VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES (Schedule of Carrying Value of Assets and Liabilities of Consolidated VIEs) (Details) RSO (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2011	Mar. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Apidos CDO I Ltd. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Apidos CDO III Ltd. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Apidos Cinco CDO Ltd [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Apidos CLO VIII Ltd. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Whitney CLO I, Ltd. [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Funding CDO 2006-1 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Funding CDO 2007-1 [Member]
ASSETS
Restricted cash					$ 90,108,000	$ 138,120,000	$ 90,108,000	$ 30,799,000	$ 12,956,000	$ 22,669,000	$ 11,027,000	$ 11,800,000	$ 20,000	$ 837,000
Investment securities available-for-sale, pledged as collateral, at fair value					135,566,000	89,045,000	135,566,000	8,333,000	6,902,000	11,316,000	501,000	33,700,000	10,796,000	64,018,000
Loans, pledged as collateral					1,678,719,000	1,730,950,000	1,678,719,000	177,385,000	209,561,000	306,196,000	329,467,000	146,106,000	226,716,000	283,288,000
Loans held for sale					14,894,000	3,154,000	14,894,000	2,671,000	2,770,000	3,657,000	5,796,000	0	0	0
Interest receivable					5,986,000	6,003,000	5,986,000	(12,000)	720,000	1,050,000	737,000	404,000	1,153,000	1,934,000
Prepaid assets					328,000	212,000	328,000	50,000	25,000	30,000	69,000	18,000	78,000	58,000
Principal receivable					25,570,000	0	25,570,000	0	0	0	0	0	6,320,000	19,250,000
Other assets					333,000	24,000	333,000	0	0	0	0	0	63,000	270,000
Total assets of consolidated VIE - RSO	727,000	944,000			1,951,504,000	1,970,488,000	1,951,504,000	219,226,000	232,934,000	344,918,000	347,597,000	192,028,000	245,146,000	369,655,000
LIABILITIES
Borrowings					1,614,882,000	1,689,638,000	1,614,882,000	202,968,000	221,304,000	320,550,000	320,998,000	177,415,000	145,664,000	225,983,000
Accrued interest expense					2,666,000	2,943,000	2,666,000	380,000	94,000	343,000	1,427,000	266,000	50,000	106,000
Derivatives, at fair value					14,078,000	12,000,000	14,078,000	0	0	0	0	0	1,939,000	12,139,000
Accounts payable and other liabilities					698,000	442,000	698,000	142,000	16,000	30,000	395,000	92,000	22,000	1,000
Total liabilities of consolidated VIE - RSO	189,000	300,000	1,962,603,000	1,751,483,000	1,632,324,000	1,705,023,000	1,632,324,000	203,490,000	221,414,000	320,923,000	322,820,000	177,773,000	147,675,000	238,229,000
Restricted cash available for reinvestment in certain of the CDOs							$ 27,500,000