Mortgage REIT investment & finance definition

A real estate investment trust that combines investors' funds with other borrowed money to make loans on real estate. The return earned by the investors depends on the spread between the interest rates charged on the loans made and the interest rates paid on the loans taken out. Earnings on a mortgage REIT are subject to wide fluctuations if the REIT makes short-term loans and takes out long-term loans. Compare equity REIT.