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Investment securities (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract] |
Available-for-sale Securities [Table Text Block] | Securities available-for-sale 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, 2014 |
|  | Amortized |  | Unrealized |  | Unrealized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Gross Gain |  | Gross Loss |  | Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 36,575 |  |  | - |  |  | 848 |  |  | 35,727 |
Colombia |  |  | 24,139 |  |  | - |  |  | 1,828 |  |  | 22,311 |
Chile |  |  | 12,215 |  |  | - |  |  | 201 |  |  | 12,014 |
Honduras |  |  | 7,325 |  |  | - |  |  | 33 |  |  | 7,292 |
Panama |  |  | 4,701 |  |  | - |  |  | 56 |  |  | 4,645 |
Peru |  |  | 16,911 |  |  | - |  |  | 129 |  |  | 16,782 |
Venezuela |  |  | 20,299 |  |  | 34 |  |  | 9 |  |  | 20,324 |
|  |  | 122,165 |  |  | 34 |  |  | 3,104 |  |  | 119,095 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 21,899 |  |  | 94 |  |  | 444 |  |  | 21,549 |
Colombia |  |  | 55,415 |  |  | 1 |  |  | 1,239 |  |  | 54,177 |
Chile |  |  | 11,669 |  |  | - |  |  | 398 |  |  | 11,271 |
Mexico |  |  | 98,430 |  |  | 4 |  |  | 1,587 |  |  | 96,847 |
Panama |  |  | 17,692 |  |  | 10 |  |  | 306 |  |  | 17,396 |
Peru |  |  | 9,052 |  |  | 2 |  |  | 14 |  |  | 9,040 |
Trinidad and Tobago |  |  | 10,113 |  |  | - |  |  | 515 |  |  | 9,598 |
|  |  | 224,270 |  |  | 111 |  |  | 4,503 |  |  | 219,878 |
Total |  |  | 346,435 |  |  | 145 |  |  | 7,607 |  |  | 338,973 |
|  | December 31, 2013 |
|  | Amortized |  | Unrealized |  | Unrealized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Gross Gain |  | Gross Loss |  | Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 41,439 |  |  | 11 |  |  | 778 |  |  | 40,672 |
Colombia |  |  | 44,536 |  |  | 65 |  |  | 1,351 |  |  | 43,250 |
Chile |  |  | 21,807 |  |  | 15 |  |  | 751 |  |  | 21,071 |
Honduras |  |  | 9,400 |  |  | - |  |  | 136 |  |  | 9,264 |
Panama |  |  | 7,159 |  |  | - |  |  | 78 |  |  | 7,081 |
Peru |  |  | 29,439 |  |  | 42 |  |  | 674 |  |  | 28,807 |
Venezuela |  |  | 29,871 |  |  | - |  |  | 1,848 |  |  | 28,023 |
|  |  | 183,651 |  |  | 133 |  |  | 5,616 |  |  | 178,168 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 32,751 |  |  | 936 |  |  | 645 |  |  | 33,042 |
Colombia |  |  | 42,776 |  |  | - |  |  | 1,125 |  |  | 41,651 |
Chile |  |  | 20,772 |  |  | 12 |  |  | 610 |  |  | 20,174 |
Mexico |  |  | 35,730 |  |  | - |  |  | 2,445 |  |  | 33,285 |
Panama |  |  | 12,485 |  |  | 71 |  |  | 553 |  |  | 12,003 |
Peru |  |  | 11,589 |  |  | - |  |  | 65 |  |  | 11,524 |
Trinidad and Tobago |  |  | 4,665 |  |  | - |  |  | 144 |  |  | 4,521 |
|  |  | 160,768 |  |  | 1,019 |  |  | 5,587 |  |  | 156,200 |
Total |  |  | 344,419 |  |  | 1,152 |  |  | 11,203 |  |  | 334,368 |
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 a period less than 12 months and for 12 months or longer:
|  | December 31, 2014 |
|  | Less than 12 months |  | 12 months or longer |  | Total |
|  |  |  |  | Unrealized |  |  |  |  | Unrealized |  |  |  |  | Unrealized |
|  | Fair |  | Gross |  | Fair |  | Gross |  | Fair |  | Gross |
|  | Value |  | Losses |  | Value |  | Losses |  | Value |  | Losses |
