Variable Interest Entities - Loan Delinquencies and Net Charge-offs (Details 7) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Total assets held by securitization VIEs	$ 331,100,000,000		$ 344,100,000,000
Prime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Total assets held by securitization VIEs	125,300,000,000		129,900,000,000
Subprime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Total assets held by securitization VIEs	36,900,000,000		39,400,000,000
Option Arms
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Total assets held by securitization VIEs	30,000,000,000		31,400,000,000
Commercial Mortgage Backed and Other Securities [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Total assets held by securitization VIEs	134,800,000,000		139,300,000,000
Securitized loans [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
90 days past due	47,570,000,000		53,413,000,000
Liquidation Losses	3,345,000,000	3,137,000,000
Securitized loans in which the firm has no continuing involvement	68,400,000,000		74,400,000,000
Securitized loans [Member] | Prime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
90 days past due	22,263,000,000		24,285,000,000
Liquidation Losses	1,699,000,000	1,490,000,000
Securitized loans [Member] | Subprime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
90 days past due	12,848,000,000		14,293,000,000
Liquidation Losses	801,000,000	1,000,000,000
Securitized loans [Member] | Option Arms
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
90 days past due	8,197,000,000		9,999,000,000
Liquidation Losses	616,000,000	443,000,000
Securitized loans [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed and Other Securities [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
90 days past due	4,262,000,000		4,836,000,000
Liquidation Losses	229,000,000	204,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Credit exposure / loans securitized	254,491,000,000		261,170,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Prime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Credit exposure / loans securitized	98,743,000,000		101,004,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Subprime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Credit exposure / loans securitized	33,444,000,000		35,755,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Option Arms
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Credit exposure / loans securitized	29,775,000,000		31,075,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed and Other Securities [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Credit exposure / loans securitized	92,529,000,000		93,336,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Assets held in consolidated securitization VIEs	8,200,000,000		8,500,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Prime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Assets held in consolidated securitization VIEs	2,500,000,000		2,700,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Subprime [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Assets held in consolidated securitization VIEs	1,300,000,000		1,400,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Option Arms
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Assets held in consolidated securitization VIEs	300,000,000		300,000,000
Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Commercial Mortgage Backed and Other Securities [Member]
Information about delinquencies, net charge-offs, and components of off-balance sheet securitized financial assets [Abstract]
Assets held in consolidated securitization VIEs	$ 0		$ 0