Edgar Filing: ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING L.P.

form10k.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2010

¨	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 T No ¨

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 ¨ No T

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 T No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes T 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. T

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

Large accelerated filer T

Accelerated filer ¨

Non-accelerated filer ¨

Smaller reporting company ¨

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

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, 2010 was approximately $2.52 billion.

The number of units representing assignments of beneficial ownership of limited partnership interests outstanding as of December 31, 2010 was 105,086,799. (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 Services	4
	Retail Services	4
	Private Client Services	5
	Bernstein Research Services	5
	Assets Under Management, Revenues and Fees	6
	Custody and Brokerage	14
	Service Marks	15
	Regulation	15
	Taxes	15
	History and Structure	16
	Competition	17
	Other Information	18
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	19
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	26
Item 2.	Properties	27
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	28
Item 4.	(Removed and Reserved)	29

Part II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	30
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	32
	Holding	32
	AllianceBernstein	33
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	34
	Executive Overview	34
	Holding	36
	AllianceBernstein	38
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	56
	Holding	56
	AllianceBernstein	56
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	58
	Holding	58
	AllianceBernstein	70
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	105
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	106
Item 9B.	Other Information	107

Part III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	108
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	116
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	132
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	136
Item 14.	Principal Accounting Fees and Services	139

Part IV
Item 15.	Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules	140
	Signatures	142

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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, dated as of October 29, 1999 and as amended February 24, 2006.

“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., and assumption of the liabilities of that 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, dated as of October 29, 1999 and as amended February 24, 2006.

“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” – SCB LLC, SCBL and Sanford C. Bernstein, a unit of AllianceBernstein Hong Kong Limited, together.

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

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

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

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

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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 words “company” and “firm” refer 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 Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) emerging markets index. As of December 31, 2010, examples of such countries were Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, 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 utilize various alternative strategies such as leverage, short selling of securities, and utilizing forward contracts, currency options and other derivatives.

General

Mission

Our firm’s mission is to be the most trusted investment firm in the world by placing our clients’ interests first and foremost, utilizing our research capabilities to have more knowledge than any other investment firm, and using and sharing knowledge better than our competitors to help our clients achieve financial peace of mind and investment success.

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, including U.S. and offshore mutual funds, variable annuities, insurance products and sub-advisory relationships;

•

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

•

institutional investors seeking high-quality research, portfolio analysis and brokerage-related services, and issuers of publicly-traded securities seeking equity capital markets services.

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

Research

Our high-quality, in-depth 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. In addition, we have several specialized research initiatives, including research examining global strategic changes that can affect multiple industries and geographies.

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 Services”);

•

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

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•

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 research, portfolio analysis and brokerage-related services, and, to issuers of publicly-traded securities, we offer equity capital markets services (“Bernstein Research Services”).

These services are provided by teams of investment professionals with significant expertise in their respective disciplines (see “Employees” in this Item 1). Our buy-side research analysts support our portfolio managers and, together, they oversee a number of different types of investment services within various vehicles (discussed above) and strategies (discussed below). Our sell-side research analysts provide the foundation for our Bernstein Research Services.

Our services include:

•

Value equities, generally targeting stocks that are out of favor and considered undervalued;

•

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

•

Fixed income securities, including 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, including hedge funds, currency management strategies and private capital (e.g., direct real estate investing); and

•

Asset allocation services, by which we offer strategies specifically-tailored for our clients (e.g., customized target-date fund retirement services for defined contribution (“DC”) plan sponsors and our Dynamic Asset Allocation service, which is designed to mitigate the effects of extreme market volatility on a portfolio in order to deliver more consistent returns).

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.

We provide our 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.

We market and distribute alternative investment products globally to high-net-worth clients and institutional investors. Alternative product AUM totaled $12.7 billion as of December 31, 2010, $11.0 billion of which was institutional AUM and $1.6 billion of which was private client AUM. In October 2010, we announced that we had acquired SunAmerica’s alternative investments group, a team that manages a portfolio of hedge fund and private equity fund investments. Additionally, in October 2010, we launched a real estate fund focused on opportunistic real estate investments. These initiatives have helped us expand our alternative investment capabilities.

In August 2008, we created an initiative called AllianceBernstein Defined Contribution Investments (“ABDC”) focused on expanding our firm’s capabilities in the DC market. ABDC seeks to provide the most effective DC investment solutions in the industry, as measured by product features, reliability, cost and flexibility, to meet specialized client needs by integrating research and investment design, product strategy, strategic partnerships (e.g., record-keeper partnerships and operations collaboration), and client implementation and service. In November 2010, we introduced Secure Retirement Strategies ("SRS"), a multi-manager target-date solution. SRS provides guaranteed lifetime retirement income backed by multiple insurers to participants of large DC plans.

As of December 31, 2010, our DC assets under management, which are distributed in all three of our buy-side distribution channels, totaled approximately $26 billion.

In April 2009, we were selected by the U.S. Treasury Department as one of only three firms to manage its portfolio of assets issued by banks and other institutions taking part in the Capital Purchase Program of the Troubled Assets Relief Program. In addition, we were selected by the U.S. Treasury Department as one of nine pre-qualified fund managers under the Public-Private Investment Program and, during the fourth quarter of 2009, we were one of five firms that closed an initial Public-Private Investment Fund of at least $500 million. As of December 31, 2010, we had raised the second most capital ($1.15 billion) of the nine fund managers chosen by the U.S. Treasury Department.

