BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC
10-Q, 1999-02-16
SECURITY BROKERS, DEALERS & FLOTATION COMPANIES
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                          SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                      FORM 10-Q



[X]      Quarterly Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities 
          Exchange Act of 1934

                  For the quarterly period ended December 31, 1998

[  ]     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 1-8989

                            The Bear Stearns Companies Inc.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
              (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          Delaware                                    13-3286161
    (State or other jurisdiction of        (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
     incorporation or organization)

                       245 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10167
                (Address of principal executive offices)     (Zip Code)

                                   (212)272-2000                              
                (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

     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 [X] No [ ]

As of February 11, 1999, the latest practicable date, there were 111,361,528  
shares of Common Stock, $1 par value, outstanding.

<PAGE>


                                      TABLE OF CONTENTS


PART I.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.           Financial Statements

                  Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition at December31, 
                  1998 (Unaudited) and June 30, 1998

                  Consolidated   Statements  of  Income   (Unaudited)   for  the
                  three-and  six-month  periods  ended  December  31,  1998  and
                  December 31, 1997

                  Consolidated  Statements  of Cash  Flows  (Unaudited)  for the
                  six-month  periods  ended  December  31, 1998 and December 31,
                  1997

                  Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

Item 2.           Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition 
                   and Results of Operations

Item 3.           Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1.           Legal Proceedings

Item 4.           Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

Item 6.           Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

                  Signature


<PAGE>



                            THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                                        Assets


                                               December 31,         June 30,
                                                  1998                1998
                                             ---------------    ---------------
                                                (Unaudited)
                                                       (In thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents                    $   1,664,077       $  1,073,821

Cash and securities deposited with
     clearing organizations or
     segregated in compliance with
     federal regulations                         3,589,615          2,282,729

Securities purchased under agreements
     to resell                                  33,060,960         29,846,716

Receivable for securities provided as 
   collateral                                    2,118,696          2,041,546

Securities borrowed                             54,592,219         56,844,009

Receivables:
     Customers                                  11,420,908         14,228,678
     Brokers, dealers and others                 1,812,166          1,337,146
     Interest and dividends                        393,302            467,456

Financial instruments owned, at
     fair value                                 41,067,854         44,619,672

Property, equipment and leasehold
     improvements, net of accumulated
     depreciation and amortization                 474,477            448,044

Other assets                                       936,225          1,306,078
                                           ---------------   ----------------
Total  Assets                                $ 151,130,499      $ 154,495,895
                                           ===============   ================

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

<PAGE>

                            THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                         Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity


                                                December 31,         June 30,
                                                    1998               1998
                                             ---------------   ----------------
                                                (Unaudited)
                                              (In thousands, except share data)

Short-term borrowings                         $  10,020,298     $   14,613,565
Securities sold under agreements
     to repurchase                               50,005,971         45,346,472
Obligation to return securities received as        
collateral                                        2,726,408          5,257,279
Payables:
     Customers                                   46,844,515         42,119,042
     Brokers, dealers and others                  4,079,584          5,055,988
     Interest and dividends                         660,827            636,021
Financial instruments sold, but not
     yet purchased, at fair value                16,410,663         21,070,596
Accrued employee compensation and benefits          627,814          1,217,337
Other liabilities and accrued expenses              894,300          1,242,110
                                            ---------------   ----------------
                                                132,270,380        136,558,410
                                            ---------------   ----------------
Commitments and contingencies
                                            ---------------   ----------------
Long-term borrowings                             13,843,516         13,295,952
                                            ---------------   ----------------

Guaranteed Preferred Beneficial Interests in Company
  Subordinated Debt Securities                      500,000            200,000
Preferred stock issued by subsidiary                150,000            150,000
                                            ---------------   ----------------

Stockholders' Equity
     Preferred Stock                                  800,000          800,000
     Common Stock, $1.00 par value;
           200,000,000 shares authorized;
           167,784,941 shares issued at
           December 31, 1998 and June 30, 1998        167,785          167,785
     Paid-in capital                                1,964,391        1,963,788
     Retained earnings                              1,736,663        1,590,574
     Capital Accumulation Plan                        987,212          833,427
     Treasury stock, at cost
        Adjustable Rate Cumulative Preferred
           Stock, Series A - 2,520,750 shares
           at December 31, 1998 and June 30, 1998    (103,421)        (103,421)
        Common Stock - 56,150,592 shares and
        50,191,531 shares at December 31, 1998 and
        June 30, 1998, respectively                (1,186,027)        (953,506)
     Note receivable from ESOP Trust                                    (7,114)
                                              ---------------  ---------------
Total Stockholders' Equity                          4,366,603        4,291,533
                                              ---------------  ---------------
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity    $   151,130,499   $  154,495,895
                                              =============== ================

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.




<PAGE>
<TABLE>


                                        THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                                       CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME 
                                                  (UNAUDITED)                                                     
                                                         
<CAPTION>
                                                             Three Months Ended                     Six Months Ended
                                                      ----------------------------------    --------------------------------
                                                       December 31,       December 31,         December 31,      December 31,   
                                                          1998                1997                1998              1997
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------

                                                                     (In thousands, except share data)
<S>                                                      <C>              <C>              <C>               <C>
Revenues                                                 
    Commissions                                          $   254,676      $    230,496      $    495,476      $    443,940
    Principal transactions                                   419,002           390,512           616,051           782,026
    Investment banking                                       163,664           278,884           285,440           498,212
    Interest and dividends                                 1,138,680         1,081,298         2,286,519         2,045,869
    Other income                                              26,705            11,877            42,845            36,025
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------
       Total Revenues                                      2,002,727         1,993,067         3,726,331         3,806,072
    Interest expense                                         981,935           919,304         1,964,638         1,736,219
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------
       Revenues, net of interest expense                   1,020,792         1,073,763         1,761,693         2,069,853
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------

Non-interest expenses
    Employee compensation and benefits                       552,344           535,793           958,225         1,034,990
    Floor brokerage, exchange
      and clearance fees                                      41,375            43,522            83,439            83,107
    Communications                                            36,362            28,824            69,457            56,957
    Depreciation and amortization                             32,758            27,427            65,152            53,444
    Occupancy                                                 25,923            25,387            51,811            48,933
    Advertising and market development                        23,854            20,057            46,892            36,011
    Data processing and equipment                             15,293            12,460            26,278            24,694
    Other expenses                                            85,405           120,688           159,652           204,974
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------
       Total non-interest expenses                           813,314           814,158         1,460,906         1,543,110
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------
    Income before provision for
      income taxes                                           207,478           259,605           300,787           526,743
    Provision for income taxes                                71,558            99,383           100,764           204,903
                                                      ---------------   ----------------    --------------    --------------
    Net income                                           $   135,920      $    160,222      $    200,023      $    321,840
                                                      ===============   ================    ==============    ==============
    Net income applicable to
      common shares                                      $   126,142      $    154,299      $    180,150      $    309,991
                                                      ===============   ================    ==============    ==============
    Earnings per share (1)                               $      0.84      $       1.06      $       1.22      $       2.11
                                                      ===============   ================    ==============    ==============
    Weighted average common and
      common equivalent shares
      outstanding (1)                                    158,355,696       159,928,530       158,985,526       160,395,121
                                                      ===============   ================    ==============    ==============
    Cash dividends declared
      per common share (1)                               $       .14       $       .14       $      0.29        $     0.29
                                                      ===============   ================    ==============    ==============


(1) Adjusted for the 5% stock dividend declared on January 20, 1999.
See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

</TABLE>

<PAGE>
<TABLE>


                              THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                           CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                         (UNAUDITED)
<CAPTION>

                                                                              Six Months Ended
                                                                      --------------------  --------------
                                                                         December 31,         December 31,
                                                                              1998               1997
                                                                        ----------------    --------------
                                                                                  (In thousands)

<S>                                                                     <C>              <C>
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income                                                              $    200,023     $     321,840
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash used in operating activities:
       Depreciation and amortization                                          65,152            53,444
       Deferred income taxes                                                   6,682           (58,468)
       Other                                                                  36,759            56,738
(Increases) decreases in operating receivables:
       Cash and securities deposited with clearing organizations or
         segregated in compliance with federal regulations                (1,306,886)       (1,358,076)
       Securities purchased under agreements to  resell                   (3,214,244)       (5,656,550)                    
       Securities borrowed                                                 2,251,790        (2,110,431)
       Receivables:
         Customers                                                         2,807,770        (4,111,308)
         Brokers, dealers and others                                        (475,020)         (230,966)
       Financial instruments owned                                           943,797        (2,380,947)
       Other assets                                                          412,993           (14,591)
Increases (decreases) in operating payables:
       Securities sold under agreements to repurchase                      4,659,499         6,812,256
       Payables:
         Customers                                                         4,725,473         5,742,192
         Brokers, dealers and others                                        (979,434)       (1,454,246)
       Financial instruments sold, but not yet purchased                  (4,659,933)        1,665,284
       Accrued employee compensation and benefits                           (613,523)         (184,391)
       Other liabilities and accrued expenses                               (323,248)          286,743
                                                                      --------------  ----------------
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities                            4,537,650        (2,621,477)
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Net (payments on) proceeds from short-term borrowings                     (4,593,267)          106,297
Net proceeds from issuance of long-term borrowings                         1,936,990         3,433,171
Net proceeds from issuance of subsidiary securities                          290,550
Capital Accumulation Plan                                                    153,785            51,010
Tax benefit of Common Stock distributions                                        603             7,552
Note repayment from ESOP Trust                                                 7,114             6,587
Payments for:
   Retirement of Senior Notes                                             (1,398,805)         (660,299)
   Treasury stock purchases                                                 (229,491)          (71,165)
Cash dividends paid                                                          (53,691)          (47,160)
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
Cash (used in) provided by financing activities                           (3,886,212)        2,825,993
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of property, equipment and leasehold
   improvements                                                              (91,585)         (108,498)
Purchases of investment securities and other assets                          (19,870)          (80,807)
Proceeds from sales of investment securities and other assets                 50,273             5,402
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
Cash used in investing activities                                            (61,182)         (183,903)
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents                                    590,256            20,613
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period                             1,073,821         1,249,132
                                                                    ----------------    --------------
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period                              $    1,664,077     $   1,269,745
                                                                    ================    ==============

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

The adoption of SFAS 125, which requires balance sheet recognition of collateral
related to certain secured  financing  transactions,  is a non-cash activity and
did not impact the consolidated statements of cash flow.


</TABLE>



<PAGE>



                                  THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                           (UNAUDITED)

1.  BASIS OF PRESENTATION

    The accompanying  unaudited  consolidated  financial  statements include the
    accounts  of The Bear  Stearns  Companies  Inc.  and its  subsidiaries  (the
    "Company").  All material  intercompany  transactions and balances have been
    eliminated.  Share  data  for  all  periods  included  in  the  consolidated
    financial statements are presented after giving retroactive effect to the 5%
    stock  dividend  declared by the Company in January 1999.  The  consolidated
    financial  statements  reflect  all  adjustments  which,  in the  opinion of
    management,  are normal and recurring and are necessary for a fair statement
    of the results for the interim periods presented. The consolidated financial
    statements  are prepared in conformity  with generally  accepted  accounting
    principles  which require  management to make estimates and assumptions that
    affect the amounts  reported in the  consolidated  financial  statements and
    accompanying  notes.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.  The
    nature of the  Company's  business  is such that the  results of any interim
    period may not be  indicative  of the results to be  expected  for an entire
    fiscal year.

2.  FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

    Financial  instruments  owned and financial  instruments  sold,  but not yet
    purchased  consist  of the  Company's  proprietary  trading  and  investment
    accounts, at fair value, as follows:
                                                  December 31,        June 30,
In thousands                                         1998               1998  
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Financial instruments owned:
    US government and agency                      $ 6,346,417     $  9,388,387
    Other sovereign governments                     3,529,946        2,955,515
    Corporate equity and convertible debt          12,197,495       12,255,749
    Corporate debt                                  3,314,348        4,938,541
    Derivative financial instruments                3,414,111        3,545,236
    Mortgages and other mortgage-backed securities 11,540,446       10,582,090
    Other                                             725,091          954,154
                                                      -------          -------
                                                  $41,067,854      $44,619,672
                                                  ===========      ===========
   Financial instruments sold, but not yet purchased:
    US government and agency                      $ 5,198,303      $ 6,327,074
    Other sovereign governments                       914,197        3,107,789
    Corporate equity                                3,655,416        4,336,280
    Corporate debt                                  1,162,579        1,398,025
    Derivative financial instruments                5,475,435        5,835,491
    Other                                               4,733           65,937
                                                        -----           ------
                                                  $16,410,663      $21,070,596
                                                 ============      ===========

<PAGE>



                            THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                      NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                    (UNAUDITED)

3. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

    At December  31, 1998,  the Company was  contingently  liable for  unsecured
    letters of credit of  approximately  $1.9  billion  and letters of credit of
    approximately  $24.2  million  secured by financial  instruments,  which are
    principally used as collateral for securities borrowed and to satisfy margin
    requirements at option and commodity exchanges.

    In the normal course of business,  the Company has been named as a defendant
    in several lawsuits which involve claims for substantial  amounts.  Although
    the ultimate  outcome of these suits cannot be  ascertained at this time, it
    is the opinion of  management,  after  consultation  with counsel,  that the
    resolution  of such  suits will not have a  material  adverse  effect on the
    results of operations or the financial condition of the Company.

4.  NET CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS

    The  Company's  principal  operating  subsidiary,  Bear,  Stearns & Co. Inc.
    ("Bear Stearns") and Bear Stearns' wholly owned  subsidiary,  Bear,  Stearns
    Securities Corp. ("BSSC"),  are registered  broker-dealers and, accordingly,
    are subject to  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  Rule 15c3-1 (the "Net
    Capital  Rule") and the capital rules of the New York Stock  Exchange,  Inc.
    ("NYSE")  and other  principal  exchanges of which Bear Stearns and BSSC are
    members.  Included in the  computation of net capital of Bear Stearns is net
    capital  of BSSC in excess  of 5% of  aggregate  debit  items  arising  from
    customer  transactions,  as defined. At December 31, 1998, Bear Stearns' net
    capital,  as defined,  of $1.99 billion exceeded the minimum  requirement by
    $1.95 billion.

    Bear, Stearns International Limited ("BSIL") and another wholly owned London
    based  subsidiary  are subject to  regulatory  capital  requirements  of the
    Securities and Futures Authority.  At December  31,  1998,  BSIL  exceeded 
    the minimum capital required by $655 million.



<PAGE>


                        THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                   NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                (UNAUDITED)

5.  EARNINGS PER SHARE

    Earnings per share is computed by dividing net income  applicable  to common
    shares by the weighted  average number of common shares  outstanding  during
    each period  presented.  Common shares include the assumed  distribution  of
    shares of  common  stock  issuable  under  various  employee  benefit  plans
    including certain of the Company's deferred compensation arrangements,  with
    appropriate adjustments made to net income for expenses related thereto.

6.  CASH FLOW INFORMATION

    Cash payments for interest  approximated interest expense for the six-months
    ended  December 31, 1998 and  December  31, 1997.  Income taxes paid totaled
    $43.3 million and $227.1 million for the six-months  ended December 31, 1998
    and December 31, 1997, respectively.

7.  FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK

    The  Company,  in its  capacity as a dealer in  over-the-counter  derivative
    financial  instruments and in connection with its proprietary  market-making
    and trading  activities,  enters into  transactions in a variety of cash and
    derivative financial instruments for trading purposes and in order to reduce
    its exposure to market risk,  which includes  interest rate,  exchange rate,
    equity price and  commodity  price risk.  Statement of Financial  Accounting
    Standards   ("SFAS")  No.  119,   "Disclosure  about  Derivative   Financial
    Instruments and Fair Value of Financial  Instruments,"  defines a derivative
    as  a  future,  forward,  swap,  or  option  contract,  or  other  financial
    instruments with similar  characteristics  such as caps, floors and collars.
    Generally  these  financial  instruments  represent  future  commitments  to
    exchange interest payment streams or currencies or to purchase or sell other
    financial  instruments at specific terms at specified  future dates.  Option
    contracts  provide the holder  with the right,  but not the  obligation,  to
    purchase or sell a financial  instrument at a specific price before or on an
    established date. These financial  instruments may have market and/or credit
    risk in  excess  of  amounts  recorded  in the  Consolidated  Statements  of
    Financial Condition.


<PAGE>




                        THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                  NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                (UNAUDITED)

7.  FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK (continued)

    In order to measure  derivative  activity,  notional or contract amounts are
    frequently utilized.  Notional/contract  amounts,  which are not included on
    the  balance  sheet,  are used to  calculate  contractual  cash  flows to be
    exchanged  and are  generally  not  actually  paid  or  received,  with  the
    exception   of   currency   swaps  and   foreign   exchange   forwards   and
    mortgage-backed   securities  forwards.  The  notional/contract  amounts  of
    financial  instruments that give rise to  off-balance-sheet  market risk are
    indicative  only of the extent of  involvement  in the  particular  class of
    financial instrument and are not necessarily an indication of overall market
    risk.

    The  following  table  represents  the  notional/contract   amounts  of  the
    Company's outstanding  derivative financial instruments at December 31, 1998
    and June 30, 1998:


                                                   December 31,       June 30,
    In billions                                        1998            1998     
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Interest Rate:
         Swap agreements, including options, 
            swaptions, caps, collars, and floors       $325.8          $277.5
         Futures contracts                               44.8            49.8
         Options held                                    10.9             4.0
         Options written                                  7.0             1.6

      Foreign Exchange:
         Futures contracts                               10.5            20.8
         Forward contracts                               15.5            29.6
         Options held                                     4.0             9.9
         Options written                                  4.7             7.7

      Mortgage-Backed Securities:
         Forward Contracts                               67.2            70.2

      Equity:
          Swap agreements                                11.6            11.6
          Futures contracts                               4.3             1.1
          Options held                                    7.7             5.3
          Options written                                 6.6             4.6




<PAGE>


                          THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                     NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                  (UNAUDITED)

7.  FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK (continued)

    The  derivative  instruments  used  in  the  Company's  trading  and  dealer
    activities  are  recorded at fair value on a daily basis with the  resulting
    unrealized  gains or  losses  recorded  in the  Consolidated  Statements  of
    Financial  Condition  and the related  income or loss  reflected in revenues
    derived from principal transactions.

    The fair values of  derivative  financial  instruments  held or issued for
    trading  purposes at December 31, 1998 and June 30, 1998 were as follows:

                                December 31,                 June 30,
                                   1998                        1998       
                            -------------------------------------------------
    In millions              Assets    Liabilities       Assets    Liabilities
      Swap agreements        $2,498      $2,105          $1,872       $2,100
      Futures and forward
         contracts              171         213             450          551
      Options held              767                       1,279
      Options written                     3,262                        3,189


    The average monthly fair values of the derivative financial  instruments for
    the  six-months  ended  December 31, 1998 and the fiscal year ended June 30,
    1998 were as follows:

                                   December 31,               June 30,
                                      1998                      1998         
                              -----------------------------------------------
    In millions              Assets    Liabilities       Assets   Liabilities
      Swap agreements        $2,288      $2,383          $1,154      $1,494
      Futures and forward
         contracts              353         438             318         329
      Options held            1,031                       2,207
      Options written                     3,022                       3,709

The  notional/contract  amounts  of  these  instruments  do  not  represent  the
Company's potential risk of loss due to counterparty nonperformance. Credit risk
arises from the potential  inability of  counterparties to perform in accordance
with the terms of the contract. The Company's exposure to credit risk associated
with  counterparty  nonperformance  is  limited to the net  replacement  cost of
over-the-counter  contracts  in a gain  position  which  are  recognized  in the
Company's  Consolidated  Statements  of  Financial  Condition.   Exchange-traded
financial instruments,  such as futures and options,  generally do not give rise
to  significant  counterparty  exposure  due to the margin  requirements  of the
individual   exchanges.   Generally,   options  written  do  not  give  rise  to
counterparty credit risk since they obligate the Company (not its

<PAGE>



                          THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                     NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                  (UNAUDITED)

7.  FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK (continued)

    counterparty)  to  perform.  The  Company  has  controls in place to monitor
    credit exposures by limiting  transactions with specific  counterparties and
    assessing the creditworthiness of counterparties.  The Company also seeks to
    control credit risk by following an  established  credit  approval  process,
    monitoring credit limits, and requiring collateral where appropriate.

    The  following  table   summarizes  the  credit  quality  of  the  Company's
    trading-related  derivatives by showing  counterparty credit ratings for the
    replacement  cost of contracts in a gain  position,  net of $1.7 billion and
    $832.4  million of collateral,  respectively,  at December 31, 1998 and June
    30, 1998:
                                           December 31,       June 30,
                  In millions                  1998             1998
                  --------------------------------------------------
                  RATING (1)                   NET REPLACEMENT COST

                  AAA                         $294.6           $187.7     
                  AA                           549.6            607.9      
                  A                            291.6            371.0     
                  BBB                           85.0             68.1      
                  BB and Lower                  49.9             70.8      
                  Non-rated                      5.4             27.2
                                                                 

                  (1) Rating Agency Equivalent

8. PREFERRED SECURITIES ISSUED BY SUBSIDIARY

    In December  1998,  Bear Stearns  Capital Trust II (the  "Trust"),  a wholly
    owned subsidiary of the Company,  issued $300 million (12,000,000 shares) of
    fixed rate  securities  with a  liquidation  value of $25 per security  (the
    "Preferred Securities"). Holders of the Preferred Securities are entitled to
    receive quarterly  preferential cash distributions at an annual rate of 7.5%
    through December 15, 2028. The issuance proceeds of the Preferred Securities
    were used to purchase junior  subordinated  deferrable  interest  debentures
    from The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. (the  "Subordinated  Debentures").  The
    Subordinated  Debentures  have  terms  that  correspond  to the terms of the
    Preferred  Securities  and are the sole assets of the Trust.  The  Preferred
    Securities  will mature on December 15, 2028.  The Company, at its option, 
    may redeem the Preferred Securities at their principal amount plus


<PAGE>
                          THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                  NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                   (UNAUDITED)

    accrued distributions beginning December 15,  2003. The Company used the net
    proceeds from the sale of the Subordinated  Debentures for general corporate
    purposes.

9. SUBSEQUENT EVENT

    On January 20, 1999, the Board of Directors  declared a 5% stock dividend on
    the Company's  Common Stock to stockholders of record February 12, 1999, to
    be  distributed  February 26, 1999.  Per share amounts and weighted  average
    shares  outstanding for all periods included in the  consolidated  financial
    statements  are  presented  after  giving  retroactive  effect  to the stock
    dividend.


<PAGE>



Item 2 -    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
              OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Certain statements contained in this discussion are "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking  statements are subject to risks and uncertainties,  which could
cause  actual  results  to  differ   materially  from  those  discussed  in  the
forward-looking statements.

