Archive for February 2011
Online activists pile on Groupon over Super Bowl ads
Groupon’s Super Bowl ads, which linked social causes with ad pitches, drew a fast and furious online reaction, CNNMoney.com reported.
The company’s spots enlisted celebrity spokespeople for touts related to their philanthropic causes.
Actor Timothy …
Read MoreBusiness Record website and blogs win awards
The Iowa Newspaper Association named the Business Record’s website and business blogs as best in their class during the association’s convention and trade show held Feb. 3-4 in Des Moines. Daily and weekly newspapers were …
Read MoreGoodwill charge hurts MetaBank earnings
The Storm Lake-based parent company of MetaBank said today that a $1.5 million goodwill charge cut earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2011 to $700,000, compared with earnings of $1.2 million in the first …
Read MoreBerkshire set to buy Wesco Financial
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said today that it will buy all of the remaining shares in Wesco Financial Corp. that it does not already own in a deal valued at $547.6 million. If Wesco …
Read MoreFDIC ready to approve bank reforms
Mega banks – those with more than $10 billion in assets – will have to pay more for federal deposit insurance under a new regulation set for final approval today. The charge, part of reforms …
Read MoreCEO Library: DigitaLink
Survey: Women save less, are less confident about retirement
U.S. women have made economic gains in recent years, but they continue to lag behind men when it comes to saving for retirement.
According to Wells Fargo & Co.’s Wells Retirement Survey, which was based …
Read MoreVerizon sets launch record with iPhone release
Verizon Wireless had the most successful launch in its history on Thursday, but shares of its majority owner, Verizon Communications Inc., fell nearly 1 percent as analysts warned that the release of its version of …
Read MoreMidAmerican announces Trees Please! grants
MidAmerican Energy Co. announced today that it is giving $229,000 to 81 cities and community organizations in its Iowa service territory to support energy efficiency and environmental beautification initiatives through the planting of trees. Each …
Read MoreSBA relaunches loan program for dealerships
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has relaunched its Dealer Floor Plan Pilot Loan program, which is intended to help vehicle dealerships finance increases in their automobile, boat and recreational vehicle inventories. The program, which …
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