IVR US Equity☆

ivr-20201231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

For the Transition Period from to

Commission file number 001-34385

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Atlanta, Georgia

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(404) 892-0896

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

Title of Each Class Trading Symbol Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share IVR New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934: None

________________________________________________

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company”in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates was $678,164,356 based on the closing sales price on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2020. As of February 19, 2021, there were 230,822,108 outstanding shares of common stock of Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Part III of this Form 10-K incorporates by reference certain information (solely to the extent explicitly indicated) from the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A.

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

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PART I

Item 1. Business 3

Item 1A. Risk Factors 11

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 37

Item 2. Properties 37

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 37

Item 4. Mine and Safety Disclosures 37

PART II

Item 6. Selected Financial Data 39

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 67

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 70

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 70

Item 9B. Other Information 71

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 72

Item 11. Executive Compensation 72

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 72

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 72

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Forward-Looking Statements

We make forward-looking statements in this Report on Form 10-K (“Report”) and other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, investment strategies, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. When we use the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend,” “project,” “forecast” or similar expressions and future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” and “would,” and any other statement that necessarily depends on future events, we intend to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements may contain such words. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

•ongoing spread and economic and operational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, the impact on the value, volatility, availability, financing and liquidity of mortgage assets;

•our business and investment strategy;

•our investment portfolio and expected investments;

•our projected operating results;

•general volatility of financial markets and effects of governmental responses, including actions and initiatives of the U.S. governmental agencies and changes to U.S. government policies in response to COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage loan forbearance and modification programs, actions and initiatives of foreign governmental agencies and central banks, monetary policy actions of the Federal Reserve, including actions relating to its agency mortgage-backed securities portfolio and our ability to respond to and comply with such actions, initiatives and changes;

•the availability of financing sources, including our ability to obtain additional financing arrangements and the terms of such arrangements;

•financing and advance rates for our target assets;

•changes to our expected leverage;

•our expected book value per common share;

•our intention and ability to pay dividends;

•interest rate mismatches between our target assets and our borrowings used to fund such investments;

•the adequacy of our cash flow from operations and borrowings to meet our short-term liquidity needs;

•our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet our short-term liquidity needs;

•changes in the credit rating of the U.S. government;

•changes in interest rates and interest rate spreads and the market value of our target assets;

•changes in prepayment rates on our target assets;

•the impact of any deficiencies in loss mitigation of third parties and related uncertainty in the timing of collateral disposition;

•our reliance on third parties in connection with services related to our target assets;

•disruption of our information technology systems;

•the impact of potential data security breaches or other cyber-attacks or other disruptions;

•effects of hedging instruments on our target assets;

•rates of default or decreased recovery rates on our target assets;

•modifications to whole loans or loans underlying securities;

•the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate volatility;

•the degree to which derivative contracts expose us to contingent liabilities;

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•counterparty defaults;

•compliance with financial covenants in our financing arrangements;

•changes in governmental regulations, zoning, insurance, eminent domain and tax law and rates, and similar matters and our ability to respond to such changes;

•our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

•our ability to maintain our exception from the definition of “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);

•availability of investment opportunities in mortgage-related, real estate-related and other securities;

•availability of U.S. Government Agency guarantees with regard to payments of principal and interest on securities;

•the market price and trading volume of our capital stock;

•availability of qualified personnel from our Manager and our Manager's continued ability to find and retain such personnel;

•the relationship with our Manager;

•estimates relating to taxable income and our ability to continue to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;

•estimates relating to fair value of our target assets and loan loss reserves;

•our understanding of our competition;

•changes to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”);

•the adequacy of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting; and

•market trends in our industry, interest rates, real estate values, the debt securities markets or the general economy.

The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These beliefs, assumptions and expectations can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us. Some of these factors are described under the headings “Business”, “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Report. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we are not obligated to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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PART I

Item 1. Business.

Our Company

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (the “Company”) is a Maryland corporation primarily focused on investing in, financing, and managing mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and other mortgage-related assets. Our objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns to our stockholders, primarily through dividends and secondarily through capital appreciation. To achieve this objective, we have invested in the following:

•Residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) that are guaranteed by a U.S. government agency such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”) or a federally chartered corporation such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) (collectively “Agency RMBS”);

•Commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) that are guaranteed by a U.S. government agency such as Ginnie Mae or a federally chartered corporation such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (collectively “Agency CMBS”);

•RMBS that are not guaranteed by a U.S. government agency or a federally chartered corporation (“non-Agency RMBS”);

•CMBS that are not guaranteed by a U.S. government agency or a federally chartered corporation (“non-Agency CMBS”);

•Credit risk transfer securities that are unsecured obligations issued by government-sponsored enterprises (“GSE CRT”);

•To-be-announced securities forward contracts ("TBAs") to purchase Agency RMBS;

•Residential and commercial mortgage loans; and

•Other real estate-related financing arrangements.

We conduct our business through our wholly-owned subsidiary, IAS Operating Partnership L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”). We are externally managed and advised by Invesco Advisers, Inc. (our “Manager”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. (“Invesco”).

We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. To maintain our REIT qualification, we are generally required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income to our stockholders annually. We operate our business in a manner that permits our exclusion from the definition of an “Investment Company” under the 1940 Act.

As a result of unprecedented market conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we sold a substantial portion of our MBS and GSE CRT portfolio in the first half of 2020 to generate liquidity and reduce leverage. During the third quarter of 2020, we resumed purchasing Agency RMBS and began investing in TBAs as an alternative means of investing in and financing Agency RMBS. We have largely completed our portfolio reallocation to Agency RMBS with approximately 98% of our investment portfolio, excluding TBAs, invested in Agency RMBS at year end. For a detailed discussion of the impact that the market disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had on our financial condition and results of operations, refer to Item 7. “Management's Discussion of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II of this Report.

Our Manager

Our Manager provides us with our management team, including our officers and appropriate support personnel. Each of our officers is an employee of our Manager or one of its affiliates. We do not have any employees. Our Manager's long-term success, including its success in managing our business, relies on its ability to attract, develop and retain talent. Our Manager invests significantly in talent development, health and welfare programs, technology and other resources that support its employees. Our Manager is committed to improving diversity at all levels and in all functions across its global business and remains focused on increasing representation of women and other underrepresented employees. Our Manager is not obligated to dedicate any of its employees exclusively to us, and our Manager and its employees are not obligated to dedicate any specific portion of time to our business. Our Manager is at all times subject to the supervision and oversight of our Board of Directors and has only such functions and authority as we delegate to it. Refer to Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” in Part III of this Report for a discussion of our relationship with our Manager.

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Our Competitive Advantages

We believe that our competitive advantages include the following:

Significant Experience of Our Senior Management and Our Manager

Our senior management and the structured investments team of our Manager have a long track record and broad experience in managing residential and commercial mortgage-related assets through a variety of credit and interest rate environments and have demonstrated the ability to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns under different market conditions and cycles. In addition, we benefit from the insight and capabilities of Invesco’s real estate team, through which we have access to broad and deep teams of experienced investment professionals in real estate and distressed investing. Through these teams, we have real time access to research and data on the mortgage and real estate industries. We believe having in-house access to these resources and expertise provides us with a competitive advantage over other companies investing in our target assets who have less internal resources and expertise.

Access to Our Manager’s Sophisticated Analytical Tools, Infrastructure and Expertise

Our Manager has created and maintains analytical and portfolio management capabilities to aid in asset selection and risk management. We capitalize on the market knowledge and ready access to data across our target markets that our Manager and its affiliates obtain through their established platforms. We focus on in-depth analysis of the numerous factors that influence our target assets, including: (1) fundamental market and sector review; (2) rigorous cash flow analysis; (3) disciplined asset selection; (4) controlled risk exposure; and (5) prudent balance sheet management. We also benefit from our Manager’s and its affiliates’ comprehensive financial and administrative infrastructure, including its risk management, financial reporting, legal and compliance teams.

Extensive Strategic Relationships and Experience of our Manager and its Affiliates

Our Manager maintains extensive long-term relationships with other financial intermediaries, including primary dealers, leading investment banks, brokerage firms, leading mortgage originators and commercial banks. We believe these relationships enhance our ability to source, finance and hedge investment opportunities and, thus, will enable us to grow in various credit and interest rate environments.

Disciplined Investment Approach

We seek to maximize our risk-adjusted returns through our disciplined investment approach, which relies on rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis. Our Manager monitors our overall portfolio risk and evaluates the characteristics of our investments in our target assets including, but not limited to, asset type, interest rate, interest rate type, loan balance distribution, geographic concentration, property type, occupancy, loan-to-value ratio and credit score. In addition, with respect to any particular target asset, our Manager’s investment team evaluates, among other things, relative valuation, supply and demand trends, shape of yield curves, prepayment rates, loan delinquencies, default rates and loss severity rates. We believe this strategy and our commitment to capital preservation provide us with a competitive advantage when operating in a variety of market conditions.

Investment Strategy

We have invested in a diversified pool of mortgage assets that generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. Our target assets generally include Agency RMBS, Agency CMBS, non-Agency RMBS, non-Agency CMBS, GSE CRT, TBAs, residential and commercial mortgage loans and other real estate-related financing arrangements. In addition to direct purchases of our target assets, we also invest in ventures managed by an affiliate of our Manager, which, in turn, invest in our target assets. We accept varying levels of interest rate risk by managing our hedge portfolio and accept certain levels of credit and spread risk to earn income.

Agency RMBS

Agency RMBS are residential mortgage-backed securities issued by a U.S. government agency such as Ginnie Mae, or a federally chartered corporation such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (Government Sponsored Enterprises or “GSEs”) that are secured by a collection of mortgages. Payments of principal and interest on Agency RMBS, not the market value of the securities themselves, are guaranteed by the issuer. Agency RMBS differ from other forms of traditional debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payments of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or on specified call dates. Instead, Agency RMBS provide for monthly payments of both principal and interest. In effect, these payments are a

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“pass-through” of scheduled and unscheduled principal payments and the monthly interest payments made by the individual borrowers on the mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the servicers, guarantors or other related parties of the securities.

The principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments or defaults on the underlying mortgage loans. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with other fixed-income securities.

Various factors affect the rate at which mortgage prepayments occur, including changes in the level and directional trends in housing prices, interest rates, general economic conditions, the age of the mortgage loan, the location of the property, social and demographic conditions, government initiated refinance programs, legislative regulations, and industry capacity. Generally, prepayments on Agency RMBS increase during periods of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during periods of rising mortgage interest rates. However, this may not always be the case. We may reinvest principal repayments at a yield that is higher or lower than the yield on the repaid investment, thus affecting our net interest income by altering the average yield on our assets.

In addition, when interest rates are declining, the value of Agency RMBS with prepayment options may not increase as much as other fixed income securities. The rate of prepayments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of Agency RMBS and may have the effect of shortening or extending the duration of the security beyond what was anticipated at the time of purchase. When interest rates rise, our holdings of Agency RMBS may experience reduced returns if the owners of the underlying mortgages pay off their mortgages slower than previously anticipated. This is generally referred to as extension risk.

Mortgage pass-through certificates, collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), Freddie Mac Gold Certificates, Fannie Mae Certificates and Ginnie Mae Certificates are types of Agency RMBS that are collateralized by either fixed-rate mortgage loans (“FRMs”), adjustable-rate mortgage loans (“ARMs”), or hybrid ARMs. FRMs have an interest rate that is fixed for the term of the loan and do not adjust. The interest rates on ARMs generally adjust annually (although some may adjust more frequently) to an increment over a specified interest rate index. Hybrid ARMs have interest rates that are fixed for a specified period of time (typically three, five, seven or ten years) and, thereafter, adjust to an increment over a specified interest rate index. ARMs and hybrid ARMs generally have periodic and lifetime constraints on how much the loan interest rate can change on any predetermined interest rate reset date. Our allocation of our Agency RMBS collateralized by FRMs, ARMs or hybrid ARMs will depend on various factors including, but not limited to, relative value, expected future prepayment trends, supply and demand, costs of hedging, costs of financing, expected future interest rate volatility and the overall shape of the U.S. Treasury and interest rate swap yield curves. We take these factors into account when we make investments.

Agency CMBS

Agency CMBS are structured pass-through certificates representing interests in pools of commercial loans that are secured by commercial property and issued by a U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation. Types of Agency CMBS include Fannie Mae DUS (Delegated Underwriting and Servicing), Freddie Mac Multifamily Mortgage Participation Certificates, Ginnie Mae project loan pools, and/or CMOs structured from such collateral.

The U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation sources these loans from a network of approved multifamily sellers/servicers and guarantees the timely payment of interest and principal on these investments. Unlike single family residential mortgages in which the borrower, generally, can prepay at any time, commercial mortgages frequently limit the ability of the borrower to prepay, thereby providing a certain level of prepayment protection. Common restrictions include yield maintenance (a prepayment premium that allows investors to attain the same yield as if the borrower made all scheduled interest payments up until the maturity date) and prepayment penalties.

Additionally, Agency CMBS include Ginnie Mae Construction Loan Certificates (“CLCs”) and the resulting Project Loan Certificates (“PLCs”) when the construction project is complete. The investor in the CLC is committed to fund the full amount of the project; however, actual funding generally occurs monthly as construction progresses on the property. Ginnie Mae guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on each CLC and PLC. Ginnie Mae CLCs pay interest only during construction, while PLCs pay principal and interest. The mortgage loans underlying the PLCs generally contain a lock-out and prepayment penalty period of 10 years. Ginnie Mae does not guarantee the payment of prepayment penalties.

Non-Agency CMBS

Non-Agency CMBS are commercial mortgage-backed securities that are not issued or guaranteed by a U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation. Like Agency CMBS, non-Agency CMBS are securities backed by obligations (including certificates of participation in obligations) that are principally secured by commercial mortgages on real property or

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interests therein having a multifamily or commercial use, such as regional malls, retail space, office buildings, industrial or warehouse properties, hotels, apartments, nursing homes and senior living facilities.

Non-Agency CMBS are typically issued in multiple tranches whereby the more senior classes are entitled to priority distributions to make specified interest and principal payments on such tranches. Losses and other shortfalls from expected amounts to be received on the mortgage pool are borne by the most subordinate classes, which receive payments only after the more senior classes have received all principal and/or interest to which they are entitled. The credit quality of non-Agency CMBS depends on the securitization structure and the credit quality of the underlying mortgage loans, which is a function of factors such as the principal amount of loans relative to the value of the related properties, the mortgage loan terms, such as amortization, market assessment and geographic location, construction quality of the property, and the creditworthiness of the borrowers.

Non-Agency RMBS

Non-Agency RMBS are residential mortgage-backed securities that are not issued or guaranteed by a U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation. Like Agency RMBS, non-Agency RMBS represent interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by residential real property. The mortgage loan collateral for non-Agency RMBS generally consists of residential mortgage loans that do not conform to U.S. government agency or federally chartered corporation underwriting guidelines due to certain factors including mortgage balance in excess of such guidelines, borrower characteristics, loan characteristics and level of documentation. We have invested in securities collateralized by the following types of residential mortgage loans:

Prime and Jumbo Prime Mortgage Loans

Prime mortgage loans are mortgage loans that generally require borrower credit histories, debt-to-income ratios and loan-to-value ratios similar to those dictated by GSE underwriting guidelines, though in certain cases they may not meet the same income documentation or other requirements. Jumbo prime mortgage loans are mortgage loans with requirements similar to prime mortgage loans except that the mortgage balance exceeds the maximum amount permitted by GSE underwriting guidelines.

Alt-A Mortgage Loans

Alt-A mortgage loans are mortgage loans made to borrowers whose qualifying mortgage characteristics do not conform to GSE underwriting guidelines, but whose borrower characteristics may. Generally, Alt-A mortgage loans allow homeowners to qualify for a mortgage loan with reduced or alternative forms of documentation. The credit quality of Alt-A borrowers generally exceeds the credit quality of subprime borrowers.

Subprime Mortgage Loans

Subprime mortgage loans are loans that do not conform to GSE underwriting guidelines. Subprime borrowers generally have imperfect or impaired credit histories and low credit scores.

Reperforming Mortgage Loans

Reperforming mortgage loans are residential mortgage loans that have a history of delinquency and may have been restructured since origination. Reperforming mortgage loans may or may not have originally conformed to GSE underwriting guidelines. Due to past delinquencies, borrowers generally have impaired credit histories and low credit scores, and may have a greater than normal risk of future delinquencies and defaults.

We have also invested in non-Agency RMBS structured as re-securitizations of a real estate mortgage investment conduit (“Re-REMIC”). A Re-REMIC is a transaction in which an existing security or securities is transferred to a special purpose entity that has formed a securitization vehicle that has issued multiple classes of securities secured by and payable from cash flows on the underlying securities.

Government-Sponsored Enterprises Credit Risk Transfer Securities

GSE CRTs are unsecured general obligations of the GSEs that are structured to provide credit protection to the issuer with respect to defaults and other credit events within pools of mortgage loans secured by single family properties that collateralize Agency RMBS issued and guaranteed by the GSEs or within pools of mortgage loans secured by multifamily properties that collateralize Agency CMBS issued and guaranteed by the GSEs. This credit protection is achieved by allowing the GSEs to reduce the outstanding class principal balance of the securities as designated credit events on the loans arise. The GSEs make monthly coupon payments of interest and periodic payments of principal based on prepayments to the holders of the securities. To date, all GSE CRTs have paid a floating interest rate benchmarked to one-month LIBOR.

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TBAs

TBAs are forward contracts to purchase or sell Agency RMBS. TBAs specify the price, issuer, term and coupon of the securities to be delivered, but the actual securities are not identified until shortly before the TBA settlement date. We generally do not intend to physically settle TBAs that are used for investment purposes.

Commercial Mortgage Loans

Commercial mortgage loans are mortgage loans secured by first or second liens on commercial properties such as regional malls, retail space, office buildings, industrial or warehouse properties, hotels, apartments, nursing homes and senior living facilities. These loans, which tend to range in term from two to ten years, can carry either fixed or floating interest rates. They generally permit pre-payments before final maturity but may require the payment to the lender of yield maintenance or pre-payment penalties. First lien loans represent the senior lien on a property while second lien loans or second mortgages represent a subordinate or second lien on a property.

Mezzanine Loans

Mezzanine loans are generally structured to represent a senior position in the borrower’s equity in a property, and are subordinate to a first mortgage loan. These loans are generally secured by pledges of ownership interests, in whole or in part, in entities that directly or indirectly own the real property. At times, mezzanine loans may be secured by additional collateral, including letters of credit, personal guarantees, or collateral unrelated to the property. Mezzanine loans may be structured to carry either fixed or floating interest rates as well as carry a right to participate in a percentage of gross revenues and a percentage of the increase in the fair market value of the property securing the loan. Mezzanine loans may also contain prepayment lockouts, penalties, minimum profit hurdles and other mechanisms to protect and enhance returns to the lender. Mezzanine loans usually have maturities that match the maturity of the related mortgage loan but may have shorter or longer terms.

Loan Participation Interest

In August 2018, we invested in a loan participation interest in a secured loan to a non-bank servicer that is collateralized by mortgage servicing rights associated with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae loans. Mortgage servicing rights represent the right to perform and control the servicing of mortgage loans in exchange for a fee. We sold our loan participation interest in April 2020.

Unconsolidated Ventures

We have investments in unconsolidated ventures. In circumstances where we have a non-controlling interest but we are deemed to be able to exert significant influence over the affairs of the enterprise, we utilize the equity method of accounting. Under the equity method of accounting, the initial investment is increased each period for additional capital contributions and a proportionate share of the entity’s earnings and decreased for cash distributions and a proportionate share of the entity’s losses.

Financing Strategy

We generally finance our investments through short- and long-term borrowings structured as repurchase agreements and secured loans. We have also financed investments through the issuances of debt and equity, and may utilize other forms of financing in the future.

Repurchase Agreements

Repurchase agreements are financings under which we sell our assets to the repurchase agreement counterparty (the buyer) for an agreed upon price with the obligation to repurchase these assets from the buyer at a future date and at a price higher than the original purchase price. The amount of financing we receive under a repurchase agreement is limited to a specified percentage of the estimated market value of the assets we sell to the buyer. The difference between the sale price and repurchase price is the cost, or interest expense, of financing under a repurchase agreement. Under repurchase agreement financing arrangements, certain buyers require us to provide additional cash collateral in the event the market value of the asset declines to maintain the ratio of value of the collateral to the amount of borrowing.

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Secured Loans

Our wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary, IAS Services LLC, was a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (“FHLBI”). As a member of the FHLBI, IAS Services LLC borrowed funds from the FHLBI in the form of secured advances. FHLBI advances were treated as secured financing transactions and carried at their contractual amounts. We fully repaid our secured loans during the year ended December 31, 2020 and terminated our membership in the FHLBI in the third quarter of 2020. IAS Services LLC was dissolved in December 2020.

Leverage

We use leverage on our assets to achieve our return objectives, which are adjusted as our investment and financing opportunities change. The amount of leverage we apply to a given asset depends primarily on the expected price volatility and liquidity of the asset we use as collateral, the type of financing, the advance rate against our collateral and the cost of financing. Shorter duration and higher quality liquid assets generally merit higher leverage due to lower price volatility, higher advance rates, and more attractive financing rates. Assets that are less liquid or exhibit higher price volatility tend to be held unlevered or with lower leverage applied.

We include a table that shows the allocation of our stockholders' equity to our target assets, our debt-to-equity ratio, and our economic debt-to-equity ratio (a non-GAAP financial measure of leverage) in Part II. Item 7. “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” of this Report.

Risk Management Strategy

Market Risk Management

Risk management is an integral component of our strategy to deliver returns to our stockholders. Because we invest in MBS, investment losses from prepayment, interest rate volatility or other risks can meaningfully impact our earnings and our dividends to stockholders. In addition, because we employ financial leverage in funding our investment portfolio, mismatches in the maturities of our assets and liabilities can create the need to continually renew or otherwise refinance our liabilities. Our results are dependent upon a positive spread between the returns on our asset portfolio and our overall cost of funding. To minimize the risks to our portfolio, we actively employ portfolio-wide and security-specific risk measurement and management processes in our daily operations. Our Manager’s risk management tools include software and services licensed or purchased from third parties, in addition to proprietary software and analytical methods developed by Invesco.

Interest Rate Risk

We engage in a variety of interest rate management techniques that seek to mitigate the influence of interest rate changes on the costs of liabilities and help us achieve our risk management objectives. Specifically, we seek to hedge our exposure to potential interest rate mismatches between the interest we earn on our investments and our borrowing costs caused by fluctuations in short-term interest rates. We may utilize various derivative financial instruments including puts and calls on securities or indices of securities, futures, interest rate swaps and swaptions, interest rate caps, interest rate floors, exchange-traded derivatives, U.S. Treasury securities and options on U.S. Treasury securities to hedge all or a portion of the interest rate risk associated with the financing of our investment portfolio. Refer to Item 7. “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Market Conditions” in Part II of this Report for a discussion of proposed changes to LIBOR.