The Company's  principal business  activities,  investment  banking,  securities
trading and brokerage,  are, by their nature,  highly competitive and subject to
various risks, in particular  volatile  trading markets and  fluctuations in the
volume of market activity.  Consequently,  the Company's net income and revenues
in the past  have  been,  and are  likely to  continue  to be,  subject  to wide
fluctuations,  reflecting the impact of many factors including securities market
conditions,  the level and volatility of interest rates, competitive conditions,
liquidity  of global  markets,  international  and  regional  political  events,
regulatory developments and the size and timing of transactions.

For a  description  of the  Company's  business,  including  its trading in cash
instruments and derivative products,  its underwriting and trading policies, and
their  respective  risks,  and  the  Company's  risk  management   policies  and
procedures,  see the  Company's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1998.

Business Environment

The business  environment  during the  Company's  second  fiscal  quarter  ended
December 31, 1998 was characterized by rising domestic equity markets and qrowth
in both New York Stock  Exchange  ("NYSE")  and NASDAQ  trading  volume.  Equity
markets were  positively  impacted by strong  investor  interest in internet and
technology  stocks.  In  addition,   underwriting  and  merger  and  acquisition
activities experienced steady growth during the period.

In the fixed income markets,  credit spreads tightened  significantly during the
1998 quarter, which led to improved conditions in both the primary and secondary
markets,  which was reflected in the Company's  results in the  mortgage-backed,
asset-backed and government securities business units.

<PAGE>

Results of Operations

Three-Months Ended December 31, 1998 Compared to December 31, 1997

Net income in the 1998 quarter was $135.9 million, a decrease of 15.2% from
the $160.2 million in the comparable prior year quarter. Revenues, net of
interest expense ("net revenues"), decreased 4.9% to $1.0 billion in the
1998 quarter from $1.1 billion in the comparable 1997 quarter. The decrease
was primarily attributable to decreased investment banking revenues
partially offset by increased principal transactions and commission
revenues. Earnings per share were $0.84 for the 1998 quarter versus $1.06
for the comparable 1997 quarter. The earnings per share amounts have been
adjusted for the 5% stock dividend declared by the Company in January 1999.

Commission  revenues  increased 10.5% in the 1998 quarter to $254.7 million from
$230.5 million in the comparable 1997 quarter.  This increase primarily reflects
increases in both  institutional  and private client services  activities  which
benefited from a 24.9% increase in NYSE volume in the 1998 quarter compared
to the 1997 quarter.

The Company's principal transaction revenues by reporting categories,  including
derivatives, are as follows:
                                   Three-Months Ended       Three-Months Ended
                                    December 31, 1998        December 31, 1997

Fixed Income                           $ 223,582                 $ 226,903
Equity                                   139,170                   108,297
Foreign Exchange & Other
    Derivative Financial
    Instruments                           56,250                    55,312
                                          ------                    ------
                                       $ 419,002                 $ 390,512
                                       =========                 =========

Revenues from  principal  transactions  increased 7.3% in the 1998 quarter which
was principally  attributable  to an increase in equity based revenues,  such as
those derived from the  arbitrage,  over-the-counter  and  international  equity
business areas.  Revenues derived from fixed income reflected  increases in both
the  mortgage-backed  and  government securities business  units as a result  of
tightening of credit spreads and increased customer activity.

Investment  banking  revenues  decreased  41.3% to  $163.7  million  in the 1998
quarter  from $278.9  million in the  comparable  1997  quarter.  This  decrease
reflected a decrease in


<PAGE>


merger and  acquisition  fees as well as a decrease  in  underwriting  revenues.
Market  conditions  worldwide  served  to  dampen  the  Company's   underwriting
activities  and merger and  acquisition  activity during the 1998  quarter.  The
decrease in underwriting  revenues was  principally  due to decreased  levels of
equity and high yield new issue  volume,  partially  offset by an  increase  in
investment-grade  corporate  debt  new  issue  volume  as  compared  to the 1997
quarter.  

Net interest and  dividends  (revenues  from  interest and net  dividends,  less
interest  expense)  decreased  3.2% to $156.7  million in the 1998  quarter from
$162.0  million in the  comparable  1997  quarter.  This  decrease was primarily
attributable  to lower  levels of  customer  margin  debt.  Average  margin debt
balances  decreased to $38.4  billion in the 1998 quarter from $44.3  billion in
the comparable 1997 quarter reflecting reduced activity from the Company's prime
brokerage  customers.  Average customer shorts increased to $61.8 billion in the
1998 quarter from $56.5 billion in the  comparable  1997  quarter.  Average free
credit  balances  increased  to $12.5  billion  in the 1998  quarter  from $11.0
billion in the comparable 1997 quarter.

Employee  compensation and benefits increased 3.1% to $552.3 million in the 1998
quarter from $535.8  million in the comparable  1997 quarter.  This increase was
attributable to an increase in salesmen's  compensation resulting from increased
commission revenues and an increase in headcount from the 1997 quarter. Employee
compensation and benefits,  as a percentage of net revenues,  increased to 54.1%
in the 1998 quarter from 49.9% in the comparable 1997 quarter.

All other  expenses  decreased  6.2% to $261.0  million in the 1998 quarter from
$278.4 million in the comparable 1997 quarter.  Legal expense decreased by $19.9
million in the 1998 quarter from the comparable  1997 quarter due to the accrual
for the NASDAQ  antitrust  settlement in the 1997 quarter.  Expenses  associated
with the  Capital  Accumulation  Plan for Senior  Managing  Directors  (the "CAP
Plan")  decreased by $15.0 million from the comparable  1997 quarter  reflecting
lower pre-tax  earnings in the 1998 quarter.  Communications,  depreciation  and
data processing expenses increased by approximately $15.7 million as a result of
both increased  usage and the upgrading of existing  communication  and computer
systems.

The Company's effective tax rate decreased to 34.5% in the 1998 quarter compared
to 38.3% in the  comparable  1997  quarter due lower  levels of  earnings  and a
higher level of tax preference items in the 1998 quarter.

Six-Months Ended December 31, 1998
Compared to December 31, 1997

Net income for the  six-months  ended  December 31, 1998 was $200.0  million,  a
decrease  of 37.9% from $321.8  million  for the  comparable  1997  period.  Net
revenues decreased 14.9% to $1.8 billion in the 1998 period from $2.1 billion in
the 1997 period. The decrease was primarily attributable to decreased investment
banking  and  principal  transactions  revenues  partially  offset by  increased
commission revenues. Earnings per


<PAGE>


share  were  $1.22 for the 1998  period  versus  $2.11 for the  comparable  1997
period.  The  earnings  per share  amounts  have been  adjusted for the 5% stock
dividend declared by the Company in January 1999.

Commission  revenues  increased  11.6% in the 1998 period to $495.5 million from
$443.9  million in the  comparable  1997 period.  This  increase  was  primarily
attributable to increased  revenues from the firm's  institutional  equities and
securities  clearance  services which reflects the 29.4% increase in NYSE volume
in the 1998 period when compared to the 1997 period.

The Company's principal transaction revenues by reporting categories,  including
derivatives, are as follows:
                                   Six-Months Ended         Six-Months Ended
                                   December 31, 1998        December 31, 1997

Fixed Income                          $ 296,136                $ 441,125
Equity                                  212,790                  201,196
Foreign Exchange & Other
    Derivative Financial
    Instruments                         107,125                  139,705
                                        -------                  -------
                                       $616,051                 $782,026
                                       ========                 ========

Revenues  from  principal  transactions  decreased  21.2% in the 1998  period to
$616.1 million from $782.0 million in the comparable 1997 period.  This decrease
primarily  reflects  decreased  revenues derived from the Company's fixed income
and derivative activities.  Revenues from both of these activities decreased due
to the volatility  experienced in the equity and fixed income markets and by the
widening of credit  spreads during the first quarter of 1998.  These  conditions
led to the declines in revenues derived from several business units such as high
yield, emerging markets and corporate bonds.

Investment banking revenues decreased 42.7% to $285.4 million in the 1998 period
from $498.2 million in the  comparable  1997 period.  This decrease  reflected a
decrease in merger and acquisition  fees and advisory fees as well as a decrease
in underwriting  revenues. The decrease in underwriting revenues was principally
due to  decreased  levels of equity  and high yield new issue  volume  partially
offset by  increased  levels of  corporate  debt  volume as compared to the 1997
period.

Net interest and dividends remained relatively constant with a slight
increase of 3.9% to $321.9 million in the 1998 period from $309.7 million
in the comparable 1997 period. The increase was primarily attributable to
increased levels of customer activity. Average customer margin debt
declined to $41.5 billion in the 1998 period from $43.5 billion in the
comparable 1997 period, while average customer shorts increased to $63.0
billion from $55.3 billion.


<PAGE>


Average free credit balances  increased to $12.8 billion in the 1998 period from
$10.2 billion in the comparable 1997 period.

Employee  compensation and benefits decreased 7.4% to $958.2 million in the 1998
period from  $1,035.0  million in the  comparable  1997 period.  The decrease in
employee  compensation and benefits was primarily  attributable to a decrease in
incentive and discretionary bonus accruals.  Employee compensation and benefits,
as a  percentage  of net  revenues,  increased  to 54.4% in the 1998 period from
50.0% in the comparable 1997 period.

All other expenses decreased 1.1% to $502.7 million in the 1998 period from
$508.1 million in the comparable 1997 period. CAP Plan expense decreased by
$27.0 million in the 1998 period from the comparable 1997 period reflecting
the reduced level of earnings. Legal expense decreased by $19.7 million in
the 1998 period from the comparable 1997 period which reflected the accrual
of the NASDAQ antitrust settlement. These decreases were partially offset
by increases in communications expense and depreciation expense.
Communications expense increased by $12.5 million in the 1998 period from
the comparable 1997 period, reflecting an increase in information services
and the installation of higher capacity telecommunication networks.
Depreciation expense increased by $11.7 million in the 1998 period from the
comparable 1997 period due to computer equipment upgrades throughout the
Company.

The Company's  effective tax rate decreased to 33.5% in the 1998 period compared
to 38.9% in the comparable 1997 period due lower levels of earnings and a higher
level of tax preference items in the 1998 period.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Financial Leverage

The  Company  maintains  a highly  liquid  balance  sheet with a majority of the
Company's  assets  consisting of marketable  securities  inventories,  which are
marked  to  market   daily,   and   collateralized   receivables   arising  from
customer-related  and  proprietary   securities   transactions.   Collateralized
receivables   consist  of  resale  agreements  secured   predominantly  by  U.S.
government and agency securities,  customer margin loans and securities borrowed
which are typically secured by marketable  corporate debt and equity securities.
The Company's  total assets and financial  leverage can fluctuate  significantly
depending  largely  upon  economic  and market  conditions,  volume of activity,
customer demand, and underwriting commitments.

The Company's total assets at December 31, 1998 decreased to $151.1 billion from
$154.5  billion at June 30,  1998.  The decrease is  primarily  attributable  to
decreases in


<PAGE>


financial  instruments  owned,  customer  receivables and securities  borrowed,
partially  offset by an increase in  securities  purchased  under  agreements to
resell.

The Company's  ability to support  fluctuations in total assets is a function of
its ability to obtain short-term secured and unsecured funding and its access to
sources of  long-term  capital in the form of long-term  borrowings  and equity,
which  together form its capital  base.  The Company  continuously  monitors the
adequacy of its capital base which is a function of asset quality and liquidity.
Highly liquid assets, such as U.S.  government and agency securities,  typically
are  funded  by  the  use  of  repurchase   agreements  and  securities  lending
arrangements  which require low levels of margin.  In contrast,  assets of lower
quality or liquidity require higher levels of overcollateralization,  or margin,
in order to  obtain  secured  financing  and  consequently  increased  levels of
capital.  Accordingly, the mix of assets being held by the Company significantly
influences the amount of leverage the Company can employ and the adequacy of its
capital base.

Funding Strategy

The Company's general funding strategy provides for the  diversification  of its
short-term funding sources in order to maximize liquidity. Sources of short-term
funding consist principally of collateralized  borrowings,  including repurchase
transactions and securities lending arrangements, customer free credit balances,
unsecured  commercial  paper,  medium-term  notes and bank borrowings  generally
having maturities from overnight to one year.

Repurchase  transactions,  whereby  securities  are sold with a  commitment  for
repurchase by the Company at a future date,  represent the dominant component of
secured short-term funding.

In addition to short-term funding sources, the Company utilizes long-term senior
debt,  including  medium-term  notes,  as a  longer  term  source  of  unsecured
financing.  During the six months ended  December 31, 1998,  the Company  issued
$1.9 billion in long-term  debt which,  net of  retirements,  served to increase
long-term  debt to $13.8 billion at December 31, 1998 from $13.3 billion at June
30, 1998.

The Company  maintains an alternative  funding strategy focused on the liquidity
and self-funding ability of the underlying assets. The objective of the strategy
is to maintain  sufficient sources of alternative  funding to enable the Company
to fund debt  obligations  without  issuing any new  unsecured  debt,  including
commercial  paper.  The most  significant  source of alternative  funding is the
Company's ability to hypothecate or pledge its unencumbered assets as collateral
for short-term funding.

As part of the Company's  alternative  funding  strategy,  the Company regularly
monitors and analyzes the size,  composition,  and liquidity  characteristics of
the assets being financed and evaluates its liquidity  needs in light of current
market conditions and available funding alternatives. Through this analysis, the
Company can continuously


<PAGE>


evaluate the adequacy of its equity base and the schedule of maturing  term-debt
supporting  its present  asset  levels.  The Company can then seek to adjust its
maturity schedule, in light of market conditions and funding alternatives.

As part of the Company's  alternative funding strategy,  the Company maintains a
committed  revolving-credit  facility (the  "facility")  totaling $2.875 billion
which permits  borrowing on a secured  basis by Bear  Stearns,  BSSC and certain
affiliates.  The  facility  provides  that up to  $1.4375  billion  of the total
facility  may  be  borrowed  by  the  Company  on an  unsecured  basis.  Secured
borrowings    can   be    collateralized    by   both    investment-grade    and
non-investment-grade financial instruments. In addition, this agreement provides
for defined margin levels on a wide range of eligible financial instruments that
may be  pledged  under  the  secured  portion  of  the  facility.  The  facility
terminates in October 1999 with all loans  outstanding at that date  payable no
later than October 2000.

Capital Resources

The Company  conducts a substantial  portion of its operating  activities
within its regulated  broker-dealer  subsidiaries,  Bear Stearns, BSSC, BSIL and
Bear Stearns International Trading Limited ("BSIT"). In connection therewith,  a
substantial portion of the Company's  long-term  borrowings and equity have been
used to fund investments in, and advances to, Bear Stearns, BSSC, BSIL and BSIT.
The Company  regularly  monitors the nature and  significance of those assets or
activities conducted outside the broker-dealer subsidiaries and attempts to fund
such assets with either capital or borrowings having maturities  consistent with
the nature and the liquidity of the assets being financed.

In December 1998,  Bear Stearns  Capital Trust II (the "Trust"),  a wholly owned
subsidiary  of the Company,  issued $300 million of fixed rate  securities  (the
"Preferred Securities"). See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for
a more complete description of the Preferred Securities issued.

During the six-months ended December 31, 1998, the Company repurchased 5,994,620
shares  of  Common  Stock  in  connection  with  the  CAP  Plan  at  a  cost  of
approximately  $232.9  million.  Included  in the shares  purchased  during this
period were 3,763,083 shares with a cost of $153.8 million,  which were credited
to participants'  deferred  compensation accounts with respect to deferrals made
during  fiscal  1998.  The Company  intends,  subject to market  conditions,  to
continue to purchase, in future periods, a sufficient number of shares of Common
Stock in the open market to enable the Company to issue shares in respect of all
compensation deferred and any additional amounts allocated to participants under
the CAP  Plan.  Repurchases  of  Common  Stock  under  the CAP Plan are not made
pursuant  to  the  Company's  Stock  Repurchase  Plan  (the  "Repurchase  Plan")
authorized  by the Board of Directors  and are not included in  calculating  the
maximum  aggregate  number  of  shares  of Common  Stock  that the  Company  may
repurchase  under the Repurchase  Plan. As of February 11, 1999, there have been
no purchases under the Repurchase Plan.



<PAGE>


Cash Flows

Cash and cash  equivalents  decreased by $246.4  million  during the  six-months
ended December 31, 1998 to $827.4 million. Cash provided by operating activities
during  the  six-months  ended  December  31,  1998  was  $3.7  billion,  mainly
representing increases in customer payables, securities sold under agreements to
repurchase,  and a  decrease  in  customer  receivables,  partially  offset by a
decrease in financial instruments sold, but not yet purchased and an increase in
securities purchased under agreements to resell.  Financing activities used cash
of $3.9  billion,  primarily  due to net  repayments  of short term  borrowings,
partially offset by net proceeds from issuances of long term borrowings.

Regulated Subsidiaries

As  registered  broker-dealers,  Bear  Stearns  and BSSC are  subject to the net
capital  requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the New York Stock
Exchange,  and the Commodity Futures Trading  Commission,  which are designed to
measure the general financial  soundness and liquidity of  broker-dealers.  BSIL
and BSIT, London-based broker-dealer subsidiaries, are subject to the regulatory
capital requirements of the Securities and Futures Authority,  a self-regulatory
organization  established  pursuant to the United Kingdom Financial Services Act
of  1986.  Additionally,  Bear  Stearns  Bank  Plc  ("BSB")  is  subject  to the
regulatory capital  requirements of the Central Bank of Ireland. At December 31,
1998 Bear  Stearns,  BSSC,  BSIL,  BSIT,  and BSB were in  compliance  with such
regulatory capital requirements.

Merchant Banking and Non-Investment-Grade Debt Securities

As part of the Company's merchant banking activities,  it participates from time
to time in principal  investments  in leveraged  acquisitions.  As part of these
activities,   the  Company   originates,   structures  and  invests  in  merger,
acquisition,   restructuring,  and  leveraged  capital  transactions,  including
leveraged buyouts. The Company's principal investments in these transactions are
generally made in the form of equity investments or subordinated loans, and have
not required significant levels of capital investment. At December 31, 1998, the
Company's  aggregate  investments  in  leveraged  transactions  and its exposure
related to any one  transaction were not material to the Company's  consolidated
financial position.

As  part  of the  Company's  fixed-income  securities  activities,  the  Company
participates  in the trading and sale of high yield,  non-investment-grade  debt
securities,  non-investment-grade mortgage loans and the securities of companies
that are the subject of pending bankruptcy proceedings (collectively "high yield
securities").  Non-investment-grade  mortgage loans are  principally  secured by
residential  properties  and include both  non-performing  loans and real estate
owned.  At December 31, 1998,  the Company held high yield  instruments  of $1.7
billion in assets and $0.2 billion in  liabilities,  as compared to $1.8 billion
in assets and $0.3 billion in liabilities as of June 30, 1998.



<PAGE>


These  investments  generally  involve greater risk than  investment-grade  debt
securities due to credit considerations,  liquidity of secondary trading markets
and vulnerability to general economic conditions.

The level of the Company's high yield securities inventories,  and the impact of
such  activities  upon the Company's  results of operations,  can fluctuate from
period to period  as a result  of  customer  demands  and  economic  and  market
considerations.  Bear Stearns' Risk Committee  continuously monitors exposure to
market and credit risk with  respect to high yield  securities  inventories  and
establishes limits with respect to overall market exposure and concentrations of
risk by both individual issuer and industry group.

Year 2000 Issue

The Year 2000  issue is the result of legacy  computer  programs  being  written
using two  digits  rather  than four  digits to define the  applicable  year and
therefore,  without  consideration  of the impact of the upcoming  change in the
century. Such programs may not be able to accurately process dates ending in the
year 2000 and  thereafter.  The Company  determined  that it needed to modify or
replace portions of its software and hardware so that its computer systems would
properly utilize dates beyond December 31, 1999.

Over three years ago, the Company established a task force to review and develop
an action  plan to  address  the Year 2000  issue.  The  Company's  action  plan
addresses both  information  technology and  non-information  technology  system
compliance  issues.  Since then, the ongoing assessment and monitoring phase has
continued and includes assessment of the degree of compliance of its significant
vendors,  facility operators,  custodial banks and fiduciary agents to determine
the extent to which the Company is vulnerable to those third parties' failure to
remediate their own Year 2000 issues.  The Company has contacted all significant
external  vendors in an effort to confirm their  readiness for the Year 2000 and
plans to test  compatibility  with such  converted  systems.  The  Company  also
participates actively in industry-wide tests.

The  Company  has and will  continue  to  utilize  both  internal  and  external
resources to reprogram,  or replace, and test the software and hardware for Year
2000 modifications.  To date, the amounts incurred related to the assessment of,
and  efforts  in  connection  with,  the  Year  2000  and the  development  of a
remediation plan have approximated $31.3 million.  The Company's total projected
Year 2000 project cost,  including the estimated  costs and time associated with
the impact of third party Year 2000  issues,  are based on  currently  available
information.  The  total  remaining  Year  2000  project  cost is  estimated  at
approximately  $28.7 million,  which will be funded through operating cash flows
and primarily expensed as incurred.

The Company presently believes that the activities that it is undertaking in the
Year 2000 project should  satisfactorily  resolve Year 2000 compliance exposures
within its own systems  worldwide.  The Company has substantially  completed the
reprogramming and


<PAGE>


replacement phase of the project. Testing has commenced and will proceed through
calendar  1999.   However,   if  such  modifications  and  conversions  are  not
operationally  effective  on a timely  basis,  the Year 2000 issue  could have a
material impact on the operations of the Company. Additionally,  there can be no
assurance  that the systems of other  companies on which the  Company's  systems
rely will be timely converted,  or that a failure to convert by another company,
or a conversion that is incompatible with the Company's systems,  would not have
a material  adverse  effect on the  Company.  While the Company  does not have a
specific,  formal  contingency  plan,  the Company's  action plan is designed to
safeguard the interests of the Company and its customers.  The Company  believes
that this  action  plan  significantly  reduces  the risk of a Year  2000  issue
serious  enough  to  cause a  business  disruption.  With  regard  to Year  2000
compliance of other external  entities,  the Company is monitoring  developments
closely. Should it appear that a major utility, such as a stock exchange,  would
not be ready,  the Company will work with other firms in the industry to plan an
appropriate course of action.

Effects of Statements of Financial Accounting Standards

In June 1997,  the FASB  issued  SFAS 131,  "Disclosures  about  Segments  of an
Enterprise and Related  Information," which redefines how operating segments are
determined  and  requires   disclosure  of  certain  financial  and  descriptive
information about a company's  operating  segments.  This statement is effective
for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1997. The Company expects to adopt
this standard when required in fiscal year 1999 and is currently determining the
potential impact on the Company's financial statement disclosure.

In June 1998, the FASB issued SFAS 133,  "Accounting  for  Derivative  Financial
Instruments  and  Hedging  Activities."  SFAS  133  establishes   standards  for
accounting and reporting of derivative  financial  instruments embedded in other
contracts, and hedging activities.  SFAS 133 is effective for fiscal quarters of
fiscal years  beginning  after June 15, 1999. The Company  expects to adopt this
standard  when  required in fiscal year 2000 and is  currently  determining  the
potential impact on the Company's accounting for such activities.



