Exhibit 15

 

November 4, 2008

 

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.

4 World Financial Center

New York, NY 10080

 

We have reviewed, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial information of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. and subsidiaries (“Merrill Lynch”) as of September 26, 2008 and for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 26, 2008 and September 28, 2007, and have issued our report thereon dated November 4, 2008. As indicated in such report (which report includes explanatory paragraphs relating to (1) the agreement and plan of merger with Bank of America Corporation on September 15, 2008 as discussed in Note 1 to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, (2) the restatement discussed in Note 16 to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, and (3) Merrill Lynch’s securities purchase agreement with the U.S. Treasury pursuant to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, its participation in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, and its participation in the Federal Reserve’s Commercial Paper Funding Facility as discussed in Note 18 to the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements), because we did not perform an audit, we expressed no opinion on that information.

 

We are aware that our report referred to above, which is included in your Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 26, 2008, is incorporated by reference in the following Registration Statements, as amended:

 

Filed on Form S-8:

 

Registration Statement No. 33-41942 (1986 Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-17908 (Incentive Equity Purchase Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-33336 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-51831 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-51829 (401(k) Savings and Investment Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-54154 (Non-Employee Directors’ Equity Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-54572 (401(k) Savings and Investment Plan (Puerto Rico))

 

Registration Statement No. 33-56427 (Amended and Restated 1994 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-55155 (1995 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 33-60989 (1996 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-00863 (401(k) Savings & Investment Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-09779 (1997 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-15009 (1997 KECALP Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-17099 (Deferred Unit and Stock Unit Plan for Non-Employee Directors)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-18915 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan for Managers and Producers)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-32209 (1998 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-33125 (Employee Stock Purchase Plan for Employees of Merrill Lynch Partnerships)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-41425 (401(k) Savings & Investment Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-56291 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan for Managers and Producers)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-60211 (1999 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-85421 (401(k) Savings and Investment Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-85423 (2000 Deferred Compensation Plan For a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-92663 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan for Managers and Producers)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-44912 (2001 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-64676 (1986 Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-64674 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan for Managers and Producers)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-68330 (2002 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-99105 (2003 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-108296 (2004 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-109236 (Employee Stock Compensation Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-118615 (2005 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-125109 (2006 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-125181 (Deferred Stock Unit Plan for Non-Employee Directors)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-134065 (2007 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-142962 (2008 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-151241 (2009 Deferred Compensation Plan for a Select Group of Eligible Employees)

 

Filed on Form S-3:

 

Debt Securities, Warrants, Common Stock, Preferred Securities, and/or Depositary Shares:

 

Registration Statement No. 33-54218

 

Registration Statement No. 2-78338

 

Registration Statement No. 2-89519

 

Registration Statement No. 2-83477

 

Registration Statement No. 33-03602

 

Registration Statement No. 33-17965

 

Registration Statement No. 33-27512

 

Registration Statement No. 33-33335

 

Registration Statement No. 33-35456

 

Registration Statement No. 33-42041

 

Registration Statement No. 33-45327

 

Registration Statement No. 33-45777

 

Registration Statement No. 33-49947

 

Registration Statement No. 33-51489

 

Registration Statement No. 33-52647

 

Registration Statement No. 33-55363

 

Registration Statement No. 33-60413

 

Registration Statement No. 33-61559

 

Registration Statement No. 33-65135

 

Registration Statement No. 333-13649

 

Registration Statement No. 333-16603

 

Registration Statement No. 333-20137

 

Registration Statement No. 333-25255

 

Registration Statement No. 333-28537

 

Registration Statement No. 333-42859

 

Registration Statement No. 333-44173

 

Registration Statement No. 333-59997

 

Registration Statement No. 333-68747

 

Registration Statement No. 333-38792

 

Registration Statement No. 333-52822

 

Registration Statement No. 333-83374

 

Registration Statement No. 333-97937

 

Registration Statement No. 333-105098

 

Registration Statement No. 333-109802

 

Registration Statement No. 333-122639

 

Registration Statement No. 333-132911

 

Medium Term Notes:

 

Registration Statement No. 2-96315

 

Registration Statement No. 33-03079

 

Registration Statement No. 33-05125

 

Registration Statement No. 33-09910

 

Registration Statement No. 33-16165

 

Registration Statement No. 33-19820

 

Registration Statement No. 33-23605

 

Registration Statement No. 33-27549

 

Registration Statement No. 33-38879

 

Other Securities:

 

Registration Statement No. 333-02275 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-24889 (Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, and Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan for Managers and Producers)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-36651 (Hotchkis and Wiley Resale)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-59263 (Exchangeable Shares of Merrill Lynch & Co., Canada Ltd. re: Midland Walwyn Inc.)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-67903 (Howard Johnson & Company Resale)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-45880 (Herzog, Heine, Geduld, Inc. Resale)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-142690 (First Republic Merger)

 

Registration Statement No. 333-146204 (First Republic Bank Amended and Restated Employee Stock Purchase Plan)

 

We also are aware that the aforementioned report, pursuant to Rule 436(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, is not considered a part of a Registration Statement prepared or certified by an accountant or a report prepared or certified by an accountant within the meaning of Sections 7 and 11 of that Act.

 

 

New York, New York