SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  October 8, 2002


Commission File Number: 0-49677



                            WEST BANCORPORATION, INC.
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             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)



         Iowa                                           42-1230603
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(State of Incorporation)                   (I.R.S. Employer Indentification No.)


                  1601 22nd Street, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
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                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                  Registrant's telephone number: 515-222-2300




Item 5. Other Events

         The  Registrant  issued a press release on October 10, 2002  announcing
the  declaration  of a quarterly  cash dividend of $.16 per common share and the
authorization  to buy back up to $5,000,000  worth of Company  common stock over
the next twelve months.

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(c)      Exhibits

         99.1 Press Release of West Bancorporation, Inc. dated October 10, 2002.

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure

         Pursuant to Regulation FD,  information is being attached as an Exhibit
to this Current  Report with respect to a press  release  announcing a quarterly
dividend and authorization to buy back common stock of West Bancorporation, Inc.

         The  information  contained in this Press  Release and other  financial
reports may contain  forward-looking  statements  about the Company's growth and
acquisition  strategies,   new  products  and  services,  and  future  financial
performance,  including  earnings  and  dividends  per share,  return on average
assets,   return  on  average  equity,   efficiency  ratio  and  capital  ratio.
Forward-looking  statements are encouraged by the Private Securities  Litigation
Reform Act of 1995.  Such  forward-looking  information  is based  upon  certain
underlying assumptions,  risks and uncertainties.  Because of the possibility of
change in the underlying  assumptions,  actual  results could differ  materially
from these forward-looking  statements.  Risks and uncertainties that may affect
future results include: pricing pressures on loans and deposits, actions of bank
and non-bank  competitors,  changes in local and national  economic  conditions,
changes in regulatory  requirements,  actions of the Federal Reserve Board,  and
customer's  acceptance  of the  Company's  products  and  services.  The Company
undertakes no obligation to revise or update such  statements to reflect current
events or  circumstances  after the date hereof or to reflect the  occurrence of
unanticipated events.

                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934,
West  Bancorporation,  Inc. has caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned hereunto fully authorized.

West Bancorporation, Inc.
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(Registrant)

October 11, 2002                            By: /s/ Douglas R. Gulling
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Dated                                       Douglas R. Gulling
                                            Chief Financial Officer