Derivative Instruments (Schedule Of Total Fair Value Of Company's Derivative Assets And Liabilities By Instrument And Balance Sheet Location) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2011		Dec. 31, 2010
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Designated as hedging instruments	$ 241		$ 414
Total Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	87,616		137,642
Derivative Assets, Designated	10	[1]	16	[1]
Derivative assets, Not designated	542	[1]	753	[1]
Derivative assets, Total derivatives	552	[1]	769	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Designated	(44)	[1]	(43)	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(6,064)	[1]	(6,755)	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Total derivatives	(6,108)	[1]	(6,798)	[1]
Notional Amount Outstanding, Total derivatives	87,857		138,056
Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Designated as hedging instruments	241		394
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	2,706		3,480
Currency Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Designated as hedging instruments			20
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	62		47
Currency Swaps -VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	123		137
Insured Credit Default Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	66,851		99,331
Insured Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	7,156		10,537
Non-Insured Credit Default Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	30		35
Non-Insured Credit Default Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	1,272		3,973
Interest Rate Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	4,878		14,054
Interest Rate Swaps-Embedded [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	480		493
Interest Rate Swaps-Embedded-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments			100
All Others [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	3,465		4,644
All Other-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	472		592
All Other-Embedded [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Instruments, Not designated as hedging instruments	121		219
Derivative liabilities, Not designated			(9)	[1]
Derivative Assets [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative Assets, Designated	10	[1]	16	[1]
Derivative assets, Not designated	84	[1]	46	[1]
Derivative Assets [Member] | Non-Insured Credit Default Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets, Not designated	1	[1]	3	[1]
Derivative Liabilities [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Designated	(44)	[1]	(41)	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(401)	[1]	(255)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities [Member] | Currency Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Designated			(2)	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(4)	[1]	(4)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities [Member] | Insured Credit Default Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(4,708)	[1]	(4,325)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities [Member] | Insured Swaps [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(9)	[1]	(11)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities [Member] | All Others [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(91)	[1]	(40)	[1]
Derivative Assets VIE [Member] | Non-Insured Credit Default Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets, Not designated	447	[1]	687	[1]
Derivative Assets VIE [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets, Not designated			2	[1]
Derivative Assets VIE [Member] | All Other-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets, Not designated	3	[1]	10	[1]
Derivative Liabilities VIE [Member] | Currency Swaps -VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(17)	[1]	(14)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities VIE [Member] | Non-Insured Credit Default Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(527)	[1]	(1,455)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities VIE [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(281)	[1]	(634)	[1]
Medium-Term Notes [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps-Embedded [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative assets, Not designated	7	[1]	5	[1]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	(14)	[1]	(7)	[1]
Other Liabilities VIE [Member] | Interest Rate Swaps-Embedded-VIE [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated			(1)	[1]
Derivative Liabilities Other Investments [Member] | All Other-Embedded [Member]
Derivative [Line Items]
Derivative liabilities, Not designated	$ (12)	[1]

[1] In accordance with the accounting guidance for derivative instruments and hedging activities, the balance sheet location of the Company's embedded derivative instruments is determined by the location of the related host contract.