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Insurance

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Predatory lending powered the housing crisis, study says

Predatory lending aimed at racially segregated minority neighborhoods led to mass foreclosures that fueled the U.S. housing crisis, according to a new study published in the American Sociological Review, Reuters reported.

Predatory lending typically refers …

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West Bancorporation to report quarterly results

West Bancorporation Inc., parent company of West Bank, will report its results for the third quarter of 2010 before U.S. markets open on Oct. 29. The West Des Moines-based company will discuss the results in …

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Business may be rising, but it’s still way down


Dear Mr. Berko:

I continue to read in the local paper and hear on TV that revenues and profits for many companies are increasing by 10 percent or more, and then the stock market jumps …

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Got game?


Terry Rich looks as though he’s having fun, and maybe that’s part of his secret to successfully running the Iowa Lottery.

At the lottery’s Grand Avenue headquarters in Des Moines, framed photographs and awards on …

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Pride at the ‘racino’


With a referendum on gambling less than a month a way, Gary Palmer has become something of a yes man.

Palmer is the president and CEO of Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino. He is an …

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Drake kicks off $200 million fund-raising effort


Never mind the struggling economy or a reluctance to donate.

Now is the time, officials say, for Drake University to publicly kick off distinctlyDrake, a fund-raising campaign with the goal of raising $200 million by …

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EMC Insurance offers to buy Hub Tower


Hub Tower, essentially vacant after Aviva USA moved to its new headquarters in West Des Moines, might be bought by EMC Insurance Cos.

The 20-story building had been under receivership after a group of investors …

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Standard & Poor’s raises outlook for American Equity


West Des Moines-based American Equity Investment Life Holding Co. may be upgraded by Standard and Poor’s on “strong business fundamentals.”

The outlook for the insurer was increased to positive from stable on the prospect that …

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Hard times, drastic measures


Dear Mr. Berko:

My wife and I together were making $88,000 to $110,000 per year between l996 and 2007, and were able to save almost $50,000 during that time even with two kids. So in …

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A windfall calls for caution


Dear Mr. Berko:

When my wife’s grandfather passed away, he left us $16 million after taxes, legal fees, etc., from his businesses and real estate in California. (Please do not mention our city.) We have …