| **Segment Information Unaudited**            | 9 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     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| **Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]** |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      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| Segment Information                          | 6.Segment Information Our segment data is based on disclosure requirements of accounting guidance on segment reporting, which requires that financial information be reported on the basis that is used internally for measuring segment performance.  Internally, we report information for operating segments based on management responsibility.  Our operating segments offer primarily the same types of services within each of the respective segments.  The operating segments are as follows: · North America: We have offices in the United States and Canada that serve local dealers and customers.  This segment also includes certain unallocated corporate headquarter expenses. · Asia-Pacific and Mining: This segment includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia that serve local dealers and customers and also includes large mining customers worldwide.  This segment also provides project financing in various countries. · Europe and Global Power Finance: This segment includes our offices that serve dealers and customers in Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Commonwealth of Independent States.  This segment also includes the Global Power Finance Division (GPF), which finances marine vessels with Caterpillar engines worldwide and also provides debt financing for Caterpillar electrical power generation, gas compression and co-generation systems, as well as non-Caterpillar equipment that is powered by these systems worldwide. · Latin America: We have offices in Brazil, Mexico and Chile that serve local dealers and customers in Central and South America. Effective January 1, 2011, changes were made to the executive management responsibilities at Cat Financial in order to provide ongoing improvement to our business.  Prior year data has been reclassified to conform to the 2011 presentation. Debt and other expenses are allocated from the North America segment to other segments based on their respective portfolios.  The related Interest expense is calculated based on the amount of allocated debt and the rates associated with that debt.  The Provision for credit losses included in each segment's profit is based on each segment's share of the Company's Allowance for credit losses.  Inter-segment revenues result from lending activities between segments and are based on the amount of the respective Inter-segment loans and the rates associated with those loans. As noted above, the segment information is presented on a management-reporting basis.  Unlike financial reporting, there is no authoritative guidance for management reporting equivalent to U.S. GAAP. Supplemental segment data for the three months ended September 30, (Millions of dollars) 2011 NorthAmerica  Europeand GPF  Latin America   Asia-Pacificand Mining  Total External revenue $250  $122  $93  $203  $668 Inter-segment revenue  12   -   -   -   12 Profit (loss)  31   (1)  25   38   93                        2010 North  America  Europeand GPF  Latin America   Asia-Pacificand Mining  Total External revenue $267  $123  $76  $174  $640 Inter-segment revenue  5   -   -   -   5 Profit (loss)  (3)  23   18   35   73                        Supplemental segment data for the nine months ended September 30,(Millions of dollars) 2011 North  America  Europeand GPF  Latin America   Asia-Pacificand Mining  Total External revenue $768  $375  $259  $581  $1,983 Inter-segment revenue  27   -   -   -   27 Profit  73   45   59   106   283                        2010 North America  Europeand GPF  Latin America   Asia-Pacificand Mining  Total External revenue $802  $379  $219  $519  $1,919 Inter-segment revenue  17   -   -   -   17 Profit (loss)  (10)  62   61   95   208                       (Millions of dollars)   NorthAmerica  Europeand GPF  Latin America   Asia-Pacificand Mining  Total Assets as of September 30, 2011 $16,731  $7,225  $3,786  $6,731  $34,473                       Assets as of December 31, 2010 $15,774  $7,434  $3,392  $5,799  $32,399                       (Millions of dollars)Reconciliation of assets: September 30, 2011  December 31, 2010 Assets from segments $34,473  $32,399 Less: Investment in subsidiaries  (1,172)  (1,117)Less: Inter-segment balances  (3,836)  (2,530)Total $29,465  $28,752             |

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| - Definition
This element may be used to capture the complete disclosure of reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10% or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 131
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