Making the switch

An alien concept is taking root in Germany - a concept that may benefit IR practitioners and investors but also signal the death knell of a long-established indigenous species.The alien invasion we speak of is the switch by some companies from bearer shares to registered shares. The early signs of this shift may mark the beginning of a wholesale change in the nature of German share ownership, but it is clearly not a switch that many companies want to rush into.Once upon a time insurance companies