Edgar Filing: ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING L.P.

form10-k.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ý	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007

o	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission file number 001-09818

AllianceBernstein Holding l.p.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

	Delaware		13-3434400
	(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

	1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y.		10105
	(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 969-1000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Class		Name of each exchange on which registered
units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests		New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ý No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No ý

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer” and “large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ý

Accelerated filer o

Non-accelerated filer o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No ý

The aggregate market value of the units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which such units were last sold on the New York Stock Exchange as of June 30, 2007 was approximately $7,249,000,000.

The number of units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests outstanding as of January 31, 2008 was 87,251,925. (This figure includes 100,000 units of general partnership interest having economic interests equivalent to the economic interests of the units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests.)

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

This Form 10-K does not incorporate any document by reference.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Glossary of Certain Defined Terms		ii
Part I
Item 1.	Business	1
	General	1
	Institutional Investment Services	4
	Retail Services	4
	Private Client Services	5
	Institutional Research Services	6
	Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees	7
	Custody and Brokerage	15
	Service Marks	16
	Governance	16
	Regulation	16
	Taxes	17
	History and Structure	18
	Competition	19
	Other Information	19
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	19
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	25
Item 2.	Properties	25
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	26
Item 4.	Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders	26
Part II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	27
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	29
	Holding	29
	AllianceBernstein	30
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	31
	Holding	31
	AllianceBernstein	32
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	45
	Holding	45
	AllianceBernstein	45
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	47
	Holding	47
	AllianceBernstein	59
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	92
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	92
Item 9B.	Other Information	92
Part III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	93
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	101
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	111
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	116
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	119
Part IV
Item 15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	120
Signatures		123

Table of Contents

GLOSSARY OF CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS

“AllianceBernstein” — AllianceBernstein L.P. (Delaware limited partnership formerly known as Alliance Capital Management L.P., “Alliance Capital”), the operating partnership, and its subsidiaries and, where appropriate, its predecessors, Holding and ACMC, Inc. and their respective subsidiaries.

“AllianceBernstein Investments”— AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (Delaware corporation), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein that services retail clients and distributes company-sponsored mutual funds.

“AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement”— the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of AllianceBernstein.

“AllianceBernstein Units”— units of limited partnership interest in AllianceBernstein.

“AUM” — assets under management for clients.

“AXA”— AXA (société anonyme organized under the laws of France), the holding company for an international group of insurance and related financial services companies engaged in the financial protection and wealth management businesses.

“AXA Equitable”— AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (New York stock life insurance company), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA Financial, and its subsidiaries other than AllianceBernstein and its subsidiaries.

“AXA Financial”— AXA Financial, Inc. (Delaware corporation), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA.

“Bernstein GWM” — Bernstein Global Wealth Management, a unit of AllianceBernstein that services private clients.

“Bernstein Transaction”— on October 2, 2000, AllianceBernstein’s acquisition of the business and assets of SCB Inc., formerly known as Sanford C. Bernstein Inc. (“Bernstein”), and assumption of the liabilities of the Bernstein business.

“Exchange Act”— the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“ERISA” — the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

“General Partner”— AllianceBernstein Corporation (Delaware corporation), the general partner of AllianceBernstein and Holding and a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA Equitable, and, where appropriate, ACMC, Inc., its predecessor.

“Holding” — AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. (Delaware limited partnership).

“Holding Partnership Agreement”— the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Holding.

“Holding Units”— units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests in Holding.

“Investment Advisers Act”— the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended.

“Investment Company Act”— the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

“NYSE” — the New York Stock Exchange, Inc.

“Partnerships”— AllianceBernstein and Holding together.

“SCB LLC”— Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC (Delaware limited liability company), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein that provides institutional research services in the United States.

“SCBL”— Sanford C. Bernstein Limited (U.K. company), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein that provides institutional research services primarily in Europe.

“SEC”— the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Securities Act”— the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Table of Contents

PART I

Item 1.

Business

The words “we” and “our” in this Form 10-K refer collectively to Holding and AllianceBernstein, or to their officers and employees. Similarly, the word “company” refers to both Holding and AllianceBernstein. Where the context requires distinguishing between Holding and AllianceBernstein, we identify which of them is being discussed. Cross-references are in italics.

We use “global” in this Form 10-K to refer to all nations, including the United States; we use “international” or “non-U.S.” to refer to nations other than the United States.

We use “emerging markets” in this Form 10-K to refer to countries considered to be developing countries by the international financial community and countries included in the MSCI emerging markets index. As of January 31, 2008, examples of such countries are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, the People’s Republic of China, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey.

We use the term “hedge funds” in this Form 10-K to refer to private investment partnerships we sponsor that invest in various alternative strategies such as leverage, short selling of securities and utilizing forward contracts, currency options and other derivatives.

General

Clients

AllianceBernstein provides research, diversified investment management and related services globally to a broad range of clients, including:

•

institutional clients, including unaffiliated corporate and public employee pension funds, endowment funds, domestic and foreign institutions and governments, and various affiliates;

•

retail clients;

•

private clients, including high-net-worth individuals, trusts and estates, charitable foundations, partnerships, private and family corporations, and other entities; and

•

institutional investors seeking independent research and related services.

We also provide distribution, shareholder servicing, and administrative services to our sponsored mutual funds.

Our primary objective is to have more investment knowledge and to use it better than our competitors to help our clients achieve their investment goals and financial peace of mind.

Research

Our high-quality, in-depth, fundamental research is the foundation of our business. We believe that our global team of research professionals gives us a competitive advantage in achieving investment success for our clients.

Our research disciplines include fundamental research, quantitative research, economic research, and currency forecasting capabilities. In addition, we have created several specialized research units, including one unit that examines global strategic changes that can affect multiple industries and geographies, and another dedicated to identifying potentially successful innovations within early-stage companies.

Products and Services

We offer a broad range of investment products and services to our clients:

•

To our institutional clients, we offer separately managed accounts, sub-advisory relationships, structured products, collective investment trusts, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other investment vehicles (“Institutional Investment Services”);

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•

To our retail clients, we offer retail mutual funds sponsored by AllianceBernstein, our subsidiaries, and our affiliated joint venture companies, sub-advisory relationships with mutual funds sponsored by third parties, separately managed account programs sponsored by various financial intermediaries worldwide (“Separately Managed Account Programs”), and other investment vehicles (collectively, “Retail Services”);

•

To our private clients, we offer diversified investment management services through separately managed accounts, hedge funds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles (“Private Client Services”); and

•

To institutional investors, we offer independent research, portfolio strategy, and brokerage-related services (“Institutional Research Services”).

These services are provided by a group of investment professionals with significant expertise in their respective disciplines. As of December 31, 2007, our 304 buy-side research analysts, located around the world, supported our 180 portfolio managers. Our portfolio managers have an average of 20 years of experience in the industry and 10 years of experience with AllianceBernstein. Together, they oversee a number of different types of investment services within various vehicles and strategies discussed above. As of December 31, 2007, our 60 sell-side research analysts provided the foundation for our Institutional Research Services.

Our services include:

•

Value equities, generally targeting stocks that are out of favor and that may trade at bargain prices;

•

Growth equities, generally targeting stocks with under-appreciated growth potential;

•

Fixed income securities, including both taxable and tax-exempt securities;

•

Blend strategies, combining style-pure investment components with systematic rebalancing;

•

Passive management, including both index and enhanced index strategies;

•

Alternative investments, such as hedge funds, currency management, and venture capital; and

•

Asset allocation services, by which we offer specifically-tailored investment solutions for our clients (e.g., customized target date fund retirement services for institutional defined contribution clients).

We manage these services using various investment disciplines, including market capitalization (e.g., large-, mid-, and small-cap equities), term (e.g., long-, intermediate-, and short-duration debt securities), and geographic location (e.g., U.S., international, global, and emerging markets), as well as local and regional disciplines in major markets around the world.

Blend strategies are an increasingly important component of our product line. As of December 31, 2007, blend AUM was $175 billion (representing 22% of our company-wide AUM), an increase of 30% from $134 billion as of December 31, 2006 and 99% from $88 billion as of December 31, 2005.

We market and distribute our hedge funds globally to high-net-worth clients and, more recently, to institutional investors. Hedge fund AUM totaled $9.5 billion as of December 31, 2007, $7.5 billion of which was private client AUM and $2.0 billion of which was institutional AUM. Our hedge fund AUM constitutes only a small portion of our company-wide AUM, but can have a disproportionately large effect on our revenues because of the performance-based fees we are eligible to earn. For additional information about these fees, see “Revenues” in this Item 1, “Risk Factors” in Item 1A, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7.

Sub-advisory client mandates span our investment strategies, including growth, value, fixed income, and blend. We serve as sub-adviser for retail mutual funds, insurance products, retirement platforms, and institutional investment products.

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Global Reach

We serve clients in major global markets through operations in 48 cities in 25 countries. Our client base includes investors throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. We utilize an integrated global investment platform that provides our clients with access to local (country-specific), international, and global research and investment strategies.

Assets under management by client domicile and investment service as of December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005 were as follows:

By Client Domicile ($ in billions):


December 31, 2007	December 31, 2006	December 31, 2005

By Investment Service ($ in billions):


December 31, 2007	December 31, 2006	December 31, 2005

As the above charts indicate, our business continues to become increasingly global. Our international client base increased by 23% during 2007 and 44% during 2006 and, likewise, our global and international AUM increased by 27% during 2007 and 50% during 2006. In addition, approximately 80%, 76%, and 69% of our gross asset inflows (sales / new accounts) during 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively, were invested in global and international investment services.

Revenues

We earn revenues primarily by charging fees for managing the investment assets of, and providing research to, our clients.

We generally calculate investment advisory fees as a percentage of the value of AUM at a specific point in time or as a percentage of the value of average AUM for the applicable billing period, with these fees varying by type of investment service, size of account, and total amount of assets we manage for a particular client. Accordingly, fee income generally increases or decreases as AUM increases or decreases. Increases in AUM generally result from market appreciation, positive investment performance for clients, or net asset inflows from new and existing clients. Similarly, decreases in AUM generally result from market depreciation, negative investment performance for clients, or net asset outflows due to client redemptions, account terminations, or asset withdrawals.

