, the exchange rate will be increased but will in no event exceed 60.4229 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of 2016 Exchangeable Notes. The exchange rate was adjusted on December 27, 2013 to 54.3103 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes pursuant to the Company's special dividend of $0.55 per common share and OP unit declared on December 19, 2013. Pursuant to a registration rights agreement, the Company agreed to file with the SEC within 120 days from the issue date, and to use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause to become effective within 180 days, a shelf registration statement with respect to the resales of the Company's common stock that may be issued upon exchange of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company filed this shelf registration statement with the SEC on March 14, 2014. If the Company fails to comply with certain of its obligations under the registration rights agreement, the Company will be required to pay liquidated damages to holders of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company will increase the exchange rate by 3% for holders that exchange the Exchangeable Senior Notes when there exists a registration default with respect to shares of the Company's common stock. For additional information related to the Exchangeable Senior Notes, see "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016".

The Company believes these identified sources of liquidity will be adequate for purposes of meeting its short-term (within one year) liquidity and long-term liquidity needs. However, the Company's ability to meet its long-term liquidity and capital resource requirements may require additional financing. The Company's short-term and long-term liquidity needs include funding future investments and operating costs. In addition, to qualify as a REIT, the Company must distribute annually at least 90% of its net taxable income, excluding net capital gains. These distribution requirements limit the Company's ability to retain earnings and thereby replenish or increase capital for operations.

The Company's current policy is to pay quarterly distributions which will allow it to qualify as a REIT and generally not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its undistributed income. Taxable and GAAP earnings will typically differ due to differences in premium amortization and discount accretion, certain non-taxable unrealized and realized gains and losses, and non-deductible general and administrative expenses. 

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Cash Provided by Operating Activities

     The Company's operating activities provided net cash of $1.7 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively. The cash provided by operating activities is primarily a result of income earned on the Company's assets, partially offset by interest expense on the Company's borrowings and operating expenses.

Cash Used in Investing Activities

The Company's investing activities used net cash of $102.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 by purchasing $84.8 million of mortgage loans, $11.7 million of RMBS, $10.7 million of Other Investment Securities and paying a premium of $4.8 million for an interest rate swaption and increasing restricted cash by $3.7 million in connection with interest rate swaps, swaption and securities repurchase agreements, which was offset by $3.5 million of principal repayments on mortgage loans, $8.0 million of principal repayments on real estate securities and $2.1 million of proceeds from the sale of real estate securities.

The Company's investing activities used net cash of $299.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013 by purchasing $296.7 million of RMBS (net of changes in amounts payable for real estate securities purchased) and $10.8 million of mortgage loans and increasing restricted cash by $6.1 million in connection with swap and repurchase agreements, which was offset by $7.4 million of principal repayments on real estate securities and $6.8 million of proceeds from the sale of real estate securities (net of changes in amounts receivable for real estate securities sold).

Cash Provided by Financing Activities

The Company's financing activities provided cash of $73.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, which was a result of net borrowings from the Loan Repurchase Facility of $61.3 million, borrowings from securities repurchase agreements of $29.6 million, offset by repayments of securities repurchase agreements of $9.0 million and the payment of dividends and distributions on common stock and OP units of $8.5 million.

The Company's financing activities provided cash of $293.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2013, which was a result of net proceeds from the issuance of common stock of $118.9 million and borrowings from securities repurchase agreements of $222.3 million, offset by repayments of securities repurchase agreements of $42.8 million, repurchases of common stock of $5.1 million and $0.2 million in redemption of preferred stock.

Contractual Obligations

The Company has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Advisor. The Advisor is entitled to receive a quarterly advisory fee and the reimbursement of certain expenses; however, these obligations do not have fixed and determinable payments.

The following table presents contractual obligations and commitments as of March 31, 2014, as discussed above under "Liquidity and Capital Resources":

			Less than 1						More than
Contractual Obligations	Total		year		1-3 years		3-5 years		5 years
	(dollars in thousands)
Loan repurchase facility	$	297,402	$	297,402	$	—	$	—	$	—
Interest on loan repurchase facility(1)		846		846		—		—		—
Repurchase agreements		159,181		159,181		—		—		—
Interest on securities repurchase agreements(1)		430		430		—		—		—
Exchangeable Senior Notes		57,500		—		57,500		—		—
Interest on Exchangeable Senior Notes		13,685		4,485		9,200		—		—
Total	$	529,044	$	462,344	$	66,700	$	—	$	—

____________________
 

(1)        Interest is calculated based on the interest rate in effect at March 31, 2014 and includes all interest expense incurred and expected to be incurred in the future through the contractual maturity of the associated repurchase agreement.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

     As of the date of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, the Company had no off-balance sheet arrangements.

Inflation

Virtually all of the Company's assets and liabilities are and will be interest rate sensitive in nature. As a result, interest rates and other factors influence the Company's performance far more so than does inflation. Changes in interest rates do not necessarily correlate with inflation rates or changes in inflation rates. The Company's financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and the Company's activities and balance sheet shall be measured with reference to historical cost and/or fair value without considering inflation.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Core Earnings is a non-GAAP measure that the Company defines as GAAP net income, excluding changes in unrealized gains or losses on mortgage loans, real estate securities and other investment securities, realized gains or losses on mortgage loans, and real estate securities, gains or losses on derivative instruments, and certain non-recurring adjustments.

The Company believes that providing investors with this non-GAAP financial information, in addition to the related GAAP measures, gives investors greater transparency to the information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. However, because Core Earnings is an incomplete measure of the Company's financial performance and involves differences from net income computed in accordance with GAAP, it should be considered along with, but not as an alternative to, the Company's net income computed in accordance with GAAP as a measure of the Company's financial performance. In addition, because not all companies use identical calculations, the Company's presentation of Core Earnings may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures of other companies.

The following table reconciles net income computed in accordance with GAAP to Core Earnings:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2014			2013
Net income – GAAP	$	2,482,859		$	1,973,695
Recurring adjustments for non-core earnings:
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans		(689,604	)		28,906
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities		(2,736,058	)		(903,277	)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities		(370,764	)		—
Realized (gain) on mortgage loans		(230,737	)		—
Realized (gain) on real estate securities		(73,619	)		—
Loss/(gain) on derivative instruments		3,108,681			(281,144	)
Core Earnings – non-GAAP	$	1,490,758		$	818,180
Core Earnings – per weighted average share outstanding – non-GAAP	$	0.17		$	0.13

Subsequent Events

None.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

The primary components of the Company's market risk are related to interest rate risk, prepayment risk, credit risk and fair value risk. While the Company does not seek to avoid risk completely, the Company believes that risk can be quantified from historical experience and the Company will seek to actively manage that risk, to earn sufficient compensation to justify taking risk and to maintain capital levels consistent with the risks the Company undertakes.

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Interest Rate Risk

     Interest rate risk is highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond the Company's control.

The Company is subject to interest rate risk in connection with any floating or inverse floating rate investments and its repurchase agreements. The Company's repurchase agreements may be of limited duration and are periodically refinanced at current market rates. The Company intends to manage this risk using interest rate derivative agreements. These instruments are intended to serve as a hedge against future interest rate increases on the Company's borrowings. The Company primarily assesses its interest rate risk by estimating and managing the duration of its assets relative to the duration of its liabilities. Duration measures the change in the fair value of an asset based on a change in an interest rate. The Company generally calculates duration using various financial models and empirical data. Different models and methodologies can produce different duration numbers for the same securities.

The borrowings the Company used to fund the purchase of its portfolio included approximately $456.6 million as of March 31, 2014 under master securities repurchase agreements with four counterparties and under the Loan Repurchase Facility. The Company is also in discussions with other financial institutions to provide it with additional borrowing capacity under various agreements including repurchase agreements and other types of financing arrangements. At March 31, 2014, the Company also had interest rate swaps with an outstanding notional amount of $17.2 million, resulting in variable rate debt of $439.4 million. A 50 basis point increase in LIBOR would increase the quarterly interest expense related to the $439.4 million in variable rate debt by $0.5 million. Such hypothetical impact of interest rates on the Company's variable rate debt does not consider the effect of any change in overall economic activity that could occur in a rising interest rate environment. Further, in the event of such a change in interest rates, the Company may take actions to further mitigate its exposure to such a change. However, due to the uncertainty of the specific actions that would be taken and their possible effects, this analysis assumes no changes in the Company's financial structure.

Net Interest Income

The Company's operating results will depend in large part on differences between the income from its investments and its borrowing costs. Most of the Company's securities repurchase agreements and its Loan Repurchase Facility provide financing based on a floating rate of interest calculated on a fixed spread over LIBOR. During periods of rising interest rates, the borrowing costs associated with the Company's investments tend to increase while the income earned on the Company's fixed interest rate investments may remain substantially unchanged. This will result in a narrowing of the net interest spread between the related assets and borrowings and may result in losses.

Hedging techniques are partly based on assumed levels of prepayments of the Company's RMBS and residential mortgage loans. If prepayments are slower or faster than assumed, the effectiveness of any hedging strategies the Company uses will be reduced and may cause losses on such transactions. Hedging strategies involving the use of derivative securities are complex and may produce volatile returns.

Fair Value

Changes in interest rates may also have an impact on the fair value of the assets the Company originates or acquires.

Prepayment Risk

As the Company receives prepayments of principal on its investments, premiums paid on such investments will be amortized against interest income. In general, an increase in prepayment rates will accelerate the amortization of purchase premiums, thereby reducing the interest income earned on the investments. Conversely, discounts on such investments are accreted into interest income. In general, an increase in prepayment rates will accelerate the accretion of purchase discounts, thereby increasing the interest income earned on the investments.

- 43 -

Credit Risk

     The Company expects to encounter credit risk related to its non-Agency RMBS, mortgage loans and other target assets, including assets it may originate or acquire in the future. A portion of the Company's assets are comprised of residential mortgage loans that are unrated. The credit risk related to these investments pertains to the ability and willingness of borrowers to pay the mortgage loan payments, the ability of which is assessed before credit is granted or renewed and periodically reviewed throughout the loan or security term. The Company believes that residual loan credit quality is primarily determined by the borrowers' credit profiles and loan characteristics.

Extension Risk

If prepayment rates decrease in a rising interest rate environment, the life of the fixed-rate portion of the related assets could extend beyond the term of the swap agreement or other hedging instrument. This could have a negative impact on the Company's results from operations, as borrowing costs would no longer be fixed after the end of the hedging instrument, while the income earned on the hybrid adjustable-rate assets would remain fixed. This situation may also cause the fair market value of the Company's hybrid adjustable-rate assets to decline, with little or no offsetting gain from the related hedging transactions. In extreme situations, the Company may be forced to sell assets to maintain adequate liquidity, which could cause it to incur losses.

Fair Value Risk

The Company intends to elect the fair value option of accounting on most of its securities investments and residential mortgage loans and account for them at their estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings pursuant to accounting guidance. The estimated fair value of these securities and residential mortgage loans fluctuates primarily due to changes in interest rates and other factors. Generally, in a rising interest rate environment, the estimated fair value of these securities and residential mortgage loans would be expected to decrease; conversely, in a decreasing interest rate environment, the estimated fair value of these securities and residential mortgage loans would be expected to increase.

Counterparty Risk

The Company finances the acquisition of a significant portion of its residential mortgage loans, RMBS and Other Investment Securities with repurchase agreements. In connection with these financing arrangements, the Company pledges its residential mortgage loans and securities as collateral to secure the borrowings. The amount of collateral pledged will typically exceed the amount of the borrowings (i.e., the haircut) such that the borrowings will be over-collateralized. As a result, the Company is exposed to the counterparty if, during the term of the repurchase agreement financing, a lender should default on its obligation and the Company is not able to recover its pledged assets. The amount of this exposure is the difference between the amount loaned to the Company plus interest due to the counterparty and the fair value of the collateral pledged by the Company to the lender including accrued interest receivable on such collateral.

Certain of the Company's subsidiaries have entered into over-the-counter interest rate swap agreements to hedge risks associated with movements in interest rates. Because interest rate swaps were not cleared through a central counterparty, the Company remains exposed to the counterparty's ability to perform its obligations under each such swap and cannot look to the creditworthiness of a central counterparty for performance. As a result, if an over-the-counter swap counterparty cannot perform under the terms of an interest rate swap, the Company's subsidiary would not receive payments due under that agreement, the Company may lose any unrealized gain associated with the interest rate swap and the hedged liability would cease to be hedged by the interest rate swap. While the Company would seek to terminate the relevant over-the-counter swap transaction and may have a claim against the defaulting counterparty for any losses, including unrealized gains, there is no assurance that the Company would be able to recover such amounts or to replace the relevant swap on economically viable terms or at all. In such case, the Company could be forced to cover its unhedged liabilities at the then current market price. The Company may also be at risk for any collateral the Company has pledged to secure the Company's obligations under the over-the-counter interest rate swap if the counterparty becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy. Therefore, upon a default by an interest rate swap agreement counterparty, the interest rate swap would no longer mitigate the impact of changes in interest rates as intended.

- 44 -

     During the past several years, certain repurchase agreement and interest rate swap counterparties in the United States and Europe have experienced financial difficulty and have been either rescued by government assistance or otherwise benefited from accommodative monetary policy of their respective central banks.

The following table summarizes the Company's exposure to its repurchase agreements and derivative counterparties at March 31, 2014:

		Repurchase		Swaps &				Exposure as
	Number of	Agreement		Swaption at				Percent of
	Counterparties	Borrowings(1)		Fair Value		Exposure(2)		Total Assets
	(dollars in thousands)
North America:
U.S.	1	$	303,610	$	—	$	120,494	17.3	%
Canada(3)	1		53,556		—		18,695	2.7	%
	2		357,166		—		139,189	20.0	%
Europe:(3)
United Kingdom	1		46,605		2,236		23,575	3.4	%
Switzerland	1		53,129		—		16,309	2.3	%
	2		99,734		2,236		39,884	5.7	%
Total Counterparty Exposure	4	$	456,900	$	2,236	$	179,073	25.7	%

____________________
 

(1)	Includes accrued interest payable.
(2)	The exposure reflects the difference between (a) the amount loaned to us through repurchase agreements, including interest payable, plus the derivative liability and (b) the cash and the fair value of the securities pledged by us as collateral, including accrued interest receivable on such securities, plus derivative assets.
(3)	Includes foreign based counterparties as well as U.S. domiciled subsidiaries of such counterparties, as such transactions are generally entered into with a U.S. domiciled subsidiary of such counterparties.

The following table presents information with respect to any counterparty for repurchase agreements for which the Company had greater than 5% of stockholders' equity at risk in the aggregate at March 31, 2014:

				Weighted
				Average Months
				to Maturity for	Percent of
	Counterparty			Repurchase	Stockholders'
Counterparty	Rating(1)	Amount of Risk(2)		Agreements	Equity
	(dollars in thousands)
Citigroup Inc.(3)	A/A2	$	120,494	2	68.2	%
Barclays PLC(4)	A/A2	$	23,575	<1	13.3	%
RBC Capital Markets, LLC	AA-/A2	$	18,695	2	10.6	%
Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC	A/A2(5)	$	16,309	<1	9.2	%

____________________
 

(1)	The counterparty rating presented is the long-term issuer credit rating as rated at March 31, 2014 by S&P and Moody's, respectively.
(2)	The amount at risk reflects the difference between (a) the amount loaned to us through repurchase agreements, including interest payable, plus the net unrealized gain on swaps including collateral pledged and (b) the cash and the fair value of the securities pledged by us as collateral, including accrued interest receivable on such securities.
(3)	Includes amounts at risk with Citibank, N.A. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Counterparty rating is for Citibank, N.A. which represents $117.8 million of the total exposure. The remaining exposure is to Citigroup Global Markets Inc. which was rated A/Baa2 by S&P and Moody's, respectively as of March 31, 2014.
(4)	Includes amounts at risk with Barclays Capital Inc. and Barclays Bank PLC. Total exposure to Barclays Capital Inc. is $18.5 million. The S&P and Moody’s counterparty ratings included in the table are for Barclays Capital Inc. and Barclays PLC, respectively. The remaining exposure is to Barclays Bank PLC which was rated A/A2 by S&P and Moody's, respectively as of March 31, 2014.
(5)	Counterparty rating for Credit Suisse Group AG.

- 45 -

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to its management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure based on the definition of "disclosure controls and procedures" as promulgated under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

The Company, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2014. Based on the foregoing, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in the Company's "internal control over financial reporting" (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three month period ended March 31, 2014 that have materially affected, or was reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

- 46 -

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

     From time to time, the Company may be involved in various claims and legal actions in the ordinary course of business. As of March 31, 2014, the Company was not involved in any legal proceedings.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's combined Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

None.

Item 6. Exhibits

(a) Exhibits Files

Exhibit No.	Description
3.1*	Articles of Amendment and Restatement of ZAIS Financial Corp., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant's Form S-11, as amended (Registration No. 333-185938).
3.2*	Articles Supplementary of ZAIS Financial Corp., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Registrant's Form S-11, as amended (Registration No. 333-185938).
3.3*	Bylaws of ZAIS Financial Corp., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 of the Registrant's Form S-11, as amended (Registration No. 333-185938).
4.1*	Specimen Common Stock Certificate of ZAIS Financial Corp., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant's Form S-11, as amended (Registration No. 333-185938).
10.1*	Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated as of July 29, 2011, of ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., as amended on August 3, 2011, October 11, 2012, and December 13, 2012, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant's Form S-11, as amended (Registration No. 333-185938).
10.2*	Amendment to Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated as of February 13, 2013, of ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Registrant's Form 10-K, filed March 28, 2013.
10.3	Trade Confirmation, dated March 27, 2014, pursuant to a Master Mortgage Loan Sale Agreement (the "MMLSA"), dated as of May 31, 2013, between Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp. and ZFC Trust.
10.4	Amendment Number One, dated March 27, 2014, to the Pricing Side Letter, dated as of May 30, 2013, between Citibank, N.A. and ZFC Trust.
31.1	Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2	Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

- 47 -

Exhibit No.	Description
32.1	Certification of the Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2	Certification of the Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS**	XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Scheme Document
101.CAL**	XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF**	XBRL Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB**	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Linkbase Document
101.PRE**	XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document

____________________
 

*	Previously filed
**	This exhibit is being furnished rather than filed, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing, in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K

- 48 -

SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	ZAIS FINANCIAL CORP.
Date: May 13, 2014
	By:	/s/ Michael Szymanski
		Michael Szymanski
		Chief Executive Officer and President
	By:	/s/ Paul McDade
		Paul McDade
		Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

- 49 -

EX-10.3

Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.
390 Greenwich Street 5^th Floor
New York, New York 10013

March 27, 2014

ZFC Trust
c/o ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P.
2 Bridge Avenue, Suite 322
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Attention: Don Kutch

Re:	Sale of First Lien, Performing and Re-performing Mortgage Loans
	by Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     This trade confirmation (the “Confirmation”) confirms the agreement between Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp. (the “Seller”) and ZFC Trust (the “Purchaser”) pursuant to which the Seller has agreed to sell, and the Purchaser has agreed to purchase, without recourse, certain first lien, performing and re-performing residential mortgage loans identified on the mortgage loan schedule attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Mortgage Loans”), on a servicing released basis, subject to the terms set forth herein and in the Master Mortgage Loan Sale Agreement, dated May 31, 2013 (the Purchase Agreement”) between Seller and Purchaser. The parties hereto intend that, pursuant to Section 11 of the Purchase Agreement, this Confirmation shall control.

For purposes of the Mortgage Loans to be sold pursuant to this Confirmation, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

Cut-off Date:	February 28, 2014 or such other date as mutually agreed to by the parties hereto.
Cut-off Date Principal Balance:	$105,473,532.90.
Closing Date:	March 27, 2014 or such other date as mutually agreed to by the parties hereto.
Servicing Retained/Released:	Released.

Servicing Transfer Date:	April 15, 2014, or such other date as mutually agreed to by the parties hereto.
Interim Servicing Fee	$25 per Mortgage Loan per month. The Interim Servicing Fee shall be prorated for any partial month.
Interim Servicing Period	The period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the Servicing Transfer Date.
Purchase Price Percentage:	As set forth in Exhibit A
Purchase Price:	The purchase price for the each Mortgage Loan shall be equal to the sum of (a) the product of (i) the Purchase Price Percentage and (ii) the Cut-off Date Principal Balance, (b) accrued and unpaid interest on the Mortgage Loan from the last date through which interest has been paid by the Mortgagor through the day prior to the Closing Date for Mortgage Loans that are less than sixty (60) days delinquent as of the Cut-off Date.
Due Diligence:	The Purchaser will have completed its due diligence prior to the Closing Date and has agreed to purchase the Mortgage Loans based on the results of such due diligence.

- 2 -

Interim Servicing:

In addition to the interim servicing provision contained in the Master Mortgage Loan Sale Agreement, during the Interim Servicing Period, the Seller shall cause the Servicer to service the Mortgage Loans in accordance with Accepted Servicing Practices and, to the extent such actions are consistent with Accepted Servicing Practices, to refrain from (i) exercising any of its authority to modify any Mortgage Loans, (i) make any servicing advances that are greater than $2,000.00, (iii) initiate new foreclosure proceedings, (iv) accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure with respect to any Mortgage Loan, (v) conduct any short sale in respect of any Mortgaged Property or (vi) take any action that impairs the interest in the Mortgage Loan or any interest therein, in each case, without notifying the Seller in writing and without obtaining the prior written consent of the Seller (which Seller shall not give without first obtaining the consent of the Purchaser) and during the Interim Servicing Period, the Seller shall cause the Servicer to service the Mortgage Loans pursuant to an Interim Servicing Agreement between the Seller and the Servicer and in accordance with all applicable laws. The Seller confirms to the Purchaser that the Mortgage Loans will be serviced pursuant to the Interim Servicing Agreement and the Interim Servicing Agreement will remain in full force and effect until and including the Servicing Transfer Date.

Entire Agreement/Governing Law:

This Confirmation and the Purchase Agreement contain the entire agreement relating to the subject matter hereof between Purchaser and Seller and supersede any prior oral or written agreement between the parties. This Confirmation may only be amended by a written document signed by both parties. This letter shall be governed in accordance with the laws of the state of New York, without regard to conflict of laws rules (other than section 5-1401 of the New York General Obligations Law which shall govern).

- 3 -

Please acknowledge your agreement to the terms and conditions of this Confirmation by signing in the appropriate space below and returning a copy of the same to the undersigned. Telecopy signatures shall be deemed valid and binding to the same extent as the original.

CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS REALTY CORP.,
as Seller
By:	/s/ Shameer Hussein
Name:	Shameer Hussein
Title:	Authorized Agent, Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp.

Confirmed and Agreed to:

ZFC TRUST, as Purchaser

By:	/s/ Michael Szymanski
Name:	Michael Szymanski
Title:	Trustee

- 4 -

EX-10.4

EXECUTION VERSION

AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE
to the
PRICING SIDE LETTER
Dated as of May 30, 2013,
between
ZFC TRUST and
CITIBANK, N.A.

     This AMENDMENT NUMBER One (this “Amendment Number One”) is made this 27^th day of March, 2014, between ZFC TRUST (“Seller”) and CITIBANK, N.A. (“Buyer”), to the Pricing Side Letter, dated as of May 30, 2013, between Seller and Buyer (the “Side Letter”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Side Letter, or if not defined therein, capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Master Repurchase Agreement, dated as of May 30, 2013, between Seller and Buyer (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified, the "Agreement").

RECITALS

WHEREAS, Seller and Buyer have agreed to amend the Side Letter to revise the definition of “Uncommitted Amount”, as more specifically set forth herein; and

WHEREAS, as of the date hereof, Seller represents to Buyer that Seller is in full compliance with all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement and each other Program Document and no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing under the Agreement or any other Program Document.

NOW THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, and for the mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

SECTION 1. Amendment. Effective as of March 27, 2014 (the “Amendment Effective Date”), the Side Letter is hereby amended as follows:

(a) Section 1 of the Side Letter is hereby amended by deleting the definition of “Uncommitted Amount” in its entirety and replacing it with the following:

“Uncommitted Amount” shall mean: $175,000,000.

SECTION 2. Fees and Expenses. Seller agrees to pay to Buyer any and all reasonable out of pocket costs and expenses incurred by Buyer in connection with this Amendment Number One (including all reasonable fees and out of pocket costs and expenses of the Buyer’s legal counsel) in accordance with Sections 23 and 25 of the Agreement.

SECTION 3. Representations. Seller hereby represents to Buyer that as of the date hereof, Seller is in full compliance with all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement and each other Program Document and no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing under the Agreement or any other Program Document.

SECTION 4. Binding Effect; Governing Law. This Amendment Number One shall be binding and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns. THIS AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (INCLUDING SECTION 5-1401 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW) AND THE OBLIGATIONS, RIGHTS, AND REMEDIES OF THE PARTIES HEREUNDER SHALL BE DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH LAWS WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAWS DOCTRINE APPLIED IN SUCH STATE.

SECTION 5. Counterparts. This Amendment Number One may be executed by each of the parties hereto on any number of separate counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

SECTION 6. Limited Effect. Except as amended hereby, the Side Letter shall continue in full force and effect in accordance with its terms. Reference to this Amendment Number One need not be made in the Side Letter or any other instrument or document executed in connection therewith, or in any certificate, letter or communication issued or made pursuant to, or with respect to, the Side Letter, any reference in any of such items to the Side Letter being sufficient to refer to the Side Letter as amended hereby.

[Signature Page Follows]

2

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Seller and Buyer have caused this Amendment Number One to be executed and delivered by their duly authorized officers as of the Amendment Effective Date.

ZFC TRUST (Seller)
By:
Name:	Michael F. Szymanski
Title:	Trustee

CITIBANK, N.A.
(Buyer)

By:

Name: 

Title:

Amendment Number One to Pricing Side Letter - Citibank/Zais

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Seller and Buyer have caused this Amendment Number One to be executed and delivered by their duly authorized officers as of the Amendment Effective Date.

ZFC TRUST
(Seller)

By:

Name: 

Title:

CITIBANK, N.A. (Buyer)
By:
Name:	Susan Mills
Title:	Vice President Citibank, N.A.

Amendment Number One to Pricing Side Letter - Citibank/Zais

EX-31.1

EXHIBIT 31.1
CERTIFICATIONS

I, Michael Szymanski, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "registrant");
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a–15(e) and 15d–15(e)) for the registrant and have:
	a.	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	b.	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	c.	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
	d.	Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5.	The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the Audit Committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	a.	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
	b.	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 13, 2014

By:	/s/ Michael Szymanski
	Name: Michael Szymanski
	Title: Chief Executive Officer and President

- 50 -

EX-31.2

EXHIBIT 31.2
CERTIFICATIONS

I, Paul McDade, certify that:

1.	I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "registrant");
2.	Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.	Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.	The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:
	a.	Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
	b.	Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
	c.	Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
	d.	Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5.	The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the Audit Committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
	a.	All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
	b.	Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 13, 2014

By:	/s/ Paul McDade
	Name: Paul McDade
	Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

- 51 -

EX-32.1

EXHIBIT 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002, 10 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with the quarterly report on Form 10-Q of ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "Company") for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about the date hereof (the "report"), I, Michael Szymanski, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, certify, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, that:

1.	The report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
2.	The information contained in the report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

It is not intended that this statement be deemed to be filed for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Date: May 13, 2014

By:	/s/ Michael Szymanski
	Name: Michael Szymanski
	Title: Chief Executive Officer and President

- 52 -

EX-32.2

EXHIBIT 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002, 10 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with the quarterly report on Form 10-Q of ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "Company") for the quarter ended March 31, 2014 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about the date hereof (the "report"), I, Paul McDade, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company, certify, pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, that:

1.	The report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
2.	The information contained in the report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

It is not intended that this statement be deemed to be filed for purposes of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Date: May 13, 2014

By:	/s/ Paul McDade
	Name: Paul McDade
	Title: Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

- 53 -

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Fair Value (Schedule of Fair Value Option) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Mortgage Loans [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 415,613,711		$ 331,785,542
Unpaid Principal and/or Notional Balance	495,987,130		398,828,497
Difference	(80,373,419)		(67,042,955)
Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	231,844,899		226,155,221
Unpaid Principal and/or Notional Balance	324,327,923	[1]	324,241,597	[1]
Difference	(92,483,024)		(98,086,376)
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	11,087,508
Unpaid Principal and/or Notional Balance	10,000,000
Difference	1,087,508
Financial Instruments [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	658,546,118		557,940,763
Unpaid Principal and/or Notional Balance	830,315,053	[1]	723,070,094	[1]
Difference	(171,768,935)		(165,129,331)
Interest-Only Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal and/or Notional Balance	$ 61,400,000		$ 64,300,000

[1] Non-Agency RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million and $64.3 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

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Loan Repurchase Facility (Schedule of Financial Information) (Details) (Loan Repurchase Facility [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Weighted-average interest rate	2.91%
Average balance of loans sold under the agreements to repurchase	$ 192,380
Maximum daily amount outstanding	297,524,403
Total interest expense	$ 1,830,907

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities (Parenthetical Information Regarding Real Estate Securities) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014 Interest-Only Securities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Interest-Only Securities [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance			$ 61,400,000	$ 64,300,000
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities	2,736,058	903,277
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities	$ 370,764

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Securities Repurchase Agreements (Schedule of Certain Information Regarding Repurchase Agreements) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	$ 151,620,562	$ 138,591,678
Weighted Average Rate	1.88%	1.89%
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	7,560,000
Weighted Average Rate	1.90%
30 Days or Less [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	125,330,562	121,913,678
Weighted Average Rate	1.89%	1.90%
30 Days or Less [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	7,560,000
Weighted Average Rate	1.90%
31-60 Days [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	6,104,000	6,415,000
Weighted Average Rate	1.84%	1.84%
31-60 Days [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance
Weighted Average Rate
61-90 Days [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	20,186,000	10,263,000
Weighted Average Rate	1.83%	1.85%
61-90 Days [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance
Weighted Average Rate
Greater Than 90 Days [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance
Weighted Average Rate
Greater Than 90 Days [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance
Weighted Average Rate

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Mortgage Loans (Schedule of Change in Accretable Yield) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Change in accretable yield:
Accretable yield, beginning balance	$ 223,401,697
Acquisitions	55,532,098
Accretion	(5,649,553)
Reclassifications to nonaccretable difference	4,326,116
Accretable yield, ending balance	$ 277,610,358

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Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities [Abstract]

Schedule of Offsetting of Assets

Offsetting of Assets

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Assets
	Gross		Amounts			Presented in
	Amounts of		Offset in the			the				Cash
	Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial		Collateral
	Assets		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments		Received(1)		Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Interest rate swaption	$	2,261,459		-			2,261,459		-	$	-	$	2,261,459
Total	$	2,261,459	$	-		$	2,261,459	$	-	$	-	$	2,261,459
December 31, 2013
Interest rate swap agreements	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	-	$	-	$	284,454
Total	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	-	$	-	$	284,454

____________________
 

(1) As of March 31, 2014, the Company pledged $2,542,291 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swaption; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $4,803,750. As of December 31, 2013, the Company pledged $767,708 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swap agreements; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $1,052,162.

Schedule of Offsetting of Liabilities

Offsetting of Liabilities

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Liabilities
			Amounts			Presented in
	Gross Amounts		Offset in the			the					Cash
	of Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial			Collateral
	Liabilities		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments			Pledged			Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	297,401,891	$	-		$	297,401,891	$	(297,401,891	)	$	-		$	-
Securities repurchase agreements		159,180,562		-			159,180,562		(156,764,098	)		(2,416,464	)		-
Interest rate swap agreements		240,452		(214,747	)		25,705		-			(25,705	)		-
Total	$	456,822,905	$	(214,747	)	$	456,608,158	$	(454,165,989	)	$	(2,442,169	)	$	-
December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	236,058,976	$	-		$	236,058,976	$	(236,058,976	)	$	-		$	-
Securities repurchase agreements		138,591,678		-			138,591,678		(137,231,150	)		(1,360,528	)		-
	$	374,650,654	$	-		$	374,650,654	$	(373,290,126	)	$	(1,360,528	)	$	-

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8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016 (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended													0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 20, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 19, 2013		Sep. 18, 2013	Jun. 25, 2013	May 14, 2013	Dec. 19, 2013 Special Cash Dividend [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Exchangeable Senior Notes Conversion Option [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Exchangeable Senior Notes Conversion Option [Member]	Nov. 25, 2013 Exchangeable Senior Notes Conversion Option [Member]	Dec. 27, 2013 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]	Nov. 25, 2013 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member] Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount																$ 57,500,000
Proceeds from sale of debt															55,300,000
Initial purchasers' discount															1,700,000
Aggregate estimated offering expenses															2,200,000
Carrying value of debt																54,800,000	54,500,000
Stated interest rate																8.00%
Effective annual rate																10.20%
Interest expense on notes	1,412,643															1,400,000
Maturity date																Nov. 15, 2016
Percentage of shares outstanding issuable upon exchange																20.00%
Number of shares issuable upon exchange																1,779,560
Derivative liabilities, at fair value	$ 1,606,416			$ 1,471,607							$ 1,600,000	$ 1,500,000	$ 1,300,000
Conversion ratio														54.3103	52.5417			60.4229
Exchange price															$ 19.03
Dividend threshold requiring adjustment to exchange rate																$ 0.50
Dividend declared, amount per share			$ 0.40		$ 0.95	[1]	$ 0.50	$ 0.45	$ 0.22	$ 0.55
Repurchase price																100.00%

[1] Regular cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock and OP unit for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013, and an additional special cash dividend of $0.55 per share of its common stock and OP unit. The Company declared the special cash dividend to distribute taxable income from 2013 attributable to the termination of interest rate swap contracts.

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Fair Value (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Fair Value [Abstract]

Schedule of Financial Instruments Accounted for at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	-	$	-	$	415,613,711	$	415,613,711
Non-Agency RMBS		-		-		231,844,899		231,844,899
Other Investment Securities		-		-		11,087,508		11,087,508
Derivative assets		-		2,261,459		-		2,261,459
Total	$	-	$	2,261,459	$	658,546,118	$	660,807,577
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	-	$	1,606,416	$	-	$	1,606,416
Total	$	-	$	1,606,416	$	-	$	1,606,416

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	-	$	-	$	331,785,542	$	331,785,542
Non-Agency RMBS		-		-		226,155,221		226,155,221
Derivative assets		-		284,454		-		284,454
Total	$	-	$	284,454	$	557,940,763	$	558,225,217
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	-	$	1,471,607	$	-	$	1,471,607
Total	$	-	$	1,471,607	$	-	$	1,471,607

Schedule of Financial Instruments Utilizing Level 3 Inputs

The following table presents additional information about the Company's financial instruments which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014								Year Ended December 31, 2013
							Other
	Mortgage						Investment		Mortgage
	Loans			RMBS			Securities		Loans			RMBS
Beginning balance	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221		$	-	$	-		$	100,911,651
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3		-			-			-		-			-
Acquisitions		84,795,975			11,720,695			10,676,953		334,162,044			234,397,506
Proceeds from sales		-			(2,072,198	)		-		-			(68,190,593	)
Net accretion of discounts		1,602,823			1,266,177			39,791		3,059,231			3,727,702
Proceeds from principal repayments		(3,490,970	)		(8,034,673	)		-		(13,871,059	)		(39,338,730	)
Total losses (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		(4,622,238	)		(312,022	)		-		(6,344,877	)		(9,138,009	)
Total gains (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		5,542,579			3,121,699			370,764		14,780,203			3,785,694
Ending balance	$	415,613,711		$	231,844,899		$	11,087,508	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014						Year Ended December 31, 2013
					Other
	Mortgage				Investment		Mortgage
	Loans		RMBS		Securities		Loans		RMBS
The amount of total gains or (losses) for
the period included in earnings
attributable to the change in unrealized
gains or losses relating to assets or
liabilities still held at the
reporting date	$	715,014	$	2,771,903	$	370,764	$	7,136,482	$	(2,822,969	)

Schedule of Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's mortgage loans which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Mortgage Loans	$	415,613,711	Model	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.1	%	8.4	%	3.6	%
				Constant default rate	0.4	%	4.4	%	3.1	%
				Loss severity	6.4	%	44.0	%	25.2	%
				Delinquency	3.6	%	14.6	%	11.5	%

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's real estate securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Non-Agency RMBS(1)
Alternative - A	$	88,917,447	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.2	%	27.3	%	12.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.2	%	11.8	%	3.2	%
				Loss severity	0.0	%	90.2	%	24.6	%
				Delinquency	1.2	%	28.0	%	10.4	%
Pay option adjustable rate		27,431,057	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.3	%	19.8	%	9.1	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	2.3	%	9.8	%	4.8	%
				Loss severity	0.3	%	61.6	%	40.6	%
				Delinquency	8.1	%	33.6	%	16.4	%
Prime		96,823,049	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	2.1	%	17.8	%	9.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.7	%	13.5	%	4.1	%
				Loss severity	0.1	%	66.8	%	29.9	%
				Delinquency	2.8	%	28.0	%	13.0	%
Subprime		18,673,346	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.8	%	11.9	%	6.3	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	3.5	%	11.2	%	4.6	%
				Loss severity	5.5	%	94.7	%	44.1	%
				Delinquency	14.4	%	26.8	%	17.6	%
Total Non-Agency RMBS	$	231,844,899

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

     The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's Other Investment Securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation		Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Average
Other Investment			Broker quotes/
Securities(1)	$	11,087,508	comparable trades	Constant voluntary prepayment	10.0	%

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

Schedule of Fair Value Option

The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal amount and/or notional balance of assets for which the fair value option was elected:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
			and/or							and/or
			Notional							Notional
	Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference			Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference
Financial instruments, at fair value
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)
Non-Agency RMBS		231,844,899		324,327,923		(92,483,024	)		226,155,221		324,241,597		(98,086,376	)
Other Investment Securities		11,087,508		10,000,000		1,087,508			-		-		-
Total financial instruments, at fair value	$	658,546,118	$	830,315,053	$	(171,768,935	)	$	557,940,763	$	723,070,094	$	(165,129,331	)

____________________
 

(1)        Non-Agency RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million and $64.3 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Schedule of Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

     The following table summarizes the estimated fair value for all other financial instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
	2014		2013
Other financial instruments
Assets
Cash	$	30,085,010	$	57,060,806
Restricted cash		5,850,364		2,128,236
Liabilities
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	296,833,831	$	236,727,512
Securities repurchase agreements		159,385,307		138,790,158
Exchangeable Senior Notes		55,674,168		54,737,573

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Minimum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Maximum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Maximum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Weighted Average [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] Weighted Average [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Other Investment Securities [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Contractual maturities			7 years 3 months 18 days	7 years 8 months 12 days	32 years 10 months 24 days	33 years	23 years 10 months 24 days	24 years	9 years 7 months 6 days
Proceeds from the sale of real estate securities	$ 2,072,198	$ 6,801,398
Realized gain on the sale of real estate securities	73,619
Realized loss on OTTI

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Mortgage Loans (Schedule of Fair Value, Principal Balance and Weighted Average Coupon and Yield) (Details) (Mortgage Receivable [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	$ 495,987,130		$ 398,828,497
Premium (Discount)	(88,199,505)		(74,179,437)
Amortized Cost	407,787,625		324,649,060
Gross Unrealized
Gains	14,964,012	[1]	13,386,924	[2]
Losses	(7,137,926)	[1]	(6,250,442)	[2]
Fair Value	415,613,711		331,785,542
Weighted Average Coupon	4.26%		4.24%
Weighted Average Yield	6.94%	[3]	6.91%	[3]
Fixed [Member]
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	251,746,179		212,701,494
Premium (Discount)	(47,755,347)		(43,530,581)
Amortized Cost	203,990,832		169,170,913
Gross Unrealized
Gains	9,565,952	[1]	7,842,598	[2]
Losses	(2,750,993)	[1]	(3,558,171)	[2]
Fair Value	210,805,791		173,455,340
Weighted Average Coupon	4.73%		4.56%
Weighted Average Yield	7.07%	[3]	7.05%	[3]
ARM [Member]
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	218,006,277		170,178,466
Premium (Discount)	(33,133,709)		(25,617,563)
Amortized Cost	184,872,568		144,560,903
Gross Unrealized
Gains	4,853,505	[1]	5,088,302	[2]
Losses	(2,269,336)	[1]	(1,556,430)	[2]
Fair Value	187,456,737		148,092,775
Weighted Average Coupon	3.64%		3.76%
Weighted Average Yield	6.73%	[3]	6.67%	[3]
Performing Loans [Member]
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	469,752,456		382,879,960
Premium (Discount)	(80,889,056)		(69,148,144)
Amortized Cost	388,863,400		313,731,816
Gross Unrealized
Gains	14,419,457	[1]	12,930,900	[2]
Losses	(5,020,329)	[1]	(5,114,601)	[2]
Fair Value	398,262,528		321,548,115
Weighted Average Coupon	4.22%		4.20%
Weighted Average Yield	6.91%	[3]	6.88%	[3]
Nonperforming Loans [Member]
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid Principal Balance	26,234,674	[4]	15,948,537	[4]
Premium (Discount)	(7,310,449)	[4]	(5,031,293)	[4]
Amortized Cost	18,924,225	[4]	10,917,244	[4]
Gross Unrealized
Gains	544,555	[1],[4]	456,024	[2],[4]
Losses	(2,117,597)	[1],[4]	(1,135,841)	[2],[4]
Fair Value	$ 17,351,183	[4]	$ 10,237,427	[4]
Weighted Average Coupon	5.00%	[4]	5.06%	[4]
Weighted Average Yield	7.58%	[3],[4]	8.03%	[3],[4]

[1] The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans. The Company recorded a gain of $0.7 million and a loss of $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans in the consolidated statements of operations.

