Saving the bond insurers: 5 fixes for the crisis

The plan: Like the bank bailout program, the notion of a private equity, or distressed investor rescue doesn't remain out of the realm of possibilities. MBIA, for example, has raised about $2.6 billion in capital this year, part of which came from private equity firm Warburg Pincus. And famed distressed investor and billionaire Wilbur Ross has repeatedly said he is looking to invest in one of the bond insurers.

The prospects: Possible. While selling a stake to an outside investor would be a quick fix for the bond insurers, it remains to be seen if they could raise enough capital to satisfy Moody's and Standard & Poor's requirements to sustain their `AAA' rating. What's more, it would not necessarily cure the systemic problems that plague the industry, an area that some, including MBIA's newly appointed CEO Joseph "Jay" Brown, are hoping to fix.

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