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Insurance

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Economists predict Fed’s quantitative easing to last through next year

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s promise to help the economy until the job market recovers could force him to keep buying bonds until the final months of his term, according to a Bloomberg survey.

In a poll …

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Wells Fargo tops $1 billion in SBA loans

Wells Fargo & Co. has approved $1.24 billion in small business loans under the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) program in the past year, the Charlotte Business Journal reported. It’s the second consecutive year the …

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Take stock in this

U.S. stocks are beating every major asset class for the first time in 17 years even as economic growth weakens and profits rise at the slowest rate since 2009, Bloomberg reported.

The Standard & Poor’s …

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EMC raises earnings estimate

EMC Insurance Group Inc. on Thursday revised its third-quarter earnings estimate upwards, saying it expects lower third-quarter catastrophe losses will be partially offset by losses associated with its crop reinsurance program. The Des Moines-based property/casualty …

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BERKO: Exchange-traded fund cautions

Dear Mr. Berko:

I have a mutual fund that is supposed to own only utility stocks, and another one should have only drug stocks. However, about 30 percent of their portfolios are in other industries. …

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BERKO: Avon suffers from lack of leadership

Dear Mr. Berko:

When I asked my broker last May about buying 400 shares of Facebook Inc., he didn’t think it was a good idea. He said General Motors had pulled its advertising because it …

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BERKO: Pandora and Zacks

Dear Mr. Berko:

Last June, I bought 300 shares of Pandora Media Inc. at $23. I thought this would run to $50 because I believed its business model would take over the music broadcasting industry …

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SHAZAM extends its ATM network

The SHAZAM Network in Johnston has added to its network of 4,600 ATMs through an agreement with CO-OP Financial Services, which has 30,000 ATMs.

Many of CO-OPs ATMs are located at businesses such as 7-Eleven, …

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Branstad to declare tomorrow as Credit Union Day

Gov. Terry Branstad will sign a proclamation tomorrow to declare the day as Credit Union Day in Iowa. The event is part of International Credit Union Day.

For more information on International Credit Union Day, go …

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Bearence announces leadership changes

Bearence Management Group co-founder Dave Schwartz will leave the firm by the end of the year to pursue other opportunities, the West Des Moines-based insurance and financial services company announced Tuesday.

Schwartz began the firm …

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