Meaning & use
owner of record
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Meanings
nouncountableformallegalbusiness
The person or organization whose name is officially listed in a register as the legal owner of property, shares, or other assets.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' or a possessive. Plural: owners of record.
Patterns
- the owner of record
- be listed as owner of record
- the owner of record for something
According to the county records, the owner of record is a local investment firm.
She discovered that the owner of record for the building had changed three times in five years.
The bank will only release the funds to the owner of record.
nouncountablefinancebusinessformal
The shareholder whose name appears on a company's books as the holder of shares, especially for voting or dividend purposes.
Grammar: Countable; often used in financial contexts with 'shareholder' or 'stock'.
Patterns
- shareholder of record
- owner of record on a date
- the owner of record is entitled to vote
Only the shareholder of record on the record date can vote at the annual meeting.
Dividends are paid to the owner of record as of the close of business on Friday.
The company sent the proxy materials to the owner of record.
Word forms
| plural | owners of record |
|---|
Common combinations
- the owner of record
- The deed lists her as the owner of record.
- become the owner of record
- After the transfer, he became the owner of record.
- shareholder of record
- The shareholder of record must update their address with the company.
- owner of record for the property
- You can find the owner of record for the property at the county office.
Synonyms and how they differ
- registered owner
- Similar, but 'registered owner' is more common in everyday and legal English; 'owner of record' is especially used in formal records and finance.
- legal owner
- Emphasizes legal title rather than just being listed in a register; 'owner of record' focuses on the official record.
- titleholder
- A general term for someone who holds legal title; 'owner of record' is more specific to recorded ownership.
Opposites
Commonly confused: owner of record or beneficial owner?
owner of record vs beneficial owner
A beneficial owner is the person who actually enjoys the benefits of ownership, even if someone else is the owner of record. They can be different people.
Practice
In the sentence 'The bank will only release the funds to the owner of record,' what does 'owner of record' mean?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'owner of record' refers to the person or entity listed in official records as the owner. Option 1 is wrong because use is not the same as recorded ownership; option 2 is wrong because the original buyer may have sold the property; option 3 is wrong because a manager may not be the owner.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “owner of record”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.