Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation and Presentation	Principles of Consolidation and Presentation Prior to April 1, 2015, the Company’s consolidated financial statements included the accounts of SVB Financial Group and entities in which we had a controlling interest. The determination of whether we had controlling interest was based on consolidation principles prescribed by ASC Topic 810 and whether the controlling interest in an entity was a voting interest entity or a variable interest entity (“VIE”). However, during the three months ended June 30, 2015, we early adopted the provisions of ASU 2015-02, Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis (ASU 2015-02), which simplifies consolidation accounting by reducing the number of consolidation models and changing various aspects of current GAAP, including certain consolidation criteria for variable interest entities. The new guidance eliminates the presumption that a general partner of a limited partnership arrangement should consolidate a limited partnership. The amendments to ASC Topic 810 in ASU 2015-02 modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar entities are VIEs or voting entities. With these changes, we determined that the majority of our investments in limited partnership arrangements are VIEs under the new guidance while these entities were typically voting interest entities under the prior guidance. ASU 2015-02 provided a single model for evaluating VIE entities for consolidation. VIEs are entities where investors lack sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or equity investors, as a group, lack one of the following characteristics: (a) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance, (b) the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or (c) the right to receive the expected returns of the entity. We assess VIEs to determine if we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE. A primary beneficiary is defined as a variable interest holder that has a controlling financial interest. A controlling financial interest requires both: (a) power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance, and (b) obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits of a VIE that could potentially be significant to a VIE. Under this analysis, we evaluate kick-out rights and other participating rights which could provide us a controlling financial interest. The primary beneficiary of a VIE is required to consolidate the VIE. ASU 2015-02 also changed how we evaluate fees paid to managers of our limited partnership investments. Under the new guidance, we exclude those fee arrangements that are not deemed to be variable interests from the analysis of our interests in our investments in VIEs and the determination of a primary beneficiary, if any. Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SVB Financial Group and consolidated entities. We consolidate voting entities in which we have control through voting interests. We determine whether we have a controlling financial interest in a VIE by determining if we have the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and whether we have significant variable interests. Generally, we have significant variable interests if our commitments to a limited partnership investment represent a significant amount of the total commitments to the entity. We also evaluate the impact of related parties on our determination of variable interests in our consolidation conclusions. We consolidate VIEs in which we are the primary beneficiary based on a controlling financial interest. If we are not the primary beneficiary of a VIE, we record our pro-rata interests or our cost basis in the VIE, as appropriate, based on other accounting guidance within GAAP. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions with consolidated entities have been eliminated. We have not provided financial or other support during the periods presented to any VIE that we were not previously contractually required to provide.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)), which provides revenue recognition guidance that is intended to create greater consistency with respect to how and when revenue from contracts with customers is shown in the income statement. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2018, either on a full retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted, but not before January 1, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In January 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Topic 825)), which will significantly change the income statement impact of equity investments, and the recognition of changes in fair value of financial liabilities. This guidance will be effective on January 1, 2018, on a prospective basis with a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In February 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842)), which will require for all operating leases the recognition of a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, in the statement of financial position. The lease cost will be allocated over the lease term on a straight-line basis. This guidance will be effective on January 1, 2019, on a modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In March 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-07, Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323)), which eliminates the requirement that when an investment qualifies for use of the equity method due to an increase in level of ownership or influence, an investor must adjust the investment, results of operations, and retained earnings retroactively on a step-by step basis as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods that the investment had been held. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2017, on a prospective basis, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In March 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)), which is intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance by clarifying the following: how an entity should identify the unit of accounting for the principal versus agent evaluation; how the control principle applies to transactions, such as service arrangements; reframes the indicators to focus on a principal rather than an agent, removes the credit risk and commission indicators and clarifies the relationship between the control principle and the indicators; and revises the existing illustrative examples and adds new illustrative examples. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2018, either on a full retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted, but not before January 1, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In March 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Topic 718)), which includes provisions intended to simplify various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. Under the ASU, an entity recognizes all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement in the period when the awards vest or are settled. The guidance also permits an entity to make an accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, but all of the guidance must be adopted in the same period. We plan to adopt the share-based payment guidance in the first quarter of 2017. Currently, we record excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies to APIC at the time of vesting and or settlement, however, upon adoption of this standard, the excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies will be recorded to the income statement as income tax expense or benefit. We do not expect the guidance to have a material impact on our annual earnings; however, the impact will vary period to period depending on the volatility of the Company's stock price and the actual timing of settlement of awards. We would expect the most significant impact to occur during our second quarter as the majority of awards vest during that period. In April 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing), which amends the new revenue recognition guidance on accounting for licenses of intellectual property and identifying performance obligations. The amendments clarify how an entity should evaluate the nature of its promise in granting a license of intellectual property, which will determine whether it recognizes revenue over time or a point in time. The amendments also clarify when a promised good or service is separately identifiable, that is distinct within the context of the contract, and allow entities to disregard items that are immaterial in the context of a contract. The effective date and transition requirements for this update are the same as those of the new standard. This guidance is effective January 1, 2018, on either a full retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted, but not before January 1, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In June 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments- Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments), which amends the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2020, on a modified retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted, but not before January 1, 2020. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial position, results of operation and stockholders’ equity. In August 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard update (ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments), which clarifies the guidance on eight specific cash flow issues. This guidance will be effective January 1, 2018 on a full retrospective approach, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our statement of cash flows.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentations.

Disclosure of accounting policy for consolidation to describe the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest held by the entity requires the variable interest entity to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the variable interest entity; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; and the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities that significantly impact the economic performance of the variable interest entity are shared (as defined).