SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details 7) (USD $)					1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Jul. 02, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009	Jan. 31, 2010 Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets entity	Dec. 31, 2010 Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities	Jan. 02, 2010 Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities Transition Method - Fair Value Option	Jan. 02, 2010 Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities Transition Method - Carrying Value	Jan. 02, 2010 Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities Total	Jul. 02, 2010 Accounting for Embedded Credit Derivatives	Jan. 02, 2010 Increases (decreases) from previously reported amounts Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities
Recent Accounting Standards
After-tax decrease in AIG shareholders' equity						$ (106,000,000)
Increase in assets and liabilities as a result of consolidating two previously unconsolidated QSPEs					1,300,000,000
Number of entities consolidated					2
Assets:
Reclassification of synthetic securities from Bonds available for sale	(263,981,000,000)	(228,302,000,000)	256,000,000
Bond trading securities, at fair value	24,364,000,000	26,182,000,000					1,239,000,000	1,262,000,000	2,501,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable	19,489,000,000	20,237,000,000						1,980,000,000	1,980,000,000
Other invested assets	40,744,000,000	42,210,000,000						480,000,000	480,000,000
Deferred policy acquisition costs	14,026,000,000	14,668,000,000		40,814,000,000
Other asset accounts							194,000,000	150,000,000	344,000,000
Assets held for sale		107,453,000,000					4,630,000,000		4,630,000,000
Total Assets							6,063,000,000	3,872,000,000	9,935,000,000
Liabilities:
FRBNY commercial paper funding facility		20,985,000,000					1,088,000,000		1,088,000,000
Other long-term debt	75,253,000,000	85,476,000,000						1,533,000,000	1,533,000,000
Other liability accounts							1,000,000	31,000,000	32,000,000
Liabilities held for sale		97,312,000,000					4,525,000,000		4,525,000,000
Total Liabilities							5,614,000,000	1,564,000,000	7,178,000,000
Change in accounting
Assets	555,773,000,000	683,443,000,000		847,585,000,000							8,200,000,000
Liabilities	441,444,000,000	569,770,000,000									7,100,000,000
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest	96,000,000	434,000,000									1,100,000,000
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)	14,332,000,000	(3,466,000,000)								68,000,000	200,000,000
Accumulated other comprehensive income	5,008,000,000	7,624,000,000								(68,000,000)	(300,000,000)
Other noncontrolling interests.	855,000,000	27,920,000,000									100,000,000
Total liabilities and equity	$ 555,773,000,000.0	$ 683,443,000,000									$ 8,200,000,000