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Investments (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Securities
Dec. 31, 2013
Securities
Dec. 31, 2012
Investments [Abstract]      
Fixed income securities with call features, percentage 33.00%ael_FixedIncomeSecuritiesWithCallFeaturesPercentage    
Fixed income securities with call features, currently callable, percentage 0.60%ael_FixedIncomeSecuritiesWithCallFeaturesCurrentlyCallablePercentage    
Fixed income securities with call features, currently callable, amount $ 200,000,000ael_FixedIncomeSecuritieswithCallFeaturesCurrentlyCallableAmount    
Fixed income securities with call features, callable during next 12 months, percentage 4.00%ael_FixedIncomeSecuritiesWithCallFeaturesCallableDuringNext12MonthsPercentage    
Fixed income securities with call features, callable during next 12 months, amount 1,200,000,000ael_FixedIncomeSecuritieswithCallFeaturesCallableDuringNext12MonthsAmount    
Percentage of fixed maturity portfolio rated investment grade based on NAIC designations 98.00%ael_PercentageOfInvestmentGradeFixedMaturitySecuritiesAtFairValue 98.00%ael_PercentageOfInvestmentGradeFixedMaturitySecuritiesAtFairValue  
Number of individual securities with unrealized losses 402ael_IndividualSecuritiesWithUnrealizedLosses 1,047ael_IndividualSecuritiesWithUnrealizedLosses  
Percentage of unrealized losses on fixed maturity securities where securities are rated investment grade 78.00%ael_FixedMaturitySecuritiesUnrealizedLossPositionClassifiedAsInvestmentGrade 95.00%ael_FixedMaturitySecuritiesUnrealizedLossPositionClassifiedAsInvestmentGrade  
Assets held by insurance regulators 32,600,000,000us-gaap_AssetsHeldByInsuranceRegulators 31,700,000,000us-gaap_AssetsHeldByInsuranceRegulators  
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Available for sale, amortized cost 30,205,046,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleDebtSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis 26,527,730,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleDebtSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis  
Principal repayments, calls and tenders of available for sale securities 1,490,906,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities 3,456,719,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities 3,298,623,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
Calls of held for investment fixed maturity securities 0us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfHeldToMaturitySecurities 0us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfHeldToMaturitySecurities 2,618,207,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfHeldToMaturitySecurities
Stockholders' Equity, Total [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Threshold for disclosure percentage 10.00%ael_ThresholdForDisclosurePercentage
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByBenchmarkAxis
= us-gaap_StockholdersEquityTotalMember
   
Investment Type Concentration Risk [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Fair value, concentration of risk, investments 0us-gaap_FairValueConcentrationOfRiskInvestments
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= ael_InvestmentTypeConcentrationRiskMember
0us-gaap_FairValueConcentrationOfRiskInvestments
/ us-gaap_ConcentrationRiskByTypeAxis
= ael_InvestmentTypeConcentrationRiskMember
 
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Principal repayments, calls and tenders of available for sale securities 1,300,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
2,100,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
2,800,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Calls of held for investment fixed maturity securities     2,600,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromMaturitiesPrepaymentsAndCallsOfHeldToMaturitySecurities
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Available For Sale [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Proceeds from sales of available for sale securities 200,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromSaleOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
1,500,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromSaleOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
500,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromSaleOfAvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
Available For Sale [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Available for sale securities, fair value 32,445,202,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
26,610,447,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
 
Available For Sale [Member] | Equity Securities [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Available for sale securities, fair value 7,805,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_EquitySecuritiesMember
7,778,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_EquitySecuritiesMember
 
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Alt-A Sector [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Number of securities in unrealized loss position 34us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesInUnrealizedLossPositionsQualitativeDisclosureNumberOfPositions1
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesAltASectorMember
   
Available for sale, amortized cost 244,300,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleDebtSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesAltASectorMember
   
Available for sale securities, fair value 270,000,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesAltASectorMember
   
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member] | Available For Sale [Member] | Fixed Maturity Securities [Member]      
Investment Holdings [Line Items]      
Available for sale securities, fair value $ 1,751,345,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
$ 1,971,960,000us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecurities
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis
= us-gaap_AvailableforsaleSecuritiesMember
/ us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis
= us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember