EMC Insurance Group Inc. said that it would cut its 2008 earnings forecast. The company said operating income for 2008 is expected to be 65 cents to 95 cents per share, compared with an earlier forecast of $1.20 to $1.45 per share. The company said the lowered outlook reflects an approximate $2.3 million reduction in projected 2008 investment income, primarily due to losses on investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac preferred stock. EMC also said losses related to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike could amount to 39 cents and 43 cents a share, respectively.

Dice Holdings Inc.’s Scott Melland, chairman, president and CEO, and Michael Durney, senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer, will present Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the William Blair & Co. Small-Cap Growth Stock Conference in New York City. The presentation will begin at 11 a.m. Iowa time. A live webcast will be available on the investor relations section of the company’s Web site, www.diceholdingsinc.com.

Meredith Corp.’s annual shareholders meeting will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 5 in Des Moines at its headquarters, 1716 Locust St. Items on the agenda include election of four directors and whether to add 500,000 shares to the employee stock purchase plan.

Gary Peterson will retire at the end of the year after more than 14 years as CEO of Financial Plus Credit Union in Des Moines. Dave Cole, who has been with the credit union for more than 15 years and is its current executive vice president, will become president and CEO.

The National Federation of Independent Businesses has named U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley a Guardian of Small Business because he voted in favor of the organization’s position on all votes it tracked during the 110th Congress. The award was given to 58 senators and 194 representatives who supported the lobbying and trade group’s position on 71 percent of their votes on issues such as the minimum wage and health care.

MetaBank and Valley West Mall donated $10,000 to 11 area schools Wednesday for their participation in Class Cash, a back-to-school shopping program where shoppers show their receipts to guest services at the mall and have them allocated to the school of their choice. The schools with the largest allocations between July 11 and Sept. 1 won Class Cash, an award ranging from $500 to $3,000.