Quicken Loans and Fathead are Official Sponsors of the ALS Association's Scottsdale 'Walk to Defeat ALS'

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Quicken Loans Inc., the nation's largest online retail mortgage lender and fifth largest retail lender overall, and Fathead LLC, the leading brand in sports and entertainment graphic products, today announced they will serve as the official sponsors of Scottsdale's Walk to Defeat ALS, the ALS Association's annual fundraising event on Sunday, October 24, 2010. This will be the second year Quicken Loans and Fathead have participated in the event.  The two companies have pledged to make the 2010 walks in Scottsdale, Detroit and Cleveland -- where Quicken Loans has offices -- record-breaking fundraisers for their respective ALS chapters. Quicken Loans' family of companies employs nearly 450 team members in the Scottsdale area.

This year's walk will take place at Scottsdale Stadium, where participants will enjoy the opportunity to walk around the field which is the spring training home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants.  Check-in for the 2-mile walk is at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m.

ALS, more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord.  When the cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them.  Each year, 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS, and every 90 minutes, someone dies as a result of the disease.

The mission of The ALS Association is to lead the fight to find a cure for ALS through global cutting-edge research. The group also is dedicated to empowering people with Lou Gehrig's disease to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.  

"I'm excited that our friends and neighbors in the Greater Phoenix area have chosen to donate and dedicate their time to this important cause," said Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson, who served as the corporate chair for the Detroit ALS walk. "We're proud to support the work of the ALS Association and we've challenged our family of companies to truly make a difference by doing all they can to help combat this terrible disease that touches many families including my own."

The Quicken Loans family of companies set a goal of $250,000 which was surpassed thanks to the generosity of participants and the online campaign, "Tweet for ALS," hosted through Crowdrise.  Money raised will be donated to the Arizona, Michigan and Northern Ohio chapters to support research and the rising cost of care for families.

The Walk to Defeat ALS is the Association's national fundraising event, which includes corporate sponsorships, and corporate and family walk teams.  To register for the Scottsdale walk, visit http://webaz.alsa.org.  For more information about The ALS Association, the Arizona Chapter and the critical research and patient services offered, call (602) 297-3800 or visit http://webaz.alsa.org.  

About Quicken Loans Inc.:

Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's largest online retail mortgage lender and among the five largest overall retail home lenders in the United States.  The company closed more than $25 billion in retail home loan volume across all 50 states in 2009.  Quicken Loans employs approximately 4,000 team members and generates loan production from five web centers located in Michigan, Ohio and Arizona.  Quicken Loans also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Michigan as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit.  "QuickenLoans.com" has been named "Best of the Web" by Forbes and Money magazines.  Quicken Loans has been named to Fortune magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies To Work For" seven consecutive years, ranking as high as #2.  Quicken Loans has also been named in the top-15 of Computerworld magazine's "100 Best Places To Work In Technology" for six years in a row.  The company recently moved its headquarters and 1,700 of its full-time team members to downtown Detroit.  For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit www.quickenloans.com.

About Rock Holdings Inc.:

Rock Holdings Inc. is the parent company for several financial services related businesses.  These client-focused and technologically-driven companies include Quicken Loans, the nation's largest online home lender and its One Reverse Mortgage unit, the fastest growing reverse mortgage lender in America; Title Source, a nationwide leader of title insurance and settlement services; Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS), a mortgage origination platform servicing community banks and credit unions across the country; In-House Realty, the preferred real estate partner of Quicken Loans that matches clients with trusted real estate agents in all 50 states; and, Quizzle.com, the online innovator and website where consumers manage their home, money and credit.  Rock Holdings, Inc. also recently moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit.

About Fathead LLC:

Fathead LLC is the leading brand in sports and entertainment graphic products. Fathead products give fans the opportunity to bring their favorite passion or inspiration to life. Fathead products include Fathead Customs, Fathead Tradeables, Fathead Skins, and Fathead's flagship "Real Big:" the officially licensed life-size, hi-def wall graphics of professional athletes, animated heroes, entertainment characters, team helmets and logos. Fathead maintains license agreements with leading consumer brands across many industries and professional sports leagues. For more information, visit www.fathead.com.

SOURCE Quicken Loans