David N. Dreman, chairman of Dreman Value Management, a money management firm in Jersey City, has been a longtime holder of both stocks and calls the conventional view wrongheaded.

Also a longtime green-card holder from Madagascar, she had a citizenship interview scheduled the next month; other members of the Malagasy community advised her not to get involved.

"You can get a higher return up front," a real estate expert remarked, "but a longtime holder like Mitsubishi will get a big bang after the building is paid for, so ultimately its return is far greater."

In effect, longtime holders had extra votes, while a corporate raider, with newly bought shares, would have reduced voting ability.

At the same time, it has been writing to some longtime holders of free checking accounts, advising them that they must pay a $12 monthly service charge.

The proportion that applies for citizenship has been growing since the mid-1990's, said Jeffrey Passel, a researcher on immigration at the Urban Institute, in part because of anti-immigrant measures that made even longtime holders of green cards feel vulnerable.

Clearly, a large part of the stock in public hands has been moved in recent days, as longtime disappointed holders have seized the chance to bail out at undreamed-of prices.

Although he pitched in the majors for only one year, Gerkin was the longtime holder of one of baseball's least coveted records: In 1945, he recorded 12 losses without a single win.

The increased price of the deal, which will likely require the purchase of season tickets for both the Rangers and the Knicks, could force longtime holders of those season tickets to either relocate or abandon them altogether.

Also known as the "Wind Wizard", Sky High is an enthusiastic and friendly hero who was the most popular hero in the city and longtime consecutive holder of the "King of Heroes" title at the start of the series.