Guaranteed Rate’s Chief Operating Officer Nikolaos Athanasiou Named to Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” List

Chicago, Dec. 04, 2017 -- Chief Operation Officer Nikolaos (Nik) Athanasiou of Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the nation, was named to the Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” 2017 list. The esteemed list includes young thinkers, doers and leaders who are leaving a mark on Chicago and helping to build the city’s future.

“We’re extremely proud of Nik being named to the ‘40 Under 40’ list,” said Guaranteed Rate Chief Executive Officer and Founder Victor Ciardelli. “His dedication and leadership have been instrumental in the company’s rapid growth. Nik has been a key asset in the company’s continued success, and we couldn’t be happier he is being recognized.”

A Boston native, Athanasiou joined Guaranteed Rate’s first New England branch in 2009, and moved to Chicago in 2011 for a senior leadership role at the company’s headquarters, ultimately being named COO in December 2015.  He has been invaluable in guiding the company’s strategy, vision and astronomical growth, particularly over the last five years during which the company has seen its revenue quadruple, its funded loan volume more than triple and its national workforce double.

In 2017, Athanasiou played a key role in developing Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC., a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States. The joint venture markets its mortgage lending services to Realogy’s real estate brokerage and toward a broad consumer audience.

Nik is a highly trained jazz guitarist who graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He’s taken the virtues he cultivated in music—discipline, dedication and improvisation—and applied them successfully to his career in the financial world over the last 15+ years.

“I am honored to be included on this list of influential Chicagoans,” said Athanasiou. “To be selected for ’40 Under 40’ was an incredible surprise and I’m thrilled to be a part of this distinguished list. Congratulations to everyone on the list this year; it’s humbling to be a part of this impressive group.”

The entire 40 under 40 list can be viewed at www.chicagobusiness.com or in the December 4 edition of Crain’s Chicago Business.

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About Guaranteed Rate

Guaranteed Rate is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has approximately 195 offices across the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and is licensed in all 50 states. Since its founding in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded nearly $23 billion in loans in 2016 alone. The company has become the Home Purchase Experts® by introducing the world's first Digital Mortgage technology and offering low rate, low fee mortgages through an easy-to-understand process and unparalleled customer service. Guaranteed Rate won an American Business Award for its Digital Mortgage technology in 2016, ranked No. 1 in Scotsman Guide's Top Mortgage Lenders 2016, was chosen as Top Lender 2016 and 2017 by Chicago Agent magazine and made the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list seven of the past eight years. Visit rate.com for more information.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc607ac5-a0dd-461a-ab3f-792f54d9521b

Linda Marsicano
Guaranteed Rate
773-354-2004
[email protected]