Aug 19 (Reuters) - B. Riley Financial ( RILY ) shares
dropped 8.6% in premarket trading on Monday, coming off a
turbulent week that ended in the co-founder and co-CEO Bryant
Riley offering to buy the bank.
The Los Angeles, California-based lender stock ended 16%
higher at $5.85 on Friday. Still, below Riley's unsolicited
offer of $7 apiece that values the investment bank at $212
million, reflecting a 39% premium to the stock's Thursday close.
Last week, the stock plummeted by a record 65.5% and hit a
decade low after the bank warned of a second-quarter loss,
adding to concerns over its ill-fated investment in Vitamin
Shoppe-owner Franchise Group, which has been under scrutiny.
B. Riley and its CEO received subpoenas from the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission in July. The subpoenas were
primarily related to the bank's dealings with Franchise's former
CEO, Brian Kahn.
In November, Bloomberg News reported that Kahn was a
co-conspirator in a securities fraud involving Prophecy Asset
Management.
Kahn has denied the allegations made in the report, saying
he never knew that Prophecy Asset was allegedly defrauding
investors. Earlier this year, an external investigation as well
as an internal review cleared B. Riley of any wrongdoing.