Spread Risk

We employ a variety of spread risk management techniques that seek to mitigate the influences of spread changes on our book value per common share and our liquidity to help us achieve our investment objectives. We refer to the difference between interest rates on our investments and interest rates on risk free instruments as spreads. The yield on our investments changes over time due to the level of risk free interest rates, the creditworthiness of the security, and the price of the perceived risk. The change in the market yield of our interest rate hedges also changes primarily with the level of risk free interest rates. We manage spread risk through careful asset selection, sector allocation, regulating our portfolio value-at-risk, and maintaining adequate liquidity. Changes in spreads impact our book value per common share and our liquidity and could cause us to sell assets and to change our investment strategy to maintain liquidity and preserve book value per common share.

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Credit Risk

We believe that our investment strategy will generally keep our credit losses and financing costs low. However, we retain the risk of potential credit losses on all of our residential and commercial mortgage investments. We seek to manage this risk in part through our pre-acquisition due diligence process. In addition, we re-evaluate the credit risk inherent in our investments on a regular basis pursuant to fundamental considerations such as gross domestic product, unemployment, interest rates, retail sales, store closings/openings, corporate earnings, housing inventory, affordability and regional home price trends. We also review key loan credit metrics including, but not limited to, payment status, current loan-to-value ratios, current borrower credit scores and debt yields. These characteristics assist us in determining the likelihood and severity of loan loss as well as prepayment and extension expectations. We then perform structural analysis under multiple scenarios to establish likely cash flow profiles and credit enhancement levels relative to collateral performance projections. This analysis allows us to quantify our opinions of credit quality and fundamental value, which are key drivers of portfolio management decisions.

Liquidity Risk

We engage in a variety of liquidity management techniques to mitigate the risk of volatility in the marketplace, which may bring significant security price fluctuations, associated margin calls, changing cash needs, and variability in counterparty financing terms. We perform statistical analysis to measure and quantify our required liquidity needs under multiple scenarios and time horizons. Liquidity in the form of cash, unencumbered assets and future cash inflows is consistently monitored and evaluated versus internal targets.

Foreign Exchange Rate Risk

We have an investment in an unconsolidated joint venture whose net assets and results of operations are exposed to foreign currency translation risk when translated in U.S. dollars upon consolidation. We seek to hedge our foreign currency exposures by purchasing currency forward contracts.

Investment Guidelines

Our board of directors has adopted the following investment guidelines:

•no investment shall be made that would cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes;

•no investment shall be made that would cause us to be regulated as an investment company under the 1940 Act;

•our assets will be invested within our target assets; and

•until appropriate investments can be identified, our Manager may pay off short-term debt, or invest the proceeds of any offering in interest-bearing, short-term investments, including funds that are consistent with maintaining our REIT qualification.

These investment guidelines may be changed from time to time by our board of directors without the approval of our stockholders.

Investment Committee

Our investment committee is comprised of certain of our officers and certain of our Manager’s investment professionals. The investment committee periodically reviews our investment portfolio for risk characteristics, investment performance, liquidity, portfolio composition, leverage and other applicable items. It also reviews its compliance with our investment policies and procedures, including our investment guidelines, and our Manager provides our board of directors an investment performance report at the end of each quarter in conjunction with its review of our quarterly results.

Investment Process

Our Manager’s investment team has a strong focus on asset selection and on the relative value of various sectors within the mortgage market. Our Manager utilizes this expertise to build a diversified portfolio. Our Manager incorporates its views on the economic environment and the outlook for the mortgage market, including relative valuation, supply and demand trends, the level of interest rates, the shape of the yield curve, prepayment rates, financing and liquidity, housing prices, delinquencies, default rates and loss severity rates of various collateral types.

Our investment process includes sourcing and screening investment opportunities, assessing investment suitability, conducting interest rate and prepayment analysis, evaluating cash flow and collateral performance, reviewing legal structure and servicer and originator information and investment structuring, as appropriate, to ensure an attractive return commensurate with the risk we are bearing. Upon identification of an investment opportunity, the investment will be screened and monitored

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by our Manager to determine its impact on maintaining our REIT qualification and our exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. We make investments in sectors where our Manager has strong core competencies and where we believe market risk and expected performance can be reasonably quantified.

Our Manager evaluates each of our investment opportunities based on its expected risk-adjusted return relative to the returns available from other, comparable investments. In addition, we evaluate new opportunities based on their relative expected returns compared to assets held in our portfolio. The terms of any leverage available to us for use in funding an investment purchase are also taken into consideration, as are any risks posed by illiquidity or correlations with other assets in the portfolio. Our Manager also develops a macro outlook with respect to each target asset class by examining factors in the broader economy such as gross domestic product, interest rates, unemployment rates and availability of credit, among other factors. Our Manager analyzes fundamental trends in the relevant target asset class sector to adjust or maintain its outlook for that particular target asset class. These macro decisions guide our Manager’s assumptions regarding model inputs and portfolio allocations among target assets. Additionally, our Manager conducts extensive diligence with respect to each target asset class by, among other things, examining and monitoring the capabilities and financial wherewithal of the parties responsible for the origination, administration and servicing of relevant target assets.

Competition

Our net income depends, in large part, on our ability to acquire assets at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs. In acquiring our investments, we compete with other REITs, specialty finance companies, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, financial institutions, governmental bodies and other entities. In addition, there are numerous REITs with similar asset acquisition objectives. These other REITs increase competition for the available supply of mortgage assets suitable for purchase. Many of our competitors are significantly larger than we are, have access to greater capital and other resources and may have other advantages over us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and establish more relationships than we can. Market conditions may attract more competitors, which may increase the competition for sources of financing. An increase in the competition for sources of financing could adversely affect the availability and cost of financing.

We have access to our Manager’s professionals and their industry expertise, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage. These professionals help us assess investment risks and determine appropriate pricing for certain potential investments. These relationships enable us to compete more effectively for attractive investment opportunities. Despite certain competitive advantages, we may not be able to achieve our business goals or expectations due to the competitive risks that we face. For additional information concerning these competitive risks, refer to Item 1A. “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Investments”. We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities. Competition may limit our ability to acquire desirable investments in our target assets, and could also affect the pricing of these securities.

Our Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Suite 1800, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Our telephone number is (404) 892-0896. We file current and periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and other information at www.sec.gov. We make available free of charge on our corporate website, www.invescomortgagecapital.com, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The information on our website is not intended to form a part of or be incorporated by reference into this Report.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Set forth below are the material risks and uncertainties that, if they were to occur, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our securities. Additional risks not presently known, or that we currently deem immaterial, also may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and trading price of our securities..

Risk Factor Summary

Investing in our capital stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all information in this Report before investing in our capital stock. These risks are discussed more fully in the section of this Report titled “Risk Factors.” These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the following:

•the ongoing spread and economic and operational impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, the impact on the value, volatility, availability, financing and liquidity of mortgage assets;

•our business and investment strategy, including, but not limited to, the concentration of our investments, competition for our target assets and our use of repurchase financing and leverage;

•our investment portfolio and expected investments, including, but not limited to, the risks inherent in various mortgage-related investments and the priority of our investments;

•general volatility of financial markets and the effects of governmental responses, including actions and initiatives of the U.S. governmental agencies and changes to U.S. government policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage loan forbearance and modification programs, interest rate fluctuations, actions and initiatives of foreign governmental agencies and central banks, monetary policy actions of the Federal Reserve, including actions relating to its agency mortgage-backed securities portfolio and our ability to respond to and comply with such actions, initiatives and changes;

•the availability of financing sources, including our ability to obtain additional financing arrangements and the terms of such arrangements;

•financing and advance rates for our target assets;

•changes to our expected leverage;

•our intention and ability to pay dividends;

•the potential interest rate mismatches between our target assets and our borrowings used to fund such investments;

•the adequacy of our cash flow from operations and borrowings, and our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity to meet our short-term liquidity needs;

•the impact of changes in the credit rating of the U.S. government;

•changes in interest rates and interest rate spreads and the market value of our target assets;

•changes in prepayment rates on our target assets;

•the impact of any deficiencies in loss mitigation of third parties and related uncertainty in the timing of collateral disposition;

•our reliance on third parties in connection with services related to our target assets;

•disruption of our information technology systems;

•the impact of potential data security breaches or other cyber-attacks or other disruptions;

•the effects of hedging instruments on our target assets, including, but not limited to, the degree to which our hedging strategies may or may not protect us from interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate volatility;

•rates of default or decreased recovery rates on our target assets;

•modifications to whole loans or loans underlying securities;

•the degree to which derivative contracts expose us to contingent liabilities;

•counterparty defaults;

•our ability to comply with financial covenants in our financing arrangements;

•changes in governmental regulations, including in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in zoning, insurance, eminent domain and tax law and rates, and similar matters and our ability to respond to such changes;

•our ability to maintain our qualification as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

•our ability to maintain our exception from the definition of “investment company” under the 1940 Act;

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•the availability of investment opportunities in mortgage-related, real estate-related and other securities;

•the availability of U.S. Government Agency guarantees with regard to payments of principal and interest on securities;

•the market price and trading volume of our capital stock;

•the availability of qualified personnel from our Manager, and our Manager’s continued ability to find and retain such personnel;

•our dependence upon, and the relationship with, our Manager;

•our ability to continue to generate taxable income and our ability to continue to make distributions to our stockholders in the future;

•the accuracy of our estimates relating to fair value of our target assets and loan loss reserves;

•our understanding of our competition;

•the impact changes to U.S. GAAP;

•the adequacy of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting; and

•market trends in our industry, interest rates, real estate values, the debt securities markets or the general economy.

Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and will likely continue to adversely affect, the U.S. economy, the mortgage REIT industry and our business.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related preventative measures are causing significant disruptions to the U.S. and global economies and have contributed to volatility and negative pressure in financial markets. Many businesses, particularly smaller ones within the service sector, have been forced to close, furlough and/or lay off employees. As a result, U.S. unemployment claims remain at elevated levels. Other economic activity, including retail sales and industrial production, while rebounding since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, also remain well below pre-COVID levels. After a meaningful contraction in the second quarter of 2020, economic activity recovered sharply during the second half of 2020. However, the pace, timing and strength of the economic recovery going forward is still unknown and difficult to predict as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2020, particularly in March, the COVID-19 pandemic began to adversely affect the mortgage REIT industry generally. In addition to negative general economic conditions, the impact of COVID-19 caused severe volatility across asset classes, including mortgage-related assets. Forced sales of securities and other assets that secure repurchase and other financing arrangements due to drops in fair market value of such collateral occurred in the first half of 2020, and may continue to occur, on terms less favorable than might otherwise be available in a regularly functioning market and have, and may continue to generate higher than historical levels of margin calls.

The conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic discussed above have also adversely affected our business and we expect these conditions to continue during 2021. The significant decrease in economic activity and/or resulting decline in the real estate market could have an adverse effect on the value of our investments in mortgage real estate-related assets. Further, because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the overall economy, borrowers may experience difficulties meeting their obligations or may seek to forbear or further forbear payment on or refinance their mortgage loans to avail themselves of lower rates. Elevated levels of delinquency or default would have an adverse impact on the value of our mortgage-related assets. In addition to residential mortgage-related assets, the adverse economic conditions could negatively impact tenants on our commercial property assets, resulting in potential delinquencies, defaults or declines in asset values. To the extent current conditions persist or worsen, we expect there to be a negative effect on our results of operations, which may reduce earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution to our stockholders. The continued spread of COVID-19 could also negatively impact the availability of our Manager’s key personnel necessary to conduct our business.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has taken various actions to support the economy and the continued functioning of the financial markets. The Federal Reserve has announced its commitment to purchase unlimited amounts of U.S. Treasuries, mortgage-backed securities, municipal bonds and other assets. In addition, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides billions of dollars of relief to individuals, businesses, state and local governments, and the health care system suffering the impact of the pandemic, including mortgage loan forbearance and modification programs to qualifying borrowers who have difficulty making their loan payments. There can be no assurance as to how, in the long term, these and other actions by the U.S. government will affect the efficiency, liquidity and stability of the financial and mortgage markets. To the extent the financial or mortgage markets do not respond favorably to any of these actions, or such actions do not function as intended, our business, results of operations, financial condition and trading price of our securities may continue to be materially adversely affected.

