XML 93 R34.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.8

Background and Business Description - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Sep. 30, 2014 | Sep. 30, 2014 Rate | Dec. 31, 2010 Ambac Assurance [Member] | Sep. 30, 2014 Ambac Assurance [Member] | Sep. 30, 2014 Ambac Assurance [Member] Minimum [Member]
Background And Basis Of Presentation [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Debt Instrument, Face Amount | $ 350,000,000 | $ 350,000,000 |  |  |
Proceeds From The Sale Of Junior Surplus Notes | 224,262,000 |  |  |  |
Par Value of Owner Trust Certificate | 74,794,000 | 74,794,000 |  |  |
Par Value of Private Placement | 299,175,000 | 299,175,000 |  |  |
Percentage of Junior Surplus Notes |  | 80.00% |  |  |
Rate on Private Placement Obligations |  | 5.10% |  |  |
Net par exposure for policies allocated to the Segregated Account |  |  |  | 19,650,823,000 |
Issuance of secured note to segregated account |  |  | 2,000,000,000 |  |
Secured note maturity year |  |  | 2050 |  |
Interest on the secured note accrues |  |  | 4.50% |  |
Available secured notes including capitalized interest |  |  |  | 0 |
Minimum surplus amount |  |  |  |  | 100,000,000
Policyholders surplus |  |  |  | $ 897,692,000 |
Accrued rate of interest on outstanding policy obligations (percent) |  | 5.10% |  |  |
Payment of permitted policy claim (percent) |  | 25.00% |  |  |
Future payment of permitted policy claim (percent) |  | 45.00% |  |  |
Future unpaid permitted policy claims (percent) |  | 55.00% |  |  |
Equalizing payment on unpaid permitted policy claim (percent) |  | 26.67% |  |  |

X
- Definition Rate at which the secured note accrues interest. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_AccruedInterestRatePercentage
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Details
Name: | ambc_BackgroundAndBasisOfPresentationLineItems
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Percentage of the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance's permitted policy claims that are to be paid in cash from July 2014 forward as approved by the Rehabilitation Court. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_CurrentPaymentasaPercentageofPermittedPolicyClaim
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Reflects the effective interest rate on Deferred Amounts and Junior Deferred Amounts of the Segregated Account of Ambac as directed by the Rehabilitator of the Segregated Account. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_DeferredAmountsandJuniorDeferredAmountsAccruedInterestRate
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The percentage of unpaid permitted policy claims, together with interest thereon, ("Deferred Amounts") that the Rehabilitator will effectuate a payment (as a result of the amended Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan that was approved in June 2014). This will allow those policyholders that received 25% cash Interim Payments to receive an equalizing payment on their Deferred Amounts. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_EqualizingPaymentonUnpaidPermittedPolicyClaim
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Minimum surplus amount that will cap the benefits of the Reinsurance Agreement between entity and the Segregated Account of entity. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_MinimumSurplusAmount
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Net par outstanding for policies allocated to the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_NetParExposureForPoliciesAllocatedToSegregatedAccount
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Face (par) amount of Owner Trust Certificate at time of issuance. This Owner Trust Certificate was issued by the Trust to Ambac Financial Group, Inc. Trust assets consist of Junior Surplus Notes issued by the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_ParValueofOwnerTrustCertificate
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Face (par) amount of Private Placement instrument at time of issuance. This private placement was issued by the Trust to third party investors. Trust assets consist of Junior Surplus Notes issued by the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_ParValueofPrivatePlacement
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Percentage of the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance's permitted policy claims that were paid in cash from September 2012 through June 2014. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_PaymentAsPercentageOfPermittedPolicyClaim
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The par amount of the privately placed notes as a percentage of par and accrued interest of the Junior Surplus Notes issued by the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance at date of issuance of the private placement notes. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_PercentageofJuniorSurplusNotes
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Proceeds from the sale of Segregated Account Junior Surplus Notes from Ambac Financial Group to a newly formed Trust. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_ProceedsFromTheSaleOfJuniorSurplusNotes
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | debit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Reflects the effective annual interest rate on the privately placed Notes issued by the Trust to third party investors. Payments on these Notes will only be made to the extent that the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance makes payment on the Junior Surplus Notes that serve as collateral for these Notes. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_RateonPrivatePlacementObligations
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Original issuance amount of the Secured Note issued by Ambac Assurance to the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance in connection with the establishment of the Ambac Assurance Segregated Account. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_SecuredNoteIssued
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Secured note year of maturity. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_SecuredNoteMaturityYear
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:gYearItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Current amount outstanding, including capitalized interest, relating to a Secured Note issued by Ambac Assurance to the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance in connection with the establishment of the Ambac Assurance Segregated Account. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_SecuredNoteOutstanding
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition Percentage of the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance's permitted policy claims that are unpaid subsequent to the amendments to the Segregated Account Rehabilitation Plan were confirmed by the Rehabilitation Court in June 2014. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | ambc_UnpaidasaPercentageofPermittedPolicyClaims
Namespace Prefix: | ambc_
Data Type: | num:percentItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

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 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 835 -SubTopic 30 -Section 55 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6584090&loc=d3e28878-108400 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant

X
- Definition The amount of statutory capital and surplus (stockholders' equity) as of the balance sheet date using prescribed or permitted statutory accounting practices (rather than GAAP, if different) of the state or country. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.23(c)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 505 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486098&loc=d3e24708-158529 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 03 -Paragraph 24 -Subparagraph c -Article 7 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_StatutoryAccountingPracticesStatutoryCapitalAndSurplusBalance
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type: | credit
Period Type: | instant