News/Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2009

Bank Director names Hancock Bank in America's top-10 for '08;
BauerFinancial recommends as strong & safe for 77 consecutive quarters;
Moody's says 'stable'

     GULFPORT, MS (February 10, 2009) - For the second year in a row, Bank Director magazine has named Hancock Holding Company (NASDAQ: HBHC) — parent company of Hancock Bank in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama — among the top-10 of America's 150 best banks. Hancock is the only bank headquartered in the Southeast to earn a spot on Bank Director's 2008 top-10 list. The publication also tapped Hancock as a top-10 bank in 2007.

     The Bank Director announcement came out within days of a BauerFinancial Services, Inc., rating recommending Hancock as one of the country's strongest, safest banks for the 77^th consecutive quarter. Additionally, Moody's Investors Service, one of the world's most respected and widely used sources for credit ratings, research, and risk analysis, continues to rate Hancock "stable."

     In a prolonged saga of national economic woes, this latest chapter in Hancock Bank's success story reaffirms a 110-year-old tale of strength, stability, and community commitment.

     "We are honored that Bank Director continues to rank Hancock in the top-10 of the nation's top-performing banks. This recognition is a tribute to almost 2,000 associates in four states who uphold Hancock's pledge to facilitate commerce and opportunity based on the conservative, community-oriented way of doing business our founders established in 1899," said Hancock Holding Company President and CEO Carl J. Chaney.

     According to Bank Director writer Paul Sweeney, ". . . 'steady at the helm' was the governing mantra for the highest ranked banks." Additionally, Bank Director's scorecard spotlights banks and thrifts that traditionally retain top ranking regardless of economic conditions and, often, are repeat high scorers. Most of the top-10 for 2008 are mid-sized financial institutions with assets between $3 billion and $11 billion that have maintained conservative postures and proactively minimized risk in a volatile economy.

     "The Bank Director, BauerFinancial, and Moody rankings again underscore the shareholder and customer confidence that has sustained the company during a century of prosperity and challenge. We have stood with our customers through some of the best and worst times in American history, including the Great Depression and 21 recessions. We have also seen some of our greatest corporate growth during the most challenging periods — a 'flight to quality' as individuals and businesses gravitate to Hancock's trademark strength and stability," added Hancock CEO and Chief Operating Officer John M. Hairston."

     Sweeney's full article and Bank Director's Top 150 scorecard results for 2008 are available at http://www.bankdirector.com/PDFs/2008BankPerformanceScorecard.pdf.

     Hancock Holding Company has assets of approximately $7.2 billion. Founded in 1899, Hancock Bank — an FDIC-insured institution — operates 164 banking and financial services offices in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama. Hancock 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 Gulfport, Jackson, MS, Baton Rouge, downtown New Orleans, and Orlando.

     Hancock Bank offers convenient 24-hour, seven-days-a-week financial services through Hancock's HandyCall® telephone banking, e-Banking and e-Pay at www.hancockbank.com, and 136 ATMs across the company's Gulf South I-10 corridor markets.

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