The New York Stock Exchange has told Nortel (NYSE: NT) that it may face being delisted. According to The Wall Street Journal, the telecom equipment firm will get kicked out "if it cannot bring its share price above the required $1 minimum in the next six months."

Delisting has a lot of problems beyond humiliation. Companies traded on the pink sheets or bulletin board cannot be held by most institutional investors. Stocks that trade in the pennies often face wild price swings as day traders bounce them around.

Who would have thought it would come to this? Many of America's most famous public companies could be up against being booted from the two major stock markets. The list is very long and it includes Sirius XM (NASDAQ: SIRI), Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM), Ford (NYSE: F) and AIG (NYSE: AIG). The first two have already been below $1 for a fairly long period. AIG and Ford have gotten close.

What can be done? The current market drop, seen through the eyes of the exchanges, is an emergency. NYSE and NASDAQ face losing some of their signature listings, but they have an option. They could simply suspend some of their rules and allow companies to stay listed even if they do not meet the current requirements. The modification could be set for a year, at least initially.

If the exchanges alter the rule to keep some of their listed companies, who gets hurt? Probably no one. Rather, the firms in trouble and their shareholders get helped.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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