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Investments (Cumulative Noncredit Portion of Other Than Temporary Impairment Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income and Change in Fair Value Since Other Than Temporary Impairment) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Amortized cost	$ 551,990ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost	$ 569,508ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost
OTTI recognized in other comprehensive income	(173,494)ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome	(173,494)ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome
Change in fair value since OTTI was recognized	219,823ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses	215,636ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses
Fair value	598,319ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments	611,650ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Corporate Securities [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Amortized cost	0ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	0ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
OTTI recognized in other comprehensive income	0ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	0ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Change in fair value since OTTI was recognized	12ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	11ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Fair value	12ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	11ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Fixed Maturity Securities [Member] | Residential Mortgage Backed Securities [Member]
Investment Holdings [Line Items]
Amortized cost	551,990ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	569,508ael_SecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentAtAmortizedCost / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
OTTI recognized in other comprehensive income	(173,494)ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	(173,494)ael_OtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLossesInvestmentsCummulativePortionOfRecognizedInComprehensiveIncome / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Change in fair value since OTTI was recognized	219,811ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	215,625ael_ChangeInFairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairmentLosses / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember
Fair value	$ 598,307ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember	$ 611,639ael_FairValueOfSecuritiesWithNoncreditOtherThanTemporaryImpairments / us-gaap_DebtSecurityAxis = us-gaap_ResidentialMortgageBackedSecuritiesMember / us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis = us-gaap_FixedMaturitiesMember

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