(I need to do a bit more research when I get home and have access to my account details... this is, of course, the understanding of one, individual, non-American investor.)
No - in my case, Computershare is the transfer agent, not a nominee. Computershare is contracted by IBM to actually administer and maintain IBM's share register, in which Cede & Co is listed as the legal owner of a huge chunk of shares, and I'm directly registered as the legal owner of a couple of thousand dollars of shares. Google "direct registration".
I didn't buy my IBM shares through a broker/DTC participant/any other financial institution. In my case, IBM issued the shares directly to me, instructing Computershare to update the share register accordingly.
Further you can demand actual share certificates from Computershare and they are obligated to provide them (at least they were >10 years ago when I wrote the software that printed them).
Street side shares are owned by Cede, but as you mention other non street side shares are directly owned. This includes direct share grants, employee stock purchase plans and dividend reinvestment plans.
Can confirm that I still have the ability to request certificates on demand just by filling out a form in the online account manager.
(As an Australian, the idea that stock certificates are still something that exists at all for publicly-listed companies absolutely astounds me, but anyway...)
No - in my case, Computershare is the transfer agent, not a nominee. Computershare is contracted by IBM to actually administer and maintain IBM's share register, in which Cede & Co is listed as the legal owner of a huge chunk of shares, and I'm directly registered as the legal owner of a couple of thousand dollars of shares. Google "direct registration".
I didn't buy my IBM shares through a broker/DTC participant/any other financial institution. In my case, IBM issued the shares directly to me, instructing Computershare to update the share register accordingly.