Company: RILYN
Filing Date: 2025-01-14
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001628280-25-001398
Chunk: 408

Company: B. Riley Financial, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-01-14
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 8
Chunk 408
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 and FRG 

The Company’s second quarter results were negatively impacted by a significant non-cash markdown of $181.0 million related to its investment in Freedom VCM Holdings, LLC (“Freedom VCM”), the indirect parent entity for Franchise Group (“FRG”). Freedom VCM’s strategy, which included the potential divestiture or monetization of certain assets, was materially negatively impacted by the unexpected announcement in November 2023 concerning FRG’s former 

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CEO and his alleged involvement in fraudulent schemes despite the fact that these allegations are unrelated to FRG and its businesses. In the meantime, the consumer-facing portion of the U.S. economy has deteriorated. On July 23, 2024, Conn’s, Inc. (“Conn’s”) and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief (the “Chapter 11 Cases”) under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”). FRG, pursuant to a transaction consummated in January 2024, acquired a substantial equity investment in Conn’s in exchange for the sale of its Badcock Home Furniture & more business to Conn’s. The commencement of the Chapter 11 Cases constitute an event of default that accelerated the obligations under the Term Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of December 18, 2023 (the “Conn’s Term Loan”), among Conn’s, W.S. Badcock LLC, as borrowers, and an affiliate of the Company, as administrative agent, collateral agent, and lender. As of the date of the filing of the Chapter 11 Cases, $93.0 million in outstanding borrowings existed under the Conn’s Term Loan. Any efforts to enforce payment obligations under the Conn’s Term Loan are automatically stayed as a result of the Chapter 11 Cases and the Company’s rights of enforcement in respect of the Conn’s Term Loan are subject to the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code.

On November 3, 2024, FRG, its operating businesses, and certain other affiliates, including Freedom VCM, filed voluntary petitions for relief (the “FRG Chapter 11 Cases”) under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. As a result, on November 4, 2024, we concluded that we are required to record an additional impairment of with respect to the Freedom VCM Investment and the Vintage Loan Receivable. The additional non-cash impairments of the Freedom V