Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 23, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	MBI
Entity Registrant Name	MBIA INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000814585
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		134,398,145
Entity Well-Known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 882,439,647
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No