Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Fair Value Disclosures - Fair Value Option (Details)

v2.4.0.6
Fair Value Disclosures - Fair Value Option (Details) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
currency
Dec. 31, 2011
Dec. 31, 2010
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Fair Value, Option, Credit Risk, Gains (Losses) on Assets $ 180,000,000    
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (3,207,000,000) 2,030,000,000 (31,000,000)
Fair value option loans 90 days or more past due 115,000,000 28,000,000  
Fair value option loans in nonaccrual status 25,000,000 117,000,000  
Excess of aggregate fair value of loans over loans that are 90 days or more past due or in nonaccrual status 153,000,000 172,000,000  
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Receivables under securities borrowed transactions 961,000,000 259,000,000  
Loans (1) 3,077,000,000 2,322,000,000  
Other assets 17,464,000,000 15,155,000,000  
Long-term borrowings(2) 30,875,000,000 30,325,000,000  
Minimum number of currencies used in transactions 50    
Receivables under resale agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (118,000,000) 179,000,000 (24,000,000)
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Receivables under resale agreements 93,715,000,000 85,652,000,000 [1]  
Principal Amount Due Upon Maturity 93,433,000,000 85,197,000,000 [1]  
Difference, Assets 282,000,000 455,000,000 [1]  
Investment securities
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 18,000,000 107,000,000
Loans
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 258,000,000 (1,000,000) 290,000,000
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Loans (1) 4,063,000,000 [2] 2,742,000,000  
Principal Amount Due Upon Maturity 4,835,000,000 [2] 4,023,000,000  
Difference, Assets (772,000,000) [2] (1,281,000,000)  
Loans | Trading Loans
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Loans (1) 715,000,000    
Loans | Margin Loans
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Loans (1) 271,000,000    
Loans | Loans Held for Sale
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Loans (1)   420,000,000  
Other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 0  
Payables under repurchase agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 36,000,000 (22,000,000) 13,000,000
Short-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 261,000,000 110,000,000
Other payables - interest and other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 99,000,000 (53,000,000) 13,000,000
Long-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (4,409,000,000) 3,736,000,000 242,000,000
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Long-term borrowings(2) 30,875,000,000 [3] 30,325,000,000 [4]  
Principal Amount Due Upon Maturity 32,151,000,000 [3] 36,537,000,000 [4]  
Difference, Liabilities (1,276,000,000) [3] (6,212,000,000) [4]  
Structured notes
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 3,200,000,000 2,000,000,000 100,000,000
Receivables under securities borrowed transactions
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Receivables under securities borrowed transactions 961,000,000 259,000,000  
Principal Amount Due Upon Maturity 892,000,000 287,000,000  
Difference, Assets 69,000,000 (28,000,000)  
Principal Transactions | Receivables under resale agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (118,000,000) 179,000,000 (24,000,000)
Principal Transactions | Investment securities
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0 0
Principal Transactions | Loans
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 77,000,000 (31,000,000) 0
Principal Transactions | Other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0  
Principal Transactions | Payables under repurchase agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 36,000,000 (22,000,000) 13,000,000
Principal Transactions | Short-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 261,000,000 110,000,000
Principal Transactions | Other payables - interest and other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0 0
Principal Transactions | Long-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (4,374,000,000) 3,612,000,000 357,000,000
Other Revenues | Receivables under resale agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0 0
Other Revenues | Investment securities
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 18,000,000 107,000,000
Other Revenues | Loans
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 181,000,000 30,000,000 290,000,000
Other Revenues | Other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 1,000,000 0  
Other Revenues | Payables under repurchase agreements
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0 0
Other Revenues | Short-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 0 0 0
Other Revenues | Other payables - interest and other
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election 99,000,000 (53,000,000) 13,000,000
Other Revenues | Long-term borrowings
      
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]      
Changes in fair value pursuant to fair value option election (35,000,000) 124,000,000 (115,000,000)
Fair Value, Concentration of Risk, Maximum Amount of Loss
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Concentration of risk in counterparties having outstanding unsecured exposure 1,300,000,000    
US Treasury and Government [Member] | Fair Value, Concentration of Credit Risk, Trading Asset Position
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Concentration of risk in counterparties having outstanding unsecured exposure 58,400,000,000    
US Treasury and Government [Member] | Fair Value, Concentration of Risk, Collateral Policy
      
Difference Between Fair Values and Aggregate Contractual Principal Amounts [Abstract]      
Concentration of risk in counterparties having outstanding unsecured exposure $ 155,000,000,000    
[1] Includes loans held for sale with a fair value of $420 million, accounted for under the fair value option, which were reclassified to trading assets because they are risk managed on that basis.
[2] Includes trading loans with a fair value of $715 million and margin loans with a fair value of $271 million.
[3] The majority of the difference between the fair value and principal amount due upon maturity at December 31, 2012 relates to the impact of changes in Merrill Lynch's credit spreads, as well as the fair value of the embedded derivative, where applicable.
[4] The majority of the difference between the fair value and principal amount due upon maturity at December 31, 2011 relates to the impact of changes in Merrill Lynch's credit spreads, as well as the fair value of the embedded derivative, where applicable.