Even for Citigroup, it was big money. On Wednesday, loan operations staff at the New York bank wired $900 million, seemingly on behalf of Revlon, to lenders of the troubled cosmetics giant controlled by billionaire Ron Perelman.
It was a mistake for the ages — a “clerical error,” as Citigroup told lenders —that’s now plunged the bank into a battle between the Perelman empire and a corps of sharp-edged investment funds that have become its impatient creditors.
One financier involved likened the surprise payment to finding a fortune on the sidewalk. And, as of late Friday, several hedge funds who claim Revlon