Mortgage-Backed Securities | Mortgage-Backed Securities The Company classifies its Non-Agency RMBS as senior, subordinated, or Interest-only. The Company also invests in Agency MBS which it classifies as Agency RMBS to include residential and residential interest-only MBS and residential collateralized mortgage obligations, or CMO, and Agency CMBS to include commercial and commercial interest-only MBS. Senior interests in Non-Agency RMBS are generally entitled to the first principal repayments in their pro-rata ownership interests at the acquisition date. The tables below present amortized cost, allowance for credit losses, fair value and unrealized gain/losses of the Company's MBS investments as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. September 30, 2024 (dollars in thousands) Principal or Notional Value Total Premium Total Discount Amortized Cost Allowance for credit losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Net Unrealized Gain/(Loss) Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 1,023,580 $ 18,895 $ (556,667) $ 485,808 $ (20,969) $ 644,520 $ 184,226 $ (4,545) $ 179,681 Subordinated 658,194 3,325 (272,085) 389,434 (2,980) 385,197 21,697 (22,954) (1,257) Interest-only 2,699,126 154,647 — 154,647 — 92,119 14,914 (77,442) (62,528) Agency RMBS CMO 956,977 208 (74) 957,111 — 959,142 2,031 — 2,031 Interest-only 384,826 19,702 — 19,702 — 16,810 1,263 (4,155) (2,892) Agency CMBS Project loans 40,890 620 — 41,510 — 36,302 — (5,208) (5,208) Interest-only 468,136 6,482 — 6,482 — 6,664 1,008 (826) 182 Total $ 6,231,729 $ 203,879 $ (828,826) $ 2,054,694 $ (23,949) $ 2,140,754 $ 225,139 $ (115,130) $ 110,009 December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands) Principal or Notional Value Total Premium Total Discount Amortized Cost Allowance for credit losses Fair Value Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Net Unrealized Gain/(Loss) Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 1,073,632 $ 14,641 $ (582,640) $ 505,633 $ (15,052) $ 676,128 $ 192,528 $ (6,981) $ 185,547 Subordinated 583,049 3,609 (286,247) 300,411 (3,508) 276,903 16,548 (36,548) (20,000) Interest-only 2,874,680 157,871 — 157,871 — 90,775 14,394 (81,490) (67,096) Agency RMBS Interest-only 392,284 19,238 — 19,238 — 15,023 862 (5,077) (4,215) Agency CMBS Project loans 86,572 1,248 — 87,820 — 79,179 — (8,641) (8,641) Interest-only 478,239 7,766 — 7,766 — 8,282 1,307 (791) 516 Total $ 5,488,456 $ 204,373 $ (868,887) $ 1,078,739 $ (18,560) $ 1,146,290 $ 225,639 $ (139,528) $ 86,111 The following tables present the gross unrealized losses and estimated fair value of the Company’s Agency and Non-Agency MBS by length of time that such securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. All Non-Agency RMBS held as available-for-sale, and not accounted under the fair value option election in an unrealized loss position have been evaluated by the Company for current expected credit losses. September 30, 2024 (dollars in thousands) Unrealized Loss Position for Less than 12 Months Unrealized Loss Position for 12 Months or More Total Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 32,959 $ — 10 $ 37,268 $ (4,545) 6 $ 70,228 $ (4,545) 16 Subordinated 53,963 (184) 5 174,548 (22,770) 30 228,511 (22,954) 35 Interest-only 318 (25) 5 51,342 (77,417) 124 51,660 (77,442) 129 Agency RMBS CMO — — — — — — — — — Interest-only — — — 8,533 (4,155) 7 8,532 (4,155) 7 Agency CMBS Project loans 5,582 (633) 5 30,720 (4,575) 31 36,302 (5,208) 36 Interest-only 1,834 (223) 2 2,111 (603) 3 3,945 (826) 5 Total $ 94,656 $ (1,065) 27 $ 304,522 $ (114,065) 201 $ 399,178 $ (115,130) 228 December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands) Unrealized Loss Position for Less than 12 Months Unrealized Loss Position for 12 Months or More Total Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Estimated Fair Value Unrealized Losses Number of Positions Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 51,476 $ (281) 13 $ 42,859 $ (6,700) 6 $ 94,335 $ (6,981) 19 Subordinated 19,382 (1,467) 5 181,822 (35,081) 33 201,204 (36,548) 38 Interest-only 19,263 (4,035) 27 36,731 (77,455) 105 55,994 (81,490) 132 Agency RMBS Interest-only — — — 9,151 (5,077) 8 9,151 (5,077) 8 Agency CMBS Project loans 43,827 (4,040) 5 35,353 (4,601) 32 79,180 (8,641) 37 Interest-only 2,601 (529) 2 158 (262) 2 2,759 (791) 4 Total $ 136,549 $ (10,352) 52 $ 306,074 $ (129,176) 186 $ 442,623 $ (139,528) 238 At September 30, 2024, the Company did not intend to sell any of its Agency and Non-Agency MBS classified as available-for-sale that were in an unrealized loss position, and it was not more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell these MBS investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, which may be at their maturity. With respect to RMBS held by consolidated VIEs, the ability of any entity to cause the sale by the VIE prior to the maturity of these RMBS is either expressly prohibited, not probable, or is limited to specified events of default, none of which have occurred as of September 30, 2024. The Company h ad no gross unrealized losses on its Agency MBS (excluding Agency MBS which are reported at fair value with ch anges in fair value recorded in earnings) as of September 30, 2024. The Company h ad $23 thousand unrealized losses on its Agency MBS as of December 31, 2023. Given the inherent credit quality of Agency MBS, the Company does not consider any of the current impairments on its Agency MBS to be credit related. In evaluating whether it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell any impaired security before its anticipated recovery, which may be at their maturity, the Company considers the significance of each investment, the amount of impairment, the projected future performance of such impaired securities, as well as the Company’s current and anticipated leverage capacity and liquidity position. Based on this analysis, the Company determined that at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 unrealized losses on its Agency MBS were temporary. Gross unrealized losses on the Company’s Non-Agency RMBS (excluding Non-Agency RMBS which are reported at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings), net of any allowance for credit losses, were $12 million and $18 million, at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. After evaluating the securities and recording any allowance for credit losses, the Company concluded that the remaining unrealized losses reflected above were non-credit related and would be recovered from the securities' estimated future cash flows. The Company considered a number of factors in reaching this conclusion, including that it did not intend to sell the securities, it was not considered more likely than not that it would be required to sell the securities prior to recovering the amortized cost, and there were no material credit events that would have caused the Company to otherwise conclude that it would not recover the amortized cost. The allowance for credit losses are calculated by comparing the estimated future cash flows of each security discounted at the yield determined as of the initial acquisition date or, if since revised, as of the last date previously revised, to the net amortized cost basis. Significant judgment is used in projecting cash flows for Non-Agency RMBS. The Company has reviewed its Non-Agency RMBS that are in an unrealized loss position to identify those securities with losses that are credit related based on an assessment of changes in cash flows expected to be collected for such RMBS, which considers recent bond performance and expected future performance of the underlying collateral. A summary of the credit losses allowance on available-for-sale securities for the quarters and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 is presented below. For the Quarter Ended For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 (dollars in thousands) (dollars in thousands) Beginning allowance for credit losses $ 23,591 $ 13,013 $ 18,560 $ 7,188 Additions to the allowance for credit losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded 6 415 1,595 1,514 Allowance on purchased financial assets with credit deterioration — — — — Reductions for the securities sold during the period — — — — Increase/(decrease) on securities with an allowance in the prior period (1,440) 2,802 1,810 10,355 Write-offs charged against the allowance (110) — (412) (2,860) Recoveries of amounts previously written off 1,902 — 2,396 33 Ending allowance for credit losses $ 23,949 $ 16,230 $ 23,949 $ 16,230 The following table presents significant credit quality indicators used for the credit loss allowance on our Non-Agency RMBS investments as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. September 30, 2024 (dollars in thousands) Prepay Rate CDR Loss Severity Amortized Cost Weighted Average Weighted Average Weighted Average Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 105,000 9.7% 2.2% 33.5% Subordinated $ 67,750 7.5% 0.3% 43.7% December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands) Prepay Rate CDR Loss Severity Amortized Cost Weighted Average Weighted Average Weighted Average Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 98,394 6.2% 2.3% 35.3% Subordinated $ 75,005 6.2% 0.7% 38.9% The increase in the allowance for credit losses