![Nortel](https://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/galleries/2010/fortune/1002/gallery.biggest_losers.fortune/images/nortel.gi.jpg)
Loss: $283 billion
Peak market cap: $283 billion (July 2000)
Recent market cap: $0 (bankruptcy January 2009)
The Ontario-based telecommunications equipment maker was once one of the hottest stocks anywhere. But unlike its former rival Cisco, Nortel shriveled during the bust, amid a swirl of accounting improprieties and bad business decisions. The company pulled the plug in January 2009, filing for bankruptcy and selling off its remaining businesses.
NEXT: Lucent Technologies