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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2007
Hancock
Holding Company appoints Achary as Chief Financial Officer,
Loper as Chief Operations Officer
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Mike
Achary
Chief Financial Officer
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Shane
Loper
Chief Operations Officer
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GULFPORT,
MS (March 29, 2007) - Hancock Holding Company (NASDAQ: HBHC)
Chief Executive Officers Carl J. Chaney and John M. Hairston
announced today that company Treasurer Michael M. Achary has
been named Hancock Holding Company Chief Financial Officer,
and company Chief Information Officer D. Shane Loper has been
named Hancock Holding Company Chief Operations Officer.
With this promotion, Achary assumes executive responsibility
for financial management, planning, and reporting, and corporate
balance sheet management. Chaney and Hairston said Achary's
professional background at Hancock as well as previous professional
positions at First Commerce Corporation in New Orleans prepared
him for this assignment.
"Mike
Achary led the effort to overhaul Hancock's profitability
measurement and income statement accountability systems when
he first joined the team, and thereafter led the corporate
finance effort to fully comply with key provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act," said Chaney.
Hairston
added, "When Hurricane Katrina devastated corporate operations
in Gulfport, Achary exhibited outstanding leadership and level-headedness
to restore Hancock's financial operations. He has flourished
during trial-by-fire, and we are proud today to announce him
as our corporate CFO."
Hancock
Holding Company Chairman of the Board George A. Schloegel
said, "Mike Achary is an acknowledged professional in
the accounting and bank financial community and will continue
to serve as our conduit to the investment community."
Achary, who joined Hancock in
summer 2000, served as a senior vice president at New Orleans
based First Commerce Corporation and as chief financial officer
for a New Orleans law firm. A certified public accountant,
Achary received both a bachelor of science degree in accounting
and a master of business administration degree from the University
of New Orleans. Achary is also a graduate of the prestigious
Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.
He resides in Mandeville, LA, with his wife and three children.
Shane Loper, an Ocean Springs
native, will retain his duties as CIO and will have executive
oversight of corporate deposit and lending operations, technology,
direct banking, human resources, and various administrative
areas.
Chief Executive Officers Chaney and Hairston said Hancock's
board of directors approved Loper's appointment based on his
proven leadership and guidance in several managerial assignments,
most recently in restoring Hancock's core operations in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Hairston said, "Like Mike Achary, Shane exhibited leadership
and ability under the toughest possible conditions. Company
leadership looked to him to make critical and prudent decisions
on behalf of customers, shareholders, and fellow associates."
Chaney pointed to Loper's experience as a long-term Hancock
associate, stating, "Shane joined us as a technologist
nearly 16 years ago and quickly moved up the ranks, most recently
in being named CIO. He continues to garner respect and credibility
from all those with whom he comes in contact inside and outside
the company."
Loper received a bachelor's degree from the University of
Southern Mississippi and an M.B.A. from Troy State University.
He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana
State University and was selected as one of the 2005 Top 40
under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal. He has held
management positions in Information Technology, Bank Operations,
and Human Resources during his tenure with Hancock.
Loper is also a major in the Mississippi Army National Guard
and a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast. Active in the Jackson
County and Mississippi Gulf Coast communities, Loper lives
in Ocean Springs with his wife and two children.
Hancock Bank Chairman Leo W. Seal, Jr., said, "It is
a pleasure to see two more success stories - promoting individuals
already within our organization to top management positions.
Mike and Shane both exhibit the values that have shaped Hancock
over these 108 years." He added, "This transition
completes the company short-term management succession effort
begun December 31, 2006, when our Board of Directors asked
Chaney and Hairston to assume the roles that George Schloegel
and I had for many years. Achary and Loper will now assume
duties which allow Chaney and Hairston to concentrate on their
new role."
About Hancock Bank
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 more than $6 billion. Bank subsidiaries include
Hancock Investment Services, Inc., Hancock Insurance Agency,
and Harrison Finance Company. Additionally, the company operates
corporate trust offices in Gulfport, MS, Jackson, MS, New
Orleans, and Baton Rouge. Hancock's trust department, a division
of the wealth management group, has assets of $7.4 billion,
with assets under management of $2.31 billion, as of December
31, 2006.
Founded
October 10, 1899, Hancock Bank is the only financial services
company headquartered in the Gulf South to rate among the
top 20 percent of America's top performing banks. Hancock
consistently ranks as one of the country's strongest, safest
financial institutions, according to Veribanc, Inc., and BauerFinancial
Services, Inc. Thomson Financial also recently listed Hancock
as the ninth largest corporate trustee bank in the U.S. .
More
corporate information and online banking are available at
www.hancockbank.com.
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION
R. Paul Maxwell
VP & Corporate Communications Manager
228.563.7953 or paul_maxwell@hancockbank.com
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