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Investments (Significant Assumptions in Determining Credit Loss Component of Other Than Temporary Impairment on Residential Mortgage Backed Securities) (Details) (Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member], Prime Sector [Member], Vintage Year 2006 [Member])	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Minimum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Discount rate	6.50%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDiscountRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember	6.50%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDiscountRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember
Default rate	14.00%us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsAvailableforsaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDefaultRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember	11.00%us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsAvailableforsaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDefaultRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember
Loss severity	40.00%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresLossSeverity / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember	50.00%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresLossSeverity / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember
Maximum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Discount rate	6.50%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDiscountRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember	7.40%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDiscountRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember
Default rate	14.00%us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsAvailableforsaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDefaultRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember	12.00%us-gaap_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsAvailableforsaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresDefaultRate / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember
Loss severity	40.00%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresLossSeverity / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember	50.00%ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresLossSeverity / us-gaap_InvestmentSecondaryCategorizationAxis = ael_VintageYear2006Member / invest_InvestmentSectorAxis = ael_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesPrimeSectorMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MaximumMember

X

- Definition

This item represents the discount rate on the underlying assets in the security that was considered as one of the potential factors in reaching a conclusion that the investments in marketable securities are other than temporarily impaired and the amount of such impairment determined to be related to credit loss recognized in earnings.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	ael_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

This item represents the loss severity rate of the underlying assets in the security that was considered as one of the potential factors in reaching a conclusion that the investments in marketable securities are other than temporarily impaired and the amount of such impairment determined to be related to credit loss recognized in earnings.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesAvailableForSaleSecuritiesPortionRecognizedInEarningsNetQualitativeDisclosuresLossSeverity
Namespace Prefix:	ael_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Definition

This item represents the default rate of the underlying assets in the security that was considered as one of the potential factors in reaching a conclusion that the available-for-sale investments are other than temporarily impaired and the amount of such impairment determined to be related to credit loss recognized in earnings.

+ References

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

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 8A

-Subparagraph a.1.

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27724398&loc=SL6284381-111563

+ Details

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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_ScheduleOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration