Anworth Mortgage Asset (RC+C) 10-Q 7 Nov 14 2014 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Nov. 04, 2014
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Document Period End Date	30-Sep-14	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q3	'
Trading Symbol	'ANH	'
Entity Registrant Name	'ANWORTH MORTGAGE ASSET CORP	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001047884	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	113,270,017

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Agency MBS:	'	'
Agency MBS pledged to counterparties at fair value	$6,912,185	$8,060,567
Agency MBS at fair value	458,398	462,478
Paydowns receivable	40,669	33,401
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	7,411,252	8,556,446
Residential properties	12,362	'
Cash and cash equivalents	1,402	7,368
Interest and dividends receivable	20,069	23,310
Derivative instruments at fair value	662,095	22,551
Prepaid expenses and other	9,972	9,816
Total Assets:	8,117,152	8,619,491
Liabilities:	'	'
Accrued interest payable	11,835	30,117
Repurchase agreements	6,550,000	7,580,000
Junior subordinated notes	37,380	37,380
Derivative instruments at fair value	671,288	55,914
Accrued expenses and other	4,299	1,368
Total Liabilities:	7,292,829	7,717,305
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock: par value $0.01 per share; liquidating preference $25.00 per share ($47,984 and $47,984, respectively); 1,919 and 1,919 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	46,537	46,537
Common Stock: par value $0.01 per share; authorized 200,000 shares, 118,554 and 138,717 issued and outstanding at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	1,186	1,387
Additional paid-in capital	1,076,185	1,185,369
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) consisting of unrealized gains and losses	-46,469	-92,008
Accumulated deficit	-277,040	-263,023
Total Stockholders' Equity:	800,399	878,262
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity:	8,117,152	8,619,491
Series A Preferred Stock	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Dividends payable on stock	1,035	1,035
Stockholders' Equity:	'	'
Total Stockholders' Equity:	46,537	46,537
Series B Preferred Stock	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Dividends payable on stock	394	394
Common Stock	'	'
Liabilities:	'	'
Dividends payable on stock	$16,598	$11,097

CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE_SHEETS_Pa

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, liquidating preference per share	$25	$25
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, liquidating preference	$25,241	$25,241
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, shares issued	1,010,000	1,010,000
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, shares outstanding	1,010,000	1,010,000
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, liquidating preference per share	$25	$25
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, liquidating preference	$47,984	$47,984
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, shares issued	1,919,000	1,919,000
Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, shares outstanding	1,919,000	1,919,000
Common Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common Stock, authorized	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common Stock, issued	118,554,025	138,717,000
Common Stock, outstanding	118,554,025	138,717,000

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_INC

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Interest Income:	'	'	'	'
Interest on Agency MBS	$37,057	$42,646	$122,852	$131,326
Income on rental properties	197	'	268	'
Other interest income	10	11	31	42
Interest and Dividend Income, Operating, Total	37,264	42,657	123,151	131,368
Interest Expense:	'	'	'	'
Interest expense on repurchase agreements	19,024	22,484	72,238	63,432
Interest expense on junior subordinated notes	318	321	947	962
Interest Expense, Total	19,342	22,805	73,185	64,394
Net interest income	17,922	19,852	49,966	66,974
Other Income:	'	'	'	'
(Loss) gain on sales of Agency MBS	-5,617	1,991	-4,022	9,237
Gain on interest rate swaps, net	10,947	'	9,568	'
(Loss) gain on derivatives-TBA securities	-779	'	798	'
Derivative income-TBA securities	366	'	366	'
Gain on derivatives-Eurodollar Futures Contracts	111	'	111	'
Recovery on Non-Agency MBS	37	100	108	333
Total other income	5,065	2,091	6,929	9,570
Operating Expenses:	'	'	'	'
Management fee to related party	-2,609	-2,982	-8,248	-9,009
General and administrative expenses	-888	-953	-5,739	-2,905
Total operating expenses	-3,497	-3,935	-13,987	-11,914
Net income	19,490	18,008	42,908	64,630
Dividend on Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock	-1,035	-1,035	-3,105	-3,107
Dividend on Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock	-394	-394	-1,182	-1,200
Net income to common stockholders	$18,061	$16,579	$38,621	$60,323
Basic earnings per common share	$0.15	$0.12	$0.30	$0.42
Diluted earnings per common share	$0.15	$0.12	$0.30	$0.42
Basic weighted average number of shares outstanding	121,061	142,380	128,174	143,176
Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding	125,192	146,287	132,254	147,118

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_COM

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net income	$19,490	$18,008	$42,908	$64,630
Available-for-sale Agency MBS, fair value adjustment	-13,625	10,247	62,104	-198,882
Reclassification adjustment for loss (gain) on sales of Agency MBS included in net income	5,617	-1,991	4,022	-9,237
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives	987	-40,863	-73,959	-10,715
Reclassification adjustment for interest expense on swap agreements included in net income	13,382	14,633	53,372	38,426
Other comprehensive income (loss)	6,361	-17,974	45,539	-180,408
Comprehensive income (loss)	$25,851	$34	$88,447	($115,778)

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_STO

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (USD $)	Total	Series A Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Common Stock	Additional Paid-In Capital	Accum. Other Comp. Income (Loss) Agency MBS	Accum. Other Comp. (Loss) Derivatives	Accum. (Deficit)	Accum. (Deficit)	Accum. (Deficit)
In Thousands, except Share data									Series A Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2013	$878,262	$46,537	'	$1,387	$1,185,369	($58,646)	($33,362)	($263,023)	'	'
Beginning Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2013	'	1,919,000	'	138,717,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock	258	'	'	1	257	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	56,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock	-26,518	'	'	-53	-26,465	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	-5,281,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Other comprehensive income, fair value adjustments and reclassifications	20,522	'	'	'	'	29,722	-9,200	'	'	'
Net income	13,371	'	'	'	'	'	'	13,371	'	'
Treasury Stock	-1,805	'	'	'	-1,805	'	'	'	'	'
Amortization of restricted stock	24	'	'	'	24	'	'	'	'	'
Dividend declared	'	-1,035	-394	'	'	'	'	'	-1,035	-394
Dividend declared - $0.14 per common share	-18,708	'	'	'	'	'	'	-18,708	'	'
Ending Balance at Mar. 31, 2014	863,977	46,537	'	1,335	1,157,380	-28,924	-42,562	-269,789	'	'
Ending Balance (in shares) at Mar. 31, 2014	'	1,919,000	'	133,492,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock	390	'	'	1	389	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	82,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock	-51,900	'	'	-98	-51,802	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	-9,776,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Other comprehensive income, fair value adjustments and reclassifications	18,656	'	'	'	'	44,412	-25,756	'	'	'
Net income	10,047	'	'	'	'	'	'	10,047	'	'
Treasury Stock	1,805	'	'	'	1,805	'	'	'	'	'
Amortization of restricted stock	24	'	'	'	24	'	'	'	'	'
Dividend declared	'	-1,035	-394	'	'	'	'	'	-1,035	-394
Dividend declared - $0.14 per common share	-17,332	'	'	'	'	'	'	-17,332	'	'
Ending Balance at Jun. 30, 2014	824,238	46,537	'	1,238	1,107,796	15,488	-68,318	-278,503	'	'
Ending Balance (in shares) at Jun. 30, 2014	'	1,919,000	'	123,798,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock	300	'	'	1	299	'	'	'	'	'
Issuance of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	76,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock	-27,418	'	'	-53	-27,365	'	'	'	'	'
Redemption of common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	-5,320,000	'	'	'	'	'	'
Other comprehensive income, fair value adjustments and reclassifications	6,361	'	'	'	'	-8,008	14,369	'	'	'
Net income	19,490	'	'	'	'	'	'	19,490	'	'
Treasury Stock	-4,569	'	'	'	-4,569	'	'	'	'	'
Amortization of restricted stock	24	'	'	'	24	'	'	'	'	'
Dividend declared	'	-1,035	-394	'	'	'	'	'	-1,035	-394
Dividend declared - $0.14 per common share	-16,598	'	'	'	'	'	'	-16,598	'	'
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2014	$800,399	$46,537	'	$1,186	$1,076,185	$7,480	($53,949)	($277,040)	'	'
Ending Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2014	'	1,919,000	'	118,554,000	'	'	'	'	'	'

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_STO1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
Dividend declared common share, per share	$0.14	$0.14	$0.14
Series A Preferred Stock	'	'	'
Dividend declared, per preferred share	$0.54	$0.54	$0.54
Series B Preferred Stock	'	'	'
Dividend declared, per preferred share	$0.39	$0.39	$0.39

CONSOLIDATED_STATEMENTS_OF_CAS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Operating Activities:	'	'	'	'
Net income	$19,490	$18,008	$42,908	$64,630
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:	'	'	'	'
Amortization of premium and discounts (Agency MBS)	11,768	15,478	33,382	50,481
Depreciation on rental properties	85	'	149	'
Loss (Gain) on sales of Agency MBS	5,617	-1,991	4,022	-9,237
Amortization of restricted stock	24	51	72	152
Recovery on Non-Agency MBS	-37	-100	-108	-333
Periodic net settlements on interest rate swaps, net of amortization	-5,643	'	-6,644	'
(Gain) on interest rate swaps, net	-10,947	'	-9,568	'
Loss (gain) on derivatives, net of derivative income - TBA Securities	413	'	-1,164	'
(Gain) on derivatives - Eurodollar Futures Contracts	-111	'	-111	'
Changes in assets and liabilities:	'	'	'	'
Decrease in interest receivable	1,672	2,251	3,240	2,236
Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses and other	8,149	-8,600	-1,463	-1,375
(Decrease) increase in accrued interest payable	-6,097	6,621	-8,053	3,561
Increase in accrued expenses	945	25	2,931	1,588
Net cash provided by operating activities	25,328	31,743	59,593	111,703
Available-for-sale Agency MBS:	'	'	'	'
Proceeds from sale	304,248	342,479	501,951	636,807
Principal payments	421,311	637,215	1,102,849	1,946,224
Residential properties purchases	-2,026	'	-12,511	'
Net cash provided by investing activities	630,730	829,958	1,161,510	412,136
Financing Activities:	'	'	'	'
Borrowings from repurchase agreements	8,593,002	11,055,507	26,303,067	33,602,580
Repayments on repurchase agreements	-9,161,502	-11,885,507	-27,333,067	-34,047,580
Net settlement on TBA commitments	96	'	800	'
Settlements on terminated interest rate swaps	-36,987	'	-36,987	'
Proceeds from common stock issued, net of common stock repurchased	-31,688	-3,085	-109,458	-2,560
Common stock dividends paid	-17,332	-21,353	-47,137	-64,308
Net cash (used in) financing activities	-655,840	-855,867	-1,227,069	-513,746
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	218	5,834	-5,966	10,093
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	1,184	7,169	7,368	2,910
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	1,402	13,003	1,402	13,003
Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information:	'	'	'	'
Cash paid for interest	41,311	16,184	98,110	60,832
Conversions of Series B Preferred Stock into common stock	'	'	'	2,633
Common stock repurchased	31,987	6,707	110,404	24,877
Change in payable for securities purchased	'	147,049	'	182,722
Series B Preferred Stock	'	'	'	'
Financing Activities:	'	'	'	'
Proceeds on Preferred Stock issued	'	'	'	1,335
Preferred stock dividends paid	-394	-394	-1,182	-1,221
Series A Preferred Stock	'	'	'	'
Financing Activities:	'	'	'	'
Proceeds on Preferred Stock issued	'	'	'	1,090
Preferred stock dividends paid	-1,035	-1,035	-3,105	-3,082
Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'	'	'
Available-for-sale Agency MBS:	'	'	'	'
Purchases	($92,803)	($149,736)	($430,779)	($2,170,895)

Organization_and_Significant_A

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

'

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

'

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

We were incorporated in Maryland on October 20, 1997 and we commenced operations on March 17, 1998. We are in the business of investing primarily in United States, or U.S., agency mortgage-backed securities, or Agency MBS. Agency MBS are securities representing obligations guaranteed by the U.S. government, such as Ginnie Mae, or guaranteed by federally sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Our principal business objective is to generate net income for distribution to our stockholders based upon the spread between the interest income on our mortgage assets and the costs of borrowing to finance our acquisition of those assets.

We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or the Code. As a REIT, we routinely distribute substantially all of the taxable income generated from our operations to our stockholders. As long as we retain our REIT status, we generally will not be subject to federal or state taxes on our income to the extent that we distribute our taxable net income to our stockholders.

In February 2014, the Company incorporated its wholly-owned Qualified REIT Subsidiary (“QRS”), Anworth Properties, Inc., which commenced operations in March 2014.  The Company also incorporated Anworth Property Services, Inc., a Taxable REIT Subsidiary (“TRS”) that is wholly-owned by the Company and currently is not in operation. The Company’s QRS will provide the entity through which the Company may own REIT-qualified real estate assets such as: (1) other types of mortgage assets, from which the Company would receive interest income; and (2) real estate assets, from which the Company would receive rental income and potential price appreciation. The Company’s TRS will provide the entity through which the Company may participate in various real estate-related activities which would earn profits that the IRS considers to be taxable income. Unlike a REIT, a TRS pays standard corporate taxes on its income earned from these activities in the mortgage and real estate markets. These other activities include almost everything other than receiving rent on properties owned and collecting interest on real estate mortgages owned. Examples of these other activities include: the securitization of mortgage loans; mortgage origination; leasing and managing rental properties; and owning properties acquired through the foreclosure process.

Effective as of December 31, 2011, we entered into a Management Agreement, or the Management Agreement, with Anworth Management, LLC, or the Manager, which effected the externalization of our management function, or the Externalization. Since the effective date, our day-to-day operations are being conducted by the Manager through the authority delegated to it under the Management Agreement and pursuant to the policies established by our board of directors. The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements are prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles utilized in the United States of America, or GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Material estimates that are susceptible to change relate to the determination of the fair value of securities, amortization of security premiums and accretion of security discounts and accounting for derivatives and hedging activities. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates. In the opinion of management, all material adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the calendar year. The interim financial information in the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013.

The following is a summary of our significant accounting policies:

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. The carrying amount of cash equivalents approximates their fair value.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

Agency MBS are securities that are obligations (including principal and interest) guaranteed by the U.S. government, such as Ginnie Mae, or guaranteed by federally sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Our investment-grade Agency MBS portfolio is invested primarily in fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage-backed pass-through certificates and hybrid adjustable-rate MBS. Hybrid adjustable-rate MBS have an initial interest rate that is fixed for a certain period, usually three to ten years, and then adjusts annually for the remainder of the term of the asset. We structure our investment portfolio to be diversified with a variety of prepayment characteristics, investing in mortgage assets with prepayment penalties, investing in certain mortgage security structures that have prepayment protections and purchasing mortgage assets at a premium and at a discount. Our portfolio also includes a small amount of Non-Agency MBS (approximately $11 thousand) which are included with the Agency MBS. Prior period balances have been presented consistent with this treatment.

We classify our MBS as either trading investments, available-for-sale investments or held-to-maturity investments. Our management determines the appropriate classification of the securities at the time they are acquired and evaluates the appropriateness of such classifications at each balance sheet date. We currently classify all of our MBS as available-for-sale. All assets that are classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair value and unrealized gains or losses are generally included in “Other comprehensive income (loss)” as a component of stockholders’ equity. Losses that are credit-related on securities classified as available-for-sale, which are determined by management to be other-than-temporary in nature, are reclassified from “Other comprehensive income” to income (loss).

The most significant source of our revenue is derived from our investments in MBS. Interest income on Agency MBS is accrued based on the actual coupon rate and the outstanding principal amount of the underlying mortgages. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted into interest income over the estimated lives of the securities using the effective interest yield method, adjusted for the effects of actual and estimated prepayments based on the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 320-10. Our policy for estimating prepayment speeds for calculating the effective yield is to evaluate historical performance, street consensus prepayment speeds and current market conditions. If our estimate of prepayments is materially incorrect, as compared to the aforementioned references, we may be required to make an adjustment to the amortization or accretion of premiums and discounts that would have an impact on future income, which could be material and adverse.

Securities are recorded on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Realized gains or losses from securities transactions are determined based on the specific identified cost of the securities.

The following table shows our investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value of those individual securities that have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, aggregated by investment category and length of time (dollar amounts in thousands):

30-Sep-14

Less Than 12 Months

12 Months or More

Total

Description

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

of

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

Securities

Securities

Securities

Securities

Agency MBS

117

$

757,413

$

(1,952

)

355

$

3,325,533

$

(76,617

)

472

$

4,082,946

$

(78,569

)

December 31, 2013

Less Than 12 Months

12 Months or More

Total

Description

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

of

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

Securities

Securities

Securities

Securities

Agency MBS

202

$

4,262,712

$

(122,890

)

230

$

763,911

$

(23,089

)

432

$

5,026,623

$

(145,979

)

We do not consider those Agency MBS that have been in a continuous loss position for 12 months or more to be other-than-temporarily impaired. The unrealized losses on our investments in Agency MBS were caused by fluctuations in interest rates. We purchased the Agency MBS primarily at a premium relative to their face value and the contractual cash flows of those investments are guaranteed by the U.S. government or government-sponsored agencies. Since September 2008, the government-sponsored agencies have been in the conservatorship of the U.S. government. We currently do not have the intent to sell the Agency MBS at a price less than the amortized cost basis of our investments. Because the decline in market value of the Agency MBS is attributable to changes in interest rates and not the credit quality of the Agency MBS in our portfolio, and because we do not have the intent to sell these investments nor is it more likely than not that we will be required to sell these investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, which may be at maturity, we do not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at September 30, 2014.

