DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL INV TR FD MON PYMT SER 557
487, 1995-04-20
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     AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON APRIL 20, 1995
 
                                                       REGISTRATION NO. 33-57699
    
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
 
                   ------------------------------------------
 
                                AMENDMENT NO. 1
                                       TO
 
                                    FORM S-6
 
                   ------------------------------------------
 
                   FOR REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT
                    OF 1933 OF SECURITIES OF UNIT INVESTMENT
                        TRUSTS REGISTERED ON FORM N-8B-2
 
                   ------------------------------------------
 
   
A. EXACT NAME OF TRUST:
                        MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                          MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES--557
                              DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
 
    
B. NAMES OF DEPOSITORS:
 
                   MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INC.
                               SMITH BARNEY INC.
                            PAINEWEBBER INCORPORATED
                       PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
                           DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
 
C. COMPLETE ADDRESSES OF DEPOSITORS' PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES:
 

 MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE,      SMITH BARNEY INC.    PAINEWEBBER INCORPORATED
        FENNER &               388 GREENWICH         1285 AVENUE OF THE
   SMITH INCORPORATED       STREET--23RD FLOOR            AMERICAS
  UNIT INVESTMENT TRUST     NEW YORK, NY 10013      NEW YORK, N.Y. 10019
        DIVISION
      P.O. BOX 9051
PRINCETON, NJ 08543-9051
  PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES
      INCORPORATED
    ONE SEAPORT PLAZA
    199 WATER STREET
  NEW YORK, N.Y. 10292
                                                  DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
                                                       TWO WORLD TRADE
                                                     CENTER--59TH FLOOR
                                                    NEW YORK, N.Y. 10048

 
D. NAMES AND COMPLETE ADDRESSES OF AGENTS FOR SERVICE:
 

  TERESA KONCICK, ESQ.    THOMAS D. HARMAN, ESQ.      ROBERT E. HOLLEY
      P.O. BOX 9051        388 GREENWICH STREET       1200 HARBOR BLVD.
PRINCETON, NJ 08543-9051   NEW YORK, N. Y. 10013    WEEHAWKEN, N.J. 07087
                                                         COPIES TO:
   LEE B. SPENCER, JR.      DOUGLAS LOWE, ESQ.     PIERRE DE SAINT PHALLE,
    ONE SEAPORT PLAZA    130 LIBERTY STREET--29TH           ESQ.
    199 WATER STREET               FLOOR            450 LEXINGTON AVENUE
  NEW YORK, N. Y. 10292    NEW YORK, N.Y. 10006     NEW YORK, N. Y. 10017

 
E. TITLE AND AMOUNT OF SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED:
 
  An indefinite number of Units of Beneficial Interest pursuant to Rule 24f-2
       promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
 
F. PROPOSED MAXIMUM OFFERING PRICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE SECURITIES BEING
REGISTERED: Indefinite
 
G. AMOUNT OF FILING FEE: $500 (as required by Rule 24f-2)
 
H. APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED SALE TO PUBLIC:
 
 As soon as practicable after the effective date of the Registration Statement.
 
   
/ x / Check box if it is proposed that this filing will become effective at 9:30
      a.m. on April 20, 1995 pursuant to Rule 487.
    
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
                                                   DEFINED ASSET FUNDSSM
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   

MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT          5.76% ESTIMATED CURRENT RETURN shows the estimated
TRUST FUND                    annual cash to be received from interest-bearing
MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES 557    bonds in the Portfolio (net of estimated annual
(A UNIT INVESTMENT            expenses) divided by the Public Offering Price
TRUST)                        (including the maximum sales charge).
- ------------------------------5.78% ESTIMATED LONG TERM RETURN is a measure of
/ / DESIGNED FOR FEDERALLY    the estimated return over the estimated life of
      TAX-FREE INCOME         the Fund. This represents an average of the yields
/ / DEFINED PORTFOLIO OF      to maturity (or in certain cases, to an earlier
      MUNICIPAL BONDS         call date) of the individual bonds in the
/ / MONTHLY INCOME            Portfolio, adjusted to reflect the maximum sales
/ / INVESTMENT GRADE          charge and estimated expenses. The average yield
5.76%                         for the Portfolio is derived by weighting each
ESTIMATED CURRENT RETURN      bond's yield by its market value and the time
5.78%                         remaining to the call or maturity date, depending
ESTIMATED LONG TERM RETURN    on how the bond is priced. Unlike Estimated
AS OF APRIL 19, 1995          Current Return, Estimated Long Term Return takes
                              into account maturities, discounts and premiums of
                              the underlying bonds.
                              No return estimate can be predictive of your
                              actual return because returns will vary with
                              purchase price (including sales charges), how long
                              units are held, changes in Portfolio composition,
                              changes in interest income and changes in fees and
                              expenses. Therefore, Estimated Current Return and
                              Estimated Long Term Return are designed to be
                              comparative rather than predictive. A yield
                              calculation which is more comparable to an
                              individual bond may be higher or lower than
                              Estimated Current Return or Estimated Long Term
                              Return which are more comparable to return
                              calculations used by other investment products.

 

                               -------------------------------------------------
                               THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR
                               DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
                               COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR
SPONSORS:                      HAS THE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES
Merrill Lynch,                 COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY
Pierce, Fenner & Smith         OF THIS DOCUMENT. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE
Incorporated                   CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
Smith Barney Inc.              Inquiries should be directed to the Trustee at
Prudential Securities          1-800-323-1508.
Incorporated                   Prospectus dated April 20, 1995.
Dean Witter Reynolds Inc.      INVESTORS SHOULD READ THIS PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY
PaineWebber Incorporated       AND RETAIN IT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
    

 
<PAGE>
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Defined Asset FundsSM
Defined Asset Funds is America's oldest and largest family of unit investment
trusts, with over $95 billion sponsored since 1971. Each Defined Asset Fund is a
portfolio of preselected securities. The portfolio is divided into 'units'
representing equal shares of the underlying assets. Each unit receives an equal
share of income and principal distributions.
 
   
Defined Asset Funds offer several defined 'distinctives'. You know in advance
what you are investing in and that changes in the portfolio are limited - a
defined portfolio. Most defined bond funds pay interest monthly - defined
income. The portfolio offers a convenient and simple way to invest - simplicity
defined.
 
Your financial professional can help you select a Defined Asset Fund to meet
your personal investment objectives. Our size and market presence enable us to
offer a wide variety of investments. The Defined Asset Funds family offers:
 
  o Municipal portfolios
o Corporate portfolios
o Government portfolios
o Equity portfolios
o International portfolios
 
The terms of Defined Funds are as short as one year or as long as 30 years.
Special defined bond funds are available including: insured funds, double and
triple tax-free funds and funds with 'laddered maturities' to help protect
against changing interest rates. Defined Asset Funds are offered by prospectus
only.
    
   
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Defined Monthly Payment Series
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
Our defined portfolio of municipal bonds offers you a simple and convenient way
to earn tax-free monthly income. And by purchasing Defined Asset Funds, you not
only receive professional selection but also gain the advantage of reduced risk
by investing in bonds of several different issuers.
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
 
To provide interest income exempt from regular federal income taxes through
investment in a fixed portfolio consisting primarily of long-term municipal
bonds issued by or on behalf of states and their local governments and
authorities.
    
 
DIVERSIFICATION
 
The Portfolio contains 14 bond issues. Spreading your investment among different
issuers reduces your risk, but does not eliminate it. Because of maturities,
sales or other dispositions of bonds, the size, composition and return of the
Portfolio will change over time.
 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Defining Your Portfolio
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
PROFESSIONAL SELECTION AND SUPERVISION
 
The Portfolio contains a variety of bonds selected by experienced buyers and
research analysts. The Fund is not actively managed; however, it is regularly
reviewed and a bond can be sold if retaining it is considered detrimental to
investors' interests.
 
TYPES OF BONDS
 
The Portfolio consists of $10,000,000 face amount of municipal revenue bonds
which are payable from the income generated by a specific project or authority:
 
     SOURCE OF REVENUE
 
/ / Industrial Development Revenue                                           13%
/ / Hospitals/Health Care Facilities                                         28%
/ / Universities/Colleges                                                     7%
/ / Municipal Water/Sewer Utilities                                           7%
/ / Housing                                                                  38%
/ / Miscellaneous                                                             7%
 
RATED A OR BETTER
 
Each bond included in the Portfolio is rated investment grade. Each bond has
been selected by investment professionals from among available bonds rated A or
better by a nationally recognized rating organization, or has, in the opinion of
Defined Asset Funds research analysts, comparable credit characteristics to
A-rated bonds.
 
BOND CALL FEATURES
 
It is possible that during periods of falling interest rates, a bond with a
coupon higher than current market rates will be prepaid or 'called', at the
option of the bond issuer, before its expected maturity. When bonds are
initially callable, the price is usually at a premium to par which then declines
to par over time. Bonds may also be subject to a mandatory sinking fund or have
extraordinary redemption provisions. For example, if the bond's proceeds are not
able to be used as intended the bond may be redeemed. This redemption and the
sinking fund are often at par.
 
CALL PROTECTION
 
Although most of the bonds are subject to optional refunding or call provisions,
we have selected bonds with call protection. This call protection means that any
bond in the Portfolio generally cannot be called for a number of years and
thereafter at a declining premium over par.
 
                                      A-2
<PAGE>
TAX INFORMATION
 
Based on the opinion of bond counsel, income from the bonds held by this Fund is
generally 100% exempt under existing laws from regular federal income tax. Any
gain on a disposition of the underlying bonds or units will be subject to tax.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Defining Your Investment
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE PER UNIT                     $1,018.59
 
The Public Offering Price as of April 19, 1995, the business day prior to the
Initial Date of Deposit, is based on the aggregate offer side value of the
underlying bonds in the Fund ($9,727,527.50), the price at which they can be
directly purchased by the public assuming they were available, divided by the
number of units outstanding (10,000) plus a maximum sales charge of 4.5%. The
Public Offering Price on any subsequent date will vary. An amount equal to net
accrued but undistributed interest on the unit is added to the Public Offering
Price. The underlying bonds are evaluated by an independent evaluator at 3:30
p.m. Eastern time on every business day thereafter.
 
LOW MINIMUM INVESTMENT
 
You can get started with a minimum purchase of about $1,000.
 
REINVESTMENT OPTION
 
You can elect to automatically reinvest your distributions into a separate
portfolio of federally tax-exempt bonds. Reinvesting helps to compound your
income tax-free.
 
PRINCIPAL DISTRIBUTIONS
 
Principal from sales, redemptions and maturities of bonds in the Fund will be
distributed to investors periodically when the amount to be distributed is more
than $5.00 per unit.
 
   
TERMINATION DATE
 
The Fund will generally terminate following the maturity date of the last
maturing bond listed in the Portfolio. The Fund may be terminated earlier if the
value is less than 40% of the face amount of bonds deposited.
SPONSORS' PROFIT OR LOSS
The Sponsors' profit or loss associated with the Fund will include the receipt
of applicable sales charges, any fees for underwriting or placing bonds,
fluctuations in the Public Offering Price or secondary market price of units and
a gain of $94,227.50 on the deposit of the bonds (see Underwriters' and
Sponsors' Profits in Part B).
    
 
UNDERWRITING ACCOUNT
 
   
One of the Sponsors has participated as sole underwriter, managing underwriter
or member of an underwriting syndicate from which approximately 8% of the bonds
in the Portfolio was acquired.
    
 
SPONSORS
 
   
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED
P.O. Box 9051,
Princeton, NJ 08543-9051                                                  56.50%
 
SMITH BARNEY INC.
388 Greenwich Street--23rd Floor,
New York, NY 10013                                                        12.50%
 
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
One Seaport Plaza--199 Water Street,
New York, NY 10292                                                         5.00%
DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
Two World Trade Center--59th Floor,
New York, NY 10048                                                         6.00%
PAINEWEBBER INCORPORATED
1285 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, NY 10019                                                        20.00%
    
 
                                                                         100.00%
 
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TAX-FREE VS. TAXABLE INCOME: A COMPARISON OF TAXABLE AND TAX-FREE YIELDS
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

TAXABLE INCOME 1995*                    EFFECTIVE %                            TAX-FREE YIELD OF
  SINGLE RETURN        JOINT RETURN     TAX BRACKET     4%         4.5%         5%         5.5%         6%         6.5%
                                                                      IS EQUIVALENT TO A TAXABLE YIELD OF
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                 <C>                      <C>          <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>         <C>
0- 23,350           $      0- 39,000         15.00        4.71        5.29        5.88        6.47        7.06        7.65
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$ 23,350- 56,550    $ 39,000- 94,250         28.00        5.56        6.25        6.94        7.64        8.33        9.03
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$ 56,550-117,950    $ 94,250-143,600         31.00        5.80        6.52        7.25        7.97        8.70        9.42
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$117,950-256,500    $143,600-256,500         36.00        6.25        7.03        7.81        8.59        9.38       10.16
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OVER $256,500          OVER $256,500         39.60        6.62        7.45        8.28        9.11        9.93       10.76
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

 
TAXABLE INCOME 199
  SINGLE RETURN        7%         7.5%         8%
 
- ------------------
0- 23,350                8.24        8.82        9.41
- ------------------
$ 23,350- 56,550         9.72       10.42       11.11
- ------------------
$ 56,550-117,950        10.14       10.87       11.59
- ------------------
$117,950-256,500        10.94       11.72       12.50
- ------------------
OVER $256,500           11.59       12.42       13.25
- ------------------

 
To compare the yield of a taxable security with the yield of a tax-free
security, find your taxable income and read across. The table incorporates
projected 1995 federal income tax rates and assumes that all income would
otherwise be taxed at the investor's highest tax rate. Yield figures are for
example only.
 
*Based upon net amount subject to federal income tax after deductions and
exemptions. This table does not reflect the possible effect of other tax
factors, such as alternative minimum tax, personal exemptions, the phase out of
exemptions, itemized deductions or the possible partial disallowance of
deductions. Consequently, holders are urged to consult their own tax advisers in
this regard.
 
                                      A-3
<PAGE>
 
   
- -----------------------------------------------  -------------------------------
Defining Your Costs                              Defining Your Income
- -----------------------------------------------  -------------------------------

 
SALES CHARGES
 
Although the Fund is a unit investment trust rather than a mutual fund, the
following information is presented to permit a comparison of fees and an
understanding of the direct or indirect costs and expenses that you pay.
 

                                       As a %            As a %
                                of Initial Offer-  of Secondary
                                          ing            Market
                                Period Public      Public Offering
                                Offering Price            Price
                                -----------------  ---------------
Maximum Sales Charges                     4.5%             5.5%

 
ESTIMATED ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
 

                                       As a %
                                   of Average
                                  Net Assets*          Per Unit
                                -----------------  ---------------
Trustee's Fee                            .072%        $    0.70
Maximum Portfolio Supervision,
  Bookkeeping and
  Administrative Fees                    .041%        $    0.40
Evaluator's Fee                          .012%        $    0.12
Other Operating Expenses                 .047%        $    0.45
                                -----------------  ---------------
TOTAL                                    .172%        $    1.67

 
- ------------
* Based on the mean of the bid and offer side evaluations.
 
COSTS OVER TIME
 
You would pay the following cumulative expenses on a $1,000 investment, assuming
a 5% annual return on the investment throughout the indicated periods:
 

 1 Year     3 Years    5 Years    10 Years
   $47        $50        $54         $66

 
The example assumes reinvestment of all distributions into additional units of
the Fund (a reinvestment option different from that offered by this Fund) and
uses a 5% annual rate of return as mandated by Securities and Exchange
Commission regulations applicable to mutual funds. The Costs Over Time above
reflect both sales charges and operating expenses on an increasing investment
(because the net annual return is reinvested). The example should not be
considered a representation of past or future expenses or annual rate of return;
the actual expenses and annual rate of return may be more or less than the
example.
    
 
SELLING YOUR INVESTMENT
 
You may sell your units at any time. Your price is based on the Fund's then
current net asset value (based on the offer side evaluation of the bonds during
the initial public offering period and on the lower, bid side evaluation
thereafter, as determined by an independent evaluator, plus accrued interest).
The bid side redemption and secondary market repurchase price as of April 19,
1995 was $968.75 ($49.84 less than the Public Offering Price). There is no fee
for selling your units.
 
   
MONTHLY FEDERALLY TAX-FREE INTEREST INCOME
 
The Fund pays monthly income, even though the bonds generally pay interest
semi-annually.
 
WHAT YOU MAY EXPECT
(PAYABLE ON THE 25TH DAY OF THE MONTH TO HOLDERS OF RECORD ON THE 10TH DAY OF
THE MONTH):
 

First Distribution per unit
(July 25, 1995):                                         $    3.26
Regular Monthly Income per unit
(Beginning on August 25, 1995):                          $    4.89
Annual Income per unit:                                  $   58.68

 
These figures are estimates determined as of the business day prior to the
Initial Date of Deposit and actual payments may vary.
 
Estimated cash flows are available upon request from the Sponsors.
 
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Defining Your Risks
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
RISK FACTORS
 
Unit price fluctuates and could be adversely affected by increasing interest
rates as well as the financial condition of the issuers of the bonds. Because of
the possible maturity, sale or other disposition of securities, the size,
composition and return of the portfolio may change at any time. Because of the
sales charges, returns of principal and fluctuations in unit price, among other
reasons, the sale price will generally be less than the cost of your units. Unit
prices could also be adversely affected if a limited trading market exists in
any security to be sold. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its
investment objective.
 
The Fund is concentrated in Housing bonds and Hospital/Health Care Facilities
bonds and is therefore dependent to a significant degree on revenues generated
from those particular activities (see Risk Factors in Part B).
    
 
                                      A-4
<PAGE>
   
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Defined Portfolio
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Municipal Investment Trust Fund
Montly Payment Series--557                                        April 20, 1995
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

                                                               OPTIONAL            SINKING
                                           RATING             REFUNDING             FUND                COST
PORTFOLIO TITLE                         OF ISSUES (1)      REDEMPTIONS (2)     REDEMPTIONS (2)      TO FUND (3)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                          <C>          <C>                      <C>         <C>
1. $750,000 Alaska Hsg. Fin. Corp.,
Ins. Mtge. Prog. Bonds, 1993 First
Ser., 5.90%, 12/1/33                             A+            12/1/03 @ 102         12/1/24     $       722,385.00
2. $500,000 City of Valdez, AK,
Marine Terminal Rev. Rfdg. Bonds
(BP Pipelines (AK) Inc. Proj.),
Ser. 1993 C, 5.65%, 12/1/28                     AA-            12/1/03 @ 102              --             464,615.00
3. $500,000 Illinois Hlth. Fac.
Auth., Rev. Bonds (OSF Healthcare
Sys.), Ser. 1993, 6.00%, 11/15/23                A+           11/15/03 @ 102        11/15/14             477,030.00
4. $750,000 Illinois Hsg. Dev.
Auth., Homeowner Mtge. Rev. Bonds,
1995 Subseries B-1, 6.25%, 8/1/17                AA             5/1/05 @ 102          8/1/12             751,875.00
5. $750,000 Indiana Hlth. Fac. Fin.
Auth., Hosp. Rfdg. Rev. Bonds
(Welborn Mem. Baptist Hosp. Proj.),
Ser. 1993, 5.60%, 7/1/18                          A             7/1/03 @ 102          7/1/15             682,110.00
6. $750,000 Maine State Hsg. Auth.,
Mtge. Purch. Bonds, 1994 Ser. A,
5.65%, 11/15/20                                 AA-             2/1/04 @ 102        11/15/14             697,387.50
7. $750,000 Univ. Dev. Foundation,
MO, Pwr. Plant Equip. Leasehold
Rev. Rfdg. Bonds (The Curators of
the Univ. of Missouri, Lessee),
Ser. 1993, 5.75%, 5/1/18                          A             5/1/03 @ 102          5/1/14             717,727.50
8. $750,000 Montana Bd. of Hsg.,
Single Family Prog. Bonds (Fed.
Ins. Gtd. Mtge. Loans), 1995 Ser.
A-1, 6.35%, 6/1/27                              AA+             6/1/05 @ 102              --             753,750.00
9. $750,000 Nevada Hsg. Div.,
Single Family Prog. Bonds, 1995
Iss. B-1, 6.30%, 10/1/17                     Aaa(m)             4/1/05 @ 102          4/1/07             753,750.00
10. $750,000 Butler County, PA,
Indl. Dev. Auth., Hlth. Ctr. Rev.
Rfdg. Bonds, Pittsburgh Lifetime
Care Comm. (Sherwood Oaks Proj.),
Ser. 1993, 5.75%, 6/1/11                         A-             6/1/03 @ 102          6/1/05             712,192.50
11. $750,000 Butler County, PA,
Indl. Dev. Auth., Poll. Ctl. Rev.
Rfdg. Bonds (Witco Corp. Proj.),
Ser. 1993, 5.85%, 12/1/23                         A            12/1/03 @ 102              --             710,182.50
12. $750,000 Rhode Island Hlth. and
Educl. Bldg. Corp., Rev. Bonds, The
Miriam Hosp. Iss.-1992 Ser. B,
6.60%, 4/1/19                                     A             4/1/03 @ 102          4/1/14             760,875.00
13. $750,000 Rhode Island Hlth. and
Educl. Bldg. Corp., Higher Educ.
Fac. Rev. Bonds, Roger Williams
Univ. Iss., Ser. 1992 (Connie Lee
Ins.), 6.50%, 11/15/24                          AAA           11/15/02 @ 102        11/15/12             768,727.50
14. $750,000 Municipality of
Metropolitan Seattle, WA, Swr.
Rfdg. Rev. Bonds, Ser. V, 6.20%,
1/1/32                                          AA-             1/1/02 @ 102          1/1/17             754,920.00
                                                                                                 ------------------
                                                                                                 $     9,727,527.50
                                                                                                 ------------------
                                                                                                 ------------------
</TABLE>

 
- ------------------------------------
(1)  All ratings are by Standard & Poor's Ratings Group unless followed by
'(m)', which indicates a rating by Moody's Investors Service (see Appendix A to
Part B).
(2)  Bonds are first subject to optional redemptions (which may be exercised in
whole or in part) on the dates and at the prices indicated under the Optional
Refunding Redemptions column. In subsequent years, bonds are redeemable at
declining prices, but typically not below par value. Some issues may be subject
to sinking fund redemption or extraordinary redemption without premium prior to
the dates shown.
(3)  Evaluation of the bonds by the Evaluator is made on the basis of current
offer side evaluation. On this basis, 45% of the bonds were purchased at a
premium and 55% at a discount from par.
 
    
                                      A-5
<PAGE>
                       REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
 
   
The Sponsors, Trustee and Holders of Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Monthly
Payment Series 557, Defined Asset Funds (the 'Fund'):
 
We have audited the accompanying statement of condition and the related
portfolio included in the prospectus of the Fund as of April 20, 1995. This
financial statement is the responsibility of the Trustee. Our responsibility is
to express an opinion on this financial statement based on our audit.
    
 
We conducted our audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards.
Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable
assurance about whether the financial statement is free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. Our procedures included
confirmation of securities and the irrevocable letters of credit deposited for
the purchase of securities, as described in the statement of condition, with the
Trustee. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by the Trustee, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
   
In our opinion, the financial statement referred to above presents fairly, in
all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of April 20, 1995
in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
 
DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
NEW YORK, N.Y.
APRIL 20, 1995
    
 
   
                  STATEMENT OF CONDITION AS OF APRIL 20, 1995
 
TRUST PROPERTY
 

Investments--Bonds and Contracts to purchase Bonds(1)    $       9,727,527.50
Accrued interest to Initial Date of Deposit on underlying
  Bonds                                                            172,986.82
                                                         --------------------
           Total                                         $       9,900,514.32
                                                         --------------------
                                                         --------------------
LIABILITY AND INTEREST OF HOLDERS
Liability--Accrued interest to Initial Date of Deposit on
  underlying Bonds(2)                                    $         172,986.82
Interest of Holders of 10,000 Units of fractional
  undivided interest outstanding:
  Cost to investors(3)                                          10,185,927.50
  Gross underwriting commissions(4)                               (458,400.00)
                                                         --------------------
           Total                                         $       9,900,514.32
                                                         --------------------
                                                         --------------------

 
- ---------------
 
          (1) Aggregate cost to the Fund of the bonds listed under Defined
Portfolio is based upon the offer side evaluation determined by the Evaluator at
the evaluation time on the business day prior to the Initial Date of Deposit.
The contracts to purchase the bonds are collateralized by irrevocable letters of
credit which have been issued by Banca Popolare Di Milano, New York Branch, in
the amount of $8,371,764.51 and deposited with the Trustee. The amount of
letters of credit includes $8,227,110.00 for the purchase of $8,500,000 face
amount of the bonds, plus $144,654.51 for accrued interest.
          (2) Representing a special distribution by the Trustee to the
Sponsors, of an amount equal to the accrued interest on the bonds as of the
Initial Date of Deposit.
          (3) Aggregate public offering price (exclusive of interest) computed
on the basis of the offer side evaluation of the underlying bonds as of the
evaluation time on the business day prior to the Initial Date of Deposit.
          (4) Assumes the maximum sales charge of 4.5%.
    
 
                                      A-6
<PAGE>
                        MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                             MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES
                              DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
I want to learn more about automatic reinvestment in the Investment Accumulation
Program. Please send me information about participation in the Municipal Fund
Accumulation Program, Inc. and a current Prospectus.
My name (please
print) _________________________________________________________________________
My address (please print):
Street and Apt.
No. ____________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
Code ___________________________________________________________________________
This page is a self-mailer. Please complete the information above, cut along the
dotted line, fold along the lines on the reverse side, tape, and mail with the
Trustee's address displayed on the outside.
12345678
 
                                      A-7
<PAGE>
 
   

BUSINESS REPLY MAIL                                              NO POSTAGE
FIRST CLASS     PERMIT NO. 644     NEW YORK, NY                  NECESSARY
                                                                 IF MAILED
POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE                                  IN THE
          THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A.                       UNITED STATES
          UNIT TRUST DEPARTMENT
          BOX 2051
          NEW YORK, NY 10081
    

 
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                             DEFINED ASSET FUNDSSM
                               PROSPECTUS--PART B
                      DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL SERIES
                        MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
 FURTHER DETAIL REGARDING ANY OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE PROSPECTUS MAY
                                  BE OBTAINED
 WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF WRITTEN OR TELEPHONIC REQUEST TO THE TRUSTEE, THE ADDRESS
                                      AND
 TELEPHONE NUMBER OF WHICH ARE SET FORTH ON THE BACK COVER OF THIS PROSPECTUS.
 
                                     Index
 

                                                          PAGE
                                                        ---------
Fund Description......................................          1
Risk Factors..........................................          2
How to Buy Units......................................          7
How to Sell Units.....................................          9
Income, Distributions and Reinvestment................          9
Fund Expenses.........................................         10
Taxes.................................................         11
Records and Reports...................................         12
                                                          PAGE
                                                        ---------
Trust Indenture.......................................         12
Miscellaneous.........................................         13
Exchange Option.......................................         14
Supplemental Information..............................         15
Appendix A--Description of Ratings....................        a-1
Appendix B--Sales Charge Schedules for Defined Asset
Funds Municipal Series................................        b-1
Appendix C--Sales Charge Schedules for Municipal
Investment Trust Fund.................................        c-1

 
FUND DESCRIPTION
 
BOND PORTFOLIO SELECTION
 
     Professional buyers and research analysts for Defined Asset Funds, with
access to extensive research, selected the Bonds for the Portfolio after
considering the Fund's investment objective as well as the quality of the Bonds
(all Bonds in the Portfolio are initially rated in the category A or better by
at least one nationally recognized rating organization or have comparable credit
characteristics), the yield and price of the Bonds compared to similar
securities, the maturities of the Bonds and the diversification of the
Portfolio. Only issues meeting these stringent criteria of the Defined Asset
Funds team of dedicated research analysts are included in the Portfolio. No
leverage or borrowing is used nor does the Portfolio contain other kinds of
securities to enhance yield. A summary of the Bonds in the Portfolio appears in
Part A of the Prospectus.
 
     The deposit of the Bonds in the Fund on the initial date of deposit
established a proportionate relationship among the face amounts of the Bonds.
During the 90-day period following the initial date of deposit the Sponsors may
deposit additional Bonds in order to create new Units, maintaining to the extent
possible that original proportionate relationship. Deposits of additional Bonds
subsequent to the 90-day period must generally replicate exactly the
proportionate relationship among the face amounts of the Bonds at the end of the
initial 90-day period.
 
     Yields on bonds depend on many factors including general conditions of the
bond markets, the size of a particular offering and the maturity and quality
rating of the particular issues. Yields can vary among bonds with similar
maturities, coupons and ratings. Ratings represent opinions of the rating
organizations as to the quality of the bonds rated, based on the credit of the
issuer or any guarantor, insurer or other credit provider, but these ratings are
only general standards of quality (see Appendix A).
 
     After the initial date of deposit, the ratings of some Bonds may be reduced
or withdrawn, or the credit characteristics of the Bonds may no longer be
comparable to bonds rated A or better. Bonds rated BBB or Baa (the lowest
investment grade rating) or lower may have speculative characteristics, and
changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to
a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case
with higher grade bonds. Bonds rated below investment grade or unrated bonds
with similar credit characteristics are often subject to greater market
fluctuations and risk of loss of principal and income than higher grade bonds
and their value may decline precipitously in response to rising interest rates.
 
                                       1
<PAGE>
     Because each Defined Asset Fund is a preselected portfolio of bonds, you
know the securities, maturities, call dates and ratings before you invest. Of
course, the Portfolio will change somewhat over time, as Bonds mature, are
redeemed or are sold to meet Unit redemptions or in other limited circumstances.
Because the Portfolio is not actively managed and principal is returned as the
Bonds are disposed of, this principal should be relatively unaffected by changes
in interest rates.
 
BOND PORTFOLIO SUPERVISION
 
     The Fund follows a buy and hold investment strategy in contrast to the
frequent portfolio changes of a managed fund based on economic, financial and
market analyses. The Fund may retain an issuer's bonds despite adverse financial
developments. Experienced financial analysts regularly review the Portfolio and
a Bond may be sold in certain circumstances including the occurrence of a
default in payment or other default on the Bond, a decline in the projected
income pledged for debt service on a revenue bond, institution of certain legal
proceedings, if the Bond becomes taxable or is otherwise inconsistent with the
Fund's investment objectives, a decline in the price of the Bond or the
occurrence of other market or credit factors (including advance refunding) that,
in the opinion of Defined Asset Funds research analysts, makes retention of the
Bond detrimental to the interests of investors. The Trustee must generally
reject any offer by an issuer of a Bond to exchange another security pursuant to
a refunding or refinancing plan.
 
     The Sponsors and the Trustee are not liable for any default or defect in a
Bond. If a contract to purchase any Bond fails, the Sponsors may generally
deposit a replacement bond so long as it is a tax-exempt bond, has a fixed
maturity or disposition date substantially similar to the failed Bond and is
rated A or better by at least one nationally recognized rating organization or
has comparable credit characteristics. A replacement bond must be deposited
within 110 days after deposit of the failed contract, at a cost that does not
exceed the funds reserved for purchasing the failed Bond and at a yield to
maturity and current return substantially equivalent (considering then current
market conditions and relative creditworthiness) to those of the failed Bond, as
of the date the failed contract was deposited.
 
RISK FACTORS
 
     An investment in the Fund entails certain risks, including the risk that
the value of your investment will decline with increases in interest rates.
Generally speaking, bonds with longer maturities will fluctuate in value more
than bonds with shorter maturities. In recent years there have been wide
fluctuations in interest rates and in the value of fixed-rate bonds generally.
The Sponsors cannot predict the direction or scope of any future fluctuations.
 
     Certain of the Bonds may have been deposited at a market discount or
premium principally because their interest rates are lower or higher than
prevailing rates on comparable debt securities. The current returns of market
discount bonds are lower than comparably rated bonds selling at par because
discount bonds tend to increase in market value as they approach maturity. The
current returns of market premium bonds are higher than comparably rated bonds
selling at par because premium bonds tend to decrease in market value as they
approach maturity. Because part of the purchase price is returned through
current income payments and not at maturity, an early redemption at par of a
premium bond will result in a reduction in yield to the Fund. Market premium or
discount attributable to interest rate changes does not indicate market
confidence or lack of confidence in the issue.
 
     Certain Bonds deposited into the Fund may have been acquired on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis. The purchase price for these Bonds is
determined prior to their delivery to the Fund and a gain or loss may result
from fluctuations in the value of the Bonds. Additionally, in any Defined Asset
Funds Municipal Series, if the value of the Bonds reserved for payment of the
periodic deferred sales charge, together with the interest thereon, were to
become insufficient to pay these charges, additional bonds would be required to
be sold.
 
     The Fund may be concentrated in one or more of types of bonds.
Concentration in a State may involve additional risk because of the decreased
diversification of economic, political, financial and market risks. Set forth
below is a brief description of certain risks associated with bonds which may be
held by the Fund. Additional information is contained in the Information
Supplement which is available from the Trustee at no charge to the investor.
 
GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS
 
     Certain of the Bonds may be general obligations of a governmental entity.
General obligation bonds are backed by the issuer's pledge of its full faith,
credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. However, the
taxing power of any governmental entity may be limited by provisions of state
constitutions or laws and its credit will depend on many factors, including an
erosion of the tax base resulting from population declines, natural disasters,
declines in the state's industrial base or an inability to attract new
industries, economic limits on the ability to tax without eroding the tax base
and the extent to which the entity relies on federal or state aid, access to
capital markets or other factors beyond the entity's control. In addition,
political restrictions on the ability to tax and budgetary constraints affecting
state governmental aid may have an adverse impact on the creditworthiness of
cities, counties, school districts and other local governmental units.
 
                                       2
<PAGE>
     As a result of the recent recession's adverse impact upon both revenues and
expenditures, as well as other factors, many state and local governments have
confronted deficits which were the most severe in recent years. Many issuers are
facing highly difficult choices about significant tax increases and spending
reductions in order to restore budgetary balance. The failure to implement these
actions on a timely basis could force these issuers to issue additional debt to
finance deficits or cash flow needs and could lead to a reduction of their bond
ratings and the value of their outstanding bonds.
 
MORAL OBLIGATION BONDS
 
     The Portfolio may include 'moral obligation' bonds. If an issuer of moral
obligation bonds is unable to meet its obligations, the repayment of the bonds
becomes a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the state or local
government in question. Even though the state or local government may be called
on to restore any deficits in capital reserve funds of the agencies or
authorities which issued the bonds, any restoration generally requires
appropriation by the state or local legislature and does not constitute a
legally enforceable obligation or debt of the state or local government. The
agencies or authorities generally have no taxing power.
 
REFUNDED BONDS
 
     Refunded bonds are typically secured by direct obligations of the U.S.
Government or in some cases obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government placed
in an escrow account maintained by an independent trustee until maturity or a
predetermined redemption date. These obligations are generally noncallable prior
to maturity or the predetermined redemption date. In a few isolated instances,
however, bonds which were thought to be escrowed to maturity have been called
for redemption prior to maturity.
 
MUNICIPAL REVENUE BONDS
 
     Municipal revenue bonds are tax-exempt securities issued by states,
municipalities, public authorities or similar entities to finance the cost of
acquiring, constructing or improving various projects. Municipal revenue bonds
are not general obligations of governmental entities backed by their taxing
power and payment is generally solely dependent upon the creditworthiness of the
public issuer or the financed project or state appropriations. Examples of
municipal revenue bonds are:
 
        Municipal utility bonds, including electrical, water and sewer revenue
     bonds, whose payments are dependent on various factors, including the rates
     the utilities may charge, the demand for their services and their operating
     costs, including expenses to comply with environmental legislation and
     other energy and licensing laws and regulations. Utilities are particularly
     sensitive to, among other things, the effects of inflation on operating and
     construction costs, the unpredictability of future usage requirements, the
     costs and availability of fuel and, with certain electric utilities, the
     risks associated with the nuclear industry;
 
        Lease rental bonds which are generally issued by governmental financing
     authorities with no direct taxing power for the purchase of equipment or
     construction of buildings that will be used by a state or local government.
     Lease rental bonds are generally subject to an annual risk that the lessee
     government might not appropriate funds for the leasing rental payments to
     service the bonds and may also be subject to the risk that rental
     obligations may terminate in the event of damage to or destruction or
     condemnation of the equipment or building;
 
        Multi-family housing revenue bonds and single family mortgage revenue
     bonds which are issued to provide financing for various housing projects
     and which are payable primarily from the revenues derived from mortgage
     loans to housing projects for low to moderate income families or notes
     secured by mortgages on residences; repayment of this type of bonds is
     therefore dependent upon, among other things, occupancy levels, rental
     income, the rate of default on underlying mortgage loans, the ability of
     mortgage insurers to pay claims, the continued availability of federal,
     state or local housing subsidy programs, economic conditions in local
     markets, construction costs, taxes, utility costs and other operating
     expenses and the managerial ability of project managers. Housing bonds are
     generally prepayable at any time and therefore their average life will
     ordinarily be less than their stated maturities;
 
        Hospital and health care facility bonds whose payments are dependent
     upon revenues of hospitals and other health care facilities. These revenues
     come from private third-party payors and government programs, including the
     Medicare and Medicaid programs, which have generally undertaken cost
     containment measures to limit payments to health care facilities. Hospitals
     and health care facilities are subject to various legal claims by patients
     and others and are adversely affected by increasing costs of insurance;
 
        Airport, port, highway and transit authority revenue bonds which are
     dependent for payment on revenues from the financed projects, including
     user fees from ports and airports, tolls on turnpikes and bridges, rents
     from buildings, transit fare revenues and additional financial resources
     including federal and state subsidies, lease rentals paid by state or local
     governments or a pledge of a special tax such as a sales tax or a property
     tax. In the
 
                                       3
<PAGE>
     case of the air travel industry, airport income is largely affected by the
     airlines' ability to meet their obligations under use agreements which in
     turn is affected by increased competition among airlines, excess capacity
     and increased fuel costs, among other factors.
 
        Solid waste disposal bonds which are generally payable from dumping and
     user fees and from revenues that may be earned by the facility on the sale
     of electrical energy generated in the combustion of waste products and
     which are therefore dependent upon the ability of municipalities to fully
     utilize the facilities, sufficient supply of waste for disposal, economic
     or population growth, the level of construction and maintenance costs, the
     existence of lower-cost alternative modes of waste processing and
     increasing environmental regulation. A recent decision of the U.S. Supreme
     Court limiting a municipality's ability to require use of its facilities
     may have an adverse affect on the credit quality of various issues of these
     bonds;
 
        Special tax bonds which are not secured by general tax revenues but are
     only payable from and secured by the revenues derived by a municipality
     from a particular tax--for example, a tax on the rental of a hotel room, on
     the purchase of food and beverages, on the rental of automobiles or on the
     consumption of liquor and may therefore be adversely affected by a
     reduction in revenues resulting from a decline in the local economy or
     population or a decline in the consumption, use or cost of the goods and
     services that are subject to taxation;
 
        Student loan revenue bonds which are typically secured by pledges of new
     or existing student loans. The loans, in turn, are generally either
     guaranteed by eligible guarantors and reinsured by the Secretary of the
     U.S. Department of Education, directly insured by the federal government,
     or financed as part of supplemental or alternative loan programs within a
     state (e.g., loan repayments are not guaranteed). These bonds often permit
     the issuer to enter into interest rate swap agreements with eligible
     counterparties in which event the bonds are subject to the additional risk
     of the counterparty's ability to fulfill its swap obligation;
 
        University and college bonds, the payments on which are dependent upon
     various factors, including the size and diversity of their sources of
     revenues, enrollment, reputation, the availability of endowments and other
     funds and, in the case of public institutions, the financial condition of
     the relevant state or other governmental entity and its policies with
     respect to education; and
 
        Tax increment and tax allocation bonds, which are secured by ad valorem
     taxes imposed on the incremental increase of taxable assessed valuation of
     property within a jurisdiction above an established base of assessed value.
     The issuers of these bonds do not have general taxing authority and the tax
     assessments on which the taxes used to service the bonds are based may be
     subject to devaluation due to market price declines or governmental action.
 
     Puerto Rico. Certain Bonds may be affected by general economic conditions
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's economy is largely dependent
for its development on federal programs and current federal budgetary policies
suggest that an expansion of its programs is unlikely. Reductions in federal tax
benefits or incentives or curtailment of spending programs could adversely
affect the Puerto Rican economy.
 
     Industrial Development Revenue Bonds. Industrial development revenue bonds
are municipal obligations issued to finance various privately operated projects
including pollution control and manufacturing facilities. Payment is generally
solely dependent upon the creditworthiness of the corporate operator of the
project and, in certain cases, an affiliated or third party guarantor and may be
affected by economic factors relating to the particular industry as well as
varying degrees of governmental regulation. In many cases industrial revenue
bonds do not have the benefit of covenants which would prevent the corporations
from engaging in capital restructurings or borrowing transactions which could
reduce their ability to meet their obligations and result in a reduction in the
value of the Portfolio.
 
BONDS BACKED BY LETTERS OF CREDIT OR INSURANCE
 
     Certain Bonds may be secured by letters of credit issued by commercial
banks or savings banks, savings and loan associations and similar thrift
institutions or are direct obligations of banks or thrifts. The letter of credit
may be drawn upon, and the Bonds redeemed, if an issuer fails to pay amounts due
on the Bonds or, in certain cases, if the interest on the Bond becomes taxable.
Letters of credit are irrevocable obligations of the issuing institutions. The
profitability of a financial institution is largely dependent upon the credit
quality of its loan portfolio which, in turn, is affected by the institution's
underwriting criteria, concentrations within the portfolio and specific industry
and general economic conditions. The operating performance of financial
institutions is also impacted by changes in interest rates, the availability and
cost of funds, the intensity of competition and the degree of governmental
regulation.
 
     Certain Bonds may be insured or guaranteed by insurance companies listed
below. The claims-paying ability of each of these companies, unless otherwise
indicated, was rated AAA by Standard & Poor's or another nationally recognized
rating organization at the time the insured Bonds were purchased by the Fund.
The ratings are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the rating
agencies. In the event that the rating of an Insured Fund is reduced,
 
                                       4
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the Sponsors are authorized to direct the Trustee to obtain other insurance on
behalf of the Fund. The insurance policies guarantee the timely payment of
principal and interest on the Bonds but do not guarantee their market value or
the value of the Units. The insurance policies generally do not provide for
accelerated payments of principal or cover redemptions resulting from events of
taxability.
 
      The following summary information relating to the listed insurance
companies has been obtained from publicly available information:
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

                                                                                        FINANCIAL INFORMATION
                                                                                     AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
                                                                                     (IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS)
                                                                          -------------------------------------
                                                                                            POLICYHOLDERS'
                        NAME                           DATE ESTABLISHED   ADMITTED ASSETS          SURPLUS
- -----------------------------------------------------  -----------------  ---------------  --------------------
<S>                                                       <C>             <C>                  <C>
AMBAC Indemnity Corporation..........................           1970        $     2,150         $      779
Asset Guaranty Insurance Co. (AA by S&P).............           1988                152                 73
Capital Guaranty Insurance Company...................           1986                293                166
Capital Markets Assurance Corp.......................           1987                198                139
Connie Lee Insurance Company.........................           1987                193                106
Continental Casualty Company.........................           1948             19,220              3,309
Financial Guaranty Insurance Company.................           1984              2,092                872
Financial Security Assurance Inc.....................           1984                776                369
Firemen's Insurance Company of Newark, NJ                       1855              2,236                383
Industrial Indemnity Co. (HIBI)......................           1920              1,853                299
MBIA Insurance Corporation...........................           1986              3,314              1,083
</TABLE>

 
     Insurance companies are subject to extensive regulation and supervision
where they do business by state insurance commissioners who regulate the
standards of solvency which must be maintained, the nature of and limitations on
investments, reports of financial condition, and requirements regarding reserves
for unearned premiums, losses and other matters. A significant portion of the
assets of insurance companies are required by law to be held in reserve against
potential claims on policies and is not available to general creditors. Although
the federal government does not regulate the business of insurance, federal
initiatives including pension regulation, controls on medical care costs,
minimum standards for no-fault automobile insurance, national health insurance,
tax law changes affecting life insurance companies and repeal of the antitrust
exemption for the insurance business can significantly impact the insurance
business.
 
