27
We have not elected to designate our derivative holdings for hedge accounting treatment. Changes in fair value of these
instruments are presented in a separate line item in our statements of operations and not included in interest expense. As
such, for financial reporting purposes, interest expense and cost of funds are not impacted by the fluctuation in value of the
For the purpose of computing economic net interest income and ratios relating to cost of funds measures, GAAP
interest expense has been adjusted to reflect the realized and unrealized gains or losses on certain derivative instruments
the Company uses, specifically Eurodollar, Fed Funds and U.S. Treasury
futures, and interest rate swaps and swaptions,
that pertain to each period presented. We believe that adjusting our interest expense for the periods presented by the gains
or losses on these derivative instruments would not accurately reflect our economic interest expense for these periods. The
reason is that these derivative instruments may cover periods that extend into the future, not just the current period. Any
realized or unrealized gains or losses on the instruments reflect the change in market value of the instrument caused by
changes in underlying interest rates applicable to the term covered by the instrument, not just the current period. For each
period presented, we have combined the effects of the derivative financial instruments in place for the respective period with
the actual interest expense incurred on borrowings to reflect total economic interest expense for the applicable period.
Interest expense, including the effect of derivative instruments for the period, is referred to as economic interest expense.
Net interest income, when calculated to include the effect of derivative instruments for the period, is referred to as economic
net interest income. This presentation includes gains or losses on all contracts in effect during the reporting period, covering
the current period as well as periods in the future.
The Company may invest in TBAs, which are forward contracts for the purchase or sale of Agency RMBS at a
predetermined price, face amount, issuer, coupon and stated maturity on an agreed-upon future date. The specific Agency
RMBS to be delivered into the contract are not known until shortly before the settlement date. We may choose, prior to
settlement, to move the settlement of these securities out to a later date by entering into a dollar roll transaction. The
Agency RMBS purchased or sold for a forward settlement date are typically priced at a discount to equivalent securities
settling in the current month. Consequently, forward purchases of Agency RMBS and dollar roll transactions represent a
form of off-balance sheet financing. These TBAs are accounted for as derivatives and marked to market through the income
statement. Gains or losses on TBAs are included with gains or losses on other derivative contracts and are not included in
interest income for purposes of the discussions below.
We believe that economic interest expense and economic net interest income provide meaningful information to
consider, in addition to the respective amounts prepared in accordance with GAAP.
The non-GAAP measures help
management to evaluate its financial position and performance without the effects of certain transactions and GAAP
adjustments that are not necessarily indicative of our current investment portfolio or operations. The unrealized gains or
losses on derivative instruments presented in our statements of operations are not necessarily representative of the total
interest rate expense that we will ultimately realize. This is because as interest rates move up or down in the future, the
gains or losses we ultimately realize, and which will affect our total interest rate expense in future periods, may differ from
the unrealized gains or losses recognized as of the reporting date.
Our presentation of the economic value of our hedging strategy has important limitations. First, other market
participants may calculate economic interest expense and economic net interest income differently than the way we
calculate them. Second, while we believe that the calculation of the economic value of our hedging strategy described
above helps to present our financial position and performance, it may be of limited usefulness as an analytical tool.
Therefore, the economic value of our investment strategy should not be viewed in isolation and is not a substitute for
interest expense and net interest income computed in accordance with GAAP.
The tables below present a reconciliation of the adjustments to interest expense shown for each period relative to our
derivative instruments, and the income statement line item, gains (losses) on derivative instruments, calculated in
accordance with GAAP for each quarter of 2021 to date and 2020.
Gains (Losses) on Derivative Instruments