Derivative Instruments | Note 6. Derivative Instruments In the normal course of its operations, the Company is a party to financial instruments that are accounted for as derivative instruments. Derivative instruments are recorded at fair value as either “derivative assets” or “derivative liabilities” in the consolidated balance sheets, with all periodic changes in fair value reflected as a component of “investment gain (loss), net” in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Cash receipts or payments related to derivative instruments are classified as investing activities within the consolidated statements of cash flows. Types and Uses of Derivative Instruments Interest Rate Derivatives Most of the Company’s derivative instruments are interest rate derivatives that are intended to economically hedge changes, attributable to changes in benchmark interest rates, in certain MBS fair values and future interest cash flows on the Company’s short-term financing arrangements. Interest rate derivatives include centrally cleared interest rate swaps as well as exchange-traded instruments, such as Eurodollar futures, interest rate swap futures, U.S. Treasury note futures, and options on futures. While the Company uses its interest rate derivatives to economically hedge a portion of its interest rate risk, it has not designated such contracts as hedging instruments for financial reporting purposes. The Company exchanges collateral with the counterparties to its interest rate derivative instruments at least on a daily basis based upon daily changes in fair value (also known as “variation margin”) as measured by the central clearinghouse through which those derivatives are cleared. In addition, the central clearinghouse requires market participants to deposit and maintain an “initial margin” amount which is determined by the clearinghouse and is generally intended to be set at a level sufficient to protect the clearinghouse from the maximum estimated single-day price movement in that market participant’s contracts. Cash initial and variation margin posted by the Company in respect of interest rate derivatives is included in the line item “deposits” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. To-Be-Announced Agency MBS Transactions, Including “Dollar Rolls” In addition to interest rate derivatives that are used for interest rate risk management, the Company is a party to derivative instruments that economically serve as investments, such as forward contracts to purchase or sell fixed-rate “pass-through” agency MBS on a non-specified pool basis, which are known as to-be-announced (“TBA”) contracts. A TBA contract is a forward contract for the purchase or sale of a fixed-rate agency MBS at a predetermined price, face amount, issuer, coupon, and stated maturity on an agreed upon future date. The specific agency MBS that will be delivered to satisfy the TBA trade is not known at the inception of the trade. The Company accounts for TBA contracts as derivative instruments because the Company cannot assert that it is probable at inception and throughout the term of an individual TBA contract that its settlement will result in physical delivery of the underlying agency MBS, or the individual TBA contract will not settle in the shortest time period possible. The Company’s agency MBS investment portfolio includes net purchase (or “net long”) positions in TBA securities, which are primarily the result of executing sequential series of “dollar roll” transactions. The Company executes dollar roll transactions as a means of investing in and financing non-specified fixed-rate agency MBS. Such transactions involve effectively delaying (or “rolling”) the settlement of a forward purchase of a TBA agency MBS by entering into an offsetting sale prior to the settlement date, net settling the “paired-off” positions in cash, and contemporaneously entering another forward purchase of a TBA agency MBS of the same characteristics for a later settlement date. TBA securities purchased or sold for a forward settlement month are generally priced at a discount relative to TBA securities purchased for settlement in the current month. This discount, often referred to as the dollar roll “price drop,” reflects compensation for the net interest income (interest income less financing costs) that is foregone as a result of relinquishing beneficial ownership of the MBS for the duration of the dollar roll (also known as “dollar roll income”). By executing a sequential series of dollar roll transactions, the Company is able to create the economic experience of investing in an agency MBS, financed with a repurchase agreement, over a period of time. Forward purchases and sales of TBA securities are accounted for as derivative instruments in the Company’s financial statements. Accordingly, dollar roll income is recognized as a component of “investment gains (losses), net” along with all other periodic changes in the fair value of TBA commitments. Cash collateral posted by the Company with respect to TBA transactions is included in the line item “deposits” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In addition to TBA transactions, the Company may, from time to time, enter into commitments to purchase or sell specified agency MBS that do not qualify as regular-way security trades. Such commitments are also accounted for as derivative instruments. Derivative Instrument Population and Fair Value The following table presents the fair value of the Company’s derivative instruments as of the dates indicated: September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 Assets Liabilities Assets Liabilities Interest rate swaps $ 104 $ (67,225 ) $ 6,153 $ — 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — — 6,813 — Options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures 1,500 (859 ) — — Put options on Eurodollar futures — — 25 — TBA and specified agency MBS commitments 6,266 — — (553 ) Total $ 7,870 $ (68,084 ) $ 12,991 $ (553 ) Interest Rate Swaps The Company’s interest rate swap agreements represent agreements to make semiannual interest payments based upon a fixed interest rate and receive quarterly variable interest payments based upon the prevailing three-month LIBOR on the date of reset. The following table presents information about the Company’s interest rate swap agreements that were in effect as of September 30, 2016: Weighted-average: Notional Amount Fixed Pay Rate Remaining Life (Years) Fair Value Years to maturity: Less than 3 years $ 1,250,000 1.06 % 1.9 $ (2,953 ) 3 to less than 7 years — — — — 7 to 10 years 1,500,000 1.89 % 9.4 (64,235 ) Total / weighted-average $ 2,750,000 1.51 % 6.0 $ (67,188 ) The following table presents information about the Company’s forward-starting interest rate swap agreements that had yet to take effect as of September 30, 2016: Weighted-average: Notional Amount Fixed Pay Rate Term After Effective Date (Years) Fair Value Effective in September / October 2017 $ 375,000 1.13 % 2.0 $ 67 The following table presents information about the Company’s interest rate swap agreements as of December 31, 2015, all of which were in effect as of that date: Weighted-average: Notional Amount Fixed Pay Rate Remaining Life (Years) Fair Value Years to maturity: Less than 3 years $ 750,000 1.04 % 1.9 $ 1,166 3 to less than 7 years — — — — 7 to 10 years 750,000 2.12 % 9.9 4,987 Total / weighted-average $ 1,500,000 1.58 % 5.9 $ 6,153 Options on 10-year U.S. Treasury Note Futures The Company has purchased and sold exchange-traded options on U.S. Treasury note futures contracts as of September 30, 2016 with the objective of hedging a portion of the interest rate sensitivity of the Company’s agency MBS portfolio. As of September 30, 2016, the Company holds put options which provide the Company with the right to sell 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures to a counterparty with an equivalent notional amount of $600 million that were struck at a weighted average strike price that equates to a 10-year U.S. Treasury rate of approximately 1.71%. In addition, the Company has sold, or written, call options that provide a counterparty with the option to buy 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures from the Company with an equivalent notional amount of $600 million that were struck at a weighted average strike price per contract that equates to a 10-year U.S. Treasury rate of approximately 1.39%. In order to limit its exposure on the sold call options from a significant decline in long-term interest rates, the Company also purchased contracts that provide the Company with the option to buy 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures from a counterparty with an equivalent notional amount of $300 million as of September 30, 2016 that were struck at a weighted average strike price per contract that equates to a 10-year U.S. Treasury rate of approximately 1.07%. The options may be exercised at any time prior to their expiry, which occurs in the fourth quarter of 2016, and, if exercised, will be net settled in cash. Information about the Company’s outstanding put and call options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures contracts as of September 30, 2016 is as follows: Notional Amount Implied Strike Rate (1) Net Fair Value Purchased put options: October 2016 expiration $ 500,000 1.72 % $ 781 November 2016 expiration 100,000 1.67 % 625 Total / weighted average for purchased put options $ 600,000 1.71 % $ 1,406 Sold call options: October 2016 expiration $ 500,000 1.38 % $ (469 ) November 2016 expiration 100,000 1.44 % (390 ) Total / weighted average for sold call options $ 600,000 1.39 % $ (859 ) Purchased call options: October 2016 expiration $ 300,000 1.07 % $ 94 $ 641 (1) The implied strike rate is estimated based upon the weighted average strike price per contract and the price of an equivalent 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures contract. TBA Commitments The following tables present information about the Company’s TBA commitments as of the dates indicated: September 30, 2016 Weighted-average: Notional Amount: Net Purchase (Sale) Commitment Contractual Forward Price Market Price Fair Value 30-year 3.0% coupon TBA commitments $ 1,125,000 $ 1,163,633 $ 1,169,899 $ 6,266 December 31, 2015 Weighted-average: Notional Amount: Net Purchase (Sale) Commitment Contractual Forward Price Market Price Fair Value 30-year 3.5% coupon TBA commitments $ 275,000 $ 283,928 $ 283,469 $ (459 ) 30-year 4.0% coupon TBA commitments 100,000 105,883 105,789 (94 ) Total $ 375,000 $ 389,811 $ 389,258 $ (553 ) Derivative Instrument Gains and Losses The following tables provide information about the derivative gains and losses recognized within the periods indicated: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 2015 2016 2015 Interest rate derivatives: Interest rate swaps: Net interest expense (1) $ (5,126 ) $ — $ (13,499 ) $ — Unrealized gains (losses), net 15,426 — (65,519 ) — Losses realized upon early termination (300 ) — (300 ) — Total interest rate swap gains (losses), net 10,000 — (79,318 ) — Eurodollar futures, net — (31,288 ) — (62,738 ) U.S. Treasury note futures, net — (14,272 ) (63,285 ) (13,932 ) Options on U.S. Treasury note futures, net (1,631 ) — (7,880 ) — 10-year interest rate swap futures and other, net — (58,471 ) (25 ) (69,700 ) Total interest rate derivative gains (losses), net 8,369 (104,031 ) (150,508 ) (146,370 ) TBA and specified agency MBS commitments: TBA dollar roll income (2) 5,321 1,896 12,835 4,390 Other gains (losses) on agency MBS commitments, net 1,506 4,508 17,728 (1,158 ) Total gains on agency MBS commitments, net 6,827 6,404 30,563 3,232 Total derivative gains (losses), net $ 15,196 $ (97,627 ) $ (119,945 ) $ (143,138 ) (1) Represents the periodic net interest settlement incurred during the period (often referred to as "net interest carry"). (2) Represents the price discount of forward-settling TBA purchases relative to a contemporaneously executed “spot” TBA sale, which economically equates to net interest income that is earned ratably over the period beginning on the settlement date of the sale and ending on the settlement date of the forward-settling purchase. Derivative Instrument Activity The following tables summarize the volume of activity, in terms of notional amount, related to derivative instruments for the periods indicated: For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2016 Beginning of Period Additions Scheduled Settlements Early Terminations End of Period Interest rate swaps $ 2,250,000 $ 1,250,000 $ — $ (375,000 ) $ 3,125,000 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 15,000 (15,000 ) — — Purchased put options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures 2,000,000 2,100,000 (3,500,000 ) — 600,000 Sold call options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 1,000,000 (400,000 ) — 600,000 Purchased call options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 500,000 (200,000 ) — 300,000 Commitments to purchase (sell) MBS, net 875,441 2,675,000 (2,425,441 ) — 1,125,000 For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2015 Beginning of Period Additions Scheduled Settlements Early Terminations End of Period Eurodollar futures $ 41,460,000 $ 10,000 $ (2,465,000 ) $ (34,005,000 ) $ 5,000,000 10-year interest rate swap futures 1,075,000 1,360,000 (1,085,000 ) (365,000 ) 985,000 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 1,065,000 — — 1,065,000 Commitments to purchase (sell) MBS, net 500,000 1,140,000 (850,000 ) — 790,000 For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Beginning of Period Additions Scheduled Settlements Early Terminations End of Period Interest rate swaps $ 1,500,000 $ 2,000,000 $ — $ (375,000 ) $ 3,125,000 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures 1,335,000 1,386,000 (2,133,500 ) (587,500 ) — Purchased put options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 8,100,000 (7,500,000 ) — 600,000 Sold call options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 1,000,000 (400,000 ) — 600,000 Purchased call options on 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 500,000 (200,000 ) — 300,000 Put options on Eurodollar futures 4,000,000 — (4,000,000 ) — — Commitments to purchase (sell) MBS, net 375,000 6,225,441 (5,475,441 ) — 1,125,000 For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Beginning of Period Additions Scheduled Settlements Early Terminations End of Period Eurodollar futures $ 41,090,000 $ 5,150,000 $ (7,235,000 ) $ (34,005,000 ) $ 5,000,000 10-year interest rate swap futures 1,145,000 2,685,000 (2,480,000 ) (365,000 ) 985,000 10-year U.S. Treasury note futures — 1,190,000 (125,000 ) — 1,065,000 Commitments to purchase (sell) MBS, net 200,000 2,057,544 (1,467,544 ) — 790,000 Cash Collateral Posted for Derivative Instruments The following table presents information about the cash collateral posted by the Company in respect of its derivative instruments, which is included in the line item “deposits” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, for the periods indicated: September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 Interest rate swaps $ 117,052 $ 17,434 Options on U.S. Treasury note futures 3,485 — U.S. Treasury note futures — 11,197 TBA commitments — 798 Total cash collateral posted $ 120,537 $ 29,429 |