SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2014 item trust	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Operations summary
Number of banking locations	130
Principles of Consolidation
Number of wholly owned subsidiaries that are statutory business trusts ("the Trusts")	6
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Minimum term of cash and cash equivalients investments	1 day
Maximum term of cash and cash equivalients investments	90 days
Short-term investments
Minimum term of maturities of other short-term investments	90 days
Maximum term of maturities of other short-term investments	1 year
Securities purchased under resale agreements ("Resale Agreements")
Minimum term of resale agreement to be classified as cash and cash equivalents	1 day
Maximum term of resale agreement to be classified as cash and cash equivalents	90 days
Loans receivable
Number of past due days for the loans receivable to be placed on nonaccrual status	90 days
Troubled debt restructurings
Period for which restructured loans remains on nonaccrual status, to demonstrate that the borrower can perform under the restructured terms	6 months
Other real estate owned
Maximum period of foreclosure within which sale of real estate owned will be recorded at fair value less cost of sales	3 months
FDIC percentage of reimbursement under shared loss agreements
FDIC percentage of reimbursement under shared loss agreements	80.00%	80.00%	80.00%
Percentage of company's liability for losses under shared loss agreements.	20.00%	20.00%	20.00%
Greater China
Operations summary
Number of full-service branches	5
Number of representative offices	5
Shanghai
Operations summary
Number of full-service branches	2
Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone
Operations summary
Number of full-service branches	1