Legal and Regulatory Proceedings - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2008	Dec. 31, 2011 Trust Preferred Securities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Visa Litigation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Visa Litigation [Member]	Dec. 31, 2007 Visa Litigation [Member]
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]
Remaining litigation reserve				$ 243,000,000
Visa Indemnification Charges				199,000,000
Reserves for litigation				30,000,000	49,000,000	3,000,000
Number of putative securities class action complaints		5
Number of cases that have been consolidated		5
Number of additional lawsuit filed		2
Number of alleging violations of ERISA that were dismissed		2
Debt Instruments Redemption Price			$ 25.18
Total amount of compensation payments	1,000,000
amount in excess of amounts reserved	$ 68,000,000