for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2024 is primarily due to increases in expected losses and delinquencies as compared to the same period of 2023. In addition, certain Non-Agency RMBS positions now have higher unrealized losses and resulted in the recognition of an allowance for credit losses which was previously limited by unrealized gains on these investments. The following tables present a summary of unrealized gains and losses at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. September 30, 2024 (dollars in thousands) Gross Unrealized Gain Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Gross Unrealized Gain Included in Cumulative Earnings Total Gross Unrealized Gain Gross Unrealized Loss Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Gross Unrealized Loss Included in Cumulative Earnings Total Gross Unrealized Loss Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 184,226 $ — $ 184,226 $ (3,659) $ (887) $ (4,545) Subordinated 11,138 10,559 21,697 (8,059) (14,895) (22,954) Interest-only — 14,914 14,914 — (77,442) (77,442) Agency RMBS CMO — 2,031 2,031 — — — Interest-only — 1,263 1,263 — (4,155) (4,155) Agency CMBS Project loans — — — — (5,208) (5,208) Interest-only — 1,008 1,008 — (826) (826) Total $ 195,364 $ 29,775 $ 225,139 $ (11,718) $ (103,412) $ (115,130) December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands) Gross Unrealized Gain Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Gross Unrealized Gain Included in Cumulative Earnings Total Gross Unrealized Gain Gross Unrealized Loss Included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Gross Unrealized Loss Included in Cumulative Earnings Total Gross Unrealized Loss Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 192,528 $ — $ 192,528 $ (5,396) $ (1,585) $ (6,981) Subordinated 10,757 5,791 16,548 (12,198) (24,350) (36,548) Interest-only — 14,394 14,394 — (81,490) (81,490) Agency RMBS Interest-only — 862 862 — (5,077) (5,077) Agency CMBS Project loans — — — (23) (8,618) (8,641) Interest-only — 1,307 1,307 — (791) (791) Total $ 203,285 $ 22,354 $ 225,639 $ (17,617) $ (121,911) $ (139,528) Changes in prepayments, actual cash flows, and cash flows expected to be collected, among other items, are affected by the collateral characteristics of each asset class. The Company chooses assets for the portfolio after carefully evaluating each investment’s risk profile. The following tables provide a summary of the Company’s MBS portfolio at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. September 30, 2024 Principal or Notional Value Weighted Average Amortized Weighted Average Fair Value Weighted Average Weighted Average Yield at Period-End (1) Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 1,023,580 $ 45.41 62.97 5.7 % 17.6 % Subordinated 658,194 58.71 58.52 4.5 % 8.1 % Interest-only 2,699,126 5.73 3.41 0.6 % 4.4 % Agency RMBS CMO 956,977 100.01 100.23 6.5 % 6.5 % Interest-only 384,826 5.12 4.37 0.3 % 5.1 % Agency CMBS Project loans 40,890 101.52 88.78 3.5 % 3.4 % Interest-only 468,136 1.38 1.42 0.6 % 9.2 % (1) Bond Equivalent Yield at period end. December 31, 2023 Principal or Notional Value at Period-End Weighted Average Amortized Weighted Average Fair Value Weighted Average Weighted Average Yield at Period-End (1) Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 1,073,632 $ 45.69 $ 62.98 5.7 % 17.3 % Subordinated 583,049 50.92 47.49 3.3 % 6.7 % Interest-only 2,874,680 5.49 3.16 0.5 % 4.2 % Agency RMBS Interest-only 392,284 4.90 3.83 0.1 % 5.7 % Agency CMBS Project loans 86,572 101.44 91.46 4.0 % 3.8 % Interest-only 478,239 1.62 1.73 0.5 % 8.2 % (1) Bond Equivalent Yield at period end. Actual maturities of MBS are generally shorter than the stated contractual maturities. Actual maturities of the Company’s MBS are affected by the underlying mortgages, periodic payments of principal, realized losses and prepayments of principal. The following tables provide a summary of the fair value and amortized cost of the Company’s MBS at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 according to their estimated weighted-average life classifications. The weighted-average lives of the MBS in the tables below are based on lifetime expected prepayment rates using the Company's prepayment assumptions for the Agency MBS and Non-Agency RMBS. The prepayment model considers current yield, forward yield, steepness of the interest rate curve, current mortgage rates, mortgage rates of the outstanding loan, loan age, margin, and volatility. September 30, 2024 (dollars in thousands) Weighted Average Life Less than one year Greater than one year and less Greater than five years and less Greater than ten years Total Fair value Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 17,428 $ 84,870 $ 248,887 $ 293,335 $ 644,520 Subordinated 1,809 28,925 187,006 167,457 385,197 Interest-only 219 33,562 55,568 2,770 92,119 Agency RMBS CMO — — 63,108 896,034 959,142 Interest-only 4,856 9,236 2,718 — 16,810 Agency CMBS Project loans — — — 36,302 36,302 Interest-only 15 6,649 — — 6,664 Total fair value $ 24,327 $ 163,242 $ 557,287 $ 1,395,898 $ 2,140,754 Amortized cost Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 15,042 $ 77,540 $ 186,140 $ 207,086 $ 485,808 Subordinated 1,894 24,915 188,080 174,545 389,434 Interest-only 8,532 66,028 76,963 3,124 154,647 Agency RMBS CMO — — 63,051 894,060 957,111 Interest-only 6,260 11,278 2,164 — 19,702 Agency CMBS Project loans — — — 41,510 41,510 Interest-only 297 6,185 — — 6,482 Total amortized cost $ 32,026 $ 185,946 $ 516,397 $ 1,320,325 $ 2,054,694 December 31, 2023 (dollars in thousands) Weighted Average Life Less than one year Greater than one year and less Greater than five years and less Greater than ten years Total Fair value Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 12,086 $ 100,330 $ 288,283 $ 275,429 $ 676,128 Subordinated 3,727 16,221 100,541 156,414 276,903 Interest-only 269 24,858 62,934 2,714 90,775 Agency RMBS Interest-only 15,023 — — — 15,023 Agency CMBS Project loans 7,797 — — 71,382 79,179 Interest-only 614 7,668 — — 8,282 Total fair value $ 39,516 $ 149,077 $ 451,758 $ 505,939 $ 1,146,290 Amortized cost Non-Agency RMBS Senior $ 4,072 $ 95,442 $ 202,295 $ 203,824 $ 505,633 Subordinated 2,301 12,672 104,432 181,006 300,411 Interest-only 9,527 46,578 98,632 3,134 157,871 Agency RMBS Interest-only 19,238 — — — 19,238 Agency CMBS Project loans 7,820 — — 80,000 87,820 Interest-only 775 6,991 — — 7,766 Total amortized cost $ 43,733 $ 161,683 $ 405,359 $ 467,964 $ 1,078,739 The Non-Agency RMBS investments are secured by pools of mortgage loans which are subject to credit risk. The following table summarizes the delinquency, bankruptcy, foreclosure and Real estate owned, or REO, total of the pools of mortgage loans securing the Company’s investments in Non-Agency RMBS at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. When delinquency rates increase, it is expected that the Company will incur additional credit losses. September 30, 2024 30 Days Delinquent 60 Days Delinquent 90+ Days Delinquent Bankruptcy Foreclosure REO Total % of Unpaid Principal Balance 3.9 % 1.6 % 2.4 % 1.4 % 2.9 % 0.6 % 12.8 % December 31, 2023 30 Days Delinquent 60 Days Delinquent 90+ Days Delinquent Bankruptcy Foreclosure REO Total % of Unpaid Principal Balance 3.4 % 1.4 % 2.6 % 1.3 % 3.0 % 0.5 % 12.2 % The Non-Agency RMBS in the Portfolio have the following collateral characteristics at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 Weighted average maturity (years) 18.6 19.5 Weighted average amortized loan to value (1) 56.3 % 57.1 % Weighted average FICO (2) 706 707 Weighted average loan balance (in thousands) $ 249 $ 252 Weighted average percentage owner-occupied 83.7 % 84.5 % Weighted average percentage single family residence 60.3 % 61.4 % Weighted average current credit enhancement 1.2 % 1.3 % Weighted average geographic concentration of top four states CA 32.8 % CA 33.1 % NY 11.8 % NY 11.6 % FL 7.6 % FL 7.6 % NJ 4.6 % NJ 4.5 % (1) Value represents appraised value of the collateral at the time of loan origination. (2) FICO as determined at the time of loan origination. The table below presents the origination year of the underlying loans related to the Company’s portfolio of Non-Agency RMBS at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Origination Year September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 2003 and prior 1.1 % 1.2 % 2004 1.1 % 0.8 % 2005 7.4 % 8.2 % 2006 40.6 % 43.3 % 2007 27.7 % 32.5 % 2008 and later 22.1 % 14.0 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % Gross realized gains and losses are recorded in “Net realized gains (losses) on sales of investments” on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. The proceeds and gross realized gains and gross realized losses from sales of investments for the quarters and nine months ended September 30, 2024, and 2023 are as follows: For the Quarter Ended For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 (dollars in thousands) (dollars in thousands) Proceeds from sales: Non-Agency RMBS $ — $ — $ — $ — Agency RMBS — — — — Agency CMBS — 4,861 34,672 285,709 Gross realized gains: Non-Agency RMBS — — — — Agency RMBS — — — — Agency CMBS — — — — Gross realized losses: Non-Agency RMBS — — — — Agency RMBS — — Agency CMBS — (460) (3,750) (27,482) Net realized gain (loss) $ — $ (460) $ (3,750) $ (27,482) |