Financial Services >> CEO Interviews >> November 22, 2004
JOHN ADAM KANAS serves as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer of both North Fork Bancorporation, Inc., a bank holding company,
and its primary subsidiary, North Fork Bank. North Fork is a regional
bank in the New York Metropolitan area. Mr. Kanas is a native New Yorker
who still resides on his family farm on Long Island. He graduated from
Southampton College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and has completed
graduate work at Long Island University's C.W. Post College and the
School of Banking at Rutgers University. Mr. Kanas has presided over the
growth of North Fork since he joined the company in 1971. By 1977, at
the age of 29, he became the President and Chief Executive Officer; at
the time, Mr. Kanas was believed to be the youngest bank CEO in America.
Ten years later, he was named Chairman. Using his vision and innovative
ideas, Mr. Kanas has lead the company through its initial public
offering in 1982 to its membership on the NYSE and inclusion in the S&P
500 Index. During his tenure, the company has completed 15 acquisitions
and has recently announced two more (The Trust Company of New Jersey and
GreenPoint Financial Corp.) that will create a banking franchise ranking
in the top 20 in the United States, with a market capitalization
approximating $13 billion. North Fork consistently ranks as one of the
most profitable and efficient banking companies in the country. Mr.
Kanas' remarks on banking are widely quoted and he is recognized as a
dynamic regional banker. Mr. Kanas has served on many professional,
academic and community Boards and organizations. He is a past President
of the New York State Bankers Association, the Long Island Bankers
Association and the Independent Bankers Association of New York. Mr.
Kanas was also a member of the NYSE Listed Company Advisory Committee
and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Long Island
University. Profile
today.
Mr. Kanas: North Fork is a result of our most recent acquisition, which
was GreenPoint Financial Corp. and Trust
