RSO VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended					3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] credit	Mar. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Preferred Shares - Series B [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member] Entity	Oct. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Whitney CLO I, Ltd. [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member] Entity	Mar. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member] Whitney CLO I, Ltd. [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Position	Dec. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc	Jan. 18, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Preferred Shares - Series A [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Preferred Shares - Series A [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Preferred Shares - Series B [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Preferred Shares - Series B [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Series D Preferred Stock [Member]	Jan. 18, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Series A-1 Preferred Stock [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF Commercial Capital Inc Series E Preferred Stock [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT II [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member] Entity	Feb. 28, 2011 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member] Entity	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Dec. 01, 2009 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Minimum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Maximum [Member]	Jun. 19, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member] Property	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Harvard CLO VII Limited [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 VIE, Primary Beneficiary [Member]	May 31, 2013 Subsequent Event [Member] Resource Capital Corp [Member] Whitney CLO I, Ltd. [Member]	Jul. 31, 2013 Subsequent Event [Member] Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Subsequent Event [Member] Resource Capital Corp [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Harvard CLO VII Limited [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Subsequent Event [Member] Whitney CLO I Senior Notes [Member] Resource Capital Corp [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Number of consolidated VIEs										7
Number of VIEs for which persons of power are considered a related party group										6
Number of credits supported in VIEs				2
Financial support provided to VIEs										$ 0	$ 156,000																						$ 102,000	$ 233,000
Shares received in equity method transaction (in shares)																		31,341	4,872		2,364	3,682	3,323
Preferred stock, coupon authorized (in hundredths)							8.00%													8.00%
Equity contribution to VIE																	3,700,000						3,300,000																			2,000,000	2,000,000					15,000,000
Ownership percentage in VIE														26.70%	27.50%										100.00%	100.00%												7.50%			34.40%			9.52%
Variable interest entity, number of board positions held by the company															2
Variable interest entity, total number of board positions															6
Investments in unconsolidated entities				48,419,000		45,413,000									36,400,000	33,100,000								1,500,000									1,700,000		2,300,000				550,000,000	526,000,000
Percentage of total value of trusts owned																									3.00%	3.00%
Borrowings				1,649,840,000		1,785,600,000																			25,800,000	25,800,000																			1,649,840,000	1,785,600,000
Bank loan assets under management																												1,900,000,000
Number of CLOs held by purchased entity								5																				4
Acquisition																												22,500,000				2,100,000
Intangible assets				12,660,000		13,192,000																							12,600,000		13,100,000
Fee income				1,410,000	1,610,000																								1,400,000	1,900,000
Number of Collateralized Loan Obligations Liquidated																											1
Preferred equity acquired			66.60%						66.60%			66.60%
Ownership interests in variable interest entities (in hundredths)									66.60%				68.30%																																		68.30%
Repayments of debt																																																		103,700,000
Required contribution to joint venture, as a percentage of the total funding required for each asset acquisition on a monthly basis																																				3.00%	5.00%
Number of condominium developments																																						2
Equity in losses of unconsolidated subsidiaries	1,261,000	(329,000)		(425,000)	1,071,000																												113,000	1,100,000					24,000
Threshold for determination of capital call, aggregate capital contributions (exceeds $500 million)																																							500,000,000.0
VIE, purchase of subordinated notes																																																	$ 5,300,000