DoubleLine saw $400 mln-$500 mln inflows Friday after Pimco -CEO
(Adds second-biggest inflow record)
By Jennifer Ablan
NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - DoubleLine Capital, an investment firm that has been a major rival of Pimco, saw between $400 million and $500 million of net inflows on Friday in the wake of Bill Gross' departure from Pimco, DoubleLine Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Gundlach said on Monday.
It was the second-biggest net inflow day for the Los Angeles-based DoubleLine, the firm said.
Asked about the leadership shakeup at Pimco, Gundlach said: "I think it is an option" that Mohamed El-Erian, who resigned as Pimco's CEO in January, may return to Pimco. "Mohamed coming back is an option because he has a relationship with Allianz."
El-Erian was named in February to the newly created role of chief economic adviser at Allianz, which owns Pimco.
Gundlach told Reuters on Friday, that he and Bill Gross met the week of Sept. 15 to discuss a possible role for Gross at DoubleLine. Their meeting, which took place at Gundlach's home, was three hours long over a range of issues, Gundlach added.
Before then, Gundlach and Gross had never met. Gundlach said Gross was "respectful, extremely polite and professional."
Gundlach said: "I am CEO of the firm. We talked about working together, but I was never going to be the 'co-guy.' I am CEO. That was never going to happen."
Gundlach added: "I thought we had a lot in common."
Gross then called Gundlach on Thursday evening and left a voicemail message saying that he was leaving Pimco for another firm and would not be joining DoubleLine.
(Reporting By Jennifer Ablan; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Andrew Hay and Cynthia Osterman)