We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on hedge fund services, as well as some Institutional Investment Services. In these situations, we charge a base advisory fee and are eligible to earn an additional performance-based fee or incentive allocation that is calculated as either a percentage of absolute investment results or a percentage of investment results in excess of a stated benchmark over a specified period of time. In addition, many performance-based fees include a high-watermark provision, which generally provides that if a client account underperforms relative to its performance target (whether absolute or relative to a specified benchmark), it must gain back such underperformance before we can collect future performance-based fees. Therefore, if we do not exceed our performance target for a particular period, we will not earn a performance-based fee for that period and, for accounts with a high-watermark provision, we will impair our ability to earn future performance-based fees. Because the portion of our AUM on which we are eligible to earn performance-based fees has increased, the seasonality and volatility of our revenues and earnings have become more significant. Our performance-based fees in 2007 were $81.2 million, in 2006 were $235.7 million, and in 2005 were $131.9 million. For additional information about performance-based fees, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7.

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We sometimes experience periods when the number of new accounts or the amount of AUM increases or decreases significantly. These shifts result from wide-ranging factors, including conditions of financial markets, our investment performance for clients, and changes in our clients’ investment preferences.

We earn revenues from clients to whom we provide fundamental research and brokerage-related services generally in the form of transaction fees calculated as either “cents per share” or a percentage of the value of the securities traded for these clients.

Our revenues may fluctuate for a number of reasons; see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7.

Employees

As of December 31, 2007, we had 5,580 full-time employees located in 25 countries, including 364 research analysts, 180 portfolio managers, 42 traders, and 31 professionals with other investment-related responsibilities. We have employed these professionals for an average period of approximately seven years, and their average investment experience is approximately 16 years. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Institutional Investment Services

We serve our institutional clients primarily through AllianceBernstein Institutional Investments, a unit of AllianceBernstein, and through other units in our international subsidiaries and one of our joint ventures (institutional relationships of less than $25 million are generally serviced by Bernstein GWM, our Private Client channel). Institutional Investment Services include actively managed equity accounts (including growth, value, and blend accounts), fixed income accounts, and balanced accounts (which combine equity and fixed income), as well as passive management of index and enhanced index accounts. These services are provided through separately managed accounts, sub-advisory relationships, structured products, collective investment trusts, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles. As of December 31, 2007, institutional AUM was $508 billion, or 63% of our company-wide AUM. For more information concerning institutional AUM, revenues, and fees, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees” in this Item 1.

Our institutional client base includes unaffiliated corporate and public employee pension funds, endowment funds, domestic and foreign institutions and governments, and certain of our affiliates (AXA and its subsidiaries), as well as certain sub-advisory relationships with unaffiliated sponsors of various other investment products. We manage approximately 2,448 mandates for these clients, which are located in 45 countries. As of December 31, 2007, we managed employee benefit plan assets for 57 of the Fortune 100 companies, and we managed public pension fund assets for 37 states and/or municipalities in those states.

Like our business generally, our Institutional Investment Services are becoming increasingly global. As of December 31, 2007, our institutional AUM invested in global and international investment services was $341 billion, or 67% of institutional AUM, as compared to $270 billion, or 59% of institutional AUM, as of December 31, 2006, and $172 billion, or 48% of institutional AUM, as of December 31, 2005. Similarly, as of December 31, 2007, the AUM we invested for clients domiciled outside the United States was $269 billion, or 53% of institutional AUM, as compared to $214 billion, or 47% of institutional AUM, as of December 31, 2006, and $138 billion, or 38% of institutional AUM, as of December 31, 2005.

Retail Services

We provide investment management and related services to a wide variety of individual retail investors, both in the U.S. and internationally, through retail mutual funds sponsored by our company, our subsidiaries and affiliated joint venture companies; mutual fund sub-advisory relationships; Separately Managed Account Programs; and other investment vehicles (“Retail Products and Services”). As of December 31, 2007, retail AUM, which is determined by subtracting applicable liabilities from AUM, was $183 billion, or 23% of our company-wide AUM. For more information concerning retail AUM, revenues, and fees, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees” in this Item 1.

Our Retail Products and Services are designed to provide disciplined, research-based investments that contribute to a well-diversified investment portfolio. We distribute these products and services through financial intermediaries, including broker-dealers, insurance sales representatives, banks, registered investment advisers, and financial planners.

Our Retail Products and Services are becoming increasingly global. As of December 31, 2007, our retail AUM invested in global and international investment services was $110 billion, or 60% of retail AUM, as compared to $86 billion, or 52% of retail AUM, as of December 31, 2006, and $65 billion, or 45% of retail AUM, as of December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2007, the AUM we invested for clients domiciled outside the U.S. was $44 billion, or 24% of retail AUM, as compared to $40 billion, or 24% of retail AUM, as of December 31, 2006, and $39 billion, or 27% of retail AUM, as of December 31, 2005.

Our Retail Products and Services include open-end and closed-end funds that are either (i) registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act (“U.S. Funds”), or (ii) not registered under the Investment Company Act and generally not offered to United States persons (“Non-U.S. Funds” and collectively with the U.S. Funds, “AllianceBernstein Funds”). They provide a broad range of investment options, including local and global growth equities, value equities, blend strategies, and fixed income securities. They also include Separately Managed Account Programs, which are sponsored by financial intermediaries and generally charge an all-inclusive fee covering investment management, trade execution, asset allocation, and custodial and administrative services. We also provide distribution, shareholder servicing, and administrative services for our Retail Products and Services.

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Our U.S. Funds, which include retail funds, our variable products series fund (a component of an insurance product), and the Sanford C. Bernstein Funds (principally Private Client Services products), currently offer 120 different portfolios to U.S. investors. As of December 31, 2007, retail U.S. Funds AUM was approximately $66 billion, or 36% of total retail AUM. Because of the way they are marketed and serviced, we report substantially all of the AUM in the Sanford C. Bernstein Funds (“SCB Funds”), which totaled $32 billion as of December 31, 2007, as private client AUM.

We offer the following Retail Products and Services to clients domiciled outside the United States:

•

Internationally-distributed funds that currently offer 42 different portfolios to non-U.S. investors distributed by local financial intermediaries by means of distribution agreements in most major international markets (AUM in these funds was $25 billion as of December 31, 2007);

•

Local-market funds that we distribute in Japan through financial intermediaries (AUM in these funds was $4 billion as of December 31, 2007);

•

Retail sub-advisory mandates (AUM in these relationships was $14 billion as of December 31, 2007); and

•

Separately Managed Account Programs distributed by Canadian financial intermediaries (AUM in these programs was less than $1 billion as of December 31, 2007).

AllianceBernstein Investments serves as the principal underwriter and distributor of the U.S. Funds. AllianceBernstein Investments employs approximately 160 sales representatives who devote their time exclusively to promoting the sale of U.S. Funds and certain other Retail Products and Services by financial intermediaries.

AllianceBernstein (Luxembourg) S.A. (“AllianceBernstein Luxembourg”), a Luxembourg management company and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, generally serves as the placing or distribution agent for the Non-U.S. Funds. AllianceBernstein Luxembourg employs approximately 21 sales representatives who devote their time exclusively to promoting the sale of Non-U.S. Funds and other Retail Products and Services by financial intermediaries.

Cash Management Services

During June 2005, Federated Investors, Inc. (“Federated”) acquired our retail cash management services. For additional information, see Note 22 to AllianceBernstein’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

Private Client Services

Bernstein GWM combines the former private client services group of Bernstein, which has served private clients for approximately 40 years, and the former private client group of Alliance Capital. As of December 31, 2007, private client AUM was $109 billion, or 14% of our company-wide AUM. For more information concerning private client AUM, revenues, and fees, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees” in this Item 1.

Through Bernstein GWM, we provide Private Client Services to high-net-worth individuals, trusts and estates, charitable foundations, partnerships, private and family corporations, and other entities by means of separately managed accounts, hedge funds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles. We target investors with financial assets of $1 million or more, although we have a minimum opening account size of $500,000.

Our Private Client Services are built on a sales effort that involves 338 financial advisors. These advisors do not manage money, but work with private clients and their tax, legal, and other advisors to assist clients in determining a suitable mix of U.S. and non-U.S. equity securities and fixed income investments. The diversified portfolio created for each client is intended to maximize after-tax investment returns, in light of the client’s individual investment goals, income requirements, risk tolerance, tax situation, and other relevant factors. In creating these portfolios, we utilize all of our resources, including research reports, investment planning services, and our Wealth Management Group, which has in-depth knowledge of trust, estate, and tax planning strategies.

Our financial advisors are based in 18 cities in the U.S.: New York City, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach. We also have financial advisors based in London, England. We added 40 financial advisors in 2007, a 13% increase from 2006; however, we anticipate that growth in the number of financial advisors will slow in 2008.

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Non-U.S. investment services have become increasingly important in the private client channel. As of December 31, 2007, our private client AUM invested in global and international investment services was $38 billion, or 35% of private client AUM, as compared to $29 billion, or 30% of private client AUM, as of December 31, 2006, and $20 billion, or 26% of private client AUM, as of December 31, 2005.

Institutional Research Services

Institutional Research Services (“IRS”) consist of independent research, portfolio strategy, and brokerage-related services provided to institutional investors such as pension fund, hedge fund, and mutual fund managers, and other institutional investors. Brokerage-related services are provided by SCB LLC in the United States and SCBL primarily in Europe. As of December 31, 2007, SCB LLC and SCBL (together, “SCB”) served approximately 1,350 clients in the U.S. and approximately 460 clients outside the U.S. For more information concerning the revenues we derive from IRS, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees” in this Item 1.

SCB provides fundamental company and industry research along with disciplined research into securities valuation and factors affecting stock-price movements. Our analysts are consistently among the highest ranked research analysts in industry surveys conducted by third-party organizations. Along with quantitative analysts and portfolio strategists, our IRS research team totals approximately 175 people, including 55 senior analysts.

In 2007, SCBL launched its European equity program and algorithmic trading capabilities in London, where SCBL employs 16 published analysts covering industries and companies in Europe. These product additions complement similar programs rolled out in the U.S. in 2005 and 2006.

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Assets Under Management, Revenues, and Fees

The following tables summarize our AUM and revenues by distribution channel:

Assets Under Management(1)

	December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006(2)		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in millions)
Institutional Investment Services	$	508,081	$	455,095	$	358,545		11.6	%	26.9	%
Retail Services		183,165		166,928		145,134		9.7		15.0
Private Client Services		109,144		94,898		74,873		15.0		26.7
Total	$	800,390	$	716,921	$	578,552		11.6		23.9

(1)	Excludes certain non-discretionary client relationships.

(2)	AUM for 2006 has been increased by $26 million to reflect the assets associated with existing services not previously included in AUM.

Revenues

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in thousands)
Institutional Investment Services	$	1,481,885	$	1,221,780	$	894,781		21.3	%	36.5	%
Retail Services		1,521,201		1,303,849		1,188,553		16.7		9.7
Private Client Services		960,669		882,881		673,216		8.8		31.1
Institutional Research Services		423,553		375,075		352,757		12.9		6.3
Other(1)		332,441		354,655		199,281		(6.3	)	78.0
Total Revenues		4,719,749		4,138,240		3,308,588		14.1		25.1
Less: Interest Expense		194,432		187,833		95,863		3.5		95.9
Net Revenues	$	4,525,317	$	3,950,407	$	3,212,725		14.6		23.0

(1)	Other revenues primarily consist of dividend and interest income, investment gains (losses), and shareholder servicing fees. For additional information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7.

AXA Financial, AXA Equitable, and our other affiliates, whose AUM consists primarily of fixed income investments, together constitute our largest client. Our affiliates represented approximately 15%, 17%, and 19% of our company-wide AUM as of December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively. We also earned approximately 5% of our company-wide net revenues from our affiliates for each of 2007, 2006, and 2005. We manage this AUM as part of our Institutional Investment Services and our Retail Services.

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Institutional Investment Services

The following tables summarize our Institutional Investment Services AUM and revenues:

Institutional Investment Services Assets Under Management(1)

(by Investment Service)

	December 31						% Change
	2007		2006(2)		2005			2007-06		2006-05
			(in millions)
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	49,235	$	55,562	$	50,556		(11.4	)%	9.9	%
Global and International		192,472		158,572		101,791		21.4		55.8
		241,707		214,134		152,347		12.9		40.6
Growth Equity:
U.S.		31,908		36,668		39,721		(13.0	)	(7.7	)
Global and International		88,691		66,242		39,327		33.9		68.4
		120,599		102,910		79,048		17.2		30.2
Fixed Income:
U.S.		73,240		73,414		74,964		(0.2	)	(2.1	)
Global and International		53,978		39,166		27,709		37.8		41.3
		127,218		112,580		102,673		13.0		9.6
Index / Structured:
U.S.		12,426		19,942		20,908		(37.7	)	(4.6	)
Global and International		6,131		5,529		3,569		10.9		54.9
		18,557		25,471		24,477		(27.1	)	4.1
Total:
U.S.		166,809		185,586		186,149		(10.1	)	(0.3	)
Global and International		341,272		269,509		172,396		26.6		56.3
Total	$	508,081	$	455,095	$	358,545		11.6		26.9

(1)	Excludes certain non-discretionary client relationships.

(2)	AUM for 2006 has been increased by $26 million to reflect the assets associated with existing services not previously included in AUM.

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Revenues From Institutional Investment Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in thousands)
Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	153,747	$	154,163	$	155,046		(0.3	)%	(0.6	)%
Global and International		747,957		570,185		362,181		31.2		57.4
		901,704		724,348		517,227		24.5		40.0
Growth Equity:
U.S.		108,691		122,132		126,894		(11.0	)	(3.8	)
Global and International		311,727		226,293		115,403		37.8		96.1
		420,418		348,425		242,297		20.7		43.8
Fixed Income:
U.S.		91,144		97,452		95,585		(6.5	)	2.0
Global and International		54,021		38,825		29,887		39.1		29.9
		145,165		136,277		125,472		6.5		8.6
Index / Structured:
U.S.		4,441		4,993		5,159		(11.1	)	(3.2	)
Global and International		9,865		7,177		4,197		37.5		71.0
		14,306		12,170		9,356		17.6		30.1
Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		358,023		378,740		382,684		(5.5	)	(1.0	)
Global and International		1,123,570		842,480		511,668		33.4		64.7
		1,481,593		1,221,220		894,352		21.3		36.5
Distribution Revenues		292		560		429		(47.9	)	30.5
Total	$	1,481,885	$	1,221,780	$	894,781		21.3		36.5

As of December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, Institutional Investment Services represented approximately 63%, 63%, and 62%, respectively, of our company-wide AUM. The fees we earned from these services represented approximately 33%, 31%, and 28% of our company-wide net revenues for 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively.

We manage assets for AXA and its subsidiaries, which together constitute our largest institutional client. These assets accounted for approximately 16%, 17%, and 18% of our total institutional AUM as of December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively, and approximately 7%, 7%, and 8% of our total institutional revenues for 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively.

The institutional AUM we manage for our affiliates, along with our nine other largest institutional accounts, accounts for approximately 28% of our total institutional AUM as of December 31, 2007 and approximately 17% of our total institutional revenues for the year ended December 31, 2007. No single institutional client other than AXA and its subsidiaries accounted for more than approximately 1% of our company-wide net revenues for the year ended December 31, 2007.

We manage the assets of our institutional clients through written investment management agreements or other arrangements, all of which are generally terminable at any time or upon relatively short notice by either party. In general, our written investment management agreements may not be assigned without client consent.

We are compensated principally on the basis of investment advisory fees calculated as a percentage of assets under management. The percentage we charge varies with the type of investment service, the size of the account, and the total amount of assets we manage for a particular client.

We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on approximately 16% of institutional assets under management, which are primarily invested in equity and fixed income services rather than hedge funds. Performance-based fees provide for a relatively low asset-based fee plus an additional fee based on investment performance. For additional information about performance-based fees, see “General - Revenues” in this Item 1 and “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.

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Retail Services

The following tables summarize our Retail Services AUM and revenues:

Retail Services Assets Under Management

(by Investment Service)

	December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in millions)
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	33,488	$	35,749	$	32,625		(6.3	)%	9.6	%
Global and International		56,560		38,797		16,575		45.8		134.1
		90,048		74,546		49,200		20.8		51.5
Growth Equity:
U.S.		24,637		28,587		31,193		(13.8	)	(8.4	)
Global and International		23,530		19,937		19,523		18.0		2.1
		48,167		48,524		50,716		(0.7	)	(4.3	)
Fixed Income:
U.S.		10,627		11,420		12,053		(6.9	)	(5.3	)
Global and International		29,855		27,614		27,648		8.1		(0.1	)
		40,482		39,034		39,701		3.7		(1.7	)
Index / Structured:
U.S.		4,468		4,824		4,230		(7.4	)	14.0
Global and International		—		—		1,287		—		(100.0	)
		4,468		4,824		5,517		(7.4	)	(12.6	)
Total:
U.S.		73,220		80,580		80,101		(9.1	)	0.6
Global and International		109,945		86,348		65,033		27.3		32.8
Total	$	183,165	$	166,928	$	145,134		9.7		15.0

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Revenues From Retail Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in thousands)
Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	129,125	$	123,355	$	119,545		4.7	%	3.2	%
Global and International		262,369		133,314		64,718		96.8		106.0
		391,494		256,669		184,263		52.5		39.3
Growth Equity:
U.S.		119,880		143,344		140,428		(16.4	)	2.1
Global and International		168,817		152,883		119,173		10.4		28.3
		288,697		296,227		259,601		(2.5	)	14.1
Fixed Income:
U.S.		39,644		43,705		88,714		(9.3	)	(50.7	)
Global and International		224,335		186,196		156,068		20.5		19.3
		263,979		229,901		244,782		14.8		(6.1	)
Index / Structured:
U.S.		1,868		1,673		1,507		11.7		11.0
Global and International		—		3,363		3,640		(100.0	)	(7.6	)
		1,868		5,036		5,147		(62.9	)	(2.2	)
Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		290,517		312,077		350,194		(6.9	)	(10.9	)
Global and International		655,521		475,756		343,599		37.8		38.5
		946,038		787,833		693,793		20.1		13.6
Distribution Revenues(1)		471,031		418,780		395,402		12.5		5.9
Shareholder Servicing Fees(1)		104,132		97,236		99,358		7.1		(2.1	)
Total	$	1,521,201	$	1,303,849	$	1,188,553		16.7		9.7

(1)	For a description of distribution revenues and shareholder servicing fees, see below.

Investment advisory fees and distribution fees for our Retail Products and Services are generally charged as a percentage of average daily AUM. As certain of the U.S. Funds have grown, we have revised our fee schedules to provide lower incremental fees above certain asset levels. Fees paid by the U.S. Funds, EQ Advisors Trust (“EQAT”), AXA Enterprise Multimanager Funds Trust (“AXA Enterprise Trust”), and AXA Premier VIP Trust are reflected in the applicable investment management agreement, which generally must be approved annually by the boards of directors or trustees of those funds, including by a majority of the independent directors or trustees. Increases in these fees must be approved by fund shareholders; decreases need not be, including any decreases implemented by a fund’s directors and trustees. In general, each investment management agreement with the AllianceBernstein Funds, EQAT, AXA Enterprise Trust, and AXA Premier VIP Trust provides for termination by either party at any time upon 60 days’ notice.

Fees paid by Non-U.S. Funds are reflected in investment management agreements that continue until they are terminated. Increases in these fees must generally be approved by the relevant regulatory authority depending on the domicile and structure of the fund, and Non-U.S. Fund shareholders must be given advance notice of any fee increases.

Our Retail Products and Services include variable products, which are open-end mutual funds designed to fund benefits under variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies offered by life insurance companies (“Variable Products”). We manage the AllianceBernstein Variable Products Series Fund, Inc., which serves as the investment vehicle for insurance products offered by unaffiliated insurance companies, and we sub-advise variable product mutual funds sponsored by affiliates. As of December 31, 2007, we managed or sub-advised approximately $59 billion of Variable Product AUM.

The mutual funds we sub-advise for various affiliates together constitute our largest retail client. They accounted for approximately 22%, 24%, and 29% of our total retail AUM as of December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively, and approximately 7%, 7%, and 8% of our total retail revenues for 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

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Our mutual fund distribution system (the “System”) includes a multi-class share structure that permits open-end AllianceBernstein Funds to offer investors various options for the purchase of mutual fund shares, including both front-end load shares and back-end load shares. For front-end load shares, AllianceBernstein Investments pays sales commissions to financial intermediaries distributing the funds from the front-end sales charge it receives from investors at the time of the sale. For back-end load shares, AllianceBernstein Investments pays sales commissions to financial intermediaries at the time of sale and also receives higher ongoing distribution services fees from the mutual funds. In addition, investors who redeem back-end load shares before the expiration of the minimum holding period (which ranges from one year to four years) pay a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) to AllianceBernstein Investments. We expect to recover deferred sales commissions over periods not exceeding five and one-half years through receipt of a CDSC and/or the higher ongoing distribution services fees we receive from holders of back-end load shares. Payments of sales commissions made to financial intermediaries in connection with the sale of back-end load shares under the System, net of CDSC received of $31.1 million, $23.7 million, and $21.4 million, totaled approximately $84.1 million, $98.7 million, and $74.2 million during 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively.

The rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., effectively cap the aggregate sales charges that may be received from each U.S. Fund by AllianceBernstein Investments. The cap is 6.25% of cumulative gross sales (plus interest at the prime rate plus 1% per annum) in each share class of the open-end U.S. Funds.

Most open-end U.S. Funds have adopted a plan under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act that allows the fund to pay, out of assets of the fund, distribution and service fees for the distribution and sale of its shares (“Rule 12b-1 Fees”). The open-end AllianceBernstein Funds have entered into agreements with AllianceBernstein Investments under which they pay a distribution services fee to AllianceBernstein Investments. AllianceBernstein Investments has entered into selling and distribution agreements pursuant to which it pays sales commissions to the financial intermediaries that distribute our open-end U.S. Funds. These agreements are terminable by either party upon notice (generally not more than 60 days) and do not obligate the financial intermediary to sell any specific amount of fund shares. A small amount of mutual fund sales is made directly by AllianceBernstein Investments, in which case AllianceBernstein Investments retains the entire sales charge.

In addition to Rule 12b-1 Fees, AllianceBernstein Investments, at its own expense, currently provides additional payments under distribution services and educational support agreements to firms that sell shares of our funds, a practice sometimes referred to as revenue sharing. Although the amount of payments made to each qualifying firm in any given year may vary, the total amount paid to a financial intermediary in connection with the sale of shares of U.S. Funds will generally not exceed the sum of (i) 0.25% of the current year’s fund sales by that firm, and (ii) 0.10% of average daily net assets attributable to that firm over the course of the year. These sums may be associated with our funds’ status on a financial intermediary’s preferred list of funds or may be otherwise associated with the financial intermediary’s marketing and other support activities, such as client education meetings and training efforts relating to our funds.

Financial intermediaries and record keepers that provide sub-transfer agency or accounting services with respect to their customers’ investments in AllianceBernstein Funds may receive specified payments from these funds or from affiliates of AllianceBernstein, including AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, “AllianceBernstein Investor Services”) and AllianceBernstein Investments.

During 2007, the 10 financial intermediaries responsible for the largest volume of sales of open-end AllianceBernstein Funds were responsible for 38% of such sales. AXA Advisors, LLC (“AXA Advisors”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA Financial that utilizes members of AXA Equitable’s insurance sales force as its registered representatives, was responsible for approximately 2%, 2%, and 3% of total sales of shares of open-end AllianceBernstein Funds in 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively. AXA Advisors is under no obligation to sell a specific amount of AllianceBernstein Fund shares and also sells shares of mutual funds sponsored by other affiliates and unaffiliated organizations.

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (and its subsidiaries, “Merrill Lynch”) was responsible for approximately 7%, 6%, and 5% of open-end AllianceBernstein Fund sales in 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively. Citigroup Inc. (and its subsidiaries, “Citigroup”) was responsible for approximately 7% of open-end AllianceBernstein Fund sales in 2007 and 5% in each of 2006 and 2005. Neither Merrill Lynch nor Citigroup is under any obligation to sell a specific amount of AllianceBernstein Fund shares and each also sells shares of mutual funds that it sponsors and that are sponsored by unaffiliated organizations.

No dealer or agent has in any of the last three years accounted for more than 10% of total sales of shares of our open-end AllianceBernstein Funds.

Based on industry sales data reported by the Investment Company Institute, our market share in the U.S. mutual fund industry is 1.2% of total industry assets and we accounted for 1.0% of total open-end industry sales (and 3.4% of non-proprietary manager sales) in the U.S. during 2007. The investment performance of the U.S. Funds is an important factor in the sale of their shares, but there are also other factors, including the level and quality of shareholder services (see below) and the amounts and types of distribution assistance and administrative services payments made to financial intermediaries. We believe that our compensation programs with financial intermediaries are competitive with others in the industry.

Each of the U.S. Funds appointed an independent compliance officer reporting to the board of directors of each U.S. Fund. The expense of this officer and his staff is borne by AllianceBernstein.

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AllianceBernstein Investor Services provides transfer agency and related services for each open-end U.S. Fund and provides shareholder servicing for each open-end U.S. Fund’s shareholder accounts (approximately 4.1 million accounts in total). (Transfer agency and related services are provided to the SCB Funds primarily by Boston Financial Data Services.) As of December 31, 2007, AllianceBernstein Investor Services employed 258 people. AllianceBernstein Investor Services operates in San Antonio, Texas, and it receives a monthly fee under each of its servicing agreements with the open-end U.S. Funds based on the number and type of shareholder accounts serviced. Each servicing agreement must be approved annually by the relevant open-end U.S. Fund’s board of directors or trustees, including a majority of the independent directors or trustees, and may be terminated by either party without penalty upon 60 days’ notice.

AllianceBernstein Funds utilize our personnel to perform most legal, clerical, and accounting services. Payments to us by the U.S. Funds and certain Non-U.S. Funds for these services must be specifically approved in advance by each fund’s board of directors or trustees. Currently, AllianceBernstein Investor Services record revenues for providing these services to the AllianceBernstein Funds at the rate of approximately $7.0 million per year.

A unit of AllianceBernstein Luxembourg (“ABIS Lux”) is the transfer agent for substantially all of the Non-U.S. Funds. As of December 31, 2007, ABIS Lux employed 77 people. ABIS Lux operates in Luxembourg (and is supported by operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States) and receives a monthly fee for its transfer agency services and a transaction-based fee under various services agreements with the Non-U.S. Funds for which it provides these services. Each agreement may be terminated by either party upon 60 days’ notice.

Private Client Services

The following tables summarize Private Client Services AUM and revenues:

Private Client Services Assets Under Management

(by Investment Service)

	December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in millions)
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	25,259	$	27,703	$	23,725		(8.8	)%	16.8	%
Global and International		25,497		19,091		12,959		33.6		47.3
		50,756		46,794		36,684		8.5		27.6
Growth Equity:
U.S.		16,004		13,237		9,986		20.9		32.6
Global and International		12,175		9,418		6,390		29.3		47.4
		28,179		22,655		16,376		24.4		38.3
Fixed Income:
U.S.		29,498		25,032		21,471		17.8		16.6
Global and International		676		328		241		106.1		36.1
		30,174		25,360		21,712		19.0		16.8
Index / Structured:
U.S.		25		80		101		(68.8	)	(20.8	)
Global and International		10		9		—		11.1		—
		35		89		101		(60.7	)	(11.9	)
Total:
U.S.		70,786		66,052		55,283		7.2		19.5
Global and International		38,358		28,846		19,590		33.0		47.2
Total	$	109,144	$	94,898	$	74,873		15.0		26.7

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Revenues From Private Client Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in thousands)
Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	322,366	$	293,281	$	256,580		9.9	%	14.3	%
Global and International		233,964		260,529		161,793		(10.2	)	61.0
		556,330		553,810		418,373		0.5		32.4
Growth Equity:
U.S.		164,547		134,070		93,716		22.7		43.1
Global and International		113,379		83,615		58,308		35.6		43.4
		277,926		217,685		152,024		27.7		43.2
Fixed Income:
U.S.		121,895		108,418		99,868		12.4		8.6
Global and International		2,315		1,188		879		94.9		35.2
		124,210		109,606		100,747		13.3		8.8
Index / Structured:
U.S.		—		75		103		(100.0	)	(27.2	)
Global and International		91		—		—		—		—
		91		75		103		21.3		(27.2	)
Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		608,808		535,844		450,267		13.6		19.0
Global and International		349,749		345,332		220,980		1.3		56.3
		958,557		881,176		671,247		8.8		31.3
Distribution Revenues		2,112		1,705		1,969		23.9		(13.4	)
Total	$	960,669	$	882,881	$	673,216		8.8		31.1

Private client accounts are managed pursuant to a written investment advisory agreement generally among the client, AllianceBernstein and SCB LLC (sometimes between the client and AllianceBernstein Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours organized in the U.K.), which usually is terminable at any time or upon relatively short notice by any party. In general, these contracts may not be assigned without the consent of the client. We are compensated under these contracts by fees calculated as a percentage of AUM at a specific point in time or as a percentage of the value of average assets under management for the applicable billing period, with these fees varying based on the type of portfolio and the size of the account. The aggregate fees we charge for managing hedge funds may be higher than the fees we charge for managing other assets in private client accounts because hedge fund fees provide for performance-based fees, incentive allocations, or carried interests in addition to asset-based fees. We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on approximately 8% of private client AUM, substantially all of which is held in hedge funds.

We eliminated transaction charges during 2005 on U.S. equity services for most private clients as part of a management initiative that changed the structure of investment advisory and services fees charged for our services. The restructuring eliminated transaction charges for trade execution performed by SCB LLC for most private clients; the transaction charges were replaced by higher asset-based fees. This fee structure provides greater transparency and predictability of asset management costs for our private clients. (The elimination of transaction charges was not the result of the New York State Attorney General’s Assurance of Discontinuance dated September 1, 2004 (“NYAG AoD”) or an agreement with any other regulator; see “Governance” in this Item 1 for additional information.)

Revenues from Private Client Services represented approximately 21%, 22%, and 21% of our company-wide net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively.

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Institutional Research Services

The following table summarizes Institutional Research Services revenues:

Revenues From Institutional Research Services

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2007		2006		2005			2007-06		2006-05
	(in thousands)
Transaction Execution and Research:
U.S. Clients	$	302,721	$	296,736	$	290,511		2.0	%	2.1	%
Non-U.S. Clients		99,182		69,279		57,870		43.2		19.7
		401,903		366,015		348,381		9.8		5.1
Other		21,650		9,060		4,376		139.0		107.0
Total	$	423,553	$	375,075	$	352,757		12.9		6.3

We earn revenues for providing investment research to, and executing brokerage transactions for, institutional clients. These clients compensate us principally by directing SCB to execute brokerage transactions, for which we earn transaction charges. These services accounted for approximately 9%, 9%, and 11% of our company-wide net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively.

