VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES (Details) RSO (USD $)	12 Months Ended				1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended				12 Months Ended					0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended								1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jan. 31, 2013	May 31, 2013 RSO [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] credit	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Maximum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Management, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate Management, LLC [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Series B Preferred Stock [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member] Entity	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Entity	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RSO [Member]	May 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Oct. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Life Care Funding, LLC [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Position	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] LEAF Funding 3 [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series A Preferred Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series A1 Preferred Stock [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series B Preferred Stock [Member]	Nov. 16, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series D Preferred Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] LEAF [Member] Series E Preferred Stock [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I and RCT II [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT I [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Interest in RCT II [Member]	Feb. 28, 2011 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Investment in RCAM [Member] Entity	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 01, 2009 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Minimum [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] Maximum [Member]	Jun. 19, 2012 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Varde Investment Partners, LP [Member] Property	Jul. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] CVC Global Credit Opportunities Fund, LP [Member]	Sep. 10, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Harvest CLO VII Limited [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 RSO [Member] Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] Harvest CLO VII Limited [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Whitney CLO I Senior Notes [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Whitney CLO I Senior Notes [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] RSO [Member]	Dec. 01, 2009 RRE VIP Borrower, LLC [Member] RSO [Member] Resource Real Estate [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Number of consolidated VIEs																							8
Number of VIEs for which persons of power are considered a related party group																							7
Number Of Credits Supported In VIEs							2
Financial support provided to VIEs																							$ 166,000	$ 156,000	$ 710,000																		$ 160,000	$ 591,000
Shares received in equity method transaction (in shares)																																		31,341	3,682	4,872	2,364	4,445
Preferred stock, coupon authorized (in hundredths)																8.00%
Ownership percentage in VIE					68.30%																									26.70%	27.50%								100.00%									7.50%			9.50%	9.50%
Asset management fees percentage																																																										1.00%
Management Fees Related Party							14,220,000	18,512,000	11,022,000		28,000	45,000	55,000	38,000	39,000
Investments in unconsolidated entities							74,438,000	45,413,000													674,000	526,000							1,500,000	36,300,000	41,000,000	33,100,000							1,500,000				0	2,300,000	2,100,000					16,200,000					0	2,300,000
Payments to Acquire Equity Method Investments																												2,000,000							3,700,000			4,400,000											15,000,000
Variable interest entity, number of board positions held by the company																															2
Variable interest entity, total number of board positions																															6
Value of equity of variable interest entity, threshold for obligation to contribute cash to VIE, less than																																	18,700,000
Percentage of total value of trusts owned																																								3.00%	3.00%
Borrowings							1,320,015,000	1,785,600,000																																25,800,000	25,800,000
Bank loan assets under management																	1,900,000,000
Number of CLOs held by purchased entity																	5																									4
Acquisition																	22,500,000
Intangible assets							11,822,000	13,192,000										11,200,000	13,100,000
Fee income							6,075,000	7,068,000	7,789,000									5,300,000	7,000,000	7,800,000
Preferred equity acquired						66.60%																				68.30%	66.60%
Repayments of debt																																																					103,700,000	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%
Equity in earnings (losses) of unconsolidated entities	5,389,000	4,083,000	9,507,000				949,000	(2,709,000)	112,000												148,000	(135,000)							(470,000)																					1,200,000					278,000	683,000	112,000
Number of condominium developments																																																2
Ownership percentage				10.00%						15.00%																																								34.40%
Variable Interest Entity, Purchase of Investment in Subordinated Notes																																																				$ 5,300,000