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Notes Payable and Amounts Due Under Repurchase Agreements (2021 Notes Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2014	Jul. 17, 2013
2011 Line of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of line of credit	$ 15,000,000us-gaap_RepaymentsOfLinesOfCredit / us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityAxis = ael_LineOfCredit2011Member
July 2021 Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, face amount			400,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_SeniorNotesMember
Interest rate		6.625%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_SeniorNotesMember
Deferred financing costs		$ 9,000,000us-gaap_DeferredFinanceCostsGross / us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis = us-gaap_SeniorNotesMember

X

- Definition

Face (par) amount of debt instrument at time of issuance.

+ References

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-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 835

-SubTopic 30

-Section 45

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- Definition

Contractual interest rate for funds borrowed, under the debt agreement.

+ References

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

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

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- Definition

For an unclassified balance sheet, the amount as of the balance sheet date of capitalized costs associated with the issuance of debt instruments (for example, legal, accounting, underwriting, printing, and registration costs) that will be charged against earnings over the life of the debt instruments to which such costs pertain. Such amount is before the consideration of accumulated amortization.

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- Definition

Amount of cash outflow for payment of an obligation from a lender, including but not limited to, letter of credit, standby letter of credit and revolving credit arrangements.

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

-Publisher FASB

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