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Our inability to access funding or the terms on which funding is available could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, particularly because of ongoing market dislocations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our ability to fund our operations, meet financial obligations and finance asset acquisitions may be impacted by an inability to secure and maintain our repurchase agreements with counterparties. Because repurchase agreements are short-term commitments of capital, repurchase agreement counterparties may respond to market conditions in a manner that makes it more difficult for us to renew or replace, on a continuous basis, maturing short-term financings, and have and may continue to impose less favorable conditions when rolling such financings. If we are not able to renew or roll our repurchase agreements or arrange for new financing on terms acceptable to us, or if we default on our financial covenants, are otherwise unable to access funds under our financing arrangements, or if we are required to post more collateral or face larger haircuts on our financings, we may have to dispose of assets at significantly lower prices and at inopportune times, which could cause significant losses, and may also force us to limit our asset acquisition activities.

Issues related to financing are heightened in times of significant volatility in the financial markets, such as those being experienced in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is possible that our financing counterparties will become unwilling or unable to provide us with financing, and we could be forced to sell our assets at a time when prices are depressed or markets are illiquid, which could cause significant losses. In addition, if the regulatory capital requirements imposed on our financing counterparties change, they may be required to significantly increase the cost of the financing that they provide to us, or to increase the amounts of collateral they require as a condition to providing us with financing. Our financing counterparties also have revised, and may continue to revise, their eligibility requirements for the types of assets that they are willing to finance based on, among other factors, the regulatory environment and their management of actual and perceived risk.

Moreover, the amount of financing that we receive under our repurchase agreements will be directly related to our counterparties’ valuation of our assets that collateralize the outstanding repurchase agreement financing. Typically, repurchase agreements grant the repurchase agreement counterparty the absolute right to reevaluate, at any time, the fair market value of the assets that cover the amount financed under the repurchase agreement. If a repurchase agreement counterparty determines in its sole discretion that the value of the assets subject to the repurchase agreement financing has decreased, it has the right to initiate a margin call. These valuations may be different than the values that we ascribe to these assets and may be influenced by recent asset sales at distressed levels by forced sellers. A margin call requires us to transfer additional assets to a repurchase agreement counterparty without any advance of funds from the counterparty for such transfer or to repay a portion of the outstanding repurchase agreement financing. We would also be required to post additional collateral if haircuts increase under a repurchase agreement. In these situations, we could be forced to sell assets at significantly depressed prices to meet such margin calls or increased haircuts and to maintain adequate liquidity, which could cause significant losses.

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we observed a mark-down of a portion of our mortgage assets by the counterparties to our financing arrangements, resulting in us having to post cash or securities to satisfy higher than historical levels of margin calls. Significant margin calls had and could have in the future a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, business, liquidity and ability to make distributions to our stockholders, and caused and could cause in the future the value of our common stock to decline. We have been and may be in the future required to sell assets at significantly depressed prices to meet such margin calls and to maintain adequate liquidity. If these conditions occur, it will continue to have a negative adverse impact on our liquidity.

Our ability to make distributions to our stockholders has been and may continue to be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on shares of common stock will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors. The payment of dividends may be more uncertain during severe market disruption in the mortgage, real estate or related sectors, such as those being experienced now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service issued a revenue procedure permitting “publicly offered” REITs, such as us to pay dividends in a mixture of stock and cash, with at least 10% of the total distribution being paid in cash, to satisfy their REIT distribution requirements. Pursuant to this revenue procedure, we have elected in the past and may elect again in the future to make distributions of our taxable income to common stockholders in a mixture of our common stock and cash. As a result, common stockholders may be required to pay income taxes with respect to such dividends in excess of cash received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the common stock that it receives as a dividend to pay this tax, the sale proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our common stock at the time of the sale. Furthermore, with respect to certain non-U.S. stockholders, we or the applicable withholding agent may be required to withhold U.S. taxes with respect to such dividend, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in common stock. In addition, if a significant number of our stockholders have to sell shares of our common stock to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock.

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We have experienced, and may continue to experience, significant changes in our portfolio during times of severe market disruption in the mortgage, real estate or related sectors, such as those being experienced now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consistent with current market conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and our intention to enhance our liquidity and strengthen our cash position, during the year ended December 31, 2020, we have reduced and may continue to reduce leverage and taken and may continue to take other steps to manage our portfolio through unprecedented market volatility and preserve long-term stockholder value, including completing various transactions to reposition our portfolio. Stockholders may not agree with, nor are required to consent to, significant changes to our portfolio.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain and volatile interest rate environment, which could adversely affect our business.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain and volatile interest rate environment and general fixed income patterns have deviated widely from historical trends, which have and may continue to adversely affect our business. We have experienced historically larger spreads to benchmark rates in the repurchase markets and, in some cases, availability of repurchase financing has been limited or not available. Further, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, significant government programs, stimulus plans, as well as government purchase and finance programs, have had and will continue to have an impact on interest rates and fair values of fixed income assets. It is unclear what the impact of these actions will be and how long they will continue to drive the interest rate environment. With respect to prepayments, given the combination of low interest rates, government stimulus and high unemployment, and other disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more difficult to predict prepayment levels for the securities in our portfolio. Actual prepayment results may be materially different than the assumptions we use. We use interest rate swaps to manage our exposure to interest rate movements on our liabilities; however, there is no guarantee these interest rate swaps will cover all risk, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and business.

Market disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more difficult for us to determine the fair value of our investments and may cause a decline in such fair value.

As discussed in Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, market-based inputs are generally the preferred source of values for measuring the fair value of many of our assets under U.S. GAAP. The disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for us, and for the providers of third-party valuations that we use, to rely on market-based inputs in connection with the valuation of many of our assets under U.S. GAAP. In the absence of market inputs, U.S. GAAP permits the use of management assumptions to measure fair value. However, the considerable market volatility and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the considerable uncertainty regarding its ultimate impact and duration have made it more difficult for our management to formulate assumptions to measure the fair value of certain of our assets.

The fair value of certain of our investments may fluctuate over short periods of time, and our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these investments existed. The value of our common stock and preferred stock, results of operations, our financial condition and business could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon their disposal.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we experienced a significant amount of realized and unrealized losses on our assets. A future decline in the fair value of our investments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may require us to recognize an impairment under U.S. GAAP if we were to determine that, with respect to any assets in unrealized loss positions, we do not have the ability and intent to hold such assets to maturity or for a period of time sufficient to allow for recovery to their original acquisition cost. If such a determination were to be made, we would recognize unrealized losses through earnings and write down the amortized cost of such assets to a new cost basis, based on the fair value of such assets on the date they are considered to be impaired. Such impairment charges reflect non-cash losses at the time of recognition. The subsequent disposition or sale of such assets could further affect our future losses or gains, as they are based on the difference between the sale price received and adjusted amortized cost of such assets at the time of sale. If we experience a decline in the fair value of our investments, it could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, stock price and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.

Measures intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 could disrupt our operations.

In response to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the federal and state mandates implemented to control its spread, the majority of our Manager’s employees are working remotely. If our Manager’s employees are unable to work effectively as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including because of illness, quarantines, office closures, ineffective remote work arrangements or technology failures or limitations, our operations would be adversely impacted. Further, remote work arrangements may increase the risk of cyber-security incidents and cyber-attacks, which could have a material adverse effect on

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our business and results of operations, due to, among other things, the loss of investor or proprietary data, interruptions or delays in the operation of our business and damage to our reputation.

We may incur losses as a result of unforeseen or catastrophic events, including the emergence of a pandemic, terrorist attacks, extreme weather events or other natural disasters.

The occurrence of unforeseen or catastrophic events, including the emergence of a pandemic, such as COVID-19, or other widespread health emergency (or concerns over the possibility of such an emergency), terrorist attacks or natural disasters, could create economic and financial disruptions, and could lead to material adverse declines in the market values of our assets, illiquidity in our investment and financing markets and negative impacts on our ability to effectively conduct our business.

Risks Related to Our Investments

Difficult conditions in the mortgage, residential and commercial real estate markets may cause us to experience market losses related to our investments.

Our results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the mortgage market, the residential and commercial real estate markets, the financial markets and the economy generally. Concerns about the mortgage market and real estate market, as well as inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues and the availability and cost of credit, contribute to market volatility. Any deterioration of the real estate market may cause us to experience losses related to our assets and to sell assets at a loss.

Declines in the market values of our MBS and GSE CRTs may adversely affect our results of operations and credit availability, which may reduce earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, a decline in market values of our MBS and GSE CRTs will reduce our book value per common share and have an adverse impact on our stock price.

Because assets we acquire may experience periods of illiquidity, we may lose profits or be prevented from earning capital gains if we cannot sell mortgage-related assets at an opportune time.

We bear the risk of being unable to dispose of our assets at advantageous times or in a timely manner because mortgage-related assets generally experience periods of illiquidity. As a result, our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which may cause us to incur losses.

In addition, assets that comprise a portion of our investment portfolio may not be publicly traded. These securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. The illiquidity of our investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need or desire arises. In addition, if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments. As a result, our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our investments may be concentrated and will be subject to risk of default.

While we seek to diversify our portfolio of investments, we are not required to observe any specific diversification criteria, except as may be set forth in the investment guidelines and Investment Company Act of 1940 Compliance Policy adopted by our board of directors. Therefore, our investments in our target assets may at times be concentrated in certain property types that are subject to higher risk of foreclosure, or secured by properties concentrated in a limited number of geographic locations. For example, as of December 31, 2020, a significant percentage of our non-Agency RMBS, GSE CRTs and non-Agency CMBS was secured by property located in California, as well as New York with respect to our Agency CMBS. Refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Investment Activities - Portfolio Characteristics” in Part II of this Report for additional information. To the extent that our portfolio is concentrated in any one region or type of security, downturns relating generally to such region or type of security may result in defaults on a number of our investments within a short time period, which may reduce our net income and the value of our capital stock and accordingly reduce our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and business.

We acquire mortgage-backed and credit risk transfer securities and loans that are subject to defaults, foreclosure timeline extension, fraud, residential and commercial price depreciation, and unfavorable modification of loan principal amount, interest rate and amortization of principal, which could result in losses to us.

Mortgage-backed securities are secured by mortgage loans (primarily single-family residential properties for RMBS and single commercial mortgage loans or a pool of commercial mortgage loans for CMBS). GSE CRTs are unsecured obligations of the GSEs. Our MBS and GSE CRT investments are subject to all the risks of the respective underlying mortgage loans,

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including risks of defaults, foreclosure timeline extension, fraud, price depreciation and unfavorable modification of loan principal amount, interest rate and amortization of principal.

A number of factors over which we have no control may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a mortgage loan secured by a residential property, including the income and assets of the borrower.

Commercial mortgage loans are secured by multifamily or commercial property and are subject to risks of delinquency and foreclosure, and risks of loss that may be greater than similar risks associated with loans made on the security of single-family residential property. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of such property, which can be affected by a number of factors over which we have no control, rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired.

