1.   Banks own small stakes of their own and can rally support against a bidder.

2.   Mr Louis-Dreyfus would join three French state-controlled institutional investors who already own small stakes of Adidas.

3.   Allianz has been at the center of each effort because it owns significant stakes in Dresdner Bank, Deutsche Bank and HypoVereinsbank.

4.   Amplats currently owns stakes in and receives income from managing Rustenburg Platinum Holdings Ltd., Potgietersrust Platinums Ltd. and Lebowa Platinum Mines Ltd.

5.   Among those expected to participate in the private offering are Banco Santander SA of Spain and Istituto Mobiliare Italiano SpA, which both already own stakes in the bank.

6.   And Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank Ltd. owns a stake in CIT Group, a diversified financial services company.

7.   And each will continue owning stakes in the other.

8.   And Low-Priced Stock already owns big stakes in the stocks it holds.

9.   And it owns a stake in Contactel, a phone and Internet company controlled by Teledanmark.

10.   And since local authorities often own stakes in these mini-ventures, they erect protective barriers that hinder progress toward a national auto market.