VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Relationship with LEAF Financial) (Details) RSO (USD $)	12 Months Ended				0 Months Ended				3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended				0 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member]	Jan. 11, 2013 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Feb. 15, 2012 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Sep. 03, 2011 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Mar. 05, 2010 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Jun. 03, 2011 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Mar. 05, 2011 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] Lease Equity Appreciation Fund II [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Series B Preferred Stock [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 LEAF [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 LEAF [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] RSO [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series A Preferred Stock [Member] RSO [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series B Preferred Stock [Member] RSO [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series D Preferred Stock [Member] RSO [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, maximum borrowing capacity								$ 8,000,000
Credit facility funded								8,000,000
Line of credit facility, term (in years)										1 year
Line of credit facility, interest rate during period (in hundredths)									10.00%	12.00%
Origination fee with establishment of line of credit facility (in hundredths)								1.00%
Line of credit facility, extension fee percentage (in hundredths)					1.00%	1.00%	1.00%
Line of credit facility, amount outstanding											6,800,000	7,800,000
Shares received in equity method transaction (in shares)																		31,341	4,872	2,364
Preferred stock, coupon authorized (in hundredths)													8.00%			8.00%
Ownership percentage in VIE																26.70%
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities	3,439,000	10,377,000	(2,709,000)	112,000										3,300,000	0
Investments in unconsolidated entities			$ 45,413,000	$ 47,899,000												$ 33,100,000	$ 36,300,000