Hancock Holding Company officers to present at Gulf South Bank Conference

GULFPORT, MS (April 27, 2006) - Monday, May 1, 2006, at 9:10 a.m. (EDT), senior officers of Hancock Holding Company (NASDAQ: HBHC) - parent company of 107-year-old Hancock Bank - will address financial analysts from across the nation during the 11th annual Gulf South Bank Conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Buckhead in Atlanta, GA.

At the conference, Hancock's chief executive officer George A. Schloegel and chief financial officer Carl J. Chaney will highlight the company's financial performance, corporate business strategies, and economic profiles of Hancock's Gulf South markets.

Investors may access a live, listen-only webcast of Schloegel and Chaney's comments online. The archived presentation will be available for two weeks after the conference concludes.

The investment community recognizes the Gulf South Bank Conference as one of the premier regional bank conferences with an emphasis on mid-to-small-cap companies. Scheduled for April 30 - May 2, this year's conference will feature insightful presentations from executive management representing 22 financial institutions from across the Southeast. Additional information about the conference and a list of participating banks are available on the Gulf South Bank Conference website.

Hancock Holding Company - parent company of Hancock Bank (Mississippi), Hancock Bank of Louisiana, Hancock Bank of Florida, and Magna Insurance Company - has assets of $6.26 billion. Founded in 1899, Hancock Bank stands among the strongest, safest financial institutions in the nation and is the only financial services company headquartered in the Gulf South to rate among the top 25 of America's top-performing banks. Hancock offers comprehensive financial solutions through 144 banking and financial services offices and more than 125 automated teller machines throughout South Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida, including subsidiaries Hancock Investment Services, Inc., Hancock Insurance Agency and its divisions of Ross King Walker and J. Everett Eaves, and Harrison Finance Company.

Investors can access additional corporate information or online banking and bill pay services online.

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