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Insurance

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European and U.S. stocks rise on Chinese interest rate cut

The People’s Bank of China cut its deposit and lending interest rates by 0.25 percentage point on Thursday morning, causing U.S. stocks to rise in early-morning trading. 

China hadn’t cut interest rates since 2008, but …

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Connor takes over at Continental Western

Michael Connor was appointed president of Continental Western Group LLC, the insurance company’s parent organization, W.R. Berkeley Corp., announced last week. Connor takes over for Bradley Kuster, who is moving to a different position within …

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Draghi remarks give hope for Europe, drive U.S. stocks up

The president of the European Central Bank (ECB) gave a more hopeful outlook for the troubled eurozone Wednesday, saying the bank is ready to act if the Spanish bank crisis worsens or Greece drops the…
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Buffett says U.S. won’t slip into recession

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway, said Tuesday that it is unlikely the United States will slip back into a recession if the European economy continues to decline.

Buffett said, though, there …

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GuideOne reaches surplus milestone

For the first time in its 65-year history, GuideOne Mutual Insurance Co. has exceeded a policyholder surplus level of $500 million, the West Des Moines-based company said in a release.

GuideOne ended 2011 with $493.8 …

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‘Plains Angels’ forms to help provide early stage funding to start-ups

The Business Innovation Zone has announced the formation of a group called Plains Angels, an independent collection of individual angel investors.

Members will provide early-stage funding to start-up businesses in amounts that are generally lower …

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We’re losing millionaires by the thousands

The number of millionaires is on the decline in the United States, even as the number of wealthy individuals has increased worldwide, CNNMoney reported.

Millionaire households in the United States decreased by 129,000 in 2011, …

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BERKO: Tax reform vs. simplification

Dear Mr. Berko:

I’m 51 and make a good living as a self-employed professional. I employ four people, including my wife, and have been doing my personal/business tax returns for 28 years. This year was …

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Trade commission to discuss Volcker rule today

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission will meet today to discuss a ban on proprietary trading, commonly referred to as the Volcker rule.


The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires the five U.S. …

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EMCC gets high rating from A.M. Best

A.M. Best Co. has given a positive outlook rating to Employer Mutual Casualty Co.(EMCC) and its subsidiaries, EMC Reinsurance Co. and EMC Insurance Group Inc., all of which are based in Des Moines.

A.M. Best …