In the event of any default under a mortgage loan held directly by us, we bear a risk of loss of principal to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal and accrued interest of the mortgage loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow from operations. In the event of defaults on the mortgage loans that underlie our investments and the exhaustion of any underlying or any additional credit support, we may not realize our anticipated return on our investments and we may incur a loss on these investments causing an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition and business.

Our investments may include from time-to-time non-Agency RMBS collateralized by Alt-A and subprime mortgage loans, which are subject to increased risks.

Our investments include non-Agency RMBS backed by collateral pools of mortgage loans known as “Alt-A mortgage loans,” or “subprime mortgage loans.” These loans have been originated using underwriting standards that are less restrictive than those used in underwriting “prime mortgage loans.” These include mortgage loans made to borrowers having imperfect or impaired credit histories, mortgage loans where the amount of the loan at origination is 80% or more of the value of the mortgage property, mortgage loans made to borrowers who have other debt that represents a large portion of their income and mortgage loans made to borrowers whose income is not required to be disclosed or verified. Due to economic conditions, a decline in home prices, and aggressive lending practices, many Alt-A and subprime mortgage loans originated before the 2008 financial crisis experienced rates of delinquency, foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss that were higher than those experienced by mortgage loans underwritten in a more traditional manner. Thus, because of the higher delinquency rates and losses associated with many Alt-A and subprime mortgage loans, the performance of non-Agency RMBS backed by Alt-A and subprime mortgage loans in which we invest could be correspondingly adversely affected, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and business.

Our subordinated MBS assets may be in the “first loss” position, subjecting us to greater risks of loss.

We may invest in certain tranches of MBS that are only entitled to a portion of the principal and interest payments made on mortgage loans underlying the securities issued by the trust. In general, losses on a mortgage loan included in a RMBS trust will be borne first by the equity holder of the issuing trust if any, and then by the “first loss” subordinated security holder and then by the “second loss” subordinate holder and so on. For non-Agency CMBS assets, losses on a mortgaged property securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will typically be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit, if any, then by the holder of a mezzanine loan or B-Note, if any, then by the “first loss” subordinated security holder (generally, the “B-Piece” buyer) and then by the holder of a more senior security.

We may acquire securities at every level of such a trust, from the equity position to the most senior tranche. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any classes of securities junior to those which we acquire, our securities will suffer losses as well. In addition, if we overvalue the underlying mortgage portfolio, or if the values subsequently decline and, as a result, less collateral is available to satisfy interest and principal payments due on the related MBS, the securities which we acquire may effectively become the “first loss” position ahead of the more senior securities, which may result in significant losses. The prices of lower credit quality securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated securities, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual issuer developments. A projection of, or an actual, economic downturn could cause a decline in the value of lower credit quality securities because the ability of obligors of mortgages underlying MBS to make principal and interest payments may be impaired. In such an event, existing credit support in the securitization structure may be insufficient to protect us against loss of our principal on these securities.

Fluctuations in interest rates could adversely affect the value of our investments and cause our interest expense to increase, which could result in reduced earnings, decreased profitability and dividends, and diminished cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political considerations and other factors beyond our control. Interest rate fluctuations present a

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variety of risks including the risk of a narrowing of the difference between asset yields and borrowing rates, a decline in the yield on adjustable rate investments, and a detrimental impact on prepayment rates and may adversely affect our income and the value of our assets and capital stock.

We invest in RMBS, CMBS, GSE CRTs, and mortgage loans and other financing arrangements that are subject to risks related to interest rate fluctuations. Fluctuations in short- or long-term interest rates could have adverse effects on our operations and financial condition, which may negatively affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders. Fluctuations in interest rates could impact us as follows:

•If long-term rates increased significantly, the market value of our fixed-rate investments in our target assets would decline, and the duration and weighted average life of the investments may increase. We could realize a loss if the securities were sold. Further, declines in market value may reduce our book value per common share and ultimately reduce earnings or result in losses to us.

•An increase in short-term interest rates would increase the amount of interest owed on the repurchase agreements we enter into to finance the purchase of our investments.

•If short-term interest rates rise disproportionately relative to longer-term interest rates (a flattening of the yield curve), our borrowing costs may increase more rapidly than the interest income earned on our assets. Because we expect our investments, on average, generally will bear interest based on longer-term rates than our borrowings, a flattening of the yield curve would tend to decrease our net income. Additionally, to the extent cash flows from investments that return scheduled and unscheduled principal are reinvested, the spread between the yields on the new investments and available borrowing rates may decline, which would likely decrease our net income.

•If short-term interest rates exceed longer-term interest rates (a yield curve inversion), our borrowing costs may exceed our interest income and we could incur operating losses.

•If interest rates fall, we may recognize losses on our derivative financial instruments that are not offset by gains on our assets, which may adversely affect our liquidity and financial position.

In a period of rising interest rates, our operating results will depend in large part on the difference between the income from our assets and costs of financing. We anticipate that, in most cases, the income from such assets will respond more slowly to interest rate fluctuations than the cost of our borrowings. Consequently, changes in interest rates, particularly short-term interest rates, may significantly influence our net income. Increases in these rates will tend to decrease our net income and the market value of our assets and may negatively affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

In addition, market values of our investments may decline without any general increase in interest rates for a number of reasons, such as increases or expected increases in defaults, or increases or expected increases in voluntary prepayments for those investments that are subject to prepayment risk or widening of credit spreads, which may negatively affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

An increase in interest rates may cause a decrease in the availability of certain of our target assets which could adversely affect our ability to acquire target assets that satisfy our investment objectives and to generate income and pay dividends.

Rising interest rates generally reduce the demand for mortgage loans due to the higher cost of borrowing. A reduction in the volume of mortgage loans originated may affect the volume of target assets available to us, which could adversely affect our ability to acquire assets that satisfy our investment objectives. Rising interest rates may also cause our target assets that were issued before an interest rate increase to provide yields that are below prevailing market interest rates. If rising interest rates cause us to be unable to acquire a sufficient volume of our target assets with a yield that is above our borrowing cost, our ability to satisfy our investment objectives and to generate income and pay dividends may be materially and adversely affected.

Prepayment rates may adversely affect the value of our investment portfolio.

Pools of residential mortgage loans underlie the RMBS that we acquire. In the case of residential mortgage loans, there are seldom any restrictions on borrowers’ ability to prepay their loans. We generally receive prepayments of principal that are made on these underlying mortgage loans. When borrowers prepay their mortgage loans faster than expected, the prepayments on the RMBS are also faster than expected. Faster than expected prepayments could adversely affect our profitability, including in the following ways:

•We may purchase RMBS that have a higher interest rate than the market interest rate at the time. In exchange for this higher interest rate, we may pay a premium over the par value to acquire the security. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we may amortize this premium over the estimated term of the RMBS. If the RMBS is prepaid in whole or in part before its maturity date, however, we may be required to expense the premium that was prepaid at the time of the prepayment.

•A substantial portion of our adjustable-rate RMBS may bear interest rates that are lower than their fully indexed rates, which are equivalent to the applicable index rate plus a margin. If an adjustable-rate RMBS is prepaid before or soon

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after the time of adjustment to a fully indexed rate, we will have held that RMBS while it was least profitable and lost the opportunity to receive interest at the fully indexed rate over the remainder of its expected life.

•If we are unable to acquire new RMBS at similar yields to the prepaid RMBS, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow would suffer. Prepayment rates generally increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise, but changes in prepayment rates are difficult to predict. Prepayment rates also may be affected by conditions in the housing and financial markets, general economic conditions and the relative interest rates on FRMs and ARMs.

While we seek to minimize prepayment risk to the extent practical, in selecting investments we must balance prepayment risk against other risks and the potential returns of each investment. No strategy can completely insulate us from prepayment risk.

Market conditions may upset the historical relationship between interest rate changes and prepayment trends, which would make it more difficult for us to analyze our investment portfolio.

Our success depends in part on our ability to analyze the impact of changing interest rates on prepayments of the mortgage loans that underlie our investments. Changes in interest rates and prepayments affect the market price of target assets. As part of our overall portfolio risk management, we analyze interest rate changes and prepayment trends separately and collectively to assess their effects on our investment portfolio. In conducting our analysis, we depend on certain assumptions based upon historical trends with respect to the relationship between interest rates and prepayments under normal market conditions. If dislocations in the mortgage market or other developments change the way that prepayment trends respond to interest rate changes, our ability to (1) assess the market value of our investment portfolio, (2) implement our hedging strategies, and (3) utilize techniques to reduce our prepayment rate volatility would be significantly affected, which could materially adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

Changes in the LIBOR calculation or the discontinuance of LIBOR may adversely affect the amount of interest payable or interest receivable on certain portfolio investments, repurchase agreements and interest rate swaps as well as our dividends on our Series B preferred stock and Series C preferred stock. These changes may also impact the market liquidity and market value of certain portfolio investments, interest rate swaps and our Series B and Series C preferred stock.

In July 2017, the Chief Executive of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced that the FCA will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of the LIBOR benchmark after 2021. This announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after 2021, and it appears likely that LIBOR will be phased out or the methodology for determining LIBOR will be modified by 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is the rate that represents best practice as the alternative to USD-LIBOR for use in derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to USD-LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR from USD-LIBOR and organizations are currently working on industry wide and company specific transition plans as it relates to derivatives, financings and cash markets exposed to USD-LIBOR. SOFR is an overnight rate instead of a term rate, making SOFR an inexact replacement for LIBOR. Further, on November 30, 2020, ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), the administrator of LIBOR, released a consultation on its intention to cease the publication of the one week and two month U.S. Dollar (“USD”)-LIBOR settings immediately following the LIBOR publication on December 31, 2021, and the five remaining USD-LIBOR settings (overnight and one, three, six and twelve months) immediately following the LIBOR publication on June 30, 2023. It is possible that not all of our assets and liabilities will transition away from LIBOR at the same time or to the same alternative reference rate, in each case increasing the difficulty of hedging. Switching existing financial instruments and hedging transactions from LIBOR to SOFR requires calculations of a spread. There is no assurance that the calculated spread will be fair and accurate or that all asset types and all types of securitization vehicles will use the same spread. We and other market participants have less experience understanding and modeling SOFR-based assets and liabilities than LIBOR-based assets and liabilities, increasing the difficulty of investing, hedging, financing and risk management.

The Company has significant financial instruments that are indexed to USD-LIBOR and is monitoring this activity and evaluating the related risks. However, it is not possible to predict the effect of any of these developments and any future initiatives to regulate, reform or change the manner of administration of LIBOR could result in adverse consequences to the rate of interest payable and receivable on, market value of and market liquidity for LIBOR-based financial instruments. We do not currently intend to amend our 7.75% Fixed-to-Floating Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock or our 7.50% Fixed-to-Floating Series C Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock to change the existing USD-LIBOR cessation fallback language. Our Series B and Series C Preferred Stock each become callable at the time the stock begins to pay a USD-LIBOR-based rate. Should we choose to call the Series B or Series C Preferred Stock in order to avoid a dispute over the results of the USD-LIBOR fallbacks for that class, we may be forced to raise additional funds at an unfavorable time.

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The Federal conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and related efforts, along with any changes in laws and regulations affecting the relationship between these agencies and the U.S. Government, may adversely affect our business.

