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Allowance for credit losses (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2013
Receivables [Abstract] |
Allowance for Credit Losses on Financing Receivables [Table Text Block] | The Bank classifies the allowance for credit losses into two components as follows:
| a) | Allowance for loan losses:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, 2013 |
|  | Corporations |  | Banking and financial institutions |  | Middle- market companies |  | Sovereign |  | Total |
Balance at beginning of the year |  | 32,488 |  | 28,836 |  | 10,887 |  | 765 |  | 72,976 |
Provision (reversal of provision) for loan losses |  | (972) |  | 656 |  | (518) |  | (764) |  | (1,598) |
Loan recoveries and other |  | - |  | 1,373 |  | - |  | - |  | 1,373 |
Loans written-off |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |
Balance at end of the year |  | 31,516 |  | 30,865 |  | 10,369 |  | 1 |  | 72,751 |
Components: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  | 30,562 |  | 30,865 |  | 10,369 |  | 1 |  | 71,797 |
Specific allowance |  | 954 |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | 954 |
Total allowance for loan losses |  | 31,516 |  | 30,865 |  | 10,369 |  | 1 |  | 72,751 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | 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 |  | (8,887) |  | (1,704) |  | 1,690 |  | 558 |  | (8,343) |
Loan recoveries and other |  | - |  | 17 |  | 245 |  | - |  | 262 |
Loans written-off |  | (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$) |  | Year ended December 31, 2011 |
|  | Corporations |  | Banking and financial institutions |  | Middle- market companies |  | Sovereign |  | Total |
Balance at beginning of the year |  | 54,160 |  | 18,790 |  | 5,265 |  | 400 |  | 78,615 |
Provision (reversal of provision) for loan losses |  | (5,295) |  | 10,017 |  | 4,312 |  | (193) |  | 8,841 |
Loan recoveries and other |  | - |  | 1,716 |  | 440 |  | - |  | 2,156 |
Loans written-off |  | - |  | - |  | (1,065) |  | - |  | (1,065) |
Balance at end of the year |  | 48,865 |  | 30,523 |  | 8,952 |  | 207 |  | 88,547 |
Components: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  | 34,065 |  | 30,523 |  | 8,952 |  | 207 |  | 73,747 |
Specific allowance |  | 14,800 |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | 14,800 |
Total allowance for loan losses |  | 48,865 |  | 30,523 |  | 8,952 |  | 207 |  | 88,547 |
Disclosure Related To Loan Balances and Reserves For Loan Losses [Table Text Block] | Following is a summary of loan balances and reserves for loan losses:
(In thousands of US$) |  | December 31, 2013 |
|  | Corporations |  | Banking and financial institutions |  | Middle-market companies |  | Sovereign |  | Total |
Allowance for loan losses |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  | 30,562 |  | 30,865 |  | 10,369 |  | 1 |  | 71,797 |
Specific allowance |  | 954 |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | 954 |
Total of allowance for loan losses |  | 31,516 |  | 30,865 |  | 10,369 |  | 1 |  | 72,751 |
Loans |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans with generic allowance |  | 3,310,931 |  | 2,259,991 |  | 574,107 |  | 144 |  | 6,145,173 |
Loans with specific allowance |  | 3,125 |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | 3,125 |
Total loans |  | 3,314,056 |  | 2,259,991 |  | 574,107 |  | 144 |  | 6,148,298 |
(In thousands of US$) |  | December 31, 2012 |
|  | Corporations |  | Banking and financial institutions |  | Middle-market companies |  | Sovereign |  | Total |
Allowance for loan losses |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Generic allowance |  | 32,488 |  | 28,836 |  | 10,887 |  | 765 |  | 72,976 |
Specific allowance |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |
Total of allowance for loan losses |  | 32,488 |  | 28,836 |  | 10,887 |  | 765 |  | 72,976 |
Loans |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans with generic allowance |  | 2,741,251 |  | 2,192,023 |  | 681,912 |  | 100,370 |  | 5,715,556 |
Loans with specific allowance |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |  | - |
Total loans |  | 2,741,251 |  | 2,192,023 |  | 681,912 |  | 100,370 |  | 5,715,556 |
Disclosure Related To Reserve For Losses On Off-Balance Sheet Credit Risk [Table Text Block] |
| b) | Reserve for losses on off-balance sheet credit risk:
(In thousands of US$) |  | Year ended December 31, |
|  | 2013 |  | 2012 |  | 2011 |
Balance at beginning of the period |  | 4,841 |  | 8,887 |  | 13,335 |
Provision (reversal of provision) for losses on off-balance sheet credit risk |  | 381 |  | (4,046) |  | (4,448) |
Balance at end of the period |  | 5,222 |  | 4,841 |  | 8,887 |

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- 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=28368275&loc=SL6953423-111524 + Details
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