First define the crisis: some companies will have a value below zero if their and their peers' stock prices decline significantly. This means that their value derives from investing in themselves or their peers. Another term for such a company is a "pyramid scheme". One the crisis has been defined as such, the solution is obvious: Let those companies become bankrupt and prosecute the managers (like Enron). As long as the companies are not bankrupt, they are just sucking money out of the economy. Once the company has been placed into receivership, consider whether any of the stakeholders need assistance. Shareholders willingly invested in a dud company, so they get nothing. Bondholders might perhaps be the beneficiaries of a class-action suit against the managers, auditors and ratings agencies involved. Finally, revisit the regulations regarding what must and must not appear on balance sheets and profit-and-loss statements. Oh, and revisit that silly regulation that says that in America, you can walk away from your home and default on your bond with no consequences. Sure, if you just leave the market, there will be a lot of pain as the pyramid schemes pull each other down all within the space of a few weeks. But then it would be over. The real banks (businesses that act as honest brokers between those with money to invest, and those who want to borrow, at a reasonable margin) will survive, and we would be able to invest in them with confidence, knowing that they are sound. These government "bailouts" are just prolonging the pain and creating uncertainty.