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Income Taxes - Narrative (Detail) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Provision for income taxes $ 52,725,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ 45,388,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit $ 51,754,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit  
Effective tax rate (percent) 34.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 37.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 39.70%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations  
Net benefit for state taxes rate (percent) 2.90%ecpg_BenefitForStateTaxes 2.00%ecpg_BenefitForStateTaxes 2.30%ecpg_BenefitForStateTaxes  
Provision for state taxes rate (percent) 8.20%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes 5.80%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes 6.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes  
Net benefit (percent) (6.40%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherReconcilingItemsPercent (1.20%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherReconcilingItemsPercent 0.20%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherReconcilingItemsPercent  
Federal income tax rate (percent) 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate 35.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate  
Undistributed earnings 46,300,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries      
Unrecognized tax benefit 38,425,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 71,273,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 1,784,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 1,230,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Unrecognized tax benefits, including penalties and interest   83,000,000ecpg_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncludingPenaltiesandInterest 2,600,000ecpg_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncludingPenaltiesandInterest  
Net tax benefit from unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized 12,700,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 13,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 1,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate  
Increase (decrease) in gross unrecognized tax benefit 34,400,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsPeriodIncreaseDecrease      
Unrecognized tax benefits, income tax penalties and interest expense 7,500,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 1,300,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense    
Foreign Subsidiaries [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Net operating loss carry forward 65,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ecpg_ForeignSubsidiaryMember
     
Domestic Subsidiaries [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Net operating loss carry forward 1,600,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= ecpg_DomesticSubsidiaryMember
     
Settlement with Taxing Authority [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Provision for income taxes 6,600,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit
/ us-gaap_ReasonablyPossibleSignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsByItemAxis
= us-gaap_SettlementWithTaxingAuthorityMember
     
AACC Merger [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Unrecognized tax benefits, including penalties and interest 44,400,000ecpg_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncludingPenaltiesandInterest
/ us-gaap_BusinessCombinationSeparatelyRecognizedTransactionsAxis
= ecpg_AaccMergerMember
     
Other Business Combinations [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Increase in gross unrecognized tax benefit, resulting from business combination $ 30,300,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromAcquisition
/ us-gaap_BusinessCombinationSeparatelyRecognizedTransactionsAxis
= ecpg_OtherBusinessCombinationsMember
     
Tax Holiday Through December 31, 2018 [Member] | Costa Rica [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Holiday tax rate 100.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxHolidays
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= ecpg_TaxHolidayThroughDecemberThirtyFirstAndTwoThousandEighteenMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_CR
     
Subsequent Four Years [Member] | Costa Rica [Member]        
Income Taxes [Line Items]        
Holiday tax rate 50.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxHolidays
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= ecpg_SubsequentFourYearsFromDecemberThirtyFirstAndTwoThousandEighteenMember
/ us-gaap_StatementGeographicalAxis
= country_CR
     
Income tax holiday, term 4 years