[2] The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans.

[3] Unleveraged yield.

[4] Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

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Fair Value (Schedule of Financial Instruments Utilizing Level 3 Inputs) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Mortgage Loans [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance	$ 331,785,542
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3
Acquisitions	84,795,975	334,162,044
Proceeds from sales
Net accretion of discounts	1,602,823	3,059,231
Proceeds from principal repayments	(3,490,970)	(13,871,059)
Total losses (realized / unrealized) included in earnings	(4,622,238)	(6,344,877)
Total gains (realized / unrealized) included in earnings	5,542,579	14,780,203
Ending balance	415,613,711	331,785,542
The amount of total gains or (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held at the reporting date	715,014	7,136,482
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance	226,155,221	100,911,651
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3
Acquisitions	11,720,695	234,397,506
Proceeds from sales	(2,072,198)	(68,190,593)
Net accretion of discounts	1,266,177	3,727,702
Proceeds from principal repayments	(8,034,673)	(39,338,730)
Total losses (realized / unrealized) included in earnings	(312,022)	(9,138,009)
Total gains (realized / unrealized) included in earnings	3,121,699	3,785,694
Ending balance	231,844,899	226,155,221
The amount of total gains or (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held at the reporting date	2,771,903	(2,822,969)
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Beginning balance
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3
Acquisitions	10,676,953
Proceeds from sales
Net accretion of discounts	39,791
Proceeds from principal repayments
Total losses (realized / unrealized) included in earnings
Total gains (realized / unrealized) included in earnings	370,764
Ending balance	11,087,508
The amount of total gains or (losses) for the period included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized gains or losses relating to assets or liabilities still held at the reporting date	$ 370,764

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Loan Repurchase Facility (Schedule of Certain Information Regarding Loan Repo Facility) (Details) (Mortgage Loans [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	$ 297,401,891	$ 236,058,976
Weighted Average Rate	2.90%	2.92%
31-60 Days [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance	297,401,891
Weighted Average Rate	2.90%
91-180 Days [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Balance		$ 236,058,976
Weighted Average Rate		2.92%

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Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (Schedule of Offsetting of Assets) (Details) (USD $)					12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2013 Interest Rate Swap [Member]		Mar. 31, 2014 Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivatives
Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets	$ 2,261,459		$ 396,068		$ 396,068		$ 2,261,459
Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet			(111,614)		(111,614)
Net Amounts of Assets Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	2,261,459		284,454		284,454		2,261,459
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments Pledged
Cash Collateral Received		[1]		[1]		[1]		[1]
Net Amount	2,261,459		284,454		284,454		2,261,459
Cash collateral pledged					767,708		2,542,291
Derivative, maximum exposure					$ 1,052,162		$ 4,803,750

[1] As of March 31, 2014, the Company pledged $2,542,291 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swaption; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $4,803,750. As of December 31, 2013, the Company pledged $767,708 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swap agreements; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $1,052,162.

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Derivative Instruments (Schedule of Losses and Gains of Derivative Instruments) (Details) (Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	$ (2,542,292)
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	(457,285)	(55,302)
Exchangeable Senior Notes Conversion Option [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments	(109,104)
TBAs [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments		$ 336,446

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities (Schedule of Information Regarding Real Estate Securities) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Alternative - A [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	$ 164,764,296	[1]	$ 160,590,487	[2]
Premium (Discount)	(78,482,420)	[1]	(80,206,745)	[2]
Amortized Cost	86,281,876	[1]	80,383,742	[2]
Gross Unrealized
Gains	2,963,208	[1],[3]	2,414,864	[2],[4]
Losses	(327,637)	[1],[3]	(1,112,077)	[2],[4]
Fair Value	88,917,447	[1]	81,686,529	[2]
Weighted Average Coupon	4.09%	[1]	4.26%	[2]
Weighted Average Yield	7.11%	[1],[5]	6.77%	[2],[5]
Pay Option Adjustable Rate [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	33,700,568		34,374,028
Premium (Discount)	(6,646,540)		(7,057,026)
Amortized Cost	27,054,028		27,317,002
Gross Unrealized
Gains	605,224	[3]	464,756	[4]
Losses	(228,195)	[3]	(345,915)	[4]
Fair Value	27,431,057		27,435,843
Weighted Average Coupon	0.74%		0.76%
Weighted Average Yield	6.83%	[5]	6.80%	[5]
Prime [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	105,995,923		109,136,108
Premium (Discount)	(13,051,352)		(13,590,489)
Amortized Cost	92,944,571		95,545,619
Gross Unrealized
Gains	4,113,891	[3]	3,751,248	[4]
Losses	(235,413)	[3]	(767,825)	[4]
Fair Value	96,823,049		98,529,042
Weighted Average Coupon	4.71%		4.77%
Weighted Average Yield	6.59%	[5]	6.45%	[5]
Subprime [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	19,867,136		20,140,974
Premium (Discount)	(1,701,070)		(1,894,417)
Amortized Cost	18,166,066		18,246,557
Gross Unrealized
Gains	689,080	[3]	536,407	[4]
Losses	(181,800)	[3]	(279,157)	[4]
Fair Value	18,673,346		18,503,807
Weighted Average Coupon	1.06%		1.07%
Weighted Average Yield	5.97%	[5]	5.97%	[5]
Total RMBS [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	324,327,923		324,241,597
Premium (Discount)	(99,881,382)		(102,748,677)
Amortized Cost	224,446,541		221,492,920
Gross Unrealized
Gains	8,371,403	[3]	7,167,275	[4]
Losses	(973,045)	[3]	(2,504,974)	[4]
Fair Value	231,844,899		226,155,221
Weighted Average Coupon	3.71%		3.80%
Weighted Average Yield	6.77%	[5]	6.57%	[5]
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Principal or Notional Balance	10,000,000
Premium (Discount)	716,744
Amortized Cost	10,716,744	[6]
Gross Unrealized
Gains	370,764	[3]
Losses		[3]
Fair Value	$ 11,087,508	[6]
Weighted Average Coupon	5.40%
Weighted Average Yield	6.66%	[5],[6]

[1] Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million.

[2] Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $64.3 million.

[3] The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities and Other Investment Securities. The Company recorded a gain of $2.7 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also recorded a gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities in the consolidated statements of operations.

[4] The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities.

[5] Unleveraged yield.

[6] Actual maturities of other investment securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

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Fair Value

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Fair Value [Abstract]

Fair Value

3. Fair Value

Fair Value Measurement

     Financial assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	-	$	-	$	415,613,711	$	415,613,711
Non-Agency RMBS		-		-		231,844,899		231,844,899
Other Investment Securities		-		-		11,087,508		11,087,508
Derivative assets		-		2,261,459		-		2,261,459
Total	$	-	$	2,261,459	$	658,546,118	$	660,807,577
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	-	$	1,606,416	$	-	$	1,606,416
Total	$	-	$	1,606,416	$	-	$	1,606,416

The following table sets forth the Company's financial instruments that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	-	$	-	$	331,785,542	$	331,785,542
Non-Agency RMBS		-		-		226,155,221		226,155,221
Derivative assets		-		284,454		-		284,454
Total	$	-	$	284,454	$	557,940,763	$	558,225,217
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	$	-	$	1,471,607	$	-	$	1,471,607
Total	$	-	$	1,471,607	$	-	$	1,471,607

The following table presents additional information about the Company's financial instruments which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014								Year Ended December 31, 2013
							Other
	Mortgage						Investment		Mortgage
	Loans			RMBS			Securities		Loans			RMBS
Beginning balance	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221		$	-	$	-		$	100,911,651
Total net transfers into/out of Level 3		-			-			-		-			-
Acquisitions		84,795,975			11,720,695			10,676,953		334,162,044			234,397,506
Proceeds from sales		-			(2,072,198	)		-		-			(68,190,593	)
Net accretion of discounts		1,602,823			1,266,177			39,791		3,059,231			3,727,702
Proceeds from principal repayments		(3,490,970	)		(8,034,673	)		-		(13,871,059	)		(39,338,730	)
Total losses (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		(4,622,238	)		(312,022	)		-		(6,344,877	)		(9,138,009	)
Total gains (realized/unrealized) included
in earnings		5,542,579			3,121,699			370,764		14,780,203			3,785,694
Ending balance	$	415,613,711		$	231,844,899		$	11,087,508	$	331,785,542		$	226,155,221

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014						Year Ended December 31, 2013
					Other
	Mortgage				Investment		Mortgage
	Loans		RMBS		Securities		Loans		RMBS
The amount of total gains or (losses) for
the period included in earnings
attributable to the change in unrealized
gains or losses relating to assets or
liabilities still held at the
reporting date	$	715,014	$	2,771,903	$	370,764	$	7,136,482	$	(2,822,969	)

     There were no financial assets or liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a nonrecurring basis at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. There were no transfers into or out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 during the three months ended March 31, 2014.

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's mortgage loans which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Mortgage Loans	$	415,613,711	Model	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.1	%	8.4	%	3.6	%
				Constant default rate	0.4	%	4.4	%	3.1	%
				Loss severity	6.4	%	44.0	%	25.2	%
				Delinquency	3.6	%	14.6	%	11.5	%

The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's real estate securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation						Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Min/Max				Average
Non-Agency RMBS(1)
Alternative - A	$	88,917,447	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.2	%	27.3	%	12.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.2	%	11.8	%	3.2	%
				Loss severity	0.0	%	90.2	%	24.6	%
				Delinquency	1.2	%	28.0	%	10.4	%
Pay option adjustable rate		27,431,057	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.3	%	19.8	%	9.1	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	2.3	%	9.8	%	4.8	%
				Loss severity	0.3	%	61.6	%	40.6	%
				Delinquency	8.1	%	33.6	%	16.4	%
Prime		96,823,049	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	2.1	%	17.8	%	9.5	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	0.7	%	13.5	%	4.1	%
				Loss severity	0.1	%	66.8	%	29.9	%
				Delinquency	2.8	%	28.0	%	13.0	%
Subprime		18,673,346	Broker quotes/	Constant voluntary prepayment	1.8	%	11.9	%	6.3	%
			comparable trades	Constant default rate	3.5	%	11.2	%	4.6	%
				Loss severity	5.5	%	94.7	%	44.1	%
				Delinquency	14.4	%	26.8	%	17.6	%
Total Non-Agency RMBS	$	231,844,899

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

     The following table presents quantitative information about the Company's Other Investment Securities which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis for which the Company has utilized Level 3 inputs to determine fair value:

Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements

	Fair Value as of		Valuation		Weighted
	March 31, 2014		Technique(s)	Unobservable Input	Average
Other Investment			Broker quotes/
Securities(1)	$	11,087,508	comparable trades	Constant voluntary prepayment	10.0	%

____________________
 

(1)        The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

The fair value measurements of these assets are sensitive to changes in assumptions regarding prepayment, probability of default, loss severity in the event of default, forecasts of home prices, and significant activity or developments in the real estate market. Significant changes in any of those inputs in isolation may result in significantly higher or lower fair value measurements. A change in the assumption used for forecasts of home price changes is accompanied by directionally opposite changes in the assumptions used for probability of default and loss severity. Significant increases (decreases) in any of these inputs in isolation would result in significantly lower (higher) fair value measurements.

Fair Value Option

Changes in fair value for assets and liabilities for which the fair value option was elected are recognized in earnings as they occur. The fair value option may be elected on an instrument-by-instrument basis at initial recognition of an asset or liability or upon an event that gives rise to a new basis of accounting for that instrument.

The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal amount and/or notional balance of assets for which the fair value option was elected:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
			and/or							and/or
			Notional							Notional
	Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference			Fair Value		Balance(1)		Difference
Financial instruments, at fair value
Assets
Mortgage loans	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)
Non-Agency RMBS		231,844,899		324,327,923		(92,483,024	)		226,155,221		324,241,597		(98,086,376	)
Other Investment Securities		11,087,508		10,000,000		1,087,508			-		-		-
Total financial instruments, at fair value	$	658,546,118	$	830,315,053	$	(171,768,935	)	$	557,940,763	$	723,070,094	$	(165,129,331	)

____________________
 

(1)        Non-Agency RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million and $64.3 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments

In addition to the above disclosures regarding assets or liabilities which are recorded at fair value, U.S. GAAP requires disclosure about the fair value of all other financial instruments. Estimated fair value of financial instruments was determined by the Company using available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. Considerable judgment is necessary to interpret market data and develop estimated fair values. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on estimated fair values.

     The following table summarizes the estimated fair value for all other financial instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
	2014		2013
Other financial instruments
Assets
Cash	$	30,085,010	$	57,060,806
Restricted cash		5,850,364		2,128,236
Liabilities
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	296,833,831	$	236,727,512
Securities repurchase agreements		159,385,307		138,790,158
Exchangeable Senior Notes		55,674,168		54,737,573

Cash includes cash on hand for which fair value equals carrying value (a Level 1 measurement). Restricted cash represents the Company's cash held by counterparties as collateral against the Company's derivatives, Loan Repurchase Facility and securities repurchase agreements. Due to the short-term nature of the restrictions, fair value approximates carrying value (a Level 1 measurement). The fair value of securities repurchase agreements and of the Loan Repurchase Facility is based on an expected present value technique using observable market interest rates. As such, the Company considers the estimated fair value to be a Level 2 measurement. This method discounts future estimated cash flows using rates the Company determined best reflect current market interest rates that would be offered for loans with similar characteristics and credit quality. The fair value of the Exchangeable Senior Notes is based on observable market prices (a Level 2 measurement).

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Derivative Instruments (Schedule of Information About Interest Rate Swaps) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	$ 242,200,000	$ 17,200,000
Swap [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	17,200,000	17,200,000
Weighted Average Pay Rate	2.72%	2.72%
Weighted Average Receive Rate	0.24%	0.24%
Weighted Average Years to Maturity	9 years 3 months 18 days	9 years 7 months 6 days
Swap [Member] | Derivative - Maturity Date Five [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Maturity	Dec. 31, 2023	Dec. 31, 2023
Notional Amount	17,200,000	17,200,000
Weighted Average Pay Rate	2.72%	2.72%
Weighted Average Receive Rate	0.24%	0.24%
Weighted Average Years to Maturity	9 years 3 months 18 days	9 years 7 months 6 days
Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional Amount	225,000,000
Interest Rate Swaption [Member] | Derivative - Maturity Date Four [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Swaption Expiration	Dec. 31, 2015
Maturity	Dec. 31, 2025
Notional Amount	$ 225,000,000
Strike Rate	3.64%

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Mortgage Loans (Parenthetical Information) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Mortgage Loans [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans	$ 689,604	$ (28,906)
Threshold period past due after which loans are considered considered non-performing	60 days

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Securities Repurchase Agreements (Tables) (Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Member])

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Member]

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

Schedule of Information Regarding Repurchase Agreements

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's securities repurchase agreements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 by remaining maturity and collateral type:

	March 31, 2014								December 31, 2013
	Non-Agency RMBS				Other Investment Securities				Non-Agency RMBS
			Weighted				Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Securities repurchase agreements
maturing within
30 days or less	$	125,330,562	1.89	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	121,913,678	1.90	%
31-60 days		6,104,000	1.84			-	-			6,415,000	1.84
61-90 days		20,186,000	1.83			-	-			10,263,000	1.85
Greater than 90 days		-	-			-	-			-	-
Total/weighted average	$	151,620,562	1.88	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	138,591,678	1.89	%

Schedule of Information Regarding Posting of Collateral

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of collateral under its securities repurchase agreements at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

			December 31,
	March 31, 2014		2013
Securities repurchase agreements secured by non-Agency RMBS	$	151,620,562	$	138,591,678
Securities repurchase agreements secured by Other Investment Securities		7,560,000		-
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS pledged as collateral		201,451,523		183,722,511
Fair value of Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral		11,087,508		-
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS not pledged as collateral		30,393,376		42,432,710
Cash pledged as collateral		2,416,464		1,360,528

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Loan Repurchase Facility (Tables) (Line of Credit [Member])

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Line of Credit [Member]

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

Schedule of Information Regarding Repurchase Agreements

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, by remaining maturity:

	March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
			Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Loan Repurchase Facility borrowings maturing within
31-60 days	$	297,401,891	2.90	%		-	-
91 - 180 days		-	-		$	236,058,976	2.92	%
Total/weighted average	$	297,401,891	2.90	%	$	236,058,976	2.92	%

Schedule of Information Regarding Posting of Collateral

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of mortgage loan collateral for the Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility secured by mortgage loans	$	297,401,891	$	236,058,976
Fair value of Trust Certificates pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		415,348,056		331,522,165
Fair value of mortgage loans not pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		265,655		263,377
Cash pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		-		-
Unused Amount(1)		27,598,109		13,941,024

____________________
 

(1) The amount the Company is able to borrow under the Loan Repurchase Facility is tied to the fair value of unencumbered Trust Certificates eligible to secure those agreements and the Company's ability to fund the agreements' margin requirements relating to the collateral sold.

Schedule of Financial Information

The following table presents additional information with respect to the Loan Repurchase Facility:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
During the period:
Weighted average interest rate		2.91	%	-
Average balance of loans sold under agreements to repurchase	$	192,380		-
Maximum daily amount outstanding	$	297,524,403		-
Total interest expense	$	1,830,907		-

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Securities Repurchase Agreements (Schedule of Information Regarding Posting of Collateral) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Fair value of investment securities pledged as collateral	$ 201,451,523	$ 183,722,511
Cash pledged as collateral	2,416,464	1,360,528
Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Securities repurchase agreements secured by investment securities	151,620,562	138,591,678
Fair value of investment securities pledged as collateral	201,451,523	183,722,511
Fair value of investment securities not pledged as collateral	30,393,376	42,432,710
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Securities repurchase agreements secured by investment securities	7,560,000
Fair value of investment securities pledged as collateral	$ 11,087,508

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Mortgage Loans (Schedule of Mortgage Loans at Fair Value) (Details) (Mortgage Receivable [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 415,613,711		$ 331,785,542
Unpaid Principal Balance	495,987,130		398,828,497
Difference	(80,373,419)		(67,042,955)
Fixed [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	210,805,791		173,455,340
Unpaid Principal Balance	251,746,179		212,701,494
Difference	(40,940,388)		(39,246,154)
ARM [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	187,456,737		148,092,775
Unpaid Principal Balance	218,006,277		170,178,466
Difference	(30,549,540)		(22,085,691)
Performing Loans [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	398,262,528		321,548,115
Unpaid Principal Balance	469,752,456		382,879,960
Difference	(71,489,928)		(61,331,845)
Nonperforming Loans [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair Value	17,351,183	[1]	10,237,427	[1]
Unpaid Principal Balance	26,234,674	[1]	15,948,537	[1]
Difference	$ (8,883,491)		$ (5,711,110)

[1] Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

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Derivative Instruments (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Derivative Instruments [Abstract]

Schedule of Notional Amounts of Derivative Instruments

The following table summarizes information related to derivative instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	2014		2013
Notional amount of interest rate swaption	$	225,000,000	$	-
Notional amount of interest rate swaps		17,200,000		17,200,000
Total notional amount	$	242,200,000	$	17,200,000

Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments

The following table presents the fair value of the Company's derivative instruments and their balance sheet location:

			March 31,			December 31,
Derivative instruments	Designation	Balance Sheet Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Non-hedge	Derivative assets, at fair value	$	2,261,459		$	-
Interest rate swaps	Non-hedge	Derivative (liabilities)/assets, at fair value	$	(25,705	)	$	284,454
Exchangeable Senior Notes
conversion option	Non-hedge	Derivative liabilities, at fair value	$	(1,580,711	)	$	(1,471,607	)

Schedule of Gains / (Losses) Related to Derivatives

The following table summarizes gains and losses related to derivatives:

		Three Months Ended
		March 31,			March 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	Income Statement Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(2,542,292	)	$	-
Interest rate swaps	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(457,285	)	$	(55,302	)
Exchangeable Senior Notes conversion option	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(109,104	)	$	-
TBAs	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	-		$	336,446

Schedule of Information Related to Derivative Instruments, by Maturity

     The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of March 31, 2014:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $0.9 million of cash pledged as collateral against interest rate swap agreements.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swaption agreement as of March 31, 2014:

	Notional
Swaption Expiration	Amount		Strike Rate		Swap Maturity
2015	$	225,000,000	3.64	%	2025

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $2.5 million of cash pledged as collateral against an interest rate swaption agreement.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of December 31, 2013:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6

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Earnings Per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Reconciliation of Earnings and Shares Used in Calculating Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

The following table presents a reconciliation of the earnings and shares used in calculating basic and diluted earnings per share:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Numerator:
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common
stockholders	$	2,224,205	$	1,659,222
Effect of dilutive securities:
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests		258,654		299,094
Dilutive net income available to stockholders	$	2,482,859	$	1,958,316
Denominator:
Weighted average number of shares of common stock		7,970,886		5,142,053
Effect of dilutive securities:
Weighted average number of OP units		926,914		926,914
Weighted average dilutive shares		8,897,800		6,068,967
Net income per share applicable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders - Basic/Diluted	$	.28	$	.32

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Quarterly Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") as contained within the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for interim financial reporting. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows have been included and are of a normal and recurring nature. The operating results presented for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

The Company currently operates as one business segment.

