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Financial Guaranty Contracts Accounted for as Credit Derivatives - Narrative (Details) (USD $)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2014
Credit Derivatives      
Estimated remaining weighted average life of credit derivatives (in years) 4 years 7 months 30 days   4 years 7 months 30 days
Net par outstanding $ 31,731ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount   $ 34,996ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount
Net unrealized gains (losses) 103us-gaap_UnrealizedGainLossOnDerivatives (230)us-gaap_UnrealizedGainLossOnDerivatives  
Net change in fair value of credit derivatives 124us-gaap_DerivativeGainLossOnDerivativeNet (211)us-gaap_DerivativeGainLossOnDerivativeNet  
Gain due to change in methodology in expected recoveries 49ago_GainLossDuetoChangeinMethodologyinExpectedRecoveries    
Gain from narrowing of spreads 209ago_CreditDerivativeGainLossDueToChangeInSpreads    
Collateral agreed to be posted 356us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue   376us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue
Market value collateralized debt obligations of corporate obligations [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Maximum average obligor size (as a percent) 1.00%ago_CreditDerivativeMaximumAverageObligorSize
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
   
Maximum exposure of one industry (as a percent) 10.00%ago_CreditDerivativeIndustryConcentrationRiskExposure
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
   
Net par outstanding 20,735ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
  23,621ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
Net unrealized gains (losses) 17us-gaap_UnrealizedGainLossOnDerivatives
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
(58)us-gaap_UnrealizedGainLossOnDerivatives
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= us-gaap_CollateralizedDebtObligationsMember
 
Other pooled infrastructure [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Net par outstanding 1,900ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_OtherPooledInfrastructureTransactionsMember
   
Pooled infrastructure [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Number of transactions 1us-gaap_NumberOfCreditRiskDerivativesHeld
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_PooledInfrastructureTransactionsMember
   
Remaining other CDS [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Net par outstanding 4,400ago_FinancialGuarantyContractsAccountedforasCreditDerivativesOutstandingPrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_OtherTransactionsMember
   
Collateral Debt Obligations, Collateral Requirement [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Amount of par subject to collateral for which the amount of collateral is capped 5,700invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsCollateralRequirementMember
   
Collateral Debt Obligations, Collateral Cap Negotiated [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Amount of par subject to collateral for which the amount of collateral is capped 5,500invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsCollateralCapNegotiatedMember
   
Collateral Debt Obligations, No Cap Negotiated [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Amount of par subject to collateral for which the amount of collateral is capped 665invest_DerivativeNotionalAmount
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
   
Collateral agreed to be posted 356us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
  376us-gaap_CollateralAlreadyPostedAggregateFairValue
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
Notional amount subject to collateral based on movements in the mark-to-market valuation of the underlying exposure 241ago_CreditDerivativeNotionalAmountSubjecttoCollateralbasedinMTMvaluation
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
  242ago_CreditDerivativeNotionalAmountSubjecttoCollateralbasedinMTMvaluation
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
Collateral posted, based on mark-to-market valuation 21ago_CreditDerivativeCollateralPostedBasedInMtmValuation
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
  25ago_CreditDerivativeCollateralPostedBasedInMtmValuation
/ us-gaap_UnderlyingAssetClassAxis
= ago_CollateralDebtObligationsNoCapNegotiatedMember
Credit Risk Contract [Member]      
Credit Derivatives      
Realized gains (losses) and other settlements $ 11.0us-gaap_GainLossOnContractTermination
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CreditRiskContractMember
$ 0.2us-gaap_GainLossOnContractTermination
/ us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis
= us-gaap_CreditRiskContractMember