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Special Purpose Entities, Including Variable Interest Entities (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Summary of Fair Value of Fixed Income Securities, by Asset-Type, Held by Consolidated Variable Interest Entities | The table below provides the fair value of fixed income securities, by asset-type, held by consolidated VIEs as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011:
|  | December 31, 2012 |  |  | December 31, 2011 |
Investments: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Corporate obligations |  | $ | 2,261,294 |  |  | $ | 2,199,338 |
Total variable interest entity assets: Fixed income securities |  | $ | 2,261,294 |  |  | $ | 2,199,338 |
Supplemental Information About Loans Held as Assets and Long-Term Debt Associated with Consolidated Variable Interest Entities | The following table provides supplemental information about the loans held as assets and long-term debt associated with the VIEs for which the fair value option has been elected as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011:
|  | Estimated fair value |  |  | Unpaid principal balance |
December 31, 2012: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans |  | $ | 15,359,073 |  |  | $ | 13,995,141 |
Long-term debt |  | $ | 15,200,538 |  |  | $ | 15,460,530 |
December 31, 2011: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Loans |  | $ | 14,126,994 |  |  | $ | 13,735,799 |
Long-term debt |  | $ | 14,039,450 |  |  | $ | 15,134,711 |
Summary of Carrying Amount of Assets, Liabilities and Maximum Exposure to Loss of Ambac's Variable Interests in Non-Consolidated Variable Interest Entities | The following table displays the carrying amount of the assets, liabilities and maximum exposure to loss of Ambac’s variable interests in non-consolidated VIEs resulting from financial guarantee and credit derivative contracts by major underlying asset classes, as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011:
|  | Carrying Value of Assets and Liabilities |
|  | Maximum Exposure To Loss (1) |  |  | Insurance Assets (2) |  |  | Insurance Liabilities (3) |  |  | Derivative Liabilities (4) |
December 31, 2012: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Global Structured Finance: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Collateralized debt obligations |  | $ | 10,176,522 |  |  | $ | 9,673 |  |  | $ | 13,328 |  |  | $ | 113,057 |
Mortgage-backed—residential |  |  | 24,008,616 |  |  |  | 603,867 |  |  |  | 3,969,336 |  |  |  | — |
Mortgage-backed—commercial |  |  | 643,387 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 2,418 |
Other consumer asset-backed |  |  | 5,895,377 |  |  |  | 101,494 |  |  |  | 1,042,522 |  |  |  | 45,610 |
Other commercial asset-backed |  |  | 10,192,858 |  |  |  | 451,048 |  |  |  | 1,215,074 |  |  |  | 7,293 |
Other |  |  | 5,505,007 |  |  |  | 132,004 |  |  |  | 590,017 |  |  |  | 4,393 |
Total Global Structured Finance |  |  | 56,421,767 |  |  |  | 1,298,086 |  |  |  | 6,830,277 |  |  |  | 172,771 |
Global Public Finance |  |  | 37,096,228 |  |  |  | 542,179 |  |  |  | 633,358 |  |  |  | 28,663 |
Total |  | $ | 93,517,995 |  |  | $ | 1,840,265 |  |  | $ | 7,463,635 |  |  | $ | 201,434 |
|  | Carrying Value of Assets and Liabilities |
|  | Maximum Exposure To Loss (1) |  |  | Insurance Assets (2) |  |  | Insurance Liabilities (3) |  |  | Derivative Liabilities (4) |
December 31, 2011: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Global Structured Finance: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Collateralized debt obligations |  | $ | 14,093,243 |  |  | $ | 15,096 |  |  | $ | 105,219 |  |  | $ | 120,614 |
Mortgage-backed—residential |  |  | 30,307,753 |  |  |  | 783,329 |  |  |  | 5,396,711 |  |  |  | — |
Mortgage-backed—commercial |  |  | 685,870 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 6,241 |
Other consumer asset-backed |  |  | 7,851,980 |  |  |  | 129,234 |  |  |  | 1,315,146 |  |  |  | 35,583 |
Other commercial asset-backed |  |  | 13,363,434 |  |  |  | 559,884 |  |  |  | 1,045,477 |  |  |  | 4,541 |
Other |  |  | 7,552,264 |  |  |  | 139,586 |  |  |  | 643,864 |  |  |  | 1,837 |
Total Global Structured Finance |  |  | 73,854,544 |  |  |  | 1,627,129 |  |  |  | 8,506,417 |  |  |  | 168,816 |
Global Public Finance |  |  | 37,893,726 |  |  |  | 569,032 |  |  |  | 700,690 |  |  |  | 14,850 |
Total |  | $ | 111,748,270 |  |  | $ | 2,196,161 |  |  | $ | 9,207,107 |  |  | $ | 183,666 |
(1) | Maximum exposure to loss represents the gross maximum future payments of principal and interest on insured obligations and credit derivative contracts. Ambac’s maximum exposure to loss does not include the benefit of any financial instruments (such as reinsurance or hedge contracts) that Ambac may utilize to mitigate the risks associated with these variable interests.
(2) | Insurance assets represent the amount recorded in “Premium receivables” and “Subrogation recoverable” for financial guarantee contracts on Ambac’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(3) | Insurance liabilities represent the amount recorded in “Losses and loss expense reserve” and “Unearned premiums” for financial guarantee contracts on Ambac’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.
(4) | Derivative liabilities represent the fair value recognized on credit derivative contracts on Ambac’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.

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- Definition Tabular presentation of fair value of fixed income securities by asset type held by consolidated variable interest entities. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Supplemental information about the loans held as assets and long-term debt associated with consolidated variable interest entities, when reported under the fair value option. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Tabular presentation of the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the reporting entity's statement of financial position that relate to the reporting entity's variable interests in non-consolidated variable interest entities (VIEs) resulting from financial guarantee and credit derivative contracts, and the maximum exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with such VIEs. + References No definition available. + Details
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