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                                                                   Exhibit 10.24

           SPLIT DOLLAR INSURANCE AGREEMENT AND ASSIGNMENT OF LIFE
                         INSURANCE POLICY AS COLLATERAL

        This Agreement is entered into as of the 24th day of Oct., 1996 at
Cleveland, Ohio, by and between ALBERT B. RATNER and JAMES RATNER, Trustees
under the Charles Ratner 1989 Irrevocable Trust Agreement dated May 9, 1989
f/b/o Rachel Ratner (hereinafter referred to as the "Owner"), and FOREST CITY
ENTERPRISES, INC., an Ohio corporation (hereinafter referred to as "Assignee").

                              W I T N E S S E T H:

        WHEREAS, the Owner has agreed to purchase a life insurance policy
(hereinafter referred to and defined as "the Policy") on the life of Charles
Ratner (hereinafter referred to as the "Insured") in the principal amount of
$625,000;

        WHEREAS, the Owner is willing to pay a portion of the premium payments
on the Policy;

        WHEREAS, the Owner, in order to induce Assignee to pay the remaining
premium payments, is willing to assign certain rights in the Policy to Assignee
and to pledge the Policy to Assignee as collateral;

        WHEREAS, Assignee desires to invest and is willing to pay that portion
of the premium payments which are not paid by the Owner if certain rights in the
Policy are assigned to it; and

        WHEREAS, Owner and Assignee desire to enter into this Agreement in order
to secure Assignee's repayment, out of the proceeds of the Policy, of the
portion of the premium payments paid by the Assignee and to grant certain other
rights to the Assignee;

        NOW, THEREFORE, for value received, the receipt and sufficiency of which
are hereby acknowledged, the Owner and the Assignee mutually agree as follows:

        1.      DEFINITIONS. In this Agreement:



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        a.      Insurer.The "Insurer" is Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance
                Company.

        b.      THE POLICY.

                                The following policy of life insurance on the
                                life of the Insured issued by the Insurer,
                                together with any supplementary contracts issued
                                by the Insurer in conjunction therewith: Policy
                                No. 13908095; Face Amount: $625,000.

        c.      POLICY INTEREST.

                                The Assignee's "Policy Interest" shall be an
                                amount equal to the LESSER of the "Cash
                                Surrender Value" of the Policy OR the Assignee's
                                "Premium Interest"; provided, if the Insured
                                dies while this Agreement is in effect, the
                                Assignee's Policy Interest shall be an amount
                                equal to 1.10 times the Assignee's Premium
                                Interest in the Policy; provided further, if the
                                Insured dies within two years after the Owner
                                terminates this Agreement (by paying to Assignee
                                the lesser of Cash Surrender Value of the Policy
                                or the Premium Interest of the Assignee), then
                                the Owner also shall pay to the Assignee the
                                amount (if any) by which (i) 1.10 times the
                                Assignee's Premium Interest, exceeds (ii) the
                                amount paid by the Owner to the Assignee to
                                terminate this Agreement. The existence of the
                                Assignee's Policy Interest shall be evidenced by
                                filing with the Insurer a copy of this
                                Agreement, along with a collateral assignment in
                                the form prescribed by the Insurer.

        d.      CASH SURRENDER VALUE AND PREMIUM INTEREST.

                                "Cash Surrender Value" shall mean the cash value
                                of the Policy; plus the cash value of any paid
                                up additions; plus any dividend accumulations
                                and unpaid dividends; and less any Policy loans
                                outstanding to Assignee (including any accrued
                                interest on such loans). The "Premium Interest"
                                shall be equal to the cumulative amount of
                                unreimbursed premiums paid on the Policy by the
                                Assignee, less any Policy loans outstanding to
                                Assignee (including any accrued interest on such
                                loans).

2.      PREMIUM PAYMENTS.

        a. Each annual premium on the Policy shall be paid when due as follows:

                (i) The Owner shall pay a portion of each premium equal to the
        Insurer's current term rate for the Insured's age, multiplied by the
        excess of

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        the current death benefit over the Assignee's current Premium Interest.
        The Insurer's "current term rate" shall mean the lesser of (a) the
        Insurer's current published premium rates charged by the Insurer for
        individual one-year term life insurance (available generally to all
        comparable policyholders of the Insurer), or (b) the cost of comparable
        one-year term insurance as published or approved from time to time by
        the Internal Revenue Service or (if no such IRS-approved tables are in
        effect) as generally used in the insurance industry (e.g., for
        single-life policies, the so-called "PS 58 rates"). The Owner's premium
        contribution check (or checks) shall be delivered to the Insurer on or
        before each premium due date.

                (ii) The Assignee shall pay the remaining balance of each
        premium due until the death of the Insured or, if earlier, until the
        termination of this Agreement. The Assignee's premium contribution check
        shall be delivered to the Insurer on or before each premium due date.

