Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities (Details 3) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	$ 1,132	$ 1,486	$ 2,186	$ 1,469	$ 2,186
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	11	4		13	36
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	(14)	(20)		(18)	(12)
Transfers into Level 3	34	23		51	32
Transfers out of Level 3	(24)	(20)		(318)	(177)
Sold in LBL disposition					(347)
Purchases	117	151		242
Sales	(43)	(27)		(143)	(337)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	298
Settlements	(43)	(58)		(126)	(140)
Balance at end of period	1,170	1,539		1,170	1,539
Fair Value Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation
Balance at the beginning of the period	(315)	(331)	(553)	(323)	(553)
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	19	9		24	12
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sold in LBL disposition					(230)
Purchases/ Issues		0			(17)
Sales	0	0		0	0
Issues	0			(1)
Settlements	1	1		5	7
Balance at the end of the period	(295)	(321)		(295)	(321)
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Total realized and unrealized gains (losses) included in net income, recurring Level 3 assets and liabilities	30	13		37	48
Other investments: Free-standing derivatives	1	3		1	3
Free-standing derivatives, liabilities	9	9		9	9
Realized capital gains and losses
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	8			4	29
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)	(3)	(3)		(6)	(3)
Net investment income
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	3	4		9	10
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)	2	2		13	6
Interest credited to contractholder funds
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	27			32	5
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)	27	5		32	5
Life and annuity contract benefits
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)	(8)	4		(8)	8
Discontinued Operations [Member]
Fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis, gain (loss) included in earnings
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss)					(4)
Collateralized Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Sold in LBL disposition			4
Fixed income securities
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	995	1,471	1,697	1,387	1,697
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	14	4		14	13
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	(11)	(20)		(19)	1
Transfers into Level 3	34	23		51	28
Transfers out of Level 3	(24)	(20)		(318)	(175)
Sold in LBL disposition					4
Purchases	74	87		149
Sales	(43)	(27)		(143)	(166)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	189
Settlements	(43)	(57)		(125)	(130)
Balance at end of period	996	1,461		996	1,461
U.S. government and agencies
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	5	6	7	6	7
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0	0		0	0
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sales	0	0		0	0
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	0
Settlements	0	0		(1)	(1)
Balance at end of period	5	6		5	6
Municipal
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	215	302	343	270	343
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	3	0		5	(4)
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	(7)		(4)	4
Transfers into Level 3	3	0		3	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		(2)	(17)
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	0	5		0
Sales	(32)	(15)		(81)	(41)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	6
Settlements	0	5		(2)	(1)
Balance at end of period	189	290		189	290
Corporate
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	626	965	1,109	891	1,109
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	11	4		11	17
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	(10)	(14)		(16)	(4)
Transfers into Level 3	0	23		5	23
Transfers out of Level 3	(24)	0		(232)	(37)
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	10	24		70
Sales	(11)	(12)		(57)	(123)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	56
Settlements	(2)	(54)		(72)	(105)
Balance at end of period	600	936		600	936
Asset-backed securities (“ABS”)
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	120	142	192	196	192
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0	1		(2)	1
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	(1)	1		1	1
Transfers into Level 3	31	0		43	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	(20)		(84)	(121)
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	60	55		70
Sales	0	0		(5)	0
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	119
Settlements	(28)	(5)		(37)	(18)
Balance at end of period	182	174		182	174
Residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”)
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	1	1	2	1	2
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0	0		0	0
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sales	0	0		0	0
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	0
Settlements	0	0		0	(1)
Balance at end of period	1	1		1	1
Commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”)
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	28	55	43	23	43
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0	(1)		0	(1)
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	5
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					4
Purchases	4	3		9
Sales	0	0		0	(1)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	8
Settlements	(13)	(3)		(13)	(4)
Balance at end of period	19	54		19	54
Redeemable preferred stock
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period			1		1
Total gains (losses) included in: net income					0
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI					0
Transfers into Level 3					0
Transfers out of Level 3					0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Sales					(1)
Purchases/Issues					0
Settlements					0
Balance at end of period		0			0
Equity securities
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	108	19	132	83	132
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	(2)	0		(1)	22
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	(3)	0		1	(15)
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	38	64		58
Sales	0	0		0	(123)
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	67
Settlements	0	0		0	0
Balance at end of period	141	83		141	83
Short-term investments
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	35		0	5	0
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0			0	0
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0			0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0			0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0			0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	5			35
Sales	0			0	(40)
Purchases/Issues	0			0	40
Settlements	0			0	0
Balance at end of period	40	0		40	0
Free-standing derivatives, net
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	(7)	(5)	(5)	(7)	(5)
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	(1)	0		0	1
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sales	0	0		0	0
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	2
Settlements	0	(1)		(1)	(4)
Balance at end of period	(8)	(6)		(8)	(6)
Other assets
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period	1	1	0	1	0
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	0	0		0	1
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sales	0	0		0	0
Purchases/Issues	0	0		0	0
Settlements	0	0		0	0
Balance at end of period	1	1		1	1
Assets held for sale
Fair Value Assets Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation Rollforward
Balance at beginning of period			362		362
Total gains (losses) included in: net income					(1)
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI					2
Transfers into Level 3					4
Transfers out of Level 3					(2)
Sold in LBL disposition			(4)		(351)
Sales					(8)
Purchases/Issues					0
Settlements					(6)
Balance at end of period		0			0
Derivatives embedded in life and annuity contracts
Fair Value Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation
Balance at the beginning of the period	(315)	(331)	(307)	(323)	(307)
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	19	9		24	(5)
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI	0	0		0	0
Transfers into Level 3	0	0		0	0
Transfers out of Level 3	0	0		0	0
Purchases	0	0		0
Sold in LBL disposition					0
Purchases/ Issues		0			(13)
Sales	0	0		0	0
Issues	0			(1)
Settlements	1	1		5	4
Balance at the end of the period	(295)	(321)		(295)	(321)
Liabilities held for sale
Fair Value Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis Unobservable Input Reconciliation Calculation
Balance at the beginning of the period			$ (246)		(246)
Total gains (losses) included in: net income	$ 0	0		$ 0	17
Total gains (losses) included in: OCI					0
Transfers into Level 3					0
Transfers out of Level 3					0
Sold in LBL disposition					(230)
Purchases/ Issues					(4)
Sales					0
Settlements					3
Balance at the end of the period		$ 0			$ 0