Insurance Regulatory Restrictions Additional Details (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Average Annual Rate Of Return	7.63%	8.06%
Prescribed Discount Rate Percentage	5.10%
Quarterly Dividend Increase Limitation Percentage	15.00%
Percentage Of Policy Holders Surplus	10.00%
Minimum [Member]
Settlement Agreement Annual Restricted Payment Amount	$ 5,000
Maximum [Member]
Settlement Agreement Annual Restricted Payment Amount		$ 7,500
Ambac Assurance [Member]
Statutory Accounting Practices, Statutory Capital and Surplus, Balance	976,477	624,795
Ambac Assurance [Member] \| Prescribed Or Permitted Additional Accounting Practices [Member]
Statutory Accounting Practices, Prescribed Practice, Amount	$ 17,290	$ 21,260

Average Annual Rate Of Return

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- Definition

Percentage Of Policy Holders Surplus

+ References

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- Definition

Discount rate percentage for the purpose of discounting statutory loss reserves and estimated impairment losses on subsidiary guarantees prescribed the regulator.

+ References

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- Definition

No quarterly dividend may exceed the dividend paid in the corresponding quarter by more than this percentage without notification to the regulator.

+ References

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- Definition

Settlement Agreement Annual Restricted Payment Amount

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- Definition

Amount as of the balance sheet date of each item listed to reconcile the differences resulting from applying state prescribed statutory accounting practices rather than statutory accounting practices prescribed by National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 505
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24746-158529

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- Definition

The amount of statutory capital and surplus (stockholders' equity) as of the balance sheet date using prescribed or permitted statutory accounting practices (rather than GAAP, if different) of the state or country.

+ 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 210.7-03.23(c))
-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 944
-SubTopic 505
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24708-158529

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher SEC
-Name Regulation S-X (SX)
-Number 210
-Section 03
-Paragraph 24
-Subparagraph c
-Article 7

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