Estimates

     The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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 may ultimately differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. The Company, which serves as the sole general partner of and conducts substantially all of its business through the Operating Partnership, holds approximately 89.6% of the operating partnership units ("OP units") in the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The Operating Partnership in turn holds directly or indirectly all of the equity interests in its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Variable Interest Entities

A variable interest entity ("VIE") is an entity that lacks one or more of the characteristics of a voting interest entity. The Company evaluates each of its investments to determine whether it is a VIE based on: (1) the sufficiency of the entity's equity investment at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support provided by any parties, including the equity holders; (2) whether as a group the holders of the equity investment at risk have (a) the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities of a legal entity that most significantly impacts the entity's economic performance, (b) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the legal entity and (c) the right to receive the expected residual returns of the legal entity; and (3) whether the voting rights of these investors are proportional to their obligations to absorb the expected losses of the entity, their rights to receive the expected returns of their equity, or both, and whether substantially all of the entity's activities involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. An investment that lacks one or more of the above three characteristics is considered to be a VIE. The Company reassesses its initial evaluation of an entity as a VIE upon the occurrence of certain reconsideration events.

A VIE is subject to consolidation if the equity investors either do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, are unable to direct the entity's activities, or are not exposed to the entity's losses or entitled to its residual returns. VIEs are required to be consolidated by their primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is determined to be the party that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. This determination can sometimes involve complex and subjective analyses.

The Company has evaluated its real estate securities investments to determine if each represents a variable interest in a VIE. The Company monitors these investments and analyzes them for potential consolidation. The Company's real estate securities investments represent variable interests in VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no VIEs required consolidation as the Company was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the maximum exposure of the Company to VIEs is limited to the fair value of its investments in real estate securities as disclosed in the consolidated balance sheets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers highly liquid short-term interest bearing instruments with original maturities of three months or less and other instruments readily convertible into cash to be cash equivalents. The Company's deposits with financial institutions may exceed federally insurable limits of $250,000 per institution. The Company mitigates this risk by depositing funds with major financial institutions. At March 31, 2014, the Company's cash was held with two custodians.

Restricted Cash

     Restricted cash represents the Company's cash held by counterparties as collateral against the Company's derivatives and/or securities repurchase agreements. Cash held by counterparties as collateral is not available to the Company for general corporate purposes, but may be applied against amounts due to derivative or securities repurchase agreement counterparties or returned to the Company when the collateral requirements are exceeded or at the maturity of the derivatives or securities repurchase agreements.

Other Investment Securities

At March 31, 2014, other investment securities were comprised of investments in Fannie Mae's Risk Transfer Notes ("FMRT Notes" or "Other Investment Securities"). The FMRT Notes represent unsecured general obligations of Fannie Mae and are structured to be subject to the performance of a certain pool of residential mortgage loans.

Mortgage Loans, Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities-Fair Value Election

U.S. GAAP permits entities to choose to measure certain eligible financial instruments at fair value. The Company has elected the fair value option for each of its mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at the date of purchase. The fair value option election is irrevocable and requires the Company to measure these mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at estimated fair value with the change in estimated fair value recognized in earnings. The Company has established a policy for these assets to separate interest income from the full change in fair value in the consolidated statements of operations. The interest income component is presented as interest income on mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities and the remainder of the change in fair value is presented separately as change in unrealized gain or loss in the Company's consolidated statements of operations.

Determination of Fair Value Measurement

The "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" Topic of the FASB ASC defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and requires certain disclosures about fair value measurements under U.S. GAAP. Specifically, this guidance defines fair value based on exit price, or the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or the transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

     Fair value under U.S. GAAP represents an exit price in the normal course of business, not a forced liquidation price. If the Company was forced to sell assets in a short period to meet liquidity needs, the prices it receives could be substantially less than their recorded fair values. Furthermore, the analysis of whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell securities in an unrealized loss position prior to an expected recovery in fair value (if any), the amount of such expected required sales, and the projected identification of which securities would be sold is also subject to significant judgment.

Any proposed changes to the valuation methodology will be reviewed by the Advisor to ensure changes are consistent with the applicable accounting guidance and approved as appropriate. The fair value methodology may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company anticipates that the Advisor's valuation methods will be appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies, or assumptions by other market participants, to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date.

The Company categorizes its financial instruments in accordance with U.S. GAAP, based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). If the inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument.

     Financial assets and liabilities recorded on the consolidated balance sheets are categorized based on the inputs to the valuation techniques as follows:

Level 1	Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market.
Level 2	Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on the following:

• Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets
    
• Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in nonactive markets.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3  Prices or valuation techniques based on inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The Company may use valuation techniques consistent with the market and income approaches to measure the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future projected cash flows to a single discounted present value amount. When applying either approach, the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. The Company's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires significant judgment and considers factors specific to the investment. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis to support the independent third party broker quotes selected to determine the fair value of its real estate securities, Other Investment Securities and derivative instruments.

The following is a description of the valuation techniques used to measure fair value and the general classification of these instruments pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

Mortgage Loans

The fair value of the Company's mortgage loans considers data such as loan origination information and additional updated borrower and loan servicing data, as available, forward interest rates, general economic conditions, home price index forecasts and valuations of the underlying properties. The variables considered most significant to the determination of the fair value of the Company's mortgage loans include market-implied discount rates, projections of default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity (considering mortgage insurance) and prepayment rates. The Company uses loan level data, macro-economic inputs and forward interest rates to generate loss adjusted cash flows and other information in determining the fair value of its mortgage loans. Because of the inherent uncertainty of such valuation, the fair values established for mortgage loans held by the Company may differ from the fair values that would have been established if a ready market existed for these mortgage loans. Accordingly, mortgage loans are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

At March 31, 2014, approximately 11.9% in unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loans carries mortgage insurance and there are no foreclosures or claims outstanding against mortgage insurers.

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The fair value of the Company's real estate securities and Other Investment Securities considers the underlying characteristics of each security including coupon, maturity date and collateral. The Company estimates the fair value of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities based upon a combination of observable prices in active markets, multiple indicative quotes from brokers and executable bids. In evaluating broker quotes the Company also considers additional observable market data points including recent observed trading activity for identical and similar securities, back-testing, broker challenges and other interactions with market participants, as well as yield levels generated by model-based valuation techniques. In the absence of observable quotes, the Company utilizes model-based valuation techniques that may contain unobservable valuation inputs. 

     When available, the fair value of real estate securities is based on quoted prices in active markets. If quoted prices are not available, fair values are obtained from either broker quotes, observed traded levels or model-based valuation techniques using observable inputs such as benchmark yields or issuer spreads.

While the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are valued using the same process with similar inputs as the Agency RMBS as described below, a significant amount of inputs are unobservable due to relatively low levels of market activity. The fair value of these securities is typically based on broker quotes or the Company's model-based valuation. Accordingly, the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Model-based valuation consists primarily of discounted cash flow and yield analyses. Significant model inputs and assumptions include constant voluntary prepayment rates, constant default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity, market-implied discount rates, default rates, expected loss severity, weighted average life, collateral composition, borrower characteristics and prepayment rates, and may also include general economic conditions, including home price index forecasts, servicing data and other relevant information. Where possible, collateral-related assumptions are determined on an individual loan level basis.

The Company's Agency RMBS, if any, are valued using the market data described above, which includes inputs determined to be observable or whose significant fair value drivers are observable. Accordingly, Agency RMBS securities are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

Derivative Instruments

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

An interest rate swaption agreement represents an option that gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon interest rate swap agreement on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swaption agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swaption agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

An interest rate swap is an agreement between the Company and a counterparty to exchange periodic interest payments where one party to the contract makes a fixed rate payment in exchange for a floating rate payment from the other party. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swap agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swap agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

TBA Securities

A TBA security is a forward contract for the purchase of Agency RMBS at a predetermined price with a stated face amount, coupon and stated maturity at an agreed upon future date. The specific Agency RMBS delivered into the contract upon the settlement date, published each month by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA"), are not known at the time of the transaction. The Company estimates the fair value of TBA securities based on independent third party closing levels. Accordingly, TBAs are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. 

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment-Mortgage Loans

     Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on mortgage loans, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of mortgage loans to interest income.

When the Company purchases mortgage loans that have shown evidence of credit deterioration since origination and management determines that it is probable the Company will not collect all contractual cash flows on those assets, the Company will apply the guidance that addresses accounting for differences between contractual cash flows and cash flows expected to be collected if those differences are attributable to, at least in part, credit quality.

The Company recognizes interest income in accordance with ASC 310-30 "Loans and Debt Securities with Deteriorated Credit Quality". Interest income is recognized on a level-yield basis over the life of the loan as long as cash flows can be reasonably estimated. The level-yield is determined by the excess of the Company's initial estimate of undiscounted expected principal, interest, and other cash flows (cash flows expected at acquisition to be collected) over the Company's initial investment in the mortgage loan (accretable yield). The amount of interest income to be recognized cannot result in a carrying amount that exceeds the payoff amount of the loan. The excess of contractual cash flows over cash flows expected to be collected (nonaccretable difference) will not be recognized as an adjustment of yield.

On a quarterly basis, the Company updates its estimate of the cash flows expected to be collected. For purposes of interest income recognition, any subsequent increases in cash flows expected to be collected are generally recognized as prospective yield adjustments (which establishes a new level yield) and any subsequent decreases in cash flows expected to be collected are recognized as an impairment to be recorded through change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income recognition is suspended for a loan when cash flows cannot be reasonably estimated.

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment-Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on real estate securities and Other Investment Securities, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities to interest income.

Interest income on Agency RMBS, if any, is accrued based on the effective yield method on the outstanding principal balance and their contractual terms in accordance with ASC 310-20 "Non-refundable Fees and Other Costs". Premiums and discounts associated with Agency RMBS at the time of purchase are amortized into interest income over the life of such securities using the effective yield method and adjusted for actual prepayments.

Interest income on the non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities, which were purchased at a discount to par value and/or were rated below AA at the time of purchase, is recognized based on the effective yield method in accordance with ASC 325-40 "Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets". The effective yield on these securities is based on the projected cash flows from each security, which are estimated based on the Company's observation of current information and events and include assumptions related to interest rates, prepayment rates and the timing and amount of credit losses. On a monthly basis, the Company reviews and, if appropriate, makes adjustments to its cash flow projections based on input and analysis received from external sources, internal models and its judgment about interest rates, prepayment rates, the timing and amount of credit losses, and other factors. Changes in cash flows from those originally projected, or from those estimated at the last evaluation, may result in a prospective change in the yield/interest income recognized on such securities. Actual maturities of the securities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses. Therefore, actual maturities of the securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities.

     Based on the projected cash flows from the Company's non-Agency RMBS purchased at a discount to par value, a portion of the purchase discount may be designated as credit protection against future credit losses and, therefore, not accreted into interest income. The amount designated as credit discount is determined, and may be adjusted over time, based on the actual performance of the security, its underlying collateral, actual and projected cash flow from such collateral, economic conditions and other factors. If the performance of a security with a credit discount is more favorable than forecasted, a portion of the amount designated as credit discount may be accreted into interest income prospectively.

RMBS and Other Investment Securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") each quarter. A security with a fair value that is less than amortized cost is considered impaired. Impairment of a security is considered to be other-than-temporary when: (i) the holder has the intent to sell the impaired security; (ii) it is more likely than not the holder will be required to sell the security; or (iii) the holder does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost of the security. When a security has been deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, the amount of OTTI is bifurcated into: (i) the amount related to expected credit losses; and (ii) the amount related to fair value adjustments in excess of expected credit losses. The portion of OTTI related to expected credit losses is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as a realized loss on real estate securities and realized loss on Other Investment Securities. The remaining OTTI related to the valuation adjustment is recognized as a component of change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains and losses on sale of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities are determined using the specific identification method. Real estate securities and Other Investment Securities transactions are recorded on the trade date.

Expense Recognition

Expenses are recognized when incurred. Expenses include, but are not limited to, loan servicing fees, advisory fees, professional fees for legal, accounting and consulting services, and general and administrative expenses such as insurance, custodial and miscellaneous fees.

Offering Costs

Offering costs are accounted for as a reduction of additional paid-in capital. Offering costs in connection with the Company's IPO were paid out of the proceeds of the IPO. Costs incurred to organize the Company were expensed as incurred. The Company's obligation to pay for organization and offering expenses directly related to the IPO was capped at $1.2 million and the Advisor paid for such expenses incurred above the cap.

Loan Repurchase Facility

The Company finances a portion of its mortgage loan portfolio through the use of repurchase agreements entered into under a master repurchase agreement with Citibank, N.A. ("Citi"), pursuant to which the Company may sell, and later repurchase trust certificates representing interests in residential mortgage loans (the "Trust Certificates") in an aggregate principal amount of up to $325 million (the "Loan Repurchase Facility"). The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreement. The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are recorded on the trade date at the contract amount.

The Company pledges cash and certain of its Trust Certificates as collateral under the Loan Repurchase Facility. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the Trust Certificates pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of underlying mortgage loans and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged Trust Certificates, the lender may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Securities Repurchase Agreements-Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The Company finances a portion of its RMBS portfolio and Other Investment Securities through the use of securities repurchase agreements entered into under master repurchase agreements with four financial institutions as of March 31, 2014. Repurchase agreements are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreements. Repurchase agreements are recorded on trade date at the contract amount. 

     The Company pledges cash and certain of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities as collateral under these securities repurchase agreements. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the RMBS and Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of securities and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged RMBS and Other Investment Securities, the lenders may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

The Company accounts for its derivative financial instruments in accordance with derivative accounting guidance, which requires an entity to recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and to measure those instruments at fair value. The Company has not designated any of its derivative agreements as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. As a result, changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded through current period earnings.

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swaption agreement allows the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014, all collateral provided under this agreement consisted of cash collateral.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

The Company's interest rate swap agreements contain legally enforceable provisions that allow for netting or setting off of all individual interest rate swap receivables and payables with each respective counterparty and, therefore, the fair value of those interest rate swap agreements are netted. The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swap agreements allow the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, all collateral provided under these agreements consisted of cash collateral.

TBA Securities

The Company may, and has in the past, entered into TBA contracts as a means of acquiring exposure to Agency RMBS and may, from time to time, utilize TBA dollar roll transactions to finance Agency RMBS purchases. The Company may also enter into TBA contracts as a means of hedging against short-term changes in interest rates. The Company may choose, prior to settlement, to move the settlement of these securities to a later date by entering into an offsetting position (referred to as a "pair off"), settling the paired off positions against each other for cash, and simultaneously entering into a similar TBA contract for a later settlement date, which is commonly and collectively referred to as a "dollar roll" transaction. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any TBA contracts outstanding.

8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

On November 25, 2013, the Operating Partnership issued $57.5 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured 8.00% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016 (the "Exchangeable Senior Notes"). The Exchangeable Senior Notes are carried at amortized cost. Interest expense on the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed using the effective interest method. The conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes are deemed to be an embedded derivative. Accordingly, the Company is required to bifurcate the embedded derivative related to the conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company recognized the embedded derivative as a liability in its consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, measures it at its estimated fair value and recognizes changes in its estimated fair value in gain/(loss) on derivative instruments in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. 

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

     The Company's basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if outstanding OP units and Exchangeable Senior Notes were converted to common stock, where such exercise or conversion would result in a lower EPS. The dilutive effect of OP units is computed assuming all units are converted to common stock. The dilutive effect of the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed assuming shares converted are limited to 1,779,560 pursuant to New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") restrictions. However, the 1,779,560 shares of common stock were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Income Taxes

The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was organized and has operated and intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of the Company's annual REIT taxable income to its stockholders (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP). As a REIT, the Company will not be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income that it distributes to its stockholders. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost unless the Internal Revenue Service grants the Company relief under certain statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect the Company's net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, the Company intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify for treatment as a REIT.

The Company evaluates uncertain income tax positions when applicable. Based upon its analysis of income tax positions, the Company concluded that it does not have any uncertain tax positions that meet the recognition or measurement criteria as of either March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

The Company has elected to treat two of its subsidiaries, ZAIS I TRS, Inc. ("ZAIS I TRS") and ZFC Trust TRS I, LLC ("ZFC Trust TRS"), as taxable REIT subsidiaries (the "TRS entities"). The Company may perform certain activities through these TRS entities that could adversely impact the Company's REIT qualification if performed other than through a TRS. Earnings from activities conducted through the TRS entities are subject to federal and state income taxes irrespective of the dividends-paid deduction available to REITs for federal income tax purposes. In addition, for the Company to continue to qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the Company's total investment in all TRS entities may not exceed 25% of the value of the total assets of the Company determined for federal income tax purposes.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, the Company did not have any significant activity in the TRS entities. No provision for federal income taxes has been made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as the TRS entities did not generate taxable income for the periods presented.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-04: Reclassification of Residential Real Estate Collateralized Consumer Mortgage Loans upon Foreclosure ("ASU 2014-04"), to reduce diversity in practice by clarifying when an in substance repossession or foreclosure has occurred and when a creditor should derecognize the associated loan receivable and recognize the real estate property. ASU 2014-04 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2014. Adoption of ASU 2014-04 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

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Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]

Schedule of Dividends Declared

During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and year ended December 31, 2013, the Company declared the following dividends:

Declaration Date	Record Date	Payment Date	Amount per Share
May 14, 2013	May 24, 2013	May 31, 2013	$	0.22
June 25, 2013	July 9, 2013	July 23, 2013	$	0.45
September 18, 2013	September 30, 2013	October 11, 2013	$	0.50
December 19, 2013(1)	December 31, 2013	January 15, 2014	$	0.95
March 20, 2014	March 31, 2014	April 14, 2014	$	0.40

____________________
 

(1) Regular cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock and OP unit for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013, and an additional special cash dividend of $0.55 per share of its common stock and OP unit. The Company declared the special cash dividend to distribute taxable income from 2013 attributable to the termination of interest rate swap contracts.

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Fair Value (Schedule of Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets
Restricted cash	$ 5,850,364	$ 2,128,236
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Assets
Cash	30,085,010	57,060,806
Restricted cash	5,850,364	2,128,236
Liabilities
Loan repurchase facility	296,833,831	236,727,512
Securities repurchase agreements	159,385,307	138,790,158
Exchangeable Senior Notes	$ 55,674,168	$ 54,737,573

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Loan Repurchase Facility (Schedule of Information Regarding Posting of Mortgage Loan Collateral) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Fair value of Trust Certificates pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility	$ 415,348,056		$ 331,522,165
Cash pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility	2,416,464		1,360,528
Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Unused Amount	27,598,109	[1]	13,941,024	[1]
Mortgage Loans [Member]
Assets Sold under Agreements to Repurchase [Line Items]
Repurchase agreements secured by mortgage loans	297,401,891		236,058,976
Fair value of Trust Certificates pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility	415,348,056		331,522,165
Fair value of mortgage loans not pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility	265,655		263,377
Cash pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility

[1] The amount the Company is able to borrow under the Loan Repurchase Facility is tied to the fair value of unencumbered Trust Certificates eligible to secure those agreements and the Company's ability to fund the agreements' margin requirements relating to the collateral sold.