<PAGE>



Item 3 -      QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT  MARKET RISK
              ----------------------------------------------- -----------

The Company's principal business activities by their nature engender significant
market and credit  risks.  Managing  these  risks is critical to the success and
stability of the Company.  As a result,  comprehensive risk management  policies
and procedures  have been  established to identify,  control and monitor each of
these major risks.  Additionally,  the Company's  diverse  portfolio of business
activities  helps to reduce the impact that volatility in any particular  market
may have on its net  revenues.  In addition to market risk,  the Company is also
subject to credit risk, operating risk and funding risk.

Market  risk  generally  represents  the risk of loss that may  result  from the
potential  change  in  the  value  of a  financial  instrument  as a  result  of
fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates and in equity and commodity
prices. Market risk is inherent to both derivative and non-derivative  financial
instruments,  and accordingly, the scope of the Company's market risk management
procedures  extends  beyond  derivatives  to include all market  risk  sensitive
financial instruments. The Company's exposure to market risk is directly related
to its role as a financial intermediary in customer-related  transactions and to
its  proprietary  trading and  arbitrage  activities.  For a  discussion  of the
Company's  primary market risk  exposures,  which  includes  interest rate risk,
foreign exchange rate risk, and equity price risk, and a discussion of how those
exposures  are  managed  see the  Company's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 1998.

Value at Risk

The  estimation  of  potential  losses that could  arise from  changes in market
conditions is typically accomplished through the use of statistical models which
seek to predict risk of loss based on historical price and volatility  patterns.
The output of such statistical models are commonly referred to as value at risk.
Value at risk is used to  describe a  probabilistic  approach to  measuring  the
exposure to market risk. This approach utilizes statistical concepts to estimate
the probability of the value of a financial  instrument  rising above or falling
below a specified  amount.  The calculation  utilizes the standard  deviation of
historical  changes in value  (i.e.  volatility)  of the market  risk  sensitive
financial instruments to estimate the amount of change in the current value that
could occur at a specified probability level.

Measuring  market risk using  statistical  risk  management  models has recently
become  the main  focus  of risk  management  efforts  by many  companies  whose
earnings  are  significantly  exposed to changes in the fair value of  financial
instruments. The Company believes that statistical models alone do not provide a
reliable method of monitoring and controlling  risk.  While value at risk models
are relatively  sophisticated,  the quantitative  risk information  generated is
limited by the  parameters  established  in  creating  the related  models.  The
financial  instruments  being  evaluated may have  features  which may trigger a
potential loss in excess of the amounts  previously  disclosed if the changes in
market rates or prices exceed


<PAGE>


the confidence level of the model used. Therefore, such models do not substitute
for the  experience  or  judgment of senior  management  and  traders,  who have
extensive knowledge of the markets and adjust positions and revise strategies as
they deem necessary. The Company uses these models only as a supplement to other
risk management tools.

For purposes of Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure requirements,  the
Company has performed an entity-wide  value at risk analysis of virtually all of
the Company's financial assets and liabilities, including all reported financial
instruments owned and sold, repurchase and resale agreements, and funding assets
and liabilities.  The value at risk related to non-trading financial instruments
has been  included in this  analysis  and not  reported  separately  because the
amounts were not material.  The calculation is based on a methodology which uses
a  one-day  interval  and a 95%  confidence  level.  Interest  rate and  foreign
exchange  rate risk use a "Monte  Carlo"  value at risk  approach.  Monte  Carlo
simulation  involves the  generation of price  movements in a portfolio  using a
random  number  generator.  The  generation  of random  numbers  is based on the
statistical  properties of the securities in the portfolio.  For interest rates,
each  country's  yield curve has five  factors  which  describe  possible  curve
movements.  These were generated from principal component analysis. In addition,
volatility and spread risk factors were used, where  appropriate.  Inter-country
correlations  were also used. Equity price risk was measured using a combination
of historical and Monte Carlo value at risk approaches.  Equity derivatives were
treated  as  correlated  with  various  indexes,   of  which  the  Company  used
approximately forty. Parameter estimates, such as volatilities and correlations,
were based on daily tests  through  December 31,  1998.  The total value at risk
presented below is less than the sum of the individual components (i.e. Interest
Rate Risk,  Foreign  Exchange  Rate  Risk,  Equity  Risk) due to the  benefit of
diversification among the risks.

This table  illustrates  the value at risk for each  component of market risk as
of:

                                       December 31,             June 30,
in millions                                1998                   1998
- -----------                               -----                  -----
MARKET RISK
         Interest                        $ 9.4                  $ 11.1
         Currency                          1.7                     0.9
         Equity                           14.0                     8.9
         Diversification benefit          (8.2)                   (6.6)
                                        ------                  ------
            Total                       $ 16.9                  $ 14.3
                                        ======                  ======

As  previously  discussed,  the Company  utilizes a wide  variety of market risk
management  methods,  including:  limits for each trading activity;  marking all
positions to market on a daily basis; daily profit and loss statements; position
reports;  aged inventory  position  reports;  and  independent  verification  of
inventory pricing.  Additionally,  management of each trading department reports
positions, profits and losses, and trading strategies to the Risk Committee on a
weekly basis.  The Company believes that these  procedures,  which stress timely
communication between trading department  management and senior management,  are
the most important elements of the risk management process.



<PAGE>


Part II - Other Information

Item 1.  Legal Proceedings


A.I.A. Holding, S.A., et al. v. Lehman Brothers, Inc., et al.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in  litigation  pending in the United  States  District  Court for the
Southern District of New York.

On January 28,  1999,  the court  dismissed  with  prejudice  all  counterclaims
asserted by Lehman  Brothers and Bear Stearns against certain of the plaintiffs,
other  than  the  counterclaim   seeking   contribution  from  plaintiff  Monhem
Nassereddine, which was dismissed with leave to replead.

Alpha  Group  Consultants,   et  al.  v.  Weintraub,   et  al./In  re  Weintraub
Entertainment Group Litigation.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in a class action  litigation  pending in the United  States  District
Court for the Southern District of California.

On November 12 and 18, 1998, the court denied Bear Stearns'  motion for judgment
notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, for a new trial.

On  October 5, 1998,  counsel  for the class  filed a motion on behalf of absent
class  members for summary  judgment on all claims  asserted in the complaint in
this action. The court has not yet issued a ruling on this motion.

A.R. Baron & Company, Inc.

As previously reported in the Company's 1998 Form 10-K and Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended September 25, 1998 (the "First Quarter 1999 Form 10-Q"),
Bear Stearns is a defendant in litigation pending in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of New York.

On December 1, 1998,  defendants  filed an answer to the complaint in which they
denied liability and asserted affirmative defenses.



<PAGE>



In re Blech Securities Litigation.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in  litigation  pending in the United  States  District  Court for the
Southern District of New York.

On October 1, 1998, plaintiffs moved for class certification.  The court has not
yet issued a ruling on plaintiffs' motion.

Crescent Porter Hale Foundation, et al. v. Bob K. Pryt, et al.

On October 19, 1998, an action was commenced in the Superior  Court of the State
of California,  San Francisco County, by limited partners of BKP Partners,  L.P.
("BKP"),  an  investment  fund that  allegedly  engaged in a  fraudulent  scheme
involving unsuitable and excessively risky investments.  Named as defendants are
BKP,  an  individual  who  allegedly  acted as the general  partner of BKP,  BKP
Capital Management LLC, Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., Bear, Stearns Securities Corp.
("BSSC"),  Deloitte & Touche and a  certified  public  accountant  who  reviewed
certain of BKP's  financial  statements.  The  complaint  alleges,  among  other
things, that the Bear Stearns defendants  committed common law fraud,  negligent
misrepresentation  and  civil  conspiracy,  breached  a  fiduciary  duty and the
covenant  of good  faith and fair  dealing,  and  aided and  abetted a breach of
fiduciary  duty and a breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing,  in
connection  with BSSC  acting as BKP's  prime  broker,  engaging  in  securities
transactions  with  or on  behalf  of  BKP,  and  making  margin  loans  to BKP.
Compensatory damages in excess of $100 million are sought.

On  January  8,  1999,  the court  granted  defendants'  motion  to  compel  the
plaintiffs to arbitrate the claims asserted in this action.

Bear Stearns denies all  allegations of wrongdoing  asserted  against it in this
litigation, intends to defend against these claims vigorously, and believes that
it has substantial defenses to these claims.

In re Daisy Systems Corporation, Debtor.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in  litigation  pending in the United  States  District  Court for the
Northern District of California.

On or around December 2, 1998,  plaintiffs accepted remittitur,  and on December
3, 1998,  judgment was entered against Bear Stearns in the amount of $36,073,196
plus costs of $138,826.63.  On December 29, 1998, Bear Stearns filed a notice of
appeal.



<PAGE>



In re Donna Karan International Inc. Securities Litigation.

As previously reported in the Company's 1998 Form 10-K and the First
Quarter 1999 Form 10-Q, Bear Stearns is a defendant in litigation pending
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

On December 10, 1998,  the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
dismissed the appeal in this action pursuant to agreement of the parties.

Bernard H. Glatzer v. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in  litigation  pending in the United  States  District  Court for the
Southern District of New York.

On October 28, 1998, the parties reached an agreement to settle this action.

Goldberger v. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., et al.

On December 8, 1998, a purported class action was commenced in the United States
District  Court for the  Southern  District of New York on behalf of all persons
who purchased  securities  through certain retail brokerage firms for which BSSC
provided  clearing  services and  financing  during the period from July 1, 1991
through the present.  Named as defendants are Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., BSSC and
an  officer  of BSSC.  The  complaint  alleges,  among  other  things,  that the
defendants  violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities  Exchange Act of
1934 (the "Exchange  Act") and Rule 10b-5  promulgated  thereunder and committed
breach  of  contract,  common  law  fraud  and  negligent  misrepresentation  in
connection  with  providing  clearing  services and  financing for the brokerage
firms named in the complaint.  Compensatory  and punitive damages in unspecified
amounts are sought.

Bear Stearns denies all  allegations of wrongdoing  asserted  against it in this
litigation, intends to defend against these claims vigorously, and believes that
it has substantial defenses to these claims.

In re Granite Partners, L.P., Granite Corporation and Quartz Hedge Fund

As previously  reported in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K and First Quarter 1999
Form 10-Q,  Bear  Stearns is a  defendant  in  litigation  pending in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York.


<PAGE>


On January 26, 1999,  plaintiffs in the Bambou Action moved to  consolidate  the
action with the Primavera,  ABF Capital,  Montpellier  and Johnston  actions for
pre-trial purposes.

On December 22, 1998,  defendants moved to dismiss the second amended  complaint
filed by the Litigation Advisory Board in the Granite Partners Action except for
claims  alleging breach of contract in connection with improper margin calls and
liquidations.

Henryk de Kwiatkowski v. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., et al.

As previously  reported in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K and First Quarter 1999
Form 10-Q,  Bear  Stearns is a  defendant  in  litigation  pending in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

On November 5, 1998,  defendants filed an answer to the second amended complaint
in which they denied liability and asserted affirmative defenses.

Bear Stearns denies all  allegations of wrongdoing  asserted  against it in this
litigation, intends to defend against these claims vigorously, and believes that
it has substantial defenses to these claims.

In re Lady Luck Gaming Corporation Securities Litigation.

As  previously  reported  in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K,  Bear  Stearns is a
defendant in  litigation  pending in the United  States  District  Court for the
District of Nevada.

On November 4, 1998, the court granted defendants' motion to dismiss plaintiffs'
third amended complaint with respect to three of the alleged  misrepresentations
and omissions on which plaintiffs'  claims are based, and denied the motion with
respect to the remaining  allegations  in the  complaint.  On November 15, 1998,
plaintiffs filed a fourth amended  complaint  alleging claims under Sections 11,
12(2) and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 on behalf of the same purported class
and against the same defendants as in the third amended complaint.  Compensatory
damages in an unspecified amount are sought.

On January 15, 1999,  defendants  moved to strike certain of the  allegations in
the fourth amended complaint on the ground that these allegations were dismissed
by the Court's  November 4, 1998 order. The court has not yet issued a ruling on
this motion.

On February 5, 1999,  defendants  filed an answer to the complaint in which they
denied liability and asserted affirmative defenses.




<PAGE>


NASDAQ Antitrust Litigation

As previously  reported in the  Company's  1998 Form 10-K and First Quarter 1999
Form 10-Q,  over 30 market  makers,  including  Bear Stearns,  are defendants in
litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District
of New York.

On November 9, 1998,  the court in the NASDAQ  class action  litigation  granted
final approval of the proposed settlement between plaintiffs and all defendants.

Greenberg v. Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., et al.

On January 19, 1999, a purported class action was commenced in the United States
District  Court for the  Southern  District of New York on behalf of all persons
who purchased ML Direct, Inc. common stock or warrants through Sterling Foster &
Co., Inc.  between  September 4, 1996 and December 31, 1996. Named as defendants
are Bear,  Stearns & Co.  Inc.  and BSSC.  The  complaint  alleges,  among other
things,  that the defendants  violated  Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange
Act and Rule 10b-5  promulgated  thereunder  and  committed  common law fraud in
connection with providing  clearing  services to Sterling Foster with respect to
certain  transactions  by customers of Sterling Foster in ML Direct common stock
and  warrants.  Compensatory  damages of $50  million  and  punitive  damages of
approximately $100 million are sought.

Bear Stearns denies all  allegations of wrongdoing  asserted  against it in this
litigation, intends to defend against these claims vigorously, and believes that
it has substantial defenses to these claims.


The Company also is involved from time to time in investigations and proceedings
by governmental and self-regulatory agencies.



<PAGE>



Item 4.  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

At the Annual  Meeting of the  Company  held on October  29,  1998 (the  "Annual
Meeting"),  the stockholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Capital
Accumulation  Plan for Senior Managing  Directors (the "CAP Plan Amendment") and
amendments to the Performance  Compensation Plan (the "Performance  Compensation
Plan  Amendments").  In addition,  at the Annual Meeting the stockholders of the
Company  elected  nine  directors  to serve  until the next  Annual  Meeting  of
Stockholders or until successors are duly elected and qualified.

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of Common Stock  represented at
the Annual  Meeting and  entitled to vote on each matter was required to approve
the CAP Plan Amendment and the Performance  Compensation Plan Amendments,  while
the  affirmative  vote of a plurality  of the votes cast by holders of shares of
Common Stock was required to elect the directors.

With  respect to the  approval  of the CAP Plan  Amendment  and the  Performance
Compensation  Plan Amendments,  set forth below is information on the results of
the votes cast at the Annual Meeting.
                                                                      Broker
                                 For        Against     Abstained   Non-Votes
CAP Plan Amendment           71,926,536     2,477,808    516,123    21,710,017
Performance Compensation 
   Plan                      68,950,038     5,490,600    479,829    21,710,017

With respect to the election of directors,  set forth below is information  with
respect  to the  nominees  elected  as  directors  of the  Company at the Annual
Meeting and the votes cast and/or withheld with respect to each such nominee.

                        Nominees                 For                 Withheld
            ------------------------------------------------     -------------

            James E. Cayne                    95,726,578               903,906
            Carl D. Glickman                  95,595,609             1,034,875
            Alan C. Greenberg                 95,675,549               954,935
            Donald J. Harrington              95,718,811               911,673
            William L. Mack                   95,207,379             1,423,105
            Frank T. Nickell                  95,735,340               895,144
            Frederic V. Salerno               95,714,903               915,581
            Vincent Tese                      95,653,038               977,446
            Fred Wilpon                       95,722,593               907,891




<PAGE>



Item 6.           Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

    (a)   Exhibits

       (10)(a)(4) Capital Accumulation Plan for Senior Managing
                      Directors,  as amended and restated as of October 29,
                      1998

       (10)(a)(5) Performance Compensation Plan, as amended and restated as
                      of October 29, 1998

             (11) Statement Re Computation of Per Share Earnings

             (12) Statement Re Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

             (27) Financial Data Schedule

     (b)  Reports on Form 8-K

                  During the quarter,  the Company filed the  following  Current
Reports on Form 8-K.

                           (i) A Current  Report on Form 8-K dated  October  14,
                               1998 and filed on October 19, 1998,  pertaining  
                               to the  Company's  results  of operations  for 
                               the  three-months ended September 25, 1998.

                           (ii)A Current  Report on Form 8-K dated  October  30,
                               1998 and filed on November 13, 1998, pertaining 
                               to the declaration of quarterly cash dividends.

                           (iii) A Current  Report on Form 8-K dated December 9,
                               1998 and filed on December 11, 1998, pertaining 
                               to the filing of an underwriting agreement  and 
                               an  opinion  of  Weil,  Gotshal  & Manges LLP as 
                               to certain  certain  federal income tax  
                               consequences in connection with the offering
                               of Trust Issued Preferred Securities.

                           (iv)A Current  Report on Form 8-K dated  December 16,
                               1998 and filed on December 17, 1998,  pertaining
                               to  the  filing  of  various documents  in 
                               connection  with the  offering  of Trust Issued 
                               Preferred Securities.

                           (v) A Current  Report on Form 8-K dated and filed on 
                               December 21, 1998,  pertaining  to the filing of 
                               an exhibit to be    incorporated    by reference
                               into   the Registration  Statement on Form S-3  
                               (Registration No. 333-61437)  as an  exhibit  to 
                               such  Registration Statement.



<PAGE>



                                                              SIGNATURE



Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



                                         The Bear Stearns Companies Inc.
                                                  (Registrant)



Date:  February 12, 1999            By:  /s/MARSHALL J LEVINSON
                                         ---------------------------
                                         Marshall J Levinson
                                         Controller and Assistant Secretary
                                        (Principal Accounting Officer)



<PAGE>



                           THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.

                                      FORM 10-Q

                                   Exhibit Index


Exhibit No.                         Description                           Page

 (10) (a) (4)   Capital Accumulation Plan for Senior Managing Directors, as
                amended and restated as of October 29, 1998                  35
 (10) (a) (5)   Performance Compensation Plan, as amended and restated as
                of October 29, 1998                                          71

         (11)   Statement Re Computation of Per Share Earnings               76
         (12)   Statement Re Computation of Earnings to Fixed Charges        77

         (27)   Financial Data Schedule                                      78



                                                           Exhibit 10 (a) (4)

                         THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                          CAPITAL ACCUMULATION PLAN FOR
                            SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTORS
                 (Amended and Restated as of October 29, 1998)

                                                               SECTION 1

                  Purpose


                  The  purpose of the Plan is to promote  the  interests  of the
Company and its  stockholders by providing  long-term  incentives to certain key
executives of the Company and Bear Stearns who contribute  significantly  to the
long-term performance and growth of the Company.

                                                               SECTION 2

                  Definitions


                  2.1      Terms Defined.  When used herein, the following terms
shall have the following meanings:

                  "Account"  means  a  Capital  Accumulation  Account  or a Cash
Balance Account, as the context may require.

                  "Accredited  Investor"  means an  "accredited  investor"  as
defined in  Rule 501  under the  Securities  Act, or any successor rule or 
regulation.

                  "Additional Deferral Amount" has the meaning assigned to such 
term in Section 4.1.

                  "Additional Plan Election" has the meaning assigned to such 
term in Section 4.1.

                  "Adjusted Book Value Per Share" means the amount determined as
of the end of any Fiscal Year by dividing Adjusted Common  Stockholders'  Equity
by the sum of (a) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on such date,
(b) the number of CAP Units credited to the Capital Accumulation Accounts of all
Participants  as of such date and the number of Earnings  Units  credited to the
Earnings Unit Accounts of all  participants in the PUP Plan as of such date, (c)
the  number  of CAP Units to be  credited  to all such  Accounts  as a result of
making any  adjustment  to such  Accounts  required by Sections  5.1 and 5.10 in
respect of all Fiscal Years ending on or prior to the date of determination  and
the number of Earnings  Units  credited  to the  Earnings  Unit  Accounts of all
participants  in the PUP Plan as a  result  of  making  any  adjustment  to such
accounts  required by Section 4.2 of the PUP Plan in respect of all Fiscal Years
ending  on or prior to the date of such  determination,  and (d) the  number  of
shares of Common Stock  purchased by the Company for purposes other than for the
Plan and the PUP Plan during all Fiscal  Years ending on or prior to the date of
such determination,  less (e) the number of shares of Common Stock issued by the
Company  (whether from Treasury shares or otherwise)  other than pursuant to the
Plan or the PUP Plan during all Fiscal  Years  ending on or prior to the date of
such determination.

                  "Adjusted  Common  Stockholders'  Equity" means, for the first
Fiscal Year of any Deferral Period,  Consolidated Common Stockholders' Equity as
of the last day of the preceding  Fiscal Year and for Fiscal Years following the
first Fiscal Year of such Deferral Period,  means Adjusted Common  Stockholders'
Equity  determined for the prior Fiscal Year of such Deferral  Period,  plus all
increases (or less any  decreases)  in retained  earnings of the Company and its
subsidiaries  attributable to net income (or loss), determined on a consolidated
basis,  minus all amounts  accrued in respect of cash  dividends  declared  with
respect to any capital stock of the Company during such Fiscal Year.

                  "Adjusted  Earnings Per Share" means, for any Fiscal Year, (a)
the  Company's  consolidated  net income or loss for such Fiscal Year,  less the
amount of the Preferred  Stock Dividend  Requirement  for such Fiscal Year, plus
the product  obtained by multiplying the product of the Net Earnings  Adjustment
multiplied  by the Average  Cost Per Share for such Fiscal Year by the  fraction
which is 1 minus the Marginal Tax Rate, divided by (b) the sum of (i) the number
of shares of Common Stock  outstanding  during such Fiscal  Year,  computed on a
weighted  average  basis  based on the number of days  outstanding  during  such
Fiscal Year, (ii) the aggregate  number of CAP Units credited to the Accounts of
all  Participants  computed on a weighted  average  basis based on the number of
days  outstanding  during such Fiscal Year but not including in such computation
the day that CAP Units are credited,  increased or decreased pursuant to Section
5.1, 5.3 or 5.10 of the Plan,  and (iii) the aggregate  number of Earnings Units
credited  to the  Earnings  Unit  Accounts of all  participants  in the PUP Plan
computed on a weighted  average  basis  based on the number of days  outstanding
during such  Fiscal  Year but not  including  in such  computation  the day that
Earnings Units are credited,  increased or decreased  pursuant to Section 4.2 or
4.5 of the PUP Plan.

                  "Adjusted Preferred Stock Dividend Requirement" means, for any
Fiscal Year, the quotient  obtained by dividing (i) the aggregate  amount of all
dividends  actually  declared by the Company  on, or, if no such  dividends  are
actually declared, required to be declared by the Company in accordance with the
terms of, any Preferred  Stock,  in such Fiscal Year, by (ii) the fraction which
is one minus the Marginal Tax Rate for such Fiscal Year.

                  "Advisory  Committee" means a committee of five  Participants,
of which two shall be  appointed by the  President  of the  Company,  two by the
President's  Advisory  Council of Bear  Stearns  and one by the  Management  and
Compensation Committee.

                  "Affiliate"  means (a) Bear Stearns,  (b) any other subsidiary
of the  Company  and  (c)  any  other  corporation  or  other  entity  which  is
controlled,  directly or  indirectly,  by, or under  common  control  with,  the
Company and which the Board Committee  designates as an "Affiliate" for purposes
of the Plan.