STATE RISK FACTORS
 
     Investment in a single State Trust, as opposed to a Fund which invests in
the obligations of several states, may involve some additional risk due to the
decreased diversification of economic, political, financial and market risks. A
brief description of the factors which may affect the financial condition of the
applicable State for any State Trust, together with a summary of tax
considerations relating to that State, appear in Part A (or for certain State
Trusts, Part C), of the Prospectus; further information is contained in the
Information Supplement.
 
LITIGATION AND LEGISLATION
 
     The Sponsors do not know of any pending litigation as of the initial date
of deposit which might reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect
upon the Fund. At any time after the initial date of deposit, litigation may be
initiated on a variety of grounds, or legislation may be enacted, affecting the
Bonds in the Fund. Litigation, for example, challenging the issuance of
pollution control revenue bonds under environmental protection statutes may
affect the validity of certain Bonds or the tax-free nature of their interest.
While the outcome of litigation of this nature can never be entirely predicted,
opinions of bond counsel are delivered on the date of issuance of each Bond to
the effect that it has been validly issued and that the interest thereon is
exempt from federal income tax. Also, certain proposals, in the form of state
legislative proposals or voter initiatives, seeking to limit real property taxes
have been introduced in various states, and an amendment to the constitution of
the State of California, providing for strict limitations on real property
taxes, has had a significant impact on the taxing powers of local governments
and on the financial condition of school districts and local governments in
California. In addition, other factors may arise from time to time which
potentially may impair the ability of issuers to make payments due on the Bonds.
Under the Federal Bankruptcy Code, for example, municipal bond issuers, as well
as any underlying corporate obligors or guarantors, may proceed to restructure
or otherwise alter the terms of their obligations.
 
     From time to time Congress considers proposals to prospectively and
retroactively tax the interest on state and local obligations, such as the
Bonds. The Supreme Court clarified in South Carolina v. Baker (decided on April
20, 1988) that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit Congress from passing a
nondiscriminatory tax on interest on state
 
                                       5
<PAGE>
and local obligations. This type of legislation, if enacted into law, could
require investors to pay income tax on interest from the Bonds and could
adversely affect an investment in Units. See Taxes.
 
PAYMENT OF THE BONDS AND LIFE OF THE FUND
 
     The size and composition of the Portfolio will change over time. Most of
the Bonds are subject to redemption prior to their stated maturity dates
pursuant to optional refunding or sinking fund redemption provisions or
otherwise. In general, optional refunding redemption provisions are more likely
to be exercised when the value of a Bond is at a premium over par than when it
is at a discount from par. Some Bonds may be subject to sinking fund and
extraordinary redemption provisions which may commence early in the life of the
Fund. Additionally, the size and composition of the Fund will be affected by the
level of redemptions of Units that may occur from time to time. Principally,
this will depend upon the number of investors seeking to sell or redeem their
Units and whether or not the Sponsors are able to sell the Units acquired by
them in the secondary market. As a result, Units offered in the secondary market
may not represent the same face amount of Bonds as on the initial date of
deposit. Factors that the Sponsors will consider in determining whether or not
to sell Units acquired in the secondary market include the diversity of the
Portfolio, the size of the Fund relative to its original size, the ratio of Fund
expenses to income, the Fund's current and long-term returns, the degree to
which Units may be selling at a premium over par and the cost of maintaining a
current prospectus for the Fund. These factors may also lead the Sponsors to
seek to terminate the Fund earlier than its mandatory termination date.
 
FUND TERMINATION
 
     The Fund will be terminated no later than the mandatory termination date
specified in Part A of the Prospectus. It will terminate earlier upon the
disposition of the last Bond or upon the consent of investors holding 51% of the
Units. The Fund may also be terminated earlier by the Sponsors once the total
assets of the Fund have fallen below the minimum value specified in Part A of
the Prospectus. A decision by the Sponsors to terminate the Fund early will be
based on factors similar to those considered by the Sponsors in determining
whether to continue the sale of Units in the secondary market.
 
     Notice of impending termination will be provided to investors and
thereafter units will no longer be redeemable. On or shortly before termination,
the Fund will seek to dispose of any Bonds remaining in the Portfolio although
any Bond unable to be sold at a reasonable price may continue to be held by the
Trustee in a liquidating trust pending its final disposition. A proportional
share of the expenses associated with termination, including brokerage costs in
disposing of Bonds, will be borne by investors remaining at that time. This may
have the effect of reducing the amount of proceeds those investors are to
receive in any final distribution.
 
LIQUIDITY
 
     Up to 40% of the value of the Portfolio may be attributable to guarantees
or similar security provided by corporate entities. These guarantees or other
security may constitute restricted securities that cannot be sold publicly by
the Trustee without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The Sponsors nevertheless believe that, should a sale of the Bonds guaranteed or
secured be necessary in order to meet redemption of Units, the Trustee should be
able to consummate a sale with institutional investors.
 
     The principal trading market for the Bonds will generally be in the
over-the-counter market and the existence of a liquid trading market for the
Bonds may depend on whether dealers will make a market in them. There can be no
assurance that a liquid trading market will exist for any of the Bonds,
especially since the Fund may be restricted under the Investment Company Act of
1940 from selling Bonds to any Sponsor. The value of the Portfolio will be
adversely affected if trading markets for the Bonds are limited or absent.
 
HOW TO BUY UNITS
 
     Units are available from any of the Sponsors, Underwriters and other
broker-dealers at the Public Offering Price plus accrued interest on the Units.
The Public Offering Price varies each Business Day with changes in the value of
the Portfolio and other assets and liabilities of the Fund.
 
PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE--DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL SERIES
 
     To allow Units to be priced at $1,000, the Units outstanding as of the
Evaluation Time on the Initial Date of Deposit (all of which are held by the
Sponsors) will be split (or split in reverse).
 
     During the initial offering period for at least the first three months of
the Fund, the Public Offering Price (and the Initial Repurchase Price) is based
on the higher, offer side evaluation of the Bonds at the next Evaluation Time
after the order is received. In the secondary market (after the initial offering
period), the Public Offering Price (and the Sponsors' Repurchase Price and the
Redemption Price) is based on the lower, bid side evaluation of the Bonds.
 
                                       6
<PAGE>
     Investors will be subject to differing types and amounts of sales charge
depending upon the timing of their purchases and redemptions of Units. A
periodic deferred sales charge will be payable quarterly through about the fifth
anniversary of the Fund from a portion of the interest on and principal of Bonds
reserved for that purpose. Commencing on the first anniversary of the Fund, the
Public Offering Price will also include an up-front sales charge applied to the
value of the Bonds in the Portfolio. Lastly, investors redeeming their Units
prior to the fourth anniversary of the Fund will be charged a contingent
deferred sales charge payable out of the redemption proceeds of their Units.
These charges may be less than you would pay to buy and hold a comparable
managed fund. A complete schedule of sales charges appears in Appendix B. The
Sponsors have received an opinion of their counsel that the deferred sales
charge described in this Prospectus is consistent with an exemptive order
received from the SEC.
 
     Because accrued interest on the Bonds is not received by the Fund at a
constant rate throughout the year, any Monthly Income Distribution may be more
or less than the interest actually received by the Fund. To eliminate
fluctuations in the Monthly Income Distribution, a portion of the Public
Offering Price consists of cash to enable the Trustee to advance an amount
necessary to provide approximately equal distributions. Upon the sale or
redemption of Units, investors will receive their proportionate share of the
Trustee advance. In addition, if a Bond is sold, redeemed or otherwise disposed
of, the Fund will periodically distribute the portion of the Trustee advance
that is attributable to the Bond to investors.
 
     The regular Monthly Income Distribution is stated in Part A of the
Prospectus and will change as the composition of the Portfolio changes over
time.
 
PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE--MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
 
     In the initial offering period, the Public Offering Price is based on the
next offer side evaluation of the Bonds, and includes a sales charge based on
the number of Units of a single Fund or Trust purchased on the same or any
preceding day by a single purchaser. See Initial Offering sales charge schedule
in Appendix C. The purchaser or his dealer must notify the Sponsors at the time
of purchase of any previous purchase to be aggregated and supply sufficient
information to permit confirmation of eligibility; acceptance of the purchase
order is subject to confirmation. Purchases of Fund Units may not be aggregated
with purchases of any other unit trust. This procedure may be amended or
terminated at any time without notice.
 
     In the secondary market (after the initial offering period), the Public
Offering Price is based on the bid side evaluation of the Bonds, and includes a
sales charge based (a) on the number of Units of the Fund and any other Series
of Municipal Investment Trust Fund purchased in the secondary market on the same
day by a single purchaser (see Secondary Market sales charge schedule in
Appendix C) and (b) the maturities of the underlying Bonds (see Effective Sales
Charge Schedule in Appendix C). To qualify for a reduced sales charge, the
dealer must confirm that the sale is to a single purchaser or is purchased for
its own account and not for distribution. For these purposes, Units held in the
name of the purchaser's spouse or child under 21 years of age are deemed to be
purchased by a single purchaser. A trustee or other fiduciary purchasing
securities for a single trust estate or single fiduciary account is also
considered a single purchaser.
 
     In the secondary market, the Public Offering Price is further reduced
depending on the maturities of the various Bonds in the Portfolio, by
determining a sales charge percentage for each Bond, as stated in Effective
Sales Charge in Appendix C. The sales charges so determined, multiplied by the
bid side evaluation of the Bonds, are aggregated and the total divided by the
number of Units outstanding to determine the Effective Sales Charge. On any
purchase, the Effective Sales Charge is multiplied by the applicable secondary
market sales charge percentage (depending on the number of Units purchased) in
order to determine the sales charge component of the Public Offering Price.
 
                                     * * *
 
     Employees of certain Sponsors and Sponsor affiliates and non-employee
directors of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. may purchase Units at any time at prices
including a sales charge of not less than $5 per Unit.
 
     Net accrued interest is added to the Public Offering Price, the Sponsors'
Repurchase Price and the Redemption Price per Unit. This represents the interest
accrued on the Bonds, net of Fund expenses, from the initial date of deposit to,
but not including, the settlement date for Units (less any prior distributions
of interest income to investors). Bonds deposited also carry accrued but unpaid
interest up to the initial date of deposit. To avoid having investors pay this
additional accrued interest (which earns no return) when they purchase Units,
the Trustee advances and distributes this amount to the Sponsors; it recovers
this advance from interest received on the Bonds. Because of varying interest
payment dates on the Bonds, accrued interest at any time will exceed the
interest actually received by the Fund.
 
                                       7
<PAGE>
EVALUATIONS
 
     Evaluations are determined by the independent Evaluator on each Business
Day. This excludes Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays as observed by
the New York Stock Exchange: New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday,
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bond
evaluations are based on closing sales prices (unless the Evaluator deems these
prices inappropriate). If closing sales prices are not available, the evaluation
is generally determined on the basis of current bid or offer prices for the
Bonds or comparable securities or by appraisal or by any combination of these
methods. In the past, the bid prices of publicly offered tax-exempt issues have
been lower than the offer prices by as much as 3 1/2% or more of face amount in
the case of inactively traded issues and as little as  1/2 of 1% in the case of
actively traded issues, but the difference between the offer and bid prices has
averaged between 1 and 2% of face amount. Neither the Sponsors, the Trustee or
the Evaluator will be liable for errors in the Evaluator's judgment. The fees of
the Evaluator will be borne by the Fund.
 
CERTIFICATES
 
     Certificates for Units are issued upon request and may be transferred by
paying any taxes or governmental charges and by complying with the requirements
for redeeming Certificates (see How To Sell Units--Trustee's Redemption of
Units). Certain Sponsors collect additional charges for registering and shipping
Certificates to purchasers. Lost or mutilated Certificates can be replaced upon
delivery of satisfactory indemnity and payment of costs.
 
HOW TO SELL UNITS
 
SPONSORS' MARKET FOR UNITS
 
     You can sell your Units at any time without a fee. The Sponsors (although
not obligated to do so) will normally buy any Units offered for sale at the
repurchase price next computed after receipt of the order. The Sponsors have
maintained secondary markets in Defined Asset Funds for over 20 years. Primarily
because of the sales charge and fluctuations in the market value of the Bonds,
the sale price may be less than the cost of your Units. You should consult your
financial professional for current market prices to determine if other
broker-dealers or banks are offering higher prices for Units.
 
     The Sponsors may discontinue this market without prior notice if the supply
of Units exceeds demand or for other business reasons; in that event, the
Sponsors may still purchase Units at the redemption price as a service to
investors. The Sponsors may reoffer or redeem Units repurchased.
 
TRUSTEE'S REDEMPTION OF UNITS
 
     You may redeem your Units by sending the Trustee a redemption request
together with any certificates you hold. Certificates must be properly endorsed
or accompanied by a written transfer instrument with signatures guaranteed by an
eligible institution. In certain instances, additional documents may be required
such as a certificate of death, trust instrument, certificate of corporate
authority or appointment as executor, administrator or guardian. If the Sponsors
are maintaining a market for Units, they will purchase any Units tendered at the
repurchase price described above. While Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series
have a declining deferred sales charge payable on redemption (see Appendix B),
Municipal Investment Trust Fund has no back-end load or 12b-1 fees, so there is
never a fee for cashing in your investment (see Appendix C). If they do not
purchase Units tendered, the Trustee is authorized in its discretion to sell
Units in the over-the-counter market if it believes it will obtain a higher net
price for the redeeming investor.
 
     By the seventh calendar day after tender you will be mailed an amount equal
to the Redemption Price per Unit. Because of market movements or changes in the
Portfolio, this price may be more or less than the cost of your Units. The
Redemption Price per Unit is computed each Business Day by adding the value of
the Bonds, net accrued interest, cash and the value of any other Fund assets;
deducting unpaid taxes or other governmental charges, accrued but unpaid Fund
expenses, unreimbursed Trustee advances, cash held to redeem Units or for
distribution to investors and the value of any other Fund liabilities; and
dividing the result by the number of outstanding Units.
 
     For Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, Bonds are evaluated on the offer
side during the initial offering period and for at least the first three months
of the Fund (even in the secondary market) and on the bid side thereafter. For
Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Bonds are evaluated on the offer side during
the initial offering period and on the bid side thereafter.
 
     If cash is not available in the Fund's Income and Capital Accounts to pay
redemptions, the Trustee may sell Bonds selected by the Agent for the Sponsors
based on market and credit factors determined to be in the best interest of the
Fund. These sales are often made at times when the Bonds would not otherwise be
sold and may result in lower prices than might be realized otherwise and will
also reduce the size and diversity of the Fund.
 
                                       8
<PAGE>
     Redemptions may be suspended or payment postponed if the New York Stock
Exchange is closed other than for customary weekend and holiday closings, if the
SEC determines that trading on that Exchange is restricted or that an emergency
exists making disposal or evaluation of the Bonds not reasonably practicable, or
for any other period permitted by the SEC.
 
INCOME, DISTRIBUTIONS AND REINVESTMENT
 
INCOME
 
     Some of the Bonds may have been purchased on a when-issued basis or may
have a delayed delivery. Since interest on these Bonds does not begin to accrue
until the date of their delivery to the Fund, the Trustee's annual fee and
expenses may be reduced to provide tax-exempt income to investors for this
non-accrual period. If a when-issued Bond is not delivered until later than
expected and the amount of the Trustee's annual fee and expenses is insufficient
to cover the additional accrued interest, the Sponsors will treat the contracts
as failed Bonds. The Trustee is compensated for its fee reduction by drawing on
the letter of credit deposited by the Sponsors before the settlement date for
these Bonds and depositing the proceeds in a non-interest bearing account for
the Fund.
 
     Interest received is credited to an Income Account and other receipts to a
Capital Account. A Reserve Account may be created by withdrawing from the Income
and Capital Accounts amounts considered appropriate by the Trustee to reserve
for any material amount that may be payable out of the Fund.
 
DISTRIBUTIONS
 
     Each Unit receives an equal share of monthly distributions of interest
income net of estimated expenses. Interest on the Bonds is generally received by
the Fund on a semi-annual or annual basis. Because interest on the Bonds is not
received at a constant rate throughout the year, any Monthly Income Distribution
may be more or less than the interest actually received. To eliminate
fluctuations in the Monthly Income Distribution, the Trustee will advance
amounts necessary to provide approximately equal interest distributions; it will
be reimbursed, without interest, from interest received on the Bonds, but the
Trustee is compensated, in part, by holding the Fund's cash balances in
non-interest bearing accounts. Along with the Monthly Income Distributions, the
Trustee will distribute the investor's pro rata share of principal received from
any disposition of a Bond to the extent available for distribution. In addition,
for Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, distributions of amounts necessary to
pay the deferred portion of the sales charge will be made from the Capital and
Income Accounts to an account maintained by the Trustee for purposes of
satisfying investors' sales charge obligations.
 
     The initial estimated annual income per Unit, after deducting estimated
annual Fund expenses (and, for Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, the portion
of the deferred sales charge payable from interest income) as stated in Part A
of the Prospectus, will change as Bonds mature, are called or sold or otherwise
disposed of, as replacement bonds are deposited and as Fund expenses change.
Because the Portfolio is not actively managed, income distributions will
generally not be affected by changes in interest rates. Depending on the
financial conditions of the issuers of the Bonds, the amount of income should be
substantially maintained as long as the Portfolio remains unchanged; however,
optional bond redemptions or other Portfolio changes may occur more frequently
when interest rates decline, which would result in early returns of principal
and possibly earlier termination of the Fund.
 
REINVESTMENT
 
     Distributions will be paid in cash unless the investor elects to have
distributions reinvested without sales charge in the Municipal Fund Accumulation
Program, Inc. The Program is an open-end management investment company whose
investment objective is to obtain income exempt from regular federal income
taxes by investing in a diversified portfolio of state, municipal and public
authority bonds rated A or better or with comparable credit characteristics.
Reinvesting compounds earnings free from federal tax. Investors participating in
the Program will be subject to state and local income taxes to the same extent
as if the distributions had been received in cash, and most of the income on the
Program is subject to state and local income taxes. For more complete
information about the Program, including charges and expenses, request the
Program's prospectus from the Trustee. Read it carefully before you decide to
participate. Written notice of election to participate must be received by the
Trustee at least ten days before the Record Day for the first distribution to
which the election is to apply.
 
FUND EXPENSES
 
     Estimated annual Fund expenses are listed in Part A of the Prospectus; if
actual expenses exceed the estimate, the excess will be borne by the Fund. The
Trustee's annual fee is payable in monthly installments. The Trustee also
benefits when it holds cash for the Fund in non-interest bearing accounts.
Possible additional charges include Trustee fees and expenses for extraordinary
services, costs of indemnifying the Trustee and the Sponsors, costs of action
taken to protect the Fund and other legal fees and expenses, Fund termination
expenses and any governmental charges. The
 
                                       9
<PAGE>
Trustee has a lien on Fund assets to secure reimbursement of these amounts and
may sell Bonds for this purpose if cash is not available. The Sponsors receive
an annual fee of a maximum of $0.35 per $1,000 face amount to reimburse them for
the cost of providing Portfolio supervisory services to the Fund. While the fee
may exceed their costs of providing these services to the Fund, the total
supervision fees from all Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series will not exceed
their costs for these services to all of those Series during any calendar year;
and the total supervision fees from all Series of Municipal Investment Trust
Fund will not exceed their costs for these services to all of those Series
during any calendar year. The Sponsors may also be reimbursed for their costs of
providing bookkeeping and administrative services to the Fund, currently
estimated at $0.10 per Unit. The Trustee's, Sponsors' and Evaluator's fees may
be adjusted for inflation without investors' approval.
 
     All expenses in establishing the Fund will be paid from the Underwriting
Account at no charge to the Fund. Sales charges on Defined Asset Funds range
from under 1.0% to 5.5%. This may be less than you might pay to buy and hold a
comparable managed fund. Defined Asset Funds can be a cost-effective way to
purchase and hold investments. Annual operating expenses are generally lower
than for managed funds. Because Defined Asset Funds have no management fees,
limited transaction costs and no ongoing marketing expenses, operating expenses
are generally less than 0.25% a year. When compounded annually, small
differences in expense ratios can make a big difference in your investment
results.
 
TAXES
 
     The following discussion addresses only the U.S. federal and certain New
York State and City income tax consequences under current law of Units held as
capital assets and does not address the tax consequences of Units held by
dealers, financial institutions or insurance companies or other investors with
special circumstances.
 
     In the opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, special counsel for the Sponsors,
under existing law:
 
        The Fund is not an association taxable as a corporation for federal
     income tax purposes. Each investor will be considered the owner of a pro
     rata portion of each Bond in the Fund under the grantor trust rules of
     Sections 671-679 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
     'Internal Revenue Code'). Each investor will be considered to have received
     the interest and accrued the original issue discount, if any, on his pro
     rata portion of each Bond when interest on the Bond is received or original
     issue discount is accrued by the Fund. The investor's basis in his Units
     will be equal to the cost of his Units, including any up-front sales
     charge.
 
        When an investor pays for accrued interest, the investor's confirmation
     of purchase will report to him the amount of accrued interest for which he
     paid. These investors will receive the accrued interest amount as part of
     their first monthly distribution. Accordingly, these investors should
     reduce their tax basis by the accrued interest amount after the first
     monthly distribution.
 
        An investor will recognize taxable gain or loss when all or part of his
     pro rata portion of a Bond is disposed of by the Fund. An investor will
     also be considered to have disposed of all or a portion of his pro rata
     portion of each Bond when he sells or redeems all or some of his Units. An
     investor who is treated as having acquired his pro rata portion of a Bond
     at a premium will be required to amortize the premium over the term of the
     Bond. The amortization is only a reduction of basis for the investor's pro
     rata portion of the Bond and does not result in any deduction against the
     investor's income. Therefore, under some circumstances, an investor may
     recognize taxable gain when his pro rata portion of a Bond is disposed of
     for an amount equal to or less than his original tax basis therefor.
 
