THE BEAR STEARNS COMPANIES INC.
                                            IncomeNotes(SM)
                       With Maturities of Nine Months or More from Date of Issue


Registration No. 333-104455
Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Pricing Supplement No. 19
(To Prospectus dated April 24, 2003,
and Prospectus Supplement dated June 19, 2003)
Trade Date: November 17, 2003
Issue Date: November 20, 2003
The date of this Pricing Supplement is November 17, 2003



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                                                                                                              Interest
                                                  Maturity   Price to   Discounts &                            Payment
   CUSIP#               Interest Rate               Date       Public   Commissions  Reallowance    Dealer    Frequency
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         
  07387ECF2                 3.90%                11/15/2008   100.00%      1.00%        0.150%      99.25%      Semi
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  07387ECG0                 5.10%                11/15/2013   100.00%      1.50%        0.200%      98.90%      Semi
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  07387ECH8                 5.60%                11/15/2023   100.00%      2.50%        0.350%      98.00%      Semi
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                                     Subject to Redemption
                                     ---------------------
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                    First
                  Interest                                                                      Aggregate
First Interest     Payment    Survivor's                                                        Principal
 Payment Date      Amount       Option   Yes/No         Date and Terms of Redemption             Amount        Net Proceeds
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                              
   5/15/2004       $18.96        Yes       No                        N/A                        $2,897,000      $2,868,030
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   5/15/2004       $24.79        Yes       No                        N/A                        $1,682,000      $1,656,770
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   5/15/2004       $27.22        Yes       Yes   Commencing 11/15/2008 and on the interest      $  542,000      $  528,450
                                                 payment dates thereafter until Maturity,
                                                 the Notes may be called in whole at par at
                                                 the option of the Company on ten calendar
                                                 days notice.
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At August 31, 2003:

      o     the Company had outstanding (on an unconsolidated basis)
            approximately $35.2 billion of debt and other obligations, including
            approximately $32.1 billion of unsecured senior debt and $2.8
            billion of unsecured inter-company debt; and

      o     subsidiaries of the Company had outstanding (after elimination of
            inter-company items) approximately $170.4 billion of debt and other
            obligations (including $46.7 billion related to securities sold
            under repurchase agreements, $65.6 billion related to payables to
            customers, $28.9 billion related to financial instruments sold, but
            not yet purchased, and $29.2 billion of other liabilities, including
            $16.7 billion of debt).

                                    * * *

The applicable pricing supplement, the prospectus and the accompanying
prospectus supplement in electronic format may be made available on the Internet
sites of, or through other online services maintained by, the Company and/or one
or more of the agents and/or dealers participating in an offering of notes, or
by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may be able to view
offering terms online and, depending upon the particular agent or dealer,
prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online.

Other than the applicable pricing supplement, the prospectus and the
accompanying prospectus supplement in electronic format, the information on our
or any agent's or dealer's web site and any information contained in any other
web site maintained by any agent or dealer is not part of the pricing
supplement, the prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or the
registration statement of which they form a part; has not been approved or
endorsed by us or by any agent or dealer in its capacity as an agent or dealer,
except, in each case, with respect to the respective web site maintained by such
entity; and should not be relied upon by investors.

                                    * * *

The distribution of IncomeNotes will conform to the requirements set forth in
Rule 2720 of the NASD Conduct Rules.