BORROWINGS (Santander Bank) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified											1 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] 8.750% subordinated debentures, due May 2018 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member] 8.750% subordinated debentures, due May 2018 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] FHLB advances, maturing through August 2018 [Member]		Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member] FHLB advances, maturing through August 2018 [Member]		Feb. 28, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] FHLB advances, maturing through August 2018 [Member] Restructured FHLB Advances [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] Subordinated term loan, due February 2019 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member] Subordinated term loan, due February 2019 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] REIT preferred, due May 2020 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member] REIT preferred, due May 2020 [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Santander Bank [Member] Subordinated term loan, due August 2022 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Santander Bank [Member] Subordinated term loan, due August 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Subordinated debentures, Balance					$ 497,670	$ 497,427
FHLB advances, maturing through August 2018, Balance							9,593,309	[1]	8,952,012	[1]	1,700,000
Subordinated term loan, Balance												145,279	150,273			34,674	35,491
REIT preferred, due May 2020, Balance														152,666	151,918
Total borrowings and other debt obligations	$ 38,213,650	$ 12,376,624	$ 10,423,598	$ 9,787,121
Effective Rate			3.26%	3.87%	8.91%	8.91%	2.74%	[1]	3.36%	[1]		6.00%	6.06%	13.70%	13.83%	7.77%	7.78%
Stated Rate					8.75%		3.43%		5.39%
Debt maturity, extended term											2 years

[1] In February 2014, the Company restructured $1.7 billion of FHLB advances and extended their maturities by two years. The average rate of these borrowings decreased from 5.39% to 3.43% as a result of the restructuring.