TWO Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2018

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

The interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP, have been condensed or omitted according to such SEC rules and regulations. However, management believes that the disclosures included in these interim condensed consolidated financial statements are adequate to make the information presented not misleading.

The condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of all subsidiaries; inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. All per share amounts, common shares outstanding and restricted shares for all prior periods presented have been adjusted on a retroactive basis to reflect the Company’s one-for-two reverse stock split effected on November 1, 2017 (refer to Note 17 - Stockholders’ Equity for additional information). The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial condition of the Company at June 30, 2018 and results of operations for all periods presented have been made. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 should not be construed as indicative of the results to be expected for future periods or the full year.

Due to its controlling ownership interest in Granite Point through November 1, 2017, the Company consolidated Granite Point on its financial statements. Effective November 1, 2017 (the date the 33.1 million shares of Granite Point common stock were distributed to the Company’s common stockholders), the Company no longer has a controlling interest in Granite Point and, therefore, has deconsolidated Granite Point and its subsidiaries from its financial statements and reclassified all of Granite Point’s prior period assets, liabilities and results of operations to discontinued operations.

The Company retains debt securities and excess servicing rights purchased from securitization trusts sponsored by either third parties or the Company’s subsidiaries. The securitization trusts are considered variable interest entities, or VIEs, for financial reporting purposes and, thus, are reviewed for consolidation under the applicable consolidation guidance. Whenever the Company has both the power to direct the activities of a trust that most significantly impact the entities’ performance, and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the entities that could be significant, the Company consolidates the trust. During the majority of 2017, the Company retained the most subordinate security in each of the securitization trusts, which gave the Company the power to direct the activities of the trusts that most significantly impact the trusts’ performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the securitization trusts that could be significant. As a result, the Company consolidated all of the securitization trusts on its condensed consolidated balance sheet. During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company sold all of the retained subordinated securities thereby removing the Company’s power to direct the activities of the trusts and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the securitization trusts. As a result, the securitization trusts are no longer consolidated on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet and the remaining retained securities are included withing non-Agency available-for-sale, or AFS, securities.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make a number of significant estimates. These include estimates of fair value of certain assets and liabilities, amount and timing of credit losses, prepayment rates, the period of time during which the Company anticipates an increase in the fair values of real estate securities sufficient to recover unrealized losses in those securities, and other estimates that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of certain revenues and expenses during the reported period. It is likely that changes in these estimates (e.g., valuation changes due to supply and demand, credit performance, prepayments, interest rates, or other reasons) will occur in the near term. The Company’s estimates are inherently subjective in nature and actual results could differ from its estimates and the differences may be material.

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

Certain of the Company’s repurchase agreements are governed by underlying agreements that provide for a right of setoff in the event of default by either party to the agreement. The Company also has netting arrangements in place with all derivative counterparties pursuant to standard documentation developed by the International Swap and Derivatives Association, or ISDA, or central clearing exchange agreements, in the case of centrally cleared interest rate swaps. The Company and the counterparty or clearing agency are required to post cash collateral based upon the net underlying market value of the Company’s open positions with the counterparty. Additionally, the Company’s centrally cleared interest rate swaps require that the Company posts an “initial margin” amount determined by the clearing exchange, which is generally intended to be set at a level sufficient to protect the exchange from the interest rate swap’s maximum estimated single-day price movement. The Company also exchanges “variation margin” based upon daily changes in fair value, as measured by the exchange.

Under U.S. GAAP, if the Company has a valid right of setoff, it may offset the related asset and liability and report the net amount. As a result of amendments to rules governing certain central clearing activities, the exchange of variation margin is considered a settlement of the interest rate swap, as opposed to pledged collateral. Accordingly, beginning in the first quarter of 2018 and in subsequent periods, the Company accounts for the receipt or payment of variation margin as a direct reduction to the carrying value of the interest rate swap asset or liability. The receipt or payment of initial margin will continue to be accounted for separate from the interest rate swap asset or liability. As of December 31, 2017, variation margin pledged or received was netted on a counterparty basis and classified within restricted cash, due from counterparties, or due to counterparties on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The Company presents repurchase agreements subject to master netting arrangements or similar agreements on a gross basis and derivative assets and liabilities (other than centrally cleared interest rate swaps) subject to such arrangements on a net basis, based on derivative type and counterparty, in its condensed consolidated balance sheets. Separately, the Company presents cash collateral subject to such arrangements (other than variation margin on centrally cleared interest rate swaps) on a net basis, based on counterparty, in its condensed consolidated balance sheets. However, the Company does not offset repurchase agreements or derivative assets and liabilities (other than centrally cleared interest rate swaps) with the associated cash collateral on its condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The following tables present information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements or similar agreements and can potentially be offset on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017:



	June 30, 2018
										Gross Amounts Not Offset with Financial Assets (Liabilities) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets ⁽¹⁾
(in thousands)	Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets (Liabilities)			Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheets			Net Amounts of Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets			Financial Instruments			Cash Collateral (Received) Pledged		Net Amount
Assets
Derivative assets	$	520,557		$	(262,640	)	$	257,917		$	(39,429	)	$	—	$	218,488
Total Assets	$	520,557		$	(262,640	)	$	257,917		$	(39,429	)	$	—	$	218,488
Liabilities
Repurchase agreements	$	(17,205,823	)	$	—		$	(17,205,823	)	$	17,205,823		$	—	$	—
Derivative liabilities	(302,069		)	262,640			(39,429		)	39,429			—		—
Total Liabilities	$	(17,507,892	)	$	262,640		$	(17,245,252	)	$	17,245,252		$	—	$	—



	December 31, 2017
										Gross Amounts Not Offset with Financial Assets (Liabilities) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets ⁽¹⁾
(in thousands)	Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets (Liabilities)			Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheets			Net Amounts of Assets (Liabilities) Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets			Financial Instruments			Cash Collateral (Received) Pledged		Net Amount
Assets
Derivative assets	$	340,576		$	(30,658	)	$	309,918		$	(31,903	)	$	—	$	278,015
Total Assets	$	340,576		$	(30,658	)	$	309,918		$	(31,903	)	$	—	$	278,015
Liabilities
Repurchase agreements	$	(19,451,207	)	$	—		$	(19,451,207	)	$	19,451,207		$	—	$	—
Derivative liabilities	(62,561		)	30,658			(31,903		)	31,903			—		—
Total Liabilities	$	(19,513,768	)	$	30,658		$	(19,483,110	)	$	19,483,110		$	—	$	—

____________________

(1)

Amounts presented are limited in total to the net amount of assets or liabilities presented in the condensed consolidated balance sheets by instrument. Excess cash collateral or financial assets that are pledged to counterparties may exceed the financial liabilities subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement, or counterparties may have pledged excess cash collateral to the Company that exceed the corresponding financial assets. These excess amounts are excluded from the table above, although separately reported within restricted cash, due from counterparties, or due to counterparties in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Recently Issued and/or Adopted Accounting Standards

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued ASU No. 2014-09, which is a comprehensive revenue recognition standard that supersedes virtually all existing revenue guidance under U.S. GAAP. The standard’s core principle is that an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods and services. As a result of the issuance of ASU No. 2015-14 in August 2015 deferring the effective date of ASU No. 2014-09 by one year, the ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption prohibited. The Company has evaluated the new guidance and determined that interest income, gains and losses on financial instruments and income from servicing residential mortgage loans are outside the scope of ASC 606, Revenues from Contracts with Customers, or ASC 606. For income from servicing residential mortgage loans, the Company considered that the FASB Transition Resource Group members generally agreed that an entity should look to ASC 860, Transfers and Servicing, to determine the appropriate accounting for these fees and ASC 606 contains a scope exception for contracts that fall under ASC 860. As a result, the adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.

Lease Classification and Accounting

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, which requires lessees to recognize on their balance sheets both a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company has determined this ASU will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, which changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. Valuation allowances for credit losses on AFS debt securities will be recognized, rather than direct reductions in the amortized cost of the investments, regardless of whether the impairment is considered to be other-than-temporary. The new model also requires the estimation of lifetime expected credit losses and corresponding recognition of allowance for losses on trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans, and other instruments held at amortized cost. The ASU requires certain recurring disclosures and is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2018. The Company is evaluating the adoption of this ASU to determine the impact it may have on its condensed consolidated financial statements, which at the date of adoption, is expected to increase the allowance for credit losses with a resulting negative adjustment to retained earnings, with offsetting impacts to accumulated other comprehensive income.

Clarifying the Definition of a Business

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, which changes the definition of a business to assist entities with evaluating when a set of transferred assets and activities is a business. The ASU requires an entity to evaluate if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets; if so, the set of transferred assets and activities is not a business. The guidance also requires a business to include at least one substantive process and narrows the definition of outputs by more closely aligning it with how outputs are described in ASC 606. The ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company’s adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or financial statement disclosures, but will impact how the Company accounts for any future transfers of sets of assets and activities.

Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, which permits entities to reclassify tax effects stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, to retained earnings and requires entities to disclose whether or not they elected to reclassify the tax effects related to the TCJA as well as their policy for releasing income tax effects from accumulated other comprehensive income. The ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. Early adoption of this ASU was elected and applied by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment of $9.9 million to retained earnings, with the offsetting impact to accumulated other comprehensive income as of January 1, 2018.

Accounting for Share-Based Payments to Nonemployees

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07 to simplify the accounting for share-based payments to nonemployees by aligning it with the accounting for share-based payments to employees, with certain exceptions. Under the guidance, equity-classified nonemployee awards will be measured on and fixed at the grant date, rather than measured at fair value at each reporting date until the date at which the nonemployee’s performance is complete. The ASU is effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning on or after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. Early adoption of this ASU was elected subsequent to quarter-end on July 1, 2018 and applied by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2018, which did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.