An axle assembly _comprising: a housing defining a pinion bearing bore ; an input pinion ; a single pinion bearing received in the pinion bearing bore and supporting the input pinion relative to the housing for rotation about a first axis and for axial thrust in opposite directions along the first axis , wherein the pinion bearing is a four-point angular contact bearing; a retainer plate abutted against the single pinion bearing on an end of the single pinion bearing opposite the housing ; a plurality of threaded fasteners securing the retainer plate to the housing , the threaded fasteners being disposed about a bolt circle (BC), the threaded fasteners having a centerline and a major diameter; a differential assembly mounted in the housing for rotation about a second axis that is not parallel to the first axis ; and a ring gear meshingly engaged with the input pinion and coupled to the differential assembly for rotation therewith about the second axis ; wherein the centerlines of a first quantity of the threaded fasteners are clustered into a segment (S), the segment (S) spanning less than 180 degrees of the bolt circle (BC) and extending radially outward from the first axis beyond the bolt circle (BC) by a distance that is less than or equal to five times the major diameter of the threaded fasteners , wherein a second quantity of the threaded fasteners are not disposed within the segment (S), wherein the second quantity is less than the first quantity, and wherein the segment (S) can be oriented about the first axis such that the first quantity of the threaded fasteners that are disposed within the segment exceeds the quantity of the threaded fasteners that are disposed on the bolt circle (BC) but whose centerlines do not fall within the segment (S) and which represent the second quantity of the threaded fasteners. a housing defining a pinion bearing bore ; an input pinion ; a single pinion bearing received in the pinion bearing bore and supporting the input pinion relative to the housing for rotation about a first axis and for axial thrust in opposite directions along the first axis , wherein the pinion bearing is a four-point angular contact bearing; a retainer plate abutted against the single pinion bearing on an end of the single pinion bearing opposite the housing ; a plurality of threaded fasteners securing the retainer plate to the housing , the threaded fasteners being disposed about a bolt circle (BC), the threaded fasteners having a centerline and a major diameter; a differential assembly mounted in the housing for rotation about a second axis that is not parallel to the first axis ; and a ring gear meshingly engaged with the input pinion and coupled to the differential assembly for rotation therewith about the second axis ; wherein the centerlines of a first quantity of the threaded fasteners are clustered into a segment (S), the segment (S) spanning less than 180 degrees of the bolt circle (BC) and extending radially outward from the first axis beyond the bolt circle (BC) by a distance that is less than or equal to five times the major diameter of the threaded fasteners , wherein a second quantity of the threaded fasteners are not disposed within the segment (S), wherein the second quantity is less than the first quantity, and wherein the segment (S) can be oriented about the first axis such that the first quantity of the threaded fasteners that are disposed within the segment exceeds the quantity of the threaded fasteners that are disposed on the bolt circle (BC) but whose centerlines do not fall within the segment (S) and which represent the second quantity of the threaded fasteners. <EOS>