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Segment Information - Summary of Financial Information by Reportable Segment (Detail) - Successor [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	$ 126,228	$ 16,902
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(105,860)	12,854
Total assets	22,763,560	23,718,591	$ 22,635,702
Net investment income	81,559	60,821
Amortization of insurance intangible assets	37,525	50,890
Interest expense	31,572	30,430
Unaffiliated Customers [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	125,030	15,770
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(107,058)	11,722
Equity Method Investee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	1,198	1,132
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	1,198	1,132
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest		0
Financial Guarantee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	132,758	96,602
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(97,560)	96,794
Financial Services [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(2,542)	(83,552)
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(3,190)	(84,301)
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(3,586)	3,890
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(402)	(38)
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Guarantee [Member]
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest		(1,623)
Total assets	22,388,190	23,045,239
Net investment income	78,342	57,713
Amortization of insurance intangible assets	37,525	50,890
Interest expense	31,394	30,284
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Guarantee [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	131,850	97,374
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(97,337)	98,417
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Guarantee [Member] | Equity Method Investee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	0	0
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Guarantee [Member] | Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	908	(772)
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(223)
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Services [Member]
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest		(454)
Total assets	139,637	390,661
Net investment income	154	203
Amortization of insurance intangible assets	0	0
Interest expense	178	146
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Services [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(1,706)	(83,214)
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(2,252)	(83,847)
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Services [Member] | Equity Method Investee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	0	0
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Operating Segments [Member] | Financial Services [Member] | Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(836)	(338)
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(938)
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	0	0
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Total assets	(153,847)	5,806
Net investment income	0	0
Amortization of insurance intangible assets	0	0
Interest expense	0	0
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	0	0
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member] | Equity Method Investee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	0	0
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member] | Inter-segment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(402)	(38)
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	0	0
Inter-segment Eliminations [Member] | Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	330	1,148
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	1,161	2,077
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(5,110)	361
Total assets	389,580	276,885
Net investment income	3,063	2,905
Amortization of insurance intangible assets	0	0
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member] | Unaffiliated Customers [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	(5,114)	1,610
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	(7,469)	(2,848)
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member] | Equity Method Investee [Member]
Revenues:
Total revenues before expenses and reorganization items	1,198	1,132
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Equity Method Investments, Income Taxes, Extraordinary Items, Noncontrolling Interest	1,198	1,132
Corporate, Non-Segment [Member] | Corporate, Non-Segment [Member]
Pre-tax income (loss) from continuing operations:
Interest expense	$ 0	$ 0

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