Fee rates charged for brokerage transactions have declined significantly in recent years, but increases in transaction volume in both the U.S. and Europe have more than offset these decreases. For additional information, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7.

Custody and Brokerage

Custody

SCB LLC acts as custodian for the majority of AllianceBernstein’s private client AUM and some of AllianceBernstein’s institutional AUM. Other custodial arrangements are maintained by client-designated banks, trust companies, brokerage firms or other custodians.

Brokerage

We generally have the discretion to select the broker-dealers that execute securities transactions for client accounts. When selecting brokers, we are required to obtain “best execution”. Although there is no single statutory definition, SEC releases and other legal guidelines make clear that the duty to obtain best execution requires us to seek “the most advantageous terms reasonably available under the circumstances for a customer’s account”. In addition to commission rate, we take into account such factors as current market conditions, the broker’s financial strength, and the ability and willingness of the broker to commit capital by taking positions in order to execute transactions.

While we select brokers primarily on the basis of their execution capabilities, we may also take into consideration the quality and amount of research services a broker provides to us for the benefit of our clients. These research services, which are paid for with client commissions and which we purchase to augment our own research capabilities, are governed by Section 28(e) of the Exchange Act. We use broker-dealers that provide these services in consideration for commissions paid for the execution of client trades, subject at all times to our duty to seek best execution, and with respect to which we reasonably conclude, in good faith, that the value of the execution and other services we receive from the broker-dealer is reasonable in relation to the amount of commissions paid. The commissions charged by these full-service brokers are generally higher than those charged by electronic trading networks and other “low-touch” trading venues.

We sometimes execute client transactions through SCB LLC or SCBL, our affiliated broker-dealers. We do so only when our clients have consented to our use of affiliated broker-dealers or we are otherwise permitted to do so, and only when we can execute these transactions in accordance with applicable law (i.e., our obligation to obtain best execution). In 2007, we executed approximately $3.3 million in transactions through SCB. We may use brokers to effect client transactions that sell shares of AllianceBernstein Funds or third party funds we sub-advise; however, we prohibit our investment professionals who place trades from considering these other relationships or the sale of fund shares as a factor when selecting brokers to effect transactions.

Our Brokerage Allocation Committee has principal oversight responsibility for evaluating equity-related brokerage matters, including how to use research services we receive in a manner that is in the best interests of our clients and consistent with current regulatory requirements.

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Service Marks

In connection with our name changes to AllianceBernstein L.P. and AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. in February 2006, we have registered a number of service marks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various foreign patent offices, including an “AB” design logo and the combination of such logo with the mark “AllianceBernstein”.

In connection with the Bernstein Transaction, we acquired all of the rights and title in, and to, the Bernstein service marks, including the mark “Bernstein”.

Governance

We maintain a robust fiduciary culture and, as a fiduciary, we place the interests of our clients first and foremost. We are committed to the fair and equitable treatment of all our clients, and to compliance with all applicable rules and regulations and internal policies to which our business is subject. We pursue these goals through education of our employees to promote awareness of our fiduciary obligations, incentives that align employees’ interests with those of our clients, and a range of measures, including active monitoring, to ensure regulatory compliance. Specific steps we have taken to help us achieve these goals include:

•

revising our code of ethics to better align the interests of our employees with those of our clients;

•

forming two committees composed primarily of executive management to oversee and resolve code of ethics and compliance-related issues;

•

creating an ombudsman office, where employees and others can voice concerns on a confidential basis;

•

initiating firm-wide compliance and ethics training programs; and

•

appointing a Conflicts Officer and establishing a Conflicts Committee to identify and manage conflicts of interest.

We implemented these measures, in part, pursuant to the Order of the Commission (“SEC Order”) dated December 18, 2003 (amended and restated January 15, 2004) and the NYAG AoD (together with the SEC Order, “Orders”), which related to trading practices in the shares of certain of our sponsored mutual funds. In addition, the Orders required:

•

establishing a $250 million restitution fund to compensate fund shareholders for the adverse effects of market timing (“Restitution Fund”);

•

reducing by 20% (on a weighted average basis) the advisory fees on U.S. long-term open-end retail mutual funds by reducing our advisory fee rates (we are required to maintain these reduced fee rates for at least the five-year period that commenced January 1, 2004; we do not intend to seek to increase our fees at the end of this period); and

•

agreeing to have an independent third party perform a comprehensive compliance review biannually.

We believe that our remedial actions provide reasonable assurance that the deficiencies in our internal controls related to market timing will not occur again.

With the approval of the independent directors of the U.S. Fund Boards and the staff of the SEC, we retained an Independent Distribution Consultant (“IDC”) to develop a plan for the distribution of the Restitution Fund. To the extent it is determined by the IDC and the SEC that the harm to mutual fund shareholders caused by market timing exceeds $200 million, we will be required to contribute additional monies to the Restitution Fund. In September 2005, the IDC submitted to the SEC Staff the portion of his report concerning his methodology for determining damages and a proposed distribution plan, which addresses the mechanics of distribution; in February 2006, the final portion of his report was submitted. The Restitution Fund proceeds will not be distributed until after the SEC has issued an order approving the distribution plan. Until then, it is not possible to predict the exact timing, method, or amount of the distribution.

Regulation

AllianceBernstein, Holding, the General Partner, SCB LLC, AllianceBernstein Global Derivatives Corporation (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein, “Global Derivatives”), and Alliance Corporate Finance Group Incorporated (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein) are investment advisers registered under the Investment Advisers Act. SCB LLC and Global Derivatives are also registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as commodity pool operators.

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Each U.S. Fund is registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act and the shares of most U.S. Funds are qualified for sale in all states in the United States and the District of Columbia, except for U.S. Funds offered only to residents of a particular state. AllianceBernstein Investor Services is registered with the SEC as a transfer agent.

SCB LLC and AllianceBernstein Investments are registered with the SEC as broker-dealers, and both are members of FINRA. SCB LLC is also a member of the NYSE and all other principal U.S. exchanges. SCBL is a broker regulated by the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom (“FSA”) and is a member of the London Stock Exchange.

AllianceBernstein Trust Company, LLC (“ABTC”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein, is a non-depository trust company chartered under New Hampshire law as a limited liability company. ABTC is authorized to act as trustee, executor, transfer agent, assignee, receiver, custodian, investment adviser, and in any other capacity authorized for a trust company under New Hampshire law. As a state-chartered trust company exercising fiduciary powers, ABTC must comply with New Hampshire laws applicable to trust company operations (such as New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated Part 392), certain federal laws (such as ERISA and sections of the Bank Secrecy Act), and the New Hampshire banking laws. The primary fiduciary activities of ABTC consist of serving as trustee to a series of collective investment trusts, the investors of which currently are defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans.

Many of our subsidiaries around the world are subject to minimum net capital requirements by the local laws and regulations to which they are subject. As of December 31, 2007, each of our subsidiaries subject to a minimum net capital requirement satisfied the applicable requirement.

Holding Units trade publicly on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “AB”. Holding is an NYSE listed company and, therefore, is subject to the applicable regulations promulgated by the NYSE.

Our relationships with AXA and its subsidiaries are subject to applicable provisions of the insurance laws and regulations of New York and other states. Under such laws and regulations, the terms of certain investment advisory and other agreements we enter into with AXA or its subsidiaries are required to be fair and equitable, charges or fees for services performed must be reasonable, and, in some cases, are subject to regulatory approval.

All aspects of our business are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations, rules of various securities regulators and exchanges, and laws in the foreign countries in which our subsidiaries and joint ventures conduct business. These laws and regulations are primarily intended to benefit clients and fund shareholders and generally grant supervisory agencies broad administrative powers, including the power to limit or restrict the carrying on of business for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. In such event, the possible sanctions that may be imposed include the suspension of individual employees, limitations on engaging in business for specific periods, the revocation of the registration as an investment adviser or broker-dealer, censures, and fines.

Some of our subsidiaries are subject to the oversight of regulatory authorities in Europe, including the FSA in the U.K., and in Asia, including the Financial Services Agency in Japan, the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. While the requirements of these foreign regulators are often comparable to the requirements of the SEC and other U.S. regulators, they are sometimes more restrictive and may cause us to incur substantial expenditures of time and money in our efforts to comply.

Taxes

Holding, having elected under Section 7704(g) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Code”), to be subject to a 3.5% federal tax on partnership gross income from the active conduct of a trade or business, is a “grandfathered” publicly-traded partnership for federal income tax purposes. Holding is also subject to the 4.0% New York City unincorporated business tax (“UBT”), net of credits for UBT paid by AllianceBernstein. In order to preserve Holding’s status as a “grandfathered” publicly-traded partnership for federal income tax purposes, management ensures that Holding does not directly or indirectly (through AllianceBernstein) enter into a substantial new line of business. A “new line of business” would be any business that is not closely related to AllianceBernstein’s historical business of providing research and diversified investment management and related services to its clients. A new line of business is “substantial” when a partnership derives more than 15% of its gross income from, or uses more than 15% (by value) of its total assets in, the new line of business.

AllianceBernstein is a private partnership for federal income tax purposes and, accordingly, is not subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. However, AllianceBernstein is subject to the 4.0% UBT. Domestic corporate subsidiaries of AllianceBernstein, which are subject to federal, state and local income taxes, are generally included in the filing of a consolidated federal income tax return with separate state and local income tax returns being filed. Foreign corporate subsidiaries are generally subject to taxes at higher rates in the foreign jurisdiction where they are located so, as our business increasingly operates in countries other than the U.S., our effective tax rate continues to increase.

For additional information, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.

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History and Structure

We have been in the investment research and management business for more than 35 years. Alliance Capital was founded in 1971 when the investment management department of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc. (since November 2000, a part of Credit Suisse Group) merged with the investment advisory business of Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. Bernstein was founded in 1967.

In April 1988, Holding “went public” as a master limited partnership. Holding Units, which trade under the ticker symbol “AB”, have been listed on the NYSE since that time.

