Organization and Operations |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2021 | |
| Organization and Operations [Abstract] | |
| Organization and Operations | Organization and Operations Two Harbors Investment Corp. is a Maryland corporation that, through its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, the Company), invests in and manages Agency residential mortgage-backed securities, or Agency RMBS, mortgage servicing rights, or MSR, and other financial assets. The investment portfolio is managed as a whole and resources are allocated and financial performance is assessed on a consolidated basis. The Company’s common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “TWO”.
The Company has elected to be treated as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, as defined under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As long as the Company continues to comply with a number of requirements under federal tax law and maintains its qualification as a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes to the extent that the Company distributes its taxable income to its stockholders on an annual basis and does not engage in prohibited transactions. However, certain activities that the Company may perform may cause it to earn income which will not be qualifying income for REIT purposes. The Company has designated certain of its subsidiaries as taxable REIT subsidiaries, or TRSs, as defined in the Code, to engage in such activities.
In the first quarter of 2020, the Company experienced unprecedented market conditions as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, including unusually significant spread widening in both Agency RMBS and non-Agency securities. In response, the Company focused its efforts on raising excess liquidity and de-risking its portfolio. On March 25, 2020, the Company sold substantially all of its non-Agency securities in order to eliminate the risks posed by continued margin calls and ongoing funding concerns associated with the significant spread widening on these assets. The Company also sold approximately one-third of its Agency RMBS in order to reduce risk and raise cash to establish a strong defensive liquidity position to weather potential ongoing economic and market instability. Late in the first quarter of 2020, the U.S. Federal Reserve, or the Fed, committed to unlimited purchases of Agency RMBS. The Fed’s actions were successful in helping to stabilize that market; however, the resulting historic spread tightening in the first half of 2021 made investments in Agency RMBS less attractive. As a result, the Company reduced its aggregate Agency RMBS/TBA position in the first half of 2021, although such position increased slightly in the third quarter. In the ordinary course of business, management makes investment decisions and allocates capital in accordance with its views on the changing risk/reward dynamics in the market and in the Company’s portfolio. Going forward, management expects the Company’s capital to be fully allocated to its strategy of pairing Agency RMBS and MSR.
Through August 14, 2020, the Company was externally managed and advised by PRCM Advisers LLC, a subsidiary of Pine River Capital Management L.P., under the terms of a Management Agreement between the Company and PRCM Advisers. The Company terminated the Management Agreement effective August 14, 2020 for “cause” in accordance with Section 15(a) thereof. On August 15, 2020, the Company completed its transition to self-management and directly hired the senior management team and other personnel who had historically provided services to the Company.
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