Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)	6 Months Ended
Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)	Jun. 30, 2012
Basis Of Presentation	ACE Limited is a holding company incorporated in Zurich, Switzerland. ACE Limited, through its various subsidiaries, provides a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products to insureds worldwide. ACE operates through the following business segments: Insurance – North American, Insurance – Overseas General, Global Reinsurance, and Life. Refer to Note 9 for additional information. The interim unaudited consolidated financial statements, which include the accounts of ACE and its subsidiaries (collectively, ACE, we, us, or our), have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting of normally recurring accruals) necessary for a fair statement of the results and financial position for such periods. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The results of operations and cash flows for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results for the full year. These consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our 2011 Form 10-K. Effective January 1, 2012, we retrospectively adopted new accounting guidance for costs associated with acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. Under the new guidance, the definition of acquisition costs was modified to specify that a cost must be directly related to the successful acquisition of a new or renewal insurance contract in order to be deferred. Prior year amounts contained in these consolidated financial statements have been adjusted to reflect the impact of retrospective adjustments as a result of applying this new accounting guidance.
Deferred Policy Acquisition Costs And Value Of Business Acquired (VOBA)	Policy acquisition costs consist of commissions, premium taxes, and certain underwriting costs related directly to the successful acquisition of a new or renewal insurance contract. A VOBA intangible asset is established upon the acquisition of blocks of long duration contracts and represents the present value of estimated net cash flows for the contracts in force at the time of the acquisition. Acquisition costs and VOBA, collectively policy acquisition costs, are deferred and amortized. Policy acquisition costs on property and casualty (P&C) contracts are generally amortized ratably over the period in which premiums are earned. Policy acquisition costs on long duration contracts are amortized over the estimated life of the contracts, generally in proportion to premium revenue recognized. Policy acquisition costs are reviewed to determine if they are recoverable from future income, including investment income. Unrecoverable costs are expensed in the period identified. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred except for direct-response campaigns that meet the criteria of the new guidance, principally related to accident and health (A&H) business produced by the Insurance – Overseas General segment, which are deferred and recognized as a component of policy acquisition costs. For individual direct-response marketing campaigns that we can demonstrate have specifically resulted in incremental sales to customers and such sales have probable future economic benefits, incremental costs directly related to the marketing campaigns are capitalized. Deferred marketing costs are reviewed regularly for recoverability from future income, including investment income, and amortized in proportion to premium revenue recognized, primarily over a ten year period.

Disclosure of accounting policy for capitalizing costs incurred to write or acquire insurance contracts, the basis for and methodology for capitalizing such costs, the accounting for such deferred acquisition costs (DAC) when modifications or internal replacements of related insurance contracts occur and the effect on results of operations, and the methodology and amount of amortization. This disclosure addresses the nature, type, and amount of capitalized costs incurred to write or acquire insurance contracts.

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