                  "Aggregate  Imputed  Cost"  means,  with respect to any Fiscal
Year, the sum of (a) the aggregate of the Cost of Carry for such Fiscal Year for
all  Participants  in the Plan plus (b) the  Capital  Reduction  Charge for such
Fiscal Year plus (c) the product of (i) the sum of the Net Earnings  Adjustments
for such Fiscal Year for all  Participants  in the Plan  multiplied  by (ii) the
Average Cost Per Share for such Fiscal Year,  minus (d) the Dividend Savings for
such Fiscal Year.

                  "Appropriate  Committee" means the Management and Compensation
Committee or, in the case of Participants who are Reporting  Persons,  the Board
Committee.

                  "Associate"   of  a  Person  means  (a)  any   corporation  or
organization  of which such  Person is an officer or partner or is,  directly or
indirectly,  the  Beneficial  Owner  of  10% or  more  of any  class  of  equity
securities, (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has a substantial
beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar
fiduciary  capacity  and (c) any  relative  or  spouse  of such  Person,  or any
relative  of such  spouse,  who has the  same  home as such  Person  or who is a
director or officer of such Person or any of its parents or subsidiaries.

                  "Available  Shares" means,  with respect to any Fiscal Year or
portion  thereof,  the sum of (a) the number of shares of Common Stock purchased
by the Company in the open market or in private transactions or otherwise during
such  period  that  have  not  been  previously  allocated  under  the  Plan and
designated  by the  Board  Committee  at the time of  purchase  as  having  been
purchased for issuance under the Plan with respect to the Fiscal Year or portion
thereof  specified  by the  Board  Committee  and (b)  shares  of  Common  Stock
purchased prior to such period that were designated as Available Shares but were
not  allocated  under the Plan which the  Company  makes  available  to the Plan
subsequent  to the  period in which such  shares  were  purchased  and the Board
Committee thereafter  designates as Available Shares for issuance under the Plan
with  respect  to the  Fiscal  Year or portion  thereof  specified  by the Board
Committee.

                  "Average  Cost Per Share" means with respect to any period the
weighted   average  of  the  sum  of  (a)  the  average  price  paid  (including
commissions)  by the Company in respect of  Available  Shares  purchased  by the
Company during such period and (b) in respect of Available  Shares  purchased by
the Company  prior to such period that the Company  makes  available to the Plan
and that are  accepted by the Board  Committee,  the Fair Market Value as of the
last trading day of such period.

                  "Average Federal Funds Rate" means, with respect to any Fiscal
Year, the percentage  (expressed as a decimal  fraction)  obtained by taking the
sum of the Federal  Funds Rates for each day during the Fiscal Year and dividing
such amount by the number of days in such Fiscal Year.

                 "Base Year" means the first Fiscal Year of a Required Deferral
Period

                  "Bear Stearns" means Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., a Delaware 
corporation, and its successors and assigns.

                  "Beneficial  Owner" has the meaning  ascribed  thereto in Rule
13d-3 under the Exchange Act, except that, in any case, a Person shall be deemed
the Beneficial  Owner of any securities  owned,  directly or indirectly,  by the
Affiliates and Associates of such Person.

                  "Beneficiary"  of  a  Participant  means  the  beneficiary  or
beneficiaries  designated by such  Participant in accordance  with Section 10 to
receive  the  amount,   if  any,  payable  hereunder  upon  the  death  of  such
Participant.

                  "Board  Committee"  means the  Compensation  Committee  of the
Board of Directors or another committee of the Board of Directors  designated by
the  Board  of  Directors  to  perform  the  functions  of the  Board  Committee
hereunder.  To the extent  required by Rule 16b-3,  the Board Committee shall be
composed  solely of directors  who are not  Participants  in the Plan and are in
other respects "Non-Employee Directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3.

                  "Board of Directors" means the Board of Directors of the
Company.

                  "Book Value Adjustment" has the meaning assigned to such term
in Section 5.5.

                  "Business Day" means any day other than a Saturday,  Sunday or
other day on which commercial banks in New York City are authorized or permitted
by law to be closed.

                  "CAP Units" means the units,  each such unit  corresponding to
one share of Common  Stock,  credited to a  Participant's  Capital  Accumulation
Account pursuant to Section 5. All calculations and determinations of the number
of CAP Units  hereunder shall be made in whole and fractional  units,  with such
fractional units rounded to the nearest one-thousandth of a unit.

                  "Capital Accumulation Account" has the meaning assigned to 
such term in Section 5.1.

                  "Capital Reduction Charge" means (a) for Fiscal Years 1991 and
1992,  zero;  (b) for Fiscal Year 1993, the product of (i) the excess of (A) the
amount  determined by  multiplying  the  Aggregate  Imputed Cost of the Plan for
Fiscal Year 1992 by the  fraction  which is one minus the  Marginal Tax Rate for
Fiscal Year 1992, over (B) the aggregate amount of all cash dividends that would
have been paid by the Company during Fiscal Year 1992 on the aggregate number of
shares of Common  Stock  purchased  by the  Company  and taken into  account for
purposes  of the Plan in respect of Fiscal  Year  1991,  if all such  shares had
remained  outstanding,  and (ii) the Average  Federal Funds Rate for Fiscal Year
1993; and (c) for each Fiscal Year thereafter, the product of (x) the sum of (A)
the amount  determined by multiplying the Aggregate Imputed Cost of the Plan for
the Fiscal Year preceding the year for which the  determination is being made by
the fraction which is one minus the Marginal Tax Rate for such preceding  Fiscal
Year (the "Tax-Effected  Aggregate Imputed Cost" for such Fiscal Year), plus (B)
the aggregate  Tax-Effected Aggregate Imputed Cost of the Plan for all preceding
Fiscal  Years,  other than the Fiscal Year  immediately  preceding  the year for
which  the  determination  is being  made,  plus  (C) the sum of the  respective
amounts obtained by multiplying the Capital  Reduction Charge for each preceding
Fiscal Year by the  fraction  which is one minus the  Marginal  Tax Rate for the
corresponding  Fiscal Year, less (D) the aggregate  amount of all cash dividends
that would have been paid by the  Company on the  aggregate  number of shares of
Common  Stock  purchased  by the Company for purposes of the Plan and taken into
account  pursuant to Section 5.1, 5.3 or 5.10(a)  prior to the end of the Fiscal
Year preceding the year for which the determination is being made, measured from
the date the  corresponding  CAP Units were first credited to such Accounts,  if
all such shares had remained  outstanding and (y) the Average Federal Funds Rate
for such Fiscal Year.

                  "Cash  Balance" means the amount from time to time credited to
a Participant's Cash Balance Account.

                  "Cash Balance Account" has the meaning assigned to such term 
in Section 5.2.

                  "Change  in  Control"  means  (a) a  majority  of the Board of
Directors ceases to consist of Continuing Directors;  (b) any Person becomes the
Beneficial  Owner of 50% or more of the outstanding  voting power of the Company
unless such  acquisition is approved by a majority of the Continuing  Directors;
(c) the stockholders of the Company approve an agreement to merge or consolidate
into any other  entity,  unless  such merger or  consolidation  is approved by a
majority of the Continuing  Directors;  or (d) the  stockholders  of the Company
approve an agreement to dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the
Company,  unless such  disposition  is approved by a majority of the  Continuing
Directors.

                  "Code"  means the Internal  Revenue  Code of 1986,  as amended
from time to time, or any successor statute or statutes.

                  "Committee"  means each of the Advisory  Committee,  the Board
Committee and the Management and Compensation Committee.

                  "Common Stock" means the common stock, par value $1.00 per 
share, of the Company.

                  "Company"  means The Bear Stearns  Companies  Inc., a Delaware
corporation, and its successors and assigns.

                  "Consolidated  Common  Stockholders'  Equity" means, as of any
date of determination,  the consolidated stockholders' equity of the Company and
its subsidiaries applicable to Common Stock.

                  "Continuing  Director"  means  any  member  of  the  Board  of
Directors who is a member on the  Effective  Date or who is elected to the Board
of  Directors  after  the  Effective  Date upon the  recommendation  or with the
approval  of a  majority  of the  Continuing  Directors  at  the  time  of  such
recommendation or approval.

                  "Cost of Carry" means, with respect to a Participant,  the sum
of (a) the amount obtained by multiplying the Deferred Tax Benefit for each Plan
Year by the  Average  Federal  Funds  Rate in the  Fiscal  Year  for  which  the
determination  is being made, and (b) the amounts  obtained by  compounding  the
amounts so obtained for each preceding Fiscal Year for which a Cost of Carry was
calculated  less the tax  benefits  associated  with the amounts so  determined,
calculated on the basis of the Marginal Tax Rate in each such Fiscal Year, on an
annual basis, at the Average Federal Funds Rate in effect during each succeeding
Fiscal Year; and, with respect to the Plan as a whole,  means the aggregate Cost
of Carry of all Participants in any Fiscal Year.

                  "Deferral  Period"  means  the  period  of five  Fiscal  Years
commencing on the first day of the Fiscal Year following the Plan Year for which
a Participant's  compensation  being deferred pursuant to this Plan was payable,
or such  greater  or lesser  number  of whole  Fiscal  Years as the  Appropriate
Committee may approve pursuant to Section 4.1, 4.3, 4.5 or 4.6.  Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Deferral Period applicable to compensation being deferred for
a particular  Plan Year for any  Participant who will attain age 56 prior to the
last day of any  such  Plan  Year and who  elects  in any  Plan  Election  to be
governed by this  sentence in the manner  specified by the Company shall be, (i)
in the case of  Participants  who attain  the age of 56 in such Plan Year,  four
Fiscal Years,  (ii) in the case of Participants who attain the age of 57 in such
Plan Year, either three or four Fiscal Years,  (iii) in the case of Participants
who attain the age of 58 in such Plan Year,  either  two,  three or four  Fiscal
Years, or (iv) in the case of Participants  who attain the age of 59 or older in
such Plan Year,  either one, two, three or four Fiscal Years,  in each such case
as the Participant may so elect for each such Plan Year.

                 "Deferral Year" means any Fiscal Year during a Deferral Period.

                  "Deferred  Tax  Benefit"  means,  for  each  Plan  Year  of  a
Participant,   the  sum  of  (a)  the  amounts   obtained  by  multiplying  such
Participant's  Total Deferral Amount, if any, for such Plan Year by the Marginal
Tax  Rate  for  such  Plan  Year  and (b) the  respective  amounts  obtained  by
multiplying the dollar amount of all Net Earnings  Adjustments made with respect
to  the  subaccount  of  such   Participant's   Capital   Accumulation   Account
corresponding  to such Plan Year by the  respective  Marginal Tax Rates for each
Deferral  Year for which such  adjustments  are made.  The  Deferred Tax Benefit
shall be computed and recorded separately for each Plan Year.

                  "Disability" means the complete and permanent  inability of an
individual to perform his duties due to his physical or mental  incapacity,  all
as  determined by the  Appropriate  Committee  upon the basis of such  evidence,
including  independent  medical reports and data, as the  Appropriate  Committee
deems necessary or appropriate.

                  "Dividend  Savings" means (a) for Fiscal Year 1991,  zero; (b)
for Fiscal Year 1992, the sum of (i) the amount  obtained by multiplying (A) the
aggregate number of CAP Units credited to the Capital  Accumulation  Accounts of
all  Participants  pursuant to Section 5.1 in respect of Fiscal Year 1991 by (B)
the weighted  average per share amount of all cash dividends paid by the Company
on its Common  Stock in such Fiscal  Year (such  weighted  average  amount to be
determined by multiplying the amount of each such dividend by the number of days
in the Fiscal Year on and after the date on which such dividend is paid,  adding
all the amounts so obtained and dividing the total by the number of days in such
Fiscal  Year) and by  multiplying  the  product so  obtained  by (C) the Average
Federal Funds Rate for such Fiscal Year, and (ii) the amounts (the "Partial Year
Dividend  Savings")  obtained by multiplying (x) for each fiscal quarter in such
Fiscal  Year,  the  aggregate  number  of CAP  Units  credited  to  the  Capital
Accumulation  Accounts of all  Participants  pursuant to Section 5.3 during such
Fiscal Year by (y) the respective weighted average per share amounts of all cash
dividends  paid by the  Company on its Common  Stock in fiscal  quarters of such
Fiscal  Year  beginning  after the date on which such CAP Units were so credited
(each such weighted  average amount to be determined in the manner  described in
the preceding clause  (b)(i)(B)),  and by multiplying the product so obtained by
(z) the Average Federal Funds Rate for such Fiscal Year; and (c) for Fiscal Year
1993 and each succeeding  Fiscal Year of the Plan,  means the amount obtained by
first (i)  multiplying  the sum of (A) all CAP  Units  credited  to the  Capital
Accumulation  Accounts of all Participants pursuant to Section 5.1 in respect of
all  preceding  Fiscal  Years  of the Plan and all CAP  Units  credited  to such
Accounts pursuant to Section 5.10(a) in respect of Net Earnings Adjustments,  if
any, for such Fiscal  Years by (B) the weighted  average per share amount of all
cash  dividends  paid by the Company on its Common  Stock in the Fiscal Year for
which the determination is being made (determined in the manner described in the
preceding clause (b)(i)(B)),  (ii) calculating the amount of cash dividends that
would  have  been  paid by the  Company  in all  preceding  Fiscal  Years on the
aggregate  number of shares of Common  Stock  purchased by the Company and taken
into account for purposes of this Plan  pursuant to Section 5.1, 5.3 or 5.10(a),
measured  from the date on which the  corresponding  CAP Units were  credited to
Participants'  Accounts,  if all such shares had remained  outstanding and (iii)
multiplying the respective  Dividend  Savings  determined as provided herein for
each  preceding  Fiscal Year by the fraction which is one minus the Marginal Tax
Rate for the  corresponding  preceding Fiscal Year, and then multiplying the sum
of the  amounts so  determined  in clauses  (i),  (ii) and (iii) by the  Average
Federal  Funds Rate for such Fiscal  Year,  and  finally  adding to such sum the
Partial  Year  Dividend  Savings for such Fiscal Year  determined  in the manner
provided in the preceding clause (b)(ii).

                  "Earnings Adjustment" has the meaning assigned to such term 
in Section 5.4(a).

                  "Earnings Unit Account" has the meaning specified in the PUP 
Plan.

                  "Earnings Units" has the meaning specified in the PUP Plan.

                  "Effective Date" means September 6, 1990.

                  "Effective Tax Rate" means,  for any Fiscal Year, the fraction
the  numerator of which is the  consolidated  tax expense of the Company and its
subsidiaries  for  such  Fiscal  Year  and  the  denominator  of  which  is  the
consolidated  income  or  loss  before  income  taxes  of the  Company  and  its
subsidiaries for such Fiscal Year. For this purpose, consolidated income or loss
of  the  Company  and  its   subsidiaries   shall  be  calculated  by  including
extraordinary  items and the  income  or loss of  discontinued  operations,  and
income tax  expense  shall be  calculated  by  including  the income tax expense
attributable to such extraordinary items or discontinued operations.

                  "Elective Plan Year" has the meaning assigned to such term in 
Section 4.3.

                  "Eligible  Employee"  means any  individual who is employed by
Bear Stearns as a Senior Managing Director and is an Accredited Investor.

                  "Enrollment Period" in respect of a Plan Year means the period
commencing with the first day of the fiscal quarter  immediately  preceding such
Plan Year and ending on December 31 of such Plan Year,  or such  shorter  period
contained  therein  designated by the Board  Committee,  provided  that,  unless
otherwise determined by the Board Committee,  the Enrollment Period with respect
to an individual  who becomes an Eligible  Employee  after December 31 of a Plan
Year  shall be the  period  commencing  on the date such  individual  becomes an
Eligible Employee and ending on the earliest of (a) the 30th day thereafter, (b)
March 31 of the Plan Year in the case of an individual who was an employee prior
to  becoming  an  Eligible  Employee  or (c) the end of the Plan  Year.  Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing,  the Board Committee may designate one
Enrollment Period for individuals who are Eligible Employees on the first day of
a Base  Year and one or more  Enrollment  Periods  for  individuals  who  become
Eligible Employees after the first day of a Base Year; provided,  however,  with
respect  to  participants  in  The  Bear  Stearns   Companies  Inc.   Management
Compensation Plan in no event shall any Enrollment Period in respect of any Plan
Year extend  more than 90 days into such Plan Year so as to allow a  Participant
to make an election to increase  or  decrease  the  deferral  amount or Deferral
Period relating to such Plan Year.

                  "Exchange Act" means the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended from time to time, or any successor statute or statutes.

                  "Executive Committee" means the Executive Committee of the 
Board of Directors.

                  "Fair Market  Value" of a share of Common Stock as of any date
means the closing sales price of a share of Common Stock on the  composite  tape
for New York Stock  Exchange  listed  securities  on such date or, if the Common
Stock is not quoted on the composite tape or is not listed on the New York Stock
Exchange,  on the principal United States securities  exchange  registered under
the  Exchange Act on which the Common Stock is listed or, if the Common Stock is
not listed on any such  exchange,  on the  National  Association  of  Securities
Dealers,  Inc. Automated Quotation National Market System  ("NASDAQ-NMS") or, if
the Common Stock is not quoted on NASDAQ-NMS,  the average closing bid quotation
of a share on the National  Association of Securities  Dealers,  Inc.  Automated
Quotation  System or any similar  system then in use or, if the Common  Stock is
not listed or quoted,  the fair value  thereof as of such date as  determined by
the Appropriate Committee.

                  "Federal  Funds Rate"  means,  for any day which is a Business
Day, the rate for U.S.  dollar funds settled  through the Federal Reserve System
or other  immediately  available U.S.  dollar funds, as quoted by an independent
broker of such funds selected by the Company, for the last transaction completed
prior to 9:30 A.M.  (Eastern  time) on the  Business  Day on which  such rate is
determined, rounded up or down on a daily alternating basis to the nearest whole
multiple of one-eighth  of one percent,  and for any day which is not a Business
Day  means  such  rate as  determined  for the next  preceding  day  which was a
Business Day.

                  "Fiscal Year" means the fiscal year of the Company  commencing
on July 1 and ending on June 30.  "Fiscal  Year 1991" shall mean the Fiscal Year
ending on June 30, 1991; "Fiscal Year 1992" shall mean the Fiscal Year ending on
June 30, 1992;  and "Fiscal Year 1993" shall mean the Fiscal Year ending on June
30, 1993. If the Company  shall change its Fiscal Year after the Effective  Date
so as to end on a date other than June 30  ("Year-end  Date") then,  if such new
Year-end  Date falls  after June 30 and on or prior to  December  31, the Fiscal
Year in which such change  occurs  shall be deemed to consist,  for  purposes of
this  Plan,  of the  period of not more than 18 months  beginning  on the July 1
following  the last  Fiscal  Year  preceding  such  change and  ending  such new
Year-end  Date or, if such new  Year-end  Date  falls on or after  January 1 and
prior to June 30, the Fiscal Year in which such change occurs shall be deemed to
consist,  for  purposes  of this  Plan,  of the  period  of less  than 12 months
beginning  on the first day of the Fiscal Year in which such  change  occurs and
ending on such new Year-end Date.

                  "Full Year Units" has the meaning assigned to such term in 
Section 5.4.

                  "GAAP" means generally accepted  accounting  principles in the
United States of America as in effect from time to time.

                  "Historical  Book  Value"  means,  with  respect to a CAP Unit
credited to a  Participant's  Account  pursuant  to Section  5.1 or 5.10(a),  an
amount determined by dividing (a) Consolidated Common Stockholders' Equity as of
the end of the Fiscal  Year for which such CAP Unit was  credited by (b) the sum
of (i) the aggregate  number of shares of Common Stock  outstanding  on the last
day of such Fiscal Year, (ii) the aggregate  number of CAP Units credited to the
Capital  Accumulation  Accounts of all Participants as of the end of such Fiscal
Year,  and,  with  respect to a CAP Unit  credited  to a  Participant's  Account
pursuant to Section 5.3, an amount  determined by dividing  (x)(i)  Consolidated
Common Stockholders'  Equity, as of the last day of the Fiscal quarter for which
such CAP Unit was  credited,  and (iii) the aggregate  number of Earnings  Units
credited to the Earnings Unit Accounts of all Participants in the PUP Plan as of
the end of such Fiscal Year,  less (ii) all increases (or plus any decreases) in
retained earnings of the Company and its subsidiaries attributable to net income
(or loss),  determined on a  consolidated  basis for all fiscal  quarters of the
Fiscal Year prior to and including the fiscal quarter during which such CAP Unit
was credited,  plus (iii) the amount  determined by multiplying  (A) a fraction,
the numerator of which is the number of fiscal quarters in the Fiscal Year prior
to and including the fiscal quarter during which such CAP Unit was credited, and
the  denominator  of which is 4, by (B) the increase  (or  decrease) in retained
earnings  of the Company and its  subsidiaries,  attributable  to net income (or
loss),  determined on a consolidated basis for the Fiscal Year during which such
CAP Unit was  credited,  less (iv) the amount  determined by  multiplying  (C) a
fraction,  the numerator of which is the number of fiscal quarters in the Fiscal
Year prior to and  including the fiscal  quarter  during which such CAP Unit was
credited,  and the denominator of which is 4, by (D) the total amount accrued in
respect of cash  dividends  with respect to any capital stock of the Company for
the Fiscal  Year  during  which such CAP Unit was  credited,  plus (v) the total
amount accrued in respect of cash dividends with respect to any capital stock of
the  Company for all fiscal  quarters of the Fiscal Year prior to and  including
the fiscal quarter during which such CAP Unit was credited by (y) the sum of (i)
the aggregate  number of shares of Common Stock  outstanding  on the last day of
such fiscal  quarter,  (ii) the  aggregate  number of CAP Units  credited to the
Capital Accumulation Accounts of all Participants as of the end of such date and
(iii) the  aggregate  number of Earnings  Units  credited to the  Earnings  Unit
Accounts of all Participants in the PUP Plan as of the end of such Fiscal Year.

                  "Income Per Share" for any Fiscal Year means the  consolidated
income or loss before income taxes of the Company and its subsidiaries, adjusted
as  hereinafter  provided,  divided  by the sum of (a) the  number  of shares of
Common Stock outstanding during such Fiscal Year, computed on a weighted average
basis based on the number of days  outstanding  during such Fiscal Year, (b) the
number  of CAP  Units  credited  to the  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts  of all
Participants  computed on a weighted  average  basis based on the number of days
outstanding  during such Fiscal Year but not including in such  computation  the
day that CAP Units are credited, increased or decreased pursuant to Section 5.1,
5.3 or 5.10 of the Plan and (c) the aggregate  number of Earnings Units credited
to the Earnings Unit Accounts of all  Participants in the PUP Plan computed on a
weighted  average  basis  based on the number of days  outstanding  during  such
Fiscal Year but not including in such  computation  the day that Earnings  Units
are credited,  increased or decreased  pursuant to Section 4.2 or 4.5 of the PUP
Plan. For purposes of this Plan, consolidated income or loss before income taxes
of the Company and its  subsidiaries (i) shall be determined prior to any charge
or credit to  income  required  in such  Fiscal  Year by reason of Net  Earnings
Adjustments  pursuant to Section 5.10(a),  (ii) shall include the amounts of any
pre-tax   earnings  or  loss   attributable   to   discontinued   operations  or
extraordinary  items and (iii) shall be reduced by the Adjusted  Preferred Stock
Dividend  Requirement  during such Fiscal Year,  and may be  decreased,  but not
increased,  by  such  amount  determined  by the  Board  Committee  in its  sole
discretion as appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Plan.

                  "Initial Plan Election" has the meaning assigned to such term 
in Section 4.1.

                  "Investment  Letter" means a letter,  in a form to be approved
by the Appropriate  Committee,  by which a Participant  represents that he is an
accredited  Investor and that he is  acquiring  his interest in the Plan and any
shares of Common Stock that may be acquired hereunder for investment and without
a view to any distribution thereof.

                  "Management and  Compensation  Committee" means the Management
and Compensation Committee of the Company or another committee of the Company or
the Board of  Directors  designated  by the Board of  Directors  to perform  the
functions of the Management and Compensation Committee hereunder.

                  "Marginal Tax Rate" means the maximum  combined  marginal rate
of tax  expressed  as a  fraction  to  which  the  Company  is  subject  for the
applicable  Fiscal  Year,  including  Federal,  New York State and New York City
income taxes (including any minimum or alternative  tax), net of any tax benefit
resulting from the deductibility of state and local taxes for federal income tax
purposes.

                  "Net Earnings Adjustment" has the meaning assigned to such 
term in Section 5.10(a).

                  "Part Year Units" has the meaning assigned to such term in 
Section 5.4(a).

                  "Participant"  means any  Eligible  Employee  who has  validly
elected to participate in the Plan pursuant to Section 4.l.

                  "Person" means an individual, a corporation, a partnership, an
association, a joint stock company, a trust, any unincorporated  organization or
a government or a political subdivision thereof.

                  "Personal Leave of Absence" means the absence from the Company
by a  Participant,  with the consent of the Company,  for an extended  period of
time  without  salary  under  circumstances  in  which  a  return  to  full-time
employment by the Participant is contemplated.

                  "Plan" means The Bear Stearns  Companies Inc. Capital  
Accumulation  Plan for Senior Managing  Directors as set forth herein and as 
amended and restated from time to time.

                  "Plan Election" means the election to defer  compensation made
by a participant pursuant to Section 4.

                  "Plan Year" means Fiscal Year 1991,  Fiscal Year 1992,  Fiscal
Year 1993 and any other  Fiscal Year with  respect to which the Board  Committee
makes the determination provided for in Section 3.1.

                  "Preferred  Stock" means any capital stock of the Company that
has a right to dividends or  distributions in liquidation (or both) prior to the
holders of the Common Stock.

                  "Preferred Stock Dividend  Requirement"  means, for any Fiscal
Year,  the amount of all  dividends  actually  declared  by the  Company  on, or
required  to be declared  by the  Company in  accordance  with the terms of, any
Preferred Stock, in such Fiscal Year.

                  "Pre-Plan  Earnings Per Share" means, for any Fiscal Year, (a)
the sum of (i) the  Company's  consolidated  net income or loss for such  Fiscal
Year less (ii) the amount of the Preferred  Stock Dividend  Requirement for such
Fiscal Year, plus (iii) the amount obtained by multiplying the Aggregate Imputed
Costs of the Plan deducted in the calculation of consolidated net income or loss
for such Fiscal Year by the  fraction  which is one minus the  Marginal Tax Rate
for such  Fiscal  Year,  divided  by (b) the sum of (x) the  number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding during such Fiscal Year, computed on a weighted average
basis based on the number of days  outstanding  during such Fiscal Year, (y) the
aggregate  number of CAP Units  credited  to the  Accounts  of all  Participants
computed on a weighted  average  basis  based on the number of days  outstanding
during such Fiscal Year but not including in such  computation  the day that CAP
Units are credited,  increased or decreased pursuant to Section 5.1, 5.3 or 5.10
of the Plan,  and (z) the  aggregate  number of Earnings  Units  credited to the
Earnings  Unit  Accounts  of all  participants  in the PUP  Plan  computed  on a
weighted  average  basis  based on the number of days  outstanding  during  such
Fiscal Year but not including in such  computation  the day that Earnings  Units
are credited,  increased or decreased  pursuant to Section 4.2 or 4.5 of the PUP
Plan.

                  "PUP Plan" means The Bear Stearns  Companies Inc.  Performance
Unit  Plan  for  Senior  Managing  Directors,  as the  same  shall  be  amended,
supplemented or modified from time to time.

                  "Quarter End Date" has the meaning assigned to such term in 
Section 5.3.

                 "Registration Statement" has the meaning assigned to such term 
in Section 6.7.

                  "Reporting  Person"  means a director  or officer of the  
Company  who is subject to the  reporting  requirements  of Section 16(a) of 
the Exchange Act.

                  "Required  Deferral  Amount"  means,  for any Plan  Year,  the
following  percentages of that portion of a Participant's  current  compensation
for such Plan Year (prior to giving effect to any effective  election  hereunder
to defer  receipt of a portion of such  amount  but after  giving  effect to any
effective  election to defer  compensation under any other plan sponsored by the
Company or any Affiliate) which exceeds $200,000 (or the then prevailing  annual
base salary for Senior Managing Directors of Bear Stearns for such Plan Year):

                  25% of the first                          $  300,000
                  30% of the next                           $  500,000
                  40% of the next                           $1,000,000
                  50% of compensation exceeding             $2,000,000

Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  (a)  the  Required  Deferral  Amount  for  any
Participant  who will  attain  age 55 prior to the last day of any Plan Year and
who elects in his Plan  Election to be  governed by this  sentence in the manner
specified by the Appropriate Committee shall be 25% of such compensation of such
Participant  for each Plan Year in which he  attains  age 55 or older and (b) no
Participant  shall  be  required  or  entitled  to  defer  any  portion  of  his
compensation  for any Plan Year for which he was  entitled  to  receive  payment
prior to the date of his Plan  Election.  The  Required  Deferral  Amount in his
initial Plan Year for any  Participant  who first  becomes an Eligible  Employee
after the first day of any Plan Year shall be determined by multiplying  each of
the foregoing amounts in this paragraph by a fraction, the numerator of which is
the number of whole  months  remaining  in the Plan Year  following  his date of
employment and the denominator of which is 12.

                  "Required Deferral Period" has the meaning assigned to such 
term in Section 3.1.

                  "Rule 16b-3" means Rule 16b-3 of the  Securities  and Exchange
Commission  promulgated  under the Exchange  Act, as the same may be modified or
amended from time to time, and any successor rule.

                  "Securities  Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
from time to time, or any successor statute or statutes.

                  "Special Plan Election" has the meaning assigned to such term 
in Section 4.6.

                  "Termination Date" means the last day of any Deferral Period.

                  "Total CAP  Units"  means the  aggregate  number of CAP Units,
adjusted through any date of determination  thereof,  theretofore  credited to a
Participant's Capital Accumulation Account.

                  "Total Deferral  Amount" for any Participant  means,  for each
Plan Year, the sum of the Required  Deferral Amount and the Additional  Deferral
Amount.

                  2.2 Accounting  Terms.  Whenever any  accounting  term is used
herein,  or the  character or amount of any asset or liability or item of income
or  expense  is  required  to be  determined,  or  any  consolidation  or  other
accounting  computation  is required to be made,  for the purposes of this Plan,
such  accounting  term  shall  have the  meaning  assigned  to such term or such
determination  or computation  shall be made (as the case may be), to the extent
applicable and except as otherwise specified herein, in accordance with GAAP.

                                                               SECTION 3

                  Eligibility


                  3.1 Not  later  than 90 days  after  the  commencement  of any
Fiscal Year, the Board Committee shall determine whether Eligible  Employees who
are not  then  Participants  shall  be  entitled  to  defer a  portion  of their
compensation  for such Fiscal Year and the two Fiscal Years next succeeding such
Fiscal  Year (such  three  Fiscal  Years being  referred  to  collectively  as a
"Required Deferral Period"); provided, however, that in the case of the Required
Deferral  Period of which the Base Year is the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 1992,
such determination may be made not later than October 30, 1991.

                  3.2 Each  individual  who is an Eligible  Employee at any time
during  the  Enrollment  Period  in  respect  of a Plan  Year  and is not then a
Participant   shall  be  eligible  to  participate  in  the  Plan  by  deferring
compensation  as provided in Section 4.1;  provided,  however,  that an Eligible
Employee  who does not elect to  participate  in the Plan during the  Enrollment
Period for the first Plan Year in which he is an Eligible  Employee shall not be
entitled to participate  in the Plan in respect of subsequent  Plan Years unless
such  participation is approved by the Appropriate  Committee not later than the
last day of the  Enrollment  Period for such Plan Year;  and provided,  further,
that no  individual  shall be  eligible to  participate  in the Plan unless such
individual  agrees to execute  such  documents  or agrees to such  restrictions,
including  but not limited to the  execution  of an  Investment  Letter,  as the
Appropriate Committee in its sole discretion may require.

                                                               SECTION 4

                  Deferrals of Compensation


                  4.1 Plan  Election.  Each Eligible  Employee who satisfies the
eligibility  requirements  of  Section  3.2  during a Plan Year may,  during the
applicable Enrollment Period,  execute and file with the Appropriate Committee a
Plan Election (an "Initial Plan Election"), in the form provided by the Company,
(a)  electing  to  defer  (i)  the  Required  Deferral  Amount  of  his  current
compensation for each of the three Fiscal Years in the Required  Deferral Period
and (ii) subject to the approval of the Appropriate Committee, any amount of his
current compensation in excess of the Required Deferral Amount for his Base Year
(the "Additional Deferral Amount") and (b) electing,  subject to the approval of
the Appropriate  Committee, a Deferral Period (in whole Fiscal Years) in respect
of the Required Deferral Amount and any Additional Deferral Amount for such Base
Year of more than Five Fiscal  Years.  During the  Enrollment  Period  occurring
during the second and third  Fiscal Years of a Required  Deferral  Period (or if
there is no Enrollment Period for such Fiscal Year, the period commencing on the
anniversary of the first day of the most recent preceding  Enrollment Period and
ending  on the  anniversary  of the  last  day of  such  Enrollment  Period),  a
Participant  may execute and file with the  Appropriate  Committee an additional
Plan  Election (an  "Additional  Plan  Election"),  in the form  provided by the
Company  electing,  if applicable,  a shorter Deferral Period or, subject to the
approval of the Appropriate  Committee,  an Additional  Deferral Amount for such
Fiscal Year or a Deferral Period in respect of the Required  Deferral Amount and
any  Additional  Deferral  Amount for such  Fiscal Year of more than five Fiscal
Years.  The  Appropriate  Committee  may approve any  election of an  Additional
Deferral  Amount and any election of a Deferral  Period in excess of five Fiscal
Years, or may deny any such request, in its sole discretion.  If the Appropriate
Committee shall deny any election of any Additional  Deferral  Amount,  then the
Additional  Plan  Election  shall be deemed to relate only to the  Participant's
Required  Deferral  Amount for the Fiscal Year involved and, if the  Appropriate
Committee  shall deny any election of a Deferral Period in excess of five Fiscal
Years,  then the Deferral Period  applicable to the Required Deferral Amount and
any Additional Deferral Amount for the Fiscal Year involved shall be five Fiscal
Years.

                  4.2 Effect of Initial Plan Election.  An Initial Plan Election
filed during the Enrollment  Period in respect of a Plan Year in accordance with
Section 4.1 shall  constitute  an election (a) to become a  Participant  in this
Plan with respect to such Fiscal Year and the two succeeding  Fiscal Years,  (b)
to defer for Deferral  Period  receipt of the Required  Deferral  Amount and the
Additional  Deferral Amount (if any) approved by the  Appropriate  Committee for
such Fiscal Year and (c) to defer  receipt of the Required  Deferral  Amount for
the second and third Fiscal Years of the Required Deferral Period beginning with
such Fiscal Year for the Deferral Period or such other period as may be approved
by the Appropriate  Committee  pursuant to Section 4.1,  unless,  in the case of
such  second  and  third  Fiscal  Years,   such  Participant  is  excluded  from
participation  in  respect of  subsequent  Fiscal  Years of a Required  Deferral
Period upon approval of the Appropriate Committee pursuant to Section 4.5(a).

                  4.3 Elective Deferrals. For each Plan Year occurring after the
third Fiscal Year of a Participant's  Required  Deferral Period as to which such
Participant   has  not  theretofore  had  the  opportunity  to  elect  to  defer
compensation (each such Plan Year being referred to as an "Elective Plan Year"),
such Participant may, subject as provided below, during the Enrollment Period in
respect  of any Plan  Year  during  which  the Board  Committee  has  determined
pursuant to Section 3.1 to allow any Eligible  Employees  to defer  compensation
for such Elective Plan Year, execute and file with the Appropriate  Committee an
Additional  Plan Election  electing to defer for the applicable  Deferral Period
the Required Deferral Amount of his current  compensation for such Elective Plan
Year.  Thereafter,  during the  Enrollment  Period  occurring  during  each such
Elective  Plan Year (or if there is no  Enrollment  Period for such Fiscal Year,
the period  commencing  on the  anniversary  of the first day of the most recent
preceding  Enrollment  Period and ending on the  anniversary  of the last day of
such  Enrollment  Period) a Participant  may execute and file an Additional Plan
Election,  electing,  subject to the approval of the Appropriate  Committee,  an
Additional Deferral Amount for such Elective Plan Year and a Deferral Period (in
whole  Fiscal  Years)  in  respect  of the  Required  Deferral  Amount  and  any
Additional  Deferral Amount for such Elective Plan Year of more than five Fiscal
Years or, if applicable,  a shorter Deferral Period.  The Appropriate  Committee
may approve any election under this Section 4.3 to defer an Additional  Deferral
Amount and any election of a Deferral  Period in excess of five Fiscal Years, or
may deny any such request, in its sole discretion.  If the Appropriate Committee
shall deny any election of an Additional  Deferral  Amount,  then the additional
Plan  Election  shall be  deemed to relate  only to the  Participant's  Required
Deferral  Amount for the Elective  Plan Year  involved  and, if the  Appropriate
Committee  shall deny any election of a Deferral Period in excess of five Fiscal
Years,  then the Deferral Period  applicable to the Required Deferral Amount and
any Additional Deferral Amount for the Elective Plan Year involved shall be five
Fiscal Years. If at any time there is more than one Elective Plan Year as to any
Participant,  then the Appropriate  Committee shall determine whether or not the
additional Plan Election which may be submitted in respect of such Elective Plan
Years by such Participant  shall relate to one or more than one of such Elective
Plan Years.  If the  Appropriate  Committee  determines  that such Plan Election
shall  relate to more than one  Elective  Plan Year,  then the  additional  Plan
Election to be filed by such  Participant  shall constitute an election to defer
the  Required  Deferral  Amount  of his  current  compensation  for each of such
Elective Plan Years.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  however,  if an Eligible
Employee  does not  elect to defer at least  the  Required  Deferral  Amount  in
respect of any Elective Plan Year, such Eligible Employee shall be ineligible to
submit an additional  Plan Election in respect of any  succeeding  Elective Plan
Year unless the Appropriate Committee,  in its sole discretion,  shall determine
(including, without limitation, by reason of hardship as contemplated by Section
4.5(a))  that such  Eligible  Employee  shall once again be eligible to elect to
defer  compensation  under this Section  4.3. In the event that the  Appropriate
Committee shall make the determination contemplated by the preceding sentence in
respect of any Elective  Plan Year for which the  Enrollment  Period has already
expired,  then the Appropriate  Committee,  may, in its discretion,  establish a
supplementary  enrollment  period for the Eligible Employee  involved,  in which
case such supplementary  enrollment period shall be deemed the Enrollment Period
for such Eligible  Employee for purposes of this Plan in respect of the Elective
Plan Year involved.

                  4.4 Election  Irrevocable.  The election to defer compensation
pursuant  to a Plan  Election or  Additional  Plan  Election,  once made for the
first,  second and third Fiscal Years of a Required  Deferral  Period or for any
Elective  Plan  Year,   shall  be  irrevocable  and  shall  not  be  subject  to
cancellation by the Participant or, except as expressly  provided herein, by the
Appropriate  Committee or the Company.  Without  limiting the  generality of the
foregoing,  such an election  for the first,  second and third Fiscal Years of a
Required  Deferral  Period or for any Elective Plan Year shall not be subject to
cancellation  by a Participant by reason of  termination of his employment  with
the Company or an Affiliate.

                  4.5      Hardship Exceptions.

                  (a)  A   Participant   may   request  to  be   excluded   from
participating  in the Plan in  respect of any Plan Year other than his Base Year
by filing with the Appropriate  Committee during the Enrollment Period occurring
during  such Fiscal  Year (or if there is no  Enrollment  Period for such Fiscal
Year,  the period  commencing  on the  anniversary  of the first day of the most
recent preceding Enrollment Period and ending on the anniversary of the last day
of such  Enrollment  Period)  a written  request  for  non-participation,  which
request shall set forth the circumstances  that have arisen since the Enrollment
Period in respect of such Plan Year that would make continued  participation  in
the  Plan  an  unanticipated  financial  hardship  for  such  Participant.   The
Appropriate Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine whether or not to
grant any such  request.  A  Participant  who  requests  and is granted  such an
exclusion  shall not be  eligible to  participate  in the Plan in respect of the
Plan Year for which such request is granted,  but shall  continue to participate
in the Plan in  respect  of any  other  Plan  Years for  which an  election  has
previously  been made hereunder and shall be eligible to participate in the Plan
for future Plan Years.

                  (b) A  Participant  may  request a reduction  in any  Deferral
Period by one or more Fiscal  Years at any time by filing  with the  Appropriate
Committee a written  request  setting forth the  circumstances  that have arisen
since the  Enrollment  Period  for the  related  Plan Year that  would  make the
failure to reduce the Deferral Period an  unanticipated  financial  hardship for
such  Participant.  The Appropriate  Committee,  in its sole  discretion,  shall
determine  whether or not to grant any such  request  and,  if so, the number of
whole Fiscal Years by which the Deferral Period shall be so reduced.

                  4.6 Special  Elections.  The Appropriate  Committee shall have
the right in its sole  discretion  to permit a  Participant  to execute and file
with the Appropriate  Committee,  at such times and on such terms and conditions
as the Appropriate  Committee shall determine,  a Plan Election (a "Special Plan
Election")  in form  provided by the  Company,  electing to extend the  Deferral
Period  previously  selected with respect to any Required Deferral Amount and/or
Additional  Deferral Amount for such periods and in such proportions as shall be
determined by the Appropriate Committee, provided that the Deferral Period being
extended  shall  terminate no earlier than the end of the Fiscal Year  following
the Fiscal Year in which the  Special  Plan  Election  is made,  except that any
election  with respect to the Deferral  Period  ending on June 30, 1997 shall be
made on or before  December 31, 1996.  The Earnings  Adjustment  with respect to
each Plan Year in any such  additional  Deferral  Period shall be  calculated in
accordance with Section 5.4(e).

                                                               SECTION 5

                  Capital Accumulation Accounts;
Cash Balance Accounts


                  5.1 Annual Credits to Capital Accumulation  Accounts. For each
Plan Year, the Company shall credit to each  Participant,  as of the last day of
such Plan Year, by means of a bookkeeping  entry  established  and maintained by
the Company for each such  Participant  (a "Capital  Accumulation  Account"),  a
number  of CAP  Units  equal to the  quotient  obtained  by  dividing  the Total
Deferral  Amount  for  such  Plan  Year by the  Average  Cost  Per  Share of the
Available Shares for such Plan Year. The Available Shares for this purpose shall
be the total  number  of  Available  Shares  for such Plan Year less a number of
shares equal to any CAP Units credited to  Participants in respect of any fiscal
quarter  during  such Plan Year  pursuant  to  Section  5.3 and less a number of
shares equal to the number of CAP Units to be credited to  Participants as a Net
Earnings   Adjustment   pursuant   to  Section   5.10(a)  for  such  Plan  Year.
Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  if the  aggregate  number  of CAP  Units  that
otherwise  would  be  credited  to  the  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts  of all
Participants pursuant to the first sentence of this Section 5.1 would exceed the
number  of  Available  Shares,  then the  aggregate  number  of CAP  Units to be
credited  to the Capital  Accumulation  Accounts  of all  Participants  shall be
limited to the number of Available Shares and such aggregate number of CAP Units
shall be allocated on a pro rata basis,  based on the respective  Total Deferral
Amounts of each  Participant  in respect of such Plan Year.  The  Company  shall
record CAP Units credited in respect of each Plan Year in a separate  subaccount
of  each  Participant's   Capital   Accumulation  Account  and  any  credits  or
adjustments hereunder to such CAP Units shall be made separately with respect to
the CAP Units credited to each such subaccount.

                  5.2 Cash Balance Account. If the number of CAP Units which the
Company is able to credit to Participants in respect of any Plan Year is limited
by the third sentence of Section 5.1, then the Company shall also credit to each
Participant an amount equal to (a) the Total Deferral  Amount for such Plan Year
for such  Participant,  less (b) the  product  of (i) the  number  of CAP  Units
credited to such  Participant  in respect of such Plan Year and (ii) the Average
Cost per Share of the Available Shares taken into account in such determination.
Such amounts  shall be credited as of the last day of such Plan Year by means of
a  bookkeeping  entry  established  and  maintained  by  the  Company  for  each
Participant (a "Cash Balance  Account").  The Company shall record Cash Balances
credited  in  respect  of  each  Plan  Year  in a  separate  subaccount  of each
Participant's  Cash Balance Account and any credits or adjustments  hereunder to
such  Cash  Balances  shall  be  made  separately  with  respect  to  each  such
subaccount.

                  5.3 Quarterly  Credits in Respect of Cash  Balances.  If there
shall exist a Cash Balance in the Cash Balance Account of any Participant on the
last day of any fiscal quarter of the Company,  including the last day of a Plan
Year (a "Quarter End Date"),  the Company shall credit the Capital  Accumulation
Account of each such Participant,  as of such Quarter End Date, with a number of
additional  CAP Units  determined  by dividing  such Cash Balance by the Average
Cost Per Share of the Available Shares acquired by the Company and designated by
the Board Committee as being allocated to such period.  If the aggregate  number
of CAP Units required to be credited to the Capital Accumulation Accounts of all
such Participants  pursuant to the preceding sentence would exceed the number of
Available Shares, then the aggregate number of CAP Units to be credited shall be
limited to the number of Available  Shares and such CAP Units shall be allocated
on a pro rata basis,  based on the respective Cash Balances of each Participant.
In connection  with any crediting of CAP Units pursuant to this Section 5.3, the
Cash Balance of each such  Participant  shall be reduced by debiting to his Cash
Balance  Account  an  amount  equal to the  product  of the  number of CAP Units
credited to his Capital  Accumulation  Account and the Average Cost Per Share of
the  Available  Shares  acquired by the Company  during the annual or  quarterly
period specified by the Board Committee.

                  5.4 Earnings Adjustments.  For purposes of calculating the Net
Earnings  Adjustment with respect to any Deferral Year pursuant to Section 5.10,
the Earnings  Adjustment shall be calculated with respect to such Deferral Year,
after  making  any  credits  to  the  Capital   Accumulation   Accounts  of  the
Participants  in respect  of the fourth  fiscal  quarter of such  Deferral  Year
pursuant to Section 5.3, as follows:

                  (a) first,  the Company  shall  determine  a dollar  amount of
interest to be credited to each  Participant  who had a positive Cash Balance at
any time during the Deferral  Year by  multiplying  the daily  weighted  average
amount of each such  Participant's  Cash Balance  (such  weighted  average to be
determined by adding the amounts of the  Participant's  Cash Balance on each day
during such  Deferral  Year and  dividing the total so obtained by the number of
days in such  Deferral  Year) by a percentage  equal to the daily average of the
highest  rates of interest  paid by Bear Stearns to its  employees  from time to
time during such Deferral Year on free credit balances;

                  (b) the Company  next shall  determine  a dollar  amount to be
credited or debited to each Participant in respect of CAP Units credited to such
Participant's  Capital  Accumulation Account as of the first day of the Deferral
Year and at all times  throughout  such  Deferral  Year ("Full  Year  Units") by
multiplying  such  number of Full  Year  Units by the  Income  Per Share for the
Deferral  Year;  provided,  however,  that the amount to be  credited or debited
pursuant to this clause (b) to a Participant  whose  employment with the Company
and its Affiliates was terminated  during such Deferral Year shall be the amount
determined as aforesaid  multiplied by a fraction,  the numerator of which shall
be the number of whole months in such  Deferral Year prior to the month in which
his employment terminated and the denominator of which shall be 12;

                  (c) the Company  then shall  determine  a dollar  amount to be
credited to each  Participant in respect of CAP Units credited or debited to his
Capital  Accumulation  Account as of any date subsequent to the first day of the
Deferral Year ("Part Year Units") by multiplying  such number of Part Year Units
by the Income Per Share for the  Deferral  Year and  multiplying  the product so
obtained  by a  fraction,  the  numerator  of which shall be the number of whole
months in such  Deferral Year during which such Part Year Units were so credited
(less,  in the case of a  Participant  whose  employment  by the Company and its
Affiliates  is  terminated  in such  Deferral  Year,  the number of whole months
following the effective date of such termination,  plus one) and the denominator
of which shall be 12 (if a Participant's  Capital  Accumulation Account has been
credited with Part Year Units which  initially  were credited to such Account as
of different dates during the Deferral Year,  then the  calculation  required by
this  clause  (c)  shall be made  separately  for each  such  group of Part Year
Units);

                  (d) the Company  then shall  calculate  a dollar  amount to be
charged  to  each  Participant  who  has  any  Additional   Deferral  Amount  by
determining  the Cost of Carry for such  Participant  with  respect to each Plan
Year for which he has any such Additional  Deferral Amount and multiplying  each
such amount by a fraction,  the  numerator  of which shall be the  Participant's
Additional Deferral Amount for such Plan Year and the denominator of which shall
be his Total  Deferral  Amount  for such Plan  Year;  provided  that the  charge
computed pursuant to this subparagraph (d) resulting from an Additional Deferral
Amount in Plan Year 1993 or Plan Year 1994 shall be taken into account only with
respect to a  Participant  who has  elected to defer  such  Additional  Deferral
Amount for more than five  Fiscal  Years and then only with  respect to Deferral
Years after the fifth Deferral Year;

                  (e) the Company  then shall  calculate  a dollar  amount to be
charged to each Participant who elected to defer any Required Deferral Amount in
respect of any Plan Year for more than five Fiscal Years by determining the Cost
of  Carry  for  such  Participant  with  respect  to each  such  Plan  Year  and
multiplying each such amount by a fraction,  the numerator of which shall be the
Participant's Required Deferral Amount for such Plan Year and the denominator of
which shall be his Total Deferral  Amount for such Plan Year;  provided that the
charge computed  pursuant to this  subparagraph  (e) shall be taken into account
only with respect to Deferral Years after the fifth Deferral Year;

                  (f) the Company  shall then  calculate an amount to be charged
to each  Participant  whose  employment  with the Company and its Affiliates has
terminated  equal to the Cost of Carry for such  Participant  for such  Deferral
Year or, if his  employment  terminated in such Deferral  Year,  for the portion
thereof beginning with the month in which his employment terminated; and

                  (g)  finally,  (i) if the sum (or net  amount) of the  amounts
determined  for a  Participant  in  subparagraphs  (a),  (b) and (c)  above is a
positive  number  and such sum (or net  amount)  exceeds  the  aggregate  of the
charges, if any, determined for such Participant  pursuant to subparagraphs (d),
(e) and (f) above,  then the  Earnings  Adjustment  shall equal such sum (or net
amount),  as  determined  for  purposes of this  Section 5.4, or (ii) if the net
amount of the amounts determined for a Participant in subparagraphs (a), (b) and
(c)  less  the  aggregate  of  the  charges,  if  any,  determined  pursuant  to
subparagraphs  (d), (e) and (f) is a negative number (an "Earnings  Charge") and
such  Participant has a positive Cash Balance,  then (A) such Cash Balance first
shall be reduced by an amount equal to such Earnings  Charge  (provided  that no
such  reduction  shall be made to the extent the  Earnings  Charge  relates to a
negative result from  sub-paragraph  (b) or (c)) and (B) if, after reducing such
Cash Balance to zero,  any amount  determined in  accordance  with the preceding
clause (ii)(A) remains  unapplied,  or if such  Participant has no Cash Balance,
then the Earnings Adjustment shall be zero.

                  5.5 Book Value Adjustment. For purposes of calculating the Net
Earnings  Adjustment with respect to any Deferral Year pursuant to Section 5.10,
the Book Value  Adjustment  shall equal the sum of (1) the amount  maintained in
the Book Value Adjustment Carry Forward Account pursuant to Section 5.10(a),  if
any,  and (2) the product of (a) the total  number of CAP Units  credited to the
Capital  Accumulation  Account  of each  Participant  as of the last day of such
Deferral Year but without including any CAP Units credited on such date pursuant
to Sections 5.1, 5.3 and 5.10 multiplied by (b) the difference  between Adjusted
Book Value Per Share as of the last day of the Deferral  Year and Adjusted  Book
Value Per Share as of the last day of the preceding Deferral Year.

                  5.6 Overall Cost Limitation. Notwithstanding the provisions of
Section  5.10,  if the  operation  of the Plan  (without  giving  effect to this
Section  5.6) would  result in Adjusted  Earnings  Per Share for any Fiscal Year
being less than 98.5% of Pre-Plan Earnings Per Share for such Fiscal Year, then,
after making the other credits and adjustments  required by Section 5.3, (a) the
Net Earnings  Adjustments  required by Section 5.10(a) first shall be reduced or
eliminated,  and (b) if  necessary  after  eliminating  all  such  Net  Earnings
Adjustments,  the Cash Balance Accounts of all Participants  shall be reduced or
eliminated  so that to the  extent  possible,  after  giving  effect to all such
reductions and  eliminations,  Adjusted  Earnings Per Share for such Fiscal Year
will be 98.5% of Pre-Plan Earnings Per Share.

                  5.7 Antidilution Adjustments. In the event of a stock split or
if the Company makes any distribution  (other than a cash dividend) with respect
to  Common  Stock  after  the  date  CAP  Units  initially  are  credited  to  a
Participant's  Capital  Accumulation  Account in accordance with this Section 5,
the number of CAP Units held in each Participant's  Capital Accumulation Account
shall be equitably  adjusted (as determined by the Appropriate  Committee in its
sole  discretion)  to reflect such event.  If there shall be any other change in
the  number  or kind of  outstanding  shares  of  Common  Stock as a result of a
recapitalization, combination of shares, merger, consolidation or otherwise, the
number of CAP Units credited to each Participant's  Capital Accumulation Account
shall be equitably  adjusted (as determined by the Appropriate  Committee in its
sole discretion) to reflect such event.

                  5.8 Apportionment of Credits.  Whenever CAP Units are credited
to a Participant's  Capital Accumulation Account pursuant to Section 5.3 or 5.10
in respect of any Deferral Year,  they shall be apportioned  among the CAP Units
originally  credited to such  Account in respect of each Plan Year on a pro rata
basis,  based on the respective  number of the CAP Units originally  credited in
respect of each such Plan Year,  and such  additional  CAP Units  shall have the
same  Termination  Date  as  the  original  CAP  Units  to  which  they  are  so
apportioned.

                  5.9 Amounts Vested. A Participant shall be fully vested at all
times in the CAP Units credited to his Capital  Accumulation  Account and in the
Cash Balance credited to his Cash Balance Account;  provided,  however, that the
establishment  and  maintenance  of, or credits  to, such  Capital  Accumulation
Account  and Cash  Balance  Account  shall  not vest in any  Participant  or his
Beneficiary  any right,  title or  interest in or to any  specific  asset of the
Company.

                  5.10     Net Earnings Adjustments.

                  (a) After  making  any  credits  to the  Capital  Accumulation
Accounts of the  Participants  in respect of the fourth  fiscal  quarter of such
Deferral  Year  pursuant to Section 5.3,  each  Participant's  Account  shall be
adjusted,  effective as of the last day of such  Deferral  Year,  as provided in
this Section 5.10(a).  The Company shall credit the Capital Accumulation Account
of each  Participant  with an  additional  number of CAP Units (a "Net  Earnings
Adjustment")  equal to the quotient of (i) the  difference  between the Earnings
Adjustment  calculated  in  accordance  with  Section  5.4  and the  Book  Value
Adjustment  calculated  in accordance  with Section 5.5 for such Deferral  Year,
divided by (ii) the Average Cost Per Share of the Available  Shares  acquired by
the Company and  designated  by the Board  Committee as being  allocated to such
period.  Notwithstanding the foregoing,  however, if (i) the Earnings Adjustment
is a negative  number or (ii) the Book Value  Adjustment  exceeds  the  Earnings
Adjustment  then  no  CAP  Units  shall  be  credited  to  the  Accounts  of any
Participants  and the amounts of each of such Book Value Adjustment and Earnings
Adjustment shall be disregarded and shall not be taken into account for purposes
of the Plan in any subsequent Deferral Year.

                  If the aggregate  number of CAP Units  required to be credited
to the  Accounts of all  Participants  pursuant to this  Section  5.10(a)  shall
exceed the  number of  Available  Shares in respect of such Plan Year,  then the
Company shall credit to each  Participant only that number of CAP Units as shall
equal the number of Available Shares,  on a pro rata basis,  based on the number
of CAP Units which each  Participant  otherwise  would have been  entitled to be
credited.  In such event,  the Company  shall also carry  forward to  subsequent
Deferral  Years the  respective  amounts  obtained  by  multiplying  each of the
Earnings   Adjustment  and  the  Book  Value  Adjustment   applicable  for  each
Participant by the fraction which is one minus the quotient obtained by dividing
(a) the  number of  Available  Shares by (b) the  aggregate  number of CAP Units
required to be credited pursuant to this Section 5.10(a). Such respective amount
shall  be  credited  (or  debited)  by  means of  separate  bookkeeping  entries
established and maintained by the Company to the Cash Balance Account in respect
of the Earnings Adjustment and a "Book Value Adjustment Carryforward Account" in
respect of the applicable Book Value Adjustment of each Participant. The amounts
credited to the Cash Balance Account in respect of the Earnings Adjustment shall
equal the product of (a) the  applicable  amount  carried  forward in respect of
Earnings  Adjustment  and (b) the  Average  Cost Per  Share  for the  Plan  Year
involved.

                  (b) Notwithstanding  anything in the Plan to the contrary, for
purposes of determining  Historical Book Value Per Share and Adjusted Book Value
Per Share, the Net Earnings Adjustments  credited to each Participants'  Capital
Accumulation  Account  pursuant to Section  5.10(a) shall be disregarded  and in
lieu thereof the Earnings  Adjustments  provided for in Section 5.4 and the Book
Value  Adjustments  provided  for in Section  5.5 shall be deemed  made  without
giving effect to Section 5.10(a).  In addition,  for purposes of calculating the
Earnings Adjustment and the Book Value Adjustment (except as required by Section
5.2 any amounts  credited to a Book Value Adjustment  Carryforward  Account in a
prior Deferral Year shall be deemed made as a Book Value  Adjustment in the year
so credited and not carried forward to subsequent Deferral Years.

                  5.11  Certification of the Board Committee.  As a condition to
the right of any  Participant  to receive  any shares  payable in respect of CAP
Units credited to such  Participant's  Capital  Accumulation  Account or cash in
respect of such Participant's  Cash Account,  in respect of fractional CAP Units
credited to such Participant's  Capital Accumulation Account or payable pursuant
to  Section  6.6,  prior  to the  time  CAP  Units  or cash is  credited  to the
appropriate Accounts of such Participant or a Participant receives cash pursuant
to Section 6.6, the Board Committee shall be required to certify,  by resolution
of the Board Committee or other  appropriate  action,  that the amounts to which
such Participant is entitled have been accurately  determined in accordance with
the provisions of the Plan.

                                                               SECTION 6

                  Payment of Benefits


                  6.1  Distributions.  As soon  as  practicable  following  each
Termination  Date,  each  Participant  shall be  entitled  to  receive  from the
Company,  in respect of the Total  Deferral  Amount for the related Plan Year, a
number of shares of Common  Stock  equal to the Total CAP Units  credited to his
Capital  Accumulation Account in respect of such Plan Year and an amount in cash
equal to his Cash Balance, if any, in respect of such Plan Year, each determined
as of such Termination Date.

                  6.2 Accelerated Distributions.  Notwithstanding the provisions
of Section 6.1 and in lieu of any distribution on a Termination Date selected by
a Participant,  a Participant may receive a distribution  prior to a Termination
Date as follows:

                  (a) If a Participant shall die during any Fiscal Year prior to
the  end of all of his  Deferral  Periods,  the  Participant's  estate  (or  his
Beneficiary)  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  from  the  Company,  as  soon as
practicable after the end of the Fiscal Year in which such  Participant's  death
occurs, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Total CAP Units credited
to his Capital  Accumulation  Account,  as adjusted pursuant to Sections 5.6 and
5.10 as of the end of the Fiscal Year in which such Participant's  death occurs,
and an amount in cash equal to his Cash  Balance,  if any,  as of the end of the
Fiscal Year in which such Participant's death occurs.

                  (b) If a  Participant's  employment  with the  Company and its
Affiliates  shall be  terminated  for any reason  prior to the end of all of his
Deferral Periods (other than by reason of death),  or if such Participant  shall
suffer  a  Disability  or shall  become a  Managing  Director  Emeritus  of Bear
Stearns,  then such  Participant (or his  Beneficiary)  shall,  unless otherwise
determined by the Appropriate Committee as hereinafter provided,  continue to be
bound by,  and to be  subject  to,  all the terms and  provisions  of this Plan,
except that (i) in lieu of making any  calculations  pursuant  to  subparagraphs
(ii) and (iii) of Section  5.4 in respect of the  portion of the  Deferral  Year
beginning  with  the  month  in  which  his  employment  terminates  and for any
subsequent Deferral Year prior to any Termination Date, the Company shall credit
to the Cash Balance  Account of such  Participant,  on an annual basis as of the
last day of each  Fiscal  Year,  a  dollar  amount  equal to the cash  dividends
declared by the  Company,  in the fiscal  quarter of the Company  following  the
fiscal  quarter in which his employment  terminated or in any subsequent  fiscal
quarter  ending on or prior to a  Termination  Date, on that number of shares of
Common Stock  corresponding  to the number of CAP Units  credited to his Capital
Accumulation  Account (A) as of the last day of the month before his  employment
terminates in respect of the Fiscal Year in which his employment  terminated and
(B) as of the first day of the Fiscal Year after which his employment terminated
in  respect  of all  subsequent  Fiscal  Years,  and  (ii)  notwithstanding  the
provisions  of Section  5.5,  the Book  Value  Adjustment  for any  Fiscal  Year
following the Fiscal Year in which his employment  terminated shall be zero. For
purposes of calculating  the Book Value  Adjustment for the Fiscal Year in which
the employment of a Participant is terminated,  the  denominator of the fraction
referred  to in Section 5.5 of the Plan shall be (in lieu of the  Adjusted  Book
Value Per Share on the last day of the Deferral Year for which the adjustment is
being made) the  Adjusted  Book Value Per Share  calculated  by including in the
definition of Adjusted Common  Stockholder  Equity (in lieu of all increases (or
decreases) in retained  earnings  attributable to net income (or loss) minus all
amounts  accrued in  respect  of cash  dividends  declared  with  respect to any
capital  stock of the  Company) the amount  determined  by  multiplying  (A) the
increase (or decrease) in retained  earnings in such Fiscal Year attributable to
net  income (or loss)  minus all  amounts  accrued in respect of cash  dividends
declared with respect to any capital stock of the Company by (B) a fraction, the
numerator  of which is the number of months in the Fiscal  Year prior to but not
including the month in which his employment  terminates,  and the denominator of
which is 12.

                  Notwithstanding the foregoing:

                           (i) the Appropriate Committee shall have the right in
         its sole  discretion  (A) to treat a  Participant  who has  suffered  a
         Disability  or who has  become a  Managing  Director  Emeritus  of Bear
         Stearns as a Participant  (1) in all respects  under this Plan,  (2) to
         whom the  provisions  of Section 5.4 but not the  provisions of Section
         4.1  shall  apply or (3)  whose  employment  with the  Company  and its
         Affiliates has terminated and to whom the foregoing  provisions of this
         paragraph (b) shall apply, and (B) at any time or from time to time, to
         change any such treatment  with respect to any such  Participant to any
         other such treatment;

                           (ii) the  Appropriate  Committee shall have the right
         in its sole discretion to accelerate any Termination  Date with respect
         to any Plan Year of a Participant whose employment with the Company and
         its  Affiliates  terminates to the last day of the Fiscal Year in which
         such employment  terminates or to the last day of any subsequent Fiscal
         Year, in which case the date so determined by the Appropriate Committee
         with  respect  to  each  such  Plan  Year  shall  be the  Participant's
         Termination  Date for all  purposes  of this Plan with  respect to each
         such Plan Year. The Appropriate Committee shall give notice of any such
         determination  to the  Participant  at  least  ten  days  prior  to the
         earliest of such  accelerated  Termination  Dates.  In  addition,  if a
         Participant  whose  employment  with the Company has  terminated  shall
         request the Appropriate  Committee to accelerate the  Termination  Date
         with  respect to any Plan Year of such  Participant  to the last day of
         the Fiscal  Year  immediately  preceding  the Fiscal Year in which such
         Participant's  employment terminates,  the Appropriate Committee may in
         its sole discretion so accelerate the Termination  Date with respect to
         any such Plan Year of such  Participant.  If the Appropriate  Committee
         takes such action,  such  Participant's  distribution from the Plan for
         any Plan Year the Termination Date of which is so accelerated  shall be
         based on the Total CAP  Units and his Cash  Balance  at the end of such
         prior Fiscal Year for each such Plan Year, without giving effect to any
         adjustments  otherwise  required  to be made  during the Fiscal Year in
         which his employment terminates, including, without limitation, for Net
         Earnings Adjustments,  dividends on the Common Stock, or interest,  and
         the  distributions  called for in Section 6.1 of the Plan shall be made
         as soon as  practicable  after such action is taken by the  Appropriate
         Committee;

                           (iii)   Notwithstanding   clause  (ii)   above,   the
         Appropriate  Committee  shall have the right in its sole  discretion to
         determine that,  regardless of the Termination Date with respect to any
         other Plan Year or Plan Years, the Termination Date with respect to the
         Plan Year in which the employment of the  Participant  with the Company
         and its Affiliates terminates,  and the Plan Year immediately preceding
         such Plan Year if such employment terminates prior to the date on which
         the  Capital  Accumulation  Account  of such  Participant  is  credited
         pursuant  to  Section  5.1  hereof  with  respect  to such  immediately
         preceding  Plan  Year,  shall  be  the  last  day of  the  Fiscal  Year
         immediately preceding the Plan Year in which such employment terminates
         or, if applicable, the prior Plan Year; and

                           (iv)  the   Appropriate   Committee   may   permit  a
         Participant  whose  employment  with  the  Company  and its  Affiliates
         terminates  more than five  years  after the last day of his first Plan
         Year and who has  elected a  Deferral  Period of more than five  Fiscal
         Years for any Plan Year to  participate in the Plan with respect to any
         such  Plan  Year  for one or more  Fiscal  Years  (but not  beyond  his
         Termination  Date as determined in accordance  with his applicable Plan
         Election) on substantially the same terms as other  Participants  whose
         employment has not terminated,  in which case the Capital  Accumulation
         Account of such Participant shall continue to be adjusted in the manner
         provided   in  Section   5.10  for  other   Participants   except  that
         subparagraph (f) of Section 5.4 shall apply to such a Participant,  and
         the  Termination  Date with respect to each such Plan Year shall be the
         last day of such Fiscal Year as shall be determined by the  Appropriate
         Committee.

                  (c) If a  Participant  shall take a Personal  Leave of Absence
prior to the end of all his Deferral  Periods,  the Appropriate  Committee shall
have the right in its sole  discretion  to  require  the  Participant  to become
subject  to the  provisions  of  paragraph  (b) above  (to the same  extent as a
Participant whose employment had terminated)  during the period of such Personal
Leave of Absence,  except that in the event the  Participant  resumes  full-time
employment  after the first day of a Fiscal Year,  all  calculations  under this
Plan with respect to such Fiscal Year shall be made by treating the  Participant
in the same manner as a full-time employee for the number of full months of such
employment  during such Fiscal Year and as a Participant  whose  employment  had
been  terminated  for  the  balance  of such  Fiscal  Year.  If the  Appropriate
Committee  shall not take such  action  the  Participant  shall  continue  to be
treated  under  this  Plan on the same  basis as a  Participant  who is not on a
Personal Leave of Absence.

                  (d)  In  addition,  in  the  event  of  hardship,   actual  or
prospective   change  in  tax  laws,  or  any  other  unforeseen  or  unintended
circumstance or event  (including,  without  limitation,  if the tax laws of any
foreign  jurisdiction do not provide for tax consequences to Participants or the
Company that are comparable to those provided under United States tax laws),  or
if  desirable  to  preserve  the  deductibility  for  federal  income  taxes  of
compensation paid or payable by the Company to any Participant,  the Appropriate
Committee,  in its sole  discretion,  may accelerate any Termination Date of any
Participant  to the last day of any Fiscal Year,  in which case the  accelerated
date determined by the Appropriate  Committee shall be the Termination  Date for
all purposes of this Plan.

                  6.3   Change   in   Control    and    Parachute    Limitation.
Notwithstanding  the provisions of Sections 6.1 and 6.2,  within sixty (60) days
of the occurrence of a Change in Control,  each Participant shall be entitled to
receive from the Company that number of shares of Common Stock which is equal to
the Total CAP Units credited to his Capital  Accumulation Account as of the date
of such  Change in Control and an amount in cash equal to his Cash  Balance,  if
any,  as of such  date;  provided,  however,  no  amount  shall  be  immediately
distributable  or  payable  under  the  Plan  if  and  to the  extent  that  the
Appropriate  Committee  determines  that such  distribution  or  payment  (taken
together  with any other payment  received or to be received by the  Participant
from the  Company  or any of its  Affiliates  in  connection  with a  Change  in
Control) would  constitute an "excess  parachute  payment" under section 280G of
the Code,  which  would  cause such amount to be subject to an excise tax to the
recipient or to be  nondeductible  to the Company or any of its  Affiliates,  or
would  subject  a  Reporting  Person to  liability  under  Section  16(b) of the
Exchange Act or any rule or regulation  thereunder by reason of  transactions or
events occurring on or prior to the occurrence of the Change in Control. Payment
of amounts not  distributed  by reason of this Section 6.3 shall be made as soon
as practicable, consistent with this Section 6.3.

                  6.4 Additional  Distributions in Certain Cases. In addition to
the  amounts  provided  by  Section  6.1,  6.2 or 6.3,  if (a) upon  making  any
distribution to any Participant, the Company determines that the Company or Bear
Stearns would  realize a tax benefit  calculated at its Marginal Tax Rate in the
year of such distribution (without giving effect to any carryovers or carrybacks
of losses,  credits or deductions  from any prior or succeeding  Fiscal Year) in
excess of the amount of Deferred Tax Benefit in respect of its liability to such
Participant on account of such  distribution,  and (b) such  Participant's  Cash
Balance Account or the number of CAP Units credited to his Capital  Accumulation
Account had been reduced in a prior  Fiscal Year as a result of the  application
of  subparagraphs  (d) or (e) of Section 5.4 or Section 5.6, then at the time of
the  distribution  pursuant to this Section 6 the Company also shall pay to such
Participant, in cash, an additional amount equal to the lesser of (i) the amount
by which the actual tax benefit to be  received  by the Company or Bear  Stearns
exceeds   such   Deferred  Tax  Benefit  and  (ii)  the  amount  by  which  such
Participant's  Cash  Balance  Account or  Capital  Accumulation  Account  was so
reduced.  Notwithstanding the foregoing,  a Participant shall not be entitled to
any  payment  from the Company  pursuant  to this  Section 6.4 in respect of any
reduction in his Cash Balance  Account or in the number of CAP Units credited to
his Capital Accumulation Account for any period commencing with the first day of
the month  following  the month in which his  employment  by the Company and its
Affiliates was terminated.

                  6.5 Special Provisions for Reporting  Persons.  If required by
Rule 16b-3, shares of Common Stock distributed to Participants who are Reporting
Persons  shall  bear an  appropriate  legend to the effect  that such  shares of
Common  Stock may not be  transferred  for a period of six (6) months after they
are credited to the Account of such Participant.

                  6.6 Form of Payments. Except as otherwise provided herein, all
distributions  in  respect  of CAP  Units  to be made to a  Participant  (or his
Beneficiary)  under the Plan  shall be made in whole  shares  of  Common  Stock.
Payment in respect of any  fractional  CAP Unit shall be made in cash based upon
the Fair  Market  Value of a share of Common  Stock on the second  Business  Day
preceding the payment date. Shares of Common Stock distributed  hereunder may be
treasury  shares,   shares  of  authorized  but  unissued  Common  Stock,  or  a
combination  thereof,  and shall be fully paid and  nonassessable.  If shares of
Common Stock are  distributed  pursuant to Sections 6.1, 6.2(a) or 6.2(b) to any
Participant  after the record  date for any cash  dividend  occurring  after the
Termination  Date with respect to which such shares are  distributed  or, in the
cases of  Sections  6.2(a) or 6.2(b),  after the end of the Fiscal Year in which
the death or Disability of a Participant  occurs,  then such Participant (or his
estate or  Beneficiary)  shall be entitled to receive from the Company an amount
of cash equal to the cash  dividends  per share  payable to holders of record on
such  record  date  multiplied  by the  number  of  shares  of  Common  Stock so
distributed to such Participant after such record date.

                  6.7  Registration  and Listing of Common  Stock.  Prior to the
date on which  any  shares  of Common  Stock  are  required  to be issued to any
Participant under this Plan without taking into account any acceleration of such
distribution  date pursuant to the  provisions  of Section 6.2 of the Plan,  the
Company shall file a registration statement (a "Registration Statement") on Form
S-3 and/or Form S-8 (or any successor  form then in effect) under the Securities
Act, with respect to all shares of Common Stock which the Company then estimates
are distributable under the Plan; provided,  however,  that the Company need not
file a  Registration  Statement  hereunder  if, prior to such date,  the Company
receives a written  opinion of counsel to the effect  that such shares of Common
Stock may be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of under the Securities Act
without registration thereunder.  The Company shall use its best efforts to have
any  such  Registration  Statement  declared  effective  as soon  as  reasonably
practicable  after  filing  and shall use  reasonable  efforts to keep each such
Registration  Statement  continuously in effect until all shares of Common Stock
to which such  Registration  Statement  relates  have been so issued,  and for a
two-year period thereafter.  From time to time the Company also shall amend such
Registration  Statement  to cover any  additional  shares of Common  Stock which
become  distributable  under the Plan and otherwise would not be covered by such
Registration  Statement.  In the event that Participants would be precluded from
selling any shares of Common Stock  distributable  hereunder  unless such shares
were  registered  or qualified  under the  securities  or "blue sky" laws of any
state  (or  otherwise  received  the  approval  of  any  state  governmental  or
regulatory authority), then the Company shall use its best efforts to cause such
shares of Common Stock to be duly  registered  or qualified  (or to receive such
approval)  as may be  required.  If the  shares  of Common  Stock  distributable
hereunder  satisfy the  criteria for listing on any exchange on which the Common
Stock is then  listed,  then  (unless  such shares of Common  Stock  already are
listed on such exchange) the Company shall apply for and use its best efforts to
obtain a listing of all such shares of Common Stock on such exchange.  All costs
and expenses  incurred by the Company in connection with the satisfaction of its
obligations  under this Section 6.7 shall be borne by the  Company.  The Company
shall  immediately  notify  each  Participant  in the event that a  Registration
Statement  which  has been  filed  and  remains  effective  contains  an  untrue
statement of a material  fact or omits to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.  Upon
receipt of such notice, no Participant shall sell or agree to sell any shares of
Common  Stock  pursuant  to such  Registration  Statement  unless  and until the
Company has notified each Participant that such Registration Statement no longer
contains such misstatement or omission. In the event that shares of Common Stock
are issued to  Participants  hereunder  other than  pursuant  to a  Registration
Statement,  then,  unless the Company shall have obtained the opinion of counsel
referred to above, each certificate representing such shares shall bear a legend
substantially to the following effect:

                  The securities  represented by this  Certificate have not been
registered  under the  Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  or applicable  state
securities  laws,  and  may  not be  sold,  assigned,  transferred,  pledged  or
otherwise disposed of except in compliance with the requirements of such Act.

                  By  submitting  a Plan  Election,  Each  Participant  shall be
deemed to have agreed to the foregoing provisions of this Section 6.7.

                  6.8 Reservation of Shares. The Company, as soon as practicable
after the end of each Fiscal Year prior to the  termination of this Plan,  shall
reserve  such  number of shares of Common  Stock  (which may be  authorized  but
unissued  shares or  treasury  shares) as shall be required so that the total of
all shares  reserved  hereunder,  including  shares  reserved  pursuant  to this
Section 6.8 in preceding Fiscal Years, shall be equal to the number of shares of
Common Stock which the Company  would be obligated to issue to all  Participants
in  accordance  with the terms of the Plan if the Plan were to be  terminated at
such time.

                                                               SECTION 7

                  Source of Payments


                  Notwithstanding  any other provision of this Plan, the Company
shall not be required  to  establish  a special or  separate  fund or  otherwise
segregate any assets to assure any payments hereunder. If the Company shall make
any investment to aid it in meeting its obligations hereunder, a Participant and
his Beneficiary shall have no right,  title or interest  whatsoever in or to any
such  investments.  Nothing contained in this Plan, and no action taken pursuant
to its provisions, including without limitation the acquisition of any shares of
Common Stock by the  Company,  shall create or be construed to create a trust of
any kind between the Company and any Participant or  Beneficiary.  To the extent
that any  Participant or Beneficiary  acquires a right to receive  payments from
the  Company  hereunder,  such  right  shall be no  greater  than the right of a
general unsecured creditor of the Company.

                                                               SECTION 8

                  Administration of the Plan


                  8.1 Authority of Committee.  The Plan shall be administered by
the  Appropriate  Committees,  which shall have full power and  authority as set
forth herein to interpret,  to construe and to administer the Plan and to review
claims for benefits under the Plan. Each Appropriate Committee's interpretations
and constructions of the Plan and actions thereunder,  including but not limited
to the  determination of the amounts to be credited to any Capital  Accumulation
Account or Cash Balance Account,  shall be binding and conclusive on all persons
and for all purposes.

                  8.2 Duties of  Committee.  The  Appropriate  Committees  shall
cause the Company to establish and maintain records of the Plan, of each Capital
Accumulation  Account and Cash Balance  Account and of each  subaccount  thereof
established for any Participant hereunder.  Either of the Appropriate Committees
may engage such certified  public  accountants,  who may be accountants  for the
Company, as it shall require or may deem advisable for purposes of the Plan, may
arrange for the  engagement  of such legal  counsel,  who may be counsel for the
Company,  and may make use of such agents and clerical or other  personnel as it
shall  require  or may deem  advisable  for  purposes  of the  Plan.  Each  such
Committee  may rely upon the  written  opinion of the  accountants  and  counsel
engaged by it. Subject to any  limitations  imposed by applicable law (including
Rule 16b-3),  either  Appropriate  Committee may delegate to any agent or to any
subcommittee  or member of such  Committee  its  authority  to  perform  any act
hereunder,  including,  without limitation, those matters involving the exercise
of discretion,  provided that such  delegation of authority  shall be subject to
revocation at any time at the discretion of such Committee.

                  8.3 Purchase of Common Stock.  The Company intends to purchase
shares  of  Common  Stock in the  open  market  or in  private  transactions  or
otherwise during the term of the Plan for issuance to Participants in accordance
with the terms hereof. Shares of Common Stock shall be purchased for purposes of
the Plan and for  purposes of the PUP Plan on a combined or joint basis  without
identifying  shares so purchased as having been  purchased  for this Plan or the
PUP Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will specifically designate
all such shares at the time they are purchased as having been  purchased for the
purpose of making  determinations  under  this Plan and the PUP Plan;  provided,
however,  that any shares so purchased shall be the sole property of the Company
and no  Participant  or  Beneficiary  shall  have any right,  title or  interest
whatsoever in or to any such shares. All shares of Common Stock purchased by the
Company on or after July 1, 1992 and  designated  by the  Company as having been
purchased  for  the  CAP  Plan  shall  be   considered,   notwithstanding   such
designation,  to have been  purchased for purposes of both this Plan and the PUP
Plan. The  acquisition of Common Stock as described above will be subject to the
sole discretion of the Board Committee, which shall determine the time and price
at which and the manner in which  such  shares  are to be  acquired,  subject to
applicable law. In making any such  determination,  the Board Committee may, but
shall in no event be obligated to, consider the  recommendations of the Advisory
Committee.

                  8.4 Plan Expenses. The Company shall pay the fees and expenses
of  accountants,  counsel,  agents and other  personnel  and all other  costs of
administration of the Plan.

                  8.5  Indemnification.  To  the  maximum  extent  permitted  by
applicable law, no member of any Committee shall be personally  liable by reason
of any  contract  or other  instrument  executed  by him or on his behalf in his
capacity as a member of such  Committee  or for any mistake of judgment  made in
good faith, and the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless, directly from its
own assets (including the proceeds of any insurance policy the premiums of which
are paid from the Company's own assets),  each member of each Committee and each
other  director,  officer,  employee or agent of the Company to whom any duty or
power relating to the  administration  or  interpretation  of the Plan or to the
management  or control of the assets of the Plan may be delegated or  allocated,
against any cost or expense (including fees,  disbursements and other charges of
legal  counsel) or liability  (including  any sum paid in  settlement of a claim
with the approval of the  Company)  arising out of any act or omission to act in
connection with the Plan, unless arising out of such person's own fraud, willful
misconduct  or bad  faith.  The  foregoing  shall  not be  deemed  to limit  the
Company's  obligation  to  indemnify  any  member  of any  Committee  under  the
Company's  Restated  Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws,  or under any other
agreement between the Company and such member.

                  8.6      Maximum Number of Shares.

                  (a) The aggregate  number of CAP Units that may be credited to
Participants'  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts  under the Plan for any Plan Year
shall not exceed the  equivalent  number of shares of Common  Stock equal to the
sum of 15% of the outstanding  shares of Common Stock as of the last day of such
Plan Year (the "Base  Shares")  and the number,  if any, by which the sum of the
Base Shares in all prior Fiscal Years beginning on or after July 1, 1993 exceeds
the number of shares credited to  Participants'  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts
under this Plan in all such prior Fiscal Years.  For purposes of determining the
number  of shares of  Common  Stock  outstanding  as of the last day of any Plan
Year,  such number shall be calculated as the sum of (i) the number of shares of
Common Stock  outstanding at such year end, (ii) the number of shares underlying
CAP Units credited to  Participants'  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts as of such
date and Earnings Units credited to  Participants'  Earnings Unit Accounts under
the PUP Plan as of such date and (iii) the number of shares underlying CAP Units
to be credited to all such Accounts as a result of making any adjustment to such
Accounts required by Sections 5.1 and 5.10 in respect of all Fiscal Years ending
on or  prior to the date of  determination  and the  number  of  Earnings  Units
credited to the Earnings Unit Accounts of all  Participants in the PUP Plan as a
result of making any adjustment to such Accounts  required by Section 4.2 of the
PUP Plan in respect of all Fiscal  Years  ending on or prior to the date of such
determination.

                  (b) If there  shall be any change in the  Common  Stock of the
Company, through merger, consolidation, reorganization,  recapitalization, stock
dividend,  stock split,  spinoff,  split up, dividend in kind or other change in
the  corporate  structure  or  distribution  to  the  stockholders,  appropriate
adjustments  may be made by the Board  Committee  (or if the  Company is not the
surviving  corporation  in any such  transaction,  the board of directors of the
surviving corporation) in the aggregate number and kind of shares subject to the
Plan,  and the  number  and kind of shares  which may be issued  under the Plan.
Appropriate  adjustments may also be made by the Board Committee in the terms of
any awards  under the Plan to reflect such changes and to modify any other terms
of  outstanding  awards  on an  equitable  basis as the Board  Committee  in its
discretion determines.

                  8.7      Forward Repurchases of Common Stock.

                  The Company shall have the right,  upon  authorization  of the
Board Committee,  to enter into forward contracts for the repurchase from one or
more  Participants of any or all shares of Common Stock  representing  CAP Units
previously  credited to the Capital  Accumulation  Accounts of such Participants
with  respect  to any  Plan  Year  and  distributed  on or  after  the  relevant
Termination  Date of the Deferral Period ending in the then current Fiscal Year,
having such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Board  Committee,
for a purchase price per share equal to the average of the closing prices of the
Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock  Exchange  Consolidated  Tape for
each day of trading in the Common  Stock  during the period  from the  effective
date of the contract to the date of repurchase, provided that a contract may not
be entered  into more than  twelve (12) months  prior to the  expiration  of the
applicable Deferral Period and will terminate,  and be null and void, unless the
Company  satisfies  performance  goals  established  by the Board  Committee  in
writing,  by resolution of the Board Committee or other appropriate  action, not
later than ninety (90) days after the  commencement  of the Fiscal Year to which
the performance goals relate, and certified by the Board Committee in writing as
having been satisfied  prior to the relevant  Termination  Date. The formula for
calculating  the  performance  goals  shall  be  based  upon  one or more of the
following criteria,  individually or in combination,  adjusted in such manner as
the  Board  Committee  shall  determine,  for a period of not less than nine (9)
months of the applicable Fiscal Year: (a) pre-tax or after-tax return on equity;
(b) earnings per share;  (c) pre-tax or after-tax net income;  (d) business unit
or  departmental  pre-tax or  after-tax  income;  (e) book value per share;  (f)
market price per share; (g) relative  performance to peer group  companies;  (h)
expense management; and (i) total return to stockholders.

                                                               SECTION 9

                  Amendment and Termination


                  The Plan shall terminate when all distributions required to be
made hereunder have been made following the last Termination  Date. The Plan may
be  amended,  suspended  or  earlier  terminated,  in  whole  or in part as to a
particular  Plan  Year,  and at any  time and from  time to time,  by the  Board
Committee,  but except as  provided  below no such  action  shall  retroactively
impair or otherwise  adversely affect the rights of any person to benefits under
the Plan which have accrued prior to the date of such action. Except as provided
in the following  sentence,  if the Plan is  terminated  prior to the end of any
Fiscal Year,  (i)  Participants'  Plan  Elections in respect of the Plan Year in
which such  termination  occurs and any subsequent  Plan Year shall be canceled,
(ii)  the  Company  shall  credit  the  Capital  Accumulation  Accounts  of  all
Participants  (other  than  those  whose  employment  with the  Company  and its
Affiliates  had  terminated  prior to the date  the  Plan  terminates,  except a
Participant  referred to in subparagraph  (iii) of Section 6.2(b)) in the manner
provided in Section 5.10 in respect of the portion of the Company's  Fiscal Year
ended  on the  date of  such  termination,  and  (iii)  as  soon as  practicable
following  the end of the Fiscal  Year in which  such  termination  occurs,  the
Company shall deliver to each  Participant  the number of shares of Common Stock
corresponding  to the number of CAP Units  credited to his Capital  Accumulation
Account and an amount in cash equal to his Cash  Balance  which the  Participant
otherwise  would  be  entitled  to  receive  pursuant  to  Section  6 as of  the
designated  Termination Date in respect of the Plan Year or Plan Years involved.
Notwithstanding  the  foregoing,  if the Company shall  determine  that the Plan
should be terminated  immediately,  either in its entirety or in part in respect
of any Plan  Year,  no  adjustments  or  credits  shall  be made to the  Capital
Accumulation  Accounts of the  Participants  pursuant to Section 5 in respect of
the Fiscal Year in which such termination  occurs and each Participant  shall be
entitled to receive from the Company, as soon as practicable  following the date
of such termination, shares of Common Stock and/or amounts in cash determined in
accordance  with Section 6 hereof as if the  Termination  Date in respect of the
Plan Year or Plan Years  involved were the last day of the Fiscal Year preceding
the Fiscal Year in which such termination occurs.

                  In such event,  however,  the Capital  Accumulation Account of
each Participant who is an employee of the Company and/or its Affiliates (or who
is a  Participant  who has  suffered a  Disability  or who has become a Managing
Director Emeritus of Bear Stearns and whom the Appropriate  Committee shall have
determined to treat in the manner specified in clause (1) or (2) of subparagraph
(i) of Section  6.2(b)) on the date of such  termination  shall be  adjusted  in
respect of the Fiscal Year in which such  termination  occurs as  follows:  Each
such Account  shall be credited  with a Net Earnings  Adjustment  for the Fiscal
Year in which such  termination  occurs  except that,  for purposes of computing
such Net Earnings  Adjustment,  Income Per Share for purposes of calculating the
Earnings  Adjustment  shall be computed for each terminated Plan Year based only
on the  consolidated  income  or  loss  before  taxes  of the  Company  and  its
subsidiaries  accrued  from  the  beginning  of such  Fiscal  Year  through  and
including the end of the month in which such termination occurred,  and the Book
Value Adjustment for the Fiscal Year in which such  termination  occurs shall be
calculated  on the basis of the shares  distributed  pursuant  to the  preceding
sentence in respect of each terminated Plan Year,  provided that for purposes of
computing  such  Book  Value  Adjustment,  the  definition  of  Adjusted  Common
Stockholders'  Equity used in the  computation  of Adjusted Book Value Per Share
shall be modified by deleting the adjustments to Adjusted  Common  Stockholders'
Equity specified  therein and substituting in lieu thereof the following:  "plus
all  increases (or less any  decreases) in retained  earnings of the Company and
its  subsidiaries  attributable  to  net  income  (or  loss),  determined  on  a
consolidated  basis,  minus all  amounts  accrued in  respect of cash  dividends
declared  with  respect to any capital  stock of the Company  during such Fiscal
Year,  for the  period  from the  beginning  of such  Fiscal  Year  through  and
including  the month in which  such  termination  occurred."  If the Plan is not
terminated in its entirety but one or more Plan Years are  terminated,  then any
amounts credited to Participants'  Accounts  pursuant to the preceding  sentence
shall  continue to be subject to the  provisions  of the Plan for the balance of
the original  Deferral  Period with respect to the terminated  Plan Year or Plan
Years, as if such Plan Year or Plan Years had not been  terminated.  If the Plan
is terminated in its entirety,  then as soon as may be  practicable  thereafter,
the  Company  shall  deliver  to  each   Participant  (in  addition  to  amounts
distributable  pursuant to the fourth  sentence of this  paragraph)  a number of
shares of Common  Stock  equal to the number of CAP Units  credited to each such
Participant's  Account pursuant to the second preceding sentence,  provided that
if the aggregate number of such CAP Units exceeds the number of Available Shares
for such Fiscal  Year as of the date of  determination,  then the Company  shall
deliver to each such  Participant  only that number of shares of Common Stock as
shall equal the number of  Available  Shares on a pro rata  basis,  based on the
number of shares which each  Participant  otherwise  would have been entitled to
receive, and shall distribute to each Participant an amount in cash equal to the
number of additional  shares of Common Stock that would have been distributed to
such Participant but for the limitation  contained in this sentence,  multiplied
by the Average Cost Per Share of the Available  Shares in respect of such Fiscal
Year.

                                                              SECTION 10

                  Designation of Beneficiaries


                  10.1 General.  Each  Participant may file with the Appropriate
Committee a written  designation of one or more persons as the  Beneficiary  who
shall be  entitled  to receive  the amount,  if any,  which the  Participant  is
entitled to receive under the Plan upon his death. A  Participant,  from time to
time, may revoke or change his  Beneficiary  designation  without the consent of
any prior  Beneficiary  by filing a new such  designation  with the  Appropriate
Committee.  The  most  recent  such  designation  received  by  the  Appropriate
Committee  shall be controlling;  provided,  however,  that no  designation,  or
change  of  revocation  thereof,  shall  be  effective  unless  received  by the
Appropriate  Committee prior to the  Participant's  death, and in no event shall
any such designation be effective as of a date prior to such receipt.

