NOTE 6 ¾ SECURED BORROWINGS

Capstead pledges its Residential mortgage investments as collateral for secured borrowings primarily in the form of repurchase arrangements with commercial banks and other financial institutions. In August 2015 the Company began supplementing its borrowings under repurchase arrangements with advances from the FHLB of Cincinnati (collectively referred to as “counterparties” or “lending counterparties”). Repurchase arrangements entered into by the Company involve the sale and a simultaneous agreement to repurchase the transferred assets at a future date and are accounted for as financings. The Company maintains the beneficial interest in the specific securities pledged during the term of each repurchase arrangement and receives the related principal and interest payments. FHLB advances differ from repurchase arrangements in that Capstead pledges collateral to the bank to secure each such advance rather than transferring ownership of the pledged collateral to the bank and simultaneously agreeing to repurchase the transferred assets at a future date. On January 12, 2016 the FHLB system regulator finalized rules originally proposed in 2014 that generally preclude captive insurers from remaining members beyond February 19, 2017 with transition rules that require outstanding advances to be repaid upon maturity or by that date. In response to this action, the Company has reduced outstanding FHLB advances to $750 million as of February 26, 2016 and anticipates migrating remaining balances away from the FHLB by November 2016. The Company’s ownership interest in FHLB stock held in connection with advance activity and totaling $60.0 million at December 31, 2015, is expected to be redeemed by December 31, 2016.

The terms and conditions of secured borrowings are negotiated on a transaction-by-transaction basis when each such borrowing is initiated or renewed. The amount borrowed is generally equal to the fair value of the securities pledged, as determined by the lending counterparty, less an agreed-upon discount, referred to as a “haircut.” Interest rates are generally fixed based on prevailing rates corresponding to the terms of the borrowings. Interest may be paid monthly or at the termination of a borrowing at which time the Company may enter into a new borrowing at prevailing haircuts and rates with the same lending counterparty or repay that counterparty and negotiate financing with a different lending counterparty. None of the Company’s lending counterparties are obligated to renew or otherwise enter into new borrowings at the conclusion of existing borrowings. In response to declines in fair value of pledged securities due to changes in market conditions or the publishing of monthly security pay-down factors, lending counterparties typically require the Company to post additional securities as collateral, pay down borrowings or fund cash margin accounts with the counterparties in order to re-establish the agreed-upon collateral requirements. These actions are referred to as margin calls. Conversely, in response to increases in fair value of pledged securities, the Company routinely margin calls its lending counterparties in order to have previously pledged collateral returned.

Secured borrowings (and related pledged collateral, including accrued interest receivable), classified by collateral type and remaining maturities, and related weighted average borrowing rates as of the indicated dates were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Collateral Type	Collateral Carrying Amount		Accrued Interest Receivable		Borrowings Outstanding		Average Borrowing Rates
December 31, 2015
Borrowings under repurchase arrangements with maturities of 30 days or less:
Agency Securities	$	9,080,363	$	18,504	$	8,585,336		0.67	%
Borrowings under repurchase arrangements with maturities greater than 30 days:
Agency Securities (31 to 90 days)		423,710		861		346,177		0.63
Agency Securities (greater than 90 days)		1,073,254		2,519		1,150,000		0.75
Similar borrowings:
Collateral for structured financings		1,881		–		1,881		8.12
		10,579,208		21,884		10,083,394
FHLB advances		2,956,908		11,422		2,875,000		0.43
	$	13,536,116	$	33,306	$	12,958,394		0.62
Year-end borrowing rates adjusted for effects of related Derivatives held as cash flow hedges								0.85
December 31, 2014
Borrowings under repurchase arrangements with maturities of 30 days or less:
Agency Securities	$	10,401,080	$	24,045	$	9,878,889		0.35	%
Borrowings under repurchase arrangements with maturities greater than 30 days:
Agency Securities (31 to 90 days)		1,205,570		2,248		1,150,924		0.35
Agency Securities (greater than 90 days)		1,874,892		4,640		1,775,000		0.56
Similar borrowings:
Collateral for structured financings		2,030		–		2,030		8.11
	$	13,483,572	$	30,933	$	12,806,843		0.38
Year-end borrowing rates adjusted for effects of related Derivatives held as cash flow hedges								0.58

Average secured borrowings outstanding differed from respective year-end balances during the indicated periods primarily due to changes in portfolio levels and differences in the timing of portfolio acquisitions relative to portfolio runoff as illustrated below (dollars in thousands):

	Year ended December 31
	2015					2014
	Average Borrowings		Average Rate			Average Borrowings		Average Rate
Average borrowings and rates adjusted for the effects of related Derivatives held as cash flow hedges for the indicated years	$	13,047,509		0.66	%	$	12,651,061		0.52	%

Interest paid on Secured borrowings, including related Derivative cash flows, totaled $79.1 million, $59.7 million and $71.1 million during 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.