Archive for May 2010

Aviva plc on Tuesday posted a 4.6 percent quarterly decrease in life insurance and pension sales, due primarily to smaller contributions from its North America operations, which include Des Moines-based Aviva USA. The London-based company …

A 2009 survey of 187 U.S. metro areas found that Des Moines and Cedar Rapids ranked third and fourth, respectively, in providing basic necessities to their residents.

Using a 13-item measure of Americans’ access to …

Google Inc. displaced Apple Inc. in the first quarter to become the second most popular smart phone provider, Reuters reported.

According to NPD Group Inc., smart phones featuring Google’s Android operating system accounted for 28 …

Mitch Matthews will host his next “Big Dream Gathering” on Sunday at Prairie Life Fitness in West Des Moines. Intended to give people a safe place to dream with no sales pitches, no hidden agendas …

The number of contracts to buy a home spiked 133 percent last month in Greater Des Moines, the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors said today.

Joanne Mangold, the association’s president, said the increase was …

U.S. stocks were rallying this morning after the unveiling of a $1 trillion loan package designed to ease the European debt crisis, Bloomberg reported.

The Standard & Poor’s had jumbed 500 jumped 4.3 percent to …

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index increased again in April for the eighth consecutive month. The index now stands at 94.7, up from March’s revised figure of 93.9. The index is up 7.1 percent from …