The payments of principal and interest we receive on our Agency MBS, which depend directly upon payments on the mortgages underlying such securities, are guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are U.S. Government-sponsored entities, or GSEs, but their guarantees are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (although the FHFA largely controls their actions through its conservatorship of the two GSEs). Ginnie Mae is part of a U.S. Government agency and its guarantees are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Although the U.S. Government has undertaken several measures to support the positive net worth of the GSEs since the financial crisis, there is no guarantee of continuing capital support, if such support were to become necessary. Despite the steps taken by the U.S. Government, GSEs could default on their guarantee obligations which would materially and adversely affect the value of our Agency MBS. Accordingly, if these government actions are inadequate in the future and the GSEs were to suffer losses, be significantly reformed, or cease to exist, our business, operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

The future roles of the GSEs may be reduced (perhaps significantly) and the nature of their guarantee obligations could be limited relative to historical measurements. Alternatively, it is possible that the GSEs could be dissolved entirely or privatized, and, as mentioned above, the U.S. Government could determine to stop providing liquidity support of any kind to the mortgage market. Any changes to the nature of the GSEs or their guarantee obligations could redefine what constitutes an Agency MBS and could have broad adverse implications for the market and our business, operations and financial condition. If Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac were eliminated or their structures were to change, limiting or removing the guarantee obligation, we could be unable to acquire additional Agency MBS and our existing Agency MBS could be materially and adversely impacted.

All of the foregoing could negatively affect the availability, credit spreads, and value of Agency MBS; our ability to obtain financing on our Agency MBS; or our ability to maintain our compliance with the terms of any financing transactions, which could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and business.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities and competition may limit our ability to acquire desirable investments in our target assets and could also affect the pricing of these securities.

We operate in a highly competitive market for investment opportunities. Our profitability depends, in large part, on our ability to acquire our target assets at attractive prices. We compete with a variety of institutional investors, including other REITs, and many of our competitors are substantially larger and may have considerably greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do. Some competitors may have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that may not be available to us. Many of our competitors are not subject to the operating constraints associated with REIT tax compliance or maintenance of an exemption from the 1940 Act. Furthermore, competition for investments in our target assets may lead to the price of such assets increasing, which may further limit our ability to generate desired returns. We cannot assure you that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, as a result of this competition, desirable investments in our target assets may be limited in the future, and we may not be able to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities from time to time.

We may not control the special servicing of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS in which we invest, and, in such cases, the special servicer may take actions that could adversely affect our interests.

With respect to each series of CMBS in which we invest, overall control over the special servicing of the related underlying mortgage loans is held by a “directing certificate holder” or a “controlling class representative,” which is appointed by the holders of the most subordinate class of CMBS in such series. Depending on the class of CMBS in which we invest, we may not have the right to appoint the directing certificate holder. In connection with the servicing of the specially serviced mortgage loans, the related special servicer may, at the direction of the directing certificate holder, take actions with respect to the specially serviced mortgage loans that could adversely affect our interests and have a negative impact on our results of operations, financial condition and business.

Due diligence of potential assets may not reveal all of the liabilities associated with such assets and may not reveal other weaknesses in such assets, which could lead to losses.

Before making an asset acquisition, we will assess the strengths and weaknesses of the originator or issuer of the asset as well as other factors and characteristics that are material to the performance of the asset. In making the assessment and otherwise conducting customary due diligence, we will rely on resources available to us, including third party loan originators and servicers. This process is particularly important with respect to newly formed originators or issuers because there may be little or no information publicly available about these entities and assets. There can be no assurance that our due diligence

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process will uncover all relevant facts or that any asset acquisition will be successful, which could lead to losses in the value of our portfolio.

We depend on third-party service providers, including mortgage servicers, for a variety of services related to our RMBS. We are, therefore, subject to the risks associated with third-party service providers.

We depend on a variety of services provided by third-party service providers related to our RMBS. We rely on the mortgage servicers who service the mortgage loans backing our RMBS to, among other things, collect principal and interest payments and administer escrow accounts on the underlying mortgages and perform loss mitigation services. If a servicer is not vigilant in seeing that borrowers make their required monthly payments, borrowers may be less likely to make these payments, resulting in a higher frequency of default. If a servicer takes longer to liquidate non-performing mortgages, our losses related to those loans may be higher than originally anticipated. Any failure by servicers to service these mortgages and/or to competently manage and dispose of properties could negatively impact the value of these investments and our financial performance. Further, the foreclosure process, especially in judicial foreclosure states such as New York, Florida and New Jersey, can be lengthy and expensive, and the delays and costs involved in completing a foreclosure and liquidating such property through sale may materially increase any related loss.

Our commercial loans held-for-investment include investments that involve greater risks of loss than senior loan assets secured by income-producing properties.

We have acquired in the past and may acquire in the future mezzanine loans, which take the form of subordinated loans secured by second mortgages on the underlying property or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of either the entity owning the property or the entity that owns the interest in the entity owning the property. These types of assets involve a higher degree of risk than long-term senior mortgage lending secured by income-producing real property because the loan may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender. When an entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security goes bankrupt, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or debt senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will be satisfied only after the senior debt. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our initial expenditure. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal.

In addition, we may acquire commercial loans structured as preferred equity investments. These investments involve a higher degree of risk than conventional debt financing due to a variety of factors, including their non-collateralized nature and subordinated ranking to other loans and liabilities of the entity in which such preferred equity is held. Accordingly, if the issuer defaults on our investment, we would only be able to proceed against such entity in accordance with the terms of the preferred security, and not against any property owned by such entity. Furthermore, in the event of bankruptcy or foreclosure, we would only be able to recoup our investment after all lenders to, and other creditors of, such entity are paid in full. As a result, we may lose all or a significant part of our investment, which could result in significant losses.

We may acquire B-Notes, mortgage loans typically (i) secured by a first mortgage on a single large commercial property or group of related properties and (ii) subordinated to an A-Note secured by the same first mortgage on the same collateral. As a result, if a borrower defaults, there may not be sufficient funds remaining for B-Note holders after payment to the A-Note holders. Further, B-Notes typically are secured by a single property and reflect the risks associated with significant concentration.

Significant losses related to our commercial loans held for investment would result in operating losses for us and may limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

A decline in the market value of our mortgage-backed securities and credit risk transfer securities may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

All of our mortgage-backed securities and credit risk transfer securities are reported at fair value. Changes in the market values of these assets impact our stockholders’ equity, and declines in market value adversely affect our book value per common share. Moreover, if the decline in value of an available-for-sale security requires an increase in our provision for credit losses, such decline will reduce our earnings. For a discussion of how we determine our provision for credit losses, see Note 2 - “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of our consolidated financial statements in Part IV of this Report.

Certain mortgage-backed and credit risk transfer securities are recorded at estimated fair value and, as a result, there is uncertainty as to the value of these investments.

Some of our mortgage-backed and credit risk transfer securities are in the form of securities that are not publicly or actively traded. The fair value of such securities may not be readily determinable. We value these investments quarterly at fair value, which may include unobservable inputs. Because such valuations are subjective, the fair value of certain of our assets

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may fluctuate over short periods of time and our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. The value of our stockholders' equity could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments were materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon their disposal.

If our Manager underestimates the collateral loss on our investments, we may experience losses.

Our Manager values our potential investments based on loss-adjusted yields, taking into account estimated future losses on the mortgage loans that collateralize the investments, and the estimated impact of these losses on expected future cash flows. Our Manager’s loss estimates may not prove accurate, as actual results may vary from estimates. If our Manager underestimates losses relative to the price we pay for a particular investment, we may experience losses or a lower yield than expected.

If we foreclose on an asset, we may come to own and operate the property securing the loan, which would expose us to the risks inherent in that activity.

When we foreclose on an asset, we may take title to the property securing that asset, and if we do not or cannot sell the property, we would then come to own and operate it as “real estate owned.” Owning and operating real property involves risks that are different (and in many ways more significant) than the risks faced in owning an asset secured by that property. In addition, we may end up owning a property that we would not otherwise have decided to acquire directly at the price of our original investment or at all. We may not manage these properties as well as they might be managed by another owner, and our returns to investors could suffer. If we foreclose on and come to own property, our financial performance and returns to stockholders could suffer.

Liability relating to environmental matters may impact the value of properties that we may acquire or foreclose on and may impact the owner's ability to make payments on loans related to the property.

If we acquire or foreclose on properties with respect to which we have extended mortgage loans, we may be subject to environmental liabilities arising from such foreclosed properties. Under various U.S. federal, state and local laws, an owner or operator of real property may become liable for the costs of removal of certain hazardous substances released on its property. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances.

The presence of hazardous substances may adversely affect an owner’s ability to sell real estate or use real estate as collateral when borrowing. To the extent that an owner of a property underlying one of our debt investments becomes liable for removal costs, the ability of the owner to make payments to us may be reduced, which in turn may adversely affect the value of the relevant mortgage asset held by us and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. If we acquire any properties, the presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell the property and we may incur substantial remediation costs, thus harming our financial condition. The discovery of material environmental liabilities attached to such properties could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.

Risks Related to Financing and Hedging

We use leverage in executing our business strategy, which may adversely affect the return on our assets, reduce cash available for distribution to our stockholders and/or increase losses when economic conditions are unfavorable.

We use leverage to finance our assets through borrowings from repurchase agreements and other secured and unsecured forms of borrowing. The amount of leverage we may deploy for particular assets will depend upon our Manager’s assessment of the credit and other risks of those assets and is limited by our debt covenants.

Our access to financing depends upon a number of factors over which we have little or no control, including:

•general market conditions;

•the lender’s view of the quality of our assets, valuation of our assets and our liquidity;

•the lender’s perception of our growth potential;

•regulatory requirements;

•our current and potential future earnings and cash distributions; and

•the market price of the shares of our capital stock.

Any weakness or volatility in the financial markets, the residential and commercial mortgage markets or the economy generally could adversely affect the factors listed above. In addition, such weakness or volatility could adversely affect one or more of our lenders and could cause one or more of our lenders to be unwilling or unable to provide us with financing or to

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increase the costs of that financing. Some of our target assets may be more difficult to finance than others and the market for such financing can change based on many factors over which we have little or no control.

To the extent that market conditions prevent us from leveraging our assets or cause the cost of our financing to increase relative to the income that can be derived from the assets acquired, the return on our assets and cash available for distribution to our stockholders may be reduced. Our financing costs will reduce cash available for distributions to stockholders. We may not be able to meet our financing obligations, and, to the extent that we cannot, we risk the loss of some or all of our assets to liquidation or sale to satisfy the obligations.

We depend on repurchase agreement financing to acquire our target assets, and our inability to access this funding on acceptable terms could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and business.

We use repurchase agreement financing as a strategy to increase the return on our assets.

Our ability to fund our target assets may be impacted by our ability to secure repurchase agreement financing on acceptable terms. We can provide no assurance that lenders will be willing or able to provide us with sufficient financing. In addition, because repurchase agreements are short-term commitments of capital, lenders may respond to market conditions, making it more difficult for us to secure continued financing. During certain periods of the credit cycle, lenders may curtail their willingness to provide financing. This may require us to liquidate collateral to satisfy funding requirements. In addition, if major market participants were to exit the repurchase agreement financing business, the value of our portfolio could be negatively impacted, thus reducing our stockholders' equity, or book value per common share. Furthermore, if many of our current or potential lenders are unwilling or unable to provide us with repurchase agreement financing, we could be forced to sell our assets at an inopportune time when prices are depressed. In addition, if the regulatory capital requirements imposed on our lenders change, they may be required to significantly increase the cost of the financing that they provide to us. Our lenders also may revise their eligibility requirements for the types of assets they are willing to finance or the terms of such financings, based on, among other factors, the regulatory environment and their management of perceived risk, particularly with respect to assignee liability.

The inherent uncertainty of repurchase transactions may cause us to incur a loss on our repurchase transactions.

