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<PAGE> PAGE 2
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<PAGE> PAGE 3
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SIGNATURE EDWARD D. BEACH
TITLE TREASURER
[nsar]fff-77q.ex
For the year ended March 31, 1996
File No. 811-4605
SUB-ITEM 77Q2
The information called for by Item 405 of Regulation S-K [17CRF 229.405] is
set forth below.
Based upon a review of the forms of beneficial ownership submitted to the
Fund for the year ended March 31, 1996, reports of beneficial ownership with
respect to the Fund's shares inadvertently were not filed on a timely basis on
behalf of the following persons:
No. of Late No. of
Name Reports Transactions
Daniel Ahearn 1 None
(Director of the Fund)
Eugene C. Dorsey 1 None
(Director of the Fund)
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<CIK> 0000790202
<NAME> FIRST FINANCIAL FUND, INC.
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 001
<NAME> FIRST FINANCIAL FUND, INC. (CLASS A)
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> MAR-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> MAR-31-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 189,687,074
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 229,088,225
<RECEIVABLES> 617,050
<ASSETS-OTHER> 133,285
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 229,838,560
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 5,501,494
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 10,207,118
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 15,708,612
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 172,326,640
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 15,623,077
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 14,322,642
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 529,985
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 19,173,006
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> (17,300,834)
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 39,401,151
<NET-ASSETS> 214,129,948
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 4,034,586
<INTEREST-INCOME> 268,492
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 2,409,367
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 1,893,711
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 44,064,406
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 28,675,777
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 74,633,894
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (2,148,396)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (33,085,304)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> 0
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 16,515,513
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 55,915,707
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 784,670
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 8,193,904
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 1,541,173
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 456,624
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 2,409,367
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 195,421,000
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.05
<PER-SHARE-NII> 5.12
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> (2.31)
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (0.15)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> 0.00
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0.00
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 13.71
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.23
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0.00
</TABLE>
PRINT ON COMPAQ
The Board of Directors of
First Financial Fund, Inc.:
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of First
Financial Fund, Inc. for the year ended March 31, 1996, we considered its
internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding securities, in
order to determine our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our
opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the requirements of Form
N-SAR, not to provide assurance on the internal control structure.
The management of the Fund is responsible for establishing and maintaining an
internal control structure. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and
judgments by management are required to assess the expected benefits and related
costs of internal control structure policies and procedures. Two of the
objectives of an internal control structure are to provide management with
reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that assets are safeguarded against loss
from unauthorized use or disposition and that transactions are executed in
accordance with management's authorization and recorded properly to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles.
Because of inherent limitations in any internal control structure, errors or
irregularities may occur and not be detected. Also, projection of any
evaluation of the structure to future periods is subject to the risk that it may
become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the effectiveness of
the design and operation may deteriorate.
Our consideration of the internal control structure would not necessarily
disclose all matters in the internal control structure that might be material
weaknesses under standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. A material weakness is a condition in which the design or
operation of the specific internal control structure elements does not reduce to
a relatively low level the risk that errors or irregularities in amounts that
would be material in relation to the financial statements being audited may
occur and not be detected within a timely period by employees in the normal
course of performing their assigned functions. However, we noted no matters
involving the internal control structure, including procedures for safeguarding
securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of
March 31, 1996.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of management and the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
May 9, 1996
