Fair Value Option - Summary of Fair Value and Unpaid Principal Balance (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Loans Receivable [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Commercial loans held for sale, Fair Value	$ 471	$ 725
Commercial loans held for sale, Unpaid Principal Balance	483	728
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	(12)	(3)
Securities purchased under resale agreements [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	0	3
Securities purchased under resale agreements, Fair Value	80	770
Securities purchased under resale agreements Unpaid Principal Balance	80	767
Securities sold under repurchase agreements [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	1	2
Securities sold under repurchase agreements, Fair Value	2,032	2,672
Securities sold under repurchase agreements, Unpaid Principal Balance	2,031	2,670
Long-term debt [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	480	262
Fixed rate long-term debt, Fair Value	2,230	2,012
Fixed rate long-term debt, Unpaid Principal Balance	1,750	1,750
Long-term debt [Member] \| Structured Notes [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	1,126	305
Hybrid instruments, Unpaid Principal Balance	9,530	8,067
Hybrid instruments, structured notes, Fair Value	10,656	8,372
Structured Deposits [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Fair value over (under) unpaid principal balance	8	(355)
Hybrid instruments, structured deposits, Fair Value	7,693	7,526
Hybrid instruments, Unpaid Principal Balance	$ 7,685	$ 7,881

Fair Value Over (Under) Unpaid Principal Balance

No definition available.

Name:	hsbcusa_FairValueOverUnderUnpaidPrincipalBalance
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fixed-rate debt accounted for under fair value option.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_FixedRateDebtAccountedForUnderFairValueOption
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Securities Purchased under Agreements to Resell, Fair Value Option

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_SecuritiesPurchasedunderAgreementstoResellFairValueOption
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Unpaid Principal Balance Commercial Syndicated Loans Held For Sale Carried at Fair Value

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_UnpaidPrincipalBalanceCommercialSyndicatedLoansHeldForSaleCarriedatFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Unpaid principal balance on fixed-rate debt accounted for under FVO.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_UnpaidPrincipalBalanceOnFixedRateDebtAccountedForUnderFvoFairValueOption
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Unpaid Principal Balance On Hybrid Instruments at Fair Value Option

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_UnpaidPrincipalBalanceOnHybridInstrumentsatFairValueOption
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Unpaid Principal Balance, Repurchase Agreements

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_UnpaidPrincipalBalanceRepurchaseAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Unpaid Principal Balance, Resale Agreements

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	hsbcusa_UnpaidPrincipalBalanceResaleAgreements
Namespace Prefix:	hsbcusa_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value portion of deposit liabilities held by the entity, including, but not limited to, foreign and domestic, interest and noninterest bearing, demand deposits, saving deposits, negotiable orders of withdrawal (NOW) and time deposits.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DepositsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueOptionQuantitativeDisclosuresLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value portion of loans held-for-sale including, but not limited to, mortgage loans and finance receivables.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LoansHeldForSaleFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The fair value amount of long-term debt whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongTermDebtFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

This element represents the portion of the balance sheet assertion valued at fair value by the entity whether such amount is presented as a separate caption or as a parenthetical disclosure. Additionally, this element may be used in connection with the fair value disclosures required in the footnote disclosures to the financial statements. The element may be used in both the balance sheet and disclosure in the same submission. This item represents the amount of short-term debt existing as of the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShorttermDebtFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_LoansReceivableMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=hsbcusa_SecuritiesBorrowedorPurchasedunderAgreementstoResellMember
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Data Type:	na
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_SecuritiesLoanedOrSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseMember
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_BorrowingsMember
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Data Type:	na
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=hsbcusa_StructuredNoteMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
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- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_DepositsMember
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