Our primary objective is to generate attractive, risk-adjusted total returns for our stockholders by making investments that we believe compensate us appropriately for the associated risks. Ellington Financial invests in a diverse array of financial assets, including residential and commercial mortgage loans, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, consumer loans and asset-backed securities backed by consumer loans, collateralized loan obligations, non-mortgage and mortgage-related derivatives, strategic debt and equity investments in loan origination companies, and other strategic investments.
Ellington Management Group, L.L.C. (“Ellington”) is a registered investment adviser with deep expertise in diversified credit, mortgage and related markets. Ellington Financial benefits from Ellington’s more than 29-year history of investing in a broad spectrum of mortgage-backed securities and related derivatives.
We pursue value across various types of mortgage-related, consumer-related, corporate-related, and other financial assets, through investments primarily in loans and securities. Ellington's continued emphasis on and development of proprietary credit, interest rate, and prepayment models, as well as other proprietary research and analytics, underscores the importance it places on a disciplined and analytical approach to fixed income investing.
With respect to loans, we have tended to focus on underserved, niche market segments where inefficiencies exist, and where the segment's size or complexity could present a barrier to entry. By investing opportunistically in both loans and securities, we believe that we are able to achieve attractive diversification and can take advantage of relative value across investment classes. In addition to originating and acquiring loans, we also make strategic debt and equity investments in loan originators.
With respect to structured products including MBS, Ellington seeks investments across a wide range of sectors without any restriction as to ratings, structure, or position in the capital structure. By rotating between and allocating among various sectors of the structured product markets and adjusting the extent to which it hedges, Ellington believes that it is able to capitalize on the disparities between these sectors as well as on overall trends in the marketplace, and therefore provide better and more consistent returns for its investors.