Note Popular, Inc. (Holding company only) financial information (Statement of Condition) (Parenthetical) (Detail) - Popular, Inc. Holding Co. - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Assets
Cash and due from bank subsidiary	$ 47,614	$ 24,124
Common securities from statutory trusts	8,725	8,725
Other assets due from subsidiaries and affiliate	936	1,667
Other liabilities due to subsidiaries and affiliate	$ 2,574	$ 1,133

For banks and other depository institutions: Includes cash on hand (currency and coin), cash items in process of collection, noninterest bearing deposits due from other financial institutions (including corporate credit unions), and noninterest bearing balances with the Federal Reserve Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks and central banks.

No definition available.

Name:	bpop_CashDueFromBankSubsidiary
Namespace Prefix:	bpop_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant