Great-West's ultimate owners, the Desmarais family, are also thought to be interested in moving beyond insurance and into banking.

ECONOMIST: Canadian insurance

In short, the shareholders are the ultimate owners and the mission of the directors is to act on their behalf.

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"In the case of Coventry City it didn't seem to be clear who the ultimate owners of the club were, " he said.

BBC: MP Damian Collins' concern over Coventry City ownership

The proposal to sanction mix-martial arts fights still faces opposition from unions, due to an unrelated labor dispute in Nevada with the owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sport's largest promoter.

WSJ: Mixed-Martial Arts Wins Political Support in N.Y., Conn.

Unfortunately for BMW owners, this is hardly the first time that sudden engine stalls have besieged the owners of the ultimate driving machine.

FORBES: After 130,000 in 2010, BMW Recalls Another 569,000 Vehicles