Archive for March 2009
Aviva’s operating profit up 4 percent for 2008
Aviva plc reported today that it had an operating profit of 2.3 billion pounds in 2008, up 4 percent from 2007. However, the London-based insurer had an after-tax loss of 885 million pounds, which includes …
Read MoreTickers: March 5
The Technology Association of Iowa and LWBJ Financial presented the annual Prometheus Awards this week to honor top high-tech businesses and individuals. Awards were given in 19 categories. Iowa Telecommunications Inc. was named best IT …
Read MoreDeposit insurance increase to cost Iowa banks more than $100 million
A proposed increase in premiums imposed on banks by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) would cost Iowa’s banks more than $100 million in added fees over the next 12 months, said John Sorensen, president …
Read MoreFeds roll out TALF program to spur credit markets
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the launch of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), which has the potential to generate up to $1 trillion of lending for …
Read More697,000 private-sector jobs lost in February
The private sector lost nearly 700,000 jobs last month, according to a report from payroll-processing company Automatic Data Processing Inc., CNNMoney reported.
The report stated the private sector eliminated 697,000 jobs last month on a …
Read MoreTickers: March 4
Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp today announced plans to cut its quarterly dividend to 5 cents per share from 42.5 cents, Reuters reported. The company anticipates saving more than $2.6 billion a year as a result of …
Read MoreStocks rebound before dropping again
Stocks rebounded slightly during early trading today, but gains diminished by 10 a.m. Iowa time and by 10:30 a.m., the stock market was back on its losing streak. Yesterday, the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted …
Read MoreCiti offers $500 mortgage payments
CitiMortgage, the housing lending subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., announced today that it will temporarily reduce mortgage payments to $500 a month for homeowners who have recently lost their jobs or are unemployed, CNNMoney reported.
“We’re …
Read MoreTickers: March 3
D.A. Davidson & Co., a regional investment firm based in Great Falls, Mont., on Monday completed its acquisition of Des Moines-based Ruan Securities Corp. Ruan Securities, which specializes in underwriting public bond issues, is now …
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