Derivative Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014 contract	Dec. 31, 2013 contract
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Assumed recoveries under sale of credit protection	$ 0
Securities pledged in the form of margin deposits	28
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	278	1,649
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	3,492	10,760
Total derivatives, Notional amount	3,770	12,409
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts	3,182	10,662
Total liability derivatives, Number of contracts	3,365	10,035
Total derivatives, Number of contracts	6,547	20,697
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	74	254
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(352)	(741)
Total derivatives, Fair value, net	(278)	(487)
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	74	266
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	5	11
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	(12)
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(357)	(752)
Number of stock warrants held by the company related to derivative contracts (in shares)		837,100
Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	262	1,633
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	3,373	10,628
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts	3,182	10,662
Total liability derivatives, Number of contracts		10,035
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	72	253
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(346)	(726)
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	72	265
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	5	11
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	(12)
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(351)	(737)
Foreign currency swap agreements | Derivatives designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	16	16
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	2	1
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	2	1
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Foreign currency swap agreements | Derivatives designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	119	132
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(6)	(15)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(6)	(15)
Interest rate swap agreements | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	85	85
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	3	4
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	3	4
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Other contracts | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other assets
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	3	4
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	1	0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	1	0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Interest rate swaption agreements | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount		1,420
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net		0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset		0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability		0
Interest rate swaption agreements | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount		4,570
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet		1
Liability derivatives, Gross asset		1
Liability derivatives, Gross liability		0
Interest rate cap agreements | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	95	61
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	0	2
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	0	2
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Interest rate cap agreements | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	90	262
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	2	4
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	2	4
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Interest rate contracts- Financial futures contracts | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	0
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts	50
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0
Financial futures contracts - Equity and index contracts | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other assets
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	0	0
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts	200	627
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	0	0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Options and warrants | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount		3
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts		10,035
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net		261
Asset derivatives, Gross asset		261
Asset derivatives, Gross liability		0
Options | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	0
Total asset derivatives, Number of contracts	2,932
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	65
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	65
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0
Options and futures | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	0	55
Total liability derivatives, Number of contracts	3,365	10,035
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(20)	(165)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	2
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(20)	(167)
Foreign currency forwards | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	62	47
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	4	0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	4	0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Foreign currency forwards | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	69
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	0
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	0
Credit default swaps | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Fixed income securities
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount		12
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net		(12)
Asset derivatives, Gross asset		0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability		(12)
Guaranteed accumulation benefits | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Contractholder funds
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	650	738
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(36)	(43)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(36)	(43)
Guaranteed withdrawal benefits | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Contractholder funds
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	453	506
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(13)	(13)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(13)	(13)
Equity-indexed and forward starting options in life and annuity product contracts | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Contractholder funds
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	1,773	1,693
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(269)	(247)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(269)	(247)
Equity-indexed and forward starting options in life and annuity product contracts | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Liabilities held for sale
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount		2,363
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet		(246)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset		0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability		(246)
Other embedded derivative financial instruments | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Contractholder funds
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	85	85
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(3)	(4)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(3)	(4)
Credit default swaps - buying protection | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	22	1
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	0	0
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Credit default swaps - buying protection | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	68	171
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(1)	(2)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	(1)	(2)
Credit default swaps - selling protection | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other investments
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total asset derivatives, Notional amount	80	85
Total asset derivatives, Fair value, net	2	2
Asset derivatives, Gross asset	2	2
Asset derivatives, Gross liability	0	0
Credit default swaps - selling protection | Derivatives not designated as accounting hedging instruments | Other liabilities and accrued expenses
Derivatives, Fair Value
Total liability derivatives, Notional amount	100	100
Derivative liabilities net amount on balance sheet	(9)	(15)
Liability derivatives, Gross asset	0	0
Liability derivatives, Gross liability	$ (9)	$ (15)