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Debt - Encore Senior Secured and Convertible Senior Notes (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015 agreement	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Jul. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured notes, aggregate amount	$ 75,000,000.0ecpg_SeniorNotesOriginalAmount
Securitized notes	40,000,000us-gaap_SeniorNotes	43,750,000us-gaap_SeniorNotes
Basis spread over the current Treasury Rate (percent)	0.50%ecpg_SeniorSecuredNotesPresentValueInputsDiscountRateSpread
Number of agreements	2ecpg_NumberofDebtAgreements
2011 Senior Secured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured notes, aggregate amount	25,000,000.0ecpg_SeniorNotesOriginalAmount / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandElevenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)	7.375%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandElevenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
Debt instrument maturity date	2018
Senior secured notes, periodic principal repayment	1,250,000.00us-gaap_DebtInstrumentPeriodicPaymentPrincipal / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandElevenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
2010 Senior Secured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured notes, aggregate amount	50,000,000.0ecpg_SeniorNotesOriginalAmount / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)	7.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
Debt instrument maturity date	2017
Senior secured notes, periodic principal repayment	2,500,000.0us-gaap_DebtInstrumentPeriodicPaymentPrincipal / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTenSeniorSecuredNotesMember
2021 Convertible Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)	2.875%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyOneConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
2021 Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)			2.875%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyOneConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
Debt instrument, face amount			161,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyOneConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
2017 Convertible Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)	3.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandSeventeenConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
2017 Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)				3.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandSeventeenConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
Debt instrument, face amount				115,000,000.0us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandSeventeenConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
2020 Convertible Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)	3.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
2020 Convertible Senior Notes [Member] | Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, stated interest rate (percent)					3.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyConvertibleSeniorNotesMember
Debt instrument, face amount					$ 172,500,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_ConvertibleNotesPayableMember / us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis = ecpg_TwoThousandTwentyConvertibleSeniorNotesMember

X

- Definition

Debt Instrument Maturity Year

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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X

- Definition

Number of Debt Agreements

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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X

- Definition

Senior Notes Original Amount

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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X

- Definition

Senior secured notes present value inputs discount rate spread.

+ References

No definition available.

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X

- Definition

Face (par) amount of debt instrument at time of issuance.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 835

-SubTopic 30

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6451184&loc=d3e28551-108399



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-Section 55

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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=34725769&loc=d3e28878-108400

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X

- Definition

Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 22

-Article 5



Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

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X

- Definition

Amount of the required periodic payments applied to principal.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

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X

- Definition

Including the current and noncurrent portions, carrying value as of the balance sheet date of Notes with the highest claim on the assets of the issuer in case of bankruptcy or liquidation (with maturities initially due after one year or beyond the operating cycle if longer). Senior note holders are paid off in full before any payments are made to junior note holders.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 942

-SubTopic 210

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.16)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878



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