Controlled Company Definition

The controlled company refers to a company controlled by another entity or another person by owning more than 50% of the total voting shares. Therefore they have the decisive voice for managing the affairs of the company.

Example of the Controlled Company

We can take the example of a company named Fashion web ltd who deals with fashion clothes having a total share capitalShare CapitalShare capital refers to the funds raised by an organization by issuing the company’s initial public offerings, common shares or preference stocks to the public. It appears as the owner’s or shareholders’ equity on the corporate balance sheet’s liability side.read more of $500 million. On May 31st, 2019, a company named Textile hub ltd purchases the shares of the Fashion web, amounting to $200 million. Then again, on September 15th, 2019, Textile hub LTD. purchases the shares amounting to $100 million. of Fashion hub ltd. Whether the Fashion web ltd is the controlled company or not?

In the present case, the Textile hub ltd. holds total shares worth $300 million of Fashion web ltd out of the total shares of $500 million. From this, the holding of the Textile hub ltd. in the Fashion web ltd comes to be 60% ($300 / $500 * 100). The controlled company refers to the company where another company owns the majority of its share i.e., more than 50% of its total value of the shares.

Considering this, since Textile hub Ltd owns 60% of the total shares of the Fashion web ltd, i.e., Fashion web’s more than 50% shares. So from September 15th, 2019 onwards ( as before that holding was less than 50%), the Fashion web ltd becomes the controlled company, controlled by the Textile hub ltd.

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Advantages

  • After getting the status of the controlled company, the rules that apply to the public companies that require the company to have the majority of the independent directorsIndependent DirectorsThe term “independent director” refers to a member of the board who is not associated with the organization and who provides a neutral opinion because he or she is not tied to the current management.read more, or have independent compensation and the nomination committees are not binding.There are various other exemptions available, the advantage of which can be taken by such a company.

Disadvantages of the Controlled Company

  • In case the company avails for the controlled company exemptions that apply to them, it has to comply with various disclosure requirements as given in instruction 1 to the item 407 (a) of the regulation S-K. Accordingly company has to disclose the fact that it is relying on the exemption, the basis on which such exemption is availed, and the various corporate governance standardsCorporate Governance StandardsCorporate governance is a set of rules or practices through which an entity is directed and controlled to increase shareholders wealth by increasing the economic value and is concerned about its relations with various entity stakeholders.read more which are not complied by the company.Since the majority of the holding is with a person or group, there is a risk for the interest of minority shareholders of the companyMinority Shareholders Of The CompanyMinority interest is the investors’ stakeholding that is less than 50% of the existing shares or the voting rights in the company. The minority shareholders do not have control over the company through their voting rights, thereby having a meagre role in the corporate decision-making.read more. There is the risk that minority holders might not receive the proportionate shares, and there could be a transfer of the resources of the company by controlling shareholders for private purposes.The majority of the votes in the company belongs to the controller in practice. Hence, the decision made by them is the decisions of their own, which might not be good for the company as a whole. I.e., in case the controller decides by giving priority to their motive; then it may prove riskier for the company, which is being controlled by others.

Important Points

  • It is used for the shareholding structureShareholding StructureTo assist management in evaluating ownership, the shareholder structure contains records of classes of shares issued, the number of shares and percentage of shareholding owned by each shareholder, and the voting rights available to shareholders with the shares held by them.read more in the company where a person or the group of persons has the majority of the shares of the company and thus have the decisive voice for managing the affairs of the company.There is the risk that minority holders might not receive the proportionate shares, and there could be a transfer of the resources of the company by controlling shareholders for private purposes. So, it is an important matter of concern that the methods should be developed by the company to protect the shareholder’s interest. With this approach, the performance of the whole company will be good.After getting classified as the controlled company, it doesn’t require to abide by or follow the rules as are applicable in the case of the public companies. It is such as having had the majority of the independent directors, etc.

Conclusion

Thus the controlled company refers to the company which is being controlled by another entity or another person who is having the decisive voice for managing the affairs of the company. After the company is classified as the controlled company, it is not required to follow the rules which apply to the public companies that require the company to have the majority of the independent directors or have independent compensation and the nomination committees.

However, to avail such controlled company exemptions that apply to them, it has to comply with various disclosure requirements. According to these, the company has to disclose the fact that it is relying on the exemption available to the controlled company, and the various corporate governance standards which are not complied by the company.

This article has been a guide to what is a Controlled Company and its definition. Here we discuss the practical example of a controlled company along with its advantages and disadvantages. You can learn more from the following articles –

  • Controlling Interest ExamplesNon-Controlling InterestAccounting Controls ExamplesConsolidated Financial Statement ExampleShareholder Rights