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Investments (Fixed Maturity Securities by Contractual Maturity) (Details) (USD $)
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Mar. 31, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Amortized Cost Basis [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, due in one year or less, amortized cost $ 79,405us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithinOneYearAmortizedCost  
Available for sale securities, due after one year through five years, amortized cost 1,537,898us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterOneThroughFiveYearsAmortizedCost  
Available for sale securities, due after five years through ten years, amortized cost 8,936,938us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterFiveThroughTenYearsAmortizedCost  
Available for sale securities, due after ten years through twenty years, amortized cost 7,579,323ael_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTenYearsThroughTwentyYearsAmortizedCostBasis  
Available for sale securities, due after twenty years, amortized cost 7,708,513ael_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTwentyYearsAmortizedCost  
Available for sale securities, securities with a single maturity date, amortized cost 25,842,077us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesSingleMaturityDateAmortizedCostBasis  
Available for sale securities, amortized cost 31,443,319us-gaap_AvailableForSaleDebtSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis 30,205,046us-gaap_AvailableForSaleDebtSecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, due in one year or less, fair value 81,179us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithinOneYearFairValue  
Available for sale securities, due after one year through five years, fair value 1,706,024us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterOneThroughFiveYearsFairValue  
Available for sale securities, due after five years through ten years, fair value 9,293,120us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterFiveThroughTenYearsFairValue  
Available for sale securities, due after ten years through twenty years, fair value 8,366,229ael_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTenYearsThroughTwentyYearsFairValue  
Available for sale securities, due after twenty years, fair value 8,802,636ael_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTwentyYearsFairValue  
Available for sale securities, securities with a single maturity date, fair value 28,249,188us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesSingleMaturityDate  
Available for sale securities, fair value 34,203,641us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecurities 32,445,202us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtSecurities
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Net Carrying Amount [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, due in one year or less, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithinOneYearNetCarryingAmount  
Held for investment securities, due after one year through five years, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterOneThroughFiveYearsNetCarryingAmount  
Held for investment securities, due after five years through ten years, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterFiveThroughTenYearsNetCarryingAmount  
Held for investment securities, due after ten years through twenty years, amortized cost 0ael_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTenYearsThroughTwentyYearsNetCarryingAmount  
Held for investment securities, due after twenty years, amortized cost 76,479ael_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTwentyYearsNetCarryingAmount  
Held for investment securities, securities with a single maturity date, amortized cost 76,479us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesSingleMaturityDateAmortizedCostBasis  
Held for investment, amortized cost 76,479us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecurities 76,432us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecurities
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, due in one year or less, fair value 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithinOneYearFairValue  
Held for investment securities, due after one year through five years, fair value 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterOneThroughFiveYearsFairValue  
Held for investment securities, due after five years through ten years, fair value 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterFiveThroughTenYearsFairValue  
Held for investment securities, due after ten years through twenty years, fair value 0ael_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTenYearsThroughTwentyYearsFairValue  
Held for investment securities, due after twenty years, fair value 82,984ael_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesAfterTwentyYearsFairValue  
Held for investment securities, securities with a single maturity date, fair value 82,984us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesSingleMaturityDateFairValue  
Held for investment 82,984us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesFairValue 75,838us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesFairValue
Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]    
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Amortized Cost Basis [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 1,571,548us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateAmortizedCost
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value 1,729,315us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Net Carrying Amount [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateNetCarryingAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]    
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Amortized Cost Basis [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 3,017,014us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateAmortizedCost
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_CommercialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value 3,165,829us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_CommercialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Net Carrying Amount [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateNetCarryingAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_CommercialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_CommercialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Other Asset Backed Securities [Member]    
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Amortized Cost Basis [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 1,012,680us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateAmortizedCost
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Available-for-sale Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Available for sale securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value 1,059,309us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Net Carrying Amount [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, amortized cost 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateNetCarryingAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
 
Held-to-maturity Securities, Debt Maturities, Fair Value [Abstract]    
Held for investment securities, securities without a single maturity date, fair value $ 0us-gaap_HeldToMaturitySecuritiesDebtMaturitiesWithoutSingleMaturityDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis
= us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember