Commitments and Contingencies (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
East West Bank | F&F, LLC and 618 Investment, Inc. v. East West Bank
Litigation
Litigation accrual		$ 25,000
Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities
Other Commitments
Unfunded commitments in investments in AHP and other tax credit investments	$ 154,000	174,300
Loans Sold or Securitized with Recourse
Guarantees
Unpaid principal amount of loans sold or securitized with recourse	139,600	150,500
Loans Sold or Securitized with Recourse | Accrued Expenses and Other Liabilities
Guarantees
Allowance for unfunded credit reserves	$ 333	$ 373