XML 130 R41.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.6

Allowance for credit losses (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2012
Receivables [Abstract] |
Allowance for Credit Losses on Financing Receivables [Table Text Block] |
| a) Allowance for loan losses:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, 2012 |
|  | Corporations |  |  | Banking and financial institutions |  |  | Middle- market companies |  |  | Sovereign |  |  | Total |
Balance at beginning of the year |  |  | 48,865 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 88,547 |
Provision (reversal of provision) for loan losses (1) |  |  | (8,887 | ) |  |  | (1,704 | ) |  |  | 1,690 |  |  |  | 558 |  |  |  | (8,343 | )
Loan recoveries and other |  |  | - |  |  |  | 17 |  |  |  | 245 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 262 |
Loans written-off against the allowance for loan losses |  |  | (7,490 | ) |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | (7,490 | )
Balance at end of the year |  |  | 32,488 |  |  |  | 28,836 |  |  |  | 10,887 |  |  |  | 765 |  |  |  | 72,976 |
Components: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  |  | 32,488 |  |  |  | 28,836 |  |  |  | 10,887 |  |  |  | 765 |  |  |  | 72,976 |
Specific allowance |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |
Total allowance for loan losses |  |  | 32,488 |  |  |  | 28,836 |  |  |  | 10,887 |  |  |  | 765 |  |  |  | 72,976 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, 2011 |  |  | Year ended December 31, 2010 |
|  | Corporations |  |  | Banking and financial institutions |  |  | Middle- market companies |  |  | Sovereign |  |  | Total |  |  |  |
Balance at beginning of the year |  |  | 54,160 |  |  |  | 18,790 |  |  |  | 5,265 |  |  |  | 400 |  |  |  | 78,615 |  |  |  | 73,789 |
Provision (reversal of provision) for loan losses (1) |  |  | (5,295 | ) |  |  | 10,017 |  |  |  | 4,312 |  |  |  | (193 | ) |  |  | 8,841 |  |  |  | 9,091 |
Loan recoveries and other |  |  | - |  |  |  | 1,716 |  |  |  | 440 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 2,156 |  |  |  | 996 |
Loans written-off against the allowance for loan losses |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | (1,065 | ) |  |  | - |  |  |  | (1,065 | ) |  |  | (5,261 | )
Balance at end of the year |  |  | 48,865 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 88,547 |  |  |  | 78,615 |
Components: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  |  | 34,065 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 73,747 |  |  |  | 67,115 |
Specific allowance |  |  | 14,800 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 14,800 |  |  |  | 11,500 |
Total allowance for loan losses |  |  | 48,865 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 88,547 |  |  |  | 78,615 |
(1) It includes releases of specific reserves for $7,931 thousand during 2012, $1,600 thousand during 2011, and $1,031 thousand during 2010.
Disclosure Related To Loan Balances and Reserves For Loan Losses [Table Text Block] | Following is a summary of loan balances and reserves for loan losses:
(In thousands of US$) |  | December 31, 2012 |
|  | Corporations |  |  | Banking and financial institutions |  |  | Middle- market companies |  |  | Sovereign |  |  | Total |
Allowance for loan losses |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  |  | 32,488 |  |  |  | 28,836 |  |  |  | 10,887 |  |  |  | 765 |  |  |  | 72,976 |
Specific allowance |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |
Total of allowance for loan losses |  |  | 32,488 |  |  |  | 28,836 |  |  |  | 10,887 |  |  |  | 765 |  |  |  | 72,976 |
Loans |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans with generic allowance |  |  | 2,741,251 |  |  |  | 2,192,023 |  |  |  | 681,912 |  |  |  | 100,370 |  |  |  | 5,715,556 |
Loans with specific allowance |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |
Total loans |  |  | 2,741,251 |  |  |  | 2,192,023 |  |  |  | 681,912 |  |  |  | 100,370 |  |  |  | 5,715,556 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | December 31, 2011 |
|  | Corporations |  |  | Banking and financial institutions |  |  | Middle- market companies |  |  | Sovereign |  |  | Total |
Allowance for loan losses |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  |  | 34,065 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 73,747 |
Specific allowance |  |  | 14,800 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 14,800 |
Total of allowance for loan losses |  |  | 48,865 |  |  |  | 30,523 |  |  |  | 8,952 |  |  |  | 207 |  |  |  | 88,547 |
Loans |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans with generic allowance |  |  | 2,290,413 |  |  |  | 2,164,163 |  |  |  | 445,731 |  |  |  | 27,266 |  |  |  | 4,927,573 |
Loans with specific allowance |  |  | 32,000 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 32,000 |
Total loans |  |  | 2,322,413 |  |  |  | 2,164,163 |  |  |  | 445,731 |  |  |  | 27,266 |  |  |  | 4,959,573
Disclosure Related To Reserve For Losses On Off-Balance Sheet Credit Risk [Table Text Block] |
| b) | Reserve for losses on off-balance sheet credit risk:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |  |  | 2010 |
Balance at beginning of the year |  |  | 8,887 |  |  |  | 13,335 |  |  |  | 27,261 |
Reversal of provision for losses on off-balance sheet credit risk |  |  | (4,046 | ) |  |  | (4,448 | ) |  |  | (13,926 | )
Balance at end of the year |  |  | 4,841 |  |  |  | 8,887 |  |  |  | 13,335

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure related to loan balances and reserves for loan losses at the end of the period. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | blx_DisclosureRelatedToLoanBalancesAndReservesForLoanLossesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | blx_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure related to reserve for losses on off-balance sheet credit risk. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | blx_DisclosureRelatedToReserveForLossesOnOffBalanceSheetCreditRiskTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | blx_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Tabular disclosure of financing receivables (examples of financing receivables include loans, trade accounts receivable and notes receivable) and activity in the allowance for credit losses account. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 310 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 11B -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7512638&loc=SL6953423-111524 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_AllowanceForCreditLossesOnFinancingReceivablesTableTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_ReceivablesAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration