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EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]  
EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLANS
Pension Plans
Holdings and Equitable Financial Retirement Plans
Holdings sponsors the MONY Life Retirement Income Security Plan for Employees (the “MONY Plan”) and Equitable Financial sponsors the Equitable Retirement Plan (the “Equitable Financial QP”), both of which were frozen
on December 31, 2013, qualified defined benefit plan covering eligible employees and financial professionals. These pension plans are non-contributory, and their benefits are generally based on a cash balance formula and/or, for certain participants, years of service and average earnings over a specified period. Holdings has assumed primary liability for both plans. Equitable Financial remains secondarily liable for its obligations under the Equitable Financial QP and would recognize such liability in the event Holdings does not perform. Holdings and Equitable Financial also sponsor certain nonqualified deferred compensation plans, including the Equitable Excess Retirement Plan, that provide retirement benefits in excess of the amount permitted under the tax law for the qualified plans.
Effective January 1, 2025, Equitable changed how it provides certain retirement-related benefits to its eligible employees and financial professionals. Equitable discontinued the non-elective company contribution to its 401(k) plan but continues to provide a 401(k) matching contribution. Instead of the non-elective 401(k) contribution, eligible employees and financial professionals receive cash balance allocations in the Equitable Financial QP. The Equitable Financial QP is a qualified defined benefit plan that was frozen on December 31, 2013, but was reopened on January 1, 2025 to provide these cash balance allocations. Under the new cash balance feature, each eligible employee will receive monthly pay credits equal to four percent of their eligible monthly pay. Each eligible financial professional will receive pay credits equal to two and a half percent of eligible monthly pay up to the Social Security Wage Base, and then five percent for eligible monthly pay above the Social Security Wage Base up to the qualified plan pay maximum. Balances in these cash balance accounts in the Equitable Financial QP will be credited with interest at six percent from 2025 through 2027. Starting in 2028, the applicable interest crediting rate for these accounts will be based on the 10-year U.S. Treasury Yield (subject to a 6% cap).
Effective December 31, 2025, the MONY Plan was merged into the Equitable Financial QP. The assets and liabilities of the MONY Plan were combined with the Equitable Financial QP, and the Equitable Financial QP will honor all benefits earned under the MONY Plan and will maintain provisions that are substantially similar to the MONY Plan. Benefits earned under the MONY Plan were frozen to future accruals effective December 31, 2013, and will continue to be governed by terms and provisions from the MONY Plan applicable to the accrual and calculation of those benefits. Any benefit accruals attributable to service with Equitable will be governed by the terms of the Equitable Financial QP.
Net Periodic Pension Expense
Components of net periodic pension expense for the Company’s plans were as follows:
Three Months Ended March 31,
20262025
 (in millions)
Service cost$8 $8 
Interest cost28 28 
Expected return on assets(33)(34)
Prior period service cost amortization(1)(1)
Net amortization15 12 
Impact of settlement (1)
— 21 
Net periodic pension expense
$17 $34 
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(1)During the three months ended March 31, 2025, AB settled all future obligations under their defined benefits retirement plan and transferred the remaining benefit obligations to a qualified third party insurance provider under a group annuity contract, and as a result recognized an initial non-cash settlement of approximately $21 million. The plan was formally terminated and the trust was closed effective September 30, 2025.