FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2008

Hancock Bank debuts new Daphne financial center;
two more openings slated for early spring

Bright Light on the Eastern Shore - Local business leaders and Hancock Bank of Alabama officials celebrated the grand opening of Hancock's new Daphne financial center on Highway 98 Thursday, February 21, 2008. Pictured at the official ribbon cutting are (from left) Mark Simpson, Hancock's Alabama retail banking manager; Darrelyn Bender, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce president; Gus Palumbo, Daphne city councilman; Richard Wilkins, Esq., of Vickers, Riis, Murray & Curran, LLC, Hancock Bank of Alabama director; Cheryl Thompson of Alabama Power Company, Hancock Bank of Alabama director; Julie Burke, Hancock's Daphne branch manager; and Jerry Broughton, Hancock's Mobile area market president.

DAPHNE, AL (February 22, 2008 ) - Despite lingering rain clouds, the bright glow of new commerce shone from a familiar lighthouse logo as 108-year-old Hancock Bank - one of America's strongest, safest financial services institutions - celebrated the grand-opening of its new Hancock Bank of Alabama financial center in Daphne last night.

The 5,000-square-foot Daphne branch is one of three full-service Hancock Bank offices opening in several of the region's most thriving commercial and residential hubs since Hancock established its downtown Mobile branch last June on Dauphin Street at historic Bienville Square.

According to local bank leaders, dedication of the Daphne office and upcoming grand openings at Malbis near the Eastern Shore Centre and in Mobile at Cottage Hill reiterate the company's century-old commitment to facilitating economic opportunities throughout growing Gulf South communities.

"We are so grateful for the warm welcome we have received throughout Mobile and the Eastern Shore area and honored to join our neighbors in helping our local communities prosper. Founded on fundamental values of honor and integrity, strength and stability, commitment to service, teamwork, and personal responsibility, Hancock has been a catalyst for growth since 1899. We look forward to delivering that legacy of excellence locally through many new business and community partnerships," said Hancock Bank Mobile Market President Jerry Broughton.

Located on a 2.5-acre wooded frontage lot at 27397 Highway 98 across from Walmart, Hancock's Daphne branch offers comprehensive financial solutions, including traditional
banking services, four lobby tellers, four drive-up lanes, safe deposit boxes, a drive-up night depository, and a convenient, drive-up, stand-alone ATM in front of the site. Mortgage, insurance, trust and investments, and wealth management specialists are also available to help customers tailor financial plans best suited to clients' specific goals.

"Our banking team includes veterans of the Alabama and Gulf South financial industries with the expertise to customize innovative financial strategies and the strong community roots to understand the financial needs of local folks. They have a vested interest in helping their hometowns grow and succeed, and they're backed by Hancock's extensive regional network of financial services choices," said Mark Simpson, Hancock Bank of Alabama's retail banking manager.

Simpson added that visitors to the Daphne and Malbis Hancock Bank offices who participate in daily scan-to-win drawings for gift cards or other prizes automatically receive a chance to win a 42" flat-screen LCD HDTV to be given away at Malbis grand-opening festivities on March 7, 2008.

White-Spunner Construction, Inc., of Mobile was contractor for the Daphne branch; Brian Puckett of WHL Architecture, the architect.

About Hancock Bank

Founded October 9, 1899, Hancock Bank recently ranked third among the nation's top-performing financial institutions and has rated among the country's most financially sound banks for 73 consecutive quarters. Hancock operates 162 banking and financial services offices and more than 132 ATMs along I-10 corridor markets in southern Alabama, South Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle, and south central Louisiana.

Hancock Holding Company - parent company of Hancock Bank of Alabama, Hancock Bank Mississippi, Hancock Bank of Florida, and Hancock Bank of Louisiana - has assets of approximately $6.0 billion. Hancock Bank subsidiaries include Hancock Investment Services, Inc., Hancock Insurance Agency, and Harrison Financial Company.

Corporate information and links to online banking and bill pay are available at www.HancockBankAL.com.

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For More Information

R. Paul Maxwell, VP & Corporate Communications Manager
228.563.7953 or paul_maxwell@hancockbank.com