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Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets
Cash	$ 30,085,010	$ 57,060,806
Restricted cash	5,850,364	2,128,236
Mortgage loans, at fair value - $415,348,056 and $331,522,165 pledged as collateral, respectively	415,613,711	331,785,542
Real estate securities, at fair value - $201,451,523 and $183,722,511 pledged as collateral, respectively	231,844,899	226,155,221
Other investment securities, at fair value, $11,087,508 and $0 pledged as collateral, respectively	11,087,508
Derivative assets, at fair value	2,261,459	284,454
Other assets	1,473,826	2,666,799
Total assets	698,216,777	620,081,058
Liabilities
Loan repurchase facility	297,401,891	236,058,976
Securities repurchase agreements	159,180,562	138,591,678
Exchangeable Senior Notes	54,763,990	54,539,051
Derivative liabilities, at fair value	1,606,416	1,471,607
Dividends and distributions payable	3,559,120	8,452,910
Accounts payable and other liabilities	3,084,241	1,828,947
Accrued interest payable	1,928,256	1,369,327
Total liabilities	521,524,476	442,312,496
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 14)
Stockholders' equity
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; zero shares issued and outstanding
Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 7,970,886 shares issued and outstanding	798	798
Additional paid-in capital	164,207,617	164,207,617
Accumulated deficit	(5,922,756)	(4,958,607)
Total ZAIS Financial Corp. stockholders' equity	158,285,659	159,249,808
Non-controlling interests in operating partnership	18,406,642	18,518,754
Total stockholders' equity	176,692,301	177,768,562
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$ 698,216,777	$ 620,081,058

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Mortgage Loans (Schedule of Concentrations of Credit Risk) (Details) (Mortgage Receivable [Member])	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Loans with Unpaid Principal Balance in Excess of Fair Value of Collateral [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	65.90%	73.60%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | California [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	25.20%	25.60%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Florida [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	16.40%	17.80%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Georgia [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	6.30%	6.80%

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Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$ 2,482,859	$ 1,973,695
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to mortgage loans	(1,602,823)	(28,906)
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to real estate securities	(1,266,177)	(1,214,431)
Net (accretion)/amortization of (discounts)/premiums related to other investment securities	(39,791)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans	(689,604)	28,906
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities	(2,736,058)	(903,277)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities	(370,764)
Realized gain on mortgage loans	(230,737)
Realized gain on real estate securities	(73,619)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on derivative instruments	2,961,554	(495,280)
Amortization of Exchangeable Senior Notes discount	224,939
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Decrease (increase) in other assets	1,192,973	(524,907)
Increase in accounts payable and other liabilities	1,255,294	1,163,992
Increase in accrued interest payable	558,929	129,188
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,666,975	128,980
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisitions of mortgage loans	(84,795,975)	(10,839,809)
Proceeds from principal repayments on mortgage loans	3,490,970
Acquisitions of real estate securities, net of change in payable for real estate securities purchased	(11,720,695)	(296,721,567)
Proceeds from principal repayments on real estate securities	8,034,673	7,386,718
Proceeds from sales of real estate securities, net of changes in receivable for real estate securities sold	2,072,198	6,801,398
Acquisitions of other investment securities	(10,676,953)
Premium paid for interest rate swaption	(4,803,750)
Restricted cash used in investment activities	(3,722,128)	(6,092,405)
Net cash used in investing activities	(102,121,660)	(299,465,665)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net		118,862,500
Payment of common stock repurchase liability		(5,158,750)
Net borrowings from loan repurchase facility	61,342,915
Borrowings from securities repurchase agreements	29,607,805	222,304,476
Repayments of securities repurchase agreements	(9,018,921)	(42,775,904)
Dividends on common stock and distributions on OP Units (net of change in dividends and distributions payable)	(8,452,910)
Repurchase of preferred stock including dividend		(148,379)
Net cash provided by financing activities	73,478,889	293,083,943
Net decrease in cash	(26,975,796)	(6,252,742)
Cash
Beginning of period	57,060,806	19,061,110
End of period	30,085,010	12,808,368
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Interest paid on loan repurchase facility and securities repurchase agreements	2,622,379	384,847
Taxes paid
Supplemental disclosure of noncash investing and financing activities
Increase in dividends and distributions payable	$ 3,559,120

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Derivative Instruments (Schedule of Information Related to Derivative Instruments) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount	$ 242,200,000	$ 17,200,000
Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount	225,000,000
Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount	$ 17,200,000	$ 17,200,000

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014 Exchangeable Senior Notes [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Mortgage Receivable [Member] Insured Loans, Credit Concentration Risk [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 ZAIS Financial Partners, LP. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 ZAIS Financial Partners, LP. [Member]
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Equity interest held					89.60%	89.60%
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage				11.90%
Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs	$ 1.2
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Maximum amount of facility			325
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount		$ 57.5
Net Income (Loss) Per Share
Shares excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive	1,779,560

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Stockholders' Equity (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended			12 Months Ended										1 Months Ended		0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 20, 2014	Dec. 19, 2013		Sep. 18, 2013	Jun. 25, 2013	May 14, 2013	Jan. 31, 2013	Dec. 19, 2013 Regular Cash Dividend [Member]	Dec. 19, 2013 Special Cash Dividend [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P. [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P. [Member]	Feb. 13, 2013 ZAIS REIT Management, LLC [Member]	Feb. 13, 2013 Common Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Common Stock [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Common Stock [Member]	Feb. 15, 2013 Series A Preferred Stock [Member]	Jan. 18, 2012 Series A Preferred Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Shares of stock issued																	5,650,000	36,581	195,458		133
Common stock issued, price per share																	$ 21.25
Gross proceeds from issuance initial public offering																	$ 120,100,000
Value of stock issued				118,862,500													118,900,000				115,499
Value of OP units and common stock issued			25,151,174
Offering fees			763,000													6,300,000	1,200,000				17,501
Common stock repurchase liability, common shares			515,035								265,245
Other liabilities			5,800,000
Payment of common stock repurchase liability		5,158,750
Common stock, shares outstanding	7,970,886			7,970,886
Number of shares repurchased																				133
Payments for Repurchase of Preferred Stock and Preference Stock		$ 148,379																		$ 148,379
Limited Partners' Capital Account [Line Items]
Issuance of OP units														904,422	22,492
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Dividend declared, amount per share					$ 0.40	$ 0.95	[1]	$ 0.50	$ 0.45	$ 0.22		$ 0.40	$ 0.55

[1] Regular cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock and OP unit for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013, and an additional special cash dividend of $0.55 per share of its common stock and OP unit. The Company declared the special cash dividend to distribute taxable income from 2013 attributable to the termination of interest rate swap contracts.

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Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities [Abstract]

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

16. Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

     The following tables present information about certain assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements (or similar agreements) and can potentially be offset on the Company's consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

Offsetting of Assets

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Assets
	Gross		Amounts			Presented in
	Amounts of		Offset in the			the				Cash
	Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial		Collateral
	Assets		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments		Received(1)		Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Interest rate swaption	$	2,261,459		-			2,261,459		-	$	-	$	2,261,459
Total	$	2,261,459	$	-		$	2,261,459	$	-	$	-	$	2,261,459
December 31, 2013
Interest rate swap agreements	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	-	$	-	$	284,454
Total	$	396,068	$	(111,614	)	$	284,454	$	-	$	-	$	284,454

____________________
 

(1) As of March 31, 2014, the Company pledged $2,542,291 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swaption; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $4,803,750. As of December 31, 2013, the Company pledged $767,708 of cash collateral in relation to its interest rate swap agreements; with the total net counterparty exposure for this position totaling $1,052,162.

Offsetting of Liabilities

								Gross Amounts Not Offset in the
						Net Amounts		Consolidated Balance Sheets
			Gross			of Liabilities
			Amounts			Presented in
	Gross Amounts		Offset in the			the					Cash
	of Recognized		Consolidated			Consolidated		Financial			Collateral
	Liabilities		Balance Sheets			Balance Sheets		Instruments			Pledged			Net Amount
March 31, 2014
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	297,401,891	$	-		$	297,401,891	$	(297,401,891	)	$	-		$	-
Securities repurchase agreements		159,180,562		-			159,180,562		(156,764,098	)		(2,416,464	)		-
Interest rate swap agreements		240,452		(214,747	)		25,705		-			(25,705	)		-
Total	$	456,822,905	$	(214,747	)	$	456,608,158	$	(454,165,989	)	$	(2,442,169	)	$	-
December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility	$	236,058,976	$	-		$	236,058,976	$	(236,058,976	)	$	-		$	-
Securities repurchase agreements		138,591,678		-			138,591,678		(137,231,150	)		(1,360,528	)		-
	$	374,650,654	$	-		$	374,650,654	$	(373,290,126	)	$	(1,360,528	)	$	-

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Fair Value (Schedule of Financial Instruments Accounted for at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets
Derivative assets	$ 2,261,459	$ 284,454
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	1,606,416	1,471,607
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member]
Assets
Mortgage loans	415,613,711	331,785,542
Derivative assets	2,261,459	284,454
Total	660,807,577	558,225,217
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	1,606,416	1,471,607
Total	1,606,416	1,471,607
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets
Investment securities	231,844,899	226,155,221
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets
Investment securities	11,087,508
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Assets
Mortgage loans
Derivative assets
Total
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities
Total
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets
Investment securities
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets
Investment securities
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Assets
Mortgage loans
Derivative assets	2,261,459	284,454
Total	2,261,459	284,454
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities	1,606,416	1,471,607
Total	1,606,416	1,471,607
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets
Investment securities
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets
Investment securities
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Assets
Mortgage loans	415,613,711	331,785,542
Derivative assets
Total	658,546,118	557,940,763
Liabilities
Derivative liabilities
Total
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Assets
Investment securities	231,844,899	226,155,221
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member] | Other Investment Securities [Member]
Assets
Investment securities	$ 11,087,508

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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Quarterly Presentation

Basis of Quarterly Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("U.S. GAAP") as contained within the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for interim financial reporting. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows have been included and are of a normal and recurring nature. The operating results presented for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period's presentation.

The Company currently operates as one business segment.

Estimates

Estimates

     The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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 may ultimately differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of the wholly owned subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership. The Company, which serves as the sole general partner of and conducts substantially all of its business through the Operating Partnership, holds approximately 89.6% of the operating partnership units ("OP units") in the Operating Partnership as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. The Operating Partnership in turn holds directly or indirectly all of the equity interests in its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities

A variable interest entity ("VIE") is an entity that lacks one or more of the characteristics of a voting interest entity. The Company evaluates each of its investments to determine whether it is a VIE based on: (1) the sufficiency of the entity's equity investment at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support provided by any parties, including the equity holders; (2) whether as a group the holders of the equity investment at risk have (a) the power, through voting rights or similar rights, to direct the activities of a legal entity that most significantly impacts the entity's economic performance, (b) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the legal entity and (c) the right to receive the expected residual returns of the legal entity; and (3) whether the voting rights of these investors are proportional to their obligations to absorb the expected losses of the entity, their rights to receive the expected returns of their equity, or both, and whether substantially all of the entity's activities involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. An investment that lacks one or more of the above three characteristics is considered to be a VIE. The Company reassesses its initial evaluation of an entity as a VIE upon the occurrence of certain reconsideration events.

A VIE is subject to consolidation if the equity investors either do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, are unable to direct the entity's activities, or are not exposed to the entity's losses or entitled to its residual returns. VIEs are required to be consolidated by their primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is determined to be the party that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. This determination can sometimes involve complex and subjective analyses.

The Company has evaluated its real estate securities investments to determine if each represents a variable interest in a VIE. The Company monitors these investments and analyzes them for potential consolidation. The Company's real estate securities investments represent variable interests in VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no VIEs required consolidation as the Company was not the primary beneficiary of any of these VIEs. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the maximum exposure of the Company to VIEs is limited to the fair value of its investments in real estate securities as disclosed in the consolidated balance sheets.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers highly liquid short-term interest bearing instruments with original maturities of three months or less and other instruments readily convertible into cash to be cash equivalents. The Company's deposits with financial institutions may exceed federally insurable limits of $250,000 per institution. The Company mitigates this risk by depositing funds with major financial institutions. At March 31, 2014, the Company's cash was held with two custodians.

Restricted Cash

Restricted Cash

     Restricted cash represents the Company's cash held by counterparties as collateral against the Company's derivatives and/or securities repurchase agreements. Cash held by counterparties as collateral is not available to the Company for general corporate purposes, but may be applied against amounts due to derivative or securities repurchase agreement counterparties or returned to the Company when the collateral requirements are exceeded or at the maturity of the derivatives or securities repurchase agreements.

Other Investment Securities

Other Investment Securities

At March 31, 2014, other investment securities were comprised of investments in Fannie Mae's Risk Transfer Notes ("FMRT Notes" or "Other Investment Securities"). The FMRT Notes represent unsecured general obligations of Fannie Mae and are structured to be subject to the performance of a certain pool of residential mortgage loans.

Fair Value Election and Determination of Fair Value Measurement

Mortgage Loans, Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities-Fair Value Election

U.S. GAAP permits entities to choose to measure certain eligible financial instruments at fair value. The Company has elected the fair value option for each of its mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at the date of purchase. The fair value option election is irrevocable and requires the Company to measure these mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities at estimated fair value with the change in estimated fair value recognized in earnings. The Company has established a policy for these assets to separate interest income from the full change in fair value in the consolidated statements of operations. The interest income component is presented as interest income on mortgage loans, real estate securities and Other Investment Securities and the remainder of the change in fair value is presented separately as change in unrealized gain or loss in the Company's consolidated statements of operations.

Determination of Fair Value Measurement

The "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" Topic of the FASB ASC defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and requires certain disclosures about fair value measurements under U.S. GAAP. Specifically, this guidance defines fair value based on exit price, or the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or the transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

     Fair value under U.S. GAAP represents an exit price in the normal course of business, not a forced liquidation price. If the Company was forced to sell assets in a short period to meet liquidity needs, the prices it receives could be substantially less than their recorded fair values. Furthermore, the analysis of whether it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell securities in an unrealized loss position prior to an expected recovery in fair value (if any), the amount of such expected required sales, and the projected identification of which securities would be sold is also subject to significant judgment.

Any proposed changes to the valuation methodology will be reviewed by the Advisor to ensure changes are consistent with the applicable accounting guidance and approved as appropriate. The fair value methodology may produce a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or reflective of future fair values. Furthermore, while the Company anticipates that the Advisor's valuation methods will be appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies, or assumptions by other market participants, to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date.

The Company categorizes its financial instruments in accordance with U.S. GAAP, based on the priority of the inputs to the valuation, into a three-level fair value hierarchy. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). If the inputs used to measure the financial instruments fall within different levels of the hierarchy, the categorization is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement of the instrument.

     Financial assets and liabilities recorded on the consolidated balance sheets are categorized based on the inputs to the valuation techniques as follows:

Level 1	Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market.
Level 2	Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on the following:

• Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets
    
• Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in nonactive markets.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
   
• Pricing models whose inputs are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3  Prices or valuation techniques based on inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

The Company may use valuation techniques consistent with the market and income approaches to measure the fair value of its assets and liabilities. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future projected cash flows to a single discounted present value amount. When applying either approach, the Company maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. The Company's assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires significant judgment and considers factors specific to the investment. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis to support the independent third party broker quotes selected to determine the fair value of its real estate securities, Other Investment Securities and derivative instruments.

The following is a description of the valuation techniques used to measure fair value and the general classification of these instruments pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

Mortgage Loans

The fair value of the Company's mortgage loans considers data such as loan origination information and additional updated borrower and loan servicing data, as available, forward interest rates, general economic conditions, home price index forecasts and valuations of the underlying properties. The variables considered most significant to the determination of the fair value of the Company's mortgage loans include market-implied discount rates, projections of default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity (considering mortgage insurance) and prepayment rates. The Company uses loan level data, macro-economic inputs and forward interest rates to generate loss adjusted cash flows and other information in determining the fair value of its mortgage loans. Because of the inherent uncertainty of such valuation, the fair values established for mortgage loans held by the Company may differ from the fair values that would have been established if a ready market existed for these mortgage loans. Accordingly, mortgage loans are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy.

At March 31, 2014, approximately 11.9% in unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loans carries mortgage insurance and there are no foreclosures or claims outstanding against mortgage insurers.

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The fair value of the Company's real estate securities and Other Investment Securities considers the underlying characteristics of each security including coupon, maturity date and collateral. The Company estimates the fair value of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities based upon a combination of observable prices in active markets, multiple indicative quotes from brokers and executable bids. In evaluating broker quotes the Company also considers additional observable market data points including recent observed trading activity for identical and similar securities, back-testing, broker challenges and other interactions with market participants, as well as yield levels generated by model-based valuation techniques. In the absence of observable quotes, the Company utilizes model-based valuation techniques that may contain unobservable valuation inputs. 

     When available, the fair value of real estate securities is based on quoted prices in active markets. If quoted prices are not available, fair values are obtained from either broker quotes, observed traded levels or model-based valuation techniques using observable inputs such as benchmark yields or issuer spreads.

While the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are valued using the same process with similar inputs as the Agency RMBS as described below, a significant amount of inputs are unobservable due to relatively low levels of market activity. The fair value of these securities is typically based on broker quotes or the Company's model-based valuation. Accordingly, the Company's non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities are classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. Model-based valuation consists primarily of discounted cash flow and yield analyses. Significant model inputs and assumptions include constant voluntary prepayment rates, constant default rates, delinquency rates, loss severity, market-implied discount rates, default rates, expected loss severity, weighted average life, collateral composition, borrower characteristics and prepayment rates, and may also include general economic conditions, including home price index forecasts, servicing data and other relevant information. Where possible, collateral-related assumptions are determined on an individual loan level basis.

The Company's Agency RMBS, if any, are valued using the market data described above, which includes inputs determined to be observable or whose significant fair value drivers are observable. Accordingly, Agency RMBS securities are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

Derivative Instruments

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

An interest rate swaption agreement represents an option that gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon interest rate swap agreement on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swaption agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swaption agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

An interest rate swap is an agreement between the Company and a counterparty to exchange periodic interest payments where one party to the contract makes a fixed rate payment in exchange for a floating rate payment from the other party. The Company utilizes proprietary modeling analysis or industry standard third party analytics to support the counterparty valuations received for interest rate swap agreements. These counterparty valuations are generally based on models with market observable inputs such as interest rates and contractual cash flows, and, as such, are classified as Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy. The Company's interest rate swap agreements are governed by International Swap and Derivative Association trading agreements, which are separately negotiated agreements with dealer counterparties. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, no credit valuation adjustment was made in determining the fair value of the derivative.

TBA Securities

A TBA security is a forward contract for the purchase of Agency RMBS at a predetermined price with a stated face amount, coupon and stated maturity at an agreed upon future date. The specific Agency RMBS delivered into the contract upon the settlement date, published each month by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association ("SIFMA"), are not known at the time of the transaction. The Company estimates the fair value of TBA securities based on independent third party closing levels. Accordingly, TBAs are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. 

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment-Mortgage Loans

     Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on mortgage loans, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of mortgage loans to interest income.

When the Company purchases mortgage loans that have shown evidence of credit deterioration since origination and management determines that it is probable the Company will not collect all contractual cash flows on those assets, the Company will apply the guidance that addresses accounting for differences between contractual cash flows and cash flows expected to be collected if those differences are attributable to, at least in part, credit quality.

The Company recognizes interest income in accordance with ASC 310-30 "Loans and Debt Securities with Deteriorated Credit Quality". Interest income is recognized on a level-yield basis over the life of the loan as long as cash flows can be reasonably estimated. The level-yield is determined by the excess of the Company's initial estimate of undiscounted expected principal, interest, and other cash flows (cash flows expected at acquisition to be collected) over the Company's initial investment in the mortgage loan (accretable yield). The amount of interest income to be recognized cannot result in a carrying amount that exceeds the payoff amount of the loan. The excess of contractual cash flows over cash flows expected to be collected (nonaccretable difference) will not be recognized as an adjustment of yield.

