News came this past week that the largest mall owner based in the United States may look to keep select retailers from going out of business — which of course would have the byproduct of leaving less space unclaimed, and unrented in, well, malls. As CNBC reported earlier in the week, Simon Property Group CEO David Simon said his real estate firm could “buy into” companies that he said have brands and volume, and told analysts on the Simon earnings call that “we are certainly as good as the private-equity guys when it comes to retail investment.