SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Nonaffiliates
Collateralized Debt Obligation disclosures
Aggregate secured outstanding debt related to CLOs, held by third parties	$ 5,249,383,000	$ 5,122,338,000
Collateralized Debt Obligation (CLOs) VIEs
Collateralized Debt Obligation disclosures
Number of Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLOs) VIEs (in loans)	8	7
Corporate debt investment, par amount	6,700,000,000	6,300,000,000
Estimated fair value of corporate debt instruments	6,400,000,000	6,000,000,000
Collateralized Debt Obligation (CLOs) VIEs \| Nonaffiliates
Collateralized Debt Obligation disclosures
Aggregate secured outstanding debt related to CLOs, held by third parties	5,200,000,000	5,100,000,000
Collateralized Debt Obligation (CLOs) VIEs \| Affiliates
Collateralized Debt Obligation disclosures
Aggregate secured outstanding debt related to CLOs, held by third parties		$ 296,600,000

Represents the carrying value of collateralized loan obligation secured notes.

No definition available.

Name:	kfn_CollateralizedLoanObligationSecuredNotes
Namespace Prefix:	kfn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the par value of Corporate Debt Investments held within CLO entities.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	kfn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the number of Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLOs) VIEs of the reporting entity.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	kfn_NumberOfCollateralizedLoanObligationsVariableInterestEntities
Namespace Prefix:	kfn_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The fair value as of the balance sheet date of firm holdings in fixed income or other debt securities issued by a corporation or other issuer not elsewhere specified in the taxonomy. Includes both pledged (to counterparties as collateral for financing transactions) and unpledged holdings.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 940

-SubTopic 320

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=29643736&loc=d3e42546-110969

+ Details

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
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- Details

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