        Under Section 265 of the Internal Revenue Code, a non-corporate investor
     is not entitled to a deduction for his pro rata share of fees and expenses
     of the Fund, because the fees and expenses are incurred in connection with
     the production of tax-exempt income. Further, if borrowed funds are used by
     an investor to purchase or carry Units of the Fund, interest on this
     indebtedness will not be deductible for federal income tax purposes. In
     addition, under rules used by the Internal Revenue Service, the purchase of
     Units may be considered to have been made with borrowed funds even though
     the borrowed funds are not directly traceable to the purchase of Units.
 
        Under the income tax laws of the State and City of New York, the Fund is
     not an association taxable as a corporation and income received by the Fund
     will be treated as the income of the investors in the same manner as for
     federal income tax purposes, but will not necessarily be tax-exempt.
 
        The foregoing discussion relates only to U.S. federal and certain
     aspects of New York State and City income taxes. Depending on their state
     of residence, investors may be subject to state and local taxation and
     should consult their own tax advisers in this regard.
 
                                    *  *  *
 
                                       10
<PAGE>
     In the opinion of bond counsel rendered on the date of issuance of each
Bond, the interest on each Bond is excludable from gross income under existing
law for regular federal income tax purposes (except in certain circumstances
depending on the investor) but may be subject to state and local taxes, and
interest on some or all of the Bonds may become subject to regular federal
income tax, perhaps retroactively to their date of issuance, as a result of
changes in federal law or as a result of the failure of issuers (or other users
of the proceeds of the Bonds) to comply with certain ongoing requirements. If
the interest on a Bond should be determined to be taxable, the Bond would
generally have to be sold at a substantial discount. In addition, investors
could be required to pay income tax on interest received prior to the date on
which the interest is determined to be taxable.
 
     Neither the Sponsors nor Davis Polk & Wardwell have made or will make any
review of the proceedings relating to the issuance of the Bonds or the basis for
these opinions and there can be no assurance that the issuer (and other users)
will comply with any ongoing requirements necessary for a Bond to maintain its
tax-exempt character.
 
RECORDS AND REPORTS
 
     The Trustee keeps a register of the names, addresses and holdings of all
investors. The Trustee also keeps records of the transactions of the Fund,
including a current list of the Bonds and a copy of the Indenture, and
supplemental information on the operations of the Fund and the risks associated
with the Bonds held by the Fund, which may be inspected by investors at
reasonable times during business hours.
 
     With each distribution, the Trustee includes a statement of the interest
and any other receipts being distributed. Within five days after deposit of
Bonds in exchange or substitution for Bonds (or contracts) previously deposited,
the Trustee will send a notice to each investor, identifying both the Bonds
removed and the replacement bonds deposited. The Trustee sends each investor of
record an annual report summarizing transactions in the Fund's accounts and
amounts distributed during the year and Bonds held, the number of Units
outstanding and the Redemption Price at year end, the interest received by the
Fund on the Bonds, the gross proceeds received by the Fund from the disposition
of any Bond (resulting from redemption or payment at maturity or sale of any
Bond), and the fees and expenses paid by the Fund, among other matters. The
Trustee will also furnish annual information returns to each investor and to the
Internal Revenue Service. Investors are required to report to the Internal
Revenue Service the amount of tax-exempt interest received during the year.
Investors may obtain copies of Bond evaluations from the Trustee to enable them
to comply with federal and state tax reporting requirements. Fund accounts are
audited annually by independent accountants selected by the Sponsors. Audited
financial statements are available from the Trustee on request.
 
TRUST INDENTURE
 
     The Fund is a 'unit investment trust' created under New York law by a Trust
Indenture among the Sponsors, the Trustee and the Evaluator. This Prospectus
summarizes various provisions of the Indenture, but each statement is qualified
in its entirety by reference to the Indenture.
 
     The Indenture may be amended by the Sponsors and the Trustee without
consent by investors to cure ambiguities or to correct or supplement any
defective or inconsistent provision, to make any amendment required by the SEC
or other governmental agency or to make any other change not materially adverse
to the interest of investors (as determined in good faith by the Sponsors). The
Indenture may also generally be amended upon consent of investors holding 51% of
the Units. No amendment may reduce the interest of any investor in the Fund
without the investor's consent or reduce the percentage of Units required to
consent to any amendment without unanimous consent of investors. Investors will
be notified on the substance of any amendment.
 
     The Trustee may resign upon notice to the Sponsors. It may be removed by
investors holding 51% of the Units at any time or by the Sponsors without the
consent of investors if it becomes incapable of acting or bankrupt, its affairs
are taken over by public authorities, or if under certain conditions the
Sponsors determine in good faith that its replacement is in the best interest of
the investors. The Evaluator may resign or be removed by the Sponsors and the
Trustee without the investors' consent. The resignation or removal of either
becomes effective upon acceptance of appointment by a successor; in this case,
the Sponsors will use their best efforts to appoint a successor promptly;
however, if upon resignation no successor has accepted appointment within 30
days after notification, the resigning Trustee or Evaluator may apply to a court
of competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor.
 
     Any Sponsor may resign so long as one Sponsor with a net worth of
$2,000,000 remains and is agreeable to the resignation. A new Sponsor may be
appointed by the remaining Sponsors and the Trustee to assume the duties of the
resigning Sponsor. If there is only one Sponsor and it fails to perform its
duties or becomes incapable of acting or bankrupt or its affairs are taken over
by public authorities, the Trustee may appoint a successor Sponsor at reasonable
rates of compensation, terminate the Indenture and liquidate the Fund or
continue to act as Trustee without a Sponsor. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &
Smith Incorporated has been appointed as Agent for the Sponsors by the other
Sponsors.
 
     The Sponsors, the Trustee and the Evaluator are not liable to investors or
any other party for any act or omission in the conduct of their responsibilities
absent bad faith, willful misfeasance, negligence (gross negligence in the case
of
 
                                       11
<PAGE>
a Sponsor or the Evaluator) or reckless disregard of duty. The Indenture
contains customary provisions limiting the liability of the Trustee.
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
LEGAL OPINION
 
     The legality of the Units has been passed upon by Davis Polk & Wardwell,
450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, as special counsel for the
Sponsors.
 
AUDITORS
 
     The Statement of Condition on the back cover of the Prospectus was audited
by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent accountants, as stated in their opinion.
It is included in reliance upon that opinion given on the authority of that firm
as experts in accounting and auditing.
 
TRUSTEE
 
     The Trustee and its address are stated on the back cover of the Prospectus.
The Trustee is subject to supervision by the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and either the
Comptroller of the Currency or state banking authorities.
 
SPONSORS
 
     The Sponsors are listed on the back cover of the Prospectus. They may
include Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Merrill Lynch Co. Inc.; Smith Barney Inc., an indirect wholly-
owned subsidiary of The Travelers Inc.; Prudential Securities Incorporated, an
indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Prudential Insurance Company of America;
Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc., a principal operating subsidiary of Dean Witter
Discover & Co. and PaineWebber Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
PaineWebber Group Inc. Each Sponsor, or one of its predecessor corporations, has
acted as Sponsor of a number of series of unit investment trusts. Each Sponsor
has acted as principal underwriter and managing underwriter of other investment
companies. The Sponsors, in addition to participating as members of various
selling groups or as agents of other investment companies, execute orders on
behalf of investment companies for the purchase and sale of securities of these
companies and sell securities to these companies in their capacities as brokers
or dealers in securities.
 
PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
 
     In the initial offering period Units will be distributed to the public
through the Underwriting Account and dealers who are members of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. The initial offering period is 30 days
or less if all Units are sold. If some Units initially offered have not been
sold, the Sponsors may extend the initial offering period for up to four
additional successive 30-day periods.
 
     The Sponsors intend to qualify Units for sale in all states in which
qualification is deemed necessary through the Underwriting Account and by
dealers who are members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.;
however, Units of a State trust will be offered for sale only in the State for
which the trust is named, except that Units of a New Jersey trust will also be
offered in Connecticut, Units of a Florida trust will also be offered in New
York and Units of a New York trust will also be offered in Connecticut, Florida
and Puerto Rico. The Sponsors do not intend to qualify Units for sale in any
foreign countries and this Prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell Units
in any country where Units cannot lawfully be sold. Sales to dealers and to
introducing dealers, if any, will initially be made at prices which represent a
concession from the Public Offering Price, but the Agent for the Sponsors
reserves the right to change the rate of any concession from time to time. Any
dealer or introducing dealer may reallow a concession up to the concession to
dealers.
 
UNDERWRITERS' AND SPONSORS' PROFITS
 
     Upon sale of the Units, the Underwriters will be entitled to receive sales
charges. The Sponsors also realize a profit or loss on deposit of the Bonds
equal to the difference between the cost of the Bonds to the Fund (based on the
offer side evaluation on the initial date of deposit) and the Sponsors' cost of
the Bonds. In addition, a Sponsor or Underwriter may realize profits or sustain
losses on Bonds it deposits in the Fund which were acquired from underwriting
syndicates of which it was a member. During the initial offering period, the
Underwriting Account also may realize profits or sustain losses as a result of
fluctuations after the initial date of deposit in the Public Offering Price of
the Units. In maintaining a secondary market for Units, the Sponsors will also
realize profits or sustain losses in the amount of any difference between the
prices at which they buy Units and the prices at which they resell these Units
(which include the sales charge) or the prices at which they redeem the Units.
Cash, if any, made available by buyers of Units to the Sponsors prior to a
settlement date for the purchase of Units may be used in the Sponsors'
businesses to the extent permitted by Rule 15c3-3 under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and may be of benefit to the Sponsors.
 
                                       12
<PAGE>
FUND PERFORMANCE
 
     Information on the performance of the Fund for various periods, on the
basis of changes in Unit price plus the amount of income and principal
distributions reinvested, may be included from time to time in advertisements,
sales literature, reports and other information furnished to current or
prospective investors. Total return figures are not averaged, and may not
reflect deduction of the sales charge, which would decrease the return. Average
annualized return figures reflect deduction of the maximum sales charge. No
provision is made for any income taxes payable.
 
      Past performance may not be indicative of future results. The Fund is not
actively managed. Unit price and return fluctuate with the value of the Bonds in
the Portfolio, so there may be a gain or loss when Units are sold.
 
      Fund performance may be compared to performance on the same basis (with
distributions reinvested) of Moody's Municipal Bond Averages or performance data
from publications such as Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., Morningstar
Publications, Inc., Money Magazine, The New York Times, U.S. News and World
Report, Barron's Business Week, CDA Investment Technology, Inc., Forbes Magazine
or Fortune Magazine. As with other performance data, performance comparisons
should not be considered representative of the Fund's relative performance for
any future period.
 
DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
 
     Municipal Investment Trust Funds have provided investors with tax-free
income for more than 30 years. For decades informed investors have purchased
unit investment trusts for dependability and professional selection of
investments. Defined Asset Funds' philosophy is to allow investors to 'buy with
knowledge' (because, unlike managed funds, the portfolio of municipal bonds and
the return are relatively fixed) and 'hold with confidence' (because the
portfolio is professionally selected and regularly reviewed). Defined Asset
Funds offers an array of simple and convenient investment choices, suited to fit
a wide variety of personal financial goals--a buy and hold strategy for capital
accumulation, such as for children's education or retirement, or attractive,
regular current income consistent with the preservation of principal. Tax-exempt
income can help investors keep more today for a more secure financial future. It
can also be important in planning because tax brackets may increase with higher
earnings or changes in tax laws. Unit investment trusts are particularly suited
for the many investors who prefer to seek long-term income by purchasing sound
investments and holding them, rather than through active trading. Few
individuals have the knowledge, resources or capital to buy and hold a
diversified portfolio on their own; it would generally take a considerable sum
of money to obtain the breadth and diversity that Defined Asset Funds offer.
One's investment objectives may call for a combination of Defined Asset Funds.
 
     One of the most important investment decisions you face may be how to
allocate your investments among asset classes. Diversification among different
kinds of investments can balance the risks and rewards of each one. Most
investment experts recommend stocks for long-term capital growth. Long-term
corporate bonds offer relatively high rates of interest income. By purchasing
both defined equity and defined bond funds, investors can receive attractive
current income, as well as growth potential, offering some protection against
inflation. From time to time various advertisements, sales literature, reports
and other information furnished to current or prospective investors may present
the average annual compounded rate of return of selected asset classes over
various periods of time, compared to the rate of inflation over the same
periods.
 
EXCHANGE OPTION--MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND ONLY.
 
     You may exchange Fund Units for units of certain other Defined Asset Funds
subject only to a reduced sales charge. You may exchange your units of any
Select Ten Portfolio, of any other Defined Asset Fund with a regular maximum
sales charge of at least 3.50%, or of any unaffiliated unit trust with a regular
maximum sales charge of at least 3.0%, for Units of this Fund at their relative
net asset values, subject only to a reduced sales charge, or to any remaining
Deferred Sales Charge, as applicable.
 
     To make an exchange, you should contact your financial professional to find
out what suitable Exchange Funds are available and to obtain a prospectus. You
may acquire units of only those Exchange Funds in which the Sponsors are
maintaining a secondary market and which are lawfully for sale in the state
where you reside. Except for the reduced sales charge, an exchange is a taxable
event normally requiring recognition of any gain or loss on the units exchanged.
However, the Internal Revenue Service may seek to disallow a loss if the
portfolio of the units acquired is not materially different from the portfolio
of the units exchanged; you should consult your own tax advisor. If the proceeds
of units exchanged are insufficient to acquire a whole number of Exchange Fund
units, you may pay the difference in cash (not exceeding the price of a single
unit acquired).
 
     As the Sponsors are not obligated to maintain a secondary market in any
series, there can be no assurance that units of a desired series will be
available for exchange. The Exchange Option may be amended or terminated at any
time without notice.
 
                                       13
<PAGE>
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
 
     Upon written or telephonic request to the Trustee shown on the back cover
of this Prospectus, investors will receive at no cost to the investor
supplemental information about the Fund, which has been filed with the SEC and
is hereby incorporated by reference. The supplemental information includes more
detailed risk factor disclosure about the types of Bonds that may be part of the
Fund's Portfolio, general risk disclosure concerning any letters of credit or
insurance securing certain Bonds, and general information about the structure
and operation of the Fund.
 
                                       14
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX A
 
DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS (AS DESCRIBED BY THE RATING COMPANIES THEMSELVES)
 
STANDARD & POOR'S RATINGS GROUP, A DIVISION OF MCGRAW-HILL, INC.
 
     AAA--Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's.
Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong.
 
     AA--Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay
principal and differs from the highest rated issues only in small degree.
 
     A--Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal
although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.
 
     BBB--Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection
parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for
debt in this category than in higher rated categories.
 
     BB, B, CCC, CC--Debt rated BB, B, CCC and CC is regarded, on balance, as
predominately speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay
principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the
lowest degree of speculation and CC the highest degree of speculation. While
such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these
are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse
conditions.
 
     The ratings may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show
relative standing within the major rating categories.
 
     A provisional rating, indicated by 'p' following a rating, assumes the
successful completion of the project being financed by the issuance of the debt
being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely
or entirely dependent upon the successful and timely completion of the project.
This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion
of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of, or the risk of default
upon failure of, such completion.
 
     NR--Indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient
information on which to base a rating or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a
particular type of obligation as a matter of policy.
 
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
 
     Aaa--Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be the best quality. They
carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
'gilt edge'. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally
stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are
likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair
the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
 
     Aa--Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all
standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as
high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of
protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective
elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present
which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.
 
     A--Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and
are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security
to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present
which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
 
     Baa--Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations,
i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments
and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective
elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great
length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in
fact have speculative characteristics as well.
 
     Ba--Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their
future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest
and principal payments may be very moderate, and thereby not well safeguarded
during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position
characterizes bonds in this class.
 
     B--Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of
other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
 
                                      a-1
<PAGE>
     Rating symbols may include numerical modifiers 1, 2 or 3. The numerical
modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks at the high end, 2 in the
mid-range, and 3 nearer the low end, of the generic category. These modifiers of
rating symbols give investors a more precise indication of relative debt quality
in each of the historically defined categories.
 
     Conditional ratings, indicated by 'Con.', are sometimes given when the
security for the bond depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment
of some condition. Such bonds are given a conditional rating that denotes their
probable credit stature upon completion of that act or fulfillment of that
condition.
 
     NR--Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the following:
(a) an application for rating was not received or accepted; (b) the issue or
issuer belongs to a group of securities that are not rated as a matter of
policy; (c) there is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue or issuer
or (d) the issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not published
in Moody's publications.
 
FITCH INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
 
     AAA--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of the highest
quality. The obligor has an extraordinary ability to pay interest and repay
principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.
 
     AA--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of high quality.
The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal, while very strong, is
somewhat less than for AAA rated securities or more subject to possible change
over the term of the issue.
 
     A--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of good quality.
The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be
strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and
circumstances than bonds with higher ratings.
 
     BBB--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory
quality. The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered
to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances,
however are more likely to weaken this ability than bonds with higher ratings.
 
     A '+' or a '-' sign after a rating symbol indicates relative standing in
its rating.
 
DUFF & PHELPS CREDIT RATING CO.
 
     AAA--Highest credit quality. The risk factors are negligible, being only
slightly more than for risk-free U.S. Treasury debt.
 
     AA--High credit quality. Protection factors are strong. Risk is modest but
may vary slightly from time to time because of economic condtions.
 
     A--Protection factors are average but adequate. However, risk factors are
more variable and greater in periods of economic stress.
 
     A '+' or a '-' sign after a rating symbol indicates relative standing in
its rating.
 
                                      a-2
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX B
        SALES CHARGE SCHEDULES FOR DEFINED ASSET FUNDS, MUNICIPAL SERIES
 
     DEFERRED AND UP-FRONT SALES CHARGES. Units purchased during the first year
of the Fund will be subject to periodic deferred and contingent deferred sales
charges. Units purchased in the second through fifth year will be subject to an
up-front sales charge as well as periodic deferred and contingent deferred sales
charges. Units purchased thereafter will be subject only to an up-front sales
charge. During the first five years of the Fund, a fixed periodic deferred sales
charge of $2.75 per Unit is payable on 20 quarterly payment dates occurring on
the 10th day of February, May, August and November, commencing no earlier than
45 days after the initial date of deposit. Investors purchasing Units on the
initial date of deposit and holding for at least five years, for example, would
incur total periodic deferred sales charges of $55.00 per Unit. Because of the
time value of money, however, as of the initial date of deposit this periodic
deferred sales charge obligation would, at current interest rates, equate to an
up-front sales charge of approximately 4.75%.
 
     On the Fund's initial offering date, the Public Offering Price per Unit
will be $1,000. Subsequently, the Public Offering Price per Unit will fluctuate.
As the periodic deferred sales charge is a fixed dollar amount irrespective of
the Public Offering Price, it will represent a varying percentage of the Public
Offering Price. An up-front sales charge will be imposed on all unit purchases
after the first year of the Fund. The following table illustrates the combined
maximum up-front and periodic deferred sales charges that would be incurred by
an investor who purchases Units at the beginning of each of the first five years
of the Fund (based on a constant Unit price) and holds them through the fifth
year of the Fund:
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

                                                                                                        TOTAL
                                                                                                     UP-FRONT AND
                                                   UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE            MAXIMUM            PERIODIC
                                                                                      AMOUNT      DEFERRED SALES
                                                                                DEFERRED PER             CHARGES
                                                                                $1,000 INVESTED  PER $1,000 INVESTED
                   -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------  --------------------
 YEAR OF UNIT      AS PERCENT OF PUBLIC   AS PERCENT OF NET      AMOUNT PER
     PURCHASE       OFFERING PRICE        AMOUNT INVESTED      $1,000 INVESTED
- -----------------  ---------------------  -------------------  ---------------
<S>                       <C>                    <C>          <C>                 <C>                <C>
            1                 None                  None               None        $   55.00          $    55.00
            2                 1.10%                 1.11%         $   11.00            44.00               55.00
            3                 2.20                  2.25              22.00            33.00               55.00
            4                 3.30                  3.41              33.00            22.00               55.00
            5                 4.40                  4.60              44.00            11.00               55.00
</TABLE>

 
     CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE. Units redeemed or repurchased within 4
years after the Fund's initial date of deposit will not only incur the periodic
deferred sales charge until the quarter of redemption or repurchase but will
also be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge:
 

 YEAR SINCE FUND'S    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
  INITIAL DATE OF     SALES CHARGE PER
      DEPOSIT                    UNIT
- --------------------  --------------------
1                          $    25.00
2                               15.00
3                               10.00
4                                5.00
5 and thereafter                 None

 
     The contingent deferred sales charge is waived on any redemption or
repurchase of Units after the death (including the death of a single joint
tenant with rights of survivorship) or disability (as defined in the Internal
Revenue Code) of an investor, provided the redemption or repurchase is requested
within one year of the death or initial determination of disability. The
Sponsors may require receipt of satisfactory proof of disability before
releasing the portion of the proceeds representing the amount of the contingent
deferred sales charge waived.
 
