Contingencies - Activity With Respect to Claims and Contingencies (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Schedule of Claims and Contingencies [Line Items]
Claims and contingencies, Balance at beginning of period		$ 125,880	$ 126,978
Payments on Behalf of Borrowers		(1,832)	(1,855)
Elimination of intercompany transactions	[1]	42,545	985
Additional accruals	[2]	0	(46,114)
Claims and contingencies, Balance at end of period		129,515	38,648
Payments, net	[3]	(1,158)	(203)
2009 RSA [Member]
Schedule of Claims and Contingencies [Line Items]
Claims and contingencies, Balance at beginning of period		116,923
Additional accruals		0	3,803
Claims and contingencies, Balance at end of period		115,930	31,832
Other claims and contingencies [Member]
Schedule of Claims and Contingencies [Line Items]
Claims and contingencies, Balance at beginning of period		8,957
Additional accruals		8,764	4,313
Claims and contingencies, Balance at end of period		13,585	6,816
Payments, net	[4]	(3,971)	(2,743)
PEAKS Program Guarantee [Member]
Schedule of Claims and Contingencies [Line Items]
Payments, net		(40,713)	(516)
2007 RSA [Member]
Schedule of Claims and Contingencies [Line Items]
Payments, net		$ 0	$ (46,000)

[1] We consolidated the PEAKS Trust in our consolidated financial statements as of February 28, 2013 and, as a result, we eliminated from our consolidated financial statements the amount of payments under the PEAKS Guarantee and Payments on Behalf of Borrowers that we made following the Consolidation. See Note 7 - Variable Interest Entities, for a further discussion of the Consolidation.

[2] As a result of the Consolidation, in the three months ended March 31, 2013, we eliminated from our consolidated financial statements the contingent liability related to the PEAKS Guarantee that we had previously recorded.

[3] Consists of payments, net of recoveries, under the 2009 RSA.

[4] Consists of payments for legal and other contingencies, net of recoveries from charged-off loans made under the 2009 Loan Program that were owed, but had not been remitted, to us.