Residential Properties

Residential properties are stated at cost and consist of land, buildings and improvements, including other costs incurred during their acquisition, possession and renovation. Residential properties purchased that are not subject to an existing lease are treated as asset acquisitions and, as such, are recorded at their purchase price, including acquisition and renovation costs, all of which are allocated to land and building based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition. Residential properties acquired either subject to an existing lease or as part of a portfolio level transaction are treated as a business combination under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations, and, as such, are recorded at fair value, allocated to land, building and the existing lease, if applicable, based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition, with acquisition fees and other costs expensed as incurred.

Building depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We will generally use a 27.5 year estimated life with no salvage value. We will incur costs to prepare our acquired properties to be leased. These costs will be capitalized and allocated to building costs. Costs related to the restoration, renovation, or improvement of our properties that improve and extend their useful lives are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Expenditures for ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred by us to lease the properties will be capitalized and amortized over the life of the lease. Escrow deposits include refundable and non-refundable cash and earnest money on deposit with independent third parties for property purchases.

Repurchase Agreements

We finance the acquisition of MBS primarily through the use of repurchase agreements. Under these repurchase agreements, we sell securities to a lender and agree to repurchase the same securities in the future for a price that is higher than the original sales price. The difference between the sale price that we receive and the repurchase price that we pay represents interest paid to the lender. Although structured as a sale and repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement operates as a financing under which we pledge our securities and accrued interest as collateral to secure a loan which is equal in value to a specified percentage of the estimated fair value of the pledged collateral. We retain beneficial ownership of the pledged collateral. Upon the maturity of a repurchase agreement, we are required to repay the loan and concurrently receive back our pledged collateral from the lender or, with the consent of the lender, we may renew such agreement at the then-prevailing financing rate. These repurchase agreements may require us to pledge additional assets to the lender in the event the estimated fair value of the existing pledged collateral declines.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Risk Management

We primarily use short-term (less than or equal to 12 months) repurchase agreements to finance the purchase of MBS. These obligations expose us to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. We continuously monitor changes in interest rate exposures and evaluate various opportunities to mitigate this risk. Our objective is to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows. The principal instruments we use to achieve this are interest rate swaps and Eurodollar Futures Contracts. Interest rate swaps effectively convert a percentage of our repurchase agreements to fixed-rate obligations over a period of up to ten years. Under interest rate swaps, we agree to pay an amount equal to a specified fixed rate of interest times a notional principal amount and to receive in return an amount equal to a specified variable-rate of interest times a notional amount, generally based on the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR. The notional amounts are not exchanged. We do not issue or hold the interest rate swaps and the Eurodollar Futures Contracts (“Futures Contracts”) for speculative purposes. See Note 13 for more information on the Futures Contracts.

We may also enter into To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) securities as a means of investing in and financing agency securities or as a means of disposing of or reducing our exposure to agency securities. Pursuant to TBA contracts, we agree to purchase or sell, for future delivery, agency securities with certain principal and interest terms and certain types of collateral, but the particular agency securities to be delivered are not identified until shortly before the TBA settlement date. We also may choose, prior to settlement, to move the settlement of these securities out to a later date by entering into an offsetting short or long position (referred to as a “pair off”), net settling the paired off positions for cash, and simultaneously purchasing a similar TBA contract for a later settlement date. This transaction is commonly referred to as a “dollar roll.” The agency securities purchased or sold for a forward settlement date are typically priced at a discount to agency securities for settlement in the current month. This difference (or discount) is referred to as the “price drop.” The price drop represents compensation to us for foregoing net interest margin (interest income less repurchase agreement financing cost) and is referred to as “dollar roll income (loss)”. TBA Securities are accounted for as derivative instruments since they do not meet the exemption allowed for a “regular way” security trade under ASC 815, as either the TBA contracts do not settle in the shortest period of time possible or we cannot assess that it is probable at inception that we will take physical delivery of the security or that we will not settle on a net basis.

Accounting for Derivative and Hedging Activities

We account for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815, which requires recognition of all derivatives as either assets or liabilities and measurement of those instruments at fair value, which is typically based on values obtained from large financial institutions who are market makers for these types of instruments. The accounting for changes in the fair value or derivative instruments depends on whether the instruments are designated and qualify as hedges in accordance with ASC 815. Changes in fair value related to derivatives not designated as hedges are recorded in our consolidated statements of income as “Gain (loss) on derivatives” and specifically identified as either relating to interest rate swaps, Futures Contracts, or TBA securities. For a derivative to qualify for hedge accounting, we must anticipate that the hedge will be highly “effective” as defined by ASC 815-10. A hedge of the variability of cash flows that are to be received or paid in connection with a recognized asset or liability is known as a ”cash flow” hedge. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective and that is designated as a cash flow hedge, to the extent the hedge is effective, are recorded in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income”, or “AOCI” and reclassified to income when the forecasted transaction affects income (e.g. when periodic settlement interest payments are due on repurchase agreements).  Hedge ineffectiveness, if any, is recorded in current period income.

When we discontinue hedge accounting, the gain or loss on the derivative remains in AOCI and is reclassified into income when the forecasted transaction affects income. In all situations where hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative remains outstanding, we carry the derivative at its fair value on our balance sheet, recognizing changes in fair value in current period income. All of our swaps had historically been accounted for as cash flow hedges under ASC 815. However, on March 17, 2014, we discontinued hedge accounting on approximately $1.685 billion in notional amounts by de-designating these swaps as cash flow hedges. On August 22, 2014, we decided to discontinue hedge accounting on the remainder of our swaps.  In September 2014, we terminated 32 of our swaps with a notional amount of $1.81 billion. As a result of discontinuing hedge accounting for our swaps, beginning March 18, 2014 and August 22, 2014, changes in the fair value of these swaps are recorded in “Gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, net” in our consolidated statements of income rather than in AOCI.  Also, net interest paid or received on these swaps which, through March 17, 2014 and August 23, 2014, was recognized in “interest expense”, is instead recognized in “Gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, net.” These continue to be reported as assets or liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair value.

As long as the forecasted transactions that were being hedged (i.e. rollovers of our repurchase agreement borrowings) are still expected to occur, the balance in AOCI from the activity in these swaps through March 17, 2014 and August 22, 2014 will remain in AOCI and be recognized in our consolidated statements of income as “interest expense” over the remaining term of these swaps.

For purposes of the consolidated statements of cash flows, cash flows hedges were classified with the cash flows from the hedged item. Cash flows from derivatives that are not hedges are classified according to the underlying nature or purpose of the derivative transaction.

For more details on the amounts and other qualitative information on all our derivative transactions, see Note 13. For more information on the fair value of our derivative instruments, see Note 7.

Credit Risk

At September 30, 2014, we have attempted to limit our exposure to credit losses on our MBS by purchasing securities primarily through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The payment of principal and interest on the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae MBS are guaranteed by those respective enterprises. In September 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed in the conservatorship of the U.S. government. While it is the intent that the conservatorship will help stabilize Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s losses and overall financial position, there can be no assurance that it will succeed or that, if necessary, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will be able to satisfy its guarantees of Agency MBS. There have also been concerns as to what the U.S. government will do regarding winding down the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. There have also been concerns over the past few years regarding the credit standing of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and U.S. sovereign debt. We do not know what effect any future ratings of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and U.S. sovereign debt may ultimately have on the U.S. economy, the value of our securities, or the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to satisfy its guarantees of Agency MBS, if necessary.

Our adjustable-rate MBS are subject to periodic and lifetime interest rate caps. Periodic caps can limit the amount an interest rate can increase during any given period. Some adjustable-rate MBS subject to periodic payment caps may result in a portion of the interest being deferred and added to the principal outstanding.

We may invest in Non-Agency MBS, which are securities that are secured by pools of residential mortgages which are not issued by government sponsored enterprises and are not guaranteed by any agency of the U.S. government or any federally chartered corporation. Such investments carry a risk that the borrower on the underlying mortgage may default on their obligation to make full and timely payments of principal and interest.

Other-than-temporary losses on our available-for-sale MBS, as measured by the amount of decline in estimated fair value attributable to credit losses that are considered to be other-than-temporary, are charged against income, resulting in an adjustment of the cost basis of such securities. Based on the criteria in ASC 320-10, the determination of whether a security is other-than-temporarily impaired, or OTTI, involves judgments and assumptions based on both subjective and objective factors. When a security is impaired, an OTTI is considered to have occurred if (i) we intend to sell the security, (ii) it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis or (iii) we do not expect to recover its amortized cost basis (i.e., there is a credit-related loss). The following are among, but not all of, the factors considered in determining whether and to what extent an OTTI exists and the portion that is related to credit loss: (i) the expected cash flow from the investment; (ii) whether there has been an other-than-temporary deterioration of the credit quality of the underlying mortgages; (iii) the credit protection available to the related mortgage pool for MBS; (iv) any other market information available, including analysts’ assessments and statements, public statements and filings made by the debtor or counterparty; (v) management’s internal analysis of the security, considering all known relevant information at the time of assessment; and (vi) the magnitude and duration of historical decline in market prices. Because management’s assessments are based on factual information as well as subjective information available at the time of assessment, the determination as to whether an other-than-temporary decline exists and, if so, the amount considered impaired, is also subjective and therefore constitutes material estimates that are susceptible to significant change.

For all interest rate swaps entered into on or before September 9, 2013, we are exposed to credit losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties to interest rate swap agreements. In order to limit this risk, our practice was to only enter into swaps with large financial institution counterparties who were market makers for these types of instruments, limit our exposure on each swap to a single counterparty under our defined guidelines and either pay or receive collateral to or from each counterparty on a periodic basis to cover the net fair market position of the swaps held with that counterparty. For all swaps entered into on or after September 9, 2013, all swap participants are required by rules of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, under authority granted to it pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, to clear swaps through a registered derivatives clearing organization, or “swap execution facility,” through standardized documents under which each swap counterparty transfers its position to another entity whereby a central clearinghouse effectively becomes the counterparty on each side of the swap. Both the swap execution facility and the central clearinghouse could require greater initial and periodic margin (collateral) requirements and additional transaction fees. It is the intent of the Dodd-Frank Act that the clearing of swaps in this manner is designed to avoid concentration of risk in any single entity by spreading and centralizing the risk in the clearinghouse and its members.

Income Taxes

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT and to comply with the provisions of the Code with respect thereto. Accordingly, we will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that our distributions to our stockholders satisfy the REIT requirements and that certain asset, income and stock ownership tests are met.

We have no unrecognized tax benefits and do not anticipate any increase in unrecognized benefits during 2014 relative to any tax positions taken prior to January 1, 2014. Should the accrual of any interest or penalties relative to unrecognized tax benefits be necessary, it is our policy to record such accruals in our income taxes accounts; and no such accruals existed at September 30, 2014. We file REIT U.S. federal and California income tax returns. These returns are generally open to examination by the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for all years after 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock

We classify our Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, or Series B Preferred Stock, on our balance sheets using the guidance in ASC 480-10-S99. The Series B Preferred Stock contains certain fundamental change provisions that allow the holder to redeem the preferred stock for cash only if certain events occur, such as a change in control. As redemption under these circumstances is not solely within our control, we have classified the Series B Preferred Stock as temporary equity.

We have analyzed whether the conversion features in the Series B Preferred Stock should be bifurcated under the guidance in ASC 815-10 and have determined that bifurcation is not necessary.

Stock-Based Expense

In accordance with ASC 718-10, any expense relating to share-based payment transactions is recognized in the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

Restricted stock is expensed over the vesting period (see Note 10).

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share, or EPS, is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS assumes the conversion, exercise or issuance of all potential common stock equivalents (which includes stock options and convertible preferred stock) and the adding back of the Series B Preferred Stock dividends unless the effect is to reduce a loss or increase the income per share.

The computation of EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 is as follows (amounts in thousands, except per share data):

Net Income

Average

Earnings

Available to

Shares

per

Common

Share

Stockholders

For the three months ended September 30, 2014

Basic EPS

$

18,061

121,061

$

0.15

Effect of dilutive securities

394

4,131

-

Diluted EPS

$

18,455

125,192

$

0.15

For the three months ended September 30, 2013

Basic EPS

$

16,579

142,380

$

0.12

Effect of dilutive securities

394

3,907

-

Diluted EPS

$

16,973

146,287

$

0.12

Net Income

Average

Earnings

Available to

Shares

per

Common

Share

Stockholders

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014

Basic EPS

$

38,621

128,174

$

0.3

Effect of dilutive securities

1,182

4,080

-

Diluted EPS

$

39,803

132,254

$

0.3

For the nine months ended September 30, 2013

Basic EPS

$

60,323

143,176

$

0.42

Effect of dilutive securities

1,200

3,942

-

Diluted EPS

$

61,523

147,118

$

0.42

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, options to purchase 5,000 and 5,000 shares of common stock, respectively, were outstanding and not included in the computation of diluted EPS as their exercise price and option expense exceeded the average stock price for those respective periods.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

In accordance with ASC 220-10-55-2, total comprehensive income is divided into net income and other comprehensive income, which includes unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities classified as available-for-sale, and unrealized gains and losses on derivative financial instruments. In accordance with ASU 2013-02, we have identified, in our Statements of Comprehensive Income, items that are reclassified and included in our Statements of Income.

USE OF ESTIMATES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In the first quarter of 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-04, “Liabilities (Topic 405): Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date.” This ASU requires an entity to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation within the scope of this ASU is fixed at the reporting date, as the sum of the following: (a) the amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors; and (b) any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors. This ASU also requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation as well as other information about the obligations including the terms and conditions of the arrangement. Examples of obligations within the scope of this ASU include debt arrangements, other contractual obligations, and settled litigation and judicial rulings. This ASU was effective for our financial statements beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2014. We have adopted this ASU and it did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard on revenue recognition, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” This new standard will replace more than 200 ad hoc pronouncements on revenue recognition. This ASU requires companies to recognize revenue in a way that shows the transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts that reflect the payment that a company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. To do that, companies will now have to go through a five-step process: (1) tie the contract to a customer; (2) identify the contract’s performance obligations; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) connect the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) a company satisfies the performance obligation. This ASU only affects an entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets, unless those contracts are within other standards (for example, insurance contracts or lease contracts). This ASU is effective for a public entity for the financial statements beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2017. We do not believe that this ASU will have a material impact on our financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued a new standard on repurchase agreements, ASU No. 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing: Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures (Topic 860).” This new standard introduces two major changes to the existing accounting guidance: (1) it requires transferors and transferees to account for repurchase-to-maturity transactions as secured borrowings, where the transferor maintains control over the transferred asset instead of accounting for these as a sale; and (2) it requires separate accounting for a transfer of a financial asset executed contemporaneously with a repurchase agreement with the same counterparty, causing the repurchase agreement to be accounted for as a secured borrowing. For these types of transactions, there is additional disclosure about the nature of the transaction. This ASU also requires the following disclosures for all repurchase agreements, securities lending transactions and repurchase-to-maturity transactions that are accounted for as secured borrowings: (i) a disaggregation of the gross obligation by the class of collateral pledged; (ii) the remaining contractual tenor of the agreements; and (iii) a discussion of the potential risks associated with the agreements and the related collateral pledged, including obligations arising from a decline in the fair value of the collateral pledged and how those risks are managed. This ASU is effective for a public entity for the financial statements beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2015. We do not believe that this ASU will have a material impact on our financial statements.

Reverse_Repurchase_Agreements

Reverse Repurchase Agreements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Repurchase Agreements	'
	NOTE 5. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
	We have entered into repurchase agreements with large financial institutions to finance most of our Agency MBS. The repurchase agreements are short-term borrowings that are secured by the market value of our MBS and bear fixed interest rates that have historically been based upon LIBOR.
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the repurchase agreements had the following balances (dollar amounts in thousands), weighted average interest rates and remaining weighted average maturities:
			30-Sep-14						31-Dec-13
			Balance			Weighted			Balance			Weighted
						Average						Average
						Interest						Interest
						Rate						Rate
	Overnight		$	-			-	%	$	-			-	%
	Less than 30 days			2,705,000			0.32			3,105,000			0.39
	30 days to 90 days			3,795,000			0.32			4,475,000			0.39
	Over 90 days to less than 1 year			50,000			0.33			-			-
	1 year to 2 years			-			-			-			-
	Demand			-			-			-			-
			$	6,550,000			0.32	%	$	7,580,000			0.39	%
	Weighted average maturity		38 days						38 days
	Weighted average interest rate after adjusting for interest			1.08	%					1.5	%
	rate swaps
	Weighted average maturity after adjusting for interest		845 days						1,010 days
	rate swaps
	Agency MBS pledged as collateral under the repurchase		$	6,912,185					$	8,060,567
	agreements and swap agreements
	The following tables present information about certain assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements (or similar agreements) only in the event of default on a contract. See Notes 1, 7 and 13 for more information on the Company’s interest rate swaps (both items that were hedges and also for discontinued hedges) and other derivative instruments.
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	30-Sep-14		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	6,550,000		$	-		$	6,550,000		$	(6,550,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			671,288		-				671,288			(671,288	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,221,288		$	-		$	7,221,288		$	(7,221,288	)	$	-	$	-	\
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	31-Dec-13		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value(2)		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	7,580,000		$	-		$	7,580,000		$	(7,580,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			55,914		-				55,914			(55,914	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,635,914		$	-		$	7,635,914		$	(7,635,914	)	$	-	$	-
	-1	Amounts presented are limited to collateral pledged sufficient to reduce the related net amount to zero in accordance with ASU No. 2011-11, as amended by ASU No. 2013-01.
	-2	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $26.1 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.2 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $84.2 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.1 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives.
	-3	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $6.89 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $7.98 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements	'
Repurchase Agreements	'
	NOTE 2. REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
	At September 30, 2014, we did not have any reverse repurchase agreements outstanding. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, the maximum amount of reverse repurchase agreements outstanding was $46 million and the average amount of reverse repurchase agreements outstanding was approximately $973 thousand. These investments are used as a means of investing excess cash. The collateral for these loans would be U.S. Treasury securities or Agency MBS with an aggregate fair value equal to the amount of the loans. At December 31, 2013, there were no reverse repurchase agreements outstanding.

Mortgage_Backed_Securities_MBS

Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS)	'
	NOTE 3. MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES (MBS)
	The following tables summarize our MBS, classified as available-for-sale, at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, which are carried at their fair value (amounts in thousands):
	30-Sep-14
	By Agency				Ginnie Mae				Freddie Mac				Fannie Mae				Non-Agency				Total
																	MBS				MBS
	Amortized cost				$	12,148			$	3,082,283			$	4,268,672			$	-			$	7,363,103
	Paydowns receivable(1)					-				40,669				-				-				40,669
	Unrealized gains					32				20,336				65,670				11				86,049
	Unrealized losses					(155	)			(44,740	)			(33,674	)			-				(78,569	)
	Fair value				$	12,025			$	3,098,548			$	4,300,668			$	11			$	7,411,252
	By Security Type		ARMs				Hybrids				15-Year				20-Year				Other(1)				Total
											Fixed-Rate				and								MBS
															30-Year
															Fixed-Rate
	Amortized cost		$	1,772,230			$	4,209,618			$	1,149,902			$	230,173			$	1,180			$	7,363,103
	Paydowns receivable(2)			3,131				37,538				-				-				-				40,669
	Unrealized gains			52,856				21,334				3,266				8,577				16				86,049
	Unrealized losses			(4,991	)			(52,693	)			(20,847	)			(35	)			(3	)			(78,569	)
	Fair value		$	1,823,226			$	4,215,797			$	1,132,321			$	238,715			$	1,193			$	7,411,252
	-1	Includes floating-rate collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMO”) and Non-Agency MBS.
	-2	Paydowns receivable are generated when the Company receives notice from Freddie Mac of prepayments but does not receive the actual cash with respect to such prepayments until the 15th day of the following month.
	During the three months ended September 30, 2014, there were no gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, there were gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $1.6 million. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, there were gross realized losses on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $5.6 million and $5.6 million, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, there were gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $7.64 million and $14.89 million, respectively, and gross realized losses of approximately $5.65 million and $5.65 million, respectively million.
	December 31, 2013
	By Agency				Ginnie Mae				Freddie Mac				Fannie Mae				Non-Agency				Total
																	MBS				MBS
	Amortized cost				$	13,374			$	3,618,312			$	4,950,005			$	-			$	8,581,691
	Paydowns receivable(1)					-				33,401				-				-				33,401
	Unrealized gains					10				18,384				68,860				79				87,333
	Unrealized losses					(124	)			(89,263	)			(56,592	)			-				(145,979	)
	Fair value				$	13,260			$	3,580,834			$	4,962,273			$	79			$	8,556,446
	By Security Type		ARMs				Hybrids				15-Year				30-Year				Floating-Rate				Total
											Fixed-Rate				Fixed-Rate				CMOs(2)				MBS
	Amortized cost		$	1,594,183			$	5,168,156			$	1,714,427			$	103,476			$	1,449			$	8,581,691
	Paydowns receivable(1)			2,843				30,558				-				-				-				33,401
	Unrealized gains			46,294				31,668				1,695				7,591				85				87,333
	Unrealized losses			(2,560	)			(85,614	)			(57,774	)			(29	)			(2	)			(145,979	)
	Fair value		$	1,640,760			$	5,144,768			$	1,658,348			$	111,038			$	1,532			$	8,556,446
	-1	Paydowns receivable are generated when the Company receives notice from Freddie Mac of prepayments but does not receive the actual cash with respect to such prepayments until the 15th day of the following month.
	-2	Non-Agency MBS are included in the Floating-Rate CMOs category.

Residential_Properties

Residential Properties	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Real Estate [Abstract]	'
Residential Properties	'
	NOTE 4. RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
	As of September 30, 2014, we owned 79 single-family residential properties which are all located in Southeastern Florida and are carried at a total cost of approximately $12.4 million. As we did not start this operation until March 2014, we did not own any single-family residential properties as of December 31, 2013. The income from these properties is included in our Statements of Income as “Income on rental properties.” The expenses on these properties are included in our Statements of Income in “Other expenses” and the details are included in Note 15.

Repurchase_Agreements

Repurchase Agreements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Banking And Thrift [Abstract]	'
Repurchase Agreements	'
	NOTE 5. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
	We have entered into repurchase agreements with large financial institutions to finance most of our Agency MBS. The repurchase agreements are short-term borrowings that are secured by the market value of our MBS and bear fixed interest rates that have historically been based upon LIBOR.
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the repurchase agreements had the following balances (dollar amounts in thousands), weighted average interest rates and remaining weighted average maturities:
			30-Sep-14						31-Dec-13
			Balance			Weighted			Balance			Weighted
						Average						Average
						Interest						Interest
						Rate						Rate
	Overnight		$	-			-	%	$	-			-	%
	Less than 30 days			2,705,000			0.32			3,105,000			0.39
	30 days to 90 days			3,795,000			0.32			4,475,000			0.39
	Over 90 days to less than 1 year			50,000			0.33			-			-
	1 year to 2 years			-			-			-			-
	Demand			-			-			-			-
			$	6,550,000			0.32	%	$	7,580,000			0.39	%
	Weighted average maturity		38 days						38 days
	Weighted average interest rate after adjusting for interest			1.08	%					1.5	%
	rate swaps
	Weighted average maturity after adjusting for interest		845 days						1,010 days
	rate swaps
	Agency MBS pledged as collateral under the repurchase		$	6,912,185					$	8,060,567
	agreements and swap agreements
	The following tables present information about certain assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements (or similar agreements) only in the event of default on a contract. See Notes 1, 7 and 13 for more information on the Company’s interest rate swaps (both items that were hedges and also for discontinued hedges) and other derivative instruments.
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	30-Sep-14		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	6,550,000		$	-		$	6,550,000		$	(6,550,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			671,288		-				671,288			(671,288	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,221,288		$	-		$	7,221,288		$	(7,221,288	)	$	-	$	-	\
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	31-Dec-13		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value(2)		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	7,580,000		$	-		$	7,580,000		$	(7,580,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			55,914		-				55,914			(55,914	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,635,914		$	-		$	7,635,914		$	(7,635,914	)	$	-	$	-
	-1	Amounts presented are limited to collateral pledged sufficient to reduce the related net amount to zero in accordance with ASU No. 2011-11, as amended by ASU No. 2013-01.
	-2	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $26.1 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.2 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $84.2 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.1 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives.
	-3	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $6.89 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $7.98 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements.

Junior_Subordinated_Notes

Junior Subordinated Notes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Junior Subordinated Notes	'
	NOTE 6. JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES
	On March 15, 2005, we issued $37,380,000 of junior subordinated notes to a newly-formed statutory trust, Anworth Capital Trust I, organized by us under Delaware law. The trust issued $36,250,000 in trust preferred securities to unrelated third party investors. Both the notes and the trust preferred securities require quarterly payments and bear interest at the prevailing three-month LIBOR rate plus 3.10%, reset quarterly. The first interest payments were made on June 30, 2005. Both the notes and the trust preferred securities will mature in 2035 and are currently redeemable, at our option, in whole or in part, without penalty. We used the net proceeds of this private placement to invest in Agency MBS. We have reviewed the structure of the transaction under ASC 810-10 and concluded that Anworth Capital Trust I does not meet the requirements for consolidation. On September 26, 2005, the notes, the trust preferred securities and the related agreements were amended. The only material change was that one of the class holders requested that interest payments be made quarterly on January 30, April 30, July 30 and October 30 instead of at the end of each calendar quarter. This became effective with the quarterly payments after September 30, 2005. As of the date of this filing, we have not redeemed any of the notes or trust preferred securities.

Fair_Values_of_Financial_Instr

Fair Values of Financial Instruments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Values of Financial Instruments	'
	NOTE 7. FAIR VALUES OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
	As defined in ASC 820-10, fair value is the price that would be received from the sale of an asset or paid to transfer or settle a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal (or most advantageous) market for the asset or liability. ASC 820-10 establishes a fair value hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the information used to determine fair values. Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are classified and disclosed in one of the three following categories:
	Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
	Level 2: Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data. This includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies where substantially all of the assumptions are observable in the marketplace, can be derived from observable market data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. We consider the inputs utilized to fair value our Agency MBS to be Level 2. Management bases the fair value for these investments primarily on third party bid price indications provided by dealers who make markets in these instruments. The Agency MBS market is primarily an over-the-counter market. As such, there are no standard, public market quotations or published trading data for individual MBS securities. As our portfolio consists of hundreds of similar, but distinct, securities that have each been traded with only one broker counterparty, we generally seek to have each Agency MBS security priced by one broker. The prices received are non-binding offers to trade, but are indicative quotations of the market value of our securities as of the market close on the last day of each quarter. The brokers receive trading data from several traders that participate in the active markets for these securities and directly observe numerous trades of securities similar to the securities owned by us. Given the volume of market activity for Agency MBS, it is our belief that the broker pricing accurately reflects market information for actual, contemporaneous transactions. We do not adjust quotes or prices we obtain from brokers and pricing services. In the limited instances where valuations are received on a security from multiple brokers, we use the median value of the prices received to determine fair value. To validate the prices we obtain, to ensure our fair value determinations are consistent with ASC 820, and to ensure that we properly classify these securities in the fair value hierarchy, we evaluate the pricing information we receive taking into account factors such as coupon, prepayment experience, fixed/adjustable rate, coupon index, time to reset and issuing agency, among other factors. Based on these factors, broker prices are compared to prices of similar securities provided by other brokers. If we determine (based on such a comparison and our market knowledge and expertise) that a security is priced significantly differently than similar securities, the broker is contacted and requested to revisit their valuation of the security. If a broker refuses to reconsider its valuation, we will request pricing from another broker and use the median value of the prices received to determine fair value. If we are unable to receive a valuation from another broker, the price received from an independent third party pricing service will be used, if it is determined (based on our market knowledge and expertise) to be more reliable than the broker pricing. However, the fair value reported may not be indicative of the amounts that could be realized in an actual market exchange.
	Our derivative assets and derivative liabilities include: interest rate swaps (in which we pay a fixed-rate of interest and receive a variable-rate of interest that is based on LIBOR), TBA securities receivable, TBA securities payable and contracts to buy or sell TBA securities. Our derivative assets also include Eurodollar Futures Contracts. The fair value of both the derivatives and the swaps are reported to us independently from dealers who are large financial institutions and are market makers for these types of instruments. The LIBOR swap rate is observable at commonly quoted intervals over the full term of the swaps and therefore is considered a Level 2 item. The fair value of the derivative instruments’ assets and liabilities are the estimated amounts the Company would either receive or pay to terminate these agreements at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates and the Company’s credit worthiness. For more information on all our swaps (both hedged swaps and de-designated swaps) and other derivative instruments, see Note 1 and Note 13.
	Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data. This is comprised of financial instruments whose fair value is estimated based on internally developed models or methodologies utilizing significant inputs that are generally less readily observable from objective sources.
	In determining the appropriate levels, we perform a detailed analysis of the assets and liabilities that are subject to ASC 820-10. At each reporting period, all assets and liabilities for which the fair value measurement is based on significant unobservable inputs are classified as Level 3.
	At September 30, 2014, fair value measurements on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Assets
	Agency MBS(1)		$	-	$	7,411,252	$	-	$	7,411,252
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	662,095	$	-	$	662,095
	Liabilities
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	671,288	$	-	$	671,288
	-1	For more detail about the fair value of our MBS by agency and type of security, see Note 3.
	-2	Derivative instruments include discontinued hedges under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see Notes 1 and 13.
	At December 31, 2013, fair value measurements on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Assets
	Agency MBS(1)		$	-	$	8,556,446	$	-	$	8,556,446
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	22,551	$	-	$	22,551
	Liabilities
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	55,914	$	-	$	55,914
	-1	For more detail about the fair value of our MBS by agency and type of security, see Note 3.
	-2	Derivative instruments are hedging instruments under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see Notes 1 and 13.
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, escrow deposits, interest receivable, repurchase agreements and interest payable are reflected in our consolidated financial statements at cost, which approximate fair value because of the nature and short term of these instruments.
	Junior subordinated notes are variable-rate debt and, as we believe the spread would be consistent with the expectations of market participants as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying value approximates fair value.

Income_Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	NOTE 8. INCOME TAXES
	We have elected to be taxed as a REIT and to comply with the provisions of the Code with respect thereto. Accordingly, we will not be subject to federal or state income taxes to the extent that our distributions to stockholders satisfy the REIT requirements and certain asset, gross income and stock ownership tests are met. We believe we currently meet all REIT requirements regarding the ownership of our common stock and the distribution of our taxable net income. Therefore, we believe that we continue to qualify as a REIT under the provisions of the Code.

Series_B_Cumulative_Convertibl

Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series B Preferred Stock)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Series B Preferred Stock	'
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock	'
	NOTE 9. SERIES B CUMULATIVE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK
	Our Series B Preferred Stock has a par value of $0.01 per share and a liquidation preference of $25.00 per share plus accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not declared). The holders of our Series B Preferred Stock must receive dividends at a rate of 6.25% per year on the $25.00 liquidation preference before holders of our common stock are entitled to receive any dividends. Our Series B Preferred Stock is senior to our common stock and on parity with our 8.625% Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock, or Series A Preferred Stock, with respect to the payment of distributions and amounts, upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up. So long as any shares of our Series B Preferred Stock remain outstanding, we will not, without the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares of our Series B Preferred Stock outstanding at the time, authorize or create, or increase the authorized or issued amount of, any class or series of capital stock ranking senior to our Series B Preferred Stock with respect to payment of dividends or the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up.
	Our Series B Preferred Stock has no maturity date, is not redeemable and is convertible at the then-current conversion rate into shares of our common stock per $25.00 liquidation preference. The conversion rate is adjusted in any fiscal quarter in which the cash dividends paid to common stockholders results in an annualized common stock dividend yield that is greater than 6.25%. The conversion ratio is also subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specific events such as a change in control. Our Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of our common stock at the option of the holder(s) of Series B Preferred Stock at any time at the then-prevailing conversion rate. On or after January 25, 2012, we may, at our option, under certain circumstances, convert each share of Series B Preferred Stock into a number of shares of our common stock at the then-prevailing conversion rate. We may exercise this conversion option only if our common stock price equals or exceeds 130% of the then-prevailing conversion price of our Series B Preferred Stock for at least twenty (20) trading days in a period of thirty (30) consecutive trading days (including the last trading day of such period) ending on the trading day immediately prior to our issuance of a press release announcing the exercise of the conversion option. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, we have not, at our option, converted any shares of Series B Preferred Stock. Our Series B Preferred Stock contains certain fundamental change provisions that allow the holder to redeem our Series B Preferred Stock for cash if certain events occur, such as a change in control. Our Series B Preferred Stock generally does not have voting rights, except if dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more quarterly periods (whether or not consecutive). Under such circumstances, the holders of Series B Preferred Stock, together with the holders of Series A Preferred Stock, would be entitled to elect two additional directors to our board of directors to serve until all unpaid dividends have been paid or declared and set aside for payment. In addition, certain material and adverse changes to the terms of our Series B Preferred Stock may not be taken without the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock and Series A Preferred Stock voting together as a single class. Through September 30, 2014, we have declared and set aside for payment the required dividends for our Series B Preferred Stock.

