Allowance for loan losses at period end on loans modified into multiple notes through a loan split

No definition available.

Name:	bpop_AllowanceLoansModifiedLoanSplit
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Additional Enhancements to the allowance for loan losses methodology

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_ChangeAllowanceForLoanLossesAdditionalEnhancements
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Change Allowance For Loan Losses Increased Look Back Period For Determining Recent Loss Trend Adjustment For Consumer And Mortgage Loans.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_ChangeAllowanceForLoanLossesIncreasedLookBackPeriodForDeterminingRecentLossTrendAdjustmentForConsumerAndMortgageLoans
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Charge-offs included in recoded investment at loan splitting of loans restructured into multiple notes durign the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_ChargeOffsIncludedRecordedInvestmentLoanSplit
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Credit Cards modified in a TDR are primarily comprised of loans where monthly payments are lowered to accomodate the borrowers'financial needs for a period of time in months

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_CreditCardTDRModificationTimePeriod
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Historical loss period used to compute the base net loss rate in the determination for the general reserves of the allowance for loan losses.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_HistoricalLossPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Loan count that were restructured into multiple notes (Note A/B Split).

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_LoanNoteAbSplit
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The net impact of the revisions in the allowance methodology.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_NetImpactRevisions
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Recent loss trend adjustment replaces the base loss rate, when these trends are higher than the respective base loss rates, up to a determined cap. The objective of this adjustment is to include information about recent increases in loss rates in a timely and prudent manner.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_RecentLossTrendAdjustment
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Percentage of the ALLL for our loan portfolios that utilized the recent loss trend adjustment instead of the base loss.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_RecentLossTrendAdjustmentPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Recoded investment at loan splitting of loans restructured into multiple notes durign the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_RecordedInvestmentLoanSplit
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Recoded investment at period end of loans restructured into multiple notes durign the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	bpop_RecordedInvestmentPeriodEnd
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableModificationsLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The amount of the outstanding recorded investment related to financing receivables that have been modified by troubled debt restructurings.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 310

-SubTopic 40

-Section 50

-Paragraph 4

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25495931&loc=d3e18845-111554

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableModificationsRecordedInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Reflects the unfunded portion of contractual agreements to lend funds to borrowers for loans whose terms have been modified by troubled debt restructuring.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 310

-SubTopic 40

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=25495931&loc=d3e18794-111554

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoansAndLeasesReceivableImpairedCommitmentToLend
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=bpop_BancoPopularNorthAmericaMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bpop_BankingAgenciesAxis=bpop_CoveredUnderLossSharingAgreementsWithFDICMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	bpop_BankingAgenciesAxis=bpop_NonCoveredLoansMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis=bpop_BancoPopularDePuertoRicoMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=us-gaap_CommercialRealEstateConstructionFinancingReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=us-gaap_CommercialPortfolioSegmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=bpop_MortgageConsumerPortfoliosMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AccountsNotesLoansAndFinancingReceivableByReceivableTypeAxis=bpop_CommercialConstructionPortfoliosMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancingReceivableTroubledDebtRestructuringAxis=us-gaap_LoansReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Allowance for loan losses - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) loans	Jun. 30, 2014 USD ($) loans	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Credit Card T D R Modification Time Period		24
Recorded Investment Loan Split		$ 3,300,000	$ 1,000,000
Charge Offs Included Recorded Investment Loan Split		747,000	0
Recorded Investment Period End		2,900,000	1,100,000
Allowance Loans Modified Loan Split		307,000	$ 0
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Increased Look Back Period For Determining Recent Loss Trend Adjustment For Consumer And Mortgage Loans		19,600,000
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Additional Enhancements		$ 21,400,000
Historical Loss Period	36-months	60-months
Recent Loss Trend Adjustment		12-months
Loan Note Ab Split \| loans		8	1
Banco Popular North America [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Recent Loss Trend Adjustment Percentage		19.00%	23.00%
Covered Under Loss Sharing Agreements With F D I C [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		$ 4,718,000		$ 15,015,000
Non Covered Loans [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		1,156,560,000		1,107,602,000
Net Impact Revisions		1,900,000
Non Covered Loans [Member] \| Banco Popular De Puerto Rico [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Increased Look Back Period For Determining Recent Loss Trend Adjustment For Consumer And Mortgage Loans		17,900,000
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Additional Enhancements		$ 20,500,000
Recent Loss Trend Adjustment Percentage		32.00%	28.00%
Non Covered Loans [Member] \| Banco Popular North America [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Increased Look Back Period For Determining Recent Loss Trend Adjustment For Consumer And Mortgage Loans		$ 1,700,000
Change Allowance For Loan Losses Additional Enhancements		1,000,000
Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member \| Covered Under Loss Sharing Agreements With F D I C [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		0		2,419,000
Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member \| Non Covered Loans [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		5,298,000		5,941,000
Commercial Portfolio Segment Member \| Covered Under Loss Sharing Agreements With F D I C [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		0		4,946,000
Commercial Portfolio Segment Member \| Non Covered Loans [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Financing Receivable Modifications Recorded Investment		$ 300,295,000		303,449,000
Mortgage Consumer Portfolios [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Historical Loss Period		18-months
Commercial Construction Portfolios [Member]
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Historical Loss Period		5-year
Loan \| Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Loans And Leases Receivable Impaired Commitment To Lend		$ 1,000,000		1,000,000
Loan \| Commercial Portfolio Segment Member
Financing Receivable, Modifications [Line Items]
Loans And Leases Receivable Impaired Commitment To Lend		$ 2,000,000		$ 5,000,000