Wall St sheds light on Bill Gross reign

Given the sheer size of the TRF and constant tweaking of the portfolio by Mr Gross, Wall Street dealers and futures markets were never starved of business.

However, the big West Coast playeras Pimco was often dubbed by the Streetfrequently used the power of its $2tn assets to demand steep concessions from the traders who arranged its transactions and the salesman who sold it bonds.

A former bond salesman who worked on syndicating debt deals for investors says Pimco could walk into a pending deal and receive a full allotment of new paper ahead of others.

Read MoreMore investors say goodbye to Gross-less Pimco

"When I saw them in deals, they got a full fill no questions asked, even on deals where they came in late," he says. He adds how on hot bond deals that attracted hefty demand from investors, Pimco was an exception to the rule that every bond fund would be scaled back in order to guarantee broad participation.

At times the power of Pimco could help a bank underwriting a bond deal by compelling an issuer to sell debt at a higher cost to guarantee a successful sale that included the bond firm as an investor.

"There is no question that on Wall Street, Pimco would drive a very hard bargain over deals and pricing," says a fixed income trader.

Read MoreBill Gross wants to 'whip the pants' off Pimco

Away from the Street, the massive size of Pimco across markets has sparked tension, notably in Chicago, where Mr Gross and the bond house were often major players in US Treasury futures contracts.

In 2010, Pimco settled a private lawsuit brought by traders, who accused the bond manager of manipulating the price of US Treasury futures back in 2005.

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Wall St sheds light on Bill Gross reign