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Close Corporation: A corporation owned and operated by a few individuals, often members of the same family, rather than by public shareholders. Close corporations are regulated by state close corporation statutes, which usually limit the number of shareholders to 30 or 35 shareholders and require special language in the articles of corporation. In exchange for following these requirements, state law usually permits close corporations to function more informally than regular corporations. For example, shareholders can make decisions without holding meetings of the board of directors and can fill vacancies on the board without a formal vote of the shareholders. Compare: closely held corporation

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