Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

ASC Topic 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 clarifies that fair value should be based on the assumptions market participants would use when pricing as asset or liability and also requires an entity to consider all aspects of nonperformance risk, including the entity's own credit standing, when measuring fair value of a liability. ASC Topic 820 established a valuation hierarchy of three levels as follows:


•	Level 1 – Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the measurement date. None of the Company's assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value are included in this category.

•

Level 2 – Inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in inactive markets for identical or similar assets or liabilities; or inputs either directly observable or indirectly observable through correlation with market data at the measurement date and for the duration of the instrument’s anticipated life. The Company’s fair valued assets and liabilities that are generally included in this category are Agency MBS, certain non-Agency MBS, and derivatives.

•

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs are supported by little or no market activity. The unobservable inputs represent management’s best estimate of how market participants would price the asset or liability at the measurement date. Consideration is given to the risk inherent in the valuation technique and the risk inherent in the inputs to the model. The Company’s fair valued assets and liabilities that are generally included in this category are certain non-Agency MBS and other investments.

The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, segregated by the hierarchy level of the fair value estimate, that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of the periods indicated:



	June 30, 2013
	Fair Value		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Mortgage backed securities	$	4,559,323	$	—	$	4,446,551	$	112,772
Derivative assets	14,860		—		14,860		—
Other investments	25		—		—		25
Total assets carried at fair value	$	4,574,208	$	—	$	4,461,411	$	112,797
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	21,192	$	—	$	21,192	$	—
Total liabilities carried at fair value	$	21,192	$	—	$	21,192	$	—



	December 31, 2012
	Fair Value		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Mortgage backed securities	$	4,103,981	$	—	$	3,998,761	$	105,220
Other investments	25		—		—		25
Total assets carried at fair value	$	4,104,006	$	—	$	3,998,761	$	105,245
Liabilities:
Derivative liabilities	$	42,537	$	—	$	42,537	$	—
Total liabilities carried at fair value	$	42,537	$	—	$	42,537	$	—

The Company’s Agency MBS, as well a majority of its non-Agency MBS, are substantially similar to securities that either are currently actively traded or have been recently traded in their respective market. Their fair values are derived from an average of multiple dealer quotes and thus are considered Level 2 fair value measurements.

The Company’s remaining non-Agency MBS are comprised of securities for which there are not substantially similar securities that trade frequently. As such, the Company determines the fair value of those securities by discounting the estimated future cash flows derived from cash flow models using assumptions that are confirmed to the extent possible by third party dealers or other pricing indicators. Significant inputs into those pricing models are Level 3 in nature due to the lack of readily available market quotes. Information utilized in those pricing models include the security’s credit rating, coupon rate, estimated prepayment speeds, expected weighted average life, collateral composition, estimated future interest rates, expected credit losses, and credit enhancement as well as certain other relevant information. Significant changes in any of these inputs in isolation would result in a significantly different fair value measurement. Generally Level 3 assets are most sensitive to the default rate and severity assumptions.

The table below presents information about the significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement for the Company's Level 3 non-Agency CMBS and RMBS as of June 30, 2013:



	Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements⁽¹⁾
	Prepayment Speed		Default Rate		Severity		Discount Rate
Non-Agency CMBS	20 CPY		2.5	%	35.0	%	6.1	%
Non-Agency RMBS	10	CPR	1.0	%	19.9	%	6.5	%


(1)	Data presented are weighted averages.

The following tables present the activity of the instruments fair valued at Level 3 during the six months ended June 30, 2013:



	Six Months Ended June 30, 2013
	Level 3 Fair Values
	Non-Agency CMBS			Non-Agency RMBS			Other		Total assets
Balance as of beginning of the period	$	100,102		$	5,118		$	25	$	105,245
Purchases	26,021			—			—		26,021
Unrealized (loss) gain included in OCI	(4,089		)	(68		)	—		(4,157		)
Principal payments	(12,440		)	(1,914		)	—		(14,354		)
Amortization	20			22			—		42
Balance as of end of period	$	109,614		$	3,158		$	25	$	112,797

The following table presents a summary of the recorded basis and estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments as of the periods indicated:



	June 30, 2013				December 31, 2012
	Recorded Basis		Fair Value		Recorded Basis		Fair Value
Assets:
Mortgage backed securities	$	4,559,323	$	4,559,323	$	4,103,981	$	4,103,981
Securitized mortgage loans, net	62,083		52,313		70,823		61,916
Other investments	5,782		5,782		858		810
Derivative assets	14,860		14,860		—		—
Liabilities:
Repurchase agreements	$	4,071,392	$	4,071,843	$	3,564,128	$	3,564,787
Non-recourse collateralized financing	24,634		24,539		30,504		30,756
Derivative liabilities	21,192		21,192		42,537		42,537

There were no assets or liabilities which were measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis as of June 30, 2013 or December 31, 2012.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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