FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details) (USD $)				3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Non-U.S. government	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Interest rate contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Equity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Non-U.S. government	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Common Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 1 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Mutual Funds	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Interest rate contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Foreign exchange contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Equity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commodity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Other contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Non-U.S. government	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Corporate debt	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Common Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Preferred Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 2 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Mutual Funds	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Interest rate contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Equity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commodity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Credit contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Other contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Non-U.S. government	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Corporate debt	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Common Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Level 3 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Preferred Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Interest rate contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Foreign exchange contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Equity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commodity contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Credit contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Other contracts	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Non-U.S. government	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Corporate debt	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Common Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Preferred Stock	Mar. 31, 2013 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Mutual Funds
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis
Bonds available for sale						$ 690,000,000	$ 1,004,000,000							$ 690,000,000	$ 1,004,000,000					$ 244,087,000,000	$ 244,803,000,000											$ 3,496,000,000	$ 3,483,000,000	$ 34,092,000,000	$ 34,681,000,000	$ 24,667,000,000	$ 25,782,000,000	$ 148,857,000,000	$ 149,625,000,000	$ 24,030,000,000	$ 22,730,000,000	$ 5,096,000,000	$ 5,010,000,000	$ 3,849,000,000	$ 3,492,000,000							$ 25,474,000,000	$ 24,152,000,000											$ 1,019,000,000	$ 1,024,000,000	$ 18,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 1,449,000,000	$ 1,487,000,000	$ 12,096,000,000	$ 11,662,000,000	$ 5,315,000,000	$ 5,124,000,000	$ 5,577,000,000	$ 4,841,000,000													$ 270,251,000,000	$ 269,959,000,000															$ 3,496,000,000	$ 3,483,000,000	$ 35,111,000,000	$ 35,705,000,000	$ 25,375,000,000	$ 26,800,000,000	$ 150,306,000,000	$ 151,112,000,000	$ 36,126,000,000	$ 34,392,000,000	$ 10,411,000,000	$ 10,134,000,000	$ 9,426,000,000	$ 8,333,000,000
Bond trading securities, at fair value	23,855,000,000	24,584,000,000				174,000,000	266,000,000					174,000,000	266,000,000							13,333,000,000	14,574,000,000											6,165,000,000	6,528,000,000	183,000,000		2,000,000	2,000,000	1,138,000,000	1,320,000,000	1,239,000,000	1,331,000,000	1,143,000,000	1,424,000,000	3,463,000,000	3,969,000,000							10,348,000,000	9,744,000,000																	730,000,000	396,000,000	776,000,000	812,000,000	8,842,000,000	8,536,000,000													23,855,000,000	24,584,000,000															6,339,000,000	6,794,000,000	183,000,000		2,000,000	2,000,000	1,138,000,000	1,320,000,000	1,969,000,000	1,727,000,000	1,919,000,000	2,236,000,000	12,305,000,000	12,505,000,000
Equity securities available for sale	3,108,000,000	3,212,000,000				2,980,000,000	3,085,000,000									2,899,000,000	3,002,000,000	81,000,000	83,000,000	57,000,000	59,000,000																									1,000,000	3,000,000	33,000,000	34,000,000	23,000,000	22,000,000	71,000,000	68,000,000																							22,000,000	24,000,000	49,000,000	44,000,000									3,108,000,000	3,212,000,000																													2,922,000,000	3,029,000,000	82,000,000	78,000,000	104,000,000	105,000,000
Equity securities trading	696,000,000	662,000,000				614,000,000	578,000,000													82,000,000	84,000,000																																																																			696,000,000	662,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable																				58,000,000	134,000,000																																																																			58,000,000	134,000,000
Other invested assets	7,317,000,000	7,056,000,000				129,000,000	125,000,000													1,721,000,000	1,542,000,000																															5,467,000,000	5,389,000,000																																			7,317,000,000	7,056,000,000
Derivative assets, at fair value	3,290,000,000	3,671,000,000				137,000,000	106,000,000	5,000,000	2,000,000	132,000,000	104,000,000									5,147,000,000	5,832,000,000	4,869,000,000	5,521,000,000	81,000,000	104,000,000	51,000,000	63,000,000	146,000,000	144,000,000																							1,128,000,000	1,109,000,000	961,000,000	956,000,000	69,000,000	54,000,000	1,000,000	1,000,000	59,000,000	60,000,000	38,000,000	38,000,000																	(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(888,000,000)	(909,000,000)	(888,000,000)	(909,000,000)	3,290,000,000	3,671,000,000	5,835,000,000	6,479,000,000	81,000,000	104,000,000	252,000,000	221,000,000	147,000,000	145,000,000	59,000,000	60,000,000	38,000,000	38,000,000	(3,122,000,000)	(3,376,000,000)
Short-term investments, portion measured at fair value	6,412,000,000	8,056,000,000				218,000,000	285,000,000													6,194,000,000	7,771,000,000																																																																			6,412,000,000	8,056,000,000
Separate account assets, at fair value	61,059,000,000	57,337,000,000				58,111,000,000	54,430,000,000													2,948,000,000	2,907,000,000																																																																			61,059,000,000	57,337,000,000
Other assets	694,000,000	696,000,000																		694,000,000	696,000,000																																																																			694,000,000	696,000,000
Fair value assets measured on recurring basis, total						63,053,000,000	59,879,000,000													274,321,000,000	278,402,000,000																															42,488,000,000	40,462,000,000																											(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)			(888,000,000)	(909,000,000)			376,740,000,000	375,367,000,000
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Policyholder contract deposits, portion measured at fair value	1,047,000,000	1,257,000,000																																																		1,047,000,000	1,257,000,000																																			1,047,000,000	1,257,000,000
Derivative liabilities, at fair value	3,711,000,000	4,061,000,000																		5,581,000,000	6,022,000,000	5,190,000,000	5,582,000,000	128,000,000	174,000,000	109,000,000	114,000,000	148,000,000	146,000,000	6,000,000	6,000,000																					2,219,000,000	2,482,000,000	205,000,000	224,000,000	3,000,000	7,000,000			1,834,000,000	2,051,000,000	177,000,000	200,000,000																	(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(1,855,000,000)	(1,976,000,000)	(1,855,000,000)	(1,976,000,000)	3,711,000,000	4,061,000,000	5,395,000,000	5,806,000,000	128,000,000	174,000,000	112,000,000	121,000,000	148,000,000	146,000,000	1,834,000,000	2,051,000,000	183,000,000	206,000,000	(4,089,000,000)	(4,443,000,000)
Long-term debt, portion measured at fair value	7,663,000,000	8,055,000,000																		7,256,000,000	7,711,000,000																															407,000,000	344,000,000																																			7,663,000,000	8,055,000,000
Other liabilities	924,000,000	1,080,000,000				5,000,000	30,000,000													919,000,000	1,050,000,000																																																																			924,000,000	1,080,000,000
Fair value liabilities measured on recurring basis, total						5,000,000	30,000,000													13,756,000,000	14,783,000,000																															3,673,000,000	4,083,000,000																											(2,234,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)			(1,855,000,000)	(1,976,000,000)			13,345,000,000	14,453,000,000
Securities collateral posted for derivative transactions																																																																																				1,700,000,000	1,900,000,000
Securities collateral received not reflected in balance sheet																																																																																				163,000,000	299,000,000
Assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2				93,000,000	239,000,000
Assets transferred from Level 2 to Level 1			$ 0