Recently Adopted and Recently Issued Accounting Standards (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Recently Adopted and Recently Issued Accounting Standards	Adopted: Effective January 1, 2014, Ambac adopted ASU No. 20131-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. The ASU requires an entity to present an unrecognized tax benefit in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward except when: i) an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available as of the reporting date under the governing tax law to settle taxes that would result from the disallowance of the tax position and ii) the entity does not intend to use the deferred tax asset for this purpose. If either of these conditions exists, an entity should present an unrecognized tax benefit in the financial statements as a liability and should not net the unrecognized tax benefit with a deferred tax asset. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material effect on Ambac’s financial statements. Issued: In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360) - Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. The objective of this ASU is to limit discontinued operations reporting to disposals of components of an entity that represent strategic shifts that have (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. Under current U.S. GAAP, many disposals, some of which may be routine in nature and not a change in an entity's strategy, are reported in discontinued operations. The ASU also requires certain expanded disclosures for discontinued operations and disclosure of the pre-tax profit or loss of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The ASU is effective prospectively for all disposals (or classifications of held for sale) components that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Ambac will adopt the ASU on January 1, 2015. The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a material effect on Ambac's financial statements.

Adopted:

Effective January 1, 2014, Ambac adopted ASU No. 20131-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. The ASU requires an entity to present an unrecognized tax benefit in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward except when: i) an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward is not available as of the reporting date under the governing tax law to settle taxes that would result from the disallowance of the tax position and ii) the entity does not intend to use the deferred tax asset for this purpose. If either of these conditions exists, an entity should present an unrecognized tax benefit in the financial statements as a liability and should not net the unrecognized tax benefit with a deferred tax asset. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material effect on Ambac’s financial statements.

Issued:

In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360) - Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. The objective of this ASU is to limit discontinued operations reporting to disposals of components of an entity that represent strategic shifts that have (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results. Under current U.S. GAAP, many disposals, some of which may be routine in nature and not a change in an entity's strategy, are reported in discontinued operations. The ASU also requires certain expanded disclosures for discontinued operations and disclosure of the pre-tax profit or loss of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The ASU is effective prospectively for all disposals (or classifications of held for sale) components that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014. Ambac will adopt the ASU on January 1, 2015. The adoption of this ASU is not expected to have a material effect on Ambac's financial statements.