Company: MITN
Filing Date: 2025-05-07
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001514281-25-000062
Chunk: 139

Company: AG Mortgage Investment Trust, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-05-07
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 1
Chunk 139
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 risk – derivatives

The terms of our interest rate swaps require us to post collateral in the form of cash or Agency RMBS to our counterparties to satisfy two types of margin requirements: variation margin and initial margin.

We and our swap counterparties are both required to post variation margin to each other depending upon the daily moves in prevailing benchmark interest rates. The amount of this variation margin is derived from the mark to market valuation of our swaps. Hence, as our swaps lose value in a falling interest rate environment, we are required to post additional variation margin to our counterparties on a daily basis; conversely, as our swaps gain value in a rising interest rate environment, we are able to recall variation margin from our counterparties. By recalling variation margin from our swaps counterparties, we are able to partially mitigate the liquidity risk created by margin calls on our repurchase transactions during periods of rising interest rates.

Initial margin works differently. Collateral posted to meet initial margin requirements is intended to create a safety buffer to benefit our counterparties if we were to default on our payment obligations under the terms of the swaps and our counterparties were forced to unwind the swap. Initial margin on our centrally cleared trades varies from day to day depending upon various factors, including the absolute level of interest rates and the implied volatility of interest rates. There is a distinctly positive correlation between initial margin, on the one hand, and the absolute level of interest rates and implied volatility of interest rates, on the other hand. As a result, in times of rising interest rates or increasing rate volatility, we anticipate that the initial margin required on our centrally-cleared trades will likewise increase, potentially by a substantial amount. These margin increases will have a negative impact on our liquidity position and will likely impair the intended liquidity risk mitigation effect of our swaps discussed above.

Real estate value risk

Residential property values are subject to volatility and may be affected adversely by a number of factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to, national, regional and local economic conditions (which may be adversely affected by industry slowdowns and other factors), local real estate conditions (such as an oversupply of housing), natural disasters, the effects of climate change (including flooding, drought, and severe weather) and other natural events, construction quality, age and design, demographic factors, and retroactive changes to building or similar codes. Decreases in property values could cause us to suffer losses and reduce the value of the collateral underlying our investment portfolio as well as the potential sale proceeds available 

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to repay our