NON COVERED LOANS AND ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN LOSSES, Credit Quality Indicators (Details) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Credit Quality Indicators [Abstract]
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 (in months)	6M
Decrease in non-covered loans graded Substandard and Doubtful	$ 118,400,000
Percentage decrease in non-covered loans graded Substandard and Doubtful (in hundredths)	17.00%
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	9,339,257,000	8,717,388,000
Residential [Member] | Single-family [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	1,239,576,000	1,076,281,000
Residential [Member] | Multifamily [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	813,053,000	789,631,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Income Producing [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	3,128,465,000	3,054,197,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Construction [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	155,594,000	202,385,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Land CRE [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	124,456,000	146,499,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Commercial Business [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	2,165,099,000	1,553,218,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Trade Finance [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	377,930,000	296,430,000
Consumer [Member] | Student Loans [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	358,378,000	490,314,000
Consumer [Member] | Pass/Watch [Member] | Other Consumer [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	225,470,000	238,964,000
Pass/Watch [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	8,588,020,000	7,847,919,000
Residential [Member] | Single-family [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	12,477,000	12,376,000
Residential [Member] | Multifamily [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	21,776,000	42,887,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Income Producing [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	79,514,000	80,714,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Construction [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Land CRE [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	8,039,000	4,656,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Commercial Business [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	45,284,000	34,449,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Trade Finance [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	11,662,000	4,069,000
Consumer [Member] | Student Loans [Member] | Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Consumer [Member] | Special Mention [Member] | Other Consumer [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	2,064,000	1,486,000
Special Mention [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	180,816,000	180,637,000
Residential [Member] | Single-family [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	34,182,000	30,367,000
Residential [Member] | Multifamily [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	116,152,000	142,227,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Income Producing [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	200,581,000	258,073,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Construction [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	61,096,000	75,662,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Land CRE [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	70,885,000	84,552,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Commercial Business [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	68,502,000	81,185,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Trade Finance [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	10,963,000	8,158,000
Consumer [Member] | Student Loans [Member] | Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Consumer [Member] | Substandard [Member] | Other Consumer [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	3,028,000	2,762,000
Substandard [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	565,389,000	682,986,000
Residential [Member] | Single-family [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Residential [Member] | Multifamily [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Income Producing [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Construction [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Land CRE [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Commercial Business [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	5,032,000	5,846,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Trade Finance [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Consumer [Member] | Student Loans [Member] | Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Consumer [Member] | Doubtful [Member] | Other Consumer [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	0	0
Doubtful [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	5,032,000	5,846,000
Residential [Member] | Single-family [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	1,286,235,000	1,119,024,000
Residential [Member] | Multifamily [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	950,981,000	974,745,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Income Producing [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	3,408,560,000	3,392,984,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Construction [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	216,690,000	278,047,000
Commercial Real Estate [Member] | Land CRE [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	203,380,000	235,707,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Commercial Business [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	2,283,917,000	1,674,698,000
Commercial and Industrial [Member] | Trade Finance [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	400,555,000	308,657,000
Consumer [Member] | Student Loans [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	358,378,000	490,314,000
Consumer [Member] | Other Consumer [Member]
Financing Receivable, Recorded Investment [Line Items]
Loans receivable	$ 230,562,000	$ 243,212,000