Long-term and Short-term Debt (Details Textuals) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Long-term and Short-term Debt [Abstract]
Long Term Debt Aggregate Maturities, Year One	$ 753,000,000
Long Term Debt Aggregate Maturities, Year Two	1,300,000,000
Long Term Debt Aggregate Maturities, Year Three	1,200,000,000
Long Term Debt Aggregate Maturities, Year Four	1,200,000,000
Long Term Debt Aggregate Maturities, Year Five	504,000,000
Long-term Debt, Maturities, Repayments of Principal after Year Five	11,500,000,000
Short-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	0.17%	0.33%	0.35%
Total interest expense	871,000,000	975,000,000	815,000,000
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Effective date of acquisition			Nov. 01, 2010
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Collateral financing arrangements	4,196,000,000	4,647,000,000
Liabilities of business transferred to subsidiary under funding agreements that are included in policyholder account balances	3,806,000,000	0	0
Line of Credit Facility [Abstract]
Federal Home Loan Bank, Liability for Debt Advances	0	4,800,000,000
Proceeds from Federal Home Loan Bank Advances	0	1,300,000,000	2,100,000,000
Federal Home Loan Bank Repayments, Long Term Debt	374,000,000	750,000,000	349,000,000
Certain Businesses of MetLife Bank [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Liabilities of business transferred to subsidiary under funding agreements that are included in policyholder account balances	3,806,000,000
General Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	4,000,000,000
Fees associated with credit facilities	30,000,000	35,000,000	17,000,000
Committed Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity	12,400,000,000
Fees associated with credit facilities	96,000,000	93,000,000	92,000,000
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, at estimated fair value, relating to variable interest entities	15,669,000,000	15,666,000,000
Debt Instrument, Average Interest Rate	4.83%
General Credit Facility Three [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity			5,000,000,000
Fees associated with credit facilities			28,000,000
Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, at estimated fair value, relating to variable interest entities	2,500,000,000	3,100,000,000
Alico Debt Transaction One [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			1,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			2.375%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Feb. 06, 2014
Debt Instrument, Issuance Date			Aug. 06, 2010
Alico Debt Transaction Two [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			1,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			4.75%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Feb. 08, 2021
Debt Instrument, Issuance Date			Aug. 06, 2010
Alico Debt Transaction Three [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			750,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			5.875%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Feb. 06, 2041
Debt Instrument, Issuance Date			Aug. 06, 2010
Alico Debt Transaction Four [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			250,000,000
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Aug. 06, 2013
Debt Instrument, Issuance Date			Aug. 06, 2010
Debt Instrument, Description of Variable Rate Basis			three-month LIBOR, reset quarterly
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate			1.25%
Senior Debt $750M Maturing August 2042 [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	750,000,000
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage	4.125%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date	Aug. 13, 2042
Debt Issuance Costs Incurred and Capitalized	7,000,000
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Effective date of acquisition			Nov. 01, 2010
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			3,000,000,000
Debt Instrument, Fair Value			3,000,000,000
Debt Issuance Costs Incurred and Capitalized			$ 15,000,000
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series D and E [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Average Interest Rate			2.19%
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series D [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			1.92%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Jun. 15, 2024
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series E [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			2.46%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Jun. 15, 2045
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series C Tranche 1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			1.756%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Dec. 15, 2017
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series C Tranche 2 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Stated Percentage			3.048%
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Dec. 15, 2022
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series E Tranche 1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Jun. 15, 2018
American Life Insurance Company ("American Life") and Delaware American Life Insurance ("DelAm") [Member] | Senior Debt Series E Tranche 2 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Maturity Date			Jun. 15, 2045