Consolidated Statement of Income - USD ($)		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Interest and fees on loans		$ 35,019,000	$ 29,439,000
Interest and dividends on investment securities		470,000	566,000
Medallion lease income		53,000	38,000
Total interest income	[1]	35,542,000	30,043,000
Interest on deposits		5,941,000	4,921,000
Interest on short-term borrowings		564,000	982,000
Interest on long-term debt		2,495,000	1,819,000
Total interest expense	[2]	9,000,000	7,722,000
Net interest income		26,542,000	22,321,000
Provision for loan losses		16,541,000	13,343,000
Net interest income after provision for loan losses		10,001,000	8,978,000
Other income (loss)
Sponsorship and race winnings		2,573,000	3,179,000
Write-down of loan collateral in process of foreclosure		(6,286,000)	(2,119,000)
Impairment of equity investments		(3,510,000)
Gain on the extinguishment of debt			4,145,000
Other income		243,000	1,658,000
Total other income (loss), net		(6,980,000)	6,863,000
Other expenses
Salaries and employee benefits		6,933,000	5,341,000
Professional fees		3,589,000	1,636,000
Race team related expenses		2,130,000	1,998,000
Loan servicing fees		1,612,000	1,194,000
Collection costs		1,229,000	638,000
Rent expense		697,000	600,000
Regulatory fees		365,000	447,000
Amortization of intangible assets		361,000	361,000
Travel, meals, and entertainment		208,000	265,000
Other expenses		2,147,000	2,222,000
Total other expenses		19,271,000	14,702,000
Income (loss) before income taxes		(16,250,000)	1,139,000
Income tax benefit		3,249,000	256,000
Net income (loss) after taxes		(13,001,000)	1,395,000
Less: income attributable to the non-controlling interest		642,000	167,000
Total net income (loss) attributable to Medallion Financial Corp.		$ (13,643,000)	$ 1,228,000
Basic net income (loss) per share		$ (0.56)	$ 0.05
Diluted net income (loss) per share		$ (0.56)	$ 0.05
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Basic		24,401,773	24,288,263
Diluted		24,401,773	24,616,890

[1] Included in interest and investment income is $293 and $237 of paid-in-kind interest for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019.

[2] Average borrowings outstanding were $1,164,483 and $1,067,075, and the related average borrowing costs were 3.11% and 2.93%, for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019.