Corporate debt |  |  | 87,077 |  |  | 2,513 |  |  | 13,334 |  |  | 561 |  |  | 100,411 |  |  | 3,074 |
Sovereign debt |  |  | 101,789 |  |  | 1,601 |  |  | 77,199 |  |  | 2,932 |  |  | 178,988 |  |  | 4,533 |
|  |  | 188,866 |  |  | 4,114 |  |  | 90,533 |  |  | 3,493 |  |  | 279,399 |  |  | 7,607 |
|  | December 31, 2013 |
|  | Less than 12 months |  | 12 months or longer |  | Total |
|  |  |  |  | Unrealized |  |  |  | Unrealized |  |  |  |  | Unrealized |
|  | Fair |  | Gross |  | Fair |  | Gross |  | Fair |  | Gross |
|  | Value |  | Losses |  | Value |  | Losses |  | Value |  | Losses |
Corporate debt |  |  | 136,895 |  |  | 5,113 |  |  | 6,866 |  |  | 503 |  |  | 143,761 |  |  | 5,616 |
Sovereign debt |  |  | 107,239 |  |  | 5,210 |  |  | 18,557 |  |  | 377 |  |  | 125,796 |  |  | 5,587 |
|  |  | 244,134 |  |  | 10,323 |  |  | 25,423 |  |  | 880 |  |  | 269,557 |  |  | 11,203 |
Schedule of Realized Gain (Loss) [Table Text Block] | The following table presents the realized gains and losses on sale of securities available-for-sale:
|  | Year ended December 31 |
|  | 2014 |  | 2013 |  | 2012 |
Gains |  |  | 1,891 |  |  | 1,523 |  |  | 6,141 |
Losses |  |  | (20) |  |  | (1) |  |  | (111) |
Net |  |  | 1,871 |  |  | 1,522 |  |  | 6,030 |
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, 2014, are shown in the following table:
|  | Amortized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Value |
Due within 1 year |  |  | 85,496 |  |  | 85,579 |
After 1 year but within 5 years |  |  | 139,547 |  |  | 135,662 |
After 5 years but within 10 years |  |  | 121,392 |  |  | 117,732 |
|  |  | 346,435 |  |  | 338,973 |
Schedule Of Amortized cost And Fair value 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, 2014 |
|  | Amortized |  | Unrealized |  | Unrealized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Gross Gain |  | Gross Loss |  | Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Brazil |  |  | 17,824 |  |  | - |  |  | 958 |  |  | 16,866 |
Panama |  |  | 23,353 |  |  | 33 |  |  | - |  |  | 23,386 |
|  |  | 41,177 |  |  | 33 |  |  | 958 |  |  | 40,252 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Colombia |  |  | 13,003 |  |  | 40 |  |  | - |  |  | 13,043 |
Total |  |  | 54,180 |  |  | 73 |  |  | 958 |  |  | 53,295 |
|  | December 31, 2013 |
|  | Amortized |  | Unrealized |  | Unrealized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Gross Gain |  | Gross Loss |  | Value |
Corporate debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Costa Rica |  |  | 2,000 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 2,000 |
Honduras |  |  | 4,118 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 4,118 |
Panama |  |  | 14,634 |  |  | 8 |  |  | 18 |  |  | 14,624 |
|  |  | 20,752 |  |  | 8 |  |  | 18 |  |  | 20,742 |
Sovereign debt: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Colombia |  |  | 13,007 |  |  | - |  |  | 115 |  |  | 12,892 |
Total |  |  | 33,759 |  |  | 8 |  |  | 133 |  |  | 33,634 |
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, 2014, are shown in the following table:
|  | Amortized |  | Fair |
|  | Cost |  | Value |
Due within 1 year |  |  | 34,326 |  |  | 34,376 |
After 1 year but within 5 years |  |  | 19,854 |  |  | 18,919 |
|  |  | 54,180 |  |  | 53,295 |

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