     To assist investors in understanding the total costs of purchasing units
during the first four years of the Fund and disposing of those units by the
fifth year, the following tables set forth the maximum combined up-front,
periodic and contingent deferred sales charges that would be incurred (assuming
a constant Unit price) by an investor:
                    UNITS PURCHASED ON INITIAL OFFERING DATE
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE       SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  ----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                         <C>               <C>                <C>                   <C>
             1                  None           $    11.00          $   25.00            $   36.00
             2                  None                22.00              15.00                37.00
             3                  None                33.00              10.00                43.00
             4                  None                44.00               5.00                49.00
             5                  None                55.00               0.00                55.00

<CAPTION>
 
                  UNITS PURCHASED ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF FUND
 

 YEAR OF UNIT                             DEFERRED SALES    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
  DISPOSITION      UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE       SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -----------------  ---------------------  ----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                     <C>               <C>                <C>                   <C>
            2            $   11.00           $    11.00          $   15.00            $   37.00
            3                11.00                22.00              10.00                43.00
            4                11.00                33.00               5.00                49.00
            5                11.00                44.00               0.00                55.00

</TABLE>
 
                                      b-1
<PAGE>
                 UNITS PURCHASED ON SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF FUND
<TABLE><CAPTION>
 

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE       SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  ----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                      <C>               <C>                   <C>                   <C>
             3             $   22.00           $    11.00          $   10.00            $   43.00
             4                 22.00                22.00               5.00                49.00
             5                 22.00                33.00               0.00                55.00

<CAPTION> 
                  UNITS PURCHASED ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF FUND
 

 YEAR OF UNIT                             DEFERRED SALES    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
  DISPOSITION      UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE       SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -----------------  ---------------------  ----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                      <C>               <C>                   <C>                   <C>
            4            $   33.00           $    11.00          $    5.00            $   49.00
            5                33.00                22.00               0.00                55.00

 
                 UNITS PURCHASED ON FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF FUND
<CAPTION> 

 YEAR OF UNIT                             DEFERRED SALES    CONTINGENT DEFERRED
  DISPOSITION      UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE       SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -----------------  ---------------------  ----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                      <C>               <C>                   <C>                   <C>
            5            $   44.00           $    11.00          $    0.00            $   55.00

 
</TABLE>
                                      b-2
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX C
           SALES CHARGE SCHEDULES FOR MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                                INITIAL OFFERING
 
<TABLE><CAPTION>

                                                      SALES CHARGE
                                       (GROSS UNDERWRITING PROFIT)
                                     ----------------------------------                         PRIMARY MARKET
                                      AS PERCENT OF       AS PERCENT OF  DEALER CONCESSION AS    CONCESSION TO
                                     OFFER SIDE PUBLIC     NET AMOUNT    PERCENT OF PUBLIC         INTRODUCING
NUMBER OF UNITS                      OFFERING PRICE          INVESTED     OFFERING PRICE               DEALERS
- -----------------------------------  -------------------  -------------  ---------------------  ------------------

 
           MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES, MULTISTATE SERIES, INSURED SERIES
 
<S>                                          <C>               <C>                <C>             <C>
Less than 250......................            4.50%            4.712%             2.925%           $    32.40
250 - 499..........................            3.50             3.627              2.275                 25.20
500 - 749..........................            3.00             3.093              1.950                 21.60
750 - 999..........................            2.50             2.564              1.625                 18.00
1,000 or more......................            2.00             2.041              1.300                 14.40

<CAPTION> 
                   INTERMEDIATE SERIES (TEN YEAR MATURITIES)
 
<S>                                          <C>               <C>                <C>             <C>
Less than 250......................            4.00%            4.167%             2.600%           $    28.80
250 - 499..........................            3.00             3.093              1.950                 21.60
500 - 749..........................            2.50             2.564              1.625                 18.00
750 - 999..........................            2.00             2.041              1.300                 14.40
1,000 or more......................            1.50             1.523              0.975                 10.00

<CAPTION> 
              INTERMEDIATE SERIES (SHORT INTERMEDIATE MATURITIES)
 
<S>                                          <C>               <C>                <C>             <C>
Less than 250......................            2.75%            2.828%             1.788%           $    19.80
250 - 499..........................            2.25             2.302              1.463                 16.20
500 - 749..........................            1.75             1.781              1.138                 12.60
750 - 999..........................            1.25             1.266              0.813                  9.00
1,000 or more......................            1.00             1.010              0.650                  7.20

</TABLE>

                                SECONDARY MARKET
 

                  ACTUAL SALES CHARGE AS   DEALER CONCESSION AS
                  PERCENT OF EFFECTIVE     PERCENT OF EFFECTIVE
NUMBER OF UNITS       SALES CHARGE             SALES CHARGE
- ----------------  -----------------------  -----------------------
1-249                          100%                      65%
250-499                         80                       52
500-749                         60                       39
750-999                         45                    29.25
1,000 or more                   35                    22.75

 
                             EFFECTIVE SALES CHARGE
 

                             AS PERCENT      AS PERCENT
          TIME TO            OF BID SIDE      OF PUBLIC
          MATURITY           EVALUATION   OFFERING PRICE
- ---------------------------  -----------  -----------------
Less than six months                  0%              0%
Six months to 1 year              0.756            0.75
Over 1 year to 2 years            1.523            1.50
Over 2 years to 4 years           2.564            2.50
Over 4 years to 8 years           3.627            3.50
Over 8 years to 15 years          4.712            4.50
Over 15 years                     5.820            5.50

 
     For this purpose, a Bond will be considered to mature on its stated
maturity date unless it has been called for redemption or funds or securities
have been placed in escrow to redeem it on an earlier date, or is subject to a
mandatory tender, in which case the earlier date will be considered the maturity
date.
 
                                      c-1
<PAGE>

   
                             Defined
                             Asset FundsSM
 

SPONSORS:                                MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT
Merrill Lynch,                           TRUST FUND
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated      Monthly Payment Series--557
Defined Asset Funds                      (A Unit Investment Trust)
P.O. Box 9051                            Units of this Fund may no longer be
Princeton, N.J. 08543-9051               available and therefore information
(609) 282-8500                           contained herein may be subject to
Smith Barney Inc.                        amendment. A registration statement
Unit Trust Department                    relating to securities of a future
388 Greenwich Street--23rd Floor         series has been filed with the
New York, NY 10013                       Securities and Exchange Commission.
1-800-223-2532                           These securities may not be sold nor
PaineWebber Incorporated                 may offers to buy be accepted prior to
1200 Harbor Blvd.                        the time the registration statement
Weehawken, N.J. 07087                    becomes effective. For more complete
(201) 902-3000                           information about a future series,
Prudential Securities Incorporated       including additional information on
One Seaport Plaza                        charges and expenses, please call or
199 Water Street                         write one of the Sponsors listed here
New York, N.Y. 10292                     for a prospectus. Read the prospectus
(212) 776-1000                           before you invest or send money.
Dean Witter Reynolds Inc.                ------------------------------
Two World Trade Center--59th Floor       This Prospectus does not contain all of
New York, N.Y. 10048                     the information with respect to the
(212) 392-2222                           investment company set forth in its
EVALUATOR:                               registration statement and exhibits
Kenny Information Systems,               relating thereto which have been filed
a division of J. J. Kenny Co., Inc.      with the Securities and Exchange
65 Broadway                              Commission, Washington, D.C. under the
New York, N.Y. 10006-2511                Securities Act of 1933 and the
TRUSTEE:                                 Investment Company Act of 1940, and to
The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A.           which reference is hereby made.
(a National Banking Association)         ------------------------------
Defined Asset Funds                      No person is authorized to give any
Box 2051                                 information or to make any
New York, N.Y. 10081                     representations with respect to this
1-800-323-1508                           investment company not contained in
                                         this Prospectus; and any information or
                                         representation not contained herein
                                         must not be relied upon as having been
                                         authorized. This Prospectus does not
                                         constitute an offer to sell or a
                                         solicitation of an offer to buy
                                         securities in any state in which such
                                         offer, solicitation or sale would be
                                         unlawful prior to registration or
                                         qualification under the securities laws
                                         of any such state.

                                                      15095--4/95
    

<PAGE>
                                    PART II
             ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT INCLUDED IN THE PROSPECTUS
 

A. The following information relating to the Depositors is incorporated by 
reference to the SEC filings indicated and made a part of this Registration 
Statement.
<TABLE><CAPTION>
 
                                                                SEC FILE OR
                                                               IDENTIFICATION           DATE
                                                                   NUMBER              FILED
                                                            ----------------------------------------
<S>                                                            <C>                  <C>
   I.  Bonding Arrangements and Date of Organization of the
            Depositors filed pursuant to Items A and B of
            Part II of the Registration Statement on Form
            S-6 under the Securities Act of 1933:
            Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
            Incorporated                                          2-52691             1/17/95
            Smith Barney Inc. ..............................      33-29106            6/29/89
            PaineWebber Incorporated........................      2-87965             11/18/83
            Prudential Securities Incorporated..............      2-61418             4/26/78
            Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ......................      2-60599              1/4/78
   II.  Information as to Officers and Directors of the
            Depositors filed pursuant to Schedules A and D
            of Form BD under Rules 15b1-1 and 15b3-1 of the
            Securities Exchange Act of 1934:
            Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
            Incorporated                                           8-7221         5/26/94, 6/29/92
            Smith Barney Inc. ..............................       8-8177         8/29/94, 8/2/93
            PaineWebber Incorporated........................      8-16267         4/20/94, 7/31/86
            Prudential Securities Incorporated..............      8-27154         6/30/94, 6/20/88
            Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ......................      8-14172         2/23/94, 4/9/91
   III.  Charter documents of the Depositors filed as
            Exhibits to the Registration Statement on Form
            S-6 under the Securities Act of 1933 (Charter,
            By-Laws):
            Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
            Incorporated                                      2-73866, 2-77549    9/22/81, 6/15/82
            Smith Barney Inc. ..............................      33-20499            3/30/88
            PaineWebber Incorporated........................  2-87965, 2-87965        11/18/83
            Prudential Securities Incorporated..............      2-52947              3/4/75
            Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ......................      2-60599              1/4/78
B.  The Internal Revenue Service Employer Identification
Numbers of the Sponsors and Trustee are as follows:
            Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Incorporated                                                     13-5674085
            Smith Barney Inc. ..............................     13-1912900
            PaineWebber Incorporated........................     13-2638166
            Prudential Securities Incorporated..............     22-2347336
            Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. ......................     94-0899825
   
            The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., Trustee.........     13-2633612
    
</TABLE>

 
                                      II-1
<PAGE>
   
                   SERIES OF MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                AND DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL INSURED SERIES
        DESIGNATED PURSUANT TO RULE 487 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
 

                                                                    SEC
     SERIES NUMBER                                              FILE NUMBER
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Municipal Investment Trust Fund:
     Thirty-Eighth Intermediate Term Series.................            2-84267
     Thirty-Eighth Insured Series...........................            2-96953
     Four Hundred Thirty-Eighth Monthly Payment Series......           33-16561
     Multistate Series 6E...................................           33-29412
     One Hundred Thirty-Eighth Intermediate Term Series.....           33-30946
     One Hundred Fortieth Intermediate Term Series..........           33-31142
     Multistate Series--48..................................           33-50247
     Multistate Series--83..................................           33-57443
     Monthly Payment Series--555............................           33-57099
Defined Asset Funds Municipal Insured Series................           33-54565
    

 
                       CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT
The Registration Statement on Form S-6 comprises the following papers and
documents:
 
     The facing sheet of Form S-6.
 
     The Cross-Reference Sheet (incorporated by reference to the Cross-Reference
Sheet to the Registration Statement of Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series,
1933 Act File No. 33-54565).
 
     The Prospectus.
 
     Additional Information not included in the Prospectus (Part II).
 
The following exhibits:
 

 1.1    --Form of Trust Indenture (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 to
          the Registration Statement of Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Monthly
          Payment Series-533, 1933 Act File No. 33-50121).
 1.1.1  --Form of Standard Terms and Conditions of Trust Effective October 21,
          1993 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1.1 to the Registration
          Statement of Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Multistate Series-48,
          1933 Act File No. 33-50247).
 1.2    --Form of Master Agreement Among Underwriters (incorporated by reference
          to Exhibit 1.2 to the Registration Statement of The Corporate Income
          Fund, One Hundred Ninety-Fourth Monthly Payment Series, 1933 Act File
          No. 2-90925).
 2.1    --Form of Certificate of Beneficial Interest (included in Exhibit
        1.1.1).
 3.1    --Opinion of counsel as to the legality of the securities being issued
          including their consent to the use of their names under the headings
          'Taxes' and 'Miscellaneous--Legal Opinion' in the Prospectus.
 4.1    --Consent of the Evaluator.
 5.1    --Consent of independent accountants.

   
 9.1    --Information Supplement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 9.1 to
          Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registration Statement of
          Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Monthly Payment Series--506, 1933 Act
          File No. 33-37730).
    

 
                                      R-1
<PAGE>
   
                        MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                          MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES--557
                              DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
                                   SIGNATURES
 
     The registrant hereby identifies the series numbers of Municipal Investment
Trust Fund and Defined Asset Funds Municipal Insured Series listed on page R-1
for the purposes of the representations required by Rule 487 and represents the
following:
    
 
     1) That the portfolio securities deposited in the series as to which this
        registration statement is being filed do not differ materially in type
        or quality from those deposited in such previous series;
 
     2) That, except to the extent necessary to identify the specific portfolio
        securities deposited in, and to provide essential information for, the
        series with respect to which this registration statement is being filed,
        this registration statement does not contain disclosures that differ in
        any material respect from those contained in the registration statements
        for such previous series as to which the effective date was determined
        by the Commission or the staff; and
 
     3) That it has complied with Rule 460 under the Securities Act of 1933.

                                   SIGNATURES
   
PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, THE REGISTRANT HAS
DULY CAUSED THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT OR AMENDMENT TO THE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT TO BE SIGNED ON ITS BEHALF BY THE UNDERSIGNED THEREUNTO DULY
AUTHORIZED IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND STATE OF NEW YORK ON THE 20TH DAY OF
APRIL, 1995.
    
 
             SIGNATURES APPEAR ON PAGES R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6 AND R-7.
 
     A majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Merrill Lynch,
Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated has signed this Registration Statement or
Amendment to the Registration Statement pursuant to Powers of Attorney
authorizing the person signing this Registration Statement or Amendment to the
Registration Statement to do so on behalf of such members.
 
     A majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Smith Barney Inc.
has signed this Registration Statement or Amendment to the Registration
Statement pursuant to Powers of Attorney authorizing the person signing this
Registration Statement or Amendment to the Registration Statement to do so on
behalf of such members.
 
     A majority of the members of the Executive Committee of the Board of
Directors of PaineWebber Incorporated has signed this Registration Statement or
Amendment to the Registration Statement pursuant to Powers of Attorney
authorizing the person signing this Registration Statement or Amendment to the
Registration Statement to do so on behalf of such members.
 
     A majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Prudential
Securities Incorporated has signed this Registration Statement or Amendment to
the Registration Statement pursuant to Powers of Attorney authorizing the person
signing this Registration Statement or Amendment to the Registration Statement
to do so on behalf of such members.
 
     A majority of the members of the Board of Directors of Dean Witter Reynolds
Inc. has signed this Registration Statement or Amendment to the Registration
Statement pursuant to Powers of Attorney authorizing the person signing this
Registration Statement or Amendment to the Registration Statement to do so on
behalf of such members.
 
                                      R-2
<PAGE>
               MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED
                                   DEPOSITOR
 

By the following persons, who constitute  Powers of Attorney have been filed
  a majority of                             under
  the Board of Directors of Merrill         Form SE and the following 1933 Act
  Lynch, Pierce,                            File
  Fenner & Smith Incorporated:              Number: 33-43466 and 33-51607

 
      HERBERT M. ALLISON, JR.
      BARRY S. FREIDBERG
      EDWARD L. GOLDBERG
      STEPHEN L. HAMMERMAN
      JEROME P. KENNEY
      DAVID H. KOMANSKY
      DANIEL T. NAPOLI
      THOMAS H. PATRICK
      JOHN L. STEFFENS
      DANIEL P. TULLY
      ROGER M. VASEY
      ARTHUR H. ZEIKEL
      By
       ERNEST V. FABIO
       (As authorized signatory for Merrill Lynch, Pierce,
       Fenner & Smith Incorporated and
       Attorney-in-fact for the persons listed above)
 
                                      R-3
<PAGE>
                               SMITH BARNEY INC.
                                   DEPOSITOR
 

By the following persons, who constitute a majority of      Powers of Attorney
  the Board of Directors of Smith Barney Inc.:                have been filed
                                                              under the 1933 Act
                                                              File Number:
                                                              33-56722 and
                                                              33-51999

 
      STEVEN D. BLACK
      JAMES BOSHART III
      ROBERT A. CASE
      JAMES DIMON
      ROBERT DRUSKIN
      ROBERT F. GREENHILL
      JEFFREY LANE
      ROBERT H. LESSIN
      JACK L. RIVKIN
 
      By GINA LEMON
       (As authorized signatory for
       Smith Barney Inc. and
       Attorney-in-fact for the persons listed above)
 
                                      R-4
<PAGE>
                            PAINEWEBBER INCORPORATED
                                   DEPOSITOR
 

By the following persons, who constitute  Powers of Attorney have been filed
  a majority of                             under
  the Executive Committee of the Board      the following 1933 Act File
  of Directors                              Number: 33-55073
  of PaineWebber Incorporated:

 
      PAUL B. GUENTHER
      DONALD B. MARRON
      JOSEPH J. GRANO, JR.
      LEE FENSTERSTOCK
      By
       ROBERT E. HOLLEY
       (As authorized signatory for PaineWebber Incorporated
       and Attorney-in-fact for the persons listed above)
 
                                      R-5
<PAGE>
                       PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
                                   DEPOSITOR
 

By the following persons, who constitute  Powers of Attorney have been filed
  a majority of                             under Form SE and the following 1933
  the Executive Committee of the Board      Act File Number: 33-41631
  of Directors of
  Prudential Securities Incorporated:

 
      ALAN D. HOGAN
      HOWARD A. KNIGHT
      GEORGE A. MURRAY
      LELAND B. PATON
      HARDWICK SIMMONS
      By
       RICHARD R. HOFFMANN
       (As authorized signatory for Prudential Securities
       Incorporated and Attorney-in-fact for the persons listed above)
 
                                      R-6
<PAGE>
                           DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
                                   DEPOSITOR
 

By the following persons, who constitute  Powers of Attorney have been filed
  a majority of                             under Form SE and the following
  the Board of Directors of Dean Witter     1933 Act File Number: 33-17085
  Reynolds Inc.:

 
      NANCY DONOVAN
      CHARLES A. FIUMEFREDDO
      JAMES F. HIGGINS
      STEPHEN R. MILLER
      PHILIP J. PURCELL
      THOMAS C. SCHNEIDER
      WILLIAM B. SMITH
      By
       MICHAEL D. BROWNE
       (As authorized signatory for Dean Witter Reynolds Inc.
       and Attorney-in-fact for the persons listed above)
 
                                      R-7



                             DEFINED ASSET FUNDSSM
                               PROSPECTUS--PART B
                      DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL SERIES
                        MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND

   THIS PART B OF THE PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED OR
      PRECEDED BY PART A. FURTHER DETAIL REGARDING ANY OF THE INFORMATION 
     PROVIDED IN THE PROSPECTUS MAY BE OBTAINED WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF WRITTEN 
          OR TELEPHONIC REQUEST TO THE TRUSTEE, THE ADDRESS AND
     TELEPHONE NUMBER OF WHICH ARE SET FORTH IN PART A OF THIS PROSPECTUS.

                                     Index

                                                          PAGE
                                                        ---------
Fund Description......................................          1
Risk Factors..........................................          2
How to Buy Units......................................          7
How to Sell Units.....................................          9
Income, Distributions and Reinvestment................          9
Fund Expenses.........................................         10
Taxes.................................................         11
Records and Reports...................................         12

                                                          PAGE
                                                        ---------
Trust Indenture.......................................         12
Miscellaneous.........................................         13
Exchange Option.......................................         14
Supplemental Information..............................         15
Appendix A--Description of Ratings....................        a-1
Appendix B--Sales Charge Schedules for Defined Asset
Funds Municipal Series................................        b-1
Appendix C--Sales Charge Schedules for Municipal
Investment Trust Fund.................................        c-1

FUND DESCRIPTION

BOND PORTFOLIO SELECTION
     Professional buyers and research analysts for Defined Asset Funds, with
access to extensive research, selected the Bonds for the Portfolio after
considering the Fund's investment objective as well as the quality of the Bonds
(all Bonds in the Portfolio are initially rated in the category A or better by
at least one nationally recognized rating organization or have comparable credit
characteristics), the yield and price of the Bonds compared to similar
securities, the maturities of the Bonds and the diversification of the
Portfolio. Only issues meeting these stringent criteria of the Defined Asset
Funds team of dedicated research analysts are included in the Portfolio. No
leverage or borrowing is used nor does the Portfolio contain other kinds of
securities to enhance yield. A summary of the Bonds in the Portfolio appears in
Part A of the Prospectus.
     The deposit of the Bonds in the Fund on the initial date of deposit
established a proportionate relationship among the face amounts of the Bonds.
During the 90-day period following the initial date of deposit the Sponsors may
deposit additional Bonds in order to create new Units, maintaining to the extent
possible that original proportionate relationship. Deposits of additional Bonds
subsequent to the 90-day period must generally replicate exactly the
proportionate relationship among the face amounts of the Bonds at the end of the
initial 90-day period.
     Yields on bonds depend on many factors including general conditions of the
bond markets, the size of a particular offering and the maturity and quality
rating of the particular issues. Yields can vary among bonds with similar
maturities, coupons and ratings. Ratings represent opinions of the rating
organizations as to the quality of the bonds rated, based on the credit of the
issuer or any guarantor, insurer or other credit provider, but these ratings are
only general standards of quality (see Appendix A).
     After the initial date of deposit, the ratings of some Bonds may be reduced
or withdrawn, or the credit characteristics of the Bonds may no longer be
comparable to bonds rated A or better. Bonds rated BBB or Baa (the lowest
investment grade rating) or lower may have speculative characteristics, and
changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to
a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case 
with higher grade bonds. Bonds rated below investment grade or unrated bonds 
with 
                                       1
<PAGE>
similar credit characteristics are often subject to
greater market fluctuations and risk of loss of principal and income than higher
grade bonds and their value may decline precipitously in response to rising
interest rates.
     Because each Defined Asset Fund is a preselected portfolio of bonds, you
know the securities, maturities, call dates and ratings before you invest. Of
course, the Portfolio will change somewhat over time, as Bonds mature, are
redeemed or are sold to meet Unit redemptions or in other limited circumstances.
Because the Portfolio is not actively managed and principal is returned as the
Bonds are disposed of, this principal should be relatively unaffected by changes
in interest rates.

BOND PORTFOLIO SUPERVISION
     The Fund follows a buy and hold investment strategy in contrast to the
frequent portfolio changes of a managed fund based on economic, financial and
market analyses. The Fund may retain an issuer's bonds despite adverse financial
developments. Experienced financial analysts regularly review the Portfolio and
a Bond may be sold in certain circumstances including the occurrence of a
default in payment or other default on the Bond, a decline in the projected
income pledged for debt service on a revenue bond, institution of certain legal
proceedings, if the Bond becomes taxable or is otherwise inconsistent with the
Fund's investment objectives, a decline in the price of the Bond or the
occurrence of other market or credit factors (including advance refunding) that,
in the opinion of Defined Asset Funds research analysts, makes retention of the
Bond detrimental to the interests of investors. The Trustee must generally
reject any offer by an issuer of a Bond to exchange another security pursuant to
a refunding or refinancing plan.
     The Sponsors and the Trustee are not liable for any default or defect in a
Bond. If a contract to purchase any Bond fails, the Sponsors may generally
deposit a replacement bond so long as it is a tax-exempt bond, has a fixed
maturity or disposition date substantially similar to the failed Bond and is
rated A or better by at least one nationally recognized rating organization or
has comparable credit characteristics. A replacement bond must be deposited
within 110 days after deposit of the failed contract, at a cost that does not
exceed the funds reserved for purchasing the failed Bond and at a yield to
maturity and current return substantially equivalent (considering then current
market conditions and relative creditworthiness) to those of the failed Bond, as
of the date the failed contract was deposited.

