Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies

v3.19.1
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies
Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
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. 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, 2018. In the opinion of management, all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial condition of the Company at March 31, 2019 and results of operations for all periods presented have been made. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 should not be construed as indicative of the results to be expected for future periods or the full year.
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.
Significant Accounting Policies
Included in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K is a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies.
Recently Issued and/or Adopted Accounting Standards
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’s adoption of this ASU was applied by recording a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2019, which did 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, will establish an allowance for credit losses on AFS securities which will be derived from the current designated credit reserve with a resulting increase to amortized cost on the securities. The Company also expects adoption of this ASU to impact the recording for the purchase of certain non-Agency securities with purchased credit deterioration by recording an allowance for credit losses with an increase in amortized cost above the purchase price of the same amount. Subsequent changes in expected credit losses will be recognized immediately in earnings as a provision for credit losses until the allowance is reduced to zero. Further favorable changes will result in prospective yield adjustments.
SEC Disclosure Update and Simplification
In August 2018, the SEC adopted a final rule that amends certain disclosure requirements that have become duplicative, overlapping, or outdated in light of other SEC disclosure requirements, U.S. GAAP, or changes in the information environment. However, the guidance also added requirements for entities to include in their interim financial statements a reconciliation of changes in stockholders’ equity for each period for which an income statement is required (both year-to-date and quarterly periods). The final rule is effective for all filings made on or after November 5, 2018. However, the SEC staff said it would not object to a registrant waiting to comply with the new interim disclosure requirement until the filing of its Form 10-Q for the quarter that begins after the effective date. As a result, the Company adopted the new interim disclosure requirement during the current period. The Company’s adoption of this final rule did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.