Impact on the results of operations of transactions between the Corporation and PRLP 2011 Holdings, LLC (Detail) (Interest Income Member, Prlp2011 Holdings Llc Joint Venture [Member], USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012
100%
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction Revenues From Transactions With Related Party	$ 785
75.1% majority interest
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction Revenues From Transactions With Related Party	590
Popular's 24.9% (elimination interest)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Related Party Transaction Revenues From Transactions With Related Party	$ 195