Craig Knock, Iowa Telecommunications Services Inc. vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, will present at the 2009 RBC Capital Markets Technology, Media & Communications Conference in San Francisco on June 9 at 10:30 a.m. Iowa time. For a live simulcast of the presentation, go to “investor relations” at www.iowatelecom.com.

A third consecutive month of strong performances by global equities overcame an increase in pension plan liabilities to lift the funded status of a typical U.S. corporate pension plan by 0.6 percentage point in May, according to monthly statistics published by BNY Mellon Asset Management. The funded status of the typical plan has improved for three months in a row. Assets for a typical moderate risk portfolio increased 4.1 percent, while liabilities rose 3.3 percent during the month. For the year through May 31, the funding ratio for the typical plan is now up 10.2 percentage points, as represented by the BNY Mellon Pension Liability Index.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed securities fraud charges Thursday against former Countrywide Financial Corp. CEO Angelo Mozilo, former Chief Operating Officer and President David Sambol and former Chief Financial Officer Eric Sieracki. The trio were charged with deliberately misleading investors by telling them the company was a quality lender of mostly prime mortgages and had prudent underwriting standards, while it actually was engaging in risky lending practices in order to build and maintain market share, CNNMoney.com reported. Mozilo was also charged with insider trading for selling his Countrywide stock for nearly $140 million in profits while knowing that Countrywide’s business model was deteriorating.

A new study released by Bankrate Inc. shows that although two out of three Americans polled know someone who has been laid off, eight out of 10 feel “very” or “somewhat” secure in their own jobs. The poll, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, is included in the new Bankrate Financial Literacy series on careers. Click here for complete results of the poll.

The YMCA of Greater Des Moines will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Father’s Day with a special presentation in memory of Elaine Szymoniak and her support of the Fatherhood Movement in Iowa. The award will be presented to her daughter, Mary Polson, who is a member of the Urbandale City Council. Szymoniak, a former Des Moines city councilwoman and state senator, died May 21 at age 88. Former Gov. Terry Branstad will be the guest speaker for the celebration, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. June 18 at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youths age 18 and under. For more information, contact Morgan Streeter at 558-0762 or send an e-mail to morgan.streeter@dmymca.org.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease this morning presented Meredith Corp. with its Promising Practices award, recognizing the media company’s efforts in developing and maintaining a health-screening program for its employees. Eighty percent of Meredith employees participate in the program, which provides a personalized health status report and access to a health coach. Before instituting the program, Meredith’s health-care costs were increasing by 18.5 percent annually. The company’s annual health-care expenditures have since decreased by 1.1 percent between 2006 and 2008, and the percentage of employees at high risk for chronic health problems has dropped by 30 percent.