                  10.2 Lack of Designated  Beneficiary.  If no such  Beneficiary
designation  is in  effect  at  the  time  of a  Participant's  death,  or if no
designated  Beneficiary  survives  the  Participant,   or  if  such  designation
conflicts  with  law,  the  Participant's  estate  shall be  deemed to have been
designated as his  Beneficiary  and shall receive the payment of the amount,  if
any,  payable under the Plan upon his death. If the Appropriate  Committee is in
doubt as to the right of any person to receive such amount,  the  Committee  may
cause the Company to retain such  amount,  without  liability  for any  interest
thereon,  until the rights thereto are determined,  or the Appropriate Committee
may pay and deliver such amount into any court of appropriate jurisdiction,  and
such payment shall be a complete  discharge of the liability of the Plan and the
Company therefor.

                                                              SECTION 11

                  General Provisions


                  11.1  Successors.  The Plan shall be binding upon and inure to
the benefit of the Company, its successors and assigns, and each Participant and
his Beneficiary.

                  11.2 No Continued Employment.  Neither the Plan nor any action
taken  thereunder  shall be construed as giving to a Participant the right to be
retained in the employ of the Company or any of its  Affiliates  or as affecting
the right of the Company or any of its Affiliates to dismiss any Participant.

                  11.3 Withholding. As a condition to receiving any distribution
or payment of amounts hereunder, the Company may require the Participant to make
a cash payment to the Company or, in its sole discretion,  upon the request of a
Participant,  may withhold from any amount or amounts payable under the Plan, in
either case,  in an amount equal to all federal,  state,  city or other taxes as
may be required to be withheld in respect of such  payments  pursuant to any law
or governmental regulation or ruling.

                  11.4  Non-alienation  of  Benefits.  No  right  to any  amount
payable  at any time  under the Plan may be  assigned,  transferred,  pledged or
encumbered,  either  voluntarily  or by  operation  of law,  except as expressly
provided  herein or as may  otherwise  be required by law.  If, by reason of any
attempted  assignment,  transfer,  pledge or  encumbrance,  or any bankruptcy or
other event  happening at any time,  any amount  payable under the Plan would be
made subject to the debts or liabilities of the  Participant or his  Beneficiary
or would otherwise not be enjoyed by him, then the Appropriate Committee,  if it
so elects,  may terminate such person's  interest in any such payment and direct
that the same be held and applied to or for the benefit of the Participant,  his
Beneficiary or any other person or persons  deemed to be the natural  objects of
his bounty,  taking into account the expressed wishes of the Participant (or, in
the event of his death, his Beneficiary).

                  11.5  Incompetency.  If the  Appropriate  Committee shall find
that any person to whom any amount is or was  distributable or payable hereunder
is unable to care for his affairs  because of illness or accident,  or has died,
then the Appropriate Committee, if it so elects, may direct that any payment due
him or his  estate  (unless  a prior  claim  therefor  has  been  made by a duly
appointed legal  representative)  or any part thereof be paid or applied for the
benefit of such person or to or for the benefit of his spouse, children or other
dependents,  an institution  maintaining  or having custody of such person,  any
guardian or any other person deemed by such Appropriate Committee to be a proper
recipient  on behalf of such person  otherwise  entitled  to payment,  or any of
them,  in such manner and  proportion  as such  Appropriate  Committee  may deem
proper.  Any  such  payment  shall be in  complete  discharge  of the  liability
therefor of the  Company,  the Plan,  the  Committee  or any member,  officer or
employee thereof.

                  11.6 Offsets.  To the extent  permitted by law, the Company or
any of its  Affiliates  shall have the absolute  right to withhold any shares of
Common Stock or any amounts otherwise  required to be distributed or paid to any
Participant  or  Beneficiary  under the terms of the Plan,  to the extent of any
amount owed or which in the sole  judgment of the  Appropriate  Committee may in
the future be owed for any reason by such Participant,  in the case of a payment
to such  Participant,  or to the extent of any amount  owed or which in the sole
judgment of the  Appropriate  Committee may in the future be owed for any reason
by the Participant or such Beneficiary, in the case of payment to a Beneficiary,
to the Company or any of its Affiliates, and to set off and apply the amounts so
withheld to payment of any such amount ultimately  determined by the Appropriate
Committee,  in its  sole  discretion,  to be owed to the  Company  or any of its
Affiliates,  whether  or not such  amounts  shall  then be  immediately  due and
payable  and in such  order  or  priority  as  among  such  amounts  owed as the
Appropriate Committee,  in its sole discretion,  shall determine. In determining
the amount of a permitted  offset under this Section 11.6,  any shares of Common
Stock  required to be  distributed  to a Participant  or a Beneficiary  shall be
valued at the Fair Market Value of such Shares on the date of offset.

                  11.7  Notices,  etc. All  elections,  designations,  requests,
notices,  instructions and other communications from a Participant,  Beneficiary
or other person to any  Appropriate  Committee  required or permitted  under the
Plan shall be in such form as is prescribed from time to time by the Appropriate
Committee,  shall be mailed by first-class mail or delivered to such location as
shall be specified  by the  Appropriate  Committee,  and shall be deemed to have
been given and delivered only upon actual receipt thereof at such location.

                  11.8     Other  Benefits.  The benefits,  if any,  payable 
under the Plan shall be in addition to any other  benefits provided for
Participants.

                  11.9  Interpretation,  etc.  The  captions of the sections and
paragraphs of this Plan have been inserted solely as a matter of convenience and
in no way  define or limit the  scope or intent of any  provisions  of the Plan.
References to sections herein are to the specified  sections of this Plan unless
another  reference is specifically  stated.  The masculine pronoun wherever used
herein shall include the feminine pronoun, and a singular number shall be deemed
to include  the plural  unless a  different  meaning is plainly  required by the
context.

                  11.10 Laws;  Severability.  The Plan shall be governed by, and
construed in accordance  with, the laws of the State of New York,  except to the
extent  preempted by the Employee  Retirement  Income  Security Act of 1974,  as
amended.  If any  provision  of the Plan  shall be held by a court of  competent
jurisdiction  to be invalid or  unenforceable,  the remaining  provisions  shall
continue to be effective.

                  11.11   Effective   Date;   Board  Committee  and  Stockholder
Approval.  This  Plan  shall  be  subject  to  the  approval  by a  vote  of the
stockholders  of the Company at the 1993 Annual  Meeting,  and such  stockholder
approval  shall be a  condition  to the right of a  Participant  to receive  any
benefits  hereunder  other  than CAP Units and cash  credited  to  Participants'
Accounts prior to such approval.




                                                        Exhibit 10 (a) (5)
                      THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                      PERFORMANCE COMPENSATION PLAN
             (Amended and Restated as of October 29, 1998)



                  Section 1.        Purpose.  The  purposes of The Bear  
Stearns  Companies  Inc.  Performance  Compensation  Plan,  as amended and 
restated (the "Plan") are (i) to compensate  certain Senior Managing  Directors 
of The Bear Stearns  Companies Inc. and its subsidiaries  (the "Company") on an 
individual basis for significant  contributions to the Company and (ii) to 
stimulate the efforts of such persons by giving them a direct interest in the 
performance of the Company.

                  Section 2. Term.  The Plan  shall be  effective  as of July 1,
1998  (the  "Effective  Date"),  and shall be  applicable  for the five (5) full
fiscal years of the Company ending June 30, 2003,  unless earlier  terminated by
the Company pursuant to Section 9.

                  Section  3.  Coverage.  For  purposes  of the  Plan,  the term
"Participant"  shall include for each fiscal year each Senior Managing  Director
so designated by the  Compensation  Committee within 90 days following the first
day of such fiscal year.

                  Section 4.        Base Salary.

                  4.1. Each  Participant  shall receive a salary of $200,000 per
annum ("Base Salary"). The Base Salary of the Participants may be increased from
time to time by the  Compensation  Committee  of the  Board  (the  "Compensation
Committee") by amendment of the Plan pursuant to Section 9.

                  4.2.  Notwithstanding  the provisions of Section 4.1 above, in
the event a Participant is not a Senior  Managing  Director for an entire fiscal
year, his Base Salary for such fiscal year shall be computed by multiplying such
Base Salary as computed under Section 4.1 by a fraction,  the numerator of which
is the number of days in such fiscal year during  which such  Participant  was a
Senior  Managing  Director and the denominator of which is the number of days in
the fiscal year. Any Base Salary shall be in addition to any base salary payable
with respect to periods during the fiscal year in which a Participant  was not a
Senior Managing Director.

                  Section 5.        Annual Bonus Pools.

                  5.1.  For each fiscal year of the  Company,  each  Participant
shall be entitled to receive an award of a bonus (the "Bonus"), payable from one
or more annual bonus funds (the "Annual Bonus Pools") in an amount not to exceed
the amount  provided  for in Section 6. A Bonus under the Plan shall be the sole
bonus  payable  with  respect to a fiscal year to each  Participant  ("Full Year
Participant") who was a Senior Managing Director on the date that  proportionate
shares of the Annual  Bonus Pools for such fiscal  year were  determined  by the
Compensation  Committee and who remains a Senior Managing  Director at all times
thereafter  during such fiscal year. For each fiscal year, each  Participant who
was not a Full Year  Participant  shall be entitled to such a Bonus, if any, for
the  portion  of such  fiscal  year  not  covered  by the  Plan,  determined  in
accordance  with the  procedures  applicable  to  employees  who are not  Senior
Managing  Directors,  in addition to the Bonus, if any,  payable pursuant to the
Plan.

                  5.2. For each fiscal  year,  the formula for  calculating  the
Annual Bonus Pools shall be determined by the Compensation Committee in writing,
by resolution of the Compensation  Committee or other  appropriate  action,  not
later than 90 days after the  commencement  of such fiscal  year.  Such  formula
shall be based upon one or more of the following  criteria,  individually  or in
combination,  adjusted  in  such  manner  as the  Compensation  Committee  shall
determine:  (a) pre-tax or after-tax  return on equity;  (b) earnings per share;
(c) pre-tax or after-tax net income;  (d) business unit or departmental  pre-tax
or after-tax  income;  (e) book value per share; (f) market price per share; (g)
relative  performance to peer group companies;  (h) expense management;  and (i)
total return to stockholders.

                  5.3. As a condition to the right of a  Participant  to receive
any Bonus under this Plan, the Compensation Committee shall first be required to
certify  in  writing,  by  resolution  of the  Compensation  Committee  or other
appropriate action, that the Bonus has been accurately  determined in accordance
with the provisions of this Plan.

                  5.4. The Compensation Committee shall have the right to reduce
the  Bonus of any  Participant  in its sole  discretion  at any time and for any
reason  prior  to the  certification  of the  Bonus  otherwise  payable  to such
Participant pursuant to Section 5.3 hereof.

                  5.5.  The  maximum  amount   allocable  by  the   Compensation
Committee to the Annual Bonus Pool  related to  Participants  who are members of
the  Executive  Committee in the  aggregate for any fiscal year shall not exceed
$150,000,000.  The maximum amount allocable to any individual Participant who is
not a member of the Executive Committee shall not exceed $15,000,000.

                  Section 6.        Allocations.

                  6.1.  Prior to the  commencement  of each fiscal year,  or not
later than 90 days after the  commencement of each fiscal year, the Compensation
Committee  shall  determine  in  writing,  by  resolution  of  the  Compensation
Committee or other appropriate action, each Participant's proportionate share of
the Annual Bonus Pools for such fiscal  year,  which shall not exceed in respect
of any Participant who is a member of the Executive  Committee 30% of the amount
of such Annual Bonus Pool.

                  6.2.  Notwithstanding anything in Section 6.1 to the contrary,
any Participant who ceases to be a Senior Managing Director for any reason prior
to the end of such fiscal year shall be entitled to a Bonus computed as follows:
A Bonus  first  shall  be  computed  as if such  Participant  had  been a Senior
Managing  Director  for the full  fiscal  year,  and such  Bonus  then  shall be
multiplied  by a fraction the  numerator of which shall be the number of days in
the fiscal year through the date the Participant  ceased to be a Senior Managing
Director and the  denominator of which shall be the number of days in the fiscal
year; provided,  however,  that if the application of the preceding clause would
cause the total Bonuses payable under the Plan to exceed the Annual Bonus Pools,
the Bonuses payable to each  Participant  shall be reduced pro rata, so that the
total of all Bonuses shall equal the Annual Bonus Pools. If a Participant ceases
to be a Senior Managing  Director after the end of the fiscal year in respect of
which such Bonus is payable, the amounts thereof nonetheless shall be payable to
him or his estate, as the case may be.

                  6.3. Except as hereinafter provided, Bonuses for a fiscal year
shall be payable as soon as practicable  following the certification  thereof by
the  Compensation  Committee  for  such  fiscal  year.  In its  discretion,  the
Compensation  Committee  may  authorize,  prior to the  final  determination  of
Participants'  Bonuses  for such  fiscal  year,  payments  on account of Bonuses
payable  hereunder to one or more  Participants  entitled to such  Bonuses,  (a)
during the last month of such fiscal year, in an amount not exceeding 95% of the
aggregate  amount  that  would be payable to such  Participant  or  Participants
hereunder as determined by the  Controller  or Chief  Accounting  Officer of the
Company  (so long as he is not a  Participant)  on the  basis of his good  faith
estimate, (b) during the last ten calendar days of such fiscal year or after the
end of such fiscal year, in an amount not to exceed 98% of the aggregate  amount
that  would  be  payable  to  such  Participant  or  Participants  hereunder  as
determined by the Controller or Chief Accounting Officer of the Company (so long
as he is not a Participant) on the basis of his good faith estimate,  and (c) at
any time  during  such  fiscal  year or after the end of such  fiscal  year to a
Participant who ceases to be a Senior Managing  Director for any reason prior to
the end of such fiscal year.  Within the  limitations set forth in the preceding
sentence, the Compensation Committee may authorize one or more such "on account"
payments,  but the aggregate  amount of any such on account  payments  shall not
exceed the  aggregate  amount  permitted  to be paid  pursuant  to the Plan with
respect  to the same  fiscal  year.  In  connection  with any such "on  account"
payments,  the  Compensation  Committee  shall require an  undertaking  or other
assurance by or on behalf of the Participant receiving such payment to repay the
Company  the  amount,  if any, by which such "on  account"  payment  exceeds the
actual  amount  determined to be due to such person under the Plan in respect of
such fiscal  year.  Any "on  account"  payments  received  prior to the end of a
fiscal year shall be discounted  to  reasonably  reflect the time value of money
from the date of payment to the date 30 days after the end of the fiscal year.

                  6.4. The Compensation  Committee may determine that payment of
a portion of the Bonuses  shall be deferred,  the periods of such  deferrals and
any interest, not to exceed a reasonable rate, to be paid in respect of deferred
payments.  The  Compensation  Committee may also define such other conditions of
payments of Bonuses as it may deem desirable in carrying out the purposes of the
Plan.

                  6.5. In any fiscal year, any balance in the Annual Bonus Pools
for  any  reason,  including  the  limitation  contained  in  Section  6.1,  the
forfeiture  of a Bonus under Section 6.2, the reduction of a Bonus under Section
5.4, or otherwise,  shall not be distributed to other Participants and shall not
be carried forward or be available for distribution as Bonuses under the Plan in
a future year or years.

                  Section 7. Administration and  Interpretation.  The Plan shall
be  administered  by the  Compensation  Committee,  which  shall  have  the sole
authority to interpret and to make rules and regulations for the  administration
of the Plan.  The  Compensation  Committee  may correct any defect or supply any
omission or  reconcile  any  inconsistency  in the Plan in the manner and to the
extent the Compensation  Committee deems necessary or desirable to carry it into
effect.  Any decision of the Compensation  Committee in the  interpretation  and
administration of the Plan, as described  herein,  shall lie within its sole and
absolute  discretion  and shall be final,  conclusive and binding on all parties
concerned. No member of the Compensation Committee and no officer of the Company
shall be liable for  anything  done or omitted to be done by him or her,  by any
other member of the  Compensation  Committee or by any officer of the Company in
connection with the performance of duties under the Plan,  except for his or her
own willful  misconduct or as expressly  provided by statute.  The  Compensation
Committee may request  advice or  assistance or employ such persons  (including,
without limitation, legal counsel and accountants) as it deems necessary for the
proper administration of the Plan.

                  Section 8.  Administrative  Expenses.  Any expense incurred in
the  administration of the Plan shall be borne by the Company out of its general
funds and not charged  against the Annual  Bonus Pools,  except  insofar as such
expenses shall be taken into account in determining the components of the Annual
Bonus Pools hereunder.

                  Section  9.  Amendment  or   Termination.   The   Compensation
Committee  of the Company may from time to time amend the Plan in any respect or
terminate  the  Plan in whole or in part,  provided  that no such  action  shall
retroactively impair or otherwise adversely affect the rights of any Participant
to benefits under the Plan which have accrued prior to the date of such action.

                  Section 10. No  Assignment.  The rights  hereunder,  including
without  limitation rights to receive a Base Salary or Bonus, shall not be sold,
assigned, transferred,  encumbered or hypothecated by an employee of the Company
(except by testamentary  disposition or intestate  succession),  and, during the
lifetime  of any  recipient,  any  payment  of Base  Salary or a Bonus  shall be
payable only to such recipient.

                  Section  11. The  Company.  For  purposes  of this  Plan,  the
"Company" shall include the successors and assigns of the Company, and this Plan
shall be binding on any  corporation  or other  person with which the Company is
merged or consolidated, or which acquires substantially all of the assets of the
Company, or which otherwise succeeds to its business.

                  Section 12. Stockholder  Approval.  This Plan shall be subject
to  approval  by the  affirmative  vote of a majority  of the  shares  cast in a
separate vote of the  stockholders  of the Company at the 1998 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders, and such stockholder approval shall be a condition to the right of
a Participant to receive any Bonus hereunder.


<TABLE>



                                                                                                             EXHIBIT 11

                                                               THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                                                      STATEMENT RE COMPUTATION OF PER SHARE EARNINGS
                                                                          (UNAUDITED)
<CAPTION>


                                                      Three-Months Ended                         Six-Months Ended
                                           ---------------------------------------    ------------------------------------
                                              December 31,         December 31,          December 31,          December 31,    
                                                  1998                 1997                  1998                1997
                                           ---------------------------------------    ------------------------------------
                                                                  (In thousands, except per share data)                       
<S>                                       <C>               <C>                    <C>                <C>              
Weighted average common
      and common equivalent
      shares outstanding: (1)
         Average Common Stock
            outstanding                         118,196              123,413               118,833             123,882
         Average Common Stock
            equivalents:
              Common Stock issuable
                under employee
                  benefit plans                     497                  489                   490                486
              Common Stock issuable
                assuming conversion
                  of CAP Units                   39,663               36,027                39,663             36,027
                                     ------------------   ------------------    ------------------     --------------
Total weighted average
      common and common
      equivalent shares
      outstanding                               158,356              159,929               158,986            160,395
                                     ==================   ==================    ==================     ==============
Net income                                                                                                              
                                            $   135,920        $     160,222        $     200,023         $   321,840
Preferred Stock dividend
  requirements                                   (9,778)              (5,923)             (19,873)            (11,849)

Income adjustment
      (net of tax) applicable
      to deferred compensation
      arrangements                                6,777               15,223               13,555              28,755
                                     ------------------   ------------------    ------------------     --------------
Adjusted net income                         $   132,919        $     169,522        $     193,705        $    338,746
                                     ==================   ==================   ==================      ==============
Earnings per share (1)                      $      0.84        $        1.06        $        1.22        $       2.11
                                     ==================   ==================   ==================      ==============



(1) Adjusted for the 5% stock dividend declared on January 20, 1999.

</TABLE>

<TABLE>



                                                                      THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                                                     STATEMENT RE COMPUTATION OF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES      EXHIBIT 12
                                                                      (In thousands, except for ratio)
<CAPTION>


                          (Unaudited)      (Unaudited)
                          Six Months       Six Months       Fiscal Year   Fiscal Year   Fiscal Year   Fiscal Year   Fiscal Year
                            Ended             Ended            Ended         Ended         Ended         Ended         Ended
                      December 31, 1998  December 31, 1997  June 30, 1998 June 30, 1997 June 30, 1996 June 30, 1995 June 30, 1994
                                                                                                                                
<S>                     <C>              <C>               <C>           <C>          <C>          <C>           <C>             
Earnings before taxes
    on income           $  300,787       $   526,743       $  1,063,492  $ 1,013,690    $  834,926    $   388,082   $   642,799     
                           -------           -------          ---------    ---------       -------        -------       -------
Add:   Fixed Charges
            Interest     1,964,638         1,736,219          3,638,513    2,551,364     1,981,171      1,678,515     1,023,866
            Interest factor
              in rents      15,336            14,790             30,130       26,516        25,672         24,594        21,772
                            ------            ------             ------       ------        ------         ------        ------
    Total fixed charges  1,979,974         1,751,009          3,668,643    2,577,880     2,006,843      1,703,109     1,045,638
                                           
Earnings before fixed
 charges and taxes on
      income            $2,280,761       $ 2,277,752       $  4,732,135  $ 3,591,570    $2,841,769    $ 2,091,191   $ 1,688,437
                         =========         =========          =========    =========     =========      =========     =========
Ratio of earnings to
     fixed charges             1.2               1.3                1.3          1.4           1.4            1.2           1.6
                               ===               ===                ===          ===           ===            ===           ===  
</TABLE>

<TABLE> <S> <C>


<ARTICLE>                                           BD
<LEGEND>

     This schedule  contains summary  financial  information  extracted from the
     unaudited  Consolidated  Statement of Financial  Condition at December 31,
     1998 and the unaudited Consolidated Statement of Income for the six-months
     ended  December 31,  1998,   which  are  contained  in  the  body  of  the
     accompanying  Form 10-Q and is  qualified  in its  entirety by reference to
     such financial statements.
</LEGEND>                    
<MULTIPLIER>                                   1,000
       
<S>                                           <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE>                                 6-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                             JUN-30-1999
<PERIOD-END>                                  DEC-31-1998
<CASH>                                          1,664,077
<RECEIVABLES>                                  13,233,074
<SECURITIES-RESALE>                            33,060,960
<SECURITIES-BORROWED>                          54,592,219
<INSTRUMENTS-OWNED>                            41,067,854
<PP&E>                                            474,477
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                151,130,499
<SHORT-TERM>                                   10,020,298
<PAYABLES>                                     50,924,099
<REPOS-SOLD>                                   50,005,971
<SECURITIES-LOANED>                                     0
<INSTRUMENTS-SOLD>                             16,410,663
<LONG-TERM>                                    13,843,516
                                   0
                                       800,000
<COMMON>                                          167,785
<OTHER-SE>                                      3,398,818
<TOTAL-LIABILITY-AND-EQUITY>                  151,130,499
<TRADING-REVENUE>                                 616,051
<INTEREST-DIVIDENDS>                            2,286,519
<COMMISSIONS>                                     495,476
<INVESTMENT-BANKING-REVENUES>                     285,440
<FEE-REVENUE>                                           0
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>                              1,964,638
<COMPENSATION>                                    958,225
<INCOME-PRETAX>                                   300,787
<INCOME-PRE-EXTRAORDINARY>                        300,787
<EXTRAORDINARY>                                         0
<CHANGES>                                               0
<NET-INCOME>                                      200,023
<EPS-PRIMARY>                                        1.22
<EPS-DILUTED>                                        1.22

        

</TABLE>


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