REDWOOD TRUST INC

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. A discussion of critical accounting policies and the possible effects of changes in estimates on our consolidated financial statements is included in Note 2 — Basis of Presentation and Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management discusses the ongoing development and selection of these critical accounting policies with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

Following is a description of our critical accounting estimates that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value

We have elected the fair value option of accounting for a significant portion of the assets and some of the liabilities on our balance sheet, and the majority of these assets and liabilities utilize Level 3 valuation inputs, which require a significant level of estimation uncertainty. See Note 6 in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, for additional information on our assets and liabilities accounted for at fair value at December 31, 2025, including the significant inputs used to estimate their fair values and the impact the changes in their fair values had to our financial condition and results of operations. See Note 6 in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, incorporated herein by reference, for the same information on these assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2024. Periodic fluctuations in the values of these assets and liabilities are inherently volatile and thus can lead to significant period-to-period GAAP earnings volatility. Below, we provide additional information regarding the critical accounting estimates for these assets and liabilities.

Consolidated Entities Accounted for under the Consolidated Financing Entities Election

We have elected to account for most of our consolidated securitization VIEs as collateralized financing entities and use the fair value of the liabilities issued by these entities (comprised of the ABS issued and the securities we retain in the entities, which we determined to be more observable) to determine the fair value of the assets held at these entities (generally residential consumer loans, residential investor loans, and HEI). Significant inputs used to estimate the fair value of these liabilities include certain unobservable inputs that require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in the Fair Value of Loans Held at Fair Value

We have elected the fair value option for our residential consumer loans and residential investor loans. As such, these loans are carried on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair value and changes in the fair values of these loans are recorded in Mortgage Banking activities, net or Investment fair value changes, net on our consolidated statements of (loss) income in the period in which the valuation change occurs. Significant inputs used to estimate the fair value of these assets include certain unobservable inputs that require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in Fair Values of Real Estate Securities

Our real estate securities are classified as either trading or AFS securities, and in both cases are carried on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair values. In addition, we invest in securities of certain securitization entities that we are required to consolidate for GAAP reporting purposes and account for under the consolidated financing entity election, as previously described. For trading securities and collateralized financing entities, changes in fair values are recorded in Investment fair value changes, net on our consolidated statements of (loss) income in the period in which the valuation change occurs. For AFS securities, changes in fair value are generally recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income in our consolidated balance sheets (as discussed further below).

Periodic fluctuations in the values of our securities can be caused by changes in the discount rate assumptions used to value the securities, as well as actual and anticipated prepayments, delinquencies, losses and other factors on the loans underlying the securitizations in which we own securities. Significant inputs used to estimate the fair value of these assets include certain unobservable inputs that require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

For AFS securities, cumulative unrealized gains and losses are recorded as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income in our consolidated balance sheets. Unrealized gains are not credited to current earnings and unrealized losses are not charged against current earnings to the extent they are temporary in nature. Certain factors may require us, however, to recognize a decline in the value of AFS securities as an allowance for credit losses recorded through our current earnings. These factors include a change in our ability or intent to hold AFS securities, adverse changes to projected cash flows of assets, or the likelihood that declines in the fair values of assets would not return to their previous levels within a reasonable time. Estimates used to determine the allowance for credit losses on AFS securities require significant judgment and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in Fair Values of HEI

HEI are carried on our consolidated balance sheets at their fair values, with changes in fair values recorded in our consolidated statements of (loss) income in HEI Income, net. Periodic fluctuations in the values of our HEI can be caused by changes in the discount rate assumptions used to value HEI, changes in assumptions regarding future projected home values, changes in assumptions regarding future projected prepayment rates of residential mortgage loans, as well as changes in the rate and magnitude of defaults on the portfolio. Significant inputs used to estimate the fair value of these assets include certain unobservable inputs that require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in Fair Values of Derivative Financial Instruments

We generally use derivatives as part of our mortgage banking activities (e.g., to manage risks associated with loans we plan to acquire and subsequently sell or securitize), in relation to our residential investments (to manage risks associated with our securities, MSRs, and held-for-investment loans), and to manage variability in debt interest expense indexed to adjustable rates, and cash flows on assets and liabilities that have different coupon rates (fixed rates versus floating rates, or floating rates based on different indices). Significant inputs used to estimate the fair value of certain of our derivatives include unobservable inputs that require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on reported earnings and our financial condition.

Additionally, the nature of the instruments we use and the accounting treatment for the specific assets, liabilities, and derivatives may therefore lead to volatility in our periodic earnings, even when we are meeting our hedging objectives. Most of our derivatives are accounted for as trading instruments with associated changes in value recorded through our consolidated statements of (loss) income. Changes in value of the assets and liabilities we manage by using derivatives may not be accounted for similarly. This could lead to reported income and book values in specific periods that do not necessarily reflect the economics of our risk management strategy. Even when the assets and liabilities are similarly accounted for as trading instruments, periodic changes in their values may not coincide as other market factors (e.g., supply and demand) may affect certain instruments and not others at any given time.

Changes in Values of Real Estate Owned ("REO")

REO property acquired through, or in lieu of, foreclosure is initially recorded at fair value, and subsequently reported at the lower of its carrying amount or fair value (less estimated costs to sell). We generally obtain third-party valuations to assist in determining the initial fair value of REO properties, and will obtain updated valuations when we believe market conditions may have meaningfully changed. While third-party valuations offer strong support for estimated values, we may record REO property at different values if, for instance, we believe a property's value differs or if we are willing to sell the property at a lower price. Additionally, estimates of value may not prove to be accurate, and market conditions can also change rapidly, whereby estimated values could decline in subsequent periods. As such, changes in our estimates of the fair value of REO could have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in Yields for Securities

The yields we project on AFS real estate securities can have a significant effect on the periodic interest income we recognize for financial reporting purposes. Yields can vary as a function of credit results, prepayment rates, interest rates and call assumptions. If estimated future credit losses are less than our prior estimate, credit losses occur later than expected, prepayment rates are faster than expected (meaning the present value of projected cash flows is greater than previously expected for assets acquired at a discount to principal balance), or securities are called (or called sooner than expected) the yield over the remaining life of the security may be adjusted upwards. If estimated future credit losses exceed our prior expectations, credit losses occur more quickly than expected, prepayments occur more slowly than expected (meaning the present value of projected cash flows is less than previously expected for assets acquired at a discount to principal balance) or securities are not called (or called later than expected), the yield over the remaining life of the security may be adjusted downward.

Changes in the actual maturities of real estate securities may also affect their yields to maturity. Actual maturities are affected by the contractual lives of the associated mortgage collateral, periodic payments of principal, and prepayments of principal. Therefore, actual maturities of AFS securities are generally shorter than stated contractual maturities. Stated contractual maturities are generally greater than 10 years. The assumptions we use to estimate future cash flows and the resulting effective yields and interest income, require significant judgment to develop, and changes in these estimates have had and are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.

Changes in Provision for Taxes

Our provision for income taxes is primarily the result of GAAP income or losses generated at our TRS. Deferred tax assets/liabilities are generated by temporary differences in GAAP income and taxable income at our taxable subsidiaries and are a significant component of our GAAP provision for income taxes. We evaluate our deferred tax assets each period to determine if a valuation allowance is required based on whether it is "more likely than not" that some portion of the deferred tax assets would not be realized. The ultimate realization of these deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of sufficient taxable income during future periods. We conduct our evaluation by considering, among other things, all available positive and negative evidence, historical operating results and cumulative earnings analysis, forecasts of future profitability, and the duration of statutory carryforward periods. The estimate of net deferred tax assets and associated valuation allowances could change in future periods to the extent that actual or revised estimates of future taxable income during the carry-forward periods change from current expectations. Any such changes to our estimates could have a material effect on our reported earnings and financial condition.