Goodwill and other intangible assets - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014 Segment, Discontinued Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment, Discontinued Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Segment, Discontinued Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment, Discontinued Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Segment, Continuing Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment, Continuing Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Segment, Continuing Operations [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Segment, Continuing Operations [Member]	Jul. 31, 2014 Banco Popular North America [Member]	Jul. 31, 2014 Banco Popular De Puerto Rico [Member]	Jul. 31, 2013 Banco Popular De Puerto Rico [Member]
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Line Items]
Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets			$ 6,000,000		$ 6,000,000
Amortization Of Intangible Assets			7,351,000	7,403,000						2,026,000	1,990,000	6,077,000	5,969,000
Cashflow Value Discount Rates Low End Of Range	12.15%
Cashflow Value Discount Rates High End Of Range	16.83%
Percentage Of Goodwill	96.00%
Approximate Amount														208,000,000	337,000,000	387,000,000
Goodwill Written Off Related To Business Unit To Be Disposed		$ 186,500,000				$ 0	$ 0	$ 186,511,000	$ 0