Public_Offerings_and_Capital_S

Public Offerings and Capital Stock	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Public Offerings and Capital Stock	'
	NOTE 10. PUBLIC OFFERINGS AND CAPITAL STOCK
	At September 30, 2014, our authorized capital included 200,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 118,554,025 shares were issued and outstanding.
	At September 30, 2014, our authorized capital included 20,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock, of which 5,150,000 shares had been designated 8.625% Series A Cumulative Preferred Stock (liquidation preference $25.00 per share) and 3,150,000 shares had been designated 6.25% Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (liquidation preference $25.00 per share). The undesignated shares of preferred stock may be issued in one or more classes or series, with such distinctive designations, rights and preferences as determined by our board of directors. At September 30, 2014, there were 1,919,378 shares of Series A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding and 1,009,640 shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.
	On October 3, 2011, we announced that our Board had authorized a share repurchase program which permits us to acquire up to 2,000,000 shares of our common stock. The shares are expected to be acquired at prevailing prices through open market transactions. The manner, price, number and timing of share repurchases will be subject to market conditions and applicable SEC rules. On December 13, 2013, we announced that our board of directors had authorized us to acquire up to an additional 5,000,000 shares of our common stock; on March 14, 2014, we announced that our board of directors had authorized the Company to acquire up to an additional 10,000,000 shares of our common stock; and on May 22, 2014, we announced that our board of directors had authorized the Company to acquire up to an additional 10,000,000 shares of our common stock, in each case through our share repurchase program. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, we repurchased an aggregate of 6,819,372 shares at a weighted average price of $5.10 per share under our share repurchase program.
	Our Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan allows stockholders and non-stockholders to purchase shares of our common stock and to reinvest dividends therefrom to acquire additional shares of our common stock. On March 14, 2012, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, registering up to 27,000,000 shares of our common stock for our 2012 Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan, or the 2012 Plan. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, we issued an aggregate of 75,783 shares of our common stock at a weighted average price of $5.18 per share under the 2012 Plan, resulting in proceeds to us of approximately $393 thousand. At September 30, 2014, there were approximately 16.56 million shares remaining under the 2012 Plan.
	On March 20, 2013, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC and on April 5, 2013 we filed a pre-effective amendment thereto with the SEC, offering up to $544,727,778 of our capital stock. The registration statement was declared effective on April 8, 2013. At September 30, 2014, approximately $544.7 million of our capital stock was available for future issuance under the registration statement.
	On August 5, 2014, we filed a registration statement on Form S-8 with the SEC to register an aggregate of up to 2,000,000 shares of our common stock to be issued pursuant to the Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2014 Equity Compensation Plan, or the 2014 Equity Plan. During the third quarter of 2014, we issued 10,000 restricted stock units under the 2014 Equity Plan.

Transactions_with_Affiliates

Transactions with Affiliates	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Transactions with Affiliates	'
	NOTE 11. TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
	Management Agreement and Externalization
	Effective as of December 31, 2011, we entered into the Management Agreement with the Manager, pursuant to which our day-to-day operations are being conducted by the Manager. The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).
	On the effective date of the Management Agreement, the employment agreements with our executives were terminated, our employees became employees of the Manager, and we took such other actions as we believed were reasonably necessary to implement the Management Agreement and externalize our management function.
	A trust controlled by Mr. Lloyd McAdams, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, and Ms. Heather U. Baines, an Executive Vice President of the Manager, beneficially owns 50% of the outstanding membership interests of the Manager; Mr. Joseph E. McAdams, the Chief Investment Officer of the Manager, beneficially owns 45% of the outstanding membership interests of the Manager; and Mr. Thad M. Brown, our Chief Financial Officer, beneficially owns 5% of the outstanding membership interests of the Manager.
	The Management Agreement may only be terminated without cause, as defined in the agreement, after the expiration of each annual renewal term. We are required to provide 180-days prior notice of non-renewal of the Management Agreement and must pay a termination fee on the last day of the initial term or any automatic renewal term, equal to three times the average annual management fee earned by the Manager during the prior 24-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed month prior to the effective date of termination. We may only not renew the Management Agreement with or without cause with the consent of the majority of our independent directors. These provisions make it difficult to terminate the Management Agreement and increase the effective cost to us of not renewing the Management Agreement.
	Certain of our officers were previously granted restricted stock and other equity awards (see Note 12), including dividend equivalent rights, in connection with their service to us, and certain of our officers had agreements under which they would receive payments if the Company is subject to a change in control (discussed later in this Note 11). In connection with the Externalization, certain of the agreements under which our officers were granted equity awards and would be paid payments in the event of a change in control were modified so that such agreements will continue with respect to our officers and employees after they became officers and employees of the Manager. In addition, as officers of our Company and employees of the Manager, they will continue to be eligible to receive equity awards under equity compensation plans in effect now or in the future.
	Messrs. Lloyd McAdams, Joseph E. McAdams, Charles J. Siegel, John T. Hillman and Ms. Heather U. Baines and others are officers and employees of PIA Farmland, Inc. and its external manager, PIA, where they devote a portion of their time. PIA Farmland, Inc., a privately-held real estate investment trust investing in U.S. farmland properties to lease to independent farm operators, was incorporated in February 2013 and acquired its first farm property in October 2013. These officers and employees are under no contractual obligations to PIA Farmland, Inc., its external manager, PIA, or to Anworth or its external manager, Anworth Management, LLC, as to their time commitment. Mr. Steven Koomar, the Chief Executive Officer of PIA Farmland, Inc., has no involvement with either Anworth or its external manager, Anworth Management, LLC.
	Change in Control and Arbitration Agreements
	On June 27, 2006, we entered into Change in Control and Arbitration Agreements with each of Mr. Thad M. Brown, our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Charles J. Siegel, our then Senior Vice President-Finance, Ms. Bistra Pashamova, our then Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager, and Mr. Evangelos Karagiannis, our then Vice President and Portfolio Manager, as well as certain of our other officers. In connection with the Externalization, we amended these agreements to provide that should a change in control (as defined in the amended agreements) occur, each of these officers will receive certain severance and other benefits valued as of December 31, 2011. Under the amended agreements, in the event that a change in control occurs, each of these officers will receive a lump sum payment equal to (i) 12 months annual base salary in effect on December 31, 2011, plus (ii) the average annual incentive compensation received for the two complete fiscal years prior December 31, 2011, plus (iii) the average annual bonus received for the two complete fiscal years prior to December 31, 2011, as well as other benefits. The amended Change in Control and Arbitration Agreements also provide for accelerated vesting of equity awards granted to these officers upon a change in control.
	Agreements with Pacific Income Advisers, Inc.
	On January 26, 2012, we entered into a sublease agreement that became effective on July 1, 2012 with PIA. Under the sublease agreement, we lease, on a pass-through basis, 7,300 square feet of office space from PIA at the same location and pay rent at an annual rate equal to PIA’s obligation, which is currently $61.67 per square foot. The base monthly rental for us is $37,518.40, which will be increased by 3% per annum on July 1, 2015. The sublease agreement runs through June 30, 2022 unless earlier terminated pursuant to the master lease. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we expensed $126 thousand and $377 thousand, respectively, in rent and related expenses to PIA under this sublease agreement. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we expensed $123 thousand and $366 thousand, respectively, in rent and related expenses to PIA under this sublease agreement.
	At September 30, 2014, the future minimum lease commitment is as follows (in whole dollars):
	Year	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		Thereafter		Total
														Commitment
	Commitment	$	112,555	$	456,987	$	470,720	$	484,852	$	499,398	$	1,866,753	$	3,891,265
	On July 25, 2008, we entered into an administrative services agreement with PIA, which was amended and restated on August 20, 2010. Under this agreement, PIA provides administrative services and equipment to us including human resources, operational support and information technology, and we pay an annual fee of 5 basis points on the first $225 million of stockholders’ equity and 1.00 basis points thereafter (paid quarterly in arrears) for those services. The administrative services agreement had an initial term of one year and renews for successive one-year terms thereafter unless either party gives notice of termination no less than 30 days before the expiration of the then-current annual term. We may also terminate the administrative services agreement upon 30 days prior written notice for any reason and immediately if there is a material breach by PIA. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we paid fees of $49 thousand and $152 thousand, respectively, to PIA in connection with this agreement. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we paid fees of $53 thousand and $159 thousand, respectively, to PIA in connection with this agreement.

Equity_Compensation_Plan

Equity Compensation Plan	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Disclosure Of Compensation Related Costs Sharebased Payments [Abstract]	'
Equity Compensation Plan	'
	NOTE 12. EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN
	2014 Equity Compensation Plan
	We filed a registration statement on Form S-8 on August 5, 2014 to register up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of our common stock to be issued pursuant to the 2014 Equity Compensation Plan, or the 2014 Equity Plan. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, we issued 10,000 restricted stock units under the 2014 Equity Plan.
	In October 2005, our board of directors approved the grant of an aggregate of 200,780 shares of restricted stock to various officers under the 2004 Equity Compensation Plan. The stock price on the grant date was $7.72. The restricted stock vests 10% per year on each anniversary date for a ten-year period and shall also vest immediately upon the death of the grantee or upon the grantee reaching age 65. Each grantee shall have the right to sell 40% of the restricted stock any time after such shares have vested. The remaining 60% of such vested restricted stock may not be sold until after termination of employment with us. We amortize the restricted stock over the vesting period, which is the lesser of ten years or the remaining number of years to age 65.
	In October 2006, our board of directors approved a grant of an aggregate of 197,362 shares of performance-based restricted stock to various officers under the 2004 Equity Compensation Plan. Such grant was made effective on October 18, 2006. The closing stock price on the effective date of the grant was $9.12. The shares vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period provided that the annually compounded rate of return on our common stock, including dividends, exceeds 12% measured on an annual basis as of the anniversary date of the grant. If the annually compounded rate of return does not exceed 12%, then the shares will vest on the anniversary date thereafter when the annually compounded rate of return exceeds 12%. If the annually compounded rate of return does not exceed 12% within ten years after the effective date of the grant, then the shares will be forfeited. The shares will fully vest within the ten-year period upon the death of a grantee. Upon vesting, each grantee shall have the right to sell 40% of the restricted stock any time after such shares have vested. The remaining 60% of such vested restricted stock may not be sold, transferred or pledged until after termination of employment with us or upon the tenth anniversary of the effective date.
	We recognize the expense related to restricted stock over the ten-year vesting period. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we expensed approximately $24 thousand and $72 thousand, respectively, related to these restricted stock grants. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we expensed approximately $51 thousand and $152 thousand, respectively, related to these restricted stock grants.
	At our May 24, 2007 annual meeting of stockholders, our stockholders adopted the Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan, or the 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan. A dividend equivalent right, or DER, is a right to receive amounts equal in value to the dividend distributions paid on a share of our common stock. DERs are paid in either cash or shares of our common stock, whichever is specified by our Compensation Committee at the time of grant, at such times as dividends are paid on shares of our common stock during the period between the date a DER is issued and the date the DER expires or earlier terminates. The Compensation Committee may impose such other conditions to the grant of DERs as it may deem appropriate. The maximum term for DERs under the 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan is ten years from the date of grant. Prior to January 1, 2012, an aggregate of 582,000 DERs were issued to our officers under the 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan. These DERs are not attached to any stock and only have the right to receive the same cash distribution per common share distributed to our common stockholders during the term of the grant. All of these grants have a five-year term from the date of the grant. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we paid or accrued $80 thousand and $243 thousand, respectively, related to DERs granted. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we paid or accrued $70 thousand and $245 thousand, respectively, related to DERs granted.
	Certain of our officers have previously been granted restricted stock and other equity incentive awards, including dividend equivalent rights, in connection with their service to us. In connection with the Externalization, certain of the agreements under which our officers have been granted equity awards were modified so that such agreements will continue with respect to our officers after they became officers and employees of the Manager. As a result, these awards and any future grants will be accounted for as non-employee awards. In addition, as officers of the Company and employees of the Manager, they will continue to be eligible to receive equity incentive awards under equity incentive plans in effect now or in the future. In accordance with the Externalization effective as of December 31, 2011, the DERs previously granted to all of our officers, with the exception of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, were terminated under the 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan and were reissued under the 2004 Equity Plan with the same amounts, terms and conditions. The 2004 Equity Plan was subsequently replaced by the 2014 Equity Plan.

Derivative_Instruments

Derivative Instruments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Derivative Instruments	'
	NOTE 13. DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS
	The table below presents the fair value of our derivative instruments as well as their classification in our consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013:
	Derivative Instruments		Balance Sheet Location		September 30,				December 31,
					2014				2013
					(in thousands)
	Hedged interest rate swaps		Derivative Assets		$	-			$	22,551
	De-designated interest rate swaps		Derivative Assets			-				-
	Eurodollar Futures Contracts		Derivative Assets			1,419				-
	TBA Securities - Open Contract		Derivative Assets			660,676				-
					$	662,095			$	22,551
	Hedged interest rate swaps		Derivative Liabilities		$	-			$	55,914
	TBA Securities - Payable		Derivative Liabilities			660,310				-
	De-designated interest rate swaps		Derivative Liabilities			10,978				-
					$	671,288			$	55,914
	Interest Rate Swap Agreements
	At September 30, 2014, we were a counterparty to interest rate swaps, which are derivative instruments as defined by ASC 815-10, with an aggregate notional amount of $3.81 billion and a weighted average maturity of approximately four years. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, we added four new swap agreements with an aggregate notional balance of $350 million. During the three months ended September 30, 2014, no swap agreements matured. However, 32 swaps with a notional amount of $1.81  billion were terminated. We utilize interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk relating to our repurchase agreements and do not anticipate entering into derivative transactions for speculative or trading purposes. In accordance with the swap agreements, we will pay a fixed-rate of interest during the term of the swap agreements (ranging from 0.578% to 3.06%) and receive a payment that varies with the three-month LIBOR rate.
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, our swaps had the following notional amounts (dollar amounts in thousands), weighted average fixed rates and remaining terms (in months):
			30-Sep-14										31-Dec-13
	Maturity		Notional				Weighted				Remaining		Notional		Weighted			Remaining
			Amount				Average				Term  in		Amount		Average			Term  in
							Fixed				Months				Fixed			Months
							Rate								Rate
	Less than 12 months		$	85,000				1.15	%			1	$	410,000		2.07	%		4
	1 year to 2 years			500,000				0.9				22		680,000		2.07			18
	2 years to 3 years			925,000				1.06				31		1,145,000		1.82			29
	3 years to 5 years			1,390,000				1.44				47		1,715,000		1.18			48
	5 years to 7 years			555,000				2.35				75		925,000		2.11			76
	7 years to 10 years			350,000				2.93				103		500,000		2.84			107
			$	3,805,000				1.54	%			48	$	5,375,000		1.81	%		47
	Swap Agreements by Counterparty
			September 30,				December 31,
			2014				2013
			(in thousands)
	Chicago Mercantile Exchange(1)		$	780,000			$	400,000
	JPMorgan Securities			775,000				1,175,000
	Deutsche Bank Securities			715,000				1,165,000
	ING Financial Markets LLC			650,000				650,000
	RBS Greenwich Capital			350,000				800,000
	Nomura Securities International			300,000				650,000
	Bank of New York			160,000				260,000
	Credit Suisse			75,000				75,000
	Morgan Stanley			-				150,000
	LBBW Securities, LLC			-				50,000
			$	3,805,000			$	5,375,000
	-1	For all swap agreements entered into after September 9, 2013, the counterparty is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange regardless of who the trading party is. See the section entitled “Derivative Financial Instruments – Interest Rate Risk Management” in Note 1 for additional details.
	During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, there was an increase in unrealized losses of approximately $20.6 million, from approximately $33.3 million in unrealized losses at December 31, 2013 to approximately $53.9 million in unrealized losses, on our swap agreements included in “Other comprehensive income” (this increase in unrealized losses consisted of unrealized losses on derivatives of $74 million and a reclassification adjustment for interest expense included in net income of $53.4 million).
	On March 17, 2014, we decided to discontinue hedge accounting on certain swaps with a notional balance of approximately $1.685 billion. On August 22, 2014, we decided to discontinue hedge accounting on the remainder of our swaps. During September 2014, 32 of our swaps with a notional balance of $ 1.81 billion were terminated. For both the terminated swaps and the de-designated swaps, as long as there is the probability that the forecasted transactions that were being hedged (i.e., rollovers of our repurchase agreement borrowings) are still expected to occur, the amount of the gain or less in AOCI remains in AOCI and is amortized over the remaining term of the swaps. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the net gain on these interest rate swaps was approximately $10.9 million and $9.6 million, respectively.
	Eurodollar Futures Contracts
	Each Futures Contract embodies $1 million of notional value and is effective for a term of approximately three months. We do not designate these contracts as hedges for accounting purposes. As a result, realized and unrealized changes in fair value are recognized in earnings in the period in which the changes occur. At September 30, 2014, we had 5,500 Futures Contracts representing $5.5 billion in notional amount. The fair value of these Futures Contracts was approximately $1.4 million. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we had gains on Futures Contracts of approximately $111 thousand and $111 thousand, respectively. We did not enter into these types of contracts during 2013.
	TBA Securities
	We may also enter TBA contracts and recognize a gain or loss on the sale of the contracts or dollar roll income. See the section in Note 1 on “Derivative Financial Instruments – TBA Securities” for more information on TBA securities. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we recognized a loss on derivatives-TBA securities of approximately $779 thousand and a gain of approximately $798 thousand, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, we also recognized derivative income on the TBA securities of approximately $366 thousand. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we did not enter into any TBA contracts. The types of securities involved in these TBA contracts are Fannie Mae 15-year fixed-rate securities with coupons ranging from 2.5% to 3.5%.
	For more information on our accounting policies, the objectives and risk exposures relating to derivatives and hedging agreements, see the section on “Derivative Financial Instruments” in Note 1. For more information on the fair value of our swap agreements, see Note 7.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	NOTE 14. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
	Lease Commitment and Administrative Services Commitment — We sublease office space and use administrative services from PIA, as more fully described in Note 11.

