CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-term Investments [Abstract]

Composition of cash and cash equivalents

The following table presents the composition of cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2015 and 2014:

($ in thousands)	December 31,
	2015		2014
Cash and amounts due from banks	$	1,177,889	$	944,118
Cash equivalents:
Interest-bearing deposits in other banks	68,000		—
Bank placements	114,998		95,767
Total cash and cash equivalents	$	1,360,887	$	1,039,885