                (iii) For convenience, either the Assignee or the Owner may pay
        the entire premium to the Insurer (by agreement between the Owner and
        the Assignee), with reimbursement to be made promptly by the nonpaying
        party to the other party, in the amount of the premium contribution due
        from the nonpaying party (as determined under clauses (i) and (ii)
        above).

        b. Dividends on the Policy shall be applied to purchase paid up
        additions, except as permitted otherwise pursuant to Section 3 below.

3.      POLICY OWNERSHIP.

        a. Except as provided in, or limited by, Section 4 and subparagraph b of
this Section, the Owner shall have all the rights of the "Owner" under the terms
of the




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Policy, including but not limited to the right to designate beneficiaries,
select settlement options and to surrender the Policy; provided, the Owner may
surrender paid up additions, borrow against the Policy or change dividend
options on the Policy only if and to the extent that, immediately after the
Owner takes such actions, the Cash Surrender Value of the Policy exceeds 110% of
the Assignee's Premium Interest.

                        b. In exchange for the Assignee's payment of its premium
                contribution under Section 2, the Owner hereby assigns to the
                Assignee the following limited ownership rights in the Policy:

                        (i) The right to obtain one or more loans or advances on
                the Policy to the extent of the Assignee's Policy Interest and
                to pledge or assign the Policy for such loans or advances.

                        (ii) The right to realize against the Cash Surrender
                Value of the Policy to the extent of the Assignee's Policy
                Interest, in the event of termination of this Agreement as
                provided in Section 5.

                        (iii) The right to realize against the proceeds of the
                Policy to the extent of Assignee's Policy Interest, in the event
                of the Insured's death.

                        c. It is agreed that benefits may be paid under the
                Policy by the Insurer either by separate checks to the parties
                entitled thereto, or by a joint check. In the latter instance,
                the Owner and the Assignee agree that the benefits shall be
                divided as provided herein.

        4. ASSIGNMENT BY THE OWNER. The Owner may assign any part or all of such
Owner's retained interest in the Policy or in this Agreement to any person,
entity or trust; provided that such assignment shall be effective only if (i)
the new Owner-assignee agrees in writing to be bound by the terms of this
Agreement, and (ii) the assigning Owner provides 



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written notice to the Assignee of such assignment (identifying the name, address
and telephone number of such new Owner-Assignee).

        5.      TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT.

                a. This Agreement shall terminate (i) upon surrender of the
        Policy (or surrender of any supplemental contracts issued in connection
        therewith) by the Owner, or (ii) at such time as the Owner otherwise
        arranges to pay to the Assignee the full amount of Assignee's Policy
        Interest. The Owner may surrender the Policy at any time; provided, the
        Owner shall surrender the Policy or otherwise terminate this Agreement
        only with the written consent of the Assignee at any time that the Cash
        Surrender Value is less than the Premium Interest.

                b. On any termination of this Agreement, at the option of the
        Owner, either:

                        (i) An amount equal to the Policy Interest shall be paid
                to the Assignee by the Insurer; or

                        (ii) The Owner shall direct the Assignee to assign its
                Policy Interest to the Owner or as the Owner directs, in which
                event the Owner shall pay the Assignee an amount equal to
                Assignee's Policy Interest.

        6.      Death of the Insured. In the event of the death of the Insured
while this Agreement is in effect, a portion of the proceeds of the Policy equal
to the Policy Interest shall be paid to the Assignee and the balance of the
proceeds of the Policy shall be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries under
the Policy (as their interests may appear); provided, in computing the value of
Assignee's Policy Interest upon termination, Assignee shall be deemed to have
repaid to Insurer the amount of any outstanding Policy loans or advances to
Assignee 



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(including accrued interest) immediately prior to such termination, and
such deemed repaid amount in turn shall be deemed to have been distributed to
Assignee.

        7.      The Insurer. The Insurer shall be bound only by the provisions
of and endorsements on the Policy. The copy of this Agreement filed with the
Insurer shall constitute directives of the Owner to the Insurer and any payments
made or actions taken by it in accordance therewith shall fully discharge
Insurer from all claims, suits and demands of all persons whatsoever. Insurer
shall in no way be bound by the provisions of this Agreement.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have signed this Agreement as of
the date stated above.

                               ASSIGNEE:

                               FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES, INC.

                               By  /s/ Thomas G. Smith
                               ----------------------------
                               Title Sr. Vice President --
                                     Chief Financial Officer


                               OWNER:
                               /s/ Albert B. Ratner
                               -----------------------------
                               Albert B. Ratner, Trustee u/a dtd 05/09/89
                               f/b/o Rachel Ratner


                               /s/ James Ratner
                               -----------------------------
                               James Ratner, Trustee u/a dtd 05/09/89
                               f/b/o Rachel Ratner




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