DERIVATIVES AND HEDGE ACCOUNTING (Details 4) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Credit derivatives:
Obligation to make payments on embedded credit derivatives	$ 0
Fair value of hybrid securities	6,600,000,000
Current par value of hybrid securities	14,600,000,000
Credit Risk-Related Contingent Features
Credit derivatives:
Collateral posted	3,900,000,000
Aggregate fair value of net liability position	3,600,000,000
Additional collateral requirements, one-notch downgrade	90,000,000
Further additional collateral requirements, one-notch downgrade	228,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives
Credit derivatives:
Credit derivative transactions hedging credit risk	65,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	15,397,000,000		15,873,000,000
Foreign exchange rate gains	222,000,000
Amortization	190,000,000
Terminations	59,000,000
Fair Value of Derivative (Asset) Liability	1,759,000,000		1,970,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives	171,000,000	140,000,000
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives from change in credit valuation	(2,000,000)	(26,000,000)
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Regulatory Capital
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	23,000,000		97,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives		6,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Regulatory Capital | Prime residential mortgages
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	23,000,000		97,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Regulatory Capital | Prime residential mortgages | Maximum
Credit derivatives:
Derivative weighted average maturity	1 year
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Regulatory Capital | Other
Credit derivatives:
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives		6,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Arbitrage
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	15,374,000,000		15,776,000,000
Fair Value of Derivative (Asset) Liability	1,759,000,000		1,970,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives	171,000,000	143,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Arbitrage | Multi-sector CDOs
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	3,743,000,000		3,944,000,000
Fair Value of Derivative (Asset) Liability	1,715,000,000		1,910,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives	155,000,000	126,000,000
Additional amount paid for CDS terminated during period	40,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (losses) on AIGFP super senior credit default swap portfolio	(40,000,000)
Notional amount of CDS with cash settlement provisions	3,300,000,000		3,400,000,000
Derivative weighted average maturity	6 years
Collateral posted	1,400,000,000		1,600,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Arbitrage | Corporate debt
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	11,631,000,000		11,832,000,000
Fair Value of Derivative (Asset) Liability	44,000,000		60,000,000
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives	16,000,000	17,000,000
Notional amount of CDS written on super senior tranches of CLOs	1,100,000,000		1,200,000,000
Derivative weighted average maturity	3 years
Collateral posted	398,000,000		420,000,000
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Super Senior CDS | Mezzanine Tranches
Credit derivatives:
Unrealized market valuation gain (loss) on credit derivatives		(9,000,000)
Global Capital Markets (GCM) derivatives | Written single name CDS
Credit derivatives:
Notional amount of credit risk derivatives	399,000,000
Notional amount of CDS purchased offsets	50,000,000
Derivative weighted average maturity	4 years
Notional amount of single name CDS maximum exposure	349,000,000
Fair value of derivative liability	44,000,000
Collateral posted	$ 59,000,000