On a quarterly basis, the Company updates its estimate of the cash flows expected to be collected. For purposes of interest income recognition, any subsequent increases in cash flows expected to be collected are generally recognized as prospective yield adjustments (which establishes a new level yield) and any subsequent decreases in cash flows expected to be collected are recognized as an impairment to be recorded through change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations.

Income recognition is suspended for a loan when cash flows cannot be reasonably estimated.

Interest Income Recognition and Impairment-Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

Pursuant to the Company's policy for separately presenting interest income on real estate securities and Other Investment Securities, the Company follows acceptable methods under U.S. GAAP for allocating a portion of the change in fair value of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities to interest income.

Interest income on Agency RMBS, if any, is accrued based on the effective yield method on the outstanding principal balance and their contractual terms in accordance with ASC 310-20 "Non-refundable Fees and Other Costs". Premiums and discounts associated with Agency RMBS at the time of purchase are amortized into interest income over the life of such securities using the effective yield method and adjusted for actual prepayments.

Interest income on the non-Agency RMBS and Other Investment Securities, which were purchased at a discount to par value and/or were rated below AA at the time of purchase, is recognized based on the effective yield method in accordance with ASC 325-40 "Beneficial Interests in Securitized Financial Assets". The effective yield on these securities is based on the projected cash flows from each security, which are estimated based on the Company's observation of current information and events and include assumptions related to interest rates, prepayment rates and the timing and amount of credit losses. On a monthly basis, the Company reviews and, if appropriate, makes adjustments to its cash flow projections based on input and analysis received from external sources, internal models and its judgment about interest rates, prepayment rates, the timing and amount of credit losses, and other factors. Changes in cash flows from those originally projected, or from those estimated at the last evaluation, may result in a prospective change in the yield/interest income recognized on such securities. Actual maturities of the securities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses. Therefore, actual maturities of the securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities.

     Based on the projected cash flows from the Company's non-Agency RMBS purchased at a discount to par value, a portion of the purchase discount may be designated as credit protection against future credit losses and, therefore, not accreted into interest income. The amount designated as credit discount is determined, and may be adjusted over time, based on the actual performance of the security, its underlying collateral, actual and projected cash flow from such collateral, economic conditions and other factors. If the performance of a security with a credit discount is more favorable than forecasted, a portion of the amount designated as credit discount may be accreted into interest income prospectively.

RMBS and Other Investment Securities are evaluated for other-than-temporary impairment ("OTTI") each quarter. A security with a fair value that is less than amortized cost is considered impaired. Impairment of a security is considered to be other-than-temporary when: (i) the holder has the intent to sell the impaired security; (ii) it is more likely than not the holder will be required to sell the security; or (iii) the holder does not expect to recover the entire amortized cost of the security. When a security has been deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired, the amount of OTTI is bifurcated into: (i) the amount related to expected credit losses; and (ii) the amount related to fair value adjustments in excess of expected credit losses. The portion of OTTI related to expected credit losses is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as a realized loss on real estate securities and realized loss on Other Investment Securities. The remaining OTTI related to the valuation adjustment is recognized as a component of change in unrealized gain or loss in the consolidated statements of operations. Realized gains and losses on sale of real estate securities and Other Investment Securities are determined using the specific identification method. Real estate securities and Other Investment Securities transactions are recorded on the trade date.

Expense Recognition

Expense Recognition

Expenses are recognized when incurred. Expenses include, but are not limited to, loan servicing fees, advisory fees, professional fees for legal, accounting and consulting services, and general and administrative expenses such as insurance, custodial and miscellaneous fees.

Offering Costs

Offering Costs

Offering costs are accounted for as a reduction of additional paid-in capital. Offering costs in connection with the Company's IPO were paid out of the proceeds of the IPO. Costs incurred to organize the Company were expensed as incurred. The Company's obligation to pay for organization and offering expenses directly related to the IPO was capped at $1.2 million and the Advisor paid for such expenses incurred above the cap.

Repurchase Agreements

Loan Repurchase Facility

The Company finances a portion of its mortgage loan portfolio through the use of repurchase agreements entered into under a master repurchase agreement with Citibank, N.A. ("Citi"), pursuant to which the Company may sell, and later repurchase trust certificates representing interests in residential mortgage loans (the "Trust Certificates") in an aggregate principal amount of up to $325 million (the "Loan Repurchase Facility"). The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreement. The borrowings under the Loan Repurchase Facility are recorded on the trade date at the contract amount.

The Company pledges cash and certain of its Trust Certificates as collateral under the Loan Repurchase Facility. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the Trust Certificates pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of underlying mortgage loans and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged Trust Certificates, the lender may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Securities Repurchase Agreements-Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The Company finances a portion of its RMBS portfolio and Other Investment Securities through the use of securities repurchase agreements entered into under master repurchase agreements with four financial institutions as of March 31, 2014. Repurchase agreements are treated as collateralized financing transactions and are carried at their contractual amounts, including accrued interest, as specified in the respective agreements. Repurchase agreements are recorded on trade date at the contract amount. 

     The Company pledges cash and certain of its RMBS and Other Investment Securities as collateral under these securities repurchase agreements. The amounts available to be borrowed are dependent upon the fair value of the RMBS and Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral, which fluctuates with changes in interest rates, type of securities and liquidity conditions within the banking, mortgage finance and real estate industries. In response to declines in the fair value of pledged RMBS and Other Investment Securities, the lenders may require the Company to post additional collateral or pay down borrowings to re-establish agreed upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has met all margin call requirements.

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

The Company accounts for its derivative financial instruments in accordance with derivative accounting guidance, which requires an entity to recognize all derivatives as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and to measure those instruments at fair value. The Company has not designated any of its derivative agreements as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. As a result, changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded through current period earnings.

Interest Rate Swaption Agreements

The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swaption agreement allows the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014, all collateral provided under this agreement consisted of cash collateral.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

The Company's interest rate swap agreements contain legally enforceable provisions that allow for netting or setting off of all individual interest rate swap receivables and payables with each respective counterparty and, therefore, the fair value of those interest rate swap agreements are netted. The credit support annex provisions of the Company's interest rate swap agreements allow the parties to mitigate their credit risk by requiring the party which is out of the money to post collateral. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, all collateral provided under these agreements consisted of cash collateral.

TBA Securities

The Company may, and has in the past, entered into TBA contracts as a means of acquiring exposure to Agency RMBS and may, from time to time, utilize TBA dollar roll transactions to finance Agency RMBS purchases. The Company may also enter into TBA contracts as a means of hedging against short-term changes in interest rates. The Company may choose, prior to settlement, to move the settlement of these securities to a later date by entering into an offsetting position (referred to as a "pair off"), settling the paired off positions against each other for cash, and simultaneously entering into a similar TBA contract for a later settlement date, which is commonly and collectively referred to as a "dollar roll" transaction. At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any TBA contracts outstanding.

8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

On November 25, 2013, the Operating Partnership issued $57.5 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured 8.00% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016 (the "Exchangeable Senior Notes"). The Exchangeable Senior Notes are carried at amortized cost. Interest expense on the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed using the effective interest method. The conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes are deemed to be an embedded derivative. Accordingly, the Company is required to bifurcate the embedded derivative related to the conversion features of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. The Company recognized the embedded derivative as a liability in its consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, measures it at its estimated fair value and recognizes changes in its estimated fair value in gain/(loss) on derivative instruments in the Company's consolidated statements of operations. 

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

     The Company's basic earnings per share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if outstanding OP units and Exchangeable Senior Notes were converted to common stock, where such exercise or conversion would result in a lower EPS. The dilutive effect of OP units is computed assuming all units are converted to common stock. The dilutive effect of the Exchangeable Senior Notes is computed assuming shares converted are limited to 1,779,560 pursuant to New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") restrictions. However, the 1,779,560 shares of common stock were excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), commencing with its taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was organized and has operated and intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify to be taxed as a REIT. To qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of the Company's annual REIT taxable income to its stockholders (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP). As a REIT, the Company will not be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income that it distributes to its stockholders. If the Company fails to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, it will be subject to federal income tax on its taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for federal income tax purposes for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost unless the Internal Revenue Service grants the Company relief under certain statutory provisions. Such an event could materially adversely affect the Company's net income and net cash available for distribution to stockholders. However, the Company intends to continue to operate in a manner that will enable it to qualify for treatment as a REIT.

The Company evaluates uncertain income tax positions when applicable. Based upon its analysis of income tax positions, the Company concluded that it does not have any uncertain tax positions that meet the recognition or measurement criteria as of either March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.

The Company has elected to treat two of its subsidiaries, ZAIS I TRS, Inc. ("ZAIS I TRS") and ZFC Trust TRS I, LLC ("ZFC Trust TRS"), as taxable REIT subsidiaries (the "TRS entities"). The Company may perform certain activities through these TRS entities that could adversely impact the Company's REIT qualification if performed other than through a TRS. Earnings from activities conducted through the TRS entities are subject to federal and state income taxes irrespective of the dividends-paid deduction available to REITs for federal income tax purposes. In addition, for the Company to continue to qualify to be taxed as a REIT, the Company's total investment in all TRS entities may not exceed 25% of the value of the total assets of the Company determined for federal income tax purposes.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, the Company did not have any significant activity in the TRS entities. No provision for federal income taxes has been made in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as the TRS entities did not generate taxable income for the periods presented.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-04: Reclassification of Residential Real Estate Collateralized Consumer Mortgage Loans upon Foreclosure ("ASU 2014-04"), to reduce diversity in practice by clarifying when an in substance repossession or foreclosure has occurred and when a creditor should derecognize the associated loan receivable and recognize the real estate property. ASU 2014-04 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2014. Adoption of ASU 2014-04 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

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Offsetting Assets and Liabilities (Schedule of Offsetting of Liabilities) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Repurchase agreements
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	$ 159,180,562	$ 138,591,678
Total
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	456,822,905	374,650,654
Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	(214,747)
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	456,608,158	374,650,654
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments Pledged	(454,165,989)	(373,290,126)
Cash Collateral Pledged	(2,442,169)	(1,360,528)
Net Amount
Mortgage Loans [Member]
Repurchase agreements
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	297,401,891	236,058,976
Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	297,401,891	236,058,976
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments Pledged	(297,401,891)	(236,058,976)
Cash Collateral Pledged
Net Amount
Agency and Non-Agency Securities [Member]
Repurchase agreements
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	159,180,562	138,591,678
Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	159,180,562	138,591,678
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments Pledged	(156,764,098)	(137,231,150)
Cash Collateral Pledged	(2,416,464)	(1,360,528)
Net Amount
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Derivatives
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	240,452
Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	(214,747)
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet	25,705
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Financial Instruments Pledged
Cash Collateral Pledged	(25,705)
Net Amount

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Formation and Organization

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Formation and Organization [Abstract]

Formation and Organization

1. Formation and Organization

     ZAIS Financial Corp. (the "Company") was incorporated in Maryland on May 24, 2011, and has elected to be taxed and to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2011. The Company was initially capitalized and commenced operations on July 29, 2011, when it completed an exchange of a mutually agreed upon portion of the shareholders' and limited partners' interests in the ZAIS Matrix VI-A Ltd. and ZAIS Matrix VI-B L.P. funds (the "Matrix Funds") managed by ZAIS Group, LLC ("ZAIS"), which included cash of $3,036,222 and real estate securities having a fair value of $57,416,118, for 3,022,617 shares of the Company's common stock. On February 13, 2013, the Company completed its initial public offering ("IPO"), pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of $1.2 million were $118.9 million.

The Company primarily invests in, finances and manages performing and re-performing residential mortgage loans, which may be seasoned or recently originated. The Company also invests in, finances and manages residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS") that are not issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"), or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"), or an agency of the U.S. Government, such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("Ginnie Mae") ("non-Agency RMBS") with an emphasis on securities that, when originally issued, were rated in the highest rating category by one or more of the nationally recognized statistical rating organizations. The Company also has the discretion to invest in mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs"), RMBS that are issued or guaranteed by a federally chartered corporation or a U.S. Government agency ("Agency RMBS"), including through To-Be-Announced ("TBA") contracts, and in other real estate-related and financial assets, such as interest only strips created from RMBS ("IOs"), commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") and asset-backed securities ("ABS"). The Company refers collectively to the assets it targets for acquisition as its target assets.

The Company is externally managed by ZAIS REIT Management, LLC (the "Advisor"), a subsidiary of ZAIS, and has no employees. The Company is the sole general partner of, and conducts substantially all of its business through, ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P., the Company's consolidated operating partnership subsidiary (the "Operating Partnership").

The Company's charter authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. The Company's board of directors is authorized to amend its charter, without the approval of stockholders, to increase the aggregate number of authorized shares of capital stock or the number of shares of any class or series of capital stock or to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of its capital stock into other classes or series of stock that the Company has authority to issue.

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Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Consolidated Balance Sheets [Abstract]
Mortgage loans, pledged as collateral	$ 415,348,056	$ 331,522,165
Real estate securities, pledged as collateral	201,451,523	183,722,511
Other investment securities, pledged as collateral	$ 11,087,508	$ 0
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, par or stated value per share	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
12.5% Series A cumulative non-voting preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value per share	$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Common stock, shares authorized	500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	7,970,886	7,970,886
Common stock, shares outstanding	7,970,886	7,970,886

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Related Party Transactions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

Related Party Transactions

11. Related Party Transactions

ZAIS REIT Management, LLC

     The Company is externally managed and advised by the Advisor, a subsidiary of ZAIS. Subject to certain restrictions and limitations, the Advisor is responsible for managing the Company's affairs on a day-to-day basis including, among other responsibilities, (i) the selection, purchase and sale of the Company's portfolio of assets, (ii) the Company's financing activities and (iii) providing the Company with advisory services.

The Company pays to its Advisor an advisory fee, calculated and payable quarterly in arrears, equal to 1.5% per annum of the Company's stockholders' equity, as defined in the amended and restated investment advisory agreement between the Company and the Advisor, as amended from time to time (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"). Prior to the Company's IPO, the advisory fee paid to the Advisor was calculated based on the Company's net asset value, as set forth in the Investment Advisory Agreement.

The Advisor may be paid or reimbursed for the documented cost of its performing certain services for the Company, which may include legal, accounting, due diligence tasks and other services, that outside professionals or outside consultants otherwise would perform, provided that such costs and reimbursements are in amounts which are no greater than those which would be payable to outside professionals or consultants engaged to perform such services pursuant to agreements negotiated on an arm's-length basis. In addition, the Company may be required to pay its portion of rent, telephone, utilities, office furniture, equipment, machinery and other office, internal and overhead expenses of the Advisor and its affiliates required for the Company's operations. To date, the Advisor has not sought reimbursement for the services and expenses described in the two preceding sentences. The Advisor may seek such reimbursement in the future, as a result of which the expense ratio of the Company may increase. The Company will also pay directly, or reimburse the Advisor for, products and services provided by third parties to the Company, other than those operating expenses required to be borne by the Advisor under the Investment Advisory Agreement. After an initial three-year term, the Advisor may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Company's independent directors or by a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock based upon (i) unsatisfactory performance by the Advisor that is materially detrimental to the Company or (ii) a determination that the advisory fees payable to the Advisor are not fair, subject to the Advisor's right to prevent such termination due to unfair fees by accepting a reduction of advisory fees agreed to by at least two-thirds of the Company's independent directors. Additionally, upon such a termination without cause, the Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Company will pay the Advisor a termination fee equal to three times the average annual advisory fee earned by the Advisor during the prior 24-month period immediately preceding such termination, calculated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year before the date of termination.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, the Company incurred $0.7 million and $0.5 million in advisory fee expense, respectively. At March 31, 2014, $0.7 million in advisory fee expense was included in accounts payable and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The advisory fee was calculated and payable as set forth above.

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Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	May 12, 2014
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Entity Registrant Name	ZAIS Financial Corp.
Entity Central Index Key	0001527590
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		7,970,886

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Stockholders' Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]

Stockholders' Equity

12. Stockholders' Equity

Common Stock

The holders of shares of the Company's common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters voted on by common stockholders, including election of the Company's directors. The Company's charter does not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Therefore, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock can elect its entire board of directors. Subject to any preferential rights of any outstanding series of preferred stock, the holders of shares of the Company's common stock are entitled to such distributions as may be authorized from time to time by the Company's board of directors out of legally available funds and declared by the Company and, upon liquidation, are entitled to receive all assets available for distribution to stockholders. Holders of shares of the Company's common stock do not have preemptive rights. This means that stockholders do not have an automatic option to purchase any new shares of common stock that the Company issues. In addition, stockholders only have appraisal rights under circumstances specified by the Company's board of directors or where mandated by law.

Initial Public Offering

     On February 13, 2013, the Company completed its IPO, pursuant to which the Company sold 5,650,000 shares of its common stock to the public at a price of $21.25 per share for gross proceeds of $120.1 million. Net proceeds after the payment of offering costs of approximately $1.2 million were $118.9 million. In connection with the IPO, the Advisor paid $6.3 million in underwriting fees. The Company did not pay any underwriting fees, discounts or commissions in connection with the IPO above those paid by the Advisor.

Common Stock Repurchase

In January 2013, the Company's agreement with one of its stockholders to repurchase 515,035 shares of common stock was amended to require the Company to repurchase only 265,245 shares of the Company's common stock. The amended repurchase amount was approximately $5.8 million which was predominantly paid to such stockholder during the three months ended March 31, 2013 with the remaining amount paid during the three months ended June 30, 2013.

Private Placements

In October 2012, the Company completed a private placement in which it sold 195,458 shares of common stock and the Operating Partnership sold 22,492 OP units. In December 2012, the Company completed a private placement in which it sold 36,581 shares of common stock and the Operating Partnership sold 904,422 OP units. Net proceeds from the two private placements were $25,151,174, net of approximately $763,000 in offering costs.

Dividends and Distributions

During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and year ended December 31, 2013, the Company declared the following dividends:

Declaration Date	Record Date	Payment Date	Amount per Share
May 14, 2013	May 24, 2013	May 31, 2013	$	0.22
June 25, 2013	July 9, 2013	July 23, 2013	$	0.45
September 18, 2013	September 30, 2013	October 11, 2013	$	0.50
December 19, 2013(1)	December 31, 2013	January 15, 2014	$	0.95
March 20, 2014	March 31, 2014	April 14, 2014	$	0.40

____________________
 

(1) Regular cash dividend of $0.40 per share of common stock and OP unit for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2013, and an additional special cash dividend of $0.55 per share of its common stock and OP unit. The Company declared the special cash dividend to distribute taxable income from 2013 attributable to the termination of interest rate swap contracts.

Preferred Shares

The Company's charter authorizes its board of directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of its common stock and preferred stock into other classes or series of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each class or series, the board of directors is required by the Company's charter to set, subject to the charter restrictions on transfer of its stock, the terms, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. Thus, the board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of common stock or preferred stock with terms and conditions which could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or change in control that might involve a premium price for holders of the Company's common stock or otherwise be in their best interest.

On January 18, 2012 the Company completed a private placement of 133 shares of its 12.5% Series A Cumulative Non-Voting Preferred Stock (the "Series A Preferred Stock") raising net proceeds of $115,499, net of $17,501 in offering fees.

On February 15, 2013, the Company redeemed all 133 shares of its 12.5% Series A Preferred Stock outstanding for an aggregate redemption price, including preferred dividend, of $148,379.

