First National Investment Banking has announced the opening of a public finance department at its headquarters in Omaha. The investment bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of First National of Nebraska Inc. The department will provide underwriting, financial advisory and derivative product capabilities to state and local governments, hospitals, colleges, 501(c)(3) organizations and issuers of tax-exempt bonds in an eight-state region that includes Iowa. In June, FNIB opened a downtown Des Moines office in the Davis Brown Tower that specializes in mergers and acquisitions.

Steven Patterson has joined Meta Financial Group Inc. as president of MetaBank’s Central Iowa market. Patterson has more than 30 years of in-depth banking experience, primarily in Central Iowa. In prior assignments he has served in key executive and senior management positions, including chief executive officer, president and chief operating officer.

The Blank Park Zoo Foundation received word this week that it received a $200,000 grant from the W.T. and Edna M. Dahl Trust. The Zoo Foundation will use this leadership gift in support of its $40 million campaign to expand and renovate the zoo. The W.T. and Edna M. Dahl Trust honors the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Dahl, longtime Des Moines residents. W.T. Dahl was the founder of the Dahl’s grocery stores located throughout the Des Moines metro area.

EMC Insurance Group Inc. today announced that it will release third-quarter 2008 earnings to the media before U.S. markets open on Oct. 24. The third-quarter earnings release and financial supplement will be available on EMC’s Web site at that time. The company will then host an earnings call at 10 a.m. Iowa time on the same day to discuss the company’s quarterly results, as well as its expectations for the remainder of 2008. Interested parties may dial in to listen at (877) 407-8031.

The Small Business Administration is offering a new 30-minute online course called “Global Enterprise: A Primer on Exporting,” which is a free, self-paced lesson that provides practical guidance on exploring international markets. The new course is available from the SBA training Web site at www.sba.gov/training. To access the course, click on “Free Online Courses,” and then select the first course listed under International Trade. The course is a comprehensive training module using script and audio to provide fundamental information about selling in global markets. Course participants can earn a certificate of completion from the SBA, with their name, date and course title.

Iowa Health – Des Moines hosted a formal ceremony yesterday to mark the placing of the final beam at West Hospital. Employees at Iowa Methodist, Iowa Lutheran and Blank Children’s hospitals signed the beam last week prior to it being placed, which marks the end of construction on the structure’s skeleton. West Hospital is under construction west of 60th Street between University Avenue and Westown Parkway in West Des Moines and is tentatively scheduled to receive its first patients in early 2010.