.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} West Des Moines-based FBL Financial Group Inc. announced today that net income totaled $16.5 million, or 54 cents per share, for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with $20.7 million, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Operating income increased 7 percent to a record 81 cents per share, or $24.4 million, in the quarter from 76 cents per share, or $22.6 million, in the third quarter of 2006. Operating income excludes the impact of realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments, the change in net unrealized gains and losses on derivatives, a nonrecurring lawsuit settlement and the cumulative effect of changes in accounting principles.

FBL Chief Executive Officer Jim Noyce said in a release: “FBL Financial Group had another outstanding quarter. Both Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. and EquiTrust Life Insurance Co. achieved strong sales levels, with premiums collected at our EquiTrust Life independent channel rebounding to $489.1 million, a 75 percent increase from the second quarter of 2007.”

Noyce said, “Based on our record year-to-date results, we expect to be at the high end of, or exceed, our 2007 operating income guidance range of $2.95 to $3.10 per common share.” The company will no longer provide net income guidance, only operating income guidance.