The shell companies used a portion of the loans to purchase Ambrosiano stock. Since the bank's charter prohibited any institution or person gaining more than 5 percent of the shares, the stock was purchased by a multitude of phony corporations that were spin-offs of the eight phony firms. The United Trading Corporation, for example, spawned a host of nominal subsidiaries, including Ulricor, La Fidele, Finproggram, Ordeo, Lantana, Casadilla, Marbella, Imparfin, and Teclefin.
