Dick Fuld's atonement: help the little guy

A year after he was at the center of the biggest bankruptcy in US history, former Lehman Brothers boss Dick Fuld appears to be trying to pay penance for the firm's stunning collapse by offering to help out the little guy.

Sources tell The Post that the usually gruff Fuld is trying to raise funds from private equity and other investors that would provide aid to small businesses seen as "growth companies." The aid would be provided by using his Rolodex of market contacts to help firms raise capital or by providing financing, people familiar with the matter said.