Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

SEGMENT REPORTING AND VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES - Other Debt Segment Investments and Debt (Details 1)

v2.4.1.9
SEGMENT REPORTING AND VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES - Other Debt Segment Investments and Debt (Details 1) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Mar. 31, 2015
Investments Carrying Value $ 1,591,118us-gaap_Investments [1]
Debt Face Amount 1,286,504us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
Non-recourse [Member] | Subprime Mortgage Loans subject to Call Options [Member]  
Investments Face Amount 406,217us-gaap_InvestmentOwnedBalancePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_SubprimeMortgageLoansSubjectCallOptionsMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_NonrecourseOtherSegmentMember
Investments Carrying Value 406,217us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_SubprimeMortgageLoansSubjectCallOptionsMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_NonrecourseOtherSegmentMember
Debt Face Amount 406,217us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_SubprimeMortgageLoansSubjectCallOptionsMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_NonrecourseOtherSegmentMember
Debt Carrying Value 406,217nct_DebtGrossSegmentDisclosure
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_SubprimeMortgageLoansSubjectCallOptionsMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_NonrecourseOtherSegmentMember
Other [Member] | Unlevered Real Estate Securities [Member]  
Investments Face Amount 52,327us-gaap_InvestmentOwnedBalancePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities1Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember 		[2]
Investments Carrying Value 12,252us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities1Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember 		[2]
Other [Member] | Levered Real Estate Securities [Member]  
Investments Face Amount 389,056us-gaap_InvestmentOwnedBalancePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities2Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Investments Carrying Value 409,037us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities2Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Debt Face Amount 386,120us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities2Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Debt Carrying Value 386,120nct_DebtGrossSegmentDisclosure
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= nct_RealEstateSecurities2Member
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Other [Member] | Other Investments [Member]  
Investments Carrying Value 6,555us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= us-gaap_OtherInvestmentsMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Other [Member] | Residential Mortgage Loans [Member]  
Investments Face Amount 931us-gaap_InvestmentOwnedBalancePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Investments Carrying Value 572us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_InvestmentTypeAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageMember
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherOtherSegmentMember
Other Debt [Member]  
Investments Face Amount 848,531us-gaap_InvestmentOwnedBalancePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherDebtSegmentMember
Investments Carrying Value 834,633us-gaap_Investments
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherDebtSegmentMember 		[1],[3]
Debt Face Amount 792,337us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherDebtSegmentMember
Debt Carrying Value $ 792,337nct_DebtGrossSegmentDisclosure
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= nct_OtherDebtSegmentMember
[1] Net of $36.6 million of inter-segment eliminations.
[2] Excludes eight securities with a zero value, which had an aggregate face amount of $113.8 million.
[3] Assets held within non-recourse structures, including all of the assets in the CDO segment, are not available to satisfy obligations outside of such financings, except to the extent net cash flow distributions are received from such structures. Furthermore, creditors or beneficial interest holders of these structures generally have no recourse to the general credit of Newcastle. Therefore, the exposure to the economic losses from such structures generally is limited to invested equity in them and economically their book value cannot be less than zero. Therefore, impairment recorded in excess of Newcastle's investment, which results in negative GAAP book value for a given non-recourse financing structure, cannot economically be incurred and will eventually be reversed through amortization, sales at gains, or as gains at the deconsolidation or termination of such non-recourse financing structure.