El Paso, Xcel, Centerpoint in Various Stages of Trouble

Brutal earnings, panic borrowing and a potential bankruptcy filing greeted energy investors Friday morning.

El Paso

( EP) was the latest, posting a 2-cent loss in the third quarter on a 16% revenue dip and saying it would exit the energy trading business. The company was supposed to earn 27 cents a share, according to the consensus estimate of analysts polled by First Call.

Meanwhile,

NRG Energy

(NRG) - Get Report

reportedly offered to turn itself over to creditors via a Chapter 11 filing. The company, which was set up by

Xcel Energy

(XEL) - Get Report

to sell power in wholesale markets, owes about $10 billion and has missed a number of debt payments.

And

Centerpoint

(CPT) - Get Report

, the former Reliant Energy, will get a badly needed $1.3 billion loan from

Berkshire Hathaway

( BRK) at an annual interest rate of 12.25%,

The Wall Street Journal

reported. Centerpoint needed to raise at least $400 million by next week in order to preserve a much larger credit pact.