When we engage in repurchase transactions, we generally sell securities to lenders (repurchase agreement counterparties) and receive cash from these lenders. The lenders are obligated to resell the same securities back to us at the end of the term of the transaction. Because the cash we receive from the lender when we initially sell the securities to the lender is less than the value of those securities (this difference is the haircut), if the lender defaults on its obligation to resell the same securities back to us we may incur a loss on the transaction equal to the amount of the haircut (assuming there was no change in the value of the securities). As of December 31, 2020, one counterparty held collateral that exceeded the amounts borrowed under the related repurchase agreements by more than $68.4 million, or 5% of our stockholders’ equity. We may incur a loss on a repurchase transaction if the value of the underlying securities has declined as of the end of the transaction term, as we would have to repurchase the securities for their initial value but would receive securities worth less than that amount. Further, if we default on one of our obligations under a repurchase transaction, the lender can terminate the transaction and refrain from entering into any other repurchase transactions with us. Some of our repurchase agreements contain cross-default provisions, so that if a default occurs under any one agreement, the lenders under our other agreements could also declare a default. Any losses we incur on our repurchase transactions could adversely affect our earnings and thus our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

The repurchase agreements and other financing arrangements that we use to finance our investments may require us to provide additional collateral and may restrict us from leveraging our assets as fully as desired.

The amount of financing we receive, or may in the future receive, under our repurchase agreements and other financing arrangements, is directly related to the lenders’ valuation of the assets that secure the outstanding borrowings. Lenders under our repurchase agreements typically have the absolute right to reevaluate the market value of the assets that secure outstanding borrowings at any time. If a lender determines in its sole discretion that the value of the assets has decreased, it has the right to initiate a margin call or increase collateral requirements, even if we believe that the decrease in value is temporary including as a result of market volatility. Either decision would require us to transfer additional assets to such lender without any advance of funds from the lender or to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings. Any such margin call or increased collateral requirements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, business, liquidity and ability to pay dividends to our stockholders, and could cause the value of our capital stock to decline. We may be forced to sell assets at significantly depressed prices to meet such margin calls and to maintain adequate liquidity, which could cause us to incur losses. Moreover, to the extent we are forced to sell assets at such time, given market conditions, we may be selling at the same time as others facing similar pressures, which could exacerbate a difficult market environment and which could result in our incurring significantly greater losses on our sale of such assets. In an extreme case of market duress, a market may not even

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be present for certain of our assets at any price. Such a situation would likely result in a rapid deterioration of our financial condition and possibly necessitate a filing for bankruptcy protection.

Further, financial institutions providing the repurchase facilities may require us to maintain a certain amount of cash uninvested or to set aside non-levered assets sufficient to maintain a specified liquidity position which would allow us to satisfy our collateral obligations. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our assets as fully as desired, which could reduce our return on stockholders' equity. If we are unable to meet these collateral obligations, our financial condition could deteriorate rapidly.

A failure to comply with covenants in our repurchase agreements and other financing arrangements would have a material adverse effect on us, and any future financings may require us to provide additional collateral or pay down debt.

We are subject to various covenants contained in our existing financing arrangements and may become subject to additional covenants in connection with future financings. Many of our master repurchase agreements, as well as swap agreements, require us to maintain compliance with various financial covenants, including a minimum tangible net worth, specified financial ratios (such as total debt to total assets) and financial information delivery obligations. These covenants may limit our flexibility to pursue certain investments or incur additional debt. If we fail to meet or satisfy any of these covenants, we would be in default under these agreements, and our lenders could elect to declare outstanding amounts due and payable, terminate their commitments, require the posting of additional collateral and/or enforce their interests against existing collateral. We may also be subject to cross-default and acceleration rights and, with respect to collateralized debt, the posting of additional collateral and foreclosure rights upon default. Further, this could also make it difficult for us to satisfy the distribution requirements necessary to maintain our status as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Our use or future use of repurchase agreements to finance our target assets may give our lenders greater rights if either we or a lender files for bankruptcy.

Our borrowings or future borrowings under repurchase agreements for our target assets may qualify for special treatment under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This would give our lenders the ability to avoid the automatic stay provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and to take possession of and liquidate the assets that we have pledged under their repurchase agreements, without delay, if we file for bankruptcy. Furthermore, the special treatment of repurchase agreements under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code may make it difficult for us to recover our pledged assets if a lender party to such agreement files for bankruptcy.

We enter into hedging transactions that could expose us to contingent liabilities in the future.

Part of our investment and financing strategy involves entering into hedging transactions that could require us to fund cash payments in certain circumstances (such as the early termination of the hedging instrument caused by an event of default or the decision by a counterparty to request margin securities it is contractually owed under the terms of the hedging instrument). The amount due would be equal to the unrealized loss of the open positions with the respective counterparty and could also include other fees and charges. Such economic losses would be reflected in our results of operations, and our ability to fund these obligations would depend on the liquidity of our assets and access to capital at the time, and the need to fund these obligations could adversely impact our financial condition.

Hedging may adversely affect our earnings, which could reduce our cash available for distribution to our stockholders.

We pursue various hedging strategies to seek to reduce our exposure to adverse changes in interest rates on our liabilities and currency exchange rates. Our hedging activity varies in scope based on the level and volatility of interest rates, currency exchange rates, the type of assets held and other changing market conditions. Hedging may fail to protect or could adversely affect our earnings because, among other things:

•interest rate and/or currency hedging can be expensive, particularly during periods of rising and volatile markets;

•available interest rate hedges may not correspond directly with the interest rate risk for which protection is sought;

•the duration of the hedges may not match the duration of the liabilities;

•the amount of income that a REIT may earn from hedging transactions (other than hedging transactions that satisfy certain requirements of the Internal Revenue Code or that are done through a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”)) to offset interest rate losses is limited by U.S. federal tax provisions governing REITs;

•the credit quality of the hedging counterparty owing money on the hedge may be downgraded to such an extent that it impairs our ability to sell or assign our side of the hedging transaction; and

•the hedging counterparty owing money in the hedging transaction may default on its obligation to pay.

In addition, the enforceability of agreements underlying hedging transactions may depend on compliance with applicable statutory and commodity and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the identity of the counterparty, applicable

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international requirements. Any actions taken by regulators could constrain our investment strategy and could increase our costs, either of which could materially and adversely impact our results of operations.

We may enter into derivative contracts that expose us to contingent liabilities, and those contingent liabilities may not appear on our balance sheet. We may invest in synthetic securities, credit default swaps, and other credit derivatives, which expose us to additional risks.

We have entered into, and may again in the future enter into, derivative contracts that could require us to make cash payments in certain circumstances. Potential payment obligations would be contingent liabilities and may not appear on our balance sheet. Our ability to satisfy these contingent liabilities depends on the liquidity of our assets and our access to capital and cash. The need to fund these contingent liabilities could adversely impact our financial condition.

We may invest in synthetic securities, credit default swaps, and other credit derivatives that reference other real estate securities or indices. These investments may present risks in excess of those resulting from the referenced security or index. These investments are typically a contractual relationship with counterparties and not an acquisition of a referenced security or other asset. In these types of investments, we have no right to directly enforce compliance with the terms of the referenced security or other assets and we have no voting or other consensual rights of ownership with respect to the referenced security or other assets. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, we will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty and will have no claim of title with respect to the referenced security.

The markets for these types of investments may not be liquid. Many of these investments incorporate “pay as you go” credit events. For example, the terms of credit default swaps are still evolving and may change significantly, which could make it more difficult to assign such an instrument or determine the “loss” pursuant to the underlying agreement. In a credit default swap, the party wishing to “buy” protection will pay a premium. When interest rates, spreads or the prevailing credit premiums on credit default swaps change, the amount of the termination payment due could change by a substantial amount. In an illiquid market, the determination of this change could be difficult to ascertain and, as a result, we may not achieve the desired benefit of entering into this contractual relationship.

As of December 31, 2020, we have no outstanding credit default swaps. We may over time enter into these types of investments as the market for them evolves and during times when acquiring other real estate loans and securities may be difficult. We may find credit default swaps and other forms of synthetic securities to be a more efficient method of providing exposure to target investments. Our efforts to manage the risk associated with these investments, including counterparty risks, may prove to be insufficient in enabling us to generate the returns anticipated.

It may be uneconomical to “roll” Agency MBS TBA holdings, or we may be unable to meet margin calls on TBA contracts, which could negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We may invest in Agency MBS TBA securities as an alternate means of gaining exposure to the Agency MBS market. A TBA contract is an agreement to purchase or sell, for future delivery, an Agency MBS with a specified issuer, term and coupon. A TBA dollar roll is a transaction where two TBA contracts with the same terms but different settlement dates are simultaneously bought and sold. The price difference between those two contracts is commonly referred to as the “drop” and is a reflection of the expected net interest income from an investment in similar Agency mortgage-backed securities, net of an implied financing cost, which would be foregone as a result of settling the contract in the later month rather than in the earlier month. Accordingly, TBA dollar roll income generally represents the economic equivalent of the net interest income earned on the underlying Agency mortgage-backed security less an implied financing cost. Consequently, dollar roll transactions and such forward purchases of Agency securities represent a form of off-balance sheet financing and increase our “at risk” leverage.

The economic return of a TBA dollar roll generally equates to interest income on a generic TBA-eligible security less an implied financing cost, and there may be situations in which the implied financing cost exceeds the interest income, resulting in negative carry on the position. If we roll our TBA dollar roll positions when they have a negative carry, the positions would decrease net income and amounts available for distributions to stockholders.

There may be situations in which we are unable or unwilling to roll our TBA dollar roll positions. The TBA transaction could have a negative carry or otherwise be uneconomical, we may be unable to find counterparties with whom to trade in sufficient volume, or we may be required to collateralize the TBA positions in a way that is uneconomical. Because TBA dollar rolls represent implied financing, an inability or unwillingness to roll has effects similar to any other loss of financing. If we do not roll our TBA positions before the settlement date, we would have to take delivery of the underlying securities and settle our obligations for cash. We may not have sufficient funds or alternative financing sources available to settle such obligations. Counterparties may also make margin calls as the value of a generic TBA-eligible security (and therefore the value of the TBA contract) declines. Margin calls on TBA positions, or failure to roll TBA positions, could have the effects described in the liquidity risks described above.

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Risks Related to Our Company

Maintaining 1940 Act exclusions for our subsidiaries imposes limits on our operations, and failure to maintain an exclusion could have a material negative impact on our operations.

We conduct our operations so that neither we, nor our operating partnership, IAS Operating Partnership LP (the “Operating Partnership”), nor the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership are required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act.

Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We believe neither we nor our Operating Partnership will be considered an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act. Rather, through our Operating Partnership’s wholly owned or majority-owned subsidiaries, we and our Operating Partnership will be primarily engaged in the non-investment company businesses of these subsidiaries, namely the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring real property, mortgages and other interests in real estate.

Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis, which we refer to as the 40% test. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act.

We are a holding company that conducts business through the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership’s wholly owned or majority-owned subsidiaries. Both we and the Operating Partnership conduct our operations so that we comply with the 40% test. Accordingly, the securities issued by these subsidiaries that are excepted from the definition of “investment company” under Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, together with any other investment securities the Operating Partnership may own, may not have a value in excess of 40% of the value of the Operating Partnership's total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Compliance with the 40% test limits the types of businesses in which we are permitted to engage through our subsidiaries. Furthermore, certain of the Operating Partnership’s current subsidiaries and subsidiaries that we may form in the future intend to rely upon an exception from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, which is available for entities “primarily engaged in the business of purchasing or otherwise acquiring mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate.” This exception generally requires that at least 55% of a subsidiary’s portfolio must be comprised of qualifying assets and at least 80% of its portfolio must be comprised of qualifying assets and real estate-related assets (and no more than 20% comprised of miscellaneous assets). In analyzing a subsidiary's compliance with Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act, we classify investments based in large measure on SEC staff guidance, including no-action letters, and, in the absence of SEC guidance, on our view of what constitutes a qualifying real estate asset and a real estate-related asset.