RISK FACTORS
     An investment in the Fund entails certain risks, including the risk that
the value of your investment will decline with increases in interest rates.
Generally speaking, bonds with longer maturities will fluctuate in value more
than bonds with shorter maturities. In recent years there have been wide
fluctuations in interest rates and in the value of fixed-rate bonds generally.
The Sponsors cannot predict the direction or scope of any future fluctuations.
     Certain of the Bonds may have been deposited at a market discount or
premium principally because their interest rates are lower or higher than
prevailing rates on comparable debt securities. The current returns of market
discount bonds are lower than comparably rated bonds selling at par because
discount bonds tend to increase in market value as they approach maturity. The
current returns of market premium bonds are higher than comparably rated bonds
selling at par because premium bonds tend to decrease in market value as they
approach maturity. Because part of the purchase price is returned through
current income payments and not at maturity, an early redemption at par of a
premium bond will result in a reduction in yield to the Fund. Market premium or
discount attributable to interest rate changes does not indicate market
confidence or lack of confidence in the issue.
     Certain Bonds deposited into the Fund may have been acquired on a
when-issued or delayed delivery basis. The purchase price for these Bonds is
determined prior to their delivery to the Fund and a gain or loss may result
from fluctuations in the value of the Bonds. Additionally, in any Defined Asset
Funds Municipal Series, if the value of the Bonds reserved for payment of the
periodic deferred sales charge, together with the interest thereon, were to
become insufficient to pay these charges, additional bonds would be required to
be sold.
     The Fund may be concentrated in one or more of types of bonds.
Concentration in a State may involve additional risk because of the decreased
diversification of economic, political, financial and market risks. Set forth
below is a brief description of certain risks associated with bonds which may be
held by the Fund. Additional information is contained in the Information
Supplement which is available from the Trustee at no charge to the investor.
                                       2
<PAGE>
GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS

     Certain of the Bonds may be general obligations of a governmental entity.
General obligation bonds are backed by the issuer's pledge of its full faith,
credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. However, the
taxing power of any governmental entity may be limited by provisions of state
constitutions or laws and its credit will depend on many factors, including an
erosion of the tax base resulting from population declines, natural disasters,
declines in the state's industrial base or an inability to attract new
industries, economic limits on the ability to tax without eroding the tax base
and the extent to which the entity relies on federal or state aid, access to
capital markets or other factors beyond the entity's control. In addition,
political restrictions on the ability to tax and budgetary constraints affecting
state governmental aid may have an adverse impact on the creditworthiness of
cities, counties, school districts and other local governmental units.
     As a result of the recent recession's adverse impact upon both revenues and
expenditures, as well as other factors, many state and local governments have
confronted deficits which were the most severe in recent years. Many issuers are
facing highly difficult choices about significant tax increases and spending
reductions in order to restore budgetary balance. The failure to implement these
actions on a timely basis could force these issuers to issue additional debt to
finance deficits or cash flow needs and could lead to a reduction of their bond
ratings and the value of their outstanding bonds.

MORAL OBLIGATION BONDS
     The Portfolio may include 'moral obligation' bonds. If an issuer of moral
obligation bonds is unable to meet its obligations, the repayment of the bonds
becomes a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the state or local
government in question. Even though the state or local government may be called
on to restore any deficits in capital reserve funds of the agencies or
authorities which issued the bonds, any restoration generally requires
appropriation by the state or local legislature and does not constitute a
legally enforceable obligation or debt of the state or local government. The
agencies or authorities generally have no taxing power.

REFUNDED BONDS
     Refunded bonds are typically secured by direct obligations of the U.S.
Government or in some cases obligations guaranteed by the U.S. Government placed
in an escrow account maintained by an independent trustee until maturity or a
predetermined redemption date. These obligations are generally noncallable prior
to maturity or the predetermined redemption date. In a few isolated instances,
however, bonds which were thought to be escrowed to maturity have been called
for redemption prior to maturity.

MUNICIPAL REVENUE BONDS
     Municipal revenue bonds are tax-exempt securities issued by states,
municipalities, public authorities or similar entities to finance the cost of
acquiring, constructing or improving various projects. Municipal revenue bonds
are not general obligations of governmental entities backed by their taxing
power and payment is generally solely dependent upon the creditworthiness of the
public issuer or the financed project or state appropriations. Examples of
municipal revenue bonds are:
        Municipal utility bonds, including electrical, water and sewer revenue
     bonds, whose payments are dependent on various factors, including the rates
     the utilities may charge, the demand for their services and their operating
     costs, including expenses to comply with environmental legislation and
     other energy and licensing laws and regulations. Utilities are particularly
     sensitive to, among other things, the effects of inflation on operating and
     construction costs, the unpredictability of future usage requirements, the
     costs and availability of fuel and, with certain electric utilities, the
     risks associated with the nuclear industry;
        Lease rental bonds which are generally issued by governmental financing
     authorities with no direct taxing power for the purchase of equipment or
     construction of buildings that will be used by a state or local government.
     Lease rental bonds are generally subject to an annual risk that the lessee
     government might not appropriate funds for the leasing rental payments to
     service the bonds and may also be subject to the risk that rental
     obligations may terminate in the event of damage to or destruction or
     condemnation of the equipment or building;
        Multi-family housing revenue bonds and single family mortgage revenue
     bonds which are issued to provide financing for various housing projects
     and which are payable primarily from the revenues derived from mortgage
     loans to housing projects for low to moderate income families or notes
     secured by mortgages on residences; repayment of this type of bonds is
     therefore dependent upon, among other things, occupancy
                                       3
<PAGE>
     levels, rental income, the rate of default on underlying mortgage loans,
     the ability of mortgage insurers to pay claims, the continued availability
     of federal, state or local housing subsidy programs, economic conditions in
     local markets, construction costs, taxes, utility costs and other operating
     expenses and the managerial ability of project managers. Housing bonds are
     generally prepayable at any time and therefore their average life will
     ordinarily be less than their stated maturities;
        Hospital and health care facility bonds whose payments are dependent
     upon revenues of hospitals and other health care facilities. These revenues
     come from private third-party payors and government programs, including the
     Medicare and Medicaid programs, which have generally undertaken cost
     containment measures to limit payments to health care facilities. Hospitals
     and health care facilities are subject to various legal claims by patients
     and others and are adversely affected by increasing costs of insurance;
        Airport, port, highway and transit authority revenue bonds which are
     dependent for payment on revenues from the financed projects, including
     user fees from ports and airports, tolls on turnpikes and bridges, rents
     from buildings, transit fare revenues and additional financial resources
     including federal and state subsidies, lease rentals paid by state or local
     governments or a pledge of a special tax such as a sales tax or a property
     tax. In the case of the air travel industry, airport income is largely
     affected by the airlines' ability to meet their obligations under use
     agreements which in turn is affected by increased competition among
     airlines, excess capacity and increased fuel costs, among other factors.
        Solid waste disposal bonds which are generally payable from dumping and
     user fees and from revenues that may be earned by the facility on the sale
     of electrical energy generated in the combustion of waste products and
     which are therefore dependent upon the ability of municipalities to fully
     utilize the facilities, sufficient supply of waste for disposal, economic
     or population growth, the level of construction and maintenance costs, the
     existence of lower-cost alternative modes of waste processing and
     increasing environmental regulation. A recent decision of the U.S. Supreme
     Court limiting a municipality's ability to require use of its facilities
     may have an adverse affect on the credit quality of various issues of these
     bonds;
        Special tax bonds which are not secured by general tax revenues but are
     only payable from and secured by the revenues derived by a municipality
     from a particular tax--for example, a tax on the rental of a hotel room, on
     the purchase of food and beverages, on the rental of automobiles or on the
     consumption of liquor and may therefore be adversely affected by a
     reduction in revenues resulting from a decline in the local economy or
     population or a decline in the consumption, use or cost of the goods and
     services that are subject to taxation;
        Student loan revenue bonds which are typically secured by pledges of new
     or existing student loans. The loans, in turn, are generally either
     guaranteed by eligible guarantors and reinsured by the Secretary of the
     U.S. Department of Education, directly insured by the federal government,
     or financed as part of supplemental or alternative loan programs within a
     state (e.g., loan repayments are not guaranteed). These bonds often permit
     the issuer to enter into interest rate swap agreements with eligible
     counterparties in which event the bonds are subject to the additional risk
     of the counterparty's ability to fulfill its swap obligation;
        University and college bonds, the payments on which are dependent upon
     various factors, including the size and diversity of their sources of
     revenues, enrollment, reputation, the availability of endowments and other
     funds and, in the case of public institutions, the financial condition of
     the relevant state or other governmental entity and its policies with
     respect to education; and
        Tax increment and tax allocation bonds, which are secured by ad valorem
     taxes imposed on the incremental increase of taxable assessed valuation of
     property within a jurisdiction above an established base of assessed value.
     The issuers of these bonds do not have general taxing authority and the tax
     assessments on which the taxes used to service the bonds are based may be
     subject to devaluation due to market price declines or governmental action.

     Puerto Rico. Certain Bonds may be affected by general economic conditions
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's economy is largely dependent
for its development on federal programs and current federal budgetary policies
suggest that an expansion of its programs is unlikely. Reductions in federal tax
benefits or incentives or curtailment of spending programs could adversely
affect the Puerto Rican economy.
     Industrial Development Revenue Bonds. Industrial development revenue bonds
are municipal obligations issued to finance various privately operated projects
including pollution control and manufacturing facilities. Payment is generally
solely dependent upon the creditworthiness of the corporate operator of the
project and, in
                                       4
<PAGE>
certain cases, an affiliated or third party guarantor and may be affected by
economic factors relating to the particular industry as well as varying degrees
of governmental regulation. In many cases industrial revenue bonds do not have
the benefit of covenants which would prevent the corporations from engaging in
capital restructurings or borrowing transactions which could reduce their
ability to meet their obligations and result in a reduction in the value of the
Portfolio.

BONDS BACKED BY LETTERS OF CREDIT OR INSURANCE
     Certain Bonds may be secured by letters of credit issued by commercial
banks or savings banks, savings and loan associations and similar thrift
institutions or are direct obligations of banks or thrifts. The letter of credit
may be drawn upon, and the Bonds redeemed, if an issuer fails to pay amounts due
on the Bonds or, in certain cases, if the interest on the Bond becomes taxable.
Letters of credit are irrevocable obligations of the issuing institutions. The
profitability of a financial institution is largely dependent upon the credit
quality of its loan portfolio which, in turn, is affected by the institution's
underwriting criteria, concentrations within the portfolio and specific industry
and general economic conditions. The operating performance of financial
institutions is also impacted by changes in interest rates, the availability and
cost of funds, the intensity of competition and the degree of governmental
regulation.
     Certain Bonds may be insured or guaranteed by insurance companies listed
below. The claims-paying ability of each of these companies, unless otherwise
indicated, was rated AAA by Standard & Poor's or another nationally recognized
rating organization at the time the insured Bonds were purchased by the Fund.
The ratings are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the rating
agencies. In the event that the rating of an Insured Fund is reduced, the
Sponsors are authorized to direct the Trustee to obtain other insurance on
behalf of the Fund. The insurance policies guarantee the timely payment of
principal and interest on the Bonds but do not guarantee their market value or
the value of the Units. The insurance policies generally do not provide for
accelerated payments of principal or cover redemptions resulting from events of
taxability.
      The following summary information relating to the listed insurance
companies has been obtained from publicly available information:
<TABLE><CAPTION>
                                                                                 FINANCIAL INFORMATION
                                                                               AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1994
                                                                               (IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS)
                                                                         --------------------------------------
                                                                                                POLICYHOLDERS'
                        NAME                          DATE ESTABLISHED   ADMITTED ASSETS           SURPLUS
- ----------------------------------------------------  -----------------  ---------------  ---------------------
<S>                                                   <C>                <C>              <C>
AMBAC Indemnity Corporation.........................           1970        $     2,150         $       779
Asset Guaranty Insurance Co. (AA by S&P)                       1988                152                  73
Capital Guaranty Insurance Company..................           1986                293                 166
Capital Markets Assurance Corp......................           1987                198                 139
Connie Lee Insurance Company........................           1987                193                 106
Continental Casualty Company........................           1948             19,220               3,309
Financial Guaranty Insurance Company................           1984              2,092                 872
Financial Security Assurance Inc....................           1984                776                 369
Firemen's Insurance Company of Newark, NJ...........           1855              2,236                 383
Industrial Indemnity Co. (HIBI).....................           1920              1,853                 299
Municipal Bond Investors Assurance Corporation......           1986              3,314               1,083

     Insurance companies are subject to extensive regulation and supervision
where they do business by state insurance commissioners who regulate the
standards of solvency which must be maintained, the nature of and limitations on
investments, reports of financial condition, and requirements regarding reserves
for unearned premiums, losses and other matters. A significant portion of the
assets of insurance companies are required by law to be held in reserve against
potential claims on policies and is not available to general creditors. Although
the federal government does not regulate the business of insurance, federal
initiatives including pension regulation, controls on medical care costs,
minimum standards for no-fault automobile insurance, national health insurance,
tax law changes affecting life insurance companies and repeal of the antitrust
exemption for the insurance business can significantly impact the insurance
business.
                                       5
<PAGE>
STATE RISK FACTORS
     Investment in a single State Trust, as opposed to a Fund which invests in
the obligations of several states, may involve some additional risk due to the
decreased diversification of economic, political, financial and market risks. A
brief description of the factors which may affect the financial condition of the
applicable State for any State Trust, together with a summary of tax
considerations relating to that State, appear in Part A (or for certain State
Trusts, Part C), of the Prospectus; further information is contained in the
Information Supplement.

LITIGATION AND LEGISLATION
     The Sponsors do not know of any pending litigation as of the initial date
of deposit which might reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect
upon the Fund. At any time after the initial date of deposit, litigation may be
initiated on a variety of grounds, or legislation may be enacted, affecting the
Bonds in the Fund. Litigation, for example, challenging the issuance of
pollution control revenue bonds under environmental protection statutes may
affect the validity of certain Bonds or the tax-free nature of their interest.
While the outcome of litigation of this nature can never be entirely predicted,
opinions of bond counsel are delivered on the date of issuance of each Bond to
the effect that it has been validly issued and that the interest thereon is
exempt from federal income tax. Also, certain proposals, in the form of state
legislative proposals or voter initiatives, seeking to limit real property taxes
have been introduced in various states, and an amendment to the constitution of
the State of California, providing for strict limitations on real property
taxes, has had a significant impact on the taxing powers of local governments
and on the financial condition of school districts and local governments in
California. In addition, other factors may arise from time to time which
potentially may impair the ability of issuers to make payments due on the Bonds.
Under the Federal Bankruptcy Code, for example, municipal bond issuers, as well
as any underlying corporate obligors or guarantors, may proceed to restructure
or otherwise alter the terms of their obligations.
     From time to time Congress considers proposals to prospectively and
retroactively tax the interest on state and local obligations, such as the
Bonds. The Supreme Court clarified in South Carolina v. Baker (decided on April
20, 1988) that the U.S. Constitution does not prohibit Congress from passing a
nondiscriminatory tax on interest on state and local obligations. This type of
legislation, if enacted into law, could require investors to pay income tax on
interest from the Bonds and could adversely affect an investment in Units. See
Taxes.

PAYMENT OF THE BONDS AND LIFE OF THE FUND
     The size and composition of the Portfolio will change over time. Most of
the Bonds are subject to redemption prior to their stated maturity dates
pursuant to optional refunding or sinking fund redemption provisions or
otherwise. In general, optional refunding redemption provisions are more likely
to be exercised when the value of a Bond is at a premium over par than when it
is at a discount from par. Some Bonds may be subject to sinking fund and
extraordinary redemption provisions which may commence early in the life of the
Fund. Additionally, the size and composition of the Fund will be affected by the
level of redemptions of Units that may occur from time to time. Principally,
this will depend upon the number of investors seeking to sell or redeem their
Units and whether or not the Sponsors are able to sell the Units acquired by
them in the secondary market. As a result, Units offered in the secondary market
may not represent the same face amount of Bonds as on the initial date of
deposit. Factors that the Sponsors will consider in determining whether or not
to sell Units acquired in the secondary market include the diversity of the
Portfolio, the size of the Fund relative to its original size, the ratio of Fund
expenses to income, the Fund's current and long-term returns, the degree to
which Units may be selling at a premium over par and the cost of maintaining a
current prospectus for the Fund. These factors may also lead the Sponsors to
seek to terminate the Fund earlier than its mandatory termination date.

FUND TERMINATION
     The Fund will be terminated no later than the mandatory termination date
specified in Part A of the Prospectus. It will terminate earlier upon the
disposition of the last Bond or upon the consent of investors holding 51% of the
Units. The Fund may also be terminated earlier by the Sponsors once the total
assets of the Fund have fallen below the minimum value specified in Part A of
the Prospectus. A decision by the Sponsors to terminate the Fund early will be
based on factors similar to those considered by the Sponsors in determining
whether to continue the sale of Units in the secondary market.
     Notice of impending termination will be provided to investors and
thereafter units will no longer be redeemable. On or shortly before termination,
the Fund will seek to dispose of any Bonds remaining in the
                                       6
<PAGE>
Portfolio although any Bond unable to be sold at a reasonable price may continue
to be held by the Trustee in a liquidating trust pending its final disposition.
A proportional share of the expenses associated with termination, including
brokerage costs in disposing of Bonds, will be borne by investors remaining at
that time. This may have the effect of reducing the amount of proceeds those
investors are to receive in any final distribution.

LIQUIDITY
     Up to 40% of the value of the Portfolio may be attributable to guarantees
or similar security provided by corporate entities. These guarantees or other
security may constitute restricted securities that cannot be sold publicly by
the Trustee without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The Sponsors nevertheless believe that, should a sale of the Bonds guaranteed or
secured be necessary in order to meet redemption of Units, the Trustee should be
able to consummate a sale with institutional investors.
     The principal trading market for the Bonds will generally be in the
over-the-counter market and the existence of a liquid trading market for the
Bonds may depend on whether dealers will make a market in them. There can be no
assurance that a liquid trading market will exist for any of the Bonds,
especially since the Fund may be restricted under the Investment Company Act of
1940 from selling Bonds to any Sponsor. The value of the Portfolio will be
adversely affected if trading markets for the Bonds are limited or absent.

HOW TO BUY UNITS
     Units are available from any of the Sponsors, Underwriters and other
broker-dealers at the Public Offering Price plus accrued interest on the Units.
The Public Offering Price varies each Business Day with changes in the value of
the Portfolio and other assets and liabilities of the Fund.

PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE--DEFINED ASSET FUNDS MUNICIPAL SERIES
     To allow Units to be priced at $1,000, the Units outstanding as of the
Evaluation Time on the Initial Date of Deposit (all of which are held by the
Sponsors) will be split (or split in reverse).
     During the initial offering period for at least the first three months of
the Fund, the Public Offering Price (and the Initial Repurchase Price) is based
on the higher, offer side evaluation of the Bonds at the next Evaluation Time
after the order is received. In the secondary market (after the initial offering
period), the Public Offering Price (and the Sponsors' Repurchase Price and the
Redemption Price) is based on the lower, bid side evaluation of the Bonds.
     Investors will be subject to differing types and amounts of sales charge
depending upon the timing of their purchases and redemptions of Units. A
periodic deferred sales charge will be payable quarterly through about the fifth
anniversary of the Fund from a portion of the interest on and principal of Bonds
reserved for that purpose. Commencing on the first anniversary of the Fund, the
Public Offering Price will also include an up-front sales charge applied to the
value of the Bonds in the Portfolio. Lastly, investors redeeming their Units
prior to the fourth anniversary of the Fund will be charged a contingent
deferred sales charge payable out of the redemption proceeds of their Units.
These charges may be less than you would pay to buy and hold a comparable
managed fund. A complete schedule of sales charges appears in Appendix B. The
Sponsors have received an opinion of their counsel that the deferred sales
charge described in this Prospectus is consistent with an exemptive order
received from the SEC.
     Because accrued interest on the Bonds is not received by the Fund at a
constant rate throughout the year, any Monthly Income Distribution may be more
or less than the interest actually received by the Fund. To eliminate
fluctuations in the Monthly Income Distribution, a portion of the Public
Offering Price consists of an advance to the Trustee of an amount necessary to
provide approximately equal distributions. Upon the sale or redemption of Units,
investors will receive their proportionate share of the Trustee advance. In
addition, if a Bond is sold, redeemed or otherwise disposed of, the Fund will
periodically distribute the portion of the Trustee advance that is attributable
to the Bond to investors.
     The regular Monthly Income Distribution is stated in Part A of the
Prospectus and will change as the composition of the Portfolio changes over
time.

PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE--MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
     In the initial offering period, the Public Offering Price is based on the
next offer side evaluation of the Bonds, and includes a sales charge based on
the number of Units of a single Fund or Trust purchased on the same or any
                                       7
<PAGE>
preceding day by a single purchaser. See Initial Offering sales charge schedule
in Appendix C. The purchaser or his dealer must notify the Sponsors at the time
of purchase of any previous purchase to be aggregated and supply sufficient
information to permit confirmation of eligibility; acceptance of the purchase
order is subject to confirmation. Purchases of Fund Units may not be aggregated
with purchases of any other unit trust. This procedure may be amended or
terminated at any time without notice.
     In the secondary market (after the initial offering period), the Public
Offering Price is based on the bid side evaluation of the Bonds, and includes a
sales charge based (a) on the number of Units of the Fund and any other Series
of Municipal Investment Trust Fund purchased in the secondary market on the same
day by a single purchaser (see Secondary Market sales charge schedule in
Appendix C) and (b) the maturities of the underlying Bonds (see Effective Sales
Charge Schedule in Appendix C). To qualify for a reduced sales charge, the
dealer must confirm that the sale is to a single purchaser or is purchased for
its own account and not for distribution. For these purposes, Units held in the
name of the purchaser's spouse or child under 21 years of age are deemed to be
purchased by a single purchaser. A trustee or other fiduciary purchasing
securities for a single trust estate or single fiduciary account is also
considered a single purchaser.
     In the secondary market, the Public Offering Price is further reduced
depending on the maturities of the various Bonds in the Portfolio, by
determining a sales charge percentage for each Bond, as stated in Effective
Sales Charge in Appendix C. The sales charges so determined, multiplied by the
bid side evaluation of the Bonds, are aggregated and the total divided by the
number of Units outstanding to determine the Effective Sales Charge. On any
purchase, the Effective Sales Charge is multiplied by the applicable secondary
market sales charge percentage (depending on the number of Units purchased) in
order to determine the sales charge component of the Public Offering Price.
                                     * * *
     Employees of certain Sponsors and Sponsor affiliates and non-employee
directors of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. may purchase Units at any time at prices
including a sales charge of not less than $5 per Unit.
     Net accrued interest is added to the Public Offering Price, the Sponsors'
Repurchase Price and the Redemption Price per Unit. This represents the interest
accrued on the Bonds, net of Fund expenses, from the initial date of deposit to,
but not including, the settlement date for Units (less any prior distributions
of interest income to investors). Bonds deposited also carry accrued but unpaid
interest up to the initial date of deposit. To avoid having investors pay this
additional accrued interest (which earns no return) when they purchase Units,
the Trustee advances and distributes this amount to the Sponsors; it recovers
this advance from interest received on the Bonds. Because of varying interest
payment dates on the Bonds, accrued interest at any time will exceed the
interest actually received by the Fund.

EVALUATIONS
     Evaluations are determined by the independent Evaluator on each Business
Day. This excludes Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays as observed by
the New York Stock Exchange: New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday,
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Bond
evaluations are based on closing sales prices (unless the Evaluator deems these
prices inappropriate). If closing sales prices are not available, the evaluation
is generally determined on the basis of current bid or offer prices for the
Bonds or comparable securities or by appraisal or by any combination of these
methods. In the past, the bid prices of publicly offered tax-exempt issues have
been lower than the offer prices by as much as 3 1/2% or more of face amount in
the case of inactively traded issues and as little as  1/2 of 1% in the case of
actively traded issues, but the difference between the offer and bid prices has
averaged between 1 and 2% of face amount. Neither the Sponsors, the Trustee or
the Evaluator will be liable for errors in the Evaluator's judgment. The fees of
the Evaluator will be borne by the Fund.

CERTIFICATES
     Certificates for Units are issued upon request and may be transferred by
paying any taxes or governmental charges and by complying with the requirements
for redeeming Certificates (see How To Sell Units--Trustee's Redemption of
Units). Certain Sponsors collect additional charges for registering and shipping
Certificates to purchasers. Lost or mutilated Certificates can be replaced upon
delivery of satisfactory indemnity and payment of costs.
                                       8
<PAGE>
HOW TO SELL UNITS

SPONSORS' MARKET FOR UNITS
     You can sell your Units at any time without a fee. The Sponsors (although
not obligated to do so) will normally buy any Units offered for sale at the
repurchase price next computed after receipt of the order. The Sponsors have
maintained secondary markets in Defined Asset Funds for over 20 years. Primarily
because of the sales charge and fluctuations in the market value of the Bonds,
the sale price may be less than the cost of your Units. You should consult your
financial professional for current market prices to determine if other broker-
dealers or banks are offering higher prices for Units.
     The Sponsors may discontinue this market without prior notice if the supply
of Units exceeds demand or for other business reasons; in that event, the
Sponsors may still purchase Units at the redemption price as a service to
investors. The Sponsors may reoffer or redeem Units repurchased.

TRUSTEE'S REDEMPTION OF UNITS
     You may redeem your Units by sending the Trustee a redemption request
together with any certificates you hold. Certificates must be properly endorsed
or accompanied by a written transfer instrument with signatures guaranteed by an
eligible institution. In certain instances, additional documents may be required
such as a certificate of death, trust instrument, certificate of corporate
authority or appointment as executor, administrator or guardian. If the Sponsors
are maintaining a market for Units, they will purchase any Units tendered at the
repurchase price described above. While Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series
have a declining deferred sales charge payable on redemption (see Appendix B),
Municipal Investment Trust Fund has no back-end load or 12b-1 fees, so there is
never a fee for cashing in your investment (see Appendix C). If they do not
purchase Units tendered, the Trustee is authorized in its discretion to sell
Units in the over-the-counter market if it believes it will obtain a higher net
price for the redeeming investor.
     By the seventh calendar day after tender you will be mailed an amount equal
to the Redemption Price per Unit. Because of market movements or changes in the
Portfolio, this price may be more or less than the cost of your Units. The
Redemption Price per Unit is computed each Business Day by adding the value of
the Bonds, net accrued interest, cash and the value of any other Fund assets;
deducting unpaid taxes or other governmental charges, accrued but unpaid Fund
expenses, unreimbursed Trustee advances, cash held to redeem Units or for
distribution to investors and the value of any other Fund liabilities; and
dividing the result by the number of outstanding Units.
     For Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, Bonds are evaluated on the offer
side during the initial offering period and for at least the first three months
of the Fund (even in the secondary market) and on the bid side thereafter. For
Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Bonds are evaluated on the offer side during
the initial offering period and on the bid side thereafter.
     If cash is not available in the Fund's Income and Capital Accounts to pay
redemptions, the Trustee may sell Bonds selected by the Agent for the Sponsors
based on market and credit factors determined to be in the best interest of the
Fund. These sales are often made at times when the Bonds would not otherwise be
sold and may result in lower prices than might be realized otherwise and will
also reduce the size and diversity of the Fund.
     Redemptions may be suspended or payment postponed if the New York Stock
Exchange is closed other than for customary weekend and holiday closings, if the
SEC determines that trading on that Exchange is restricted or that an emergency
exists making disposal or evaluation of the Bonds not reasonably practicable, or
for any other period permitted by the SEC.

INCOME, DISTRIBUTIONS AND REINVESTMENT

INCOME
     Some of the Bonds may have been purchased on a when-issued basis or may
have a delayed delivery. Since interest on these Bonds does not begin to accrue
until the date of their delivery to the Fund, the Trustee's annual fee and
expenses may be reduced to provide tax-exempt income to investors for this
non-accrual period. If a when-issued Bond is not delivered until later than
expected and the amount of the Trustee's annual fee and expenses is insufficient
to cover the additional accrued interest, the Sponsors will treat the contracts
as failed Bonds. The Trustee is compensated for its fee reduction by drawing on
the letter of credit deposited by the
                                       9
<PAGE>
Sponsors before the settlement date for these Bonds and depositing the proceeds
in a non-interest bearing account for the Fund.
     Interest received is credited to an Income Account and other receipts to a
Capital Account. A Reserve Account may be created by withdrawing from the Income
and Capital Accounts amounts considered appropriate by the Trustee to reserve
for any material amount that may be payable out of the Fund.

DISTRIBUTIONS
     Each Unit receives an equal share of monthly distributions of interest
income net of estimated expenses. Interest on the Bonds is generally received by
the Fund on a semi-annual or annual basis. Because interest on the Bonds is not
received at a constant rate throughout the year, any Monthly Income Distribution
may be more or less than the interest actually received. To eliminate
fluctuations in the Monthly Income Distribution, the Trustee will advance
amounts necessary to provide approximately equal interest distributions; it will
be reimbursed, without interest, from interest received on the Bonds, but the
Trustee is compensated, in part, by holding the Fund's cash balances in
non-interest bearing accounts. Along with the Monthly Income Distributions, the
Trustee will distribute the investor's pro rata share of principal received from
any disposition of a Bond to the extent available for distribution. In addition,
for Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, distributions of amounts necessary to
pay the deferred portion of the sales charge will be made from the Capital and
Income Accounts to an account maintained by the Trustee for purposes of
satisfying investors' sales charge obligations.
     The initial estimated annual income per Unit, after deducting estimated
annual Fund expenses (and, for Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series, the portion
of the deferred sales charge payable from interest income) as stated in Part A
of the Prospectus, will change as Bonds mature, are called or sold or otherwise
disposed of, as replacement bonds are deposited and as Fund expenses change.
Because the Portfolio is not actively managed, income distributions will
generally not be affected by changes in interest rates. Depending on the
financial conditions of the issuers of the Bonds, the amount of income should be
substantially maintained as long as the Portfolio remains unchanged; however,
optional bond redemptions or other Portfolio changes may occur more frequently
when interest rates decline, which would result in early returns of principal
and possibly earlier termination of the Fund.

REINVESTMENT
     Distributions will be paid in cash unless the investor elects to have
distributions reinvested without sales charge in the Municipal Fund Accumulation
Program, Inc. The Program is an open-end management investment company whose
investment objective is to obtain income exempt from regular federal income
taxes by investing in a diversified portfolio of state, municipal and public
authority bonds rated A or better or with comparable credit characteristics.
Reinvesting compounds earnings free from federal tax. Investors participating in
the Program will be subject to state and local income taxes to the same extent
as if the distributions had been received in cash, and most of the income on the
Program is subject to state and local income taxes. For more complete
information about the Program, including charges and expenses, request the
Program's prospectus from the Trustee. Read it carefully before you decide to
participate. Written notice of election to participate must be received by the
Trustee at least ten days before the Record Day for the first distribution to
which the election is to apply.

FUND EXPENSES
     Estimated annual Fund expenses are listed in Part A of the Prospectus; if
actual expenses exceed the estimate, the excess will be borne by the Fund. The
Trustee's annual fee is payable in monthly installments. The Trustee also
benefits when it holds cash for the Fund in non-interest bearing accounts.
Possible additional charges include Trustee fees and expenses for extraordinary
services, costs of indemnifying the Trustee and the Sponsors, costs of action
taken to protect the Fund and other legal fees and expenses, Fund termination
expenses and any governmental charges. The Trustee has a lien on Fund assets to
secure reimbursement of these amounts and may sell Bonds for this purpose if
cash is not available. The Sponsors receive an annual fee of a maximum of $0.35
per $1,000 face amount to reimburse them for the cost of providing Portfolio
supervisory services to the Fund. While the fee may exceed their costs of
providing these services to the Fund, the total supervision fees from all
Defined Asset Funds Municipal Series will not exceed their costs for these
services to all of those Series during any calendar year; and the total
supervision fees from all Series of Municipal Investment Trust Fund will not
exceed their costs for these services to all of those Series during any calendar
year. The Sponsors may also be reimbursed for their costs of providing
bookkeeping and administrative services to the Fund, currently estimated at
$0.10 per Unit. The Trustee's, Sponsors' and Evaluator's fees may be adjusted
for inflation without investors' approval.
                                       10
<PAGE>
     All expenses in establishing the Fund will be paid from the Underwriting
Account at no charge to the Fund. Sales charges on Defined Asset Funds range
from under 1.0% to 5.5%. This may be less than you might pay to buy and hold a
comparable managed fund. Defined Asset Funds can be a cost-effective way to
purchase and hold investments. Annual operating expenses are generally lower
than for managed funds. Because Defined Asset Funds have no management fees,
limited transaction costs and no ongoing marketing expenses, operating expenses
are generally less than 0.25% a year. When compounded annually, small
differences in expense ratios can make a big difference in your investment
results.

TAXES
     The following discussion addresses only the U.S. federal and certain New
York State and City income tax consequences under current law of Units held as
capital assets and does not address the tax consequences of Units held by
dealers, financial institutions or insurance companies or other investors with
special circumstances.
     In the opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, special counsel for the Sponsors,
under existing law:
        The Fund is not an association taxable as a corporation for federal
     income tax purposes. Each investor will be considered the owner of a pro
     rata portion of each Bond in the Fund under the grantor trust rules of
     Sections 671-679 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
     'Internal Revenue Code'). Each investor will be considered to have received
     the interest and accrued the original issue discount, if any, on his pro
     rata portion of each Bond when interest on the Bond is received or original
     issue discount is accrued by the Fund. The investor's basis in his Units
     will be equal to the cost of his Units, including any up-front sales
     charge.
        When an investor pays for accrued interest, the investor's confirmation
     of purchase will report to him the amount of accrued interest for which he
     paid. These investors will receive the accrued interest amount as part of
     their first monthly distribution. Accordingly, these investors should
     reduce their tax basis by the accrued interest amount after the first
     monthly distribution.
        An investor will recognize taxable gain or loss when all or part of his
     pro rata portion of a Bond is disposed of by the Fund. An investor will
     also be considered to have disposed of all or a portion of his pro rata
     portion of each Bond when he sells or redeems all or some of his Units. An
     investor who is treated as having acquired his pro rata portion of a Bond
     at a premium will be required to amortize the premium over the term of the
     Bond. The amortization is only a reduction of basis for the investor's pro
     rata portion of the Bond and does not result in any deduction against the
     investor's income. Therefore, under some circumstances, an investor may
     recognize taxable gain when his pro rata portion of a Bond is disposed of
     for an amount equal to or less than his original tax basis therefor.
        Under Section 265 of the Internal Revenue Code, a non-corporate investor
     is not entitled to a deduction for his pro rata share of fees and expenses
     of the Fund, because the fees and expenses are incurred in connection with
     the production of tax-exempt income. Further, if borrowed funds are used by
     an investor to purchase or carry Units of the Fund, interest on this
     indebtedness will not be deductible for federal income tax purposes. In
     addition, under rules used by the Internal Revenue Service, the purchase of
     Units may be considered to have been made with borrowed funds even though
     the borrowed funds are not directly traceable to the purchase of Units.
        Under the income tax laws of the State and City of New York, the Fund is
     not an association taxable as a corporation and income received by the Fund
     will be treated as the income of the investors in the same manner as for
     federal income tax purposes, but will not necessarily be tax-exempt.
        The foregoing discussion relates only to U.S. federal and certain
     aspects of New York State and City income taxes. Depending on their state
     of residence, investors may be subject to state and local taxation and
     should consult their own tax advisers in this regard.
                                    *  *  *
     In the opinion of bond counsel rendered on the date of issuance of each
Bond, the interest on each Bond is excludable from gross income under existing
law for regular federal income tax purposes (except in certain circumstances
depending on the investor) but may be subject to state and local taxes, and
interest on some or all of the Bonds may become subject to regular federal
income tax, perhaps retroactively to their date of issuance, as a result of
changes in federal law or as a result of the failure of issuers (or other users
of the proceeds of the Bonds) to comply with certain ongoing requirements. If
the interest on a Bond should be determined to be taxable, the
                                       11
<PAGE>
Bond would generally have to be sold at a substantial discount. In addition,
investors could be required to pay income tax on interest received prior to the
date on which the interest is determined to be taxable.
     Neither the Sponsors nor Davis Polk & Wardwell have made or will make any
review of the proceedings relating to the issuance of the Bonds or the basis for
these opinions and there can be no assurance that the issuer (and other users)
will comply with any ongoing requirements necessary for a Bond to maintain its
tax-exempt character.

RECORDS AND REPORTS
     The Trustee keeps a register of the names, addresses and holdings of all
investors. The Trustee also keeps records of the transactions of the Fund,
including a current list of the Bonds and a copy of the Indenture, and
supplemental information on the operations of the Fund and the risks associated
with the Bonds held by the Fund, which may be inspected by investors at
reasonable times during business hours.
     With each distribution, the Trustee includes a statement of the interest
and any other receipts being distributed. Within five days after deposit of
Bonds in exchange or substitution for Bonds (or contracts) previously deposited,
the Trustee will send a notice to each investor, identifying both the Bonds
removed and the replacement bonds deposited. The Trustee sends each investor of
record an annual report summarizing transactions in the Fund's accounts and
amounts distributed during the year and Bonds held, the number of Units
outstanding and the Redemption Price at year end, the interest received by the
Fund on the Bonds, the gross proceeds received by the Fund from the disposition
of any Bond (resulting from redemption or payment at maturity or sale of any
Bond), and the fees and expenses paid by the Fund, among other matters. The
Trustee will also furnish annual information returns to each investor and to the
Internal Revenue Service. Investors are required to report to the Internal
Revenue Service the amount of tax-exempt interest received during the year.
Investors may obtain copies of Bond evaluations from the Trustee to enable them
to comply with federal and state tax reporting requirements. Fund accounts are
audited annually by independent accountants selected by the Sponsors. Audited
financial statements are available from the Trustee on request.

TRUST INDENTURE
     The Fund is a 'unit investment trust' created under New York law by a Trust
Indenture among the Sponsors, the Trustee and the Evaluator. This Prospectus
summarizes various provisions of the Indenture, but each statement is qualified
in its entirety by reference to the Indenture.
     The Indenture may be amended by the Sponsors and the Trustee without
consent by investors to cure ambiguities or to correct or supplement any
defective or inconsistent provision, to make any amendment required by the SEC
or other governmental agency or to make any other change not materially adverse
to the interest of investors (as determined in good faith by the Sponsors). The
Indenture may also generally be amended upon consent of investors holding 51% of
the Units. No amendment may reduce the interest of any investor in the Fund
without the investor's consent or reduce the percentage of Units required to
consent to any amendment without unanimous consent of investors. Investors will
be notified on the substance of any amendment.
     The Trustee may resign upon notice to the Sponsors. It may be removed by
investors holding 51% of the Units at any time or by the Sponsors without the
consent of investors if it becomes incapable of acting or bankrupt, its affairs
are taken over by public authorities, or if under certain conditions the
Sponsors determine in good faith that its replacement is in the best interest of
the investors. The Evaluator may resign or be removed by the Sponsors and the
Trustee without the investors' consent. The resignation or removal of either
becomes effective upon acceptance of appointment by a successor; in this case,
the Sponsors will use their best efforts to appoint a successor promptly;
however, if upon resignation no successor has accepted appointment within 30
days after notification, the resigning Trustee or Evaluator may apply to a court
of competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor.
     Any Sponsor may resign so long as one Sponsor with a net worth of
$2,000,000 remains and is agreeable to the resignation. A new Sponsor may be
appointed by the remaining Sponsors and the Trustee to assume the duties of the
resigning Sponsor. If there is only one Sponsor and it fails to perform its
duties or becomes incapable of acting or bankrupt or its affairs are taken over
by public authorities, the Trustee may appoint a successor Sponsor at reasonable
rates of compensation, terminate the Indenture and liquidate the Fund or
continue to act as Trustee without a Sponsor. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &
Smith Incorporated has been appointed as Agent for the Sponsors by the other
Sponsors.
     The Sponsors, the Trustee and the Evaluator are not liable to investors or
any other party for any act or omission in the conduct of their responsibilities
absent bad faith, willful misfeasance, negligence (gross negligence
                                       12
<PAGE>
in the case of a Sponsor or the Evaluator) or reckless disregard of duty. The
Indenture contains customary provisions limiting the liability of the Trustee.

MISCELLANEOUS

LEGAL OPINION
     The legality of the Units has been passed upon by Davis Polk & Wardwell,
450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017, as special counsel for the
Sponsors.

AUDITORS
     The Statement of Condition in Part A of the Prospectus was audited by
Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent accountants, as stated in their opinion. It
is included in reliance upon that opinion given on the authority of that firm as
experts in accounting and auditing.

TRUSTEE
     The Trustee and its address are stated in Part A of the Prospectus. The
Trustee is subject to supervision by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and either the Comptroller
of the Currency or state banking authorities.

SPONSORS
     The Sponsors are listed in Part A of the Prospectus. They may include
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Merrill Lynch Co. Inc.; Smith Barney Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary
of The Travelers Inc.; Prudential Securities Incorporated, an indirect
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Prudential Insurance Company of America; Dean
Witter Reynolds, Inc., a principal operating subsidiary of Dean Witter Discover
& Co. and PaineWebber Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PaineWebber
Group Inc. Each Sponsor, or one of its predecessor corporations, has acted as
Sponsor of a number of series of unit investment trusts. Each Sponsor has acted
as principal underwriter and managing underwriter of other investment companies.
The Sponsors, in addition to participating as members of various selling groups
or as agents of other investment companies, execute orders on behalf of
investment companies for the purchase and sale of securities of these companies
and sell securities to these companies in their capacities as brokers or dealers
in securities.

PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
     In the initial offering period Units will be distributed to the public
through the Underwriting Account and dealers who are members of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. The initial offering period is 30 days
or less if all Units are sold. If some Units initially offered have not been
sold, the Sponsors may extend the initial offering period for up to four
additional successive 30-day periods.
     The Sponsors intend to qualify Units for sale in all states in which
qualification is deemed necessary through the Underwriting Account and by
dealers who are members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.;
however, Units of a State trust will be offered for sale only in the State for
which the trust is named, except that Units of a New Jersey trust will also be
offered in Connecticut, Units of a Florida trust will also be offered in New
York and Units of a New York trust will also be offered in Connecticut, Florida
and Puerto Rico. The Sponsors do not intend to qualify Units for sale in any
foreign countries and this Prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell Units
in any country where Units cannot lawfully be sold. Sales to dealers and to
introducing dealers, if any, will initially be made at prices which represent a
concession from the Public Offering Price, but the Agent for the Sponsors
reserves the right to change the rate of any concession from time to time. Any
dealer or introducing dealer may reallow a concession up to the concession to
dealers.

UNDERWRITERS' AND SPONSORS' PROFITS
     Upon sale of the Units, the Underwriters will be entitled to receive sales
charges. The Sponsors also realize a profit or loss on deposit of the Bonds
equal to the difference between the cost of the Bonds to the Fund (based on the
offer side evaluation on the initial date of deposit) and the Sponsors' cost of
the Bonds. In addition, a Sponsor or Underwriter may realize profits or sustain
losses on Bonds it deposits in the Fund which were acquired from underwriting
syndicates of which it was a member. During the initial offering period, the
Underwriting Account also may realize profits or sustain losses as a result of
fluctuations after the initial date of deposit in the Public Offering Price of
the Units. In maintaining a secondary market for Units, the Sponsors will also
realize profits or sustain losses in the amount of any difference between the
prices at which they buy Units and the prices at which they resell these Units
(which include the sales charge) or the prices at which they redeem the Units.
Cash, if any,
                                       13
<PAGE>
made available by buyers of Units to the Sponsors prior to a settlement date for
the purchase of Units may be used in the Sponsors' businesses to the extent
permitted by Rule 15c3-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and may be of
benefit to the Sponsors.

