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News/Press Releases  FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hancock
Bank open for business less than 24 hours after Gustav GULFPORT, MS (September 2, 2008) - Despite Hurricane Gustav's rampage yesterday across Gulf South communities still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina, all Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are open for business today. Approximately 25 percent of Hancock's Louisiana offices are open, with additional sites reopening as lingering storm conditions subside and Hancock officials assess circumstances affecting customer and employee safety. Senior executives of Hancock Holding Company (NASDAQ: HBHC) — parent company of Hancock Bank — credit associates' commitment to Hancock's core values and a comprehensive business continuity plan as the reasons Hancock can maintain financial services critical to sustain the region's ongoing recovery and help residents and businesses affected by Gustav. "Once again, Hancock associates have demonstrated the strength and stability, honor and integrity, commitment to service, teamwork, and personal responsibility central to Hancock's core business principles. Our associates' dedication to executing a best-practices readiness and response plan is why we are able to open our Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida branches today and help our Louisiana colleagues quickly recover from Hurricane Gustav," said Hancock Holding Company Chief Executive Officer Carl J. Chaney. Hancock Holding Company Chief Operations Officer Shane Loper said Hancock's customer service call center is functioning; and the company has not experienced any internal issues with ATM operation, debit cards, ACH transactions, internet banking, statement rendering, or wire operations. "We have opened for business as usual at all of our Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida offices, excluding Hancock's branch at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. That site will open when the federal government reopens the Stennis Center on Wednesday. That level of continuous operations is a direct testament to our associates' commitment to service," he added. Loper said Hancock began assessing damage to all the company's branches even as Gustav still roared along a southwestern track through cities such as Baton Rouge and Alexandria. Reports indicate no significant damage to Mississippi locations and minimal damage to Louisiana facilities. Commercial power and telecommunications outages appear to be widespread throughout greater Baton Rouge and Central Louisiana. However, staff are working to reopen branches as workers clear fallen trees and power lines and generators activate. "Our Louisiana teams have been able to spot-check our branches for damage and reopen for business when possible. However, as in any post-storm environment, many roads are still impassable, and safety is a primary concern. Additionally, while offices such as our metropolitan New Orleans financial centers are not damaged, our associates must wait until city and parish officials allow re-entry to those areas," Loper said. Following Hurricane Katrina, Hancock enhanced the company's preparedness plan with many lessons-learned strategies to protect customer data and ensure uninterrupted services. An $18-million, state-of-the-art technology center built 10 miles inland houses a sophisticated computer infrastructure that mirrors all core computer systems, critical processes, and data storage. Decentralized customer call center and document processing sites, redundant telecommunications hubs, and remote web site hosting also safeguard central technological functions. Additionally, 45 generator-enabled "Lighthouse" branches can provide customers basic financial services before and after storm emergencies. "After Katrina, our associates were resourceful in serving customers in dire need of cash, in some cases, less than 12 hours after the storm using flashlights and folding tables. One hundred nine years of weathering literal and figurative storms and the practical applications of what we learned from Katrina proved invaluable in upgrading Hancock's business continuity plan in fall 2005. We are using that knowledge to preserve continuous operations, deploy essential supplies to our Louisiana associates, and help our Hancock Bank of Louisiana family manage this disaster," said Hancock Holding Company Chief Executive Officer John M. Hairston. Founded in 1899, Hancock Bank — one of America's strongest, safest financial services institutions — operates 164 banking and financial services offices and 134 ATMs across an I-10 corridor market spanning Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana. With assets of approximately $6.2 billion, Hancock Holding Company is the parent company of Hancock Bank Mississippi, Hancock Bank of Louisiana, Hancock Bank of Alabama, and Hancock Bank of Florida. Bank subsidiaries include Hancock Investment Services, Inc.; Hancock Insurance Agency and its divisions of Ross King Walker and J. Everett Eaves; and Harrison Finance Company. Hancock also has corporate trust offices in Jackson, Gulfport, New Orleans, Orlando, and Baton Rouge. Additional corporate information, a list of Hancock's Lighthouse branches, and online banking and bill pay are available at www.hancockbank.com. - 30 -
R.
Paul Maxwell, VP & Corporate Communications Manager Paul
D. Guichet, VP, Investor Relations Manager |
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