Archive for August 2012
Drake a ‘great’ place to work
The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized Drake University in its 2012 Great Colleges to Work For survey. The Chronicle singled out Drake for excellence in two categories: tenure clarity and process and teaching environment. According …
Read MoreMany still struggling despite recovery, Bernanke says
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said gauges of the U.S. economy’s strength may fail to measure the suffering of individual citizens.
“Even though some key aggregate metrics — including consumer spending, disposable income, household net …
Read MoreNew York investigating insurance company captives
New York’s top financial-industry regulator is investigating whether life insurers are potentially masking their financial health through dealings with related companies, according to people familiar with the probe, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The state’s …
Read MoreUnited Fire earnings improve
United Fire Group Inc. of Cedar Rapids reported second quarter income of 58 cents per share, compared with a net loss per share of 69 cents in the year-ago quarter. Book value increased $1.62 per …
Read MoreBest Buy founder makes an offer
Best Buy Co. founder Richard Schulze, who stepped down as chairman this year, offered to take the electronics retailer private at $24 to $26 a share, Bloomberg reported, causing the company’s shares to surge today …
Read MoreLargest events drawing visitors to the metro area, week of Aug. 13
If you can see muni-bond traders, they want out
Wall Street bond dealers may be cutting their commitment to trading municipal securities as regulations have increased transparency, according to preliminary findings of an industry-backed study, Bloomberg reported.
Rules imposed in 2005 have improved the …
Read MorePower companies are gassed
Natural gas matched coal as the primary fuel for U.S. power generation this year for the first time since the government started collecting data, Bloomberg reported.
Natural-gas fired plants provided 32 percent of generation in …
Read MoreFBL reports decline in net income
West Des Moines-based FBL Financial Group Inc. said net income dropped to $20.3 million, or 73 cents per share, in the quarter ended June 30 from $36.2 million, or $1.16 per share in the year-ago …
Read MoreGovernor announces more STEM board members
Gov. Terry Branstad and co-chairs of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen, today announced the latest appointments for the six regional STEM network hubs …
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