Receivables Held for Sale - Summary of Activity in Receivables Held for Sale (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $) In Billions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012
Receivables Held-for-sale [Abstract]
Valuation allowance	$ 1.5

Loans Receivable Held For Sale Valuation Allowance

No definition available.

Name:	hsbcfc_LoansReceivableHeldForSaleValuationAllowance
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcfc_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant