Transactions with Affiliates (Details) (USD $)			6 Months Ended					6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 30, 2012 Director [Member]	Jun. 30, 2011 Director [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Chairman of Board of Resource America [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Affiliates [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Affiliates [Member]	Jun. 30, 2012 Chairman of Board of Atlas Energy, L.P. [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Rent expense			$ 151,000	$ 148,000	$ 51,000			$ 6,000
Deposits						54,900,000	88,800,000
Due from related parties	31,900,000	32,400,000
Outstanding participation, amount	21,800,000
Payments to acquire available-for-sale securities, debt					$ 35,800,000