Flush with more than $45 billion in cash on its books, a triple-A credit rating and decades of experience insuring other insurers against catastrophic losses, Berkshire Hathaway is in a strong position to help provide relief to some of these companies and could get into the bond-insurance business itself, people familiar with the matter said.

"Fear has moved away from hurricanes and is now moving into the financial markets," said Glenn Tongue, a partner at T2 Partners LLC, a New York hedge fund that owns Berkshire Hathaway shares. "Warren Buffett can make a lot of money from fear," he said.