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Consolidated Statements of Operations (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Interest income
Mortgage loans	$ 5,649,553	$ 28,906
Real estate securities	3,740,615	3,407,127
Other investment securities	102,865
Total interest income	9,493,033	3,436,033
Interest expense
Loan repurchase facility	1,830,907
Securities repurchase agreements	660,402	514,035
Exchangeable Senior Notes	1,412,643
Total interest expense	3,903,952	514,035
Net interest income	5,589,081	2,921,998
Other gains/(losses)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans	689,604	(28,906)
Change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities	2,736,058	903,277
Change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities	370,764
Realized gain on mortgage loans	230,737
Realized gain on real estate securities	73,619
(Loss)/gain on derivative instruments	(3,108,681)	281,144
Total other gains/(losses)	992,101	1,155,515
Expenses
Professional fees	1,811,851	1,261,184
Advisory fee - related party	702,755	488,385
Loan servicing fees	372,132
General and administrative expenses	1,211,585	354,249
Total expenses	4,098,323	2,103,818
Net income	2,482,859	1,973,695
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests	258,654	299,094
Preferred dividends		15,379
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders	$ 2,224,205	$ 1,659,222
Net income per share applicable to common stockholders - basic and diluted	$ 0.28	$ 0.32
Weighted average number of shares of common stock:
Basic	7,970,886	5,142,053
Diluted	8,897,800	6,068,967

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Loan Repurchase Facility

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Loan Repurchase Facility [Abstract]

Loan Repurchase Facility

6. Loan Repurchase Facility

The Loan Repurchase Facility is used to fund purchases of the Company's mortgage loans, including the March 27, 2014 purchase of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $100.4 million at the time of acquisition. The Loan Repurchase Facility closed on May 30, 2013, and is committed for a period of 364 days from inception. The obligations are fully guaranteed by the Company. On March 27, 2014, the Company entered into an amendment of the Loan Repurchase Facility providing it with an additional $75 million of uncommitted borrowing capacity. As of March 31, 2014, the Company's total borrowing capacity is $325.0 million. The Company is in discussions with the lender and expects to renew the Loan Repurchase Facility for an additional 364 day commitment period prior to the expiration of the initial commitment period. However, the renewal is subject to the finalization of definitive agreements and there can be no assurance that the renewal will occur.

     The principal amount paid by Citi under the Loan Repurchase Facility for the Trust Certificate, which represent interests in residential mortgage loans, is based on a percentage of the lesser of the market value or the unpaid principal balance of such mortgage loans backing the Trust Certificate. Upon the Company's repurchase of a Trust Certificate sold to Citi under the Loan Repurchase Facility, the Company is required to repay Citi a repurchase amount based on the purchase price plus accrued interest. The Company is also required to pay Citi a commitment fee for the Loan Repurchase Facility, as well as certain other administrative costs and expenses in connection with Citi's structuring, management and ongoing administration of the Loan Repurchase Facility. The commitment fee is included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Loan Repurchase Facility contains margin call provisions that provide Citi with certain rights in the event of a decline in the market value of the mortgage loans backing the purchased Trust Certificate, subject to a floor amount. Under these provisions, Citi may require the Company to transfer cash sufficient to eliminate any margin deficit resulting from such a decline.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, by remaining maturity:

	March 31, 2014				December 31, 2013
			Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Loan Repurchase Facility borrowings maturing within
31-60 days	$	297,401,891	2.90	%		-	-
91 - 180 days		-	-		$	236,058,976	2.92	%
Total/weighted average	$	297,401,891	2.90	%	$	236,058,976	2.92	%

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of mortgage loan collateral for the Loan Repurchase Facility as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Loan Repurchase Facility secured by mortgage loans	$	297,401,891	$	236,058,976
Fair value of Trust Certificates pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		415,348,056		331,522,165
Fair value of mortgage loans not pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		265,655		263,377
Cash pledged as collateral under Loan Repurchase Facility		-		-
Unused Amount(1)		27,598,109		13,941,024

____________________
 

(1) The amount the Company is able to borrow under the Loan Repurchase Facility is tied to the fair value of unencumbered Trust Certificates eligible to secure those agreements and the Company's ability to fund the agreements' margin requirements relating to the collateral sold.

The following table presents additional information with respect to the Loan Repurchase Facility:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
During the period:
Weighted average interest rate		2.91	%	-
Average balance of loans sold under agreements to repurchase	$	192,380		-
Maximum daily amount outstanding	$	297,524,403		-
Total interest expense	$	1,830,907		-

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities [Abstract]

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

5. Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities

The Company's non-Agency RMBS portfolio is not issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or any other U.S. Government agency or a federally chartered corporation and is therefore subject to additional credit risks.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS and Other Investment Securities at March 31, 2014:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative - A(3)	$	164,764,296	$	(78,482,420	)	$	86,281,876	$	2,963,208	$	(327,637	)	$	88,917,447	4.09	%	7.11	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		33,700,568		(6,646,540	)		27,054,028		605,224		(228,195	)		27,431,057	0.74		6.83
Prime		105,995,923		(13,051,352	)		92,944,571		4,113,891		(235,413	)		96,823,049	4.71		6.59
Subprime		19,867,136		(1,701,070	)		18,166,066		689,080		(181,800	)		18,673,346	1.06		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,327,923	$	(99,881,382	)	$	224,446,541	$	8,371,403	$	(973,045	)	$	231,844,899	3.71	%	6.77	%
Other investment securities	$	10,000,000	$	716,744		$	10,716,744	$	370,764	$	-		$	11,087,508	5.40	%	6.66	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities and Other Investment Securities. The Company recorded a gain of $2.7 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also recorded a gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS at December 31, 2013:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative - A(3)	$	160,590,487	$	(80,206,745	)	$	80,383,742	$	2,414,864	$	(1,112,077	)	$	81,686,529	4.26	%	6.77	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		34,374,028		(7,057,026	)		27,317,002		464,756		(345,915	)		27,435,843	0.76		6.80
Prime		109,136,108		(13,590,489	)		95,545,619		3,751,248		(767,825	)		98,529,042	4.77		6.45
Subprime		20,140,974		(1,894,417	)		18,246,557		536,407		(279,157	)		18,503,807	1.07		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,241,597	$	(102,748,677	)	$	221,492,920	$	7,167,275	$	(2,504,974	)	$	226,155,221	3.80	%	6.57	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $64.3 million.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%
	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

     At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturities of the real estate securities ranged from 7.3 to 32.9 years, with a weighted average maturity of 23.9 years. All real estate securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Other Investment Securities as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Other Investment Securities
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%
	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of other investment securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturity of the Other Investment Securities was 9.6 years. All Other Investment Securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of December 31, 2013 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%
	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%

____________________
 

(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

At December 31, 2013, the contractual maturities of the real estate securities ranged from 7.7 to 33.0 years, with a weighted average maturity of 24.0 years. All real estate securities held by the Company at December 31, 2013 were issued by issuers based in the United States of America.

The following table presents certain additional information regarding the Company's RMBS:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Proceeds from the sale of real estate securities	$	2,072,198	$	6,801,398
Realized gain on the sale of real estate securities		73,619		-
Realized loss on OTTI		-		-

There were no sales or realized losses on OTTI on Other Investment Securities for the three months ended March 31, 2014.

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Subsequent Events

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Subsequent Events [Abstract]

Subsequent Events

17. Subsequent Events

None

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Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership [Abstract]

Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership

13. Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership

     Non-controlling interests in the Operating Partnership in the accompanying consolidated financial statements relate to OP units in the Operating Partnership held by parties other than the Company.

Certain individuals and entities own OP units in the Operating Partnership. An OP unit and a share of common stock of the Company have substantially the same economic characteristics in as much as they effectively share equally in the net income or loss of the Operating Partnership. OP unit holders have the right to redeem their OP units, subject to certain restrictions. The redemption is required to be satisfied in shares of common stock or cash at the Company's option, calculated as follows: one share of the Company's common stock, or cash equal to the fair value of a share of the Company's common stock at the time of redemption, for each OP unit. When an OP unit holder redeems an OP unit, non-controlling interest in the Operating Partnership is reduced and the Company's equity is increased. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the non-controlling interest OP unit holders owned 926,914 OP units, or 10.4% of the OP Units issued by the Operating Partnership.

Pursuant to ASC 810, Consolidation, regarding the accounting and reporting for non-controlling interests and changes in ownership interests of a subsidiary, changes in a parent's ownership interest (and transactions with non-controlling interest unit holders in the Operating Partnership) while the parent retains its controlling interest in its subsidiary, should be accounted for as equity transactions. The carrying amount of the non-controlling interest shall be adjusted to reflect the change in its ownership interest in the subsidiary, with the offset to equity attributable to the Company.

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Derivative Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Derivative Instruments [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments

9. Derivative Instruments

Interest Rate Swap and Swaption Agreements

To help mitigate exposure to higher short-term interest rates, the Company uses currently-paying and forward-starting, three-month LIBOR-indexed, pay-fixed, receive-variable, interest rate swap agreements. Additionally, the Company enters into interest rate swaption agreements which gives the Company the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a previously agreed upon swap contract on a future date. If exercised the Company will enter into an interest rate swap agreement and is obligated to pay a fixed rate of interest and receive a floating rate of interest. These swap agreements establish an economic fixed rate on related borrowings because the variable-rate payments received on the interest rate swap agreements largely offset interest accruing on the related borrowings, leaving the fixed-rate payments to be paid on the interest rate swap agreements as the Company's effective borrowing rate, subject to certain adjustments including changes in spreads between variable rates on the interest rate swap agreements and actual borrowing rates.

     The Company's interest rate swap agreements and interest rate swaption agreement have not been designated as hedging instruments.

TBA Securities

The Company may, and has in the past, entered into TBA contracts as a means of acquiring exposure to Agency RMBS and may, from time to time, utilize TBA dollar roll transactions to finance Agency RMBS purchases. The Company may also enter into TBA contracts as a means of hedging against short-term changes in interest rates. The Company accounts for its TBA contracts as derivative instruments due to the fact that it does not intend to take physical delivery of the securities. The Company had no exposure to TBA contracts at any time during the three months ended March 31, 2014. During the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company paired off purchases of TBA securities with a combined notional amount of $60.0 million by entering into simultaneous sales of TBA securities and recognized a loss of $112,149 as a result.

Conversion Option - 8% Exchangeable Senior Notes Due 2016

Changes in the fair value of the conversion option derivative related to the Exchangeable Senior Notes are recorded through earnings.

Derivative Instruments

The following table summarizes information related to derivative instruments:

	March 31,		December 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	2014		2013
Notional amount of interest rate swaption	$	225,000,000	$	-
Notional amount of interest rate swaps		17,200,000		17,200,000
Total notional amount	$	242,200,000	$	17,200,000

The following table presents the fair value of the Company's derivative instruments and their balance sheet location:

			March 31,			December 31,
Derivative instruments	Designation	Balance Sheet Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Non-hedge	Derivative assets, at fair value	$	2,261,459		$	-
Interest rate swaps	Non-hedge	Derivative (liabilities)/assets, at fair value	$	(25,705	)	$	284,454
Exchangeable Senior Notes
conversion option	Non-hedge	Derivative liabilities, at fair value	$	(1,580,711	)	$	(1,471,607	)

The following table summarizes gains and losses related to derivatives:

		Three Months Ended
		March 31,			March 31,
Non-hedge derivatives	Income Statement Location	2014			2013
Interest rate swaption	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(2,542,292	)	$	-
Interest rate swaps	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(457,285	)	$	(55,302	)
Exchangeable Senior Notes conversion option	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	(109,104	)	$	-
TBAs	Gain/(loss) on derivative instruments	$	-		$	336,446

     The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of March 31, 2014:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.3

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $0.9 million of cash pledged as collateral against interest rate swap agreements.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swaption agreement as of March 31, 2014:

	Notional
Swaption Expiration	Amount		Strike Rate		Swap Maturity
2015	$	225,000,000	3.64	%	2025

Restricted cash at March 31, 2014 included $2.5 million of cash pledged as collateral against an interest rate swaption agreement.

The following table presents information about the Company's interest rate swap agreements as of December 31, 2013:

			Weighted		Weighted		Weighted
	Notional		Average Pay		Average		Average Years
Maturity	Amount		Rate		Receive Rate		to Maturity
2023	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6
Total/Weighted average	$	17,200,000	2.72	%	0.24	%	9.6

Restricted cash at December 31, 2013 included $0.8 million of cash pledged as collateral against interest rate swaps.

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Derivative Instruments (Schedule of Fair Value of Derivative Instruments) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets (liabilities), at fair value	$ 2,261,459
Interest Rate Swap [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets (liabilities), at fair value	(25,705)	284,454
Exchangeable Senior Notes Conversion Option [Member] | Not Designated as Hedging Instrument [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Derivative assets (liabilities), at fair value	$ (1,580,711)	$ (1,471,607)

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Securities Repurchase Agreements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Securities Repurchase Agreements [Abstract]

Securities Repurchase Agreements

7. Securities Repurchase Agreements

     Repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities involve the sale and a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the transferred assets or similar assets at a future date. The amount borrowed generally is equal to the fair value of the assets pledged less an agreed-upon discount, referred to as a "haircut." Repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities entered into by the Company are accounted for as financings and require the repurchase of the transferred securities at the end of each arrangement's term, typically 30 to 90 days. The Company maintains the beneficial interest in the specific securities pledged during the term of the repurchase arrangement and receives the related principal and interest payments. Interest rates on these borrowings are fixed based on prevailing rates corresponding to the terms of the borrowings, and interest is paid at the termination of the repurchase arrangement at which time the Company may enter into a new repurchase arrangement at prevailing market rates with the same counterparty or repay that counterparty and negotiate financing with a different counterparty. In response to declines in fair value of pledged securities due to changes in market conditions or the publishing of monthly security paydown factors, the lender requires the Company to post additional securities as collateral, pay down borrowings or establish cash margin accounts with the counterparty in order to re-establish the agreed-upon collateral requirements, referred to as margin calls. Under the terms of the Company's master repurchase agreements related to real estate securities and Other Investment Securities, the counterparty may sell or re-hypothecate the pledged collateral.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's securities repurchase agreements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 by remaining maturity and collateral type:

	March 31, 2014								December 31, 2013
	Non-Agency RMBS				Other Investment Securities				Non-Agency RMBS
			Weighted				Weighted				Weighted
	Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate		Balance		Average Rate
Securities repurchase agreements
maturing within
30 days or less	$	125,330,562	1.89	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	121,913,678	1.90	%
31-60 days		6,104,000	1.84			-	-			6,415,000	1.84
61-90 days		20,186,000	1.83			-	-			10,263,000	1.85
Greater than 90 days		-	-			-	-			-	-
Total/weighted average	$	151,620,562	1.88	%	$	7,560,000	1.90	%	$	138,591,678	1.89	%

Although securities repurchase agreements are committed borrowings until maturity, the lender retains the right to mark the underlying collateral to fair value. A reduction in the value of pledged assets would require the Company to provide additional collateral or cash to fund margin calls.

The following table presents information with respect to the Company's posting of collateral under its securities repurchase agreements at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013:

			December 31,
	March 31, 2014		2013
Securities repurchase agreements secured by non-Agency RMBS	$	151,620,562	$	138,591,678
Securities repurchase agreements secured by Other Investment Securities		7,560,000		-
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS pledged as collateral		201,451,523		183,722,511
Fair value of Other Investment Securities pledged as collateral		11,087,508		-
Fair value of non-Agency RMBS not pledged as collateral		30,393,376		42,432,710
Cash pledged as collateral		2,416,464		1,360,528

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8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016 [Abstract]

8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016

8. 8.0% Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2016

On November 25, 2013 the Operating Partnership issued the Exchangeable Senior Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $57.5 million. The Exchangeable Senior Notes were issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated November 25, 2013, between the Company, as guarantor, the Operating Partnership and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The sale of the Exchangeable Senior Notes generated net proceeds of approximately $55.3 million. Aggregate estimated offering expenses in connection with the transaction, including the initial purchasers' discount of approximately $1.7 million, were approximately $2.2 million. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying value of the Exchangeable Senior Notes was $54.8 million and $54.5 million, respectively.

     The Exchangeable Senior Notes bear interest at a rate of 8.0% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 of each year, beginning on May 15, 2014. The estimated effective interest rate of the Exchangeable Senior Notes, which is equal to the stated rate of 8.0% plus the amortization of the original issue discount and associated costs, is 10.2%. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the interest incurred on this indebtedness was $1.4 million. The Exchangeable Senior Notes will mature on November 15, 2016 (the "Maturity Date"), unless previously exchanged or repurchased in accordance with their terms. The Exchangeable Senior Notes are the Company's senior unsecured obligations and rank senior in right of payment to the Company's existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Exchangeable Senior Notes; equal in right of payment to the Company's existing and future unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company's secured indebtedness (including existing unsecured indebtedness that the Company later secures) to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all existing and future indebtedness (including trade payables) incurred by the Company's subsidiaries, financing vehicles or similar facilities.

The Exchangeable Senior Notes are exchangeable for shares of the Company's common stock or, to the extent necessary to satisfy NYSE listing requirements, cash, at the applicable exchange rate at any time prior to the close of business on the scheduled trading day prior to the Maturity Date. The Company may not elect to issue shares of common stock upon exchange of the Exchangeable Senior Notes to the extent such election would result in the issuance of 20% or more of the common stock outstanding immediately prior to the issuance of the Exchangeable Senior Notes (or more than 1,779,560 shares of common stock) unless the Company receives stockholder approval for issuances above this threshold.

As a result of the NYSE related limitation on the use of share-settlement for the full conversion option, the embedded conversion option does not qualify for equity classification and instead is separately valued and accounted for as a derivative liability. The initial value allocated to the derivative liability was $1.3 million, which represents a discount to the debt to be amortized through interest expense using the effective interest method through the Maturity Date. During each reporting period, the derivative liability is marked to fair value through earnings. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the derivative liability had a fair value of $1.6 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

The exchange rate was initially 52.5417 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes (equivalent to an initial exchange price of approximately $19.03 per share of common stock). The exchange rate will be subject to adjustment for certain events, including for regular quarterly dividends in excess of $0.50 per share, but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, if certain corporate events occur prior to the Maturity Date, the exchange rate will be increased but will in no event exceed 60.4229 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes. The exchange rate was adjusted on December 27, 2013, to 54.3103 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Exchangeable Senior Notes pursuant to the Company's special dividend of $0.55 per share of common stock and OP unit declared on December 19, 2013.

The Company does not have the right to redeem the Exchangeable Senior Notes prior to the Maturity Date, except to the extent necessary to preserve its qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No sinking fund is provided for the Exchangeable Senior Notes. In addition, if the Company undergoes certain corporate events that constitute a "fundamental change," the holders of the Exchangeable Senior Notes may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or part of their Exchangeable Senior Notes at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Exchangeable Senior Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

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Earnings Per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

10. Earnings Per Share

The following table presents a reconciliation of the earnings and shares used in calculating basic and diluted earnings per share:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Numerator:
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common
stockholders	$	2,224,205	$	1,659,222
Effect of dilutive securities:
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests		258,654		299,094
Dilutive net income available to stockholders	$	2,482,859	$	1,958,316
Denominator:
Weighted average number of shares of common stock		7,970,886		5,142,053
Effect of dilutive securities:
Weighted average number of OP units		926,914		926,914
Weighted average dilutive shares		8,897,800		6,068,967
Net income per share applicable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders - Basic/Diluted	$	.28	$	.32

As of March 31, 2014, there were 1,779,560 potential shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the Exchangeable Senior Notes excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive.

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Related Party Transactions (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Advisory fee - related party	$ 702,755	$ 488,385
ZAIS REIT Management, LLC [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Advisory fee, rate	1.50%
Advisory fee - related party	700,000	500,000
Advisory fees due to related party	$ 700,000

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Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership (Details) (ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P. [Member])	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
ZAIS Financial Partners, L.P. [Member]
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Units issued and outstanding	926,914	926,914
Non-controlling interest equity interest	10.40%	10.40%

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Earnings Per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Numerator:
Net income attributable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders	$ 2,224,205	$ 1,659,222
Effect of dilutive securities:
Net income allocated to non-controlling interests	258,654	299,094
Dilutive net income available to stockholders	$ 2,482,859	$ 1,958,316
Denominator:
Weighted average number of shares of common stock	7,970,886	5,142,053
Effect of dilutive securities:
Weighted average number of OP units	926,914	926,914
Weighted average dilutive shares	8,897,800	6,068,967
Net income per share applicable to ZAIS Financial Corp. common stockholders - Basic/Diluted	$ 0.28	$ 0.32
Shares excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as such inclusion would be anti-dilutive	1,779,560

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Formation and Organization (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Feb. 13, 2013 Common Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Common Stock [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Common Stock [Member]
Formation and Organization [Abstract]
Exchange offer contribution - cash	$ 3,036,222
Exchange offer contribution - debt securities	57,416,118
Exchange offer contribution - shares issued	3,022,617
Common stock, shares authorized			500,000,000	500,000,000
Common stock, par value per share			$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized			50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred Stock, Par or Stated Value Per Share			$ 0.0001	$ 0.0001
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Shares of stock issued					5,650,000	36,581	195,458
Common stock issued, price per share					$ 21.25
Gross proceeds from issuance initial public offering					120,100,000
Offering fees		763,000			1,200,000
Value of stock issued			$ 118,862,500		$ 118,900,000

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Loan Repurchase Facility (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	0 Months Ended					3 Months Ended
	Mar. 27, 2014	Aug. 28, 2013	Jul. 25, 2013	May 31, 2013	Mar. 22, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unpaid principal balance of loans acquired	$ 100.4	$ 98.2	$ 162.4	$ 134.5	$ 17.7	$ 100.4
Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Term of facility						364 days
Increase in borrowing capacity						75
Maximum amount of facility						$ 325

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Counterparty Risk and Concentration

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Counterparty Risk and Concentration [Abstract]

Counterparty Risk and Concentration

15. Counterparty Risk and Concentration

Counterparty risk is the risk that counterparties may fail to fulfill their obligations, including their inability to post additional collateral in circumstances where their pledged collateral value becomes inadequate. The Company attempts to manage its exposure to counterparty risk through diversification, use of financial instruments and monitoring the creditworthiness of counterparties.