FUND PERFORMANCE
     Information on the performance of the Fund for various periods, on the
basis of changes in Unit price plus the amount of income and principal
distributions reinvested, may be included from time to time in advertisements,
sales literature, reports and other information furnished to current or
prospective investors. Total return figures are not averaged, and may not
reflect deduction of the sales charge, which would decrease the return. Average
annualized return figures reflect deduction of the maximum sales charge. No
provision is made for any income taxes payable.
      Past performance may not be indicative of future results. The Fund is not
actively managed. Unit price and return fluctuate with the value of the Bonds in
the Portfolio, so there may be a gain or loss when Units are sold.
      Fund performance may be compared to performance on the same basis (with
distributions reinvested) of Moody's Municipal Bond Averages or performance data
from publications such as Lipper Analytical Services, Inc., Morningstar
Publications, Inc., Money Magazine, The New York Times, U.S. News and World
Report, Barron's Business Week, CDA Investment Technology, Inc., Forbes Magazine
or Fortune Magazine. As with other performance data, performance comparisons
should not be considered representative of the Fund's relative performance for
any future period.

DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
     Municipal Investment Trust Funds have provided investors with tax-free
income for more than 30 years. For decades informed investors have purchased
unit investment trusts for dependability and professional selection of
investments. Defined Asset Funds' philosophy is to allow investors to 'buy with
knowledge' (because, unlike managed funds, the portfolio of municipal bonds and
the return are relatively fixed) and 'hold with confidence' (because the
portfolio is professionally selected and regularly reviewed). Defined Asset
Funds offers an array of simple and convenient investment choices, suited to fit
a wide variety of personal financial goals--a buy and hold strategy for capital
accumulation, such as for children's education or retirement, or attractive,
regular current income consistent with the preservation of principal. Tax-exempt
income can help investors keep more today for a more secure financial future. It
can also be important in planning because tax brackets may increase with higher
earnings or changes in tax laws. Unit investment trusts are particularly suited
for the many investors who prefer to seek long-term income by purchasing sound
investments and holding them, rather than through active trading. Few
individuals have the knowledge, resources or capital to buy and hold a
diversified portfolio on their own; it would generally take a considerable sum
of money to obtain the breadth and diversity that Defined Asset Funds offer.
One's investment objectives may call for a combination of Defined Asset Funds.
     One of the most important investment decisions you face may be how to
allocate your investments among asset classes. Diversification among different
kinds of investments can balance the risks and rewards of each one. Most
investment experts recommend stocks for long-term capital growth. Long-term
corporate bonds offer relatively high rates of interest income. By purchasing
both defined equity and defined bond funds, investors can receive attractive
current income, as well as growth potential, offering some protection against
inflation. From time to time various advertisements, sales literature, reports
and other information furnished to current or prospective investors may present
the average annual compounded rate of return of selected asset classes over
various periods of time, compared to the rate of inflation over the same
periods.

EXCHANGE OPTION--MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND ONLY.
     You may exchange Fund Units for units of certain other Defined Asset Funds
subject only to a reduced sales charge. You may exchange your units of any
Select Ten Portfolio, of any other Defined Asset Fund with a regular maximum
sales charge of at least 3.50%, or of any unaffiliated unit trust with a regular
maximum sales charge of at least 3.0%, for Units of this Fund at their relative
net asset values, subject only to a reduced sales charge, or to any remaining
Deferred Sales Charge, as applicable.
     To make an exchange, you should contact your financial professional to find
out what suitable Exchange Funds are available and to obtain a prospectus. You
may acquire units of only those Exchange Funds in which the Sponsors are
maintaining a secondary market and which are lawfully for sale in the state
where you reside. Except for the reduced sales charge, an exchange is a taxable
event normally requiring recognition of any gain or loss on the units exchanged.
However, the Internal Revenue Service may seek to disallow a loss if the
portfolio of the
                                       14
<PAGE>
units acquired is not materially different from the portfolio of the units
exchanged; you should consult your own tax advisor. If the proceeds of units
exchanged are insufficient to acquire a whole number of Exchange Fund units, you
may pay the difference in cash (not exceeding the price of a single unit
acquired).
     As the Sponsors are not obligated to maintain a secondary market in any
series, there can be no assurance that units of a desired series will be
available for exchange. The Exchange Option may be amended or terminated at any
time without notice.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
     Upon written or telephonic request to the Trustee shown in Part A of this
Prospectus, investors will receive at no cost to the investor supplemental
information about the Fund, which has been filed with the SEC and is hereby
incorporated by reference. The supplemental information includes more detailed
risk factor disclosure about the types of Bonds that may be part of the Fund's
Portfolio, general risk disclosure concerning any letters of credit or insurance
securing certain Bonds, and general information about the structure and
operation of the Fund.
                                       15
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS (AS DESCRIBED BY THE RATING COMPANIES THEMSELVES)
STANDARD & POOR'S RATINGS GROUP, A DIVISION OF MCGRAW-HILL, INC.
     AAA--Debt rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor's.
Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong.
     AA--Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay
principal and differs from the highest rated issues only in small degree.
     A--Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal
although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.
     BBB--Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay
interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection
parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for
debt in this category than in higher rated categories.
     BB, B, CCC, CC--Debt rated BB, B, CCC and CC is regarded, on balance, as
predominately speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay
principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. BB indicates the
lowest degree of speculation and CC the highest degree of speculation. While
such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these
are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse
conditions.
     The ratings may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show
relative standing within the major rating categories.
     A provisional rating, indicated by 'p' following a rating, assumes the
successful completion of the project being financed by the issuance of the debt
being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely
or entirely dependent upon the successful and timely completion of the project.
This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion
of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of, or the risk of default
upon failure of, such completion.
     NR--Indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient
information on which to base a rating or that Standard & Poor's does not rate a
particular type of obligation as a matter of policy.
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
     Aaa--Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be the best quality. They
carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as
'gilt edge'. Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally
stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are
likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair
the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
     Aa--Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all
standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as
high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of
protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective
elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present
which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.
     A--Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and
are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security
to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present
which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
     Baa--Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations,
i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments
and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective
elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great
length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in
fact have speculative characteristics as well.
     Ba--Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their
future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest
and principal payments may be very moderate, and thereby not well
safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of
position characterizes bonds in this class.

                                      a-1
<PAGE>
     B--Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of
other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
     Rating symbols may include numerical modifiers 1, 2 or 3. The numerical
modifier 1 indicates that the security ranks at the high end, 2 in the
mid-range, and 3 nearer the low end, of the generic category. These modifiers of
rating symbols give investors a more precise indication of relative debt quality
in each of the historically defined categories.
     Conditional ratings, indicated by 'Con.', are sometimes given when the
security for the bond depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment
of some condition. Such bonds are given a conditional rating that denotes their
probable credit stature upon completion of that act or fulfillment of that
condition.
     NR--Should no rating be assigned, the reason may be one of the following:
(a) an application for rating was not received or accepted; (b) the issue or
issuer belongs to a group of securities that are not rated as a matter of
policy; (c) there is a lack of essential data pertaining to the issue or issuer
or (d) the issue was privately placed, in which case the rating is not published
in Moody's publications.
FITCH INVESTORS SERVICE, INC.
     AAA--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of the highest
quality. The obligor has an extraordinary ability to pay interest and repay
principal, which is unlikely to be affected by reasonably foreseeable events.
     AA--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of high quality.
The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal, while very strong, is
somewhat less than for AAA rated securities or more subject to possible change
over the term of the issue.
     A--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of good quality.
The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered to be
strong, but may be more vulnerable to adverse changes in economic conditions and
circumstances than bonds with higher ratings.
     BBB--These bonds are considered to be investment grade and of satisfactory
quality. The obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal is considered
to be adequate. Adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances,
however are more likely to weaken this ability than bonds with higher ratings.
     A '+' or a '-' sign after a rating symbol indicates relative standing in
its rating.
DUFF & PHELPS CREDIT RATING CO.
     AAA--Highest credit quality. The risk factors are negligible, being only
slightly more than for risk-free U.S. Treasury debt.
     AA--High credit quality. Protection factors are strong. Risk is modest but
may vary slightly from time to time because of economic condtions.
     A--Protection factors are average but adequate. However, risk factors are
more variable and greater in periods of economic stress.
     A '+' or a '-' sign after a rating symbol indicates relative standing in
its rating.
                                      a-2
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX B
        SALES CHARGE SCHEDULES FOR DEFINED ASSET FUNDS, MUNICIPAL SERIES

     DEFERRED AND UP-FRONT SALES CHARGES. Units purchased during the first year
of the Fund will be subject to periodic deferred and contingent deferred sales
charges. Units purchased in the second through fifth year will be subject to an
up-front sales charge as well as periodic deferred and contingent deferred sales
charges. Units purchased thereafter will be subject only to an up-front sales
charge. During the first five years of the Fund, a fixed periodic deferred sales
charge of $2.75 per Unit is payable on 20 quarterly payment dates occurring on
the 10th day of February, May, August and November, commencing no earlier than
45 days after the initial date of deposit. Investors purchasing Units on the
initial date of deposit and holding for at least five years, for example, would
incur total periodic deferred sales charges of $55.00 per Unit. Because of the
time value of money, however, as of the initial date of deposit this periodic
deferred sales charge obligation would, at current interest rates, equate to an
up-front sales charge of approximately 4.75%.
     On the Fund's initial offering date, the Public Offering Price per Unit
will be $1,000. Subsequently, the Public Offering Price per Unit will fluctuate.
As the periodic deferred sales charge is a fixed dollar amount irrespective of
the Public Offering Price, it will represent a varying percentage of the Public
Offering Price. An up-front sales charge will be imposed on all unit purchases
after the first year of the Fund. The following table illustrates the combined
maximum up-front and periodic deferred sales charges that would be incurred by
an investor who purchases Units at the beginning of each of the first five years
of the Fund (based on a constant Unit price) and holds them through the fifth
year of the Fund:

</TABLE>
<TABLE><CAPTION>
                                                                                                           TOTAL
                                                     UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE            MAXIMUM      UP-FRONT AND PERIODIC
                     -----------------------------------------------------------        AMOUNT      DEFERRED SALES
  YEAR OF UNIT       AS PERCENT OF PUBLIC   AS PERCENT OF NET      AMOUNT PER     DEFERRED PER             CHARGES
      PURCHASE        OFFERING PRICE        AMOUNT INVESTED      $1,000 INVESTED  $1,000 INVESTED  PER $1,000 INVESTED
- -------------------  ---------------------  -------------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                 <C>               <C>              <C>
             1                  None                  None               None        $   55.00           $   55.00
             2                  1.10%                 1.11%         $   11.00            44.00               55.00
             3                  2.20                  2.25              22.00            33.00               55.00
             4                  3.30                  3.41              33.00            22.00               55.00
             5                  4.40                  4.60              44.00            11.00               55.00
</TABLE>
     CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE. Units redeemed or repurchased within 4
years after the Fund's initial date of deposit will not only incur the periodic
deferred sales charge until the quarter of redemption or repurchase but will
also be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge:

  YEAR SINCE FUND'S
   INITIAL DATE OF     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
       DEPOSIT         SALES CHARGE PER UNIT
- ---------------------  ---------------------
1                            $   25.00
2                                15.00
3                                10.00
4                                 5.00
5 and thereafter                  None

     The contingent deferred sales charge is waived on any redemption or
repurchase of Units after the death (including the death of a single joint
tenant with rights of survivorship) or disability (as defined in the Internal
Revenue Code) of an investor, provided the redemption or repurchase is requested
within one year of the death or initial determination of disability. The
Sponsors may require receipt of satisfactory proof of disability before
releasing the portion of the proceeds representing the amount of the contingent
deferred sales charge waived.
     To assist investors in understanding the total costs of purchasing units
during the first four years of the Fund and disposing of those units by the
fifth year, the following tables set forth the maximum combined up-front,
periodic and contingent deferred sales charges that would be incurred (assuming
a constant Unit price) by an investor:
<TABLE><CAPTION>
                    UNITS PURCHASED ON INITIAL OFFERING DATE

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE        SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  -----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                <C>                  <C>
             1                  None            $   11.00           $   25.00            $   36.00
             2                  None                22.00               15.00                37.00
             3                  None                33.00               10.00                43.00
             4                  None                44.00                5.00                49.00
             5                  None                55.00                0.00                55.00

                                      b-1
<PAGE>
<CAPTION>
                  UNITS PURCHASED ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF FUND

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE        SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  -----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                <C>                  <C>
             2             $   11.00            $   11.00           $   15.00            $   37.00
             3                 11.00                22.00               10.00                43.00
             4                 11.00                33.00                5.00                49.00
             5                 11.00                44.00                0.00                55.00
<CAPTION>
                 UNITS PURCHASED ON SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF FUND

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE        SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  -----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                <C>                  <C>
             3             $   22.00            $   11.00           $   10.00            $   43.00
             4                 22.00                22.00                5.00                49.00
             5                 22.00                33.00                0.00                55.00
<CAPTION>
                  UNITS PURCHASED ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF FUND

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE        SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  -----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                <C>                  <C>
             4             $   33.00            $   11.00           $    5.00            $   49.00
             5                 33.00                22.00                0.00                55.00

<CAPTION>
                 UNITS PURCHASED ON FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF FUND

  YEAR OF UNIT                              DEFERRED SALES     CONTINGENT DEFERRED
   DISPOSITION       UP-FRONT SALES CHARGE         CHARGE        SALES CHARGE       TOTAL SALES CHARGES
- -------------------  ---------------------  -----------------  -------------------  -------------------
<S>                  <C>                    <C>                <C>                  <C>
             5             $   44.00            $   11.00           $    0.00            $   55.00
</TABLE>
                                      b-2
<PAGE>
                                   APPENDIX C
           SALES CHARGE SCHEDULES FOR MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND
                                INITIAL OFFERING
<TABLE><CAPTION>
                                                      SALES CHARGE
                                       (GROSS UNDERWRITING PROFIT)
                                     ----------------------------------
                                      AS PERCENT OF       AS PERCENT OF  DEALER CONCESSION AS   PRIMARY MARKET
                                     OFFER SIDE PUBLIC     NET AMOUNT    PERCENT OF PUBLIC       CONCESSION TO
NUMBER OF UNITS                      OFFERING PRICE          INVESTED     OFFERING PRICE        INTRODUCING DEALERS
- -----------------------------------  -------------------  -------------  ---------------------  -------------------

           MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES, MULTISTATE SERIES, INSURED SERIES
<S>                                  <C>                  <C>           <C>                     <C>
Less than 250......................            4.50%            4.712%             2.925%            $   32.40
250 - 499..........................            3.50             3.627              2.275                 25.20
500 - 749..........................            3.00             3.093              1.950                 21.60
750 - 999..........................            2.50             2.564              1.625                 18.00
1,000 or more......................            2.00             2.041              1.300                 14.40
<CAPTION>
                   INTERMEDIATE SERIES (TEN YEAR MATURITIES)
<S>                                  <C>                  <C>           <C>                     <C>
Less than 250......................            4.00%            4.167%             2.600%            $   28.80
250 - 499..........................            3.00             3.093              1.950                 21.60
500 - 749..........................            2.50             2.564              1.625                 18.00
750 - 999..........................            2.00             2.041              1.300                 14.40
1,000 or more......................            1.50             1.523              0.975                 10.00
<CAPTION>
              INTERMEDIATE SERIES (SHORT INTERMEDIATE MATURITIES)
<S>                                  <C>                  <C>           <C>                     <C>
Less than 250......................            2.75%            2.828%             1.788%            $   19.80
250 - 499..........................            2.25             2.302              1.463                 16.20
500 - 749..........................            1.75             1.781              1.138                 12.60
750 - 999..........................            1.25             1.266              0.813                  9.00
1,000 or more......................            1.00             1.010              0.650                  7.20
</TABLE>

                                SECONDARY MARKET

                   ACTUAL SALES CHARGE AS     DEALER CONCESSION AS
                   PERCENT OF EFFECTIVE       PERCENT OF EFFECTIVE
 NUMBER OF UNITS        SALES CHARGE               SALES CHARGE
- -----------------  -------------------------  -------------------------
1-249                            100%                        65%
250-499                           80                         52
500-749                           60                         39
750-999                           45                      29.25
1,000 or more                     35                      22.75

                             EFFECTIVE SALES CHARGE

                               AS PERCENT       AS PERCENT
          TIME TO             OF BID SIDE        OF PUBLIC
          MATURITY             EVALUATION    OFFERING PRICE
- ----------------------------  -------------  -----------------
Less than six months                    0%               0%
Six months to 1 year                0.756             0.75
Over 1 year to 2 years              1.523             1.50
Over 2 years to 4 years             2.564             2.50
Over 4 years to 8 years             3.627             3.50
Over 8 years to 15 years            4.712             4.50
Over 15 years                       5.820             5.50

     For this purpose, a Bond will be considered to mature on its stated
maturity date unless it has been called for redemption or funds or securities
have been placed in escrow to redeem it on an earlier date, or is subject to a
mandatory tender, in which case the earlier date will be considered the maturity
date.
                                      c-1







                                                                     EXHIBIT 3.1
                             DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL
                              450 LEXINGTON AVENUE
                            NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10017
                                 (212) 450-4000
   
                                                                  April 20, 1995
 
MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND,
MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES--557
DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
    
 
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED
SMITH BARNEY INC.
PAINEWEBBER INCORPORATED
PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES INCORPORATED
DEAN WITTER REYNOLDS INC.
C/O MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH INCORPORATED
UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS
P.O. BOX 9051
PRINCETON, NJ 08543-9051
 
Dear Sirs:
 
   
     We have acted as special counsel for you, as sponsors (the 'Sponsors') of
Monthly Payment Series--557 of Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Defined Asset
Funds (the 'Fund'), in connection with the issuance of units of fractional
undivided interest in the Fund (the 'Units') in accordance with the Trust
Indenture relating to the Fund (the 'Indenture').
    
 
     We have examined and are familiar with originals or copies, certified or
otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents and instruments as
we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of this opinion.
 
     Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that (i) the execution and
delivery of the Indenture and the issuance of the Units have been duly
authorized by the Sponsor and (ii) the Units, when duly issued and delivered by
the Sponsors and the Trustee in accordance with the Indenture, will be legally
issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
 
     We hereby consent to the use of this opinion as Exhibit 3.1 of the
Registration Statement relating to the Units filed under the Securities Act of
1933 and to the use of our name in such Registration Statement and in the
related prospectus under the headings 'Taxes' and 'Miscellaneous--Legal
Opinion.'
 
                                          Very truly yours,
 
                                          DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL



                                                                     EXHIBIT 5.1
                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

   
The Sponsors and Trustee of Municipal Investment Trust Fund,
Monthly Payment Series--557, Defined Asset Funds:
 
We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement No. 33-57699 of our
opinion dated April 20, 1995, relating to the Statement of Condition of
Municipal Investment Trust Fund, Monthly Payment Series--557, Defined Asset
Funds and to the reference to us under the heading 'Auditors' in the Prospectus
which is a part of this Registration Statement.

 
DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
New York, N.Y.
April 20, 1995
    



                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.1
   
                                                                  APRIL 20, 1995
    
 
                         KENNY S&P EVALUATION SERVICES
                      A DIVISION OF J. J. KENNY CO., INC.
 
MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED
DEFINED ASSET FUNDS
P.O. BOX 9051
PRINCETON, NJ 08543-9051
 
   
THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A.
UNIT TRUST DEPARTMENT
BOX 2051
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10081
 
RE: MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT TRUST FUND, MONTHLY PAYMENT SERIES--557, DEFINED ASSET
    FUNDS
    
 
Gentlemen:
 
   
     We have examined the Registration Statement File No. 33-57699 for the above
captioned trust. We hereby acknowledge that Kenny S&P Evaluation Services, a
Division of J. J. Kenny Co., Inc. is currently acting as the evaluator for the
trust. We hereby consent to the use in the Registration Statement of the
reference to Kenny S&P Evaluation Services, a Division of J. J. Kenny Co., Inc.
as evaluator.
    
 
     In addition, we hereby confirm that the ratings indicated in the
Registration Statement for the respective bonds comprising the trust portfolio
are the ratings indicated in our KENNYBASE database as of the date of the
Evaluation Report.

     You are hereby authorized to file a copy of this letter with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
 
                                          Sincerely,
 
                                          JOHN R. FITZGERALD
                                          Vice President


<TABLE> <S> <C>

<ARTICLE> 6
<MULTIPLIER>                    1
<PERIOD-TYPE>                   OTHER
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                          MAR-31-1995
<PERIOD-END>                               APR-20-1995
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST>                        9,727,528
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE>                       9,727,528
<RECEIVABLES>                                  172,987
<ASSETS-OTHER>                                       0
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS>                                 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                               9,900,515
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES>                             0
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT>                              0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES>                      172,987
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES>                            172,987
<SENIOR-EQUITY>                                      0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON>                     9,727,528
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK>                           10,000
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR>                                0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT>                            0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII>                               0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS>                              0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS>                             0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC>                             0
<NET-ASSETS>                                 9,727,528
<DIVIDEND-INCOME>                                    0
<INTEREST-INCOME>                                    0
<OTHER-INCOME>                                       0
<EXPENSES-NET>                                       0
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME>                              0
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT>                             0
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT>                            0
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS>                                0
<EQUALIZATION>                                       0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME>                            0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS>                             0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER>                                0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD>                         10,000
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED>                          0
<SHARES-REINVESTED>                                  0
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS>                               0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR>                              0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR>                            0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR>                              0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR>                           0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES>                                0
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>                                   0
<GROSS-EXPENSE>                                      0
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS>                                 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN>                             0.00
<PER-SHARE-NII>                                   0.00
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC>                           0.00
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND>                              0.00
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS>                         0.00
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL>                              0.00
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END>                               0.00
<EXPENSE-RATIO>                                      0
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING>                               0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE>                                 0

</TABLE>


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