T D R that subsequently defaulted (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012 loans	Sep. 30, 2011 loans	Sep. 30, 2012 loans	Sep. 30, 2011 loans
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	588	455	1,059	893
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	$ 35,855	$ 36,333	$ 101,771	$ 81,903
Commercial Multi Family [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	0	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	143	0	143
Commercial Real Estate Non Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	3	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	710	3,832	710
Commercial Real Estate Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	7	4	20	5
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	3,274	1,736	8,206	4,986
Commercial And Industrial Loans [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	5	16	15	17
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	2,310	8,060	7,202	8,422
Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	0	5
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	5,740	0	14,224
Mortgages
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	206	127	548	297
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	27,116	17,523	78,122	44,892
Legacy [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	9	0	26	6
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	163	0	440	3,817
Finance Leases Portfolio Segment Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	17	0	32
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	209	0	623
Consumer Credit Card Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	282	137	332	308
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	2,413	1,117	2,930	3,066
Home Equity Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
Personal [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	77	150	111	217
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	547	1,094	990	986
Consumer Loans Auto Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	2	0	3	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	32	0	48	5
Consumer Other Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	1	3
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	1	1	29
PUERTO RICO
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	585	442	1,052	864
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	35,519	22,610	99,421	55,961
PUERTO RICO | Commercial Multi Family [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	0	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	143	0	143
PUERTO RICO | Commercial Real Estate Non Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	2	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	710	1,897	710
PUERTO RICO | Commercial Real Estate Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	7	4	20	5
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	3,274	1,736	8,206	4,986
PUERTO RICO | Commercial And Industrial Loans [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	5	15	15	15
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	2,310	1,568	7,202	1,568
PUERTO RICO | Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	889
PUERTO RICO | Mortgages
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	203	116	542	280
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	26,780	16,032	77,707	42,956
PUERTO RICO | Finance Leases Portfolio Segment Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	9	17	26	32
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	163	209	440	623
PUERTO RICO | Consumer Credit Card Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	282	137	332	308
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	2,413	1,117	2,930	3,066
PUERTO RICO | Home Equity Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
PUERTO RICO | Personal [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	77	150	111	217
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	547	1,094	990	986
PUERTO RICO | Consumer Loans Auto Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	2	0	3	1
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	32	0	48	5
PUERTO RICO | Consumer Other Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	1	3
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	1	1	29
UNITED STATES
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	3	13	7	29
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	336	13,723	2,350	25,942
UNITED STATES | Commercial Multi Family [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Commercial Real Estate Non Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	1	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	1,935	0
UNITED STATES | Commercial Real Estate Owner Occupied [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Commercial And Industrial Loans [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	0	2
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	6,492	0	6,854
UNITED STATES | Commercial Real Estate Construction Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	1	0	4
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	5,740	0	13,335
UNITED STATES | Mortgages
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	3	11	6	17
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	336	1,491	415	1,936
UNITED STATES | Legacy [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	6
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	3,817
UNITED STATES | Consumer Credit Card Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Home Equity Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Personal [Member]
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Consumer Loans Auto Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	0	0	0	0
UNITED STATES | Consumer Other Financing Receivable Member
Troubled Debt Restructuring, Debtor, Current Period [Line Items]
Modifications Number of Contracts that Default	0	0	0	0
Financing Receivable Modifications That Defaulted	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0