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Investment securities (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract] |
Available-for-sale Securities [Table Text Block] | The amortized cost, related unrealized gross gain (loss) and fair value of securities available-for-sale by country risk and type of debt, are as follows:
|  | December 31, 2012 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Unrealized Gross Gain |  |  | Unrealized Gross Loss |  |  | Fair Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 13,581 |  |  |  | 158 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 13,739 |
Colombia |  |  | 986 |  |  |  | 60 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 1,046 |
Chile |  |  | 1,967 |  |  |  | 87 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 2,054 |
Peru |  |  | 530 |  |  |  | 17 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 547 |
|  |  | 17,064 |  |  |  | 322 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 17,386 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 28,783 |  |  |  | 1,965 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 30,748 |
Colombia |  |  | 15,489 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 199 |  |  |  | 15,290 |
Chile |  |  | 1,061 |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 1,062 |
Honduras |  |  | 15,986 |  |  |  | 224 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 16,210 |
Mexico |  |  | 20,553 |  |  |  | 1,779 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 22,332 |
Panama |  |  | 37,845 |  |  |  | 1,828 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 39,673 |
Venezuela |  |  | 39,548 |  |  |  | 801 |  |  |  | 33 |  |  |  | 40,316 |
|  |  | 159,265 |  |  |  | 6,598 |  |  |  | 232 |  |  |  | 165,631 |
Total |  |  | 176,329 |  |  |  | 6,920 |  |  |  | 232 |  |  |  | 183,017 |
|  | December 31, 2011 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Unrealized Gross Gain |  |  | Unrealized Gross Loss |  |  | Fair Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 45,937 |  |  |  | 152 |  |  |  | 2,094 |  |  |  | 43,995 |
Colombia |  |  | 28,169 |  |  |  | 89 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 28,258 |
Peru |  |  | 14,916 |  |  |  | 29 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 14,945 |
|  |  | 89,022 |  |  |  | 270 |  |  |  | 2,094 |  |  |  | 87,198 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 44,541 |  |  |  | 2,401 |  |  |  | 376 |  |  |  | 46,566 |
Colombia |  |  | 59,204 |  |  |  | 1,682 |  |  |  | 230 |  |  |  | 60,656 |
Guatemala |  |  | 5,469 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 19 |  |  |  | 5,450 |
Honduras |  |  | 16,384 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 166 |  |  |  | 16,218 |
Mexico |  |  | 63,094 |  |  |  | 2,456 |  |  |  | 62 |  |  |  | 65,488 |
Panama |  |  | 46,796 |  |  |  | 2,227 |  |  |  | 61 |  |  |  | 48,962 |
Peru |  |  | 25,487 |  |  |  | 602 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 26,089 |
Venezuela |  |  | 59,291 |  |  |  | 577 |  |  |  | 195 |  |  |  | 59,673 |
|  |  | 320,266 |  |  |  | 9,945 |  |  |  | 1,109 |  |  |  | 329,102 |
Total |  |  | 409,288 |  |  |  | 10,215 |  |  |  | 3,203 |  |  |  | 416,300
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value [Table Text Block] | The following table discloses those securities that have had unrealized losses for less than 12 months and for 12 months or longer:
|  | December 31, 2012 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Less than 12 months |  |  | 12 months or longer |  |  | Total |
|  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |  |  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |  |  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |
Sovereign debt |  |  | 10,188 |  |  |  | 79 |  |  |  | 10,009 |  |  |  | 153 |  |  |  | 20,197 |  |  |  | 232 |
|  |  | 10,188 |  |  |  | 79 |  |  |  | 10,009 |  |  |  | 153 |  |  |  | 20,197 |  |  |  | 232 |
|  | December 31, 2011 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Less than 12 months |  |  | 12 months or longer |  |  | Total |
|  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |  |  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |  |  | Fair Value |  |  | Unrealized Gross Losses |
Corporate debt |  |  | 33,366 |  |  |  | 2,094 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 33,366 |  |  |  | 2,094 |
Sovereign debt |  |  | 110,589 |  |  |  | 1,109 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 110,589 |  |  |  | 1,109 |
|  |  | 143,955 |  |  |  | 3,203 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 143,955 |  |  |  | 3,203
Schedule of Realized Gain (Loss) [Table Text Block] | The following table presents the realized gains and losses on sale of securities available-for-sale:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |  |  | 2010 |
Gains |  |  | 6,141 |  |  |  | 3,825 |  |  |  | 2,346 |
Losses |  |  | (111 | ) |  |  | (412 | ) |  |  | - |
Net |  |  | 6,030 |  |  |  | 3,413 |  |  |  | 2,346
Held-to-maturity Securities [Table Text Block] | The amortized cost and fair value of securities available-for-sale by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2012, are shown in the following table:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Fair Value |
Due within 1 year |  |  | 34,574 |  |  |  | 34,815 |
After 1 year but within 5 years |  |  | 133,298 |  |  |  | 139,661 |
After 5 years but within 10 years |  |  | 8,457 |  |  |  | 8,541 |
|  |  | 176,329 |  |  |  | 183,017
Schedule Of Amortizedcost And Fairvalue And Unrealized Gross Gain Of Held To Maturity Securities [Table Text Block] | The amortized cost, related unrealized gross gain (loss) and fair value of securities held-to-maturity by country risk and type of debt are as follows:
|  | December 31, 2012 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Unrealized Gross Gain |  |  | Unrealized Gross Loss |  |  | Fair Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Panama |  |  | 12,660 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 12,660 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Colombia |  |  | 13,011 |  |  |  | 4 |  |  |  | 3 |  |  |  | 13,012 |
Honduras |  |  | 6,442 |  |  |  | 9 |  |  |  | 19 |  |  |  | 6,432 |
Panama |  |  | 2,000 |  |  |  | 45 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 2,045 |
|  |  | 21,453 |  |  |  | 58 |  |  |  | 22 |  |  |  | 21,489 |
Total |  |  | 34,113 |  |  |  | 58 |  |  |  | 22 |  |  |  | 34,149 |
|  | December 31, 2011 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Unrealized Gross Gain |  |  | Unrealized Gross Loss |  |  | Fair Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Panama |  |  | 7,050 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 7,050 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Colombia |  |  | 13,015 |  |  |  | 40 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 13,055 |
Honduras |  |  | 4,471 |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 4,472 |
Panama |  |  | 2,000 |  |  |  | 60 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 2,060 |
|  |  | 19,486 |  |  |  | 101 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 19,587 |
Total |  |  | 26,536 |  |  |  | 101 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 26,637
Schedule Of Amortized Cost Of Securities Held To Maturity [Table Text Block] | The amortized cost and fair value of securities held-to-maturity by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2012, are shown in the following table:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Amortized Cost |  |  | Fair Value |
Due within 1 year |  |  | 18,960 |  |  |  | 19,014 |
After 1 year but within 5 years |  |  | 15,153 |  |  |  | 15,135 |
|  |  | 34,113 |  |  |  | 34,149

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