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Insurance

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Domanicare CEO to lead Homesteaders Life’s customer experience initiatives

Homesteaders Life Co. has named Jon Lefrandt as senior vice president of customer experience. He will lead the West Des Moines-based funeral insurance company’s strategic initiatives, among them supporting Homesteaders’ innovation efforts to help funeral …
By BUSINESS RECORD STAFF | Dec 16, 2021
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Lee’s stock is now trading at way more than Alden Global Capital’s takeover offer

Poynter: In a surprise development as Alden Global Capital pursues a hostile bid to acquire news publisher Lee Enterprises of Davenport, Lee’s shares have shot up in value in the last week. The stock closed Tuesday …
By BPC Staff | Dec 15, 2021
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Holmes Murphy announces ‘fully’ refreshed brand

Insurance brokerage Holmes Murphy has introduced a new brand campaign focused on its role as an evolving leader in the insurance industry, the Waukee-based firm announced. In this new campaign, clients will see Holmes Murphy’s employees at …
By BPC Staff | Dec 14, 2021
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U.S. employee-sponsored health plan costs spike 6.3% in 2021

The average per-employee cost of employer-sponsored health insurance jumped 6.3% nationally in 2021, according to Mercer’s 2021 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, released Monday.

With the highest annual increase since 2010, health benefit costs …
By BPC Staff | Dec 14, 2021
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Iowa stocks a mixed bag in November

Ten of the 17 Iowa-based companies on the Business Record’s Iowa Index posted stock price gains in November. One company posted a double-digit percentage gain in the month. Seven Iowa-based stocks posted losses, with one …
By JOHN RETZLAFF | Dec 13, 2021
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West Des Moines disaster insurance startup Recoop announces key hires

Recoop Disaster Insurance, a West Des Moines-based specialty insurance company launched earlier this year, announced the addition of two longtime insurance industry experts. Jeffrey Marshall has been named chief operating officer, and Kelly Anonson has been …
By BPC Staff | Dec 10, 2021
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Casey’s revenue up in quarter, shares lag behind estimates with higher operating costs

Des Moines Register: As the pandemic eases due to the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, customers continue to return to Casey’s General Stores. The Ankeny-based convenience store chain reported this week total revenues surged to $3.26 …
By BPC Staff | Dec 9, 2021
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Can blockchain make surety bonds simpler?

Not long after Zach Mefferd and Ryan Swalve launched Coverage Direct in 2016, they quickly discovered a big challenge while running the West Des Moines-based independent insurance agency: how to harness technology to make it …
By JOE GARDYASZ | Dec 9, 2021
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West Des Moines-based Recoop seeks to fill gaps in disaster insurance coverage

With a goal of making insurance simpler to use, West Des Moines entrepreneur Darren Wood has launched Recoop Disaster Insurance, a product that will pay out lump-sum insurance settlements to homeowners or renters whose residence …
By JOE GARDYASZ | Dec 9, 2021
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Common Ground coffee shop to open on Skywalk at EMC campus

EMC Insurance Cos. announced that a new coffee shop, Common Ground, will open on Jan. 3 as part of its skywalk reconstruction project underway near its Des Moines headquarters at 700 Walnut St. The new …
By BUSINESS RECORD STAFF | Dec 8, 2021