Well, like I said earlier, you'll have to call Wilf Blum for official clarification on anything in those PRs.
For what it's worth, I've noticed that many people (heck, just read the DPBM board for a few days) feel that Wilf tends to say stuff off the top of his head as the mood hits him. I have no doubt that "merged", "subsidiary", "owned by", "controlled by", etc. pretty much have the same meaning in his mind. BHTJMO
Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function. - Unknown