FBL Financial Group Inc. reported a net loss for the fourth quarter of 2008 of $19.2 million, or 64 cents per share, compared with net income of $11.9 million, or 39 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. The insurer had an operating loss of $5.3 million, compared with operating income of $24.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. FBL said it would not provide 2009 earnings guidance due to volatile market conditions. Its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 12.5 cents per share, payable on March 31 to shareholders of record as of March 13. To review more of its financial results, go to www.fblfinancial.com.

ING Groep NV has issued 4 billion euros ($5 billion) worth of bonds with a maturity of five years as part of a deal with the Dutch government to issue a maximum of 10 billion euros in government-guaranteed bonds, Reuters reported. On Jan. 30, ING issued $6 billion of state-guaranteed bonds with a maturity of three years.

Davenport-based Lee Enterprises Inc. has refinanced $306 million of debt related to its purchase of St. Louis Post-Dispatch LLC and restructured future payments under its $1.1 billion bank financing agreements. As part of the agreement, Lee repaid $120 million of the principal amount of the $306 million debt due in April 2009, using restricted cash, while keeping $9 million to facilitate the liquidity of the operations of Pulitzer Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lee, and its subsidiaries. Lee has until 2012 to pay the remaining debt balance of $186 million.

About $72 billion in commercial real estate property worldwide is in trouble and could face foreclosure or be transferred back to lenders, according to a report by Real Capital Analytics, Reuters reported. As borrowers face tight credit markets, making it difficult to refinance large mortgages coming due, the number of properties facing foreclosure could increase even more. General Growth Properties Inc., owner of Jordan Creek Town Center, was No. 1 among distressed real estate companies, the report said.

Overall compensation of the highest-paid executives at publicly traded companies fell 7.4 percent in the past 12 months, according to a study by the Economic Research Institute, primarily due to a decrease in stock-option compensation. The report found that base salaries remained about the same, while other compensation, such as pension benefits and nonequity incentives, increased, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported. The average highest-aid top executive received $17.7 million in total compensation in the year ended in February.

Former Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and Wellmark Foundation executive Sheila Riggs has been named chair of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry’s department of primary dental care. Riggs most recently served as CEO, president and director of Delta Dental of Minnesota and before that worked at Wellmark for 10 years. Riggs received her doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Iowa and has a doctorate in epidemiology from Harvard University.