Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Guarantees and Other Commitments - Total Capital Commitments, Unfunded Capital Commitments, and Our Ownership in Each Fund (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	$ 436,465
SVB Strategic Investors Fund, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	2,250
SVB Strategic Investors Fund II, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	6,409
SVB Strategic Investors Fund III, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	20,214
SVB Strategic Investors Fund IV, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	54,430
Strategic Investors Fund V Funds
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	202,688
Strategic Investors Fund VI Funds
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	130,846
SVB Capital Preferred Return Fund, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	9,075
SVB Capital—NT Growth Partners, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	10,310
Other private equity fund
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	243
Parent Company
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	505,483
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	57,023
Parent Company | Silicon Valley BancVentures, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	6,000
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	270
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	10.70%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Capital Partners II, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	1,200	[2]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	162	[2]
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	5.10%	[1],[2]
Parent Company | SVB Capital Shanghai Yangpu Venture Capital Fund
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	933
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	161
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	6.80%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Strategic Investors Fund, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	15,300
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	688
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	12.60%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Strategic Investors Fund II, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	15,000
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	1,050
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	8.60%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Strategic Investors Fund III, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	15,000
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	1,688
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	5.90%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Strategic Investors Fund IV, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	12,239
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	3,060
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	5.00%	[1]
Parent Company | Strategic Investors Fund V Funds
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	515
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	305
Parent Company | Strategic Investors Fund VI Funds
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	500
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	477
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	0.20%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Capital Preferred Return Fund, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	12,688
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	0
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	20.00%	[1]
Parent Company | SVB Capital—NT Growth Partners, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	24,670
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	1,340
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	33.00%	[1]
Parent Company | Other private equity fund
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	9,338	[3]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	0	[3]
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	58.20%	[1],[3]
Parent Company | Partners for Growth, LP
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	25,000
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	9,750
SVBFG Ownership of each Fund (4)	50.00%	[1]
Parent Company | Debt funds (equity method accounting)
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	65,437
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	4,950
Parent Company | Other fund investments
Venture Capital and Private Equity Fund Investments [Line Items]
SVBFG Capital Commitments	301,663	[4]
SVBFG Unfunded Commitments	$ 33,122	[4]

[1] We are subject to the Volcker Rule, which restricts or limits our sponsorship of and ownership of interests in “covered” funds including venture capital and private equity funds. For funds that we sponsor, the Volcker Rule limits the amount of our investment to 3% of the fund, and our aggregate investments in all such funds must not exceed 3% of our Tier 1 capital. The current deadline to conform to these limits is July 21, 2015. The time period to divest an investment that is not permitted by the final rule may be extended by the Federal Reserve Board for up to two one-year general extensions, and one additional extension up to five additional years for investments in funds that are considered illiquid. We intend to seek the maximum extensions available to us. However, there is no guarantee that the Federal Reserve Board will grant any of these extensions. See “Business - Supervision and Regulation” under Item 1 of Part I of our 2013 Form 10-K.

[2] Our ownership includes direct ownership of 1.3 percent and indirect ownership interest of 3.8 percent through our investment in SVB Strategic Investors Fund II, LP.

[3] Our ownership includes direct ownership of 41.5 percent and indirect ownership interests of 12.6 percent and 4.1 percent in the fund through our ownership interest of SVB Capital - NT Growth Partners, LP and SVB Capital Preferred Return Fund, LP, respectively.

[4] Represents commitments to 287 funds (primarily venture capital funds) where our ownership interest is generally less than 5 percent of the voting interests of each such fund.