VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	$ 230,698,000,000	$ 241,537,000,000
Other bond securities	13,605,000,000	13,998,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	33,878,000,000	33,240,000,000
Other invested assets	23,652,000,000	24,538,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	30,747,000,000	30,912,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	23,652,000,000	24,538,000,000
Held for sale [Member]
Assets:
Mortgage and other loans receivable	121,000,000	137,000,000
Other invested assets	244,000,000	2,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	108,000,000	0
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	244,000,000	2,000,000
Real Estate and Investment Funds
Liabilities:
Off-balance sheet exposure	93,000,000	106,000,000
Consolidated VIE
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	9,534,000,000	10,233,000,000
Other bond securities	5,019,000,000	5,129,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	1,328,000,000	1,547,000,000
Other invested assets	4,452,000,000	4,222,000,000
Other assets	1,987,000,000	1,995,000,000
Total assets	22,320,000,000	23,126,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	3,053,000,000	2,973,000,000
Other liabilities	564,000,000	677,000,000
Total liabilities	3,617,000,000	3,650,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	4,452,000,000	4,222,000,000
Consolidated VIE | Real Estate and Investment Funds
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	0	0
Other bond securities	0	0
Mortgage and other loans receivable	0	1,000,000
Other invested assets	1,029,000,000	1,052,000,000
Other assets	244,000,000	365,000,000
Total assets	1,273,000,000	1,418,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	428,000,000	444,000,000
Other liabilities	94,000,000	224,000,000
Total liabilities	522,000,000	668,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	1,029,000,000	1,052,000,000
Consolidated VIE | Securitization Vehicles
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	9,534,000,000	10,233,000,000
Other bond securities	4,751,000,000	4,858,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	1,328,000,000	1,442,000,000
Other invested assets	281,000,000	321,000,000
Other assets	1,158,000,000	1,104,000,000
Total assets	17,052,000,000	17,958,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	682,000,000	771,000,000
Other liabilities	215,000,000	203,000,000
Total liabilities	897,000,000	974,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	281,000,000	321,000,000
Total assets of consolidated securitization vehicles owed to Parent or its subsidiaries	17,000,000,000	17,300,000,000
Consolidated VIE | Structured Investment Vehicles
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	0	0
Other bond securities	263,000,000	266,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	0	0
Other invested assets	0	0
Other assets	59,000,000	50,000,000
Total assets	322,000,000	316,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	58,000,000	56,000,000
Other liabilities	1,000,000	1,000,000
Total liabilities	59,000,000	57,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	0	0
Consolidated VIE | Affordable Housing Partnerships
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	0	0
Other bond securities	0	0
Mortgage and other loans receivable	0	0
Other invested assets	3,118,000,000	2,821,000,000
Other assets	436,000,000	384,000,000
Total assets	3,554,000,000	3,205,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	1,880,000,000	1,696,000,000
Other liabilities	217,000,000	211,000,000
Total liabilities	2,097,000,000	1,907,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	3,118,000,000	2,821,000,000
Consolidated VIE | Other
Assets:
Bonds available for sale	0	0
Other bond securities	5,000,000	5,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	0	104,000,000
Other invested assets	24,000,000	28,000,000
Other assets	90,000,000	92,000,000
Total assets	119,000,000	229,000,000
Liabilities:
Long-term Debt	5,000,000	6,000,000
Other liabilities	37,000,000	38,000,000
Total liabilities	42,000,000	44,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Other invested assets	24,000,000	28,000,000
Unconsolidated VIE
Assets:
Other invested assets	11,100,000,000	11,700,000,000
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Total VIE Assets	408,129,000,000	416,665,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, On-Balance Sheet	11,564,000,000	12,114,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, Off-Balance Sheet	3,247,000,000	3,160,000,000
Total maximum exposure to loss	14,811,000,000	15,274,000,000
Other invested assets	11,100,000,000	11,700,000,000
Unconsolidated VIE | Real Estate and Investment Funds
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Total VIE Assets	401,264,000,000	409,087,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, On-Balance Sheet	10,517,000,000	11,015,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, Off-Balance Sheet	2,072,000,000	2,115,000,000
Total maximum exposure to loss	12,589,000,000	13,130,000,000
Unconsolidated VIE | Affordable Housing Partnerships
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Total VIE Assets	4,407,000,000	4,709,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, On-Balance Sheet	758,000,000	785,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, Off-Balance Sheet	0	0
Total maximum exposure to loss	758,000,000	785,000,000
Unconsolidated VIE | Other
Total assets of unconsolidated VIEs as well as maximum exposure to loss
Total VIE Assets	2,458,000,000	2,869,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, On-Balance Sheet	289,000,000	314,000,000
Maximum Exposure to Loss, Off-Balance Sheet	1,175,000,000	1,045,000,000
Total maximum exposure to loss	$ 1,464,000,000	$ 1,359,000,000