As explained in the notes above, while the Company engages in repurchase financing activities with several financial institutions, the Company maintains custody accounts with two custodians at March 31, 2014. There is no guarantee that these custodians will not become insolvent. While there are certain regulations that seek to protect customer property in the event of a failure, insolvency or liquidation of a custodian, there is no certainty that the Company would not incur losses due to its assets being unavailable for a period of time in the event of a failure of a custodian that has custody of the Company's assets. Although management monitors the credit worthiness of its custodians, such losses could be significant and could materially impair the ability of the Company to achieve its investment objective.

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Mortgage Loans (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Mortgage Loans [Abstract]

Schedule of Information about Investments in Mortgage Loans

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at March 31, 2014:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	251,746,179	$	(47,755,347	)	$	203,990,832	$	9,565,952	$	(2,750,993	)	$	210,805,791	4.73	%	7.07	%
ARM		218,006,277		(33,133,709	)		184,872,568		4,853,505		(2,269,336	)		187,456,737	3.64		6.73
Total performing		469,752,456		(80,889,056	)		388,863,400		14,419,457		(5,020,329	)		398,262,528	4.22		6.91
Non-performing(3)		26,234,674		(7,310,449	)		18,924,225		544,555		(2,117,597	)		17,351,183	5.00		7.58
Total Mortgage Loans	$	495,987,130	$	(88,199,505	)	$	407,787,625	$	14,964,012	$	(7,137,926	)	$	415,613,711	4.26	%	6.94	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans. The Company recorded a gain of $0.7 million and a loss of $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

     The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at December 31, 2013:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	212,701,494	$	(43,530,581	)	$	169,170,913	$	7,842,598	$	(3,558,171	)	$	173,455,340	4.56	%	7.05	%
ARM		170,178,466		(25,617,563	)		144,560,903		5,088,302		(1,556,430	)		148,092,775	3.76		6.67
Total performing		382,879,960		(69,148,144	)		313,731,816		12,930,900		(5,114,601	)		321,548,115	4.20		6.88
Non-performing(3)		15,948,537		(5,031,293	)		10,917,244		456,024		(1,135,841	)		10,237,427	5.06		8.03
Total Mortgage Loans	$	398,828,497	$	(74,179,437	)	$	324,649,060	$	13,386,924	$	(6,250,442	)	$	331,785,542	4.24	%	6.91	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

Schedule of Difference Between Fair Value and Aggregate Unpaid Principal Balance

     The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
	Fair Value		Balance		Difference			Fair Value		Balance		Difference
Loan Type
Performing loans:
Fixed	$	210,805,791	$	251,746,179	$	(40,940,388	)	$	173,455,340	$	212,701,494	$	(39,246,154	)
ARM		187,456,737		218,006,277		(30,549,540	)		148,092,775		170,178,466		(22,085,691	)
Total performing
loans		398,262,528		469,752,456		(71,489,928	)		321,548,115		382,879,960		(61,331,845	)
Non-performing
loans		17,351,183		26,234,674		(8,883,491	)		10,237,427		15,948,537		(5,711,110	)
Total	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)

Schedule of Concentrations of Credit Risk

As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company's mortgage loan portfolio consisted of mortgage loans on residential real estate located throughout the U.S. The following is a summary of certain concentrations of credit risk in the mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Concentration
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans with unpaid-principal-balance-to current-property-
value in excess of 100%	65.9	%	73.6	%
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans secured by properties in the following states:
Each representing 10% or more of fair value:
California	25.2	%	25.6	%
Florida	16.4	%	17.8	%
Additional state representing more than 5% of fair value:
Georgia	6.3	%	6.8	%

Schedule of Change in Accretable Yield

     The following table presents the change in accretable yield for the three months ended March 31, 2014:

Accretable yield, January 1, 2014	$	223,401,697
Acquisitions		55,532,098
Accretion		(5,649,553	)
Reclassifications to nonaccretable difference		4,326,116
Accretable yield, March 31, 2014	$	277,610,358

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities (Schedule of Certain Information Regarding Real Estate Securities) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Non-Agency RMBS [Member]
Greater than 5 years
Fair Value	$ 231,844,899	[1]	$ 226,155,221	[1]
Amortized Cost	224,446,541	[1]	221,492,920	[1]
Weighted Average Yield	6.77%	[1]	6.57%	[1]
Fair Value	231,844,899	[1]	226,155,221	[1]
Amortized Cost	224,446,541	[1]	221,492,920	[1]
Weighted Average Yield	6.77%	[1]	6.57%	[1]
Other Investment Securities [Member]
Greater than 5 years
Fair Value	11,087,508	[2]
Amortized Cost	10,716,744	[2]
Weighted Average Yield	6.66%	[2]
Fair Value	11,087,508	[2]
Amortized Cost	$ 10,716,744	[2]
Weighted Average Yield	6.66%	[2],[3]

[1] Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

[2] Actual maturities of other investment securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

[3] Unleveraged yield.

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Mortgage Loans (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	0 Months Ended					3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended					3 Months Ended
	Mar. 27, 2014	Aug. 28, 2013	Jul. 25, 2013	May 31, 2013	Mar. 22, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 27, 2014 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	Aug. 28, 2013 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	Jul. 25, 2013 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	May 30, 2013 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	May 31, 2013 Loan Repurchase Facility [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Minimum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Maximum [Member]
Mortgage Loans on Real Estate [Line Items]
Unpaid principal balance of loans acquired	$ 100.4	$ 98.2	$ 162.4	$ 134.5	$ 17.7	$ 100.4
Mortgage loan interest rate, minimum						1.75%
Mortgage loan interest rate, maximum						12.20%
Mortgage loan interest rate maturity												1 year	46 years
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Utilization of facility							$ 60.6	$ 54.8	$ 98.7	$ 10.6	$ 78.5

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Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (USD $)	Total	Preferred Stock [Member]	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	(Accumulated Deficit) / Retained Earnings [Member]	Total ZAIS Financial Corp. Stockholders' Equity [Member]	Non-controlling Interests in Operating Partnership [Member]
Balance at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 65,140,795		$ 207	$ 39,759,770	$ 5,281,941	$ 45,041,918	$ 20,098,877
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2012		133	2,071,096
Reversal of common stock repurchase liability	5,440,175		25	5,440,150		5,440,175
Reversal of common stock repurchase liability, shares			249,790
Repurchase of stock	(133,000)			(133,000)		(133,000)
Repurchase of stock, shares		(133)
Net proceeds from offering of common stock	118,862,500		566	118,861,934		118,862,500
Net proceeds from offering of common stock, shares			5,650,000
Equity raise payments	(216,658)			(216,658)		(216,658)
Distributions on OP units	(1,965,060)						(1,965,060)
Dividends on common stock	(16,898,276)				(16,898,276)	(16,898,276)
Rebalancing of ownership percentage between the Company and operating partnership				495,421		495,421	(495,421)
Net income	7,538,086				6,657,728	6,657,728	880,358
Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	177,768,562		798	164,207,617	(4,958,607)	159,249,808	18,518,754
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2013			7,970,886
Distributions on OP units	(370,766)						(370,766)
Dividends on common stock	(3,188,354)				(3,188,354)	(3,188,354)
Net income	2,482,859				2,224,205	2,224,205	258,654
Balance at Mar. 31, 2014	$ 176,692,301		$ 798	$ 164,207,617	$ (5,922,756)	$ 158,285,659	$ 18,406,642
Balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2014			7,970,886

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Mortgage Loans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Mortgage Loans [Abstract]

Mortgage Loans

4. Mortgage Loans

On March 22, 2013, the Company purchased a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $17.7 million.

On May 30, 2013, the Company entered into the Loan Repurchase Facility and utilized approximately $10.6 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to finance its then existing residential mortgage loan portfolio.

On May 31, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $78.5 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $134.5 million.

On July 25, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $98.7 million of its Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $162.4 million.

On August 28, 2013, the Company utilized approximately $54.8 million of its Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $98.2 million.

On March 27, 2014, the Company utilized approximately $60.6 million of the Loan Repurchase Facility to fund a portion of the purchase price of its acquisition of a residential mortgage loan portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of approximately $100.4 million.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at March 31, 2014:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	251,746,179	$	(47,755,347	)	$	203,990,832	$	9,565,952	$	(2,750,993	)	$	210,805,791	4.73	%	7.07	%
ARM		218,006,277		(33,133,709	)		184,872,568		4,853,505		(2,269,336	)		187,456,737	3.64		6.73
Total performing		469,752,456		(80,889,056	)		388,863,400		14,419,457		(5,020,329	)		398,262,528	4.22		6.91
Non-performing(3)		26,234,674		(7,310,449	)		18,924,225		544,555		(2,117,597	)		17,351,183	5.00		7.58
Total Mortgage Loans	$	495,987,130	$	(88,199,505	)	$	407,787,625	$	14,964,012	$	(7,137,926	)	$	415,613,711	4.26	%	6.94	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans. The Company recorded a gain of $0.7 million and a loss of $0.03 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on mortgage loans in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

     The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's mortgage loan portfolio at December 31, 2013:

	Unpaid							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Principal		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Mortgage Loans
Performing
Fixed	$	212,701,494	$	(43,530,581	)	$	169,170,913	$	7,842,598	$	(3,558,171	)	$	173,455,340	4.56	%	7.05	%
ARM		170,178,466		(25,617,563	)		144,560,903		5,088,302		(1,556,430	)		148,092,775	3.76		6.67
Total performing		382,879,960		(69,148,144	)		313,731,816		12,930,900		(5,114,601	)		321,548,115	4.20		6.88
Non-performing(3)		15,948,537		(5,031,293	)		10,917,244		456,024		(1,135,841	)		10,237,427	5.06		8.03
Total Mortgage Loans	$	398,828,497	$	(74,179,437	)	$	324,649,060	$	13,386,924	$	(6,250,442	)	$	331,785,542	4.24	%	6.91	%

____________________
 

(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its mortgage loans.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Loans that are delinquent for 60 days or more are considered non-performing.

     The following table presents the difference between the fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance of the Company's mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014							December 31, 2013
			Unpaid							Unpaid
			Principal							Principal
	Fair Value		Balance		Difference			Fair Value		Balance		Difference
Loan Type
Performing loans:
Fixed	$	210,805,791	$	251,746,179	$	(40,940,388	)	$	173,455,340	$	212,701,494	$	(39,246,154	)
ARM		187,456,737		218,006,277		(30,549,540	)		148,092,775		170,178,466		(22,085,691	)
Total performing
loans		398,262,528		469,752,456		(71,489,928	)		321,548,115		382,879,960		(61,331,845	)
Non-performing
loans		17,351,183		26,234,674		(8,883,491	)		10,237,427		15,948,537		(5,711,110	)
Total	$	415,613,711	$	495,987,130	$	(80,373,419	)	$	331,785,542	$	398,828,497	$	(67,042,955	)

As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company's mortgage loan portfolio consisted of mortgage loans on residential real estate located throughout the U.S. The following is a summary of certain concentrations of credit risk in the mortgage loan portfolio:

	March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
Concentration
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans with unpaid-principal-balance-to current-property-
value in excess of 100%	65.9	%	73.6	%
Percentage of fair value of mortgage loans secured by properties in the following states:
Each representing 10% or more of fair value:
California	25.2	%	25.6	%
Florida	16.4	%	17.8	%
Additional state representing more than 5% of fair value:
Georgia	6.3	%	6.8	%

At March 31, 2014 the interest rates on the Company's mortgage loan portfolio ranged from 1.75% - 12.20% and the contractual maturities ranged from 1 - 46 years.

     The following table presents the change in accretable yield for the three months ended March 31, 2014:

Accretable yield, January 1, 2014	$	223,401,697
Acquisitions		55,532,098
Accretion		(5,649,553	)
Reclassifications to nonaccretable difference		4,326,116
Accretable yield, March 31, 2014	$	277,610,358

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Derivative Instruments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)			3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014 Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Interest Rate Swaps [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 TBAs [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Interest Rate Swaption [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Notional amount of contracts paired off and sold			$ 60,000,000
Gain (loss) on derivative instruments			(112,149)
Cash pledged as collateral	$ 900,000	$ 800,000		$ 2,500,000

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Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Real Estate Securities and Other Investment Securities [Abstract]

Schedule of Information Regarding Real Estate Securities

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS and Other Investment Securities at March 31, 2014:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative - A(3)	$	164,764,296	$	(78,482,420	)	$	86,281,876	$	2,963,208	$	(327,637	)	$	88,917,447	4.09	%	7.11	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		33,700,568		(6,646,540	)		27,054,028		605,224		(228,195	)		27,431,057	0.74		6.83
Prime		105,995,923		(13,051,352	)		92,944,571		4,113,891		(235,413	)		96,823,049	4.71		6.59
Subprime		19,867,136		(1,701,070	)		18,166,066		689,080		(181,800	)		18,673,346	1.06		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,327,923	$	(99,881,382	)	$	224,446,541	$	8,371,403	$	(973,045	)	$	231,844,899	3.71	%	6.77	%
Other investment securities	$	10,000,000	$	716,744		$	10,716,744	$	370,764	$	-		$	11,087,508	5.40	%	6.66	%

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(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities and Other Investment Securities. The Company recorded a gain of $2.7 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and March 31, 2013, respectively, as change in unrealized gain or loss on real estate securities in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company also recorded a gain of $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 as change in unrealized gain or loss on other investment securities in the consolidated statements of operations.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $61.4 million.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company's RMBS at December 31, 2013:

	Principal or							Gross Unrealized(1)							Weighted Average
	Notional		Premium			Amortized
	Balance		(Discount)			Cost		Gains		Losses			Fair Value		Coupon		Yield(2)
Real estate securities
Non-Agency RMBS
Alternative - A(3)	$	160,590,487	$	(80,206,745	)	$	80,383,742	$	2,414,864	$	(1,112,077	)	$	81,686,529	4.26	%	6.77	%
Pay option adjustable
rate		34,374,028		(7,057,026	)		27,317,002		464,756		(345,915	)		27,435,843	0.76		6.80
Prime		109,136,108		(13,590,489	)		95,545,619		3,751,248		(767,825	)		98,529,042	4.77		6.45
Subprime		20,140,974		(1,894,417	)		18,246,557		536,407		(279,157	)		18,503,807	1.07		5.97
Total RMBS	$	324,241,597	$	(102,748,677	)	$	221,492,920	$	7,167,275	$	(2,504,974	)	$	226,155,221	3.80	%	6.57	%

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(1)	The Company has elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825 for its real estate securities.
(2)	Unleveraged yield.
(3)	Alternative-A RMBS includes an IO with a notional balance of $64.3 million.

Schedule of Information Regarding Gains and Losses on Securities

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%
	$	231,844,899	$	224,446,541	6.77	%

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(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

     At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturities of the real estate securities ranged from 7.3 to 32.9 years, with a weighted average maturity of 23.9 years. All real estate securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's Other Investment Securities as of March 31, 2014 by weighted average life:

	Other Investment Securities
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%
	$	11,087,508	$	10,716,744	6.66	%

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(1) Actual maturities of other investment securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

At March 31, 2014, the contractual maturity of the Other Investment Securities was 9.6 years. All Other Investment Securities held by the Company at March 31, 2014 were issued by issuers based in the United States.

The following table presents certain information regarding the Company's non-Agency RMBS as of December 31, 2013 by weighted average life:

	Non-Agency RMBS
					Weighted
	Fair Value		Amortized Cost		Average Yield
Weighted average life(1)
Greater than 5 years	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%
	$	226,155,221	$	221,492,920	6.57	%

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(1) Actual maturities of real estate securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, prepayments of principal and credit losses.

Schedule of Information Regarding Real Estate Securities by Weighted Average Life

The following table presents certain additional information regarding the Company's RMBS:

	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
Proceeds from the sale of real estate securities	$	2,072,198	$	6,801,398
Realized gain on the sale of real estate securities		73,619		-
Realized loss on OTTI		-		-

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Fair Value (Schedule of Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Mortgage Loans [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 415,613,711
Mortgage Loans [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	1.10%
Constant default rate	0.40%
Loss severity	6.40%
Delinquency	3.60%
Mortgage Loans [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	8.40%
Constant default rate	4.40%
Loss severity	44.00%
Delinquency	14.60%
Mortgage Loans [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	3.60%
Constant default rate	3.10%
Loss severity	25.20%
Delinquency	11.50%
Non-Agency RMBS [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	231,844,899	[1]
Alternative - A [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	88,917,447	[1]
Alternative - A [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	1.20%	[1]
Constant default rate	0.20%	[1]
Loss severity	0.00%	[1]
Delinquency	1.20%	[1]
Alternative - A [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	27.30%	[1]
Constant default rate	11.80%	[1]
Loss severity	90.20%	[1]
Delinquency	28.00%	[1]
Alternative - A [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	12.50%	[1]
Constant default rate	3.20%	[1]
Loss severity	24.60%	[1]
Delinquency	10.40%	[1]
Pay Option Adjustable Rate [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	27,431,057	[1]
Pay Option Adjustable Rate [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	1.30%	[1]
Constant default rate	2.30%	[1]
Loss severity	0.30%	[1]
Delinquency	8.10%	[1]
Pay Option Adjustable Rate [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	19.80%	[1]
Constant default rate	9.80%	[1]
Loss severity	61.60%	[1]
Delinquency	33.60%	[1]
Pay Option Adjustable Rate [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	9.10%	[1]
Constant default rate	4.80%	[1]
Loss severity	40.60%	[1]
Delinquency	16.40%	[1]
Prime [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	96,823,049	[1]
Prime [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	2.10%	[1]
Constant default rate	0.70%	[1]
Loss severity	0.10%	[1]
Delinquency	2.80%	[1]
Prime [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	17.80%	[1]
Constant default rate	13.50%	[1]
Loss severity	66.80%	[1]
Delinquency	28.00%	[1]
Prime [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	9.50%	[1]
Constant default rate	4.10%	[1]
Loss severity	29.90%	[1]
Delinquency	13.00%	[1]
Subprime [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	18,673,346	[1]
Subprime [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	1.80%	[1]
Constant default rate	3.50%	[1]
Loss severity	5.50%	[1]
Delinquency	14.40%	[1]
Subprime [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	11.90%	[1]
Constant default rate	11.20%	[1]
Loss severity	94.70%	[1]
Delinquency	26.80%	[1]
Subprime [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	6.30%	[1]
Constant default rate	4.60%	[1]
Loss severity	44.10%	[1]
Delinquency	17.60%	[1]
Other Investment Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 11,087,508	[1]
Other Investment Securities [Member] | Weighted Average [Member] | Market Approach Valuation Technique [Member]
Unobservable Input
Constant voluntary prepayment	10.00%	[1]

[1] The Company uses third-party dealer quotes to estimate fair value of some of its financial assets. The Company verifies selected prices by using a variety of methods, including comparing prices to internally estimated prices and corroborating the prices by reference to other independent market data, such as relevant benchmark indices and prices of similar instruments. Where the Company has disclosed unobservable inputs for broker quotes or comparable trades, those inputs are based on the Company's validations performed at the security level.

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Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

14. Commitments and Contingencies

Advisor Services

The Company is dependent on the Advisor for certain services that are essential to the Company, including the identification, evaluation, negotiation, origination, acquisition and disposition of investments; management of the daily operations of the Company's investment portfolio including determination of fair value; and other general and administrative responsibilities. In the event that the Advisor is unable to provide the respective services, the Company will be required to obtain such services from an alternative source.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company may become involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. Management is not aware of any contingencies that would require accrual or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements at March 31, 2014 or December 31, 2013.