World's Most Admired Companies

Top 50 rank: 2
Rank in Insurance: Property and Casualty: 1 (Previous rank: 1*)
Overall score: 7.78
Warren Buffett's firm helped beleaguered General Electric and Goldman Sachs wrestle with the financial crisis by purchasing billions in their preferred stocks. Still, Berkshire itself suffered this year, with Class A shares falling 49% since their peak in Dec. 2007, as its investments in Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp and American Express got hit hard. But as one financial advisor told Reuters: "[Buffett] admits when he is wrong. You don't get candor from other CEOs. That's why his credibility is so high." -A.A.

Address: 1440 Kiewit Plaza
Omaha, NE 68131
Phone: 402-346-1400
Website: www.berkshirehathaway.com