Qualification for an exception from the definition of investment company under the 1940 Act limits our ability to make certain investments. Therefore, the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries may need to adjust their respective assets and strategy from time-to-time to continue to rely on the exception from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act. Any such adjustment in assets or strategy is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or strategy. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain this exception from the definition of investment company for the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries intending to rely on Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the 1940 Act.

We may in the future organize one or more subsidiaries that seek to rely on other exceptions from being deemed an investment company under the 1940 Act. Any such subsidiary would need to be structured to comply with any guidance that may be issued by the SEC staff, including no-action letters, and, in the absence of SEC guidance, on our view of what constitutes a qualifying real estate asset and a real estate-related asset.

There can be no assurance that the laws and regulations governing the 1940 Act status of REITs will not change in a manner that adversely affects our operations or inhibits our ability to pursue our strategies. Any issuance of more specific or different guidance relating to the relevant exemptions and exceptions from the definition of an investment company under the 1940 Act could similarly affect or inhibit our operations. If we, the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries fail to maintain an exemption from the 1940 Act, we could, among other things, be required to (a) change the investments that we hold or the manner in which we conduct our operations to avoid being required to register as an investment company, (b) effect sales of our assets in a manner that, or at a time when, we would not otherwise choose to do so, or (c) register as an investment company. Any of these events could cause us to incur losses and negatively affect the value of our capital stock, the sustainability of our business model, and our ability to pay dividends, which could have an adverse effect on our business and the market price for

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our shares of capital stock. In addition, if it were established that we were an unregistered investment company, there would be a risk that we would be subject to monetary penalties or injunctive relief imposed by the SEC.

We are highly dependent on information systems and systems failures or cyber-attacks could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our capital stock and our ability to pay dividends.

Our business is highly dependent on third parties’ information systems, including those of our Manager and other service providers. Although our Manager has implemented, and other service providers may implement, various measures to manage risks relating to these types of systems, such measures could prove to be inadequate and, if compromised, the systems could become inoperable for extended periods of time, cease to function properly or fail to adequately secure confidential information. We do not control the cyber security plans and systems put in place by our Manager and third-party service providers, and such service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to us or our Manager. Any failure or interruption of such systems or cyber-attacks or security breaches could cause delays or other problems in our securities trading activities and financial, accounting and other data processing activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and negatively affect the market price of our capital stock and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. In addition, we also face the risk of operational failure, termination or capacity constraints of any of the third parties with which we do business or that facilitate our business activities, including clearing agents or other financial intermediaries we use to facilitate our securities transactions.

Computer malware, viruses and computer hacking and phishing attacks have become more prevalent and severe in our industry and may occur on our Manager’s and other service providers’ systems in the future. Cyber-attacks and other security threats could originate from a wide variety of sources, including cyber criminals, nation state hackers, hacktivists and other outside parties. There has been an increase in the frequency and sophistication of the cyber and security threats our Manager faces, with attacks ranging from those common to businesses generally to those that are more advanced and persistent, which may target our Manager due to the confidential and sensitive information it holds about its investors, funds, and potential investments. It is difficult to determine what, if any, negative impact may directly result from any specific interruption or cyber-attacks or security breaches of such networks or systems or any failure to maintain the performance, reliability and security of our technical infrastructure. As a result, any computer malware, viruses and computer hacking and phishing attacks may disrupt our normal business operations and expose us to reputational damage and lost business, revenues and profits. Any insurance we maintain against the risk of this type of loss may not be sufficient to cover all actual losses or may not apply to circumstances relating to any particular breach or other cyber event.

We may repurchase shares of our common stock or other securities from time to time. Share repurchases may negatively impact our compliance with covenants in our financing agreements and regulatory requirements (including maintaining exclusions from the requirements of the 1940 Act and qualification as a REIT). Any compliance failures associated with share repurchases could have a material negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Share repurchases also may negatively impact our ability to invest in our target assets in the future.

As of December 31, 2020, 18,163,982 shares of common stock were available under our Board-authorized share repurchase program. We may engage in share repurchases from time-to-time through open market purchases, including block purchases or privately negotiated transactions, or pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rules 10b5-1 and 10b-18 of the Exchange Act. Certain of our financing agreements have financial covenants, including covenants related to maintaining a certain level of stockholders' equity, that may be impacted by our share repurchases. In addition, we generally fund share repurchases with interest income or income from the sale of our assets. The sale of assets to fund share repurchases could impact the allocation of our portfolio for purposes of maintaining an exclusion from the requirements of the 1940 Act and could impact our ability to comply with income and asset tests required to qualify as a REIT. The failure to comply with covenants in our financing agreements, to maintain our exemption from the 1940 Act or to qualify as a REIT could have a material negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our decision to repurchase shares of our common stock or other securities and reduce our stockholders' equity could adversely affect our competitive position and could negatively impact our ability in the future to invest in assets that have a greater potential return than the repurchase of our common stock.

Risks Related to Accounting

The preparation of our financial statements involves use of estimates, judgments and assumptions, and our financial statements may be materially affected if our estimates prove to be inaccurate.

Financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP require the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. Different estimates, judgments and assumptions reasonably could be used that would have a material effect on the financial statements, and changes in these estimates, judgments and assumptions are likely to occur from period to period in the future. Significant areas of accounting requiring the application of management’s judgment include, but

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are not limited to, determining the fair value of investment securities, interest income recognition and reserves for loan losses. These estimates, judgments and assumptions are inherently uncertain, and, if they prove to be wrong, we face the risk that charges to income will be required. Any such charges could significantly harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities. Refer to Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Critical Accounting Policies” in Part II of this Report for a discussion of the accounting estimates, judgments and assumptions that we believe are the most critical to an understanding of our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in the fair value of our interest rate swap and futures agreements may result in volatility in our U.S. GAAP earnings.

We enter into derivative transactions to reduce the impact that changes in interest rates will have on our net interest margin. Changes in the fair value of our interest rate swap and futuresagreements are recorded in our consolidated statement of operations as “gain (loss) on derivative instruments, net” and may result in volatility in our U.S. GAAP earnings. The total changes in fair value may exceed our consolidated net income in any period or for a full year. Volatility in our net income may adversely affect the price of our capital stock.

Our reported U.S. GAAP financial results differ from our REIT taxable income, which impacts our dividend distribution requirements. Therefore, our U.S. GAAP results may not be an accurate indicator of future taxable income and dividend distributions.

Generally, the cumulative net income we report over the life of an asset will be the same for U.S. GAAP and tax purposes, although the timing of this income recognition over the life of the asset could be materially different. Differences exist in the accounting for U.S. GAAP net income and REIT taxable income, which can lead to significant variances in the amount and timing of when income and losses are recognized under these two measures. Due to these differences, our reported U.S. GAAP financial results could materially differ from our determination of REIT taxable income, which impacts our dividend distribution requirements. Therefore, our U.S. GAAP results may not be an accurate indicator of future REIT taxable income and dividend distributions. Capital gains and losses in a period may impact REIT taxable income and impact the dividend paid in future periods.

Risks Related to Our Relationship with Our Manager

We are dependent on our Manager and its key personnel for our success.

We have no separate facilities and are completely reliant on our Manager. We do not have any employees. Our executive officers are employees of our Manager or one of its affiliates. Our Manager has significant discretion as to the implementation of our investment and operating policies and strategies. Accordingly, we believe that our success depends to a significant extent upon the efforts, experience, diligence, skill and network of business contacts of the executive officers and key personnel of our Manager. The executive officers and key personnel of our Manager evaluate, negotiate, close and monitor our investments; therefore, our success depends on their continued service. The departure of any of the executive officers or key personnel of our Manager who provide management services to us could have a material adverse effect on our performance. In addition, we offer no assurance that our Manager will remain our investment manager or that we will continue to have access to our Manager’s professionals. The initial term of our management agreement with our Manager expired on July 1, 2011. The agreement automatically renews for successive one-year terms, and the management agreement is currently in a renewal term. If the management agreement is terminated and no suitable replacement is found to manage us, we may not be able to execute our business plan. Moreover, our Manager is not obligated to dedicate certain of its personnel exclusively to us nor is it obligated to dedicate any specific portion of its time to our business.

There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager and Invesco, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.

We are subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with Invesco and our Manager. Specifically, each of our officers and certain members of our board of directors are employees of our Manager or one of its affiliates. Our Manager and our executive officers may have conflicts between their duties to us and their duties to, and interests in, Invesco. We compete for investment opportunities directly with other client accounts and funds managed by our Manager or Invesco and its subsidiaries. A substantial number of client accounts and funds managed by our Manager have exposure to our target assets. In addition, in the future our Manager may have additional clients or fund products that compete directly with us for investment opportunities.

Our Manager and our executive officers may choose to allocate favorable investments to other clients of Invesco instead of to us. Further, when there are turbulent conditions in the mortgage markets, distress in the credit markets or other times when we will need focused support and assistance from our Manager, Invesco or entities for which our Manager also acts as an

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investment manager will likewise require greater focus and attention, placing our Manager’s resources in high demand. In such situations, we may not receive the level of support and assistance that we may have received if we were internally managed or if our Manager did not act as a manager for other entities. Our Manager has investment allocation policies in place where appropriate intended to enable us to share equitably with the other clients and fund products of our Manager or Invesco and its subsidiaries. There is no assurance that our Manager’s allocation policies that address some of the conflicts relating to our access to investment and financing sources will be adequate to address all of the conflicts that may arise. Therefore, we may compete for investment or financing opportunities sourced by our Manager and, as a result, we may either not be presented with the opportunity or have to compete with other clients and fund products of our Manager or clients and fund products of Invesco and its subsidiaries to acquire these investments or have access to these sources of financing.

Our Manager would have a conflict in recommending our participation in any equity investment it manages.

Our Manager has a conflict of interest in recommending our participation in any equity investment it manages because the fees payable to it may be greater than the fees payable by us under the management agreement. With respect to equity investments we have made in partnerships managed by an affiliate of our Manager, our Manager has agreed to waive base management fees at the equity investment level to avoid duplication of fees. To address any potential conflict of interest, we require the terms of any equity investment managed by our Manager to be approved by our audit committee consisting of our independent directors. However, there can be no assurance that all conflicts of interest will be eliminated.

The management agreement with our Manager was not negotiated on an arm’s-length basis and may not be as favorable to us as if it had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party, and it may be costly and difficult to terminate.

Our executive officers and certain members of our board of directors are employees of our Manager or one of its affiliates. Our management agreement with our Manager was negotiated between related parties and its terms, including fees payable, may not be as favorable to us as if it had been negotiated with an unaffiliated third party.

Termination of the management agreement with our Manager without cause is difficult and costly. Our independent directors review our Manager’s performance and the management fees annually, and the management agreement may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of our independent directors based upon: (1) our Manager’s unsatisfactory performance that is materially detrimental to us, or (2) a determination that the management fees payable to our Manager are not fair, subject to our Manager’s right to prevent termination based on unfair fees by accepting a reduction of management fees agreed to by at least two-thirds of our independent directors. Additionally, upon such a termination, the management agreement provides that we will pay our Manager a termination fee equal to three times the sum of our average annual management fee during the 24-month period before termination, calculated as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal quarter. These provisions may increase the cost of terminating the management agreement and may adversely affect our ability to terminate our Manager without cause. If the management agreement is terminated and no suitable replacement is found to manage us, we may not be able to execute our business plan.