AIG will probably win :p

Give me an 'A'... give me an 'I'....

You know I'm gonna say Walmart.

Bank of America for Merril Lynch

AIG, FTW

My vote will always go to AT&T....

every internet service provider that is putting a cap on our connection.

Is Bernie Madoff by himself eligible?

Otherwise, my final 4 prediction is AIG, Comcast, Best Buy, and Monster Cable.

Every internet service provider that is putting a cap on our connection!!!!!!

@Mr. Guy: While best buy isn't a shining star, swap that for the defunct Circuit City and i think you've got it.

AIG takes the cake, in my opinion. Not only did this company make terrible mistakes which put it into financial ruin, but then got tax payers to bail them out, only to in turn use that money to give top executives huge bonuses.

Isn't this what a capatalist middle finger looks like?

AIG eats all these companies for lunch and then insures their atrociously bad investments.

AIG for the FAIL.

There is no way that AIG will not win this. Why is there even a need for a contest?

The US Government. It doles out large sums of money to questionable corporations with no strings attached, then tries to cover its incompetence by shaking said corporations down for information on how that money was used.

It gives leadership positions to tax cheats. Multiple times.

@Papercutninja: i'd like to agree with you, but i think that voters will be reluctant to kick a company while its down (our out of business in this case). Best Buy is more odious in my book because they remain a "going concern" yet continue to treat their customers so badly.

What, no Peanut Corporation of America?

AIG is getting a lot of mentions, but I'm curious as to whether they've affected significantly more people than places like Walmart. Personally, AIG is just another name in the news that I have no relationship with. Like the Enron of the day ... yes, it's horrible, but does it really affect more people in worse ways than other companies? I don't see it, but could be wrong.

does ticketmaster AND live nation count as 1 or 2 nominees?

OMG The United States Federal Government has to get this one - it's the largest monopolistic company in the country, and the only one allowed to spend money that your grandchildren haven't earned yet... AIG pales in comparison.

This one is obviously going to AIG for all the negative press its gotten over the last few months. Wouldn't be very interesting if they won it...

Rather than blame all of our financial misfortunes on a single company again this year, can we instead pick a company that treats its customer poorly, that sells a terrible product, or who's entire operation is a complete scam?

CableVision! AT&T! AIG! Walmart........There is 4 years worth.

Uh, yes...AIG has affected everyone in our country who pays taxes. Taxes that could be going to something useful...like schools or roads or jobs or something that would actually benefit society.

The vast majority of the money AIG owes is to European banks and companies. Large amounts of American tax money is going to pay for bad loans made to and from european banks...

Thats epic failure...

@boxjockey68: Yes, but do you have a good reason for saying that?

Some companies are perennial WCIA powerhouses, aren't they?

I'm just gonna put in yet another nomination for AIG.

Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC

The USA Bailout Walmart Wall Street Derivatives Mortgage Circuit Buy Starcoffee Rusty Tools Taking-It-Seriously Corporation!

Can it move a little more quickly this year? If memory serves it lasted longer than the NHL playoffs last year and I lost interest sometime in month 5.

While I laughed at suggestions of companys that screw many of us over, best buy, comcast and even the sue happy monster cable guys... I gotta agree AIG will take it. Does anyone actuly think that another company can win given just how bad they were and with the current news? I predict a very very short contest this year. The brackets should put AIG vs every other company together as you'd need alot of weight to topple aig's massive failure.

@Mr. Guy
Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC certainly is eligible, although it's no longer a going concern.

Mediacom Cable
AIG
Pretty much everyone else...

@outoftheblew: This isn't "which company has affected you most?" AIG foolishly floundered away money, took a bailout from the government, then intends to pay out $165 mill in bonuses? Foolishness.

@rpm773: Don't forget the Social Security Ponzi scheme!

AIG ..

@outoftheblew: That's what I was wondering too. AIG has repeatedly given the middle finger to the rest of the country, but are they worse than companies like Bank of America who take taxpayer money to stay afloat while simultaneously jacking interest rates and slashing credit lines for their customers?

Here's my "Not-So-Elite Eight":

-United Airlines: Just for disconnecting their customer complaint number. Plus their staff at O'Hare is surly.
-Comcast: Forget about the caps... poor customer service alone made thousands here in Fort Wayne switch to FiOS.
-General Growth Properties: The reason why your local shopping mall is losing tenants. And have you checked their stock price lately?
-Bank of America: Although they don't have branches here, the Merrill Lynch purchase and Ken Lewis' "I don't know" attitude about bonuses would make me bank somewhere else if there was a BofA branch.
-AIG: Need I say more?
-Macy's, Inc.: The only reason I shop there is because of their fragrance department. And as soon as a Sephora opens up here, I can finally kiss the big red star goodbye. (And no, my dislike of Macy's is not due to the numerous Marshall Field's fans.)
-Sears Holdings Corporation: I hate to put them on the list, as I have a family member who works for Sears and the Lands' End line is good. But Sears has been slipping big-time under Eddie Lampert & Co., and that's why they're on there.
-Chrysler LLC: Again, it's sad, as my dad worked at a Chrysler factory for about a year to earn money for college. But when you're promising vaporware products and stifling the blogosphere, something's not right about the future of this once-proud American automaker.

@mbgrabbe: Cash4Gold?

Sears!

eBay/PayPal

I nominated Paypal.

AIG, Comcast, & Cash for Gold!

@rpm773:

Seconded.

@johnva:

Isn't AIG just a wholly owned subsidiary of the U.S.A.?

Time Warner Cable - for reasons known to anybody who subscribes to them.

How can it not be AIG?

@rpm773:
ahh this one gets my vote!

@boxjockey68: Really? Their on my list of favorite companies. Are you sure you're talking about Walmart and not some place else?

PCA or AIG.

One killed ten people for profit the other has blackmailed the federal government for cash.

that's easy, who ever got the largest amount of the bailout, so AIG, chrysler, GM