Two new stores are opening in Jordan Creek Town Center mall. Aerie, an extension of American Eagle that sells women’s lingerie and beauty products, will open on the upper level next to Journeys Shoes. Teavana, which sells tea and tea products, will open on the lower level across from Sephora. Both are new to Iowa and will open sometime this summer.

Wells Fargo & Co. said today that quarterly profits declined 11 percent, but results topped forecasts as solid revenue gains and lower expenses helped offset a big jump in bad loans, Reuters reported. The results suggest that the company is still navigating the global credit crisis more effectively than many rivals. First-quarter net income for the San Francisco-based company fell to $2 billion, or 60 cents per share, from $2.24 billion, or 66 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenues increased 12 percent to $10.56 billion, and expenses dropped 1 percent to $5.46 billion.

Wells Fargo & Co. said yesterday that it is buying the accounts of Citibank customers in select cities in Nevada and California, including $500 million in deposits and $60 million in loans, the Associated Press reported. Wells Fargo, which did not disclose further financial terms of the deal, said the purchase further strengthens its leading deposit market share in northern Nevada. The San Francisco-based bank is acquiring consumer and business assets in six communities in Nevada and two in the California Sierra foothills. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the third quarter.

Rockwell Collins Inc.‘s board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of 24 cents per share on its common stock, a 50 percent increase from the previous dividend of 16 cents per share. The dividend is payable on June 2 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 12.

Casey’s General Stores Inc.‘s same-store gasoline gallons sold decreased 2.6 percent in March 2008 compared with March 2007, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure. The gasoline margin was above the company’s fiscal 2008 goal of 10.7 cents per gallon. Same-store sales of groceries and other merchandise decreased 0.1 percent and prepared food and fountain same-store sales increased 7.8 percent.

Sen. Chuck Grassley recently announced that the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded the Iowa Credit Union Foundation a grant totaling $342,080 to help fund the Credit Union Family Partnership Individual Development Account (IDA) program. The IDA program will partner with selected Iowa credit unions to provide lower-income Iowans an incentive to develop savings habits to become economically self-sufficient. For more information, visit the Community Outreach section of www.iowacreditunions.com.

General Growth Properties Inc., owner and manager of Jordan Creek Town Center, is shopping for joint-venture partners to help it raise capital to pay off $18.7 billion in debt due over the next four years, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company’s chief financial officer, Bernie Freibaum, told the newspaper the company is seeking to reduce its leverage, but insisted “there are no distress sales going on.” General Growth had relied on commercial mortgage-backed securities for financing in recent years, leaving it with a high debt-to-capitalization ratio.

The Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute (GDMLI) is accepting nominations for the 2008-2009 Community Leadership Program. Applicants must first be nominated by a GDMLI graduate. For a complete listing of GDMLI alumni and online nomination forms, visit www.gdmli.com. The deadline for nominations is April 30. Those nominated will have until May 30 to apply online at www.gdmli.com. Contact Rebecca Batcheller at 286-4980 or rbatcheller@gdmli.com with questions.