Correct! In the corporate world changing ownership has to be announce before hand. Even when full payment hasn’t been completed yet. Information such as any change in management is dealt with complete dissemination to all parties involved such as in this case all employees and officers of both companies, affiliates and other business partners and most of all their valued customers. Now if it’s a listed company the more you have to divulge the transaction as required by law.
In this case the way I can surmise is there had been complete failure to disclose information in the interest of all concerning parties.