The QI File

Qualified Intermediary

Iowa Equity Exchange

Iowa Equity Exchange · Parent: Independent / unpublished · Firm website

FEA membership
FEA member
CES® holders
Ken Tharp, founder/owner, CES®; Lindsey Harrelson, Vice President, CES®; Andrew Tharp, Vice President, CES®
Fidelity bond
Not published on cited pages
E&O / other cover
Not published on cited pages
How funds are held
Segregated
Dual-signature wires
Wire controls unknown
Reverse / improvement / DST
Reverse Yes · Improvement Yes · DST Unknown
Last sourced
2026-09-15

Fund handling

FAQs: a separate and strictly segregated account is created in the client’s name for each exchange; funds are deposited into one of Iowa Equity Exchange’s partner banks (unnamed). Firm-profile pledge also says funds remain secure and 100% liquid throughout the exchange period — qualitative liquidity language next to the FAQ segregation sentence. Dual-signature / QEA wire control is not on the pages cited.

Who it is for

Independent West Des Moines QI for exchangers who want Iowa Equity Exchange — a company FEA member focused solely on 1031 — not IPE 1031 / Bank Iowa, which is a different already-listed firm. Public brand: Iowa Equity Exchange. An LLC suffix is not printed on the pages opened 2026-09-15. Homepage and chrome print two addresses: 4800 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 205, West Des Moines, IA 50265, and 2900 Jordan Grove, West Des Moines, IA 50265. Both are on the site; this file does not pick a current HQ. Phones 515-224-5259 and 800-805-1031. Emails ktharp@iowaequityexchange.com / info@iowaequityexchange.com. Founded 2007. Reverse and improvement / construction via EAT (Rev. Proc. 2000-37 on the FAQ). DST is not on the pages cited.

Verdict

Independent Iowa QI, distinct from IPE 1031, with a usable custody sentence: a separate, strictly segregated account in the client’s name at a partner bank, plus a company FEA-member claim and three named CES® holders (Ken Tharp 2016; Lindsey Harrelson and Andrew Tharp 2023). Reverse and improvement / construction are on dedicated pages and the FAQ. That is enough to list. Bond and E&O dollars, dual-signature wires, a fee card, a resolved single street HQ, and DST are not on the pages opened. Ask for today’s certificates, the live account title, and who can release the wire before a large transfer.

Notes

This is a QI custody file, not a securities offering. The public brand is Iowa Equity Exchange. An LLC suffix is not printed on the pages opened 2026-09-15 and is not invented here. Iowa Equity Exchange is an independent QI focused solely on Section 1031. It is not IPE 1031, the already-listed Bank Iowa subsidiary. Confirm the named party on the exchange agreement. Iowa Equity Exchange is the intermediary that would hold exchange proceeds. A Delaware statutory trust is typically a securities offering sold by a sponsor and registered representatives — a different product. The pages opened for this file do not publish a DST desk.

Homepage: we belong to the Federation of Exchange Accommodators. FAQs repeat that Iowa Equity Exchange is a member of the FEA. Those are company claims.

Firm profile: Ken Tharp founded the firm in 2007 and earned the Certified Exchange Specialist® designation in 2016. Lindsey Harrelson, Vice President, became a CES® designee in 2023. Andrew Tharp, Vice President, earned CES® in 2023. Katina Gass is listed as Exchange Officer without a CES® mark.

FAQs: a separate and strictly segregated account is created in the client’s name for each exchange; funds go into one of Iowa Equity Exchange’s partner banks. Firm-profile pledge: funds remain secure and 100% liquid throughout the exchange period. Dual-signature / QEA wire control is not on the pages cited.

FAQ and the reverse / improvement pages: reverse exchanges under Rev. Proc. 2000-37 (FAQ); the reverse article also types “Rev. Proc. 2002-37” — the IRS reverse safe harbor is Rev. Proc. 2000-37, and this file does not treat that typo as a custody fact. Improvement / construction uses an EAT to hold title while work is done. Reverse and improvement are therefore yes.

Two addresses appear on the homepage and site chrome: 4800 Mills Civic Parkway, Suite 205, West Des Moines, IA 50265, and 2900 Jordan Grove, West Des Moines, IA 50265. Both are published. Phones 515-224-5259 and 800-805-1031.

No public fee card, bond or E&O dollars, or DST desk on the pages cited. Ask Iowa Equity Exchange for today’s certificates, the live partner-bank account title, and who can release the wire — then read those papers, not this summary.

Sources

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Corrections and verification

Listings are sourced from public pages. Unknown is omitted, not graded. If a fact is wrong or stale, send the primary URL.

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