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Income Taxes Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	4 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			8 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Line Items]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Accrued	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesAccrued
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Roll Forward]
UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesPaid	0ambc_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesPaid	0ambc_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesPaid	0ambc_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesPaid	0ambc_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesPaid
Successor [Member]
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits		0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember			0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Increase Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions		0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember			0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Decrease Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions		0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember			0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits		0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember	0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember		0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_SuccessorMember
Predecessor [Member]
Reconciliation of Unrecognized Tax Benefits [Roll Forward]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	96,900us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember		96,900us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember	96,900us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Increase Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions	0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember			0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Decrease Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions	(96,900)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember			0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsDecreasesResultingFromPriorPeriodTaxPositions / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember
Unrecognized Tax Benefits	$ 0us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember			$ 96,900us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_PredecessorMember

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Amount of unrecognized tax benefits pertaining to uncertain tax positions taken in tax returns.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Glossary Unrecognized Tax Benefit

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6527854



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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 740

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Amount of interest expense accrued for an underpayment of income taxes.

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