Archive for July 2011
Minnesota bank acquires Briarwood golf course in Ankeny
The Briarwood Club of Ankeny, a former public golf course that went private in 2009, is under the ownership of Voyager Bank of Eden Prairie, Minn., after a deed transfer that resulted from a loan …
Read MoreView from abroad: U.S. will avoid debt ‘suicide’
Policy-makers worldwide oscillated between hope and confidence today that U.S. lawmakers will break an impasse over the debt ceiling that threatens to trigger a default and upend global financial markets, Reuters reported.
Asia, which holds …
Read MoreAppointing more women to central banks could be in our best interest
Women — who control more than $20 trillion or about 70 percent of global consumer spending — account for only about a tenth of the voting power on the world’s key interest rates. Past and …
Read MoreBlackBerry maker announces 10 percent cut in work force
Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry devices, said today that it would cut more than 2,000 jobs as part of a previously announced cost-cutting effort, CNNMoney reported. The Ontario-based company said the …
Read MoreAmes National reports quarterly results
Ames National Corp., a publicly traded bank holding company, reported net income of $3.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, a 3.8 percent increase from the same quarter last year. Ames National, which operates …
Read MoreSlightly more than half of Americans fret about their own debt ceilings
A study released today by Bankrate.com found that 58 percent of Americans track their spending against a monthly budget. Most likely to track spending were college graduates, 66 percent, and parents, 65 percent. The study …
Read MoreING plans to sell Latin American operation
ING Groep NV is to sell most of its Latin American operation to Colombia’s GrupoSura for $3.7 billion in a deal resulting from its state rescue in 2008, Reuters reported. ING agreed to split its …
Read MoreSenate votes against budget plan from House
The U.S. Senate today rejected a plan previously passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would have substantially cut government spending and raised the federal debt limit contingent on a balanced budget proposal, leaving …
Read MoreIowa unemployment steady at 6 percent
Iowa’s unemployment rate held at 6 percent in June, its third consecutive month at that level, Iowa Workforce Development said today.
That compares with a 6.1 percent rate a year ago. The national unemployment rate …
Read MoreReport: Des Moines green jobs sector growing fast
Des Moines-West Des Moines is listed as No. 3 on the Brookings Institution’s list of Top 100 Metropolitan Areas with the Fastest Green Jobs Growth for 2010, with annual growth rates above 10 percent. The …
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