Related Party Transactions - Related Party Balances and Income and (Expense) Generated by Related Party Transactions (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Assets:
Cash		$ 124	$ 157
Interest bearing deposits with banks		0	2,000
Securities purchased under agreements to resell		2,724	3,863
Other assets		1,017	1,109
Total assets		24,145	31,960
Liabilities
Due to affiliates		5,925	6,945
Other liabilities		1,773	1,091
Total liabilities		17,510	24,837
Income/(Expense):
Servicing and other fees from HSBC affiliates		20	28	$ 26
Support services from HSBC affiliates		(224)	(271)	(281)
HSBC affiliates [Member]
Assets:
Cash		124	157
Interest bearing deposits with banks		0	2,000
Securities purchased under agreements to resell	[1]	2,724	3,863
Other assets		128	102
Total assets		2,976	6,122
Liabilities
Due to affiliates	[2]	5,925	6,945
Other liabilities		62	84
Total liabilities		5,987	7,029
Income/(Expense):
Interest income from HSBC affiliates		6	6	5
Interest expense paid to HSBC affiliates	[3]	(302)	(307)	(474)
Net interest income (loss)		(296)	(301)	(469)
Servicing and other fees from HSBC affiliates		20	28	26
Support services from HSBC affiliates		(224)	(271)	(281)
Stock based compensation expense with HSBC	[4]	(4)	(5)	(4)
HSBC affiliates [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Income/(Expense):
Gain (loss) on FVO debt with affiliate		$ 17	$ (16)	$ 18

[1] Securities under an agreement to resell are purchased from HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. and generally have terms of 120 days or less. The collateral underlying the securities purchased under agreements to resell, however, is with an unaffiliated third party. Interest income recognized on these securities is reflected as interest income from HSBC affiliate in the table below.

[2] Due to affiliates includes amounts owed to HSBC and its subsidiaries as a result of direct debt issuances and excludes preferred stock.

[3] Includes interest expense paid to HSBC affiliates for debt held by HSBC affiliates as well as net interest paid to or received from HSBC affiliates on risk management hedges related to non-affiliated debt.

[4] Certain employees participate in one or more stock compensation plans sponsored by HSBC. These expenses are included in Salary and employee benefits in our consolidated statement of income (loss). Certain employees also participate in a defined benefit pension plan and other postretirement benefit plans sponsored by HSBC North America which are discussed in Note 16, “Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits.”