FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details 3) (USD $)			12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 AIA Group Limited (AIA)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 1 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 1 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 2 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 2 Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Level 3 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Level 3 Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Counterparty Netting Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Cash Collateral Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Interest rate contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Foreign exchange contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Equity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commodity contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Credit contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Other contracts	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Counterparty netting and cash collateral	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value U.S. government and government sponsored entities	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Obligations of states, municipalities and political subdivisions	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Non-U.S. government	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Corporate debt	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Collateralized Debt Obligations/Asset Backed Securities (CDO/ABS)	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Common Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Preferred Stock	Dec. 31, 2012 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Mutual Funds	Dec. 31, 2011 Recurring Basis Total Fair Value Mutual Funds
FAIR VALUE, ASSETS AND LIABILITIES MEASURED ON A RECURRING BASIS
Reference rate for variable interest rate			LIBOR
Percentage of securities for which market prices were provided			59.00%
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis
Bonds available for sale						$ 1,004,000,000	$ 433,000,000								$ 174,000,000	$ 1,004,000,000	$ 259,000,000					$ 244,803,000,000	$ 241,592,000,000												$ 3,483,000,000	$ 5,904,000,000	$ 34,681,000,000	$ 36,538,000,000	$ 25,782,000,000	$ 25,467,000,000	$ 149,625,000,000	$ 142,883,000,000	$ 22,730,000,000	$ 23,727,000,000	$ 5,010,000,000	$ 3,991,000,000	$ 3,492,000,000	$ 3,082,000,000							$ 24,152,000,000	$ 21,956,000,000												$ 1,024,000,000	$ 960,000,000	$ 14,000,000	$ 9,000,000	$ 1,487,000,000	$ 1,935,000,000	$ 11,662,000,000	$ 10,877,000,000	$ 5,124,000,000	$ 3,955,000,000	$ 4,841,000,000	$ 4,220,000,000													$ 269,959,000,000	$ 263,981,000,000															$ 3,483,000,000	$ 6,078,000,000	$ 35,705,000,000	$ 37,498,000,000	$ 26,800,000,000	$ 25,735,000,000	$ 151,112,000,000	$ 144,818,000,000	$ 34,392,000,000	$ 34,604,000,000	$ 10,134,000,000	$ 7,946,000,000	$ 8,333,000,000	$ 7,302,000,000
Bond trading securities, at fair value	24,584,000,000	24,364,000,000				266,000,000	100,000,000							266,000,000	100,000,000							14,574,000,000	14,968,000,000												6,528,000,000	6,362,000,000		257,000,000	2,000,000	35,000,000	1,320,000,000	809,000,000	1,331,000,000	1,345,000,000	1,424,000,000	1,283,000,000	3,969,000,000	4,877,000,000							9,744,000,000	9,296,000,000																	7,000,000	396,000,000	303,000,000	812,000,000	554,000,000	8,536,000,000	8,432,000,000													24,584,000,000	24,364,000,000															6,794,000,000	6,462,000,000		257,000,000	2,000,000	35,000,000	1,320,000,000	816,000,000	1,727,000,000	1,648,000,000	2,236,000,000	1,837,000,000	12,505,000,000	13,309,000,000
Equity securities available for sale	3,212,000,000	3,624,000,000				3,085,000,000	3,349,000,000											3,002,000,000	3,294,000,000	83,000,000	55,000,000	59,000,000	119,000,000																										3,000,000	70,000,000	34,000,000	44,000,000	22,000,000	5,000,000	68,000,000	156,000,000																								24,000,000	57,000,000	44,000,000	99,000,000									3,212,000,000	3,624,000,000																													3,029,000,000	3,421,000,000	78,000,000	143,000,000	105,000,000	60,000,000
Equity securities trading	662,000,000	125,000,000				578,000,000	43,000,000															84,000,000	82,000,000																																																																					662,000,000	125,000,000
Mortgage and other loans receivable																						134,000,000	106,000,000																																	1,000,000																																				134,000,000	107,000,000
Other invested assets	7,056,000,000	20,876,000,000				125,000,000	12,549,000,000	12,400,000,000														1,542,000,000	1,709,000,000																																5,389,000,000	6,618,000,000																																				7,056,000,000	20,876,000,000
Derivative assets, at fair value	3,671,000,000	4,499,000,000				106,000,000	123,000,000		2,000,000	2,000,000	104,000,000	92,000,000	29,000,000									5,832,000,000	8,123,000,000	5,521,000,000	7,251,000,000	104,000,000	143,000,000	63,000,000	133,000,000	144,000,000	134,000,000			462,000,000																					1,109,000,000	1,414,000,000	956,000,000	1,033,000,000	2,000,000	54,000,000	38,000,000	1,000,000	2,000,000	60,000,000	89,000,000	38,000,000	250,000,000																	(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)	(909,000,000)	(1,501,000,000)	(909,000,000)	(1,501,000,000)	3,671,000,000	4,499,000,000	6,479,000,000	8,286,000,000	104,000,000	145,000,000	221,000,000	263,000,000	145,000,000	136,000,000	60,000,000	89,000,000	38,000,000	741,000,000	(3,376,000,000)	(5,161,000,000)
Short-term investments, portion measured at fair value	8,056,000,000	5,913,000,000				285,000,000	2,309,000,000															7,771,000,000	3,604,000,000																																																																					8,056,000,000	5,913,000,000
Separate account assets, at fair value	57,337,000,000	51,388,000,000				54,430,000,000	48,502,000,000															2,907,000,000	2,886,000,000																																																																					57,337,000,000	51,388,000,000
Other assets	696,000,000	0																				696,000,000																																																																						696,000,000
Fair value assets measured on recurring basis, total						59,879,000,000	67,408,000,000															278,402,000,000	273,189,000,000																																40,462,000,000	39,441,000,000																												(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)			(909,000,000)	(1,501,000,000)			375,367,000,000	374,877,000,000
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis
Policyholder contract deposits, portion measured at fair value	1,257,000,000	918,000,000																																																					1,257,000,000	918,000,000																																				1,257,000,000	918,000,000
Derivative liabilities, at fair value	4,061,000,000	4,733,000,000																				6,022,000,000	7,342,000,000	5,582,000,000	6,661,000,000	174,000,000	178,000,000	114,000,000	198,000,000	146,000,000	146,000,000	4,000,000	6,000,000	155,000,000																					2,482,000,000	3,837,000,000	224,000,000	248,000,000		7,000,000	10,000,000			2,051,000,000	3,362,000,000	200,000,000	217,000,000																	(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)	(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)	(1,976,000,000)	(2,786,000,000)	(1,976,000,000)	(2,786,000,000)	4,061,000,000	4,733,000,000	5,806,000,000	6,909,000,000	174,000,000	178,000,000	121,000,000	208,000,000	146,000,000	146,000,000	2,051,000,000	3,366,000,000	206,000,000	372,000,000	(4,443,000,000)	(6,446,000,000)
Long-term debt, portion measured at fair value	8,055,000,000	10,766,000,000																				7,711,000,000	10,258,000,000																																344,000,000	508,000,000																																				8,055,000,000	10,766,000,000
Other liabilities	1,080,000,000	907,000,000				30,000,000	193,000,000															1,050,000,000	714,000,000																																																																					1,080,000,000	907,000,000
Fair value liabilities measured on recurring basis, total						30,000,000	193,000,000															14,783,000,000	18,314,000,000																																4,083,000,000	5,263,000,000																												(2,467,000,000)	(3,660,000,000)			(1,976,000,000)	(2,786,000,000)			14,453,000,000	17,324,000,000
Securities collateral posted for derivative transactions																																																																																								1,900,000,000	1,800,000,000
Securities collateral received not reflected in balance sheet																																																																																								299,000,000	100,000,000
Fair value derivative liability on AIGFP super senior credit default swap portfolio included in Level 3 unrealized loss on swaps, options and forward transactions																																																							2,000,000,000	3,200,000,000
Assets transferred from Level 1 to Level 2				$ 888,000,000	$ 464,000,000