NON COVERED LOANS AND ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011 grade	Dec. 31, 2010
Credit Quality Indicators
Number of grades in the risk rating system utilized by the company to rate credit risk of loans receivable	8
Maximum term for a loan to stay graded as Special Mention	6 months
Increase (decrease) in non-covered loans graded Substandard and Doubtful.	$ (143,000,000)
Percentage increase (decrease) in non-covered loans graded Substandard and Doubtful	(21.00%)
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	10,288,426,000	8,717,388,000
Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	9,565,009,000	7,847,919,000
Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	177,548,000	180,637,000
Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	545,622,000	682,986,000
Doubtful
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	247,000	5,846,000
Residential
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	2,729,803,000	2,093,769,000
Residential | Residential Single-family
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	1,796,635,000	1,119,024,000
Residential | Residential Single-family | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	1,768,149,000	1,076,281,000
Residential | Residential Single-family | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	11,239,000	12,376,000
Residential | Residential Single-family | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	17,247,000	30,367,000
Residential | Residential Multifamily
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	933,168,000	974,745,000
Residential | Residential Multifamily | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	810,458,000	789,631,000
Residential | Residential Multifamily | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	25,531,000	42,887,000
Residential | Residential Multifamily | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	97,179,000	142,227,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE")
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	3,832,365,000	3,906,738,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Income producing
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	3,487,866,000	3,392,984,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Income producing | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	3,211,386,000	3,054,197,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Income producing | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	63,066,000	80,714,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Income producing | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	213,414,000	258,073,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Construction
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	171,410,000	278,047,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Construction | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	109,184,000	202,385,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Construction | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	6,226,000	75,662,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Land
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	173,089,000	235,707,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Land | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	125,534,000	146,499,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Land | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	7,954,000	4,656,000
Commercial Real Estate ("CRE") | Land | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	39,601,000	84,552,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I")
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	3,142,472,000	1,983,355,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Commercial Business
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	2,655,917,000	1,674,698,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Commercial Business | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	2,492,904,000	1,553,218,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Commercial Business | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	62,409,000	34,449,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Commercial Business | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	100,357,000	81,185,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Commercial Business | Doubtful
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	247,000	5,846,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Trade finance
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	486,555,000	308,657,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Trade finance | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	467,822,000	296,430,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Trade finance | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	7,161,000	4,069,000
Commercial and Industrial ("C&I") | Trade finance | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	11,572,000	8,158,000
Consumer
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	583,786,000	733,526,000
Consumer | Student loans
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	306,325,000	490,314,000
Consumer | Student loans | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	305,880,000	490,314,000
Consumer | Student loans | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	188,000
Consumer | Student loans | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	257,000
Consumer | Other Consumer
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	277,461,000	243,212,000
Consumer | Other Consumer | Pass/Watch
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	273,692,000	238,964,000
Consumer | Other Consumer | Special Mention
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross		1,486,000
Consumer | Other Consumer | Substandard
Credit quality indicator disclosures
Loans receivable, excluding covered loans, gross	$ 3,769,000	$ 2,762,000