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Global Reach

We serve clients in major global markets through operations in 44 cities in 23 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, 2010, 2009 and 2008 were as follows:

By Client Domicile ($ in billions):

By Investment Service ($ in billions):

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 date or as a percentage of the value of average AUM for the applicable billing period, with these percentages 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, net asset inflows from new and existing clients, or acquisitions. 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 long-only services provided to our institutional clients. 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, some 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 fail to achieve 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, our ability to earn future performance-based fees will be impaired. If the percentage of our AUM subject to performance-based fees grows, seasonality and volatility of revenue and earnings are likely to become more significant. Our performance-based fees in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $20.5 million, $29.8 million and $13.4 million, respectively. 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.

We sometimes experience periods when the number of new accounts or the amount of AUM increases or decreases significantly. These changes result from wide-ranging factors, including conditions of financial markets, our investment performance for clients, the experience of the portfolio manager (both with our firm and in the industry generally), the client’s overall relationship with us, consultant recommendations, and changes in our clients’ investment preferences, risk tolerances and liquidity needs.

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Our Bernstein Research Services generate revenues from clients to whom we provide research, portfolio analysis and brokerage-related services, primarily in the form of transaction fees calculated as either “cents per share” (generally in the U.S. market) or a percentage of the value of the securities traded (generally outside of the U.S.) for these clients. In 2009, we re-launched our equity capital markets business, through which we earn revenues from issuers of publicly-traded securities to which we provide these services in the form of underwriting fees, management fees and/or selling concessions, depending on our role in the offering.

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

Our firm’s 4,256 full-time employees, who are located in 23 countries, include 292 research analysts, 159 portfolio managers, 47 traders and 20 professionals with other investment-related responsibilities. We have employed these professionals for an average period of approximately eight years, and their average investment experience is approximately 17 years. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Institutional Services

We serve our institutional clients primarily through AllianceBernstein Institutional Investments (“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, discussed below). Institutional 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, 2010, institutional AUM was $273 billion, or 57% of our company-wide AUM as compared to $291 billion, or 60%, as of December 31, 2009 and $278 billion, or 62%, as of December 31, 2008. 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 1,376 mandates for these clients, which are located in 43 countries. As of December 31, 2010, we managed employee benefit plan assets for 31 of the Fortune 100 companies, and we managed public pension fund assets for 35 states and/or municipalities in those states.

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, 2010, retail AUM was $127 billion, or 27% of our company-wide AUM as compared to $121 billion, or 25%, as of December 31, 2009 and $102 billion, or 23%, as of December 31, 2008. 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 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.

Our U.S. Funds, which include retail funds, our variable products series fund (a component of an insurance product) and the retail share classes of the Sanford C. Bernstein Funds (principally Private Client Services products), currently offer 115 different portfolios to U.S. investors. As of December 31, 2010, retail U.S. Funds AUM was approximately $46 billion, or 36% of total retail AUM as compared to $45 billion, or 37%, as of December 31, 2009 and $39 billion, or 38%, as of December 31, 2008. 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 $30 billion as of December 31, 2010, as private client AUM.

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Our Non-U.S. Funds are distributed internationally by local financial intermediaries to non-U.S. investors in most major international markets by means of distribution agreements. As of December 31, 2010, these funds consisted of 93 different portfolios and AUM in these funds was $28 billion. We also offer local-market funds that we distribute in Japan through financial intermediaries. As of December 31, 2010, retail AUM in these funds was $4 billion.

AllianceBernstein Investments serves as the principal underwriter and distributor of the U.S. Funds. AllianceBernstein Investments employs 134 sales representatives who devote their time exclusively to promoting the sale of U.S. Funds and certain other Retail Products and Services offered by financial intermediaries.

AllianceBernstein (Luxembourg) S.A. (“AllianceBernstein Luxembourg”), a Luxembourg management company and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, generally serves as the distributor for the Non-U.S. Funds.

We have an international sales force of 66 sales representatives who devote some or all of their time to promoting the sale of Non-U.S. Funds and other Retail Products and Services offered by financial intermediaries.

Private Client Services

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. As of December 31, 2010, private client AUM was $78 billion, or 16% of our company-wide AUM as compared to $75 billion, or 15%, as of December 31, 2009 and $69 billion, or 15%, as of December 31, 2008. For more information concerning private client AUM, revenues and fees, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues and Fees” in this Item 1.

Our Private Client Services are built on a sales effort that involves approximately 300 financial advisors based in 18 cities in the U.S. and in London, England. These advisors do not manage money, but work with private clients and their tax, legal and other advisors to assist them 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 our research reports, investment planning services, Dynamic Asset Allocation and the Wealth Management Group, which has in-depth knowledge of trust, estate and tax planning strategies.

Bernstein Research Services

Bernstein Research Services consist of fundamental research, quantitative services and brokerage-related services in equities and listed options 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, with research services also provided by Sanford C. Bernstein, a unit of AllianceBernstein Hong Kong Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AllianceBernstein, “AB Hong Kong”), in Asia. For more information concerning the revenues we derive from Bernstein Research Services, see “Assets Under Management, Revenues and Fees” in this Item 1.

We provide 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.

Additionally, we provide equity capital markets services to issuers of publicly-traded securities, primarily in initial public offerings and follow-on offerings, acting as manager, syndicate member or selling group member.

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Assets Under Management, Revenues and Fees

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

End of Period Assets Under Management(1)

	December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in millions)

Institutional Services(2)	$	272,928	$	291,233	$	278,218		(6.3	)%		4.7	%
Retail Services		127,045		120,697		101,643		5.3			18.7
Private Client Services		78,046		74,753		68,947		4.4			8.4

Total	$	478,019	$	486,683	$	448,808		(1.8	)		8.4

_____________

(1)	Excludes certain non-discretionary client relationships.

(2)

Previously reported preliminary assets under management for December 31, 2010 and prior periods have been adjusted by removing from our AUM an affiliated account for which we serve in an advisory capacity and do not have discretionary trading authority. This adjustment lowered previously reported AUM by $7.8 billion, $8.8 billion and $13.1 billion as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Average Assets Under Management

	Years Ended December 31,									% Change
	2010			2009			2008			2010-09			2009-08
	(in millions)
Institutions (1)		$	277,109		$	272,569		$	415,480		1.7	%		(34.4	)%
Retail			122,756			105,137			145,444		16.8			(27.7	)
Private Client			74,686			68,613			93,161		8.9			(26.4	)
Total		$	474,551		$	446,319		$	654,085		6.3			(31.8	)

_____________

(1)	Previously reported preliminary assets under management for December 31, 2010 and prior periods have been adjusted by removing from our AUM an affiliated account for which we serve in an advisory capacity and do not have discretionary trading authority.

Revenues

	Years Ended December 31,							% Change
	2010		2009		2008			2010-09			2009-08
	(in thousands)

Institutional Services	$	764,847	$	811,164	$	1,240,636			(5.7	)%		(34.6	)%
Retail Services		1,068,869		888,256		1,227,538			20.3			(27.6	)
Private Client Services		651,218		589,665		849,830			10.4			(30.6	)
Bernstein Research Services		430,521		434,605		471,716			(0.9	)		(7.9	)
Other(1)		36,650		187,600		(239,037	)		(80.5	)		n/m

Total Revenues		2,952,105		2,911,290		3,550,683			1.4			(18.0	)
Less: Interest Expense		3,548		4,411		36,524			(19.6	)		(87.9	)

Net Revenues	$	2,948,557	$	2,906,879	$	3,514,159			1.4			(17.3	)

_____________

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

AXA and its subsidiaries, whose AUM consists primarily of fixed income investments, together constitute our largest client. Our affiliates represented approximately 22%, 20% and 18% of our company-wide AUM as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We earned approximately 5% of our company-wide net revenues from our affiliates for each of 2010, 2009 and 2008. Affiliated AUM is included in our Institutions and Retail buy-side distribution channels.

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Institutional Services

The following tables summarize our Institutional Services AUM and revenues:

Institutional Services Assets Under Management(1)

(by Investment Service)

	December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in millions)

Value Equity:
U.S.	$	13,955	$	19,028	$	22,598		(26.7	)%		(15.8	)%
Global and International		74,668		88,758		84,787		(15.9	)		4.7
		88,623		107,786		107,385		(17.8	)		0.4

Growth Equity:
U.S.		10,921		18,124		16,075		(39.7	)		12.7
Global and International		22,507		34,762		38,034		(35.3	)		(8.6	)
		33,428		52,886		54,109		(36.8	)		(2.3	)

Fixed Income:
U.S.		78,101		71,832		66,151		8.7			8.6
Global and International		44,766		41,083		37,900		9.0			8.4
		122,867		112,915		104,051		8.8			8.5

Other(2)(3):
U.S.		9,980		9,677		6,617		3.1			46.2
Global and International		18,030		7,969		6,056		126.3			31.6
		28,010		17,646		12,673		58.7			39.2

Total:
U.S.		112,957		118,661		111,441		(4.8	)		6.5
Global and International		159,971		172,572		166,777		(7.3	)		3.5
Total	$	272,928	$	291,233	$	278,218		(6.3	)		4.7

Affiliated	$	74,672	$	69,734	$	60,653		7.1			15.0
Non-affiliated		198,256		221,499		217,565		(10.5	)		1.8
Total	$	272,928	$	291,233	$	278,218		(6.3	)		4.7

_____________

(1)	Excludes certain non-discretionary client relationships.

(2)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

(3)

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Revenues from Institutional Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in thousands)

Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	47,126	$	57,596	$	108,921		(18.2	)%		(47.1	)%
Global and International		336,600		375,914		607,431		(10.5	)		(38.1	)
		383,726		433,510		716,352		(11.5	)		(39.5	)

Growth Equity:
U.S.		46,510		51,017		70,119		(8.8	)		(27.2	)
Global and International		119,300		150,612		276,676		(20.8	)		(45.6	)
		165,810		201,629		346,795		(17.8	)		(41.9	)

Fixed Income:
U.S.		103,855		89,598		84,133		15.9			6.5
Global and International		94,434		73,316		77,640		28.8			(5.6	)
		198,289		162,914		161,773		21.7			0.7

Other(1):
U.S.		3,436		3,095		4,083		11.0			(24.2	)
Global and International		12,866		9,343		11,633		37.7			(19.7	)
		16,302		12,438		15,716		31.1			(20.9	)

Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		200,927		201,306		267,256		(0.2	)		(24.7	)
Global and International		563,200		609,185		973,380		(7.5	)		(37.4	)
		764,127		810,491		1,240,636		(5.7	)		(34.7	)
Shareholder Servicing Fees(2)		720		673		—		7.0			n/m
Total	$	764,847	$	811,164	$	1,240,636		(5.7	)		(34.6	)

Affiliated	$	88,248	$	85,598	$	96,855		3.1			(11.6	)
Non-affiliated		676,599		725,566		1,143,781		(6.7	)		(36.6	)
Total	$	764,847	$	811,164	$	1,240,636		(5.7	)		(34.6	)

_____________

(1)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

(2)	For a description of shareholder servicing fees, see “Retail Services” below.

As of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, Institutional Services represented approximately 57%, 60% and 62%, respectively, of our company-wide AUM. The fees we earned from these services represented approximately 26%, 28% and 35% of our company-wide net revenues for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

AXA and its subsidiaries together constitute our largest institutional client. Their AUM accounted for approximately 27%, 24% and 22% of our total institutional AUM as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, and approximately 12%, 11% and 8% of our total institutional revenues for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

The institutional AUM we manage for our affiliates, along with our nine other largest institutional accounts, accounted for approximately 42% of our total institutional AUM as of December 31, 2010 and approximately 20% of our total institutional revenues for the year ended December 31, 2010. 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, 2010.

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 AUM. 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 12% of institutional AUM, which are primarily invested in long-only equity and fixed income services. 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
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in millions)

Value Equity:
U.S.	$	10,772	$	11,253	$	12,086		(4.3	)%		(6.9	)%
Global and International		20,107		26,232		28,053		(23.3	)		(6.5	)
		30,879		37,485		40,139		(17.6	)		(6.6	)

Growth Equity:
U.S.		9,789		9,552		8,494		2.5			12.5
Global and International		14,002		14,339		11,544		(2.4	)		24.2
		23,791		23,891		20,038		(0.4	)		19.2

Fixed Income:
U.S.		8,442		9,635		9,857		(12.4	)		(2.3	)
Global and International		40,754		30,263		20,178		34.7			50.0
		49,196		39,898		30,035		23.3			32.8

Other(1):
U.S.		18,466		16,416		9,851		12.5			66.6
Global and International		4,713		3,007		1,580		56.7			90.3
		23,179		19,423		11,431		19.3			69.9

Total:
U.S.		47,469		46,856		40,288		1.3			16.3
Global and International		79,576		73,841		61,355		7.8			20.4
Total	$	127,045	$	120,697	$	101,643		5.3			18.7

Affiliated	$	29,841	$	29,940	$	21,804		(0.3	)		37.3
Non-affiliated		97,204		90,757		79,839		7.1			13.7
Total	$	127,045	$	120,697	$	101,643		5.3			18.7

_____________

(1)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

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Revenues from Retail Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in thousands)

Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	45,862	$	45,211	$	88,394		1.4	%		(48.9	)%
Global and International		112,252		121,514		216,561		(7.6	)		(43.9	)
		158,114		166,725		304,955		(5.2	)		(45.3	)

Growth Equity:
U.S.		45,752		46,672		84,651		(2.0	)		(44.9	)
Global and International		97,973		85,583		130,247		14.5			(34.3	)
		143,725		132,255		214,898		8.7			(38.5	)

Fixed Income:
U.S.		31,723		30,219		30,888		5.0			(2.2	)
Global and International		282,845		175,595		195,373		61.1			(10.1	)
		314,568		205,814		226,261		52.8			(9.0	)

Other(1):
U.S.		11,672		8,972		3,702		30.1			142.4
Global and International		11,798		9,429		1,297		25.1			627.0
		23,470		18,401		4,999		27.5			268.1

Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		135,009		131,074		207,635		3.0			(36.9	)
Global and International		504,868		392,121		543,478		28.8			(27.8	)
		639,877		523,195		751,113		22.3			(30.3	)
Distribution Revenues(2)		336,204		275,372		376,372		22.1			(26.8	)
Shareholder Servicing Fees(2)		92,788		89,689		100,053		3.5			(10.4	)
Total	$	1,068,869	$	888,256	$	1,227,538		20.3			(27.6	)

Affiliated	$	46,756	$	45,584	$	84,342		2.6			(46.0	)
Non-affiliated		1,022,113		842,672		1,143,196		21.3			(26.3	)
Total	$	1,068,869	$	888,256	$	1,227,538		20.3			(27.6	)

_____________

(1)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

(2)	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. In the past, as certain of the U.S. Funds grew, we 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 or 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 generally must 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.

Revenues from Retail Services represented approximately 36%, 31% and 35% of our company-wide net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

Our Retail Products and Services include open-end mutual funds designed to fund benefits under variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies offered by unaffiliated life insurance companies (“Variable Product Series Fund”), and we sub-advise variable product mutual funds sponsored by affiliates. As of December 31, 2010, we managed or sub-advised approximately $35 billion of Variable Product Series Fund AUM.

The mutual funds we sub-advise for AXA and its subsidiaries together constitute our largest retail client. They accounted for approximately 23%, 25% and 21% of our total retail AUM as of December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, and approximately 4%, 5% and 7% of our total retail revenues for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

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 generally 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 sales commissions for back-end load shares 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 $20.0 million, $18.7 million and $33.7 million, totaled approximately $33.4 million, $31.6 million and $9.1 million during 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. We have not offered back-end load shares to new investors in U.S. Funds since January 31, 2009.

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

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 30 days) and do not obligate the financial intermediary to sell any specific amount of fund shares.

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 financial intermediaries that sell shares of our funds, a practice sometimes referred to as revenue sharing. Although the amount of payments made 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.

Financial intermediaries that provide accounting or record-keeping 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 2010, the 10 financial intermediaries responsible for the largest volume of sales of open-end AllianceBernstein Funds were responsible for 50% 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 4% of total sales of shares of open-end AllianceBernstein Funds in 2010, 2009 and 2008, 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.

During 2010, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd., UBS AG and Citibank (or their respective subsidiaries) were responsible for approximately 12%, 6% and 5%, respectively, of our open-end mutual fund sales. None of these companies are 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.

Based on industry sales data reported by the Investment Company Institute, our market share in the U.S. mutual fund industry was approximately 1% of total industry assets in the U.S. during 2010. 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 our shareholder services (see below) and the amounts and types of distribution assistance and administrative services payments we make to financial intermediaries, which we believe are competitive with others in the industry.

AllianceBernstein Investor Services, which operates in San Antonio, Texas, provides transfer agency and related services for each open-end U.S. Fund (except the SCB Funds) and provides shareholder servicing for each open-end U.S. Fund’s shareholder accounts (approximately 3.3 million accounts in total), for which it receives a monthly fee under servicing agreements with each open-end U.S. Fund 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, which approximate $6 million per year, must be specifically approved in advance by each fund’s board of directors or trustees.

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

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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
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in millions)

Value Equity:
U.S.	$	13,082	$	14,137	$	13,254		(7.5	)%		6.7	%
Global and International		11,714		11,751		11,627		(0.3	)		1.1
		24,796		25,888		24,881		(4.2	)		4.0

Growth Equity:
U.S.		9,626		10,384		8,425		(7.3	)		23.3
Global and International		7,492		6,941		5,709		7.9			21.6
		17,118		17,325		14,134		(1.2	)		22.6

Fixed Income:
U.S.		32,485		30,862		29,287		5.3			5.4
Global and International		1,658		621		606		167.0			2.5
		34,143		31,483		29,893		8.4			5.3

Other(1):
U.S.		236		15		21		n/m			(28.6	)
Global and International		1,753		42		18		n/m			133.3
		1,989		57		39		n/m			46.2

Total:
U.S.		55,429		55,398		50,987		0.1			8.7
Global and International		22,617		19,355		17,960		16.9			7.8
Total	$	78,046	$	74,753	$	68,947		4.4			8.4

_____________

(1)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

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Revenues from Private Client Services

(by Investment Service)

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in thousands)

Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
Value Equity:
U.S.	$	143,591	$	143,390	$	232,662		0.1	%		(38.4	)%
Global and International		116,254		113,908		191,805		2.1			(40.6	)
		259,845		257,298		424,467		1.0			(39.4	)

Growth Equity:
U.S.		114,081		106,131		159,622		7.5			(33.5	)
Global and International		79,651		68,693		106,358		16.0			(35.4	)
		193,732		174,824		265,980		10.8			(34.3	)

Fixed Income:
U.S.		177,310		152,205		154,936		16.5			(1.8	)
Global and International		7,141		2,126		2,336		235.9			(9.0	)
		184,451		154,331		157,272		19.5			(1.9	)

Other(1):
U.S.		292		17		15		n/m			13.3
Global and International		9,368		176		43		n/m			309.3
		9,660		193		58		n/m			232.8

Total Investment Advisory and Services Fees:
U.S.		435,274		401,743		547,235		8.3			(26.6	)
Global and International		212,414		184,903		300,542		14.9			(38.5	)
		647,688		586,646		847,777		10.4			(30.8	)
Distribution Revenues(2)		2,393		1,956		2,053		22.3			(4.7	)
Shareholder Servicing Fees(2)		1,137		1,063		—		7.0			n/m
Total	$	651,218	$	589,665	$	849,830		10.4			(30.6	)

_____________

(1)	Includes index, structured, asset allocation services and other non-actively managed AUM.

(2)	For a description of distribution revenues and shareholder servicing fees, see “Retail Services” above.

Private client accounts generally are managed pursuant to a written investment advisory agreement among the client, AllianceBernstein and SCB LLC, 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 date or as a percentage of the value of average assets under management for the applicable billing period, with these fees varying based on the types of investment services 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 include performance-based fees, incentive allocations or carried interests in addition to asset-based fees. We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on approximately 3% of private client AUM, substantially all of which is held in hedge funds.

Revenues from Private Client Services represented approximately 22%, 20% and 24% of our company-wide net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

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Bernstein Research Services

The following table summarizes Bernstein Research Services revenues:

Revenues from Bernstein Research Services

	Years Ended December 31,						% Change
	2010		2009		2008		2010-09			2009-08
	(in thousands)

Bernstein Research Services	$	430,521	$	434,605	$	471,716		(0.9	)%		(7.9	)%

We earn revenues for providing investment research to, and executing brokerage transactions for, institutional clients. These clients compensate us principally by directing SCB LLC and SCBL to execute brokerage transactions on their behalf, for which we earn transaction charges. These services accounted for approximately 15%, 15% and 13% of our company-wide net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, 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 often 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.

We also earn revenues from the equity capital markets services we provide to issuers of publicly-traded securities. Depending on our role in a particular equity issuance, these revenues may take the form of underwriting fees, management fees and/or selling concessions.

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 custodians.

Brokerage

AllianceBernstein generally has 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 regularly execute transactions for our private clients through SCB LLC or SCBL, our affiliated broker-dealers, because these clients have generally subscribed to an all-inclusive package of services that includes brokerage, custody and investment advice. We sometimes execute institutional client transactions through SCB LLC or SCBL. 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).

We may use third-party brokers to execute client transactions that also 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.

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

We have registered a number of service marks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and various foreign trademark offices, including the combination of an “AB” design 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”.

Regulation

Virtually 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. 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.

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.

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 and servicing 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 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. Sanford C. Bernstein, a unit of AB Hong Kong, is regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.

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 New Hampshire banking laws. The primary fiduciary activities of ABTC consist of serving as trustee to a series of collective investment funds, the investors of which currently are defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans.

Holding Units are listed on the NYSE and trade publicly under the ticker symbol “AB”. As an NYSE listed company, Holding is subject to 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.

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. As of December 31, 2010, each of our subsidiaries subject to a minimum net capital requirement satisfied the applicable requirement.

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% of its total assets to support the new line of business.

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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 also being filed. Foreign corporate subsidiaries are generally subject to taxes at higher rates in the foreign jurisdictions 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.

History and Structure

We have been in the investment research and management business for approximately 40 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 Bernstein Research services businesses. For additional details about this business combination, see Note 2 to AllianceBernstein’s consolidated financial statements in Item 8.

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As of December 31, 2010, 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):

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

The ownership of Holding by AllianceBernstein directors, officers and employees increased to 28.5% as of December 31, 2010 from 21.1% as of December 31, 2009, with a corresponding decrease in public ownership. This shift reflects the grant of 13.1 million restricted Holding Units to directors, officers and employees during 2010, funded partially by our open-market purchases of 7.4 million Holding Units during 2010. Any future restricted Holding Unit issuances as long-term incentive compensation will further increase employee ownership and decrease public ownership.

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 these general partnership interests, AXA, through certain of its subsidiaries (see “Principal Security Holders” in Item 12), had an approximate 61.4% economic interest in AllianceBernstein as of December 31, 2010.

AXA and its subsidiaries own all of the issued and outstanding shares of the common stock of AXA Financial. AXA Financial indirectly 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.

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 and its subsidiaries provide financial services, some of which compete with those we offer. 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 us. AXA, AXA Financial, AXA Equitable and certain of their respective subsidiaries have substantially greater financial resources than we do and are not obligated to provide resources to us.

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

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our investment performance for clients;

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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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the array of investment products we offer;

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the fees we charge;

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Morningstar/Lipper rankings for the AllianceBernstein Funds;

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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, which could have a material adverse effect on our 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 in the SEC’s conventional reading rooms, which are located within the SEC’s Headquarters Office at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of these rooms by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. 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, Section 16 beneficial ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5, registration statements on Form S-8, proxy statements and amendments to such filings. 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. 

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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.

Poor investment performance may lead to loss of clients and a decline in AUM and 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, and when a prospective client is deciding whether to invest with us. Our inability to meet or exceed relevant investment benchmarks could result in clients withdrawing assets and in prospective clients choosing to invest with competitors. The resulting lower AUM levels could lead to lower investment management fees, including minimal or no performance-based fees, which could result in a decline in our revenues.

Throughout 2008, and in particular during the fourth quarter, we underperformed benchmarks in virtually all of our services, in some cases by substantial amounts. Although in 2009 we experienced generally very good performance across our services, in 2010, poor performance in the second quarter, when volatility and market correlations were at their highest, impacted full-year performance. As a result, many of our equity services underperformed their benchmarks for the full year. Accordingly, we failed to meet client expectations, which contributed to net outflows across each of our three buy-side distribution channels in 2010, particularly in our Institutions channel.

We believe that our net outflows should improve in 2011. However, this positive development will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to deliver consistent, competitive investment performance, which cannot be assured, conditions of the financial markets, consultant recommendations, and changes in our clients’ investment preferences, risk tolerances and liquidity needs. Substantial net outflows for an extended period may have a significantly adverse effect on our results of operations and business prospects.

Changes in financial market levels have a direct and significant impact on our AUM; a significant reduction in AUM has a material adverse effect on our results of operations and business prospects.

Performance of financial markets (both domestic and international), global economic conditions, industry trends, interest rates, inflation rates, tax regulation changes and other factors that are difficult to predict affect the mix, market value and level of our AUM. Investment advisory and services fees, the largest component of our revenues, are generally calculated as a percentage of the value of AUM 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 AUM.

Significant weakness and volatility in global credit markets, particularly the rapid deterioration of the mortgage markets in the United States and Europe, during the second half of 2007 and early in 2008 was followed by global economic turmoil during the second half of 2008 and early in 2009. These conditions had a significant adverse affect on our 2009 and 2008 results of operations. Heightened volatility and risk aversion, particularly in the second quarter of 2010, combined to drive market correlations to levels experienced during the depths of the financial crisis. In this environment, with stocks rising and falling almost in unison in response to various macro-economic concerns (e.g., the possibility of deflation, a “double-dip” recession and debt-related troubles in some European nations) and not based on their fundamentals, our stock-selection discipline went largely unrewarded. When the markets settled and correlations declined in the third and particularly the fourth quarter of 2010, the performance of our equity services relative to both benchmarks and peer averages recovered well. However, poor performance in the second quarter, when volatility and correlations were at their highest, impacted full-year performance. As a result, many of our equity services underperformed their benchmarks for the full year.

Although global markets improved during the second half of 2010 and the first several weeks of 2011, there can be no assurance that such improvement will continue or that market conditions will not deteriorate again, which could have a significant adverse effect on our results of operations and business prospects.

Prolonged weakness in asset values may result in impairment of goodwill, intangible assets and the deferred sales commission asset.

If market conditions deteriorate significantly and securities valuations are depressed for prolonged periods of time (factors that are beyond our control), our AUM, revenues, profitability and unit price may be adversely affected. As a result, goodwill, intangible assets and/or the deferred sales commission asset may become impaired. The occurrence of an impairment would require a material charge to our earnings. For additional information about our impairment testing, see Item 7.

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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 30 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 results of operations and business prospects.

Furthermore, the investment management agreements pursuant to which we manage the U.S. Funds must be renewed and approved by the Funds’ boards of directors annually. A significant majority of the directors are independent. Consequently, there can be no assurance that the board of directors of each fund will approve the fund’s investment management agreement each year, or will not condition its approval on revised terms that may be adverse to us.

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 that compete with our products. In addition, certain institutional investors rely on consultants to advise them on choosing an investment adviser, and our Institutional Services are not always considered among the best choices by 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 results of operations and business prospects. For example, a number of investment consultants have advised their clients to move their assets away from us to other investment advisers, which has contributed to significant net outflows. This trend may continue.

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. In 2010, some of our senior professionals left the firm; additional departures may occur. 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 results of operations and business prospects.

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, some 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 fail to achieve the 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, our ability to earn future performance-based fees will be impaired. We are eligible to earn performance-based fees on approximately 12% of the assets we manage for institutional clients and approximately 3% of the assets we manage for private clients (in total, approximately 8% of our company-wide AUM). If the percentage of our AUM subject to performance-based fees grows, seasonality and volatility of revenue and earnings are likely to become more significant. Our performance-based fees in 2010, 2009 and 2008 were $20.5 million, $29.8 million and $13.4 million, respectively.

Approximately 73% of our hedge fund AUM is subject to high-watermarks, and we ended the fourth quarter of 2010 with approximately 84% of this AUM below high-watermarks by 10% or more. This will make it very difficult for us to earn performance-based fees on these hedge funds in 2011.

If we are unable to maintain our fee levels, or if our mix of AUM changes, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

A shift from active equity services towards fixed income services and passive services may result in a corresponding decline in revenues and income because we generally earn higher fees from assets invested in our active equity services than in our fixed income services or passive services. A shift from global and international services to U.S. services may have a similar effect. The global economic turmoil experienced during the second half of 2008, early in 2009 and again during the second quarter of 2010 caused some investors to shift their investment preferences from active equities to fixed income, passive and money market products (some of which we do not offer), and this trend may continue or accelerate.

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In addition, we may be required to reduce our fee levels, or restructure the fees we charge, because of, among other things, regulatory initiatives (whether industry-wide or specifically targeted), court decisions and competitive considerations. A reduction in fees will reduce our revenues. A reduction in revenues, without a commensurate reduction in expenses, will adversely affect our results of operations.

We may engage in strategic transactions that could pose risks.

As part of our business strategy, we consider potential strategic transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, consolidations, joint ventures and similar transactions, some of which may be material. These transactions, if undertaken, may involve a number of risks and present financial, managerial and operational challenges, including:

adverse effects on our earnings if acquired intangible assets or goodwill become impaired;

existence of unknown liabilities or contingencies that arise after closing; and

potential disputes with counterparties.

Acquisitions also pose the risk that any business we acquire may lose customers or employees or could underperform relative to expectations. Additionally, the acquisition of investment personnel (such as the alternative investments group we acquired in October 2010) poses the risk that we may lose the AUM we expected to manage, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, strategic transactions may require us to increase our leverage or, if we issue AllianceBernstein Units or Holding Units to fund an acquisition, dilute the holdings of our existing Unitholders.

Because many of our subsidiary operations are located outside of the United States and have functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in exchange rates to the U.S. dollar affect our reported financial results from one period to the next.

Although significant portions of our net revenues and expenses, as well as our AUM, are presently derived from the United States, we have subsidiaries outside of the United States with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates to the U.S. dollar affect our reported financial results from one period to the next. We may not be successful in our efforts to hedge our exposure to such fluctuations, which could have a negative effect on our reported financial results.

The individuals, counterparties or issuers on which we rely in the course of performing services for us or our clients may be unable or unwilling to honor their contractual obligations to us.

We rely on various third party counterparties and other vendors to fulfill their obligations to us, whether specified by contract, course of dealing or otherwise. Default rates, downgrades and disputes with counterparties as to the valuation of collateral increase significantly in times of market stress. Furthermore, disruptions in the financial markets and other economic challenges, like those presented by the global financial turmoil in 2008 and early 2009, may cause our counterparties and other vendors to experience significant cash flow problems or even render them insolvent, which may expose us to significant costs.

Maintaining adequate liquidity for our general business needs depends upon certain factors, including operating cash flows and our access to credit on reasonable terms.

Our financial condition is dependent on our cash flow from operations, which is subject to the performance of the capital markets, our ability to maintain and grow client assets under management and other factors beyond our control. Our ability to issue public or private debt on reasonable terms may be limited by adverse market conditions, our profitability, our creditworthiness as perceived by lenders and changes in government regulations, including tax rates and interest rates. Furthermore, our access to bank credit or the debt markets depends significantly on our credit ratings. A downgrade to our credit ratings could increase our borrowing costs and limit our access to the capital markets. If we are unable to obtain funds and/or financing, we may be forced to incur unanticipated costs or revise our strategic plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

Unpredictable events, including natural disaster, dangerous weather conditions, technology failure, terrorist attack and political unrest, may adversely affect our ability to conduct business.

War, terrorist attack, political unrest in the Middle East, the Pacific Rim and elsewhere, 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, thereby 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.

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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 financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

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 system 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 and resolve 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 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.

The quantitative models we use in certain of our investment services may contain errors, resulting in imprecise risk assessments and unintended output.

We use quantitative models in a variety of our investment services, generally in combination with fundamental research. Our quantitative models are validated by senior quantitative professionals. In 2010, we formed our Model Risk Working Group, the purpose of which is to formalize and oversee a quantitative model governance framework, including minimum validation standards. However, due to the complexity of such models, it is possible that errors in the models could exist and our controls could fail to detect such errors. Failure to detect errors could result in client losses and damage to our reputation.

Our own operational failures 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 comply with 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 we may use 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 costs a client money, we have a duty to act promptly to put the client in the position the client 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, 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 based on information with limited market observability 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, hedge 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 based on information with limited market observability is not significant, inaccurate fair value determinations can harm our clients, create regulatory issues and negatively affect our reputation.

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We may not have sufficient information to confirm or review the accuracy of valuations provided to us by underlying external managers for the funds in which certain of our alternative investment products invest.

Certain of our alternative investment products invest in funds managed by external managers (“External Managers”) rather than investing directly in securities and other instruments. As a result, our abilities will be limited to (i) monitor such investments, (ii) regularly obtain complete, accurate and current information with respect to such investments and (iii) exercise control over such investments. Accordingly, we may not have sufficient information to confirm or review the accuracy of valuations provided to us by External Managers. In addition, we will be required to rely on External Managers’ compliance with any applicable investment guidelines and restrictions. Any failure of an External Manager to operate within such guidelines or to provide accurate information with respect to the investment, could subject our alternative investment products to losses and cause damage to our reputation.

Our business is based on the trust and confidence of our clients; any damage to that trust and confidence can cause AUM to decline.

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.

Our substantial underperformance in virtually all of our investment services during 2008 and in our largest equity investment services during the second quarter of 2010 injured our reputation among many clients, prospects and consultants. We are focused on improving the investment performance we deliver in 2011 and, in so doing, rebuilding our reputation. Failure in this endeavor, however, could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, results of operations and business prospects.

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 expands, 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 reputation, 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. In addition, turmoil in global capital markets and economies may reduce market volumes. Combined, these two factors may adversely affect Bernstein Research Services revenue.

Electronic, or “low-touch”, trading approaches represent a growing percentage of buy-side trading activity and produce transaction fees for execution-only services that are a small fraction of traditional full service fee rates. As a result, blended pricing for the industry and SCB has declined in recent years. In addition, fee rates charged by SCB and other brokers for traditional brokerage services have also historically experienced price pressure, and we expect these trends to continue. While increases in transaction volume and market share have in the past often offset decreases in rates, this may not continue. Recent economic and market turmoil has severely impacted much of SCB’s client base, which in the near-term may adversely affect transaction volume generally.

Despite our efforts to manage exposures from principal positions taken by our sell-side business, these positions are subject to market risk.

Our sell-side business may use the firm’s capital to facilitate customer transactions, primarily relating to our trading activities in listed options. The resulting principal positions are exposed to market risk. We seek to manage this risk both by engaging in transactions designed to hedge the market risk and by maintaining a risk platform that includes the measurement and monitoring of financial exposures and operational processes. Our ability to manage this risk may be limited, however, by adverse changes in the liquidity of the security or the hedging instrument and in the correlation of price movements between the security and the hedging instrument. Similarly, the risk monitoring and risk mitigation techniques we employ and the related judgments we make cannot anticipate every possible economic and financial circumstance and outcome. Consequently, we may incur losses, which would require us to increase our regulatory capital and could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our insurance policies may be insufficient to protect us against large losses.

We can make no assurance that a claim or claims will be covered by our insurance policies or, if covered, will not exceed the limits of available insurance coverage, or that our insurers will remain solvent and meet their obligations.

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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 may 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. Any such liability or sanction could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and business prospects. A regulatory proceeding, even if it does not result in a finding of wrongdoing or sanction, could require substantial expenditures of time and money.

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.

Regulation of the financial services industry is evolving.

As an investment firm, we are subject to financial services laws, regulations, corporate governance requirements, administrative actions and policies in each location in which we operate. In 2009 and 2010, as many emergency government programs slowed or wound down, global regulatory and legislative focus generally moved to a second phase of broader reform and a restructuring of financial institution regulation. While the final nature, scope and extent of this second phase of initiatives are still evolving, many of the principal jurisdictions where we conduct business have considered or enacted major, and in some cases transformational, changes to the way financial institutions are regulated. In the United States, Congress has enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”), which fundamentally changes the U.S. financial regulatory landscape. The full scope of the regulatory changes imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act will only be determined once extensive rules and regulations have been proposed and become effective, which may result in significant changes in the manner in which our operations are regulated.

Changes to the rules governing Rule 12b-1 Fees may affect the revenues we derive from our Retail Services.

In July 2010, the SEC proposed a new rule and rule amendments that would alter Rule 12b-1 Fees. The new rule and amendments would continue to allow funds to bear promotional costs within certain limits and would also preserve the ability of funds to provide investors with alternatives for paying sales charges (e.g., at the time of purchase, at the time of redemption or through a continuing fee charged to fund assets). Unlike the current Rule 12b-1 framework, however, the proposed rules would limit the cumulative sales charges each investor pays, regardless of how they are imposed.

If rules are adopted as proposed, changes in Rule 12b-1 Fees for a number of share classes offered by company-sponsored mutual funds would be required, which would reduce the net fund distribution revenues we receive from company-sponsored mutual funds. The impact of this rule change is dependent upon the final rules adopted by the SEC, any phase-in or grandfathering period, and any other changes made with respect to share class distribution arrangements.

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. By having a global presence, 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. Furthermore, our poor investment performance during 2008 and the second quarter of 2010, and what may be diminished confidence in our services on the part of clients and consultants, may make it more difficult for us to compete effectively. For additional information regarding competitive factors, see “Competition” in Item 1.

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 financial condition, results of operations and business prospects.

We are involved in various matters, including regulatory inquiries, administrative proceedings and litigation, some of which allege substantial 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.

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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 program 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 10.06 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% 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 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.

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 years prior to 2010, Congress proposed tax legislation that would have caused 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. The legislation, in the form proposed, would not have affected Holding’s tax status. However, we cannot predict whether, or in what form, tax legislation will be proposed in future years, 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.

The proposed legislation discussed above would not have affected AllianceBernstein because it is a private partnership.

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Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

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