Improvements?

I'm currently working my way through the problems at projecteuler.net .
I never went to a college programming course ( but will next year), so I'm sorry for the probably trivial question.

I solved Problem 22 ( http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=problems&id=22 ) with this code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

struct list_el {
    char name[20];
    struct list_el * next;
};

typedef struct list_el item;

int name_value(char *name) {
    int sum = 0;
    while(*name != '\0')
        sum += *name++ - 'A' +1;
    return sum;
}

//returns 1 if name1 is lower that name2
//0 else
int lower(char *name1, char* name2) {
    int i;
    for(i=0;name1[i] != '\0';i++) {
        //if name1 is longer than name2 name1 should be lower on the list
        if(name2[i] == '\0')
            return 1;
        //if the value of name1 is greater than name2 (Z > A) name1 should be lower on the list
        if(name1[i] > name2[i])
            return 1;
        //if the value of name1 is less than name2 (A < Z) name1 should be higher on the list
        if(name1[i] < name2[i])
            return 0;
    }
    //if name1 is shorter than name2 name1 should be higher on the list
    return 0;
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    FILE *fin = fopen("names.txt","r");
   
    item *curr, *cursor;
    char name[20]; //buffer for the name
    int i, sum = 0;
   
    //Initialize list
    item first,last;
    first.name[0]   = '\0';
    first.next      = &last;
   
    last.name[0]    = '\0';
    last.next       = NULL;
   
    //Fill List
    while(fscanf(fin,"\"%[^\",]\",",name) != EOF){
       
        //create new item
        curr = (item *) malloc(sizeof(item));
        strcpy(curr->name,name);
       
        //Now where should we put our new item?
        for(cursor=&first;cursor->next!=&last;cursor=cursor->next) {
            //Write if next name should be below this one
            if(lower(cursor->next->name,name)){
                curr->next = cursor->next;
                cursor->next = curr;
                break;
            }
        }
        //Last item reached, append to list.
        if(cursor->next == &last) {
                curr->next = &last;
                cursor->next = curr;
        }
    }
   
    for(i=1,cursor=first.next;cursor!=&last;cursor=cursor->next,i++)
        sum += name_value(cursor->name) * i;
       
    for(cursor=&first;cursor!=&last;cursor=cursor->next)
        free(cursor);
    free(&last);
   
    printf("%ld\n",sum);
       
    return 0;
}

Any suggestions what could have done better?

>>19
Yeh I rewrote it and used qsort and strcmp after >>3-san made me hang my head in shame.