LOANS AND ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN AND LEASE LOSSES - COMPOSITION OF LOANS (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Loans disclosures
Total loans	$ 3,710,376	$ 3,810,778
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(42,362)	(32,920)	$ (31,475)	$ (27,491)
Loans, net	3,668,014	3,777,858
Republic Credit Solutions
Loans disclosures
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(14,372)	(4,992)	(5,469)	(1,699)
Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	3,667,669	3,771,831
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(27,990)	(27,928)	(26,006)	(25,792)
Republic Processing Group
Loans disclosures
Total loans	42,707	38,947
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(14,372)	(4,992)
Republic Processing Group | Easy Advances
Loans disclosures
Total loans	10,672
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(7,741)		(3,169)
Republic Processing Group | Republic Credit Solutions
Loans disclosures
Total loans	32,021	32,252
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(6,631)	(4,967)	(2,300)	(1,699)
Residential Real Estate - Owner Occupied | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	969,705	1,000,148
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(7,071)	(7,158)	(8,049)	(8,301)
Residential Real Estate - Owner Occupied - Correspondent | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	141,375	149,028
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(353)	(373)	(607)	(623)
Residential Real Estate - Non Owner Occupied | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	164,742	156,605
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(1,198)	(1,139)	(1,095)	(1,052)
Commercial Real Estate | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	1,049,193	1,060,496
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(7,898)	(8,078)	(7,678)	(7,672)
Construction & land development | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	130,766	119,650
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(2,233)	(1,850)	(1,348)	(1,303)
Commercial & Industrial | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	270,652	259,026
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(1,488)	(1,511)	(1,384)	(1,455)
Commercial & Industrial | Republic Processing Group
Loans disclosures
Total loans	14	6,695
Allowance for loan and lease losses		(25)
Lease Financing Receivables | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	13,853	13,614
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(145)	(136)	(97)	(89)
Warehouse lines of credit | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	495,165	585,439
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(1,238)	(1,464)	(985)	(967)
Home equity lines of credit | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	341,611	341,285
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(3,831)	(3,757)	(3,054)	(2,996)
Consumer: Credit cards | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	14,644	13,414
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(506)	(490)	(466)	(448)
Consumer: Overdrafts | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	786	803
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(641)	(675)	(450)	(351)
Consumer: Automobile loan | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	55,962	52,579
Allowance for loan and lease losses	(563)	(526)	(145)	(56)
Other consumer | Core Banking Activities
Loans disclosures
Total loans	19,215	19,744
Allowance for loan and lease losses	$ (825)	$ (771)	$ (648)	$ (479)