In October 1999, Holding reorganized by transferring its business and assets to AllianceBernstein, a newly-formed operating partnership, in exchange for all of the AllianceBernstein Units (“Reorganization”). Since the date of the Reorganization, AllianceBernstein has conducted the business formerly conducted by Holding and Holding’s activities have consisted of owning AllianceBernstein Units and engaging in related activities. As stated above, Holding Units trade publicly; AllianceBernstein Units do not trade publicly and are subject to significant restrictions on transfer. The General Partner is the general partner of both AllianceBernstein and Holding.

In October 2000, our two legacy firms, Alliance Capital and Bernstein, combined, bringing together Alliance Capital’s expertise in growth equity and corporate fixed income investing, and its family of retail mutual funds, with Bernstein’s expertise in value equity and tax-exempt fixed income management, and its private client and institutional research services businesses. For additional details about our business combination, see “Principal Security Holders” in Item 12.

As of December 31, 2007, the condensed ownership structure of AllianceBernstein was as follows (for a more complete description of our ownership structure, see “Principal Security Holders” in Item 12):

(1)	Direct and indirect ownership including unallocated Holding Units held in a trust for our deferred compensation plans.

As of December 31, 2007, AXA, through certain of its subsidiaries (see “Principal Security Holders” in Item 12), beneficially owned approximately 62.8% of the issued and outstanding AllianceBernstein Units (including those held indirectly through its ownership of approximately 1.7% of the issued and outstanding Holding Units).

The General Partner, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of AXA, owns 100,000 general partnership units in Holding and a 1% general partnership interest in AllianceBernstein. Including the general partnership interests in Holding and AllianceBernstein and its equity interest in Holding, AXA, through certain of its subsidiaries, had an approximate 63.2% economic interest in AllianceBernstein as of December 31, 2007.

AXA and its subsidiaries own all of the issued and outstanding shares of the common stock of AXA Financial. AXA Financial owns all of the issued and outstanding shares of AXA Equitable. See “Principal Security Holders” in Item 12.

AXA, a société anonyme organized under the laws of France, is the holding company for an international group of insurance and related financial services companies engaged in the financial protection and wealth management businesses. AXA’s operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe, North America, and the Asia/Pacific regions and, to a lesser extent, in other regions including the Middle East and Africa. AXA has five operating business segments: life and savings, property and casualty, international insurance, asset management, and other financial services.

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Competition

The financial services industry is intensely competitive and new entrants are continually attracted to it. No single or small group of competitors is dominant in the industry.

We compete in all aspects of our business with numerous investment management firms, mutual fund sponsors, brokerage and investment banking firms, insurance companies, banks, savings and loan associations, and other financial institutions that often provide investment products that have similar features and objectives as those we offer. Our competitors offer a wide range of financial services to the same customers that we seek to serve. Some of our competitors are larger, have a broader range of product choices and investment capabilities, conduct business in more markets, and have substantially greater resources than we do. These factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage, and we can give no assurance that our strategies and efforts to maintain and enhance our current client relationships, and create new ones, will be successful.

AXA, AXA Equitable, and certain of their direct and indirect subsidiaries provide financial services, some of which are competitive with those offered by AllianceBernstein. The AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement specifically allows AXA Financial and its subsidiaries (other than the General Partner) to compete with AllianceBernstein and to exploit opportunities that may be available to AllianceBernstein. AXA, AXA Financial, AXA Equitable and certain of their subsidiaries have substantially greater financial resources than we do and are not obligated to provide resources to us.

To grow our business, we must be able to compete effectively for assets under management. Key competitive factors include:

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our commitment to place the interests of our clients first;

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the quality of our research;

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our ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly skilled, and often highly specialized, personnel;

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our investment performance for clients;

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the array of investment products we offer;

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the fees we charge;

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our operational effectiveness;

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our ability to further develop and market our brand; and

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our global presence.

Increased competition could reduce the demand for our products and services, and that could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

Competition is an important risk that our business faces and should be considered along with the other risk factors we discuss in Item 1A below.

Other Information

AllianceBernstein and Holding file or furnish annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other reports required to comply with federal securities laws. The public may read and copy any materials filed with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains an Internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

AllianceBernstein and Holding maintain an Internet site (http://www.alliancebernstein.com). The portion of the site at “Investor & Media Relations” and “Reports & SEC Filings” links to both companies’ annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. These reports are available through the site free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

Please read this section along with the description of our business in Item 1, the competition section just above, and AllianceBernstein’s financial information contained in Items 6, 7, and 8. The majority of the risk factors discussed below directly affect AllianceBernstein. These risk factors also affect Holding because Holding’s principal source of income and cash flow is attributable to its investment in AllianceBernstein. See also “Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Item 7.

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Changes in financial market levels have a direct and significant impact on our assets under management; a significant reduction in assets under management could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

Performance of financial markets (both domestic and international), global economic conditions, interest rates, inflation rates, tax regulation changes, and other factors that are difficult to predict affect the mix, market values, and levels of assets under management. Investment advisory and services fees, the largest component of revenues, are generally calculated as a percentage of the value of assets under management and vary with the type of account managed. Accordingly, fee income generally increases or decreases as assets under management increase or decrease and is affected by market appreciation or depreciation, inflow of new client assets (including purchases of mutual fund shares), and outflow of client assets (including redemption of mutual fund shares). In addition, changing market conditions and investment trends, particularly with respect to retirement savings, may reduce interest in certain of our investment products and may result in a reduction in assets under management. In addition, a shift towards fixed income products might result in a related decline in revenues and income because we generally earn higher revenues from assets invested in our equity services than in our fixed income services.

Declines in financial markets or higher redemption levels in company-sponsored mutual funds, or both, as compared to the assumptions we have used to estimate undiscounted future cash flows from distribution plan fees, as described in Item 7, could result in impairment of the deferred sales commission asset. Due to the volatility of financial markets and changes in redemption rates, we are unable to predict whether or when a future impairment of the deferred sales commission asset might occur. The occurrence of an impairment would result in a material charge to our earnings.

During the second half of 2007, significant weakness and volatility in global credit markets, particularly the rapid deterioration of the mortgage markets in the United States and Europe, spread to broader financial markets and began to adversely affect global economic growth. These difficulties had an adverse impact on our 2007 results of operations. Specifically, they adversely affected the investment performance for clients in most of our equity and hedge fund services. As a result, the amount of performance-based fees we earned in 2007 was significantly reduced. The weakness in global financial markets has continued thus far in 2008, causing a $49 billion decline in AUM during January 2008. Our 2008 results of operations would be adversely affected should this trend continue.

Our business is dependent on investment advisory, selling and distribution agreements that are subject to termination or non-renewal on short notice.

We derive most of our revenues pursuant to written investment management agreements (or other arrangements) with institutional investors, mutual funds, and private clients, and selling and distribution agreements between AllianceBernstein Investments and financial intermediaries that distribute AllianceBernstein Funds. Generally, the investment management agreements (and other arrangements) are terminable at any time or upon relatively short notice by either party. The selling and distribution agreements are terminable by either party upon notice (generally not more than 60 days) and do not obligate the financial intermediary to sell any specific amount of fund shares. In addition, investors in AllianceBernstein Funds can redeem their investments without notice. Any termination of, or failure to renew, a significant number of these agreements, or a significant increase in redemption rates, could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

Our ability to establish new client relationships and maintain existing ones is partly dependent on our relationships with various financial intermediaries and consultants that are not obligated to continue to work with us.

Our ability to market our Retail Products and Services, sub-advisory services, and certain other investment services is partly dependent on our access to securities firms, brokers, banks, and other intermediaries. These intermediaries generally offer their clients investment products in addition to, and in competition with, our products. In addition, certain institutional investors rely on consultants to advise them on the choice of investment adviser, and our Institutional Investment Services are not always considered among the best choices by all consultants. Also, our Private Client Services group relies on referrals from financial planners, registered investment advisers, and other professionals. We cannot be certain that we will continue to have access to, or receive referrals from, these third parties. Loss of such access or referrals could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

We may be unable to continue to attract and retain key personnel.

Our business depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly skilled, and often highly specialized, technical, managerial, and executive personnel; there is no assurance that we will be able to do so.

The market for qualified research analysts, portfolio managers, financial advisers, traders, and other professionals is extremely competitive and is characterized by frequent movement of these investment professionals among different firms. Portfolio managers and financial advisers often maintain strong, personal relationships with their clients so their departure could cause us to lose client accounts, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

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Investment performance consistently below client expectations could lead to loss of clients and a decline in revenues.

Our ability to achieve investment returns for clients that meet or exceed investment returns for comparable asset classes and competing investment services is a key consideration when clients decide to keep their assets with us or invest additional assets, as well as a prospective client’s decision to invest. Our inability to meet relevant investment benchmarks could result in clients withdrawing assets and in prospective clients choosing to invest with competitors. This could also result in lower investment management fees, including minimal or no performance-based fees, which could result in a decline in our revenues.

We may enter into more performance-based fee arrangements with our clients in the future, which could cause greater fluctuations in our revenues.

We sometimes charge our clients performance-based fees. In these situations, we charge a base advisory fee and are eligible to earn an additional performance-based fee or incentive allocation that is calculated as either a percentage of absolute investment results or a percentage of investment results in excess of a stated benchmark over a specified period of time. In addition, many performance-based fees include a high-watermark provision, which generally provides that if a client account underperforms relative to its performance target (whether absolute or relative to a specified benchmark), it must gain back such underperformance before we can collect future performance-based fees. Therefore, if we do not exceed our performance target for a particular period, we will not earn a performance-based fee for that period and, for accounts with a high-watermark provision, we will impair our ability to earn future performance-based fees. For example, for many of our hedge funds, performance in the fourth quarter of 2007 produced losses and was significantly below performance targets. With approximately 70% of our hedge fund assets subject to high-watermarks, we ended 2007 with approximately 50% of our hedge fund AUM with high-watermarks of 10% or more. This will make it very difficult for us to earn performance-based fees in most of our hedge funds in 2008.

We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on approximately 16% of the assets we manage for institutional clients and approximately 8% of the assets we manage for private clients (in total, approximately 11% of our company-wide AUM). Our performance-based fees in 2007 were $81.2 million, in 2006 were $235.7 million, and in 2005 were $131.9 million. Our performance-based fees are an increasingly important part of our business, in particular due to our hedge fund AUM. As the percentage of our AUM subject to performance-based fees grows, seasonality and volatility of revenue and earnings are likely to become more significant.

