GULFPORT, Miss., March 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hancock and Whitney Bank, consistently rated among the country’s strongest, safest banks, has earned an impressive 18 national and regional 2016 Greenwich Excellence Awards for small business banking and middle market banking. The banking organization, which does business under the Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank brands, has won a total of 115 Greenwich Award designations—eight Best Brand Awards since 2013 and 107 Excellence Awards since 2005.

Hancock Holding Company (Nasdaq:HBHC) is the bank’s $25 billion parent company providing full financial services at Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank locations throughout the Gulf South.

Announcing the awards last month, Greenwich Associates tapped the Hancock and Whitney banking operation 10 times as a small business national winner for Overall Satisfaction, Advice to Help My Business Grow, Branch Satisfaction, Cash Management – Ease of Product Implementation, Industry Expertise, Likelihood to Recommend, Cash Management – Overall Satisfaction, Cash Management – Accuracy of Operations, Cash Management – Customer Service, and Cash Management – Product Capabilities. Four small business regional awards include the South’s Overall Satisfaction designation as well as the South’s Advice to Help My Business Grow, Likelihood to Recommend, and Cash Management-Overall Satisfaction.

The bank’s middle market banking also received three national awards for Overall Satisfaction, Advice to Help My Business Grow, and Likelihood to Recommend. The bank’s regional recognition for middle market banking included an award for Overall Satisfaction in the South.

“We are very pleased to once again receive this esteemed national and regional recognition for our work with small businesses and middle market companies in 2016,” said Chief Banking Officer Chip Knight. “Commitment to helping local businesses grow is one of the core values that guide everything we do. We are honored that our clients have once again distinguished us as one of America’s best business banking partners and humbled to have received a total of 107 prestigious Greenwich Excellence Awards to date.”

Greenwich Associates bases the awards on interviews with thousands of executives at companies with revenues between $1 million-$10 million for small business banking and $10 million-$500 million for middle market banking. Greenwich Associates chose Excellence Award recipients using ratings on a five-point evaluation scale. Selected banks must receive a statistically significant proportion of “Excellent” ratings relative to the overall mean (at a 95 percent confidence level). States in the South region in which Hancock and Whitney are ranked include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

About Greenwich Associates

Greenwich Associates is a leading provider of global market intelligence and advisory services to the financial services industry. Greenwich Associates’ studies provide benefits to the buyers and sellers of financial services through benchmark information on best practices and market intelligence on overall trends. Based in Stamford, Connecticut, with offices in London, Toronto, Tokyo, and Singapore, the firm offers more than 100 research-based consulting programs to 250-plus global financial services companies. More details are available at www.greenwich.com.

About Hancock Holding Company

Hancock Holding Company is a financial services company with regional business headquarters and locations across the Gulf South. The company’s banking subsidiary provides comprehensive financial products and services through Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and Whitney Bank locations in Louisiana and Texas, including traditional, online, and mobile banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; certain insurance services; and mortgage services. The company operates a loan production office in Nashville, Tennