RSO BORROWINGS (Schedule of Debt) (Details) (Resource Capital Corp [Member], USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	$ 1,649,840	$ 1,785,600
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	1.66%	1.62%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	11 years 11 months	12 years 6 months
Value of Collateral	1,969,704	2,089,296
RREF CDO 2006-1 Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	116,220	145,664
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	1.64%	1.42%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	33 years 5 months	33 years 7 months
Value of Collateral	200,401	295,759
RREF CDO 2007-1 Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	199,233	225,983
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	0.83%	0.81%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	33 years 6 months	33 years 9 months
Value of Collateral	344,963	292,980
Apidos CDO I Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	174,493	202,969
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	1.14%	1.07%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	4 years 4 months	4 years 7 months
Value of Collateral	189,304	217,745
Apidos CDO III Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	193,248	221,304
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	0.80%	0.80%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	7 years 2 months	7 years 6 months
Value of Collateral	204,281	232,655
Apidos Cinco CDO Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	320,699	320,550
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	0.80%	0.82%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	7 years 1 month	7 years 5 months
Value of Collateral	345,983	344,105
Apidos CLO VIII Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	301,606	300,951
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	2.13%	2.16%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	8 years 7 months	8 years 9 months
Value of Collateral	353,860	351,014
Apidos CLO VIII Securitized Borrowings [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	19,576	20,047
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	15.27%	15.27%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	8 years 7 months	8 years 9 months
Value of Collateral	0	0
Whitney CLO I Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	144,190	171,555
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	1.85%	1.82%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	3 years 11 months	4 years 2 months
Value of Collateral	164,267	191,704
Whitney CLO I Securitized Borrowings [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	5,749	5,860
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	9.09%	9.50%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	3 years 11 months	4 years 2 months
Value of Collateral	0	0
Unsecured Junior Subordinated Debentures [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	50,861	50,814
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	4.24%	4.26%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	23 years 5 months	23 years 8 months
Value of Collateral	0	0
Repurchase Agreements [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	110,365	106,303
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	2.19%	2.28%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	18 days	18 days
Value of Collateral	148,545	145,234
Mortgage Payable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding Borrowings	13,600	13,600
Weighted Average Borrowing Rate	4.15%	4.17%
Weighted Average Remaining Maturity	5 years 4 months	5 years 7 months
Value of Collateral	$ 18,100	$ 18,100