Unpredictable events, including natural disaster, technology failure, and terrorist attack, could adversely affect our ability to conduct business.

War, terrorist attack, power failure, natural disaster, and rapid spread of serious disease could interrupt our operations by:

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causing disruptions in U.S. or global economic conditions, thus decreasing investor confidence and making investment products generally less attractive;

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inflicting loss of life;

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triggering massive technology failures or delays; and

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requiring substantial capital expenditures and operating expenses to remediate damage and restore operations.

Our operations require experienced, professional staff. Loss of a substantial number of such persons or an inability to provide properly equipped places for them to work may, by disrupting our operations, adversely affect our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

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We depend on various systems and technologies for our business to function properly and to safeguard confidential information.

We utilize software and related technologies throughout our business, including both proprietary systems and those provided by outside vendors. Although we have established and tested business continuity plans, we may experience systems delays and interruptions and it is not possible to predict with certainty all of the adverse effects that could result from our failure, or the failure of a third party, to efficiently address these problems. These adverse effects could include the inability to perform critical business functions or failure to comply with financial reporting and other regulatory requirements, which could lead to loss of client confidence, harm to our reputation, exposure to disciplinary action, and liability to our clients. Accordingly, potential system failures and the cost necessary to correct those failures could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

In addition, we could be subject to losses if we fail to properly safeguard sensitive and confidential information. As part of our normal operations, we maintain and transmit confidential information about our clients as well as proprietary information relating to our business operations. Our systems could be damaged by unauthorized users or corrupted by computer viruses or other malicious software code, or authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information. Such disclosure could, among other things, allow competitors access to our proprietary business information and require significant time and expense to investigate and remediate the breach.

A failure of our operations or those of third parties we rely on, including failures arising out of human error, could disrupt our business, damage our reputation, and reduce our revenues.

Weaknesses or failures in our internal processes or systems could lead to disruption of our operations, liability to clients, exposure to disciplinary action, or harm to our reputation. Our business is highly dependent on our ability to process, on a daily basis, large numbers of transactions, many of which are highly complex, across numerous and diverse markets. These transactions generally must adhere to investment guidelines, as well as stringent legal and regulatory standards.

Despite the contingency plans and facilities we have in place, our ability to conduct business may be adversely affected by a disruption in the infrastructure that supports our operations and the communities in which they are located. This may include a disruption involving electrical, communications, transportation or other services used by AllianceBernstein or third parties with which we conduct business. If a disruption occurs in one location and our employees in that location are unable to occupy our offices or communicate with or travel to other locations, our ability to conduct business with and on behalf of our clients may suffer, and we may not be able to successfully implement contingency plans that depend on communication or travel.

Our obligations to clients require us to exercise skill, care, and prudence in performing our services. Despite our employees being highly trained and skilled, the large number of transactions we process makes it highly likely that errors will occasionally occur. Should we make a mistake in performing our services that cost us or our clients money, we have a duty to act promptly to put the clients in the position they would have been in had we not made the error. The occurrence of mistakes, particularly significant ones, can have a material adverse effect on our reputation, revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

We may not accurately value the securities we hold on behalf of our discretionary clients or our company investments.

In accordance with applicable regulatory requirements, our obligations under investment management agreements with our clients, and, if the client is a U.S. Fund, the approval and direction of the U.S. Fund’s board of directors or trustees, we employ procedures for the pricing and valuation of securities and other positions held in client accounts or for company investments. We have established a Valuation Committee, composed of senior officers and employees, which oversees pricing controls and valuation processes. Where market quotations for a security are not readily available, the Valuation Committee determines a fair value for the security.

Extraordinary volatility in financial markets, significant liquidity constraints, or our not adequately accounting for one or more factors when fair valuing a security could result in our failing to properly value securities we hold for our clients or investments accounted for on our balance sheet. Improper valuation would likely result in our basing fee calculations on inaccurate AUM figures, our striking incorrect net asset values for company-sponsored mutual funds, or, in the case of company investments, our inaccurately calculating and reporting our financial condition and operating results. Although the overall percentage of our AUM that we fair value is not significant, inaccurate fair value determinations can harm our clients and create regulatory issues.

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Our business is based on the trust and confidence of our clients; any damage to that trust and confidence can cause assets under management to decline and can have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

We are dedicated to earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of our clients; the good reputation created thereby is essential to our business. Damage to our reputation could substantially impair our ability to maintain or grow our business.

We may not always successfully manage actual and potential conflicts of interest that arise in our business.

Our reputation is one of our most important assets. As our business and client base expand, we increasingly must manage actual and potential conflicts of interest, including situations where our services to a particular client conflict, or are perceived to conflict, with the interests of another client, as well as situations where certain of our employees have access to material non-public information that may not be shared with all employees of our firm. Failure to adequately address potential conflicts of interest could adversely affect our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

We have procedures and controls that are designed to address and manage conflicts of interest, including those designed to prevent the improper sharing of information. However, appropriately managing conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and our reputation could be damaged and the willingness of clients to enter into transactions in which such a conflict might arise may be affected if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with conflicts of interest. In addition, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to litigation or regulatory enforcement actions.

Rates we charge for brokerage transactions have declined significantly in recent years, and we expect those declines to continue, which could have an adverse effect on our revenues.

Fee rates charged for brokerage transactions have declined significantly in recent years and this has affected our Institutional Research Services revenues. In 2007, increases in transaction volume more than offset decreases in rates, but this may not continue. Brokerage transaction revenues are also affected by the increasing use of electronic trading systems which charge transaction fees for execution-only services that are a small fraction of the full service fee rates traditionally charged by SCB and other brokers for brokerage services and the provision of proprietary research. Also, regulatory changes in the United Kingdom and the United States have resulted or will result in investors being given more information regarding the allocation of amounts they are paying for brokerage between execution services and research services and this may further reduce the willingness of investors to pay current rates for full-service brokerage. All of these factors may result in reductions in per transaction brokerage fees that SCB charges its clients; we expect these reductions to continue.

The costs of insurance are substantial and may increase.

Our insurance expenses are significant and can fluctuate significantly from year to year. They increased in 2007, and additional increases in the future are possible. In addition, certain insurance coverage may not be available or may only be available at prohibitive costs. As we renew our insurance policies, we may be subject to additional costs resulting from rising premiums, the assumption of higher deductibles and/or co-insurance liability, a revised premium-sharing arrangement with certain U.S. Funds, and, to the extent certain U.S. Funds purchase separate directors and officers/errors and omissions liability coverage, an increased risk of insurance companies disputing responsibility for joint claims. Higher insurance costs and incurred deductibles reduce our net income.

Our business is subject to pervasive global regulation, the compliance with which could involve substantial expenditures of time and money, and the violation of which could result in material adverse consequences.

Virtually all aspects of our business are subject to federal and state laws and regulations, rules of securities regulators and exchanges, and laws in the foreign countries in which our subsidiaries conduct business. If we violate these laws or regulations, we could be subject to civil liability, criminal liability, or sanction, including revocation of our and our subsidiaries’ registrations as investment advisers or broker-dealers, revocation of the licenses of our employees, censures, fines, or temporary suspension or permanent bar from conducting business. A regulatory proceeding, even if it does not result in a finding of wrongdoing or sanction, could require substantial expenditures of time and money. Any such liability or sanction could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects. These laws and regulations generally grant supervisory agencies and bodies broad administrative powers, including, in some cases, the power to limit or restrict doing business for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. Moreover, regulators in non-U.S. jurisdictions could change their policies or laws in a manner that might restrict or otherwise impede our ability to market, distribute, or register investment products in their respective markets. These local requirements could increase the expenses we incur in a specific jurisdiction without any corresponding increase in revenues from operating in the jurisdiction.

Due to the extensive laws and regulations to which we are subject, we devote substantial time and effort to legal and regulatory compliance issues. In addition, the regulatory environment in which we operate changes frequently and regulations have increased significantly in recent years. We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations or by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and regulations.

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The financial services industry is intensely competitive.

We compete on the basis of a number of factors, including our array of investment services, our investment performance for our clients, innovation, reputation, and price. As our global presence continues to expand, we may face competitors with more experience and more established relationships with clients, regulators and industry participants in the relevant market, which could adversely affect our ability to expand.

We are involved in various legal proceedings and regulatory matters and may be involved in such proceedings in the future, any one or combination of which could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects.

We are involved in various matters, including employee arbitrations, regulatory inquiries, administrative proceedings, and litigation, some of which allege material damages, and we may be involved in additional matters in the future. Litigation is subject to significant uncertainties, particularly when plaintiffs allege substantial or indeterminate damages, or when the litigation is highly complex or broad in scope. We have described pending material legal proceedings in Item 3.

Structure-related Risks

The partnership structure of Holding and AllianceBernstein limits unitholders’ abilities to influence the management and operation of AllianceBernstein’s business and is highly likely to prevent a change in control of Holding and AllianceBernstein.

The General Partner, as general partner of both Holding and AllianceBernstein, generally has the exclusive right and full authority and responsibility to manage, conduct, control, and operate their respective businesses, except as otherwise expressly stated in their respective Amended and Restated Agreements of Limited Partnership. Holding and AllianceBernstein unitholders have more limited voting rights on matters affecting AllianceBernstein than do holders of common stock in a corporation. Both Amended and Restated Agreements of Limited Partnership provide that unitholders do not have any right to vote for directors of the General Partner and that unitholders can only vote on certain extraordinary matters (including removal of the General Partner under certain extraordinary circumstances). Additionally, the AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement includes significant restrictions on transfers of AllianceBernstein Units and provisions that have the practical effect of preventing the removal of the General Partner, which are highly likely to prevent a change in control of AllianceBernstein’s management.

AllianceBernstein Units are illiquid.

There is no public trading market for AllianceBernstein Units and AllianceBernstein does not anticipate that a public trading market will ever develop. The AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement restricts our ability to participate in a public trading market or anything substantially equivalent to one by providing that any transfer which may cause AllianceBernstein to be classified as a “publicly traded partnership” as defined in Section 7704 of the Code shall be deemed void and shall not be recognized by AllianceBernstein. In addition, AllianceBernstein Units are subject to significant restrictions on transfer; all transfers of AllianceBernstein Units are subject to the written consent of AXA Equitable and the General Partner pursuant to the AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement. Generally, neither AXA Equitable nor the General Partner will permit any transfer that it believes would create a risk that AllianceBernstein would be treated as a corporation for tax purposes. AXA Equitable and the General Partner have implemented a transfer policy that requires a seller to locate a purchaser, and imposes annual volume restrictions on transfers. You may request a copy of the transfer program from our corporate secretary (corporate.secretary@alliancebernstein.com). Also, we have filed the transfer program as Exhibit 10.11 to this Form 10-K.

Changes in the partnership structure of Holding and AllianceBernstein and/or changes in the tax law governing partnerships would have significant tax ramifications.

Holding, having elected under Section 7704(g) of the Code, to be subject to a 3.5% federal tax on partnership gross income from the active conduct of a trade or business, is a “grandfathered” publicly-traded partnership (“PTP”) for federal income tax purposes. Holding is also subject to the 4.0% UBT, net of credits for UBT paid by AllianceBernstein. In order to preserve Holding’s status as a “grandfathered” publicly-traded partnership for federal income tax purposes, management ensures that Holding does not directly or indirectly (through AllianceBernstein) enter into a substantial new line of business. A “new line of business” would be any business that is not closely related to AllianceBernstein’s historical business of providing research and diversified investment management and related services to its clients. A new line of business is “substantial” when a partnership derives more than 15% (by value) of its gross income from, or uses more than 15% of its total assets in, the new line of business.

AllianceBernstein is a private partnership for federal income tax purposes and, accordingly, is not subject to federal and state corporate income taxes. However, AllianceBernstein is subject to the 4.0% UBT. Domestic corporate subsidiaries of AllianceBernstein, which are subject to federal, state and local income taxes, are generally included in the filing of a consolidated federal income tax return with separate state and local income tax returns being filed. Foreign corporate subsidiaries are generally subject to taxes at higher rates in the foreign jurisdiction where they are located. As our business increasingly operates in countries other than the U.S., our effective tax rate continues to increase because our international subsidiaries are subject to corporate level taxes in the jurisdictions where they are located.

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In order to preserve AllianceBernstein’s status as a private partnership for federal income tax purposes, AllianceBernstein Units must not be considered publicly traded. The AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement provides that all transfers of AllianceBernstein Units must be approved by AXA Equitable and the General Partner; AXA Equitable and the General Partner approve only those transfers permitted pursuant to one or more of the safe harbors contained in relevant treasury regulations. If such units were considered readily tradable, AllianceBernstein would be subject to federal and state corporate income tax on its net income. Furthermore, as noted above, should AllianceBernstein enter into a substantial new line of business, Holding, by virtue of its ownership of AllianceBernstein, would lose its status as a grandfathered publicly-traded partnership and would become subject to corporate income tax as set forth above.

In 2007, Congress proposed tax legislation that would cause certain PTPs to be taxed as corporations, thus subjecting their income to a higher level of income tax. Holding is a PTP that derives its income from asset manager or investment management services through its ownership interest in AllianceBernstein. However, the legislation, in the form proposed, would not affect Holding’s tax status. In addition, we have received consistent indications from a number of individuals involved in the legislative process that Holding’s tax status is not the focus of the proposed legislation, and that they do not expect to change that approach. However, we cannot predict whether, or in what form, the proposed tax legislation will pass, and are unable to determine what effect any new legislation might have on us. If Holding were to lose its federal tax status as a grandfathered PTP, it would be subject to corporate income tax, which would reduce materially its net income and quarterly distributions to Holding Unitholders.

In its current form, the proposed legislation would not affect AllianceBernstein because it is a private partnership.

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

Neither AllianceBernstein nor Holding has unresolved comments from the staff of the SEC to report.

Item 2.

Properties

Our principal executive offices at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York are occupied pursuant to a lease which extends until 2029. We currently occupy approximately 882,770 square feet of space at this location. We also occupy approximately 312,301 square feet of space at 135 West 50th Street, New York, New York under a lease expiring in 2029 and approximately 210,756 square feet of space in White Plains, New York under a lease expiring in 2031. AllianceBernstein Investments and AllianceBernstein Investor Services occupy approximately 92,067 square feet of space in San Antonio, Texas under a lease expiring in 2009. We also lease space in 17 other cities in the United States.

Our subsidiaries and joint venture companies lease space in 27 cities outside the United States, the most significant of which are in London, England under leases expiring in 2013, 2015, and 2016, and in Tokyo, Japan under leases expiring in 2009.

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Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

With respect to all significant litigation matters, we consider the likelihood of a negative outcome. If we determine the likelihood of a negative outcome is probable, and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, we record an estimated loss for the expected outcome of the litigation as required by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies”, and Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation No. 14, “Reasonable Estimation of the Amount of a Loss - an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 5”. If the likelihood of a negative outcome is reasonably possible and we are able to indicate an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss, we disclose that fact together with the estimate of the possible loss or range of loss. However, it is difficult to predict the outcome or estimate a possible loss or range of loss because litigation is subject to significant uncertainties, particularly when plaintiffs allege substantial or indeterminate damages, or when the litigation is highly complex or broad in scope.

We have previously reported the filing of a purported class action complaint entitled Hindo, et al. v. AllianceBernstein Growth & Income Fund, et al. and our involvement in various other market timing-related matters. There have been no significant developments in these matters since we filed our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2007, in which these matters are more completely described. These matters are also described in Note 7 to Holding’s financial statements in Item 8.

We are involved in various other matters, including employee arbitrations, regulatory inquiries, administrative proceedings, and litigation, some of which allege material damages. While any proceeding or litigation has the element of uncertainty, we believe that the outcome of any one of the other lawsuits or claims that is pending or threatened, or all of them combined, will not have a material adverse effect on our revenues, financial condition, results of operations, or business prospects.

Item 4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Neither AllianceBernstein nor Holding submitted a matter to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2007.

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PART II

Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market for Holding Units and AllianceBernstein Units; Cash Distributions

Holding Units trade publicly on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “AB”.

There is no established public trading market for AllianceBernstein Units, which are subject to significant restrictions on transfer. In general, transfers of AllianceBernstein Units will be allowed only with the written consent of both AXA Equitable and the General Partner. Generally, neither AXA Equitable nor the General Partner will permit any transfer that it believes would create a risk that AllianceBernstein would be treated as a corporation for tax purposes. AXA Equitable and the General Partner have implemented a transfer policy, a copy of which you may request from our corporate secretary (corporate.secretary@alliancebernstein.com). Also, we have filed the transfer program as Exhibit 10.11 to this Form 10-K.

Each of Holding and AllianceBernstein distributes on a quarterly basis all of its Available Cash Flow, as defined in the Holding Partnership Agreement and the AllianceBernstein Partnership Agreement, to its unitholders and the General Partner. For additional information concerning distribution of Available Cash Flow by Holding, see Note 2 to Holding’s financial statements in Item 8. For additional information concerning distribution of Available Cash Flow by AllianceBernstein, see Note 2 to AllianceBernstein’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

Holding’s principal source of income and cash flow is attributable to its limited partnership interests in AllianceBernstein.

The tables set forth below provide the distributions of Available Cash Flow made by AllianceBernstein and Holding during 2007 and 2006 and the high and low sale prices of Holding Units on the NYSE during 2007 and 2006:

	Quarters Ended 2007												Total
	December 31			September 30			June 30			March 31

Cash distributions per AllianceBernstein Unit(1)		$	1.17		$	1.32		$	1.27		$	1.01		$	4.77
Cash distributions per Holding Unit(1)		$	1.06		$	1.20		$	1.16		$	0.91		$	4.33
Holding Unit prices:
High		$	92.87		$	91.66		$	94.94		$	94.33
Low		$	71.31		$	72.37		$	82.96		$	79.06

	Quarters Ended 2006												Total
	December 31			September 30			June 30			March 31

Cash distributions per AllianceBernstein Unit(1)		$	1.60		$	0.96		$	0.99		$	0.87		$	4.42
Cash distributions per Holding Unit(1)		$	1.48		$	0.87		$	0.89		$	0.78		$	4.02
Holding Unit prices:
High		$	82.92		$	71.03		$	72.11		$	66.60
Low		$	68.27		$	56.10		$	55.50		$	56.12

(1)	Declared and paid during the following quarter.

On January 31, 2008, the closing price of Holding Units on the NYSE was $66.39 per Unit and there were approximately 1,099 Holding Unitholders of record for approximately 120,000 beneficial owners. On January 31, 2008, there were approximately 498 AllianceBernstein Unitholders of record, and we do not believe there are substantial additional beneficial owners.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities

As reported in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 and our Forms 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006, on February 25, 2005, we allocated 131,873 Holding Units with an aggregate value of $5,538,640 for the benefit of certain of our employees under an employee award plan. An exemption from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act was available for the allocation of the Holding Units because these transactions did not involve a public offering.

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Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

The following table provides information relating to any Holding Units bought by us or one of our affiliates in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report:

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Period	(a) Total Number of Holding Units Purchased		(b) Average Price Paid Per Holding Unit, net of Commissions		(c) Total Number of Holding Units Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs		(d) Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Holding Units that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
10/1/07-10/31/07(1)		17,859	$	90.88		—		—
11/1/07-11/30/07(2)		175,000		75.81		175,000		—
12/1/07-12/31/07(3)(4)		345,895		81.03		325,000		—
Total		538,754	$	79.66		500,000		—

(1)	On October 2, 2007, we purchased these Holding Units from employees to allow them to fulfill statutory withholding tax requirements at the time of distribution of deferred compensation awards.

(2)	In November 2007, we purchased these Holding Units on the open market to fund anticipated obligations under certain of our employee deferred compensation plans.

(3)	On December 1, 2007, we purchased 20,895 Holding Units from employees to allow them to fulfill statutory withholding tax requirements at the time of distribution of deferred compensation awards.

(4)	In December 2007, we purchased 325,000 Holding Units on the open market to fund anticipated obligations under certain of our employee deferred compensation plans.

The following table provides information relating to any AllianceBernstein Units bought by us or one of our affiliates in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report:

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Period	(a) Total Number of AllianceBernstein Units Purchased		(b) Average Price Paid Per AllianceBernstein Unit, net of Commissions		(c) Total Number of AllianceBernstein Units Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs		(d) Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of AllianceBernstein Units that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
10/1/07-10/31/07		—	$	—		—		—
11/1/07-11/30/07		—		—		—		—
12/1/07-12/31/07(1)		219,036		77.77		—		—
Total		219,036	$	77.77		—		—