Junior Subordinated Debentures (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Junior Subordinated Debenture Owed to Unconsolidated Subsidiary Trust	$ 106,363	$ 106,363
Junior subordinated debentures, Maturities, Repayments of Principal after Year Five	106,363	106,363
Boston Private Capital Trust II [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Junior Subordinated Debenture Owed to Unconsolidated Subsidiary Trust	103,093	103,093
Boston Private Capital Trust I [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Junior Subordinated Debenture Owed to Unconsolidated Subsidiary Trust	$ 3,270	$ 3,270

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.

No definition available.

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- Definition

Including the current and noncurrent portions, the carrying value of junior subordinated long-term debt owed to unconsolidated subsidiary trusts as of the balance sheet date. Such debt places a lender in a lien position behind debt having a higher priority of repayment in liquidation of the entity's assets and was initially scheduled to be repaid after one year or beyond the normal operating cycle if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.16)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.16)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

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- Definition

Amount of long-term debt payable, sinking fund requirements, and other securities issued that are redeemable by holder at fixed or determinable prices and dates maturing after the fifth fiscal year following the latest fiscal year. Excludes interim and annual periods when interim periods are reported on a rolling approach, from latest balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6802200&loc=d3e1835-112601

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (SX 210.12-04.(a))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e24072-122690

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