GULFPORT, Miss., March 29, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- 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.
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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 Holding Company and 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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