Notes and Loan Payable and Amounts Due Under Repurchase Agreements (Repurchase Agreements Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Repurchase agreement, average borrowings	$ 22,400	$ 0	$ 53,300	$ 0
Repurchase agreement, maximum amount borrowed			$ 274,500
Repurchase agreement, weighted average interest rate	1.35%		0.83%

The average rate of interest paid on the amount borrowed on securities repurchase agreements during the period.

No definition available.

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