Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Income Taxes - Narrative (Details)

v2.4.1.9
Income Taxes - Narrative (Details) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Jurisdiction
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]      
Other comprehensive income (loss), tax $ (3,371,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTaxPortionAttributableToParent1 $ 2,740,000,000us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTaxPortionAttributableToParent1 $ (1,342,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossTaxPortionAttributableToParent1
Tax effect on common stock and additional paid in capital from employee stock purchase plan activity (35,000,000)us-gaap_AdjustmentsRelatedToTaxWithholdingForShareBasedCompensation (128,000,000)us-gaap_AdjustmentsRelatedToTaxWithholdingForShareBasedCompensation (277,000,000)us-gaap_AdjustmentsRelatedToTaxWithholdingForShareBasedCompensation
Unrecognized tax benefits that would impact effective rate 700,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 2,500,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 3,100,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate
Number of jurisdictions for filing income tax returns (more than) 100bac_NumberofJurisdictionsFiled    
Unrecognized tax benefits is reasonable possible, amount of unrecorded benefit (400,000,000)us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit    
Penalties and interest expense (196,000,000)us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 127,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 99,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense
Penalties and interest accured 455,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 888,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued  
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries 17,200,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries    
Deferred tax liabilities, undistributed foreign earnings $ 4,500,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxLiabilitiesUndistributedForeignEarnings