Meredith Corp. and John Wiley & Sons Inc. have reached a licensing agreement that gives Wiley exclusive global rights to publish and distribute books based on Meredith brands including Better Homes and Gardens. Under the agreement, which will become effective March 1, 2009, Meredith will continue to create book content from its offices in Des Moines and retain all approval and content rights. Wiley will handle the book layout and design, printing, sales and marketing, distribution and inventory management; it will pay Meredith royalties based on sales. This shift will cause Meredith to eliminate about a dozen positions, primarily in sales and support, and is part of a restructuring process in its books department over the past two years. About two-thirds of the jobs to be lost are in Des Moines. Wiley currently has printing rights to brands including For Dummies, Frommer’s, Webster’s New World and CliffsNotes.

U.S. sales of equity-indexed annuities reached $6.7 billion in the third quarter, up 5.2 percent from the year-ago period but down 2.2 percent from second-quarter 2008, according to Pleasant Hill-based AnnuitySpecs.com. Aviva USA maintained its No. 1 position with total sales of nearly $2 billion. The company has increased its market share 7 percent since the previous quarter. West Des Moines-based American Equity Investment Life Holding Co. ranked third with sales of $563 million.

General Growth Properties Inc. reached an agreement late yesterday to extend the maturity of $58 million in notes tied to its subsidiary, The Rouse Company LP, until Dec. 11. The corporate debt was scheduled to mature Monday. A day earlier, General Growth received a two-week extension on $900 million in mortgages that cover Las Vegas malls Fashion Show and Palazzo. The extensions give the company a chance to negotiate long-term extensions and avoid bankruptcy. According to a regulatory filing last month, the company faces nearly $3.1 billion in maturing debt next year that it needs to refinance. General Growth owns and manages Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

Top executives of the “Big Three” automakers will make a second pitch for $25 billion in funding to Congress today after failing to convince lawmakers to approve the loans last month, The Associated Press reported. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC are expected to present plans to restructure their companies and provide assurance that the government funding will help them revive their business. Plans will likely include refinancing debt, cutting executive pay, seeking concessions from workers and selling or shutting down brands. The three U.S. automakers have gone through nearly $18 billion in cash reserves during the third quarter, and GM and Chrysler are close to running out of cash to pay their bills by the end of the year.

Fitch Ratings has assigned an “AAA” rating to Iowa Finance Authority’s approximately $139 million Iowa state revolving fund revenue bonds, series 2008. The bonds, to be priced this week, will reimburse the authority for loans already made to local governments and fund new loans. Fitch also affirmed the “AAA” rating on the organization’s $263.4 million in outstanding revolving fund revenue bonds, because of its strong program reserves, cross-collateralization feature and conservative investment guidelines. Upon issuance of its 2008 bonds, and including outstanding bond issues, the authority plans to reserve $88 million, or 23 percent, of bonds outstanding.

Next year, Delta Air Lines Inc. will cut its seating capacity by 6 to 8 percent, with domestic capacity being cut as much as 10 percent, the world’s largest carrier said in a regulatory filing. According to Bloomberg, the cuts are on top of a 10 percent pullback in U.S. flying among all major carriers in the second half of the year.

The Technology Association of Iowa and LWBJ Financial are accepting nominations for the 2009 Prometheus Awards. The awards recognize 17 areas of high-tech innovation and distinction. Nominations are due by Dec. 22, and the award ceremony will be held March 3. For more information, visit www.technologyiowa.org.

A workshop on “Learning from the Floods of 2008: Practical Strategies for Resilience,” will take place Dec. 8 at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames. The one-day event will feature experts in agriculture, water and land use, urban planning and government. The workshop is free. For more information or to register, go to www.flood.leopold.iastate.edu.