Republic Bank of Chicago Chairman Aristotle Halikias, a prominent Greek American of Chicago whose financial institution has been serving Illinois for decades, talks about his Greek heritage, banking, and involvement with the National Hellenic Museum; one of the most important Greek landmarks in the USA.
Halikias is also President of Inter Continental Real Estate & Development Corporation (ICD), an international full-service real estate development company with holdings in Chicago, Toronto, and Athens. In addition to his other responsibilities, he is the Executive Director of the Halikias Family Foundation.
As a second-generation Greek American, Halikias is proud of his roots and is involved in many philanthropic initiatives helping the Greek community in the US. “My father immigrated to the US via Canada. In Canada, he worked in the railways and eventually, he emigrated to the US where he got into the banking and real estate business.”
US Banking crisis
“The banking crisis in the early 2000s was a wake-up call and the industry has since concentrated on not letting these issues happen again, Halikias tells Greek Reporter.
The global financial crisis was a period of extreme stress in global financial markets and banking systems between mid-2007 and early 2009. During the crisis, a downturn in the US housing market was a catalyst for a financial crisis that spread from the US to the rest of the world through linkages in the global financial system.
Many banks around the world incurred large losses and relied on government support to avoid bankruptcy. Millions of people lost their jobs as the major advanced economies experienced their deepest recessions since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
“I see now that banks are paying more attention to that and have a greater focus on the fundamentals of the sector they had in the past,” the Greek American banker and philanthropist says.
Halikias does not believe that the banking industry will experience the same crisis again. “I believe however that there may be some issues with banks that have not focused on those fundamentals, but nothing like we saw in the early 2000’s.”
Republic Bank serving Chicago
Halikias is the Chairman of the Board of the Republic Bank of Chicago which focuses on community and commercial lending, and real estate financing.
Founded in 1964, Republic Bank of Chicago opened its inaugural branch (the iconic rotunda building on the south side of Chicago, which Midway pilots use as a visual to line up with the runways) over 50 years ago and continues to strive.
Building on its commitment to customer service, the bank with 19 locations throughout Chicagoland and 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs nationwide, is dedicated to helping its clients and supporting their communities’ economic growth – living up to its reputation as “Chicago’s hardworking bank.”
The Republic Bank of Chicago combines a local bank’s charm with a fintech company’s powerful tools to give clients a full range of products and services. Its checking accounts include some unusual perks, while its savings accounts and CDs offer good APYs for those who want simplicity.
Recently CNBC said that the Republic Bank of Chicago is among the 12 banks nationwide that offer the best money market accounts of July 2024.
Aristotle Halikias and the National Hellenic Museum
Aristotle Halikias is the vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees at Chicago’s National Hellenic Museum (NHM) whose mission is to share Greek history, art, culture and the Greek American story.
Halikias served as Chairman of the National Hellenic Museum Board of Trustees from 2005-2011, overseeing the successful completion of the new Museum building construction.
“My father encouraged me to get involved with the NHM, he gave me the motivation. When we started and where we are now are vastly different. The mission and the direction of the Museum have evolved.
The key components are heritage, the Hellenic ideals, and how we can impact the Western World with our culture and ideals.”
NHM preserves the Hellenic legacy and makes this rich heritage relevant today through its extensive collection of more than 10,000 physical artifacts, hundreds of oral histories, exhibitions, educational programs and special events.
Originally founded in 1983 and located in Chicago’s historic Greektown neighborhood since 2011, the museum provides lifelong learning for the community and sparks inquiry and discussion about the broader issues in our lives and society.
The NHM Gala scheduled for Saturday, September 28, 2024, promises an evening of fine dining, music, dancing, and a spectacular auction to benefit the Museum. It raised over $925,000 at its 2023 Gala, in support of its mission to share Greek history, art, culture, and the Greek-American story.