It’s cold out there. It never stops raining. Despite some chilly conditions, the weather was not cold enough to deter the warmth heralded by the protestors of Occupy Sacramento who kept marching on Nov. 5 in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street for bank transfer day. Some are people whose homes have been taken away due to foreclosure. Others are disappointed because their children’s favorite teacher has been cut from lack of funding in their public school. Some just can’t get the health insurance they need. Others are sick and tired of the lies fed by government. Others are aging and their basic Social Security check no longer covers their necessities. Others are people on disability whose

Mickey Rooney recently brought media attention to the issue of elder abuse in his testimony to Congress on March 2, and it’s an issue the Sacramento-based Senior Legal Hotline (SLH) can now offer help with across the state. Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women, the SLH is able to reopen its phone lines statewide in regards to issues involving domestic violence. David Mandel has been with the SLH for more than 16 years and highlighted the problems seen with the loss of funding. The organization is continually searching various databases looking for any possible donors and grants, but has had little success. Mandel said there is currently n

Chief Operations Manager Josh Harmatz has recently been listed as one of the 100 finalists for the Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award, which recognizes 40 exceptional Sacramento area professionals for their business success and community contributions. The 40 Under 40 Awards will be presented on Tuesday, April 26 by the Sacramento Business Journal. Harmatz was nominated by his employees for his exceptional motivation and drive and his expertise in handling high-stress situations with efficiency and ease. “Josh is the type of person that you can take a problem to and he will provide you with 10 potential solutions in 30 seconds,” said Katrina Silberstein, marketing manager. “

The subject of mortgage foreclosures is obviously one that has received a great deal of attention in both the media and in private conversations. The economy has tanked and people who are struggling financially are clearly going to have problems paying their mortgage. And many of us have seen friends, acquaintances, or family members granted loans that were never sustainable, based on poor or non-existent reviews of circumstances. But what of the rest of us? I have a mortgage that I can comfortably afford to make payments on. But I’m surrounded by foreclosed properties and loans that are being adjusted to make them more affordable. I bought my house eight years ago for a total price of a

Q: I just got a Notice of Default from my mortgage company. My friend told me I could stop the foreclosure process by demanding that the bank “produce the note.” What does this mean and will it really work? Thank you,  Louise A: The “produce the note” defense to foreclosure is touted by many on the Internet —people ask us for the forms needed to do that almost every day. The theory is that because loans are frequently transferred it may be difficult, if not impossible, for your mortgage company to trace the ultimate ownership of your specific loan. To foreclose, the lender must actually be current holder of the note, and a homeowner can delay foreclosure by filing a lawsuit demanding thi

Voyage Home Loans strives to make a difference in its community through various charitable endeavors each month and in July, their focus is to help save lives. On Thursday, July 8, Voyage will be hosting a blood drive with BloodSource, a northern and central California blood bank, at Voyage’s headquarters in Sacramento. Voyage is also participating in “Pint for a Pint”, a program in which all donors will receive a coupon for a free pint of Baskin-Robbin’s ice cream. According to BloodSource, one pint of blood can save three lives. So far, about 40 people from both Voyage and local businesses will be donating on Thursday, which equates to 120 lives saved. The blood drive is open to the pub

Sacramento, Calif.— Voyage Home Loans strives to make a difference in communities around the world through charitable and Green efforts monthly. To further their Green endeavors this summer, Voyage is launching their Plant-A-Tree 2010 program June 1. For every home loan that is started with Voyage throughout June, a tree will be planted in that person’s name anywhere in the US and abroad. Voyage hopes to plant at least 1,000 trees during the month through their partner, Plant-It 2020. Plant-It 2020, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit foundation, performs worldwide tree-planting, donates fuel-efficient cooking stoves to needy families, and provides forestry, soil, and biochar education. Voyage’s dona

Sacramento, Calif.—Voyage Home Loans is joining in the fight against breast cancer, alongside thousands in Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure, Saturday, May 8 at Cal Expo in Sacramento. Twenty Voyage employees, also known as #TeamGoodness, will be running and/or walking in the 5K. The race will take place at 7:30 am at Cal Expo. Members who could not participate have opted to “Sleep In for the Cure.” By “Sleeping In,” team members can contribute to the cause without having to be there on the day of the event. Currently, #TeamGoodness has raised $1045 towards the cause. The team hopes to reach a goal of $2500 before Saturday. A portion of the total raised, about $800, is from contributi

Voyage Home Loans and Angelwish worked together to coordinate an essay contest as part of their Giving Spree event, where a group of interested Sacramento area children were asked to write, “the perfect day for you and a sick friend. What would you do? Where would you go?” The winner of the Angelwish and Voyage Giving Spree Essay Contest is Aiden Sacco, 8, of Newcastle, Calif. "I couldn't believe I won," said Aiden Sacco. "I was jumping up and down and I thought for sure I wouldn't even make it into the top four, I thought I'd be seventh. I was totally surprised to be the winner.” Aiden, and about 20 Sacramento children, will shop at 8 am on Saturday, March 6, and spend $3,200 at the G

Voyage Home Loans and Angelwish, an international non-profit organization that empowers busy people to grant the wishes of children infected and/or affected with HIV/AIDS, have partnered to sponsor a giving spree to benefit Angelwish kids.   The giving spree will take place at the G. Willikers Toy Emporium at 8:00 AM on Saturday, March 6. Local Sacramento children will be purchasing $3,200 worth of toys, books, games, and other gifts for the Angelwish children and their families. The event was made possible through the generous contributions of Voyage employees, whose donations were matched by the company.   "Angelwish is thrilled to be working with the employees of Voyage in engaging

Sacramento, Calif. — In an employee-led initiative, Voyage Home Loans donated over eight hundred dollars to UNICEF’s ongoing humanitarian relief effort for children in Haiti. The donations were collected by members of a team from KDND 107.9 “The End” in Sacramento. The contributions were a part of Voyage’s new Social Good Directive, which hopes to promote local, regional, and global Social Good awareness through Facebook in 2010. The project was led by Voyage’s Carly Harrington and Corinne Blackney, who quickly and efficiently brought the employees together and organized the donations in slightly over an hour’s time after hearing about The End’s efforts via the “Wake Up Call” morning show

Walk through some of the region's newest neighborhoods and you'll discover hundreds upon hundreds of houses lying empty. Their owners, victims of foreclosure, have long since moved on. While only some of those are currently on the market, you'll find it next to impossible to come upon a foreclosed home for sale in Sacramento's central city. That's because there's currently only one. The desirability of living in the grid and of its housing stock have kept prices fairly stable and made the area nearly immune to the foreclosure crisis, unlike outlying areas of the city and fast-growing suburbs like Natomas and Elk Grove, according to local real estate agents. "Downtown has held its value,