Earnings Per Share - Basic and Diluted Income (Loss) Per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income (loss) attributable to Conifer	$ (1,475)	$ 1,326	$ (4,016)	$ 2,368
Preferred stock dividends	0	81	0	384
Paid-in-kind dividends	0	33	0	156
Net income (loss) allocable to common shareholders	$ (1,475)	$ 1,212	$ (4,016)	$ 1,828
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted	7,608,284	5,701,794	7,613,954	4,603,451
Earnings (loss) per share allocable to common, basic and diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.19)	$ 0.21	$ (0.53)	$ 0.40