Other_Expenses

Other Expenses	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Expenses	'
	NOTE 15. OTHER EXPENSES
			Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
			September 30,					September 30,
			2014			2013		2014		2013
			(in thousands)					(in thousands)
	Legal and professional fees(1)		$	(218	)	$	120	$	2,423	$	385
	Printing and stockholder communications			15			27		584		204
	Directors and Officers insurance			129			118		374		348
	DERs expense			80			70		243		245
	Amortization of restricted stock			24			51		72		152
	Software implementation and maintenance			80			75		234		220
	Administrative service fees			49			53		152		159
	Rent			126			123		377		366
	Stock exchange and filing fees			46			54		136		162
	Custodian and clearing fees			70			34		215		103
	Sarbanes-Oxley consulting fees			25			25		76		82
	Board of directors fees and expenses			105			103		265		257
	Securities data services			34			33		100		99
	Leasing commissions on rental properties			59			-		69		-
	Other expenses on rental properties			83			-		103		-
	Depreciation expense on residential properties			85			-		149		-
	Property taxes on residential properties			45			-		45		-
	Other			51			67		122		123
	Total of other expenses:		$	888		$	953	$	5,739	$	2,905
	-1	During the third quarter 2014, there was a reversal of expenses previously accrued on legal and professional fees related to the proxy solicitation contest and a consulting agreement in connection with our review of strategic options.

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Subsequent Events [Abstract]	'
Subsequent Events	'
	NOTE 16. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
	The conversion rate of our Series B Preferred Stock increased on October 1, 2014 from 4.0919 shares of our common stock to 4.1519 shares of our common stock using the following information: (1) the average closing price of our common stock for the ten (10) consecutive trading day period was $5.05 and (2) the annualized common stock dividend yield was 11.0935%. When we pay any cash dividend during any quarterly fiscal period to all or substantially all of our common stockholders in an amount that results in an annualized common stock dividend yield that is greater than 6.25% (the dividend yield on our Series B Preferred Stock), the conversion rate on our Series B Preferred Stock is adjusted based on a formula specified in the Articles Supplementary Establishing and Fixing the Rights and Preferences of the Series B Preferred Stock.
	From October 1, 2014 through November 4, 2014, we purchased and committed to purchase approximately $52 million of Non-Agency MBS.
	From October 1, 2014 through November 4, 2014, we issued an aggregate of 75,492 shares of common stock at a weighted average price of $5.16 per share under the 2012 Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan, resulting in proceeds to us of approximately $389 thousand.
	From October 1, 2014 through November 4, 2014, we had repurchased an aggregate of 5,671,500 shares of our common stock at a weighted average price of $5.09 per share under our share repurchase program.
	From October 1, 2014 through November 4, 2014, two swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $85 million matured.

Organization_and_Significant_A1

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Cash and Cash Equivalents

'

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. The carrying amount of cash equivalents approximates their fair value.

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

'

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)

Agency MBS are securities that are obligations (including principal and interest) guaranteed by the U.S. government, such as Ginnie Mae, or guaranteed by federally sponsored enterprises, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Our investment-grade Agency MBS portfolio is invested primarily in fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage-backed pass-through certificates and hybrid adjustable-rate MBS. Hybrid adjustable-rate MBS have an initial interest rate that is fixed for a certain period, usually three to ten years, and then adjusts annually for the remainder of the term of the asset. We structure our investment portfolio to be diversified with a variety of prepayment characteristics, investing in mortgage assets with prepayment penalties, investing in certain mortgage security structures that have prepayment protections and purchasing mortgage assets at a premium and at a discount. Our portfolio also includes a small amount of Non-Agency MBS (approximately $11 thousand) which are included with the Agency MBS. Prior period balances have been presented consistent with this treatment.

We classify our MBS as either trading investments, available-for-sale investments or held-to-maturity investments. Our management determines the appropriate classification of the securities at the time they are acquired and evaluates the appropriateness of such classifications at each balance sheet date. We currently classify all of our MBS as available-for-sale. All assets that are classified as available-for-sale are carried at fair value and unrealized gains or losses are generally included in “Other comprehensive income (loss)” as a component of stockholders’ equity. Losses that are credit-related on securities classified as available-for-sale, which are determined by management to be other-than-temporary in nature, are reclassified from “Other comprehensive income” to income (loss).

The most significant source of our revenue is derived from our investments in MBS. Interest income on Agency MBS is accrued based on the actual coupon rate and the outstanding principal amount of the underlying mortgages. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted into interest income over the estimated lives of the securities using the effective interest yield method, adjusted for the effects of actual and estimated prepayments based on the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 320-10. Our policy for estimating prepayment speeds for calculating the effective yield is to evaluate historical performance, street consensus prepayment speeds and current market conditions. If our estimate of prepayments is materially incorrect, as compared to the aforementioned references, we may be required to make an adjustment to the amortization or accretion of premiums and discounts that would have an impact on future income, which could be material and adverse.

Securities are recorded on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Realized gains or losses from securities transactions are determined based on the specific identified cost of the securities.

The following table shows our investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value of those individual securities that have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, aggregated by investment category and length of time (dollar amounts in thousands):

30-Sep-14

Less Than 12 Months

12 Months or More

Total

Description

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

of

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

Securities

Securities

Securities

Securities

Agency MBS

117

$

757,413

$

(1,952

)

355

$

3,325,533

$

(76,617

)

472

$

4,082,946

$

(78,569

)

December 31, 2013

Less Than 12 Months

12 Months or More

Total

Description

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

Number

Fair

Unrealized

of

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

of

Value

Losses

Securities

Securities

Securities

Securities

Agency MBS

202

$

4,262,712

$

(122,890

)

230

$

763,911

$

(23,089

)

432

$

5,026,623

$

(145,979

)

We do not consider those Agency MBS that have been in a continuous loss position for 12 months or more to be other-than-temporarily impaired. The unrealized losses on our investments in Agency MBS were caused by fluctuations in interest rates. We purchased the Agency MBS primarily at a premium relative to their face value and the contractual cash flows of those investments are guaranteed by the U.S. government or government-sponsored agencies. Since September 2008, the government-sponsored agencies have been in the conservatorship of the U.S. government. We currently do not have the intent to sell the Agency MBS at a price less than the amortized cost basis of our investments. Because the decline in market value of the Agency MBS is attributable to changes in interest rates and not the credit quality of the Agency MBS in our portfolio, and because we do not have the intent to sell these investments nor is it more likely than not that we will be required to sell these investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, which may be at maturity, we do not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at September 30, 2014.

Residential Properties

'

Residential Properties

Residential properties are stated at cost and consist of land, buildings and improvements, including other costs incurred during their acquisition, possession and renovation. Residential properties purchased that are not subject to an existing lease are treated as asset acquisitions and, as such, are recorded at their purchase price, including acquisition and renovation costs, all of which are allocated to land and building based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition. Residential properties acquired either subject to an existing lease or as part of a portfolio level transaction are treated as a business combination under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations, and, as such, are recorded at fair value, allocated to land, building and the existing lease, if applicable, based upon their relative fair values at the date of acquisition, with acquisition fees and other costs expensed as incurred.

Building depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We will generally use a 27.5 year estimated life with no salvage value. We will incur costs to prepare our acquired properties to be leased. These costs will be capitalized and allocated to building costs. Costs related to the restoration, renovation, or improvement of our properties that improve and extend their useful lives are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Expenditures for ordinary repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred by us to lease the properties will be capitalized and amortized over the life of the lease. Escrow deposits include refundable and non-refundable cash and earnest money on deposit with independent third parties for property purchases.

Repurchase Agreements

'

Repurchase Agreements

We finance the acquisition of MBS primarily through the use of repurchase agreements. Under these repurchase agreements, we sell securities to a lender and agree to repurchase the same securities in the future for a price that is higher than the original sales price. The difference between the sale price that we receive and the repurchase price that we pay represents interest paid to the lender. Although structured as a sale and repurchase obligation, a repurchase agreement operates as a financing under which we pledge our securities and accrued interest as collateral to secure a loan which is equal in value to a specified percentage of the estimated fair value of the pledged collateral. We retain beneficial ownership of the pledged collateral. Upon the maturity of a repurchase agreement, we are required to repay the loan and concurrently receive back our pledged collateral from the lender or, with the consent of the lender, we may renew such agreement at the then-prevailing financing rate. These repurchase agreements may require us to pledge additional assets to the lender in the event the estimated fair value of the existing pledged collateral declines.

Derivative Financial Instruments

'

Derivative Financial Instruments

Risk Management

We primarily use short-term (less than or equal to 12 months) repurchase agreements to finance the purchase of MBS. These obligations expose us to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. We continuously monitor changes in interest rate exposures and evaluate various opportunities to mitigate this risk. Our objective is to limit the impact of interest rate changes on earnings and cash flows. The principal instruments we use to achieve this are interest rate swaps and Eurodollar Futures Contracts. Interest rate swaps effectively convert a percentage of our repurchase agreements to fixed-rate obligations over a period of up to ten years. Under interest rate swaps, we agree to pay an amount equal to a specified fixed rate of interest times a notional principal amount and to receive in return an amount equal to a specified variable-rate of interest times a notional amount, generally based on the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR. The notional amounts are not exchanged. We do not issue or hold the interest rate swaps and the Eurodollar Futures Contracts (“Futures Contracts”) for speculative purposes. See Note 13 for more information on the Futures Contracts.

We may also enter into To-Be-Announced (“TBA”) securities as a means of investing in and financing agency securities or as a means of disposing of or reducing our exposure to agency securities. Pursuant to TBA contracts, we agree to purchase or sell, for future delivery, agency securities with certain principal and interest terms and certain types of collateral, but the particular agency securities to be delivered are not identified until shortly before the TBA settlement date. We also may choose, prior to settlement, to move the settlement of these securities out to a later date by entering into an offsetting short or long position (referred to as a “pair off”), net settling the paired off positions for cash, and simultaneously purchasing a similar TBA contract for a later settlement date. This transaction is commonly referred to as a “dollar roll.” The agency securities purchased or sold for a forward settlement date are typically priced at a discount to agency securities for settlement in the current month. This difference (or discount) is referred to as the “price drop.” The price drop represents compensation to us for foregoing net interest margin (interest income less repurchase agreement financing cost) and is referred to as “dollar roll income (loss)”. TBA Securities are accounted for as derivative instruments since they do not meet the exemption allowed for a “regular way” security trade under ASC 815, as either the TBA contracts do not settle in the shortest period of time possible or we cannot assess that it is probable at inception that we will take physical delivery of the security or that we will not settle on a net basis.

Accounting for Derivative and Hedging Activities

We account for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815, which requires recognition of all derivatives as either assets or liabilities and measurement of those instruments at fair value, which is typically based on values obtained from large financial institutions who are market makers for these types of instruments. The accounting for changes in the fair value or derivative instruments depends on whether the instruments are designated and qualify as hedges in accordance with ASC 815. Changes in fair value related to derivatives not designated as hedges are recorded in our consolidated statements of income as “Gain (loss) on derivatives” and specifically identified as either relating to interest rate swaps, Futures Contracts, or TBA securities. For a derivative to qualify for hedge accounting, we must anticipate that the hedge will be highly “effective” as defined by ASC 815-10. A hedge of the variability of cash flows that are to be received or paid in connection with a recognized asset or liability is known as a ”cash flow” hedge. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective and that is designated as a cash flow hedge, to the extent the hedge is effective, are recorded in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income”, or “AOCI” and reclassified to income when the forecasted transaction affects income (e.g. when periodic settlement interest payments are due on repurchase agreements).  Hedge ineffectiveness, if any, is recorded in current period income.

When we discontinue hedge accounting, the gain or loss on the derivative remains in AOCI and is reclassified into income when the forecasted transaction affects income. In all situations where hedge accounting is discontinued and the derivative remains outstanding, we carry the derivative at its fair value on our balance sheet, recognizing changes in fair value in current period income. All of our swaps had historically been accounted for as cash flow hedges under ASC 815. However, on March 17, 2014, we discontinued hedge accounting on approximately $1.685 billion in notional amounts by de-designating these swaps as cash flow hedges. On August 22, 2014, we decided to discontinue hedge accounting on the remainder of our swaps.  In September 2014, we terminated 32 of our swaps with a notional amount of $1.81 billion. As a result of discontinuing hedge accounting for our swaps, beginning March 18, 2014 and August 22, 2014, changes in the fair value of these swaps are recorded in “Gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, net” in our consolidated statements of income rather than in AOCI.  Also, net interest paid or received on these swaps which, through March 17, 2014 and August 23, 2014, was recognized in “interest expense”, is instead recognized in “Gain (loss) on interest rate swaps, net.” These continue to be reported as assets or liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair value.

As long as the forecasted transactions that were being hedged (i.e. rollovers of our repurchase agreement borrowings) are still expected to occur, the balance in AOCI from the activity in these swaps through March 17, 2014 and August 22, 2014 will remain in AOCI and be recognized in our consolidated statements of income as “interest expense” over the remaining term of these swaps.

For purposes of the consolidated statements of cash flows, cash flows hedges were classified with the cash flows from the hedged item. Cash flows from derivatives that are not hedges are classified according to the underlying nature or purpose of the derivative transaction.

For more details on the amounts and other qualitative information on all our derivative transactions, see Note 13. For more information on the fair value of our derivative instruments, see Note 7.

Credit Risk

'

Credit Risk

At September 30, 2014, we have attempted to limit our exposure to credit losses on our MBS by purchasing securities primarily through Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The payment of principal and interest on the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae MBS are guaranteed by those respective enterprises. In September 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed in the conservatorship of the U.S. government. While it is the intent that the conservatorship will help stabilize Freddie Mac’s and Fannie Mae’s losses and overall financial position, there can be no assurance that it will succeed or that, if necessary, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae will be able to satisfy its guarantees of Agency MBS. There have also been concerns as to what the U.S. government will do regarding winding down the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. There have also been concerns over the past few years regarding the credit standing of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and U.S. sovereign debt. We do not know what effect any future ratings of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and U.S. sovereign debt may ultimately have on the U.S. economy, the value of our securities, or the ability of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to satisfy its guarantees of Agency MBS, if necessary.

Our adjustable-rate MBS are subject to periodic and lifetime interest rate caps. Periodic caps can limit the amount an interest rate can increase during any given period. Some adjustable-rate MBS subject to periodic payment caps may result in a portion of the interest being deferred and added to the principal outstanding.

We may invest in Non-Agency MBS, which are securities that are secured by pools of residential mortgages which are not issued by government sponsored enterprises and are not guaranteed by any agency of the U.S. government or any federally chartered corporation. Such investments carry a risk that the borrower on the underlying mortgage may default on their obligation to make full and timely payments of principal and interest.

Other-than-temporary losses on our available-for-sale MBS, as measured by the amount of decline in estimated fair value attributable to credit losses that are considered to be other-than-temporary, are charged against income, resulting in an adjustment of the cost basis of such securities. Based on the criteria in ASC 320-10, the determination of whether a security is other-than-temporarily impaired, or OTTI, involves judgments and assumptions based on both subjective and objective factors. When a security is impaired, an OTTI is considered to have occurred if (i) we intend to sell the security, (ii) it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis or (iii) we do not expect to recover its amortized cost basis (i.e., there is a credit-related loss). The following are among, but not all of, the factors considered in determining whether and to what extent an OTTI exists and the portion that is related to credit loss: (i) the expected cash flow from the investment; (ii) whether there has been an other-than-temporary deterioration of the credit quality of the underlying mortgages; (iii) the credit protection available to the related mortgage pool for MBS; (iv) any other market information available, including analysts’ assessments and statements, public statements and filings made by the debtor or counterparty; (v) management’s internal analysis of the security, considering all known relevant information at the time of assessment; and (vi) the magnitude and duration of historical decline in market prices. Because management’s assessments are based on factual information as well as subjective information available at the time of assessment, the determination as to whether an other-than-temporary decline exists and, if so, the amount considered impaired, is also subjective and therefore constitutes material estimates that are susceptible to significant change.

For all interest rate swaps entered into on or before September 9, 2013, we are exposed to credit losses in the event of non-performance by counterparties to interest rate swap agreements. In order to limit this risk, our practice was to only enter into swaps with large financial institution counterparties who were market makers for these types of instruments, limit our exposure on each swap to a single counterparty under our defined guidelines and either pay or receive collateral to or from each counterparty on a periodic basis to cover the net fair market position of the swaps held with that counterparty. For all swaps entered into on or after September 9, 2013, all swap participants are required by rules of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, under authority granted to it pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, to clear swaps through a registered derivatives clearing organization, or “swap execution facility,” through standardized documents under which each swap counterparty transfers its position to another entity whereby a central clearinghouse effectively becomes the counterparty on each side of the swap. Both the swap execution facility and the central clearinghouse could require greater initial and periodic margin (collateral) requirements and additional transaction fees. It is the intent of the Dodd-Frank Act that the clearing of swaps in this manner is designed to avoid concentration of risk in any single entity by spreading and centralizing the risk in the clearinghouse and its members.

Income Taxes

'

Income Taxes

We have elected to be taxed as a REIT and to comply with the provisions of the Code with respect thereto. Accordingly, we will not be subject to federal income tax to the extent that our distributions to our stockholders satisfy the REIT requirements and that certain asset, income and stock ownership tests are met.

We have no unrecognized tax benefits and do not anticipate any increase in unrecognized benefits during 2014 relative to any tax positions taken prior to January 1, 2014. Should the accrual of any interest or penalties relative to unrecognized tax benefits be necessary, it is our policy to record such accruals in our income taxes accounts; and no such accruals existed at September 30, 2014. We file REIT U.S. federal and California income tax returns. These returns are generally open to examination by the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for all years after 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Stock-Based Expense

'

Stock-Based Expense

In accordance with ASC 718-10, any expense relating to share-based payment transactions is recognized in the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

Restricted stock is expensed over the vesting period (see Note 10).

Earnings Per Share

'

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share, or EPS, is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS assumes the conversion, exercise or issuance of all potential common stock equivalents (which includes stock options and convertible preferred stock) and the adding back of the Series B Preferred Stock dividends unless the effect is to reduce a loss or increase the income per share.

The computation of EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 is as follows (amounts in thousands, except per share data):

Net Income

Average

Earnings

Available to

Shares

per

Common

Share

Stockholders

For the three months ended September 30, 2014

Basic EPS

$

18,061

121,061

$

0.15

Effect of dilutive securities

394

4,131

-

Diluted EPS

$

18,455

125,192

$

0.15

For the three months ended September 30, 2013

Basic EPS

$

16,579

142,380

$

0.12

Effect of dilutive securities

394

3,907

-

Diluted EPS

$

16,973

146,287

$

0.12

Net Income

Average

Earnings

Available to

Shares

per

Common

Share

Stockholders

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014

Basic EPS

$

38,621

128,174

$

0.3

Effect of dilutive securities

1,182

4,080

-

Diluted EPS

$

39,803

132,254

$

0.3

For the nine months ended September 30, 2013

Basic EPS

$

60,323

143,176

$

0.42

Effect of dilutive securities

1,200

3,942

-

Diluted EPS

$

61,523

147,118

$

0.42

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, options to purchase 5,000 and 5,000 shares of common stock, respectively, were outstanding and not included in the computation of diluted EPS as their exercise price and option expense exceeded the average stock price for those respective periods.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

'

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

In accordance with ASC 220-10-55-2, total comprehensive income is divided into net income and other comprehensive income, which includes unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities classified as available-for-sale, and unrealized gains and losses on derivative financial instruments. In accordance with ASU 2013-02, we have identified, in our Statements of Comprehensive Income, items that are reclassified and included in our Statements of Income.

Use of Estimates

'

USE OF ESTIMATES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

'

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In the first quarter of 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-04, “Liabilities (Topic 405): Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date.” This ASU requires an entity to measure obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation within the scope of this ASU is fixed at the reporting date, as the sum of the following: (a) the amount the reporting entity agreed to pay on the basis of its arrangement among its co-obligors; and (b) any additional amount the reporting entity expects to pay on behalf of its co-obligors. This ASU also requires an entity to disclose the nature and amount of the obligation as well as other information about the obligations including the terms and conditions of the arrangement. Examples of obligations within the scope of this ASU include debt arrangements, other contractual obligations, and settled litigation and judicial rulings. This ASU was effective for our financial statements beginning with the quarter ended March 31, 2014. We have adopted this ASU and it did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard on revenue recognition, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” This new standard will replace more than 200 ad hoc pronouncements on revenue recognition. This ASU requires companies to recognize revenue in a way that shows the transfer of goods or services to customers in amounts that reflect the payment that a company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. To do that, companies will now have to go through a five-step process: (1) tie the contract to a customer; (2) identify the contract’s performance obligations; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) connect the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) a company satisfies the performance obligation. This ASU only affects an entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets, unless those contracts are within other standards (for example, insurance contracts or lease contracts). This ASU is effective for a public entity for the financial statements beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2017. We do not believe that this ASU will have a material impact on our financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued a new standard on repurchase agreements, ASU No. 2014-11, “Transfers and Servicing: Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures (Topic 860).” This new standard introduces two major changes to the existing accounting guidance: (1) it requires transferors and transferees to account for repurchase-to-maturity transactions as secured borrowings, where the transferor maintains control over the transferred asset instead of accounting for these as a sale; and (2) it requires separate accounting for a transfer of a financial asset executed contemporaneously with a repurchase agreement with the same counterparty, causing the repurchase agreement to be accounted for as a secured borrowing. For these types of transactions, there is additional disclosure about the nature of the transaction. This ASU also requires the following disclosures for all repurchase agreements, securities lending transactions and repurchase-to-maturity transactions that are accounted for as secured borrowings: (i) a disaggregation of the gross obligation by the class of collateral pledged; (ii) the remaining contractual tenor of the agreements; and (iii) a discussion of the potential risks associated with the agreements and the related collateral pledged, including obligations arising from a decline in the fair value of the collateral pledged and how those risks are managed. This ASU is effective for a public entity for the financial statements beginning with the quarter ending March 31, 2015. We do not believe that this ASU will have a material impact on our financial statements.

Series B Preferred Stock

'

Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock

'

Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock

We classify our Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, or Series B Preferred Stock, on our balance sheets using the guidance in ASC 480-10-S99. The Series B Preferred Stock contains certain fundamental change provisions that allow the holder to redeem the preferred stock for cash only if certain events occur, such as a change in control. As redemption under these circumstances is not solely within our control, we have classified the Series B Preferred Stock as temporary equity.

We have analyzed whether the conversion features in the Series B Preferred Stock should be bifurcated under the guidance in ASC 815-10 and have determined that bifurcation is not necessary.

Organization_and_Significant_A2

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Investments' Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Value of Securities in Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregated by Investment Category and Length of Time	'
	The following table shows our investments’ gross unrealized losses and fair value of those individual securities that have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, aggregated by investment category and length of time (dollar amounts in thousands):
	30-Sep-14
		Less Than 12 Months										12 Months or More												Total
	Description	Number		Fair				Unrealized				Number				Fair				Unrealized				Number				Fair				Unrealized
	of	of		Value				Losses				of				Value				Losses				of				Value				Losses
	Securities	Securities										Securities												Securities
	Agency MBS	117		$	757,413			$	(1,952	)			355			$	3,325,533			$	(76,617	)			472			$	4,082,946			$	(78,569	)
	December 31, 2013
		Less Than 12 Months												12 Months or More												Total
	Description	Number				Fair				Unrealized				Number				Fair				Unrealized				Number				Fair				Unrealized
	of	of				Value				Losses				of				Value				Losses				of				Value				Losses
	Securities	Securities												Securities												Securities
	Agency MBS		202			$	4,262,712			$	(122,890	)			230			$	763,911			$	(23,089	)			432			$	5,026,623			$	(145,979	)
Computation of Earnings Per Share	'
	The computation of EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013 is as follows (amounts in thousands, except per share data):
		Net Income				Average				Earnings
		Available to				Shares				per
		Common								Share
		Stockholders
	For the three months ended September 30, 2014
	Basic EPS	$	18,061				121,061			$	0.15
	Effect of dilutive securities		394				4,131				-
	Diluted EPS	$	18,455				125,192			$	0.15
	For the three months ended September 30, 2013
	Basic EPS	$	16,579				142,380			$	0.12
	Effect of dilutive securities		394				3,907				-
	Diluted EPS	$	16,973				146,287			$	0.12
		Net Income				Average				Earnings
		Available to				Shares				per
		Common								Share
		Stockholders
	For the nine months ended September 30, 2014
	Basic EPS	$	38,621				128,174			$	0.3
	Effect of dilutive securities		1,182				4,080				-
	Diluted EPS	$	39,803				132,254			$	0.3
	For the nine months ended September 30, 2013
	Basic EPS	$	60,323				143,176			$	0.42
	Effect of dilutive securities		1,200				3,942				-
	Diluted EPS	$	61,523				147,118			$	0.42

MortgageBacked_Securities_MBS_

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Investments Debt And Equity Securities [Abstract]	'
Agency MBS and Non-Agency MBS, Classified as Available-for-Sale Which are Carried at Fair Value	'
	The following tables summarize our MBS, classified as available-for-sale, at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, which are carried at their fair value (amounts in thousands):
	30-Sep-14
	By Agency				Ginnie Mae				Freddie Mac				Fannie Mae				Non-Agency				Total
																	MBS				MBS
	Amortized cost				$	12,148			$	3,082,283			$	4,268,672			$	-			$	7,363,103
	Paydowns receivable(1)					-				40,669				-				-				40,669
	Unrealized gains					32				20,336				65,670				11				86,049
	Unrealized losses					(155	)			(44,740	)			(33,674	)			-				(78,569	)
	Fair value				$	12,025			$	3,098,548			$	4,300,668			$	11			$	7,411,252
	By Security Type		ARMs				Hybrids				15-Year				20-Year				Other(1)				Total
											Fixed-Rate				and								MBS
															30-Year
															Fixed-Rate
	Amortized cost		$	1,772,230			$	4,209,618			$	1,149,902			$	230,173			$	1,180			$	7,363,103
	Paydowns receivable(2)			3,131				37,538				-				-				-				40,669
	Unrealized gains			52,856				21,334				3,266				8,577				16				86,049
	Unrealized losses			(4,991	)			(52,693	)			(20,847	)			(35	)			(3	)			(78,569	)
	Fair value		$	1,823,226			$	4,215,797			$	1,132,321			$	238,715			$	1,193			$	7,411,252
	-1	Includes floating-rate collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMO”) and Non-Agency MBS.
	-2	Paydowns receivable are generated when the Company receives notice from Freddie Mac of prepayments but does not receive the actual cash with respect to such prepayments until the 15th day of the following month.
	During the three months ended September 30, 2014, there were no gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, there were gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $1.6 million. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, there were gross realized losses on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $5.6 million and $5.6 million, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, there were gross realized gains on sales of Agency MBS of approximately $7.64 million and $14.89 million, respectively, and gross realized losses of approximately $5.65 million and $5.65 million, respectively million.
	December 31, 2013
	By Agency				Ginnie Mae				Freddie Mac				Fannie Mae				Non-Agency				Total
																	MBS				MBS
	Amortized cost				$	13,374			$	3,618,312			$	4,950,005			$	-			$	8,581,691
	Paydowns receivable(1)					-				33,401				-				-				33,401
	Unrealized gains					10				18,384				68,860				79				87,333
	Unrealized losses					(124	)			(89,263	)			(56,592	)			-				(145,979	)
	Fair value				$	13,260			$	3,580,834			$	4,962,273			$	79			$	8,556,446
	By Security Type		ARMs				Hybrids				15-Year				30-Year				Floating-Rate				Total
											Fixed-Rate				Fixed-Rate				CMOs(2)				MBS
	Amortized cost		$	1,594,183			$	5,168,156			$	1,714,427			$	103,476			$	1,449			$	8,581,691
	Paydowns receivable(1)			2,843				30,558				-				-				-				33,401
	Unrealized gains			46,294				31,668				1,695				7,591				85				87,333
	Unrealized losses			(2,560	)			(85,614	)			(57,774	)			(29	)			(2	)			(145,979	)
	Fair value		$	1,640,760			$	5,144,768			$	1,658,348			$	111,038			$	1,532			$	8,556,446
	-1	Paydowns receivable are generated when the Company receives notice from Freddie Mac of prepayments but does not receive the actual cash with respect to such prepayments until the 15th day of the following month.
	-2	Non-Agency MBS are included in the Floating-Rate CMOs category.

Repurchase_Agreements_Tables

Repurchase Agreements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Banking And Thrift [Abstract]	'
Repurchase Agreements Balances, Weighted Average Interest Rates and Remaining Weighted Average Maturities	'
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the repurchase agreements had the following balances (dollar amounts in thousands), weighted average interest rates and remaining weighted average maturities:
			30-Sep-14						31-Dec-13
			Balance			Weighted			Balance			Weighted
						Average						Average
						Interest						Interest
						Rate						Rate
	Overnight		$	-			-	%	$	-			-	%
	Less than 30 days			2,705,000			0.32			3,105,000			0.39
	30 days to 90 days			3,795,000			0.32			4,475,000			0.39
	Over 90 days to less than 1 year			50,000			0.33			-			-
	1 year to 2 years			-			-			-			-
	Demand			-			-			-			-
			$	6,550,000			0.32	%	$	7,580,000			0.39	%
	Weighted average maturity		38 days						38 days
	Weighted average interest rate after adjusting for interest			1.08	%					1.5	%
	rate swaps
	Weighted average maturity after adjusting for interest		845 days						1,010 days
	rate swaps
	Agency MBS pledged as collateral under the repurchase		$	6,912,185					$	8,060,567
	agreements and swap agreements
Liabilities and Assets Subject to Netting Arrangements	'
	The following tables present information about certain assets and liabilities that are subject to master netting arrangements (or similar agreements) only in the event of default on a contract. See Notes 1, 7 and 13 for more information on the Company’s interest rate swaps (both items that were hedges and also for discontinued hedges) and other derivative instruments.
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	30-Sep-14		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	662,095		$	-		$	662,095		$	(662,095	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	6,550,000		$	-		$	6,550,000		$	(6,550,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			671,288		-				671,288			(671,288	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,221,288		$	-		$	7,221,288		$	(7,221,288	)	$	-	$	-	\
									Net Amounts of
									Assets			Gross Amounts Not Offset
			Gross Amounts						or Liabilities			in the Balance Sheets(1)
			of Recognized			Gross Amounts			Presented in						Cash
	31-Dec-13		Assets or			Offset in the			the Balance			Financial			Collateral		Net
	(in thousands)		Liabilities			Balance Sheets			Sheets			Instruments			Received		Amounts
	Derivative assets at fair value(2)		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Total		$	22,551		$	-		$	22,551		$	(22,551	)	$	-	$	-
	Repurchase Agreements(3)		$	7,580,000		$	-		$	7,580,000		$	(7,580,000	)	$	-	$	-
	Derivative liabilities at fair value(2)			55,914		-				55,914			(55,914	)	-		-
	Total		$	7,635,914		$	-		$	7,635,914		$	(7,635,914	)	$	-	$	-
	-1	Amounts presented are limited to collateral pledged sufficient to reduce the related net amount to zero in accordance with ASU No. 2011-11, as amended by ASU No. 2013-01.
	-2	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $26.1 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.2 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $84.2 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.1 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives.
	-3	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $6.89 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $7.98 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements.

Fair_Values_of_Financial_Instr1

Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value Measurements on Recurring Basis	'
	At September 30, 2014, fair value measurements on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Assets
	Agency MBS(1)		$	-	$	7,411,252	$	-	$	7,411,252
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	662,095	$	-	$	662,095
	Liabilities
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	671,288	$	-	$	671,288
	-1	For more detail about the fair value of our MBS by agency and type of security, see Note 3.
	-2	Derivative instruments include discontinued hedges under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see Notes 1 and 13.
	At December 31, 2013, fair value measurements on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
			Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
	Assets
	Agency MBS(1)		$	-	$	8,556,446	$	-	$	8,556,446
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	22,551	$	-	$	22,551
	Liabilities
	Derivative instruments(2)		$	-	$	55,914	$	-	$	55,914
	-1	For more detail about the fair value of our MBS by agency and type of security, see Note 3.
	-2	Derivative instruments are hedging instruments under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see Notes 1 and 13.

Transactions_with_Affiliates_T

Transactions with Affiliates (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Future Minimum Lease Commitment	'
	At September 30, 2014, the future minimum lease commitment is as follows (in whole dollars):
	Year	2014		2015		2016		2017		2018		Thereafter		Total
														Commitment
	Commitment	$	112,555	$	456,987	$	470,720	$	484,852	$	499,398	$	1,866,753	$	3,891,265

Derivative_Instruments_Tables

Derivative Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Fairvalue of Derivative Instruments	'
	The table below presents the fair value of our derivative instruments as well as their classification in our consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013:
	Derivative Instruments		Balance Sheet Location		September 30,				December 31,
					2014				2013
					(in thousands)
	Hedged interest rate swaps		Derivative Assets		$	-			$	22,551
	De-designated interest rate swaps		Derivative Assets			-				-
	Eurodollar Futures Contracts		Derivative Assets			1,419				-
	TBA Securities - Open Contract		Derivative Assets			660,676				-
					$	662,095			$	22,551
	Hedged interest rate swaps		Derivative Liabilities		$	-			$	55,914
	TBA Securities - Payable		Derivative Liabilities			660,310				-
	De-designated interest rate swaps		Derivative Liabilities			10,978				-
					$	671,288			$	55,914
Notional Amounts of Swap Agreement, Weighted Average Fixed Rates and Remaining Terms	'
	At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, our swaps had the following notional amounts (dollar amounts in thousands), weighted average fixed rates and remaining terms (in months):
			30-Sep-14										31-Dec-13
	Maturity		Notional				Weighted				Remaining		Notional		Weighted			Remaining
			Amount				Average				Term  in		Amount		Average			Term  in
							Fixed				Months				Fixed			Months
							Rate								Rate
	Less than 12 months		$	85,000				1.15	%			1	$	410,000		2.07	%		4
	1 year to 2 years			500,000				0.9				22		680,000		2.07			18
	2 years to 3 years			925,000				1.06				31		1,145,000		1.82			29
	3 years to 5 years			1,390,000				1.44				47		1,715,000		1.18			48
	5 years to 7 years			555,000				2.35				75		925,000		2.11			76
	7 years to 10 years			350,000				2.93				103		500,000		2.84			107
			$	3,805,000				1.54	%			48	$	5,375,000		1.81	%		47
Swap Agreements by Counterparty	'
	Swap Agreements by Counterparty
			September 30,				December 31,
			2014				2013
			(in thousands)
	Chicago Mercantile Exchange(1)		$	780,000			$	400,000
	JPMorgan Securities			775,000				1,175,000
	Deutsche Bank Securities			715,000				1,165,000
	ING Financial Markets LLC			650,000				650,000
	RBS Greenwich Capital			350,000				800,000
	Nomura Securities International			300,000				650,000
	Bank of New York			160,000				260,000
	Credit Suisse			75,000				75,000
	Morgan Stanley			-				150,000
	LBBW Securities, LLC			-				50,000
			$	3,805,000			$	5,375,000
	-1	For all swap agreements entered into after September 9, 2013, the counterparty is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange regardless of who the trading party is. See the section entitled “Derivative Financial Instruments – Interest Rate Risk Management” in Note 1 for additional details.

Other_Expenses_Tables

Other Expenses (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Expenses	'
			Three Months Ended					Nine Months Ended
			September 30,					September 30,
			2014			2013		2014		2013
			(in thousands)					(in thousands)
	Legal and professional fees(1)		$	(218	)	$	120	$	2,423	$	385
	Printing and stockholder communications			15			27		584		204
	Directors and Officers insurance			129			118		374		348
	DERs expense			80			70		243		245
	Amortization of restricted stock			24			51		72		152
	Software implementation and maintenance			80			75		234		220
	Administrative service fees			49			53		152		159
	Rent			126			123		377		366
	Stock exchange and filing fees			46			54		136		162
	Custodian and clearing fees			70			34		215		103
	Sarbanes-Oxley consulting fees			25			25		76		82
	Board of directors fees and expenses			105			103		265		257
	Securities data services			34			33		100		99
	Leasing commissions on rental properties			59			-		69		-
	Other expenses on rental properties			83			-		103		-
	Depreciation expense on residential properties			85			-		149		-
	Property taxes on residential properties			45			-		45		-
	Other			51			67		122		123
	Total of other expenses:		$	888		$	953	$	5,739	$	2,905
	-1	During the third quarter 2014, there was a reversal of expenses previously accrued on legal and professional fees related to the proxy solicitation contest and a consulting agreement in connection with our review of strategic options.

Organization_and_Significant_A3

Organization and Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		33 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 17, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
						Interest rate swap agreements	Interest rate swap agreements	Interest rate swap agreements	Interest rate swap agreements	Minimum	Maximum
						Derivative	Derivative
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Description of management fee	'	'	'The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).	'	'The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).	'	'	'	'	'	'
Monthly management fee payment in arrears, one-twelfth of percentage of equity	'	'	'	'	1.20%	'	'	'	'	'	'
MBS initial fixed interest rate required, period	'	'	'three to ten years	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
MBS initial fixed interest rate required, period	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'3 years	'10 years
Non-Agency MBS included with the Agency MBS	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$11,000
Building Estimated Value	'	'	'27 years 6 months	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Building Salvage Value	0	'	0	'	0	'	'	'	'	'	'
Interest rate swap agreements, aggregate notional amount	'	'	'	'	'	3,805,000,000	3,805,000,000	1,685,000,000	5,375,000,000	'	'
Number of interest rate swap agreements, terminated	'	'	'	'	'	32	32	'	'	'	'
Interest rate swap agreement, notional amount terminated	'	'	'	'	'	$1,810,000,000	'	'	'	'	'
Options to purchase common stock not included in the computation of diluted EPS	5,000	5,000	5,000	5,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Investments_Gross_Unrealized_L

Investments' Gross Unrealized Losses and Fair Value of Securities in Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Aggregated by Investment Category and Length of Time (Detail) (Agency Mortgage Backed Securities, USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Investment	Investment
Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Less Than 12 Months Number of Securities	117	202
Less Than 12 Months Fair Value	$757,413	$4,262,712
Less Than 12 Months Unrealized Losses	-1,952	-122,890
12 Months or More Number of Securities	355	230
12 Months or More Fair Value	3,325,533	763,911
12 Months or More Unrealized Losses	-76,617	-23,089
Total Number of Securities	472	432
Total Fair Value	4,082,946	5,026,623
Total Unrealized Losses	($78,569)	($145,979)

Computation_of_Earnings_Per_Sh

Computation of Earnings Per Share (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net Income Available to Common Stockholders, Basic EPS	$18,061	$16,579	$38,621	$60,323
Net Income Available to Common Stockholders, Effect of dilutive securities	394	394	1,182	1,200
Net Income Available to Common Stockholders, Diluted EPS	$18,455	$16,973	$39,803	$61,523
Average Shares, Basic EPS	121,061	142,380	128,174	143,176
Average Shares, Effect of dilutive securities	4,131	3,907	4,080	3,942
Average Shares, Diluted EPS	125,192	146,287	132,254	147,118
Basic EPS	$0.15	$0.12	$0.30	$0.42
Diluted EPS	$0.15	$0.12	$0.30	$0.42

Reverse_Repurchase_Agreements_

Reverse Repurchase Agreements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 13, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Repurchase Agreement Counterparty [Line Items]	'	'
Reverse repurchase agreements outstanding amount	$0	$0
Maximum	'	'
Repurchase Agreement Counterparty [Line Items]	'	'
Reverse repurchase agreements outstanding amount	46,000	'
Average Outstanding	'	'
Repurchase Agreement Counterparty [Line Items]	'	'
Reverse repurchase agreements outstanding amount	$973	'

Agency_MBS_and_NonAgency_MBS_C

Agency MBS and Non-Agency MBS, Classified as Available-for-Sale which are Carried at Fair Value (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Paydowns receivable	$40,669		$33,401
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	7,411,252		8,556,446
Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	7,363,103		8,581,691
Paydowns receivable	40,669	[1],[2]	33,401	[2]
Unrealized gains	86,049		87,333
Unrealized losses	-78,569		-145,979
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	7,411,252		8,556,446
Non-Agency MBS	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Unrealized gains	11		79
Fair value	11		79
Ginnie Mae | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	12,148		13,374
Unrealized gains	32		10
Unrealized losses	-155		-124
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	12,025		13,260
Freddie Mac | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	3,082,283		3,618,312
Paydowns receivable	40,669	[1]	33,401	[2]
Unrealized gains	20,336		18,384
Unrealized losses	-44,740		-89,263
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	3,098,548		3,580,834
Fannie Mae | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	4,268,672		4,950,005
Unrealized gains	65,670		68,860
Unrealized losses	-33,674		-56,592
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	4,300,668		4,962,273
ARMs | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	1,772,230		1,594,183
Paydowns receivable	3,131	[2]	2,843	[2]
Unrealized gains	52,856		46,294
Unrealized losses	-4,991		-2,560
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	1,823,226		1,640,760
Hybrids | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	4,209,618		5,168,156
Paydowns receivable	37,538	[2]	30,558	[2]
Unrealized gains	21,334		31,668
Unrealized losses	-52,693		-85,614
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	4,215,797		5,144,768
15-Year Fixed-Rate | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	1,149,902		1,714,427
Unrealized gains	3,266		1,695
Unrealized losses	-20,847		-57,774
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	1,132,321		1,658,348
20-Year and 30-Year Fixed-Rate | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	230,173		1,449	[3]
Unrealized gains	8,577		85	[3]
Unrealized losses	-35		-2	[3]
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	238,715		1,532	[3]
Other | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	1,180	[1]	'
Unrealized gains	16	[1]	'
Unrealized losses	-3	[1]	'
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	1,193	[1]	'
30-Year Fixed-Rate | Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'		'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'		'
Amortized cost	'		103,476
Unrealized gains	'		7,591
Unrealized losses	'		-29
Available-for-sale Securities, Total	'		$111,038
[1]	Includes floating-rate collateralized mortgage obligations (bCMOb) and Non-Agency MBS.
[2]	Paydowns receivable are generated when the Company receives notice from Freddie Mac of prepayments but does not receive the actual cash with respect to such prepayments until the 15th day of the following month.
[3]	Non-Agency MBS are included in the Floating-Rate CMOs category.

MortgageBacked_Securities_MBS_1

Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) - Additional Information (Detail) (MBS, USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013
MBS	'	'	'	'
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Gross realized gains on sales of MBS	$0	$7.64	$1.60	$14.89
Gross realized losses on sales of MBS	$5.60	$5.65	$5.60	$5.65

Residential_Properties_Additio

Residential Properties - Additional Information (Detail) (Wholly Owned Properties, Southeastern Florida, USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	ResidentialProperty
Wholly Owned Properties | Southeastern Florida	'
Real Estate Properties [Line Items]	'
Number of residential property	79
Cost of residential property	$12.40

Repurchase_Agreements_Balances

Repurchase Agreements Balances, Weighted Average Interest Rates and Remaining Weighted Average Maturities (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets Sold Under Agreements To Repurchase [Line Items]	'	'
Weighted average maturity	'38 days	'38 days
Weighted average interest rate after adjusting for interest rate swaps	1.08%	1.50%
Weighted average maturity after adjusting for interest rate swaps	'845 days	'1010 days
MBS pledged as collateral under the repurchase agreements and swap agreements	$6,912,185	$8,060,567
Repurchase agreements	6,550,000	7,580,000
Weighted average interest rate	0.32%	0.39%
Less than 30 days	'	'
Assets Sold Under Agreements To Repurchase [Line Items]	'	'
Repurchase agreements	2,705,000	3,105,000
Weighted average interest rate	0.32%	0.39%
30 days to 90 days	'	'
Assets Sold Under Agreements To Repurchase [Line Items]	'	'
Repurchase agreements	3,795,000	4,475,000
Weighted average interest rate	0.32%	0.39%
Over 90 days to less than 1 year	'	'
Assets Sold Under Agreements To Repurchase [Line Items]	'	'
Repurchase agreements	50,000	'
Weighted average interest rate	0.33%	'
Agency Mortgage Backed Securities	'	'
Assets Sold Under Agreements To Repurchase [Line Items]	'	'
MBS pledged as collateral under the repurchase agreements and swap agreements	$6,912,185	$8,060,567

Liabilities_and_Assets_Subject

Liabilities and Assets Subject to Netting Arrangements (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities And Repurchase Agreements Subject To Netting Agreements [Line Items]	'		'
Gross Amounts of Recognized Asset	$662,095		$22,551
Gross Asset Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheets	'		'
Derivative instruments at fair value	662,095		22,551
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Financial instruments	-662,095	[1]	-22,551	[1]
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Cash Collateral Received	'	[1]	'	[1]
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Net Amounts	'		'
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	7,221,288		7,635,914
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Balance Sheets	'		'
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Balance Sheets	7,221,288		7,635,914
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Financial instruments	-7,221,288	[1]	-7,635,914	[1]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Cash Collateral Received	'	[1]	'	[1]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Net Amounts	0		'
Derivative Financial Instruments, Assets	'		'
Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities And Repurchase Agreements Subject To Netting Agreements [Line Items]	'		'
Gross Amounts of Recognized Asset	662,095	[2]	22,551	[2]
Gross Asset Amounts Offset in the Balance Sheets	'	[2]	'	[2]
Derivative instruments at fair value	662,095	[2]	22,551	[2]
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Financial instruments	-662,095	[1],[2]	-22,551	[1],[2]
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Cash Collateral Received	'	[1],[2]	'	[1],[2]
Gross Asset Amounts Not Offset Net Amounts	'	[2]	'	[2]
Repurchase Agreements	'		'
Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities And Repurchase Agreements Subject To Netting Agreements [Line Items]	'		'
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	6,550,000	[3]	7,580,000	[3]
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Balance Sheets	'	[3]	'	[3]
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Balance Sheets	6,550,000	[3]	7,580,000	[3]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Financial instruments	-6,550,000	[1],[3]	-7,580,000	[1],[3]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Cash Collateral Received	'	[1],[3]	'	[1],[3]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Net Amounts	0	[3]	'	[3]
Derivative Financial Instruments, Liabilities	'		'
Derivative Assets Derivative Liabilities And Repurchase Agreements Subject To Netting Agreements [Line Items]	'		'
Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities	671,288	[2]	55,914
Gross Liabilities Offset in the Balance Sheets	'	[2]	'
Net Amounts of Liabilities Presented in the Balance Sheets	671,288	[2]	55,914
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Financial instruments	-671,288	[1],[2]	-55,914	[1]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Cash Collateral Received	'	[1],[2]	'	[1]
Gross Liabilities Not Offset Net Amounts	$0	[2]	'
[1]	Amounts presented are limited to collateral pledged sufficient to reduce the related net amount to zero in accordance with ASU No. 2011-11, as amended by ASU No. 2013-01.
[2]	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $26.1 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.2 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $84.2 million in Agency MBS as collateral and paid another approximately $7.1 million on swap margin calls on our swap derivatives
[3]	At September 30, 2014, we had pledged approximately $6.89 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements. At December 31, 2013, we had pledged approximately $7.98 billion in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements

Liabilities_and_Assets_Subject1

Liabilities and Assets Subject to Netting Arrangements (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Pledged in Agency MBS as collateral	$26,100,000	$84,200,000
Paid swap margin calls on our derivatives	7,200,000	7,100,000
Pledged in Agency MBS as collateral on our repurchase agreements	$6,890,000,000	$7,980,000,000

Junior_Subordinated_Notes_Addi

Junior Subordinated Notes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 15, 2005	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Subordinated Borrowing [Line Items]	'	'	'
Junior subordinated notes	$37,380	$37,380	$37,380
First interest payment date	'	30-Jun-05	'
Trust preferred securities	$36,250	'	'
Debt, payment terms	'	'On September 26, 2005, the notes, the trust preferred securities and the related agreements were amended. The only material change was that one of the class holders requested that interest payments be made quarterly on January 30, April 30, July 30 and October 30 instead of at the end of each calendar quarter. This became effective with the quarterly payments after September 30, 2005	'
Junior Subordinated Notes	'	'	'
Subordinated Borrowing [Line Items]	'	'	'
Interest rate above prevailing three-month LIBOR rate	'	3.10%	'
Debt, maturity date	'	'2035	'
Trust Preferred Securities	'	'	'
Subordinated Borrowing [Line Items]	'	'	'
Interest rate above prevailing three-month LIBOR rate	'	3.10%	'
Debt, maturity date	'	'2035	'

Fair_Value_Measurements_on_Rec

Fair Value Measurements on Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Liabilities	'		'
Derivative instruments at fair value	$671,288		$55,914
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivative Financial Instruments, Liabilities	'		'
Liabilities	'		'
Derivative instruments at fair value	671,288	[1]	55,914	[2]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivative Financial Instruments, Assets	'		'
Assets	'		'
Asset fair value measurement	662,095	[1]	22,551	[2]
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Other	'		'
Assets	'		'
Asset fair value measurement	7,411,252	[3]	8,556,446	[3]
Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivative Financial Instruments, Liabilities	'		'
Liabilities	'		'
Derivative instruments at fair value	671,288	[1]	55,914	[2]
Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Derivative Financial Instruments, Assets	'		'
Assets	'		'
Asset fair value measurement	662,095	[1]	22,551	[2]
Level 2 | Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Other	'		'
Assets	'		'
Asset fair value measurement	$7,411,252	[3]	$8,556,446	[3]
[1]	Derivative instruments include discontinued hedges under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see Notes 1 and 13.
[2]	Derivative instruments are hedging instruments under ASC 815-10. For more detail about our derivative instruments, see NotesB 1 and 13.
[3]	For more detail about the fair value of our MBS by agency and type of security, see Note 3.

Series_B_Cumulative_Convertibl1

Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014
			Series B Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock	Series A Preferred Stock
			Item	Minimum
			Director
Conversion Of Stock [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01	'	'	'
Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, liquidating preference per share	$25	$25	'	'	'
Preferred Stock, dividend rate	'	'	6.25%	'	8.63%
Preferred Stock, conversion start date	'	'	25-Jan-12	'	'
Percentage of common stock price to then-prevailing conversion price in order to exercise conversion option	'	'	'	130.00%	'
Number of consecutive trading days used in conversion analysis	'	'	'30 days	'20 days	'
Minimum number of quarters with failure to pay dividends, which triggers voting rights for preferred stock, quarters	'	'	6	'	'
Number of Board Of Directors that Preferred Stock owners are entitled to vote to elect when there is a failure to pay quarterly dividends for a set period	'	'	2	'	'
Minimum ratio of votes required to materially and adversely change the terms of preferred stock	'	'	0.667	'	'

Public_Offerings_and_Capital_S1

Public Offerings and Capital Stock - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

22-May-14

Mar. 14, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 13, 2013

Oct. 03, 2011

Aug. 05, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Apr. 05, 2013

Mar. 14, 2012

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation Twenty Fourteen Equity Compensation Plan

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)

Twenty Twelve Dividend Reinvestment And Stock Purchase Plan

Maximum

Maximum

Series A Preferred Stock

Series B Preferred Stock

Twenty Twelve Dividend Reinvestment And Stock Purchase Plan

Capital Unit [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Common Stock, authorized

200,000,000

200,000,000

'

'

200,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

27,000,000

'

'

Common Stock, issued

118,554,025

118,554,025

'

'

138,717,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Common Stock, outstanding

118,554,025

118,554,025

'

'

138,717,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Preferred stock, authorized

20,000,000

20,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,150,000

3,150,000

Preferred stock, par value

$0.01

$0.01

'

'

$0.01

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Preferred stock, liquidation preference

$25

$25

'

'

$25

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$25

$25

Preferred Stock, dividend rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

8.63%

6.25%

Preferred stock, issued

1,919,000

1,919,000

'

'

1,919,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,919,378

1,009,640

Preferred stock, outstanding

1,919,000

1,919,000

'

'

1,919,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,919,378

1,009,640

Number of additional shares authorized to be repurchased

'

'

10,000,000

10,000,000

'

5,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of common stock repurchased

6,819,372

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Common stock repurchased, weighted average price

$5.10

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of shares authorized to repurchase under a share repurchase program

'

'

'

'

'

'

2,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Issuance of common stock (in shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

10,000

75,783

'

'

'

'

Common stock issued, weighted average price per share

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$5.18

'

'

'

'

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$393,000

'

'

'

'

Remaining number of shares to be issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

16,560,000

'

'

'

'

Common stock, public offering

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

544,727,778

'

'

'

Common stock remaining for issuance under the registration statement

'

$544,700,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shelf registration statement expiration date

'

'April 8, 2013

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Maximum authorized shares of common stock under grant of stock options and other stock-based awards

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Transactions_with_Affiliates_A

Transactions with Affiliates - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		33 Months Ended
	Jul. 01, 2012	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Jul. 02, 2012
							sqft
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Description of management fee	'	'	'	'The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).	'	'The Manager is supervised and directed by our board of directors and is responsible for (i) the selection, purchase and sale of our investment portfolio; (ii) our financing and hedging activities; and (iii) providing us with management services. The Manager will also perform such other services and activities relating to our assets and operations as may be appropriate. In exchange for these services, the Manager receives a management fee paid monthly in arrears in an amount equal to one-twelfth of 1.20% of our Equity (as defined in the Management Agreement).	'
Monthly management fee payment in arrears, one-twelfth of percentage of equity	'	'	'	'	'	1.20%	'
Number of days prior notice of non-renewal of the Management Agreement	'	'	'	'180 days	'	'	'
Termination fees description	'	'	'	'We are required to provide 180-days prior notice of non-renewal of the Management Agreement and must pay a termination fee on the last day of the initial term or any automatic renewal term, equal to three times the average annual management fee earned by the Manager during the prior 24-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed month prior to the effective date of termination.	'	'	'
Change in Control and Arbitration Agreements, description	'	'	'	'Under the amended agreements, in the event that a change in control occurs, each of these officers will receive a lump sum payment equal to (i) 12 months annual base salary in effect on December 31, 2011, plus (ii) the average annual incentive compensation received for the two complete fiscal years prior December 31, 2011, plus (iii) the average annual bonus received for the two complete fiscal years prior to December 31, 2011, as well as other benefits.	'	'	'
Sublease agreement, sq. ft. leased	'	'	'	'	'	'	7,300
Rent paid for leased office space per square foot	'	'	'	'	'	'	61.67
Sublease with PIA, expiration date	30-Jun-22	'	'	'	'	'	'
Rent	'	$126,000	$123,000	$377,000	$366,000	'	'
New sublease agreement, base monthly rent	37,518.40	'	'	'	'	'	'
Sublease agreement, base monthly rent percentage increase starting July 1, 2014	3.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'
Fees paid for administrative services	'	'	'	'On July 25, 2008, we entered into an administrative services agreement with PIA, which was amended and restated on August 20, 2010. Under this agreement, PIA provides administrative services and equipment to us including human resources, operational support and information technology, and we pay an annual fee of 5 basis points on the first $225 million of stockholdersb equity and 1.00 basis points thereafter (paid quarterly in arrears) for those services. The administrative services agreement had an initial term of one year and renews for successive one-year terms thereafter unless either party gives notice of termination no less than 30 days before the expiration of the then-current annual term.	'	'	'
Basis points on equity for the annual fee	'	'	'	'5 basis points on the first $225 million of stockholdersb equity and 1.00 basis points thereafter (paid quarterly in arrears) for those services.	'	'	'
Stockholders equity amount used to calculate administrative service fees	'	225,000,000	'	225,000,000	'	225,000,000	'
Prior written notice to terminate administrative agreement	'	'	'	'30 days	'	'	'
Administrative service fees	'	$49,000	$53,000	$152,000	$159,000	'	'
First $225 million of Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Basis points on equity for the annual fee	'	'	'	0.05%	'	'	'
Above $225 million of Stockholders' Equity	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Basis points on equity for the annual fee	'	'	'	0.01%	'	'	'
Mr. Lloyd McAdams	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding membership interests	'	'	'	50.00%	'	'	'
Mr. Joseph E. McAdams	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding membership interests	'	'	'	45.00%	'	'	'
Mr. Thad M. Brown	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding membership interests	'	'	'	5.00%	'	'	'

Future_Minimum_Lease_Commitmen

Future Minimum Lease Commitment (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
2014	$112,555
2015	456,987
2016	470,720
2017	484,852
2018	499,398
Thereafter	1,866,753
Total Commitment	$3,891,265

Equity_Compensation_Plan_Addit

Equity Compensation Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

Aug. 05, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Oct. 31, 2006

Oct. 31, 2005

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Oct. 31, 2006

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

24-May-07

In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation Twenty Fourteen Equity Compensation Plan

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2004 Equity Compensation Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Anworth Mortgage Asset Corporation 2007 Dividend Equivalent Rights Plan

Minimum

Maximum

Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Maximum authorized shares of common stock under grant of stock options and other stock-based awards

2,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Issuance of common stock (in shares)

'

10,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Grant of restricted stock

'

'

197,362

200,780

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stock price on grant date

'

'

$9.12

$7.72

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of restricted stock vests per year

'

'

'

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Age at which grantee has to reach for stock to vest immediately

'

'

'

'65 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Terms of stock vesting

'

'

'

'

'

'

'The restricted stock vests 10% per year on each anniversary date for a ten-year period and shall also vest immediately upon the death of the grantee or upon the grantee reaching age 65. Each grantee shall have the right to sell 40% of the restricted stock any time after such shares have vested.

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of restricted stock that each grantee have right to sell anytime after such shares have vested

'

'

40.00%

40.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of restricted stock that may not be sold until after termination of employment

'

'

60.00%

60.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vesting range of restricted stock

'

'

'

'

'

'

'We amortize the restricted stock over the vesting period, which is the lesser of ten years or the remaining number of years to age 65.

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Effective date for grant of restricted stock

'

'

18-Oct-06

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vesting period of restricted stock

'

'

'3 years

'

'

'

'10 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Annually compounded rate of return on common stock, including dividends, effective date of the grant to each of the next three anniversary dates

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

12.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Compensation expense related to restricted stock grants

'

'

'

'

$24

$51

$72

$152

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Dividend equivalent right issued, term

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'5 years

'10 years

Dividend equivalent right issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

582,000

'

Paid or accrued compensation related to dividend equivalent right issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$80

$70

$243

$245

'

'

Fairvalue_of_Derivative_Instru

Fairvalue of Derivative Instruments (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	$662,095	$22,551
Derivative instruments at fair value	671,288	55,914
De-designated interest rate swaps	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	'	'
Derivative instruments at fair value	10,978	'
TBA Securities - Open Contract	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	660,676	'
TBA Securities - Payable	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Derivative instruments at fair value	660,310	'
Hedged interest rate swaps	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	'	22,551
Derivative instruments at fair value	'	55,914
Eurodollar Futures Contracts	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'
Fair value of derivative assets	$1,419	'

Derivative_Instruments_Additio

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 17, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Mar. 17, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Sep. 30, 2014

Derivative

Not Designated as Hedging Instrument

TBA Securities - Open Contract

TBA Securities - Open Contract

TBA Securities - Open Contract

TBA Securities - Open Contract

Interest rate swap agreements

Interest rate swap agreements

Interest rate swap agreements

Interest rate swap agreements

Interest rate swap agreements

Eurodollar Futures Contracts

Eurodollar Futures Contracts

New Swap Agreements

TBA Securities

TBA Securities

Derivative

Derivative

Derivative

Derivative

Interest rate swap agreements

Derivative

Derivative [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Interest rate swap agreements, aggregate notional amount

'

'

'

'

'

$1,685,000,000

'

'

'

'

$3,805,000,000

$3,805,000,000

$3,805,000,000

$1,685,000,000

$5,375,000,000

$1,000,000

$1,000,000

$350,000,000

Interest rate swap agreements, weighted average maturity (in years)

'

'

'4 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'3 months

'

Number of interest rate swap agreements

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

4

Number of interest swaps matured

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of interest rate swap agreements, terminated

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

32

32

'

'

'

'

'

'

Notional balance of terminated interest rate swap agreements

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,810,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fixed interest rate during term of swap agreements, lower range

0.58%

'

0.58%

'

'

'

2.50%

2.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fixed interest rate during term of swap agreements, higher range

3.06%

'

3.06%

'

'

'

3.50%

3.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Increase/Decrease in unrealized losses of swap agreements included in other comprehensive income

'

'

20,600,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unrealized losses of swap agreements included in other comprehensive income

'

'

53,900,000

'

33,300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives

987,000

-40,863,000

-73,959,000

-10,715,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reclassification adjustment for interest expense included in net income

13,382,000

14,633,000

53,372,000

38,426,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Gain on derivatives-TBA securities

-413,000

'

1,164,000

'

'

'

'

'

779,000

798,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Derivative income-TBA securities

'

'

'

'

'

'

366,000

366,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Maximum length of swap agreements

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'15 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Interest rate swap agreement, notional amount terminated

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,810,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net gain (loss) on interest rate swaps

10,947,000

'

9,568,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

10,900,000

9,600,000

'

'

111,000

111,000

'

Number of futures contracts

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5,500

5,500

'

Fair value of futures contracts

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$1,400,000

$1,400,000

'

Notional_Amounts_of_Swap_Agree

Notional Amounts of Swap Agreement, Weighted Average Interest Rates and Remaining Term (Detail) (Interest rate swap agreements, USD $)	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 17, 2014
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	$3,805,000	$5,375,000	$1,685,000
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	1.54%	1.81%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'48 months	'47 months	'
Less than 12 months	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	85,000	410,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	1.15%	2.07%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'1 month	'4 months	'
1 year to 2 years	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	500,000	680,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	0.90%	2.07%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'22 months	'18 months	'
2 years to 3 years	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	925,000	1,145,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	1.06%	1.82%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'31 months	'29 months	'
3 years to 5 years	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	1,390,000	1,715,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	1.44%	1.18%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'47 months	'48 months	'
5 years to 7 years	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	555,000	925,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	2.35%	2.11%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'75 months	'76 months	'
7 years to 10 years	'	'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'	'	'
Notional Amount	$350,000	$500,000	'
Weighted Average Fixed Rate	2.93%	2.84%	'
Remaining Term in Months	'103 months	'107 months	'

Swap_Agreements_by_Counterpart

Swap Agreements by Counterparty (Detail) (Interest rate swap agreements, USD $)	Sep. 30, 2014		Mar. 17, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	$3,805,000		$1,685,000	$5,375,000
Chicago Mercantile Exchange	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	780,000	[1]	'	400,000	[1]
JPMorgan Securities	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	775,000		'	1,175,000
Deutsche Bank Securities	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	715,000		'	1,165,000
ING Financial Markets LLC	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	650,000		'	650,000
RBS Greenwich Capital	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	350,000		'	800,000
Nomura Securities International	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	300,000		'	650,000
Bank of New York	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	160,000		'	260,000
Credit Suisse	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	75,000		'	75,000
Morgan Stanley	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	'		'	150,000
LBBW Securities, LLC	'		'	'
Derivative [Line Items]	'		'	'
Notional Amount	'		'	$50,000
[1]	For all swap agreements entered into after September 9, 2013, the counterparty is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange regardless of who the trading party is. See the section entitled bDerivative Financial Instruments b Interest Rate Risk Managementb in Note 1 for additional details.

Other_Expenses_Detail

Other Expenses (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013		Sep. 30, 2014		Sep. 30, 2013
Other Income And Expenses [Abstract]	'		'		'		'
Legal and professional fees(1)	($218)	[1]	$120	[1]	$2,423	[1]	$385	[1]
Printing and stockholder communications	15		27		584		204
Directors and Officers insurance	129		118		374		348
DERs expense	80		70		243		245
Amortization of restricted stock	24		51		72		152
Software implementation and maintenance	80		75		234		220
Administrative service fees	49		53		152		159
Rent	126		123		377		366
Stock exchange and filing fees	46		54		136		162
Custodian and clearing fees	70		34		215		103
Sarbanes-Oxley consulting fees	25		25		76		82
Board of directors fees and expenses	105		103		265		257
Securities data services	34		33		100		99
Leasing commissions on rental properties	59		'		69		'
Other expenses on rental properties	83		0		103		0
Depreciation expense on residential properties	85		'		149		'
Property taxes on residential properties	45		'		45		'
Other	51		67		122		123
Total of other expenses:	$888		$953		$5,739		$2,905
[1]	During the third quarter 2014, there was a reversal of expenses previously accrued on legal and professional fees related to the proxy solicitation contest and a consulting agreement in connection with our review of strategic options.

Subsequent_Events_Additional_I

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended					1 Months Ended	0 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Nov. 04, 2014	Nov. 04, 2014	Nov. 04, 2014	Oct. 11, 2014	Oct. 11, 2014	Oct. 01, 2014
		Common Stock	Common Stock	Common Stock	Dividend Paid	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event	Subsequent Event
					Series B Preferred Stock		Common Stock	Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase 2012 Plan	Dividend Paid	Dividend Paid	Dividend Paid
					Minimum					Series B Preferred Stock	Series B Preferred Stock
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Dividend yield on preferred stock	'	'	'	'	6.25%	'	'	'	'	'	'
Conversion of preferred stocks to common stock, conversion rate	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	4.1519	4.0919
Average closing price of common stock	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$5.05	'	'
Consecutive trading day period to determine the average closing price of common stock	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'10 days	'	'
Annualized common stock dividend yield	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	11.09%	'	'
Issuance of common stock (in shares)	'	76,000	82,000	56,000	'	'	'	75,492	'	'	'
Common stock issued, weighted average price per share	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$5.16	'	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$389,000	'	'	'
Purchased and committed to purchase Non-Agency MBS	'	'	'	'	'	52,000,000	'	'	'	'	'
Number of common stock repurchased	6,819,372	'	'	'	'	'	5,671,500	'	'	'	'
Common stock repurchased, weighted average price	$5.10	'	'	'	'	'	$5.09	'	'	'	'
Swap agreements, matured amount	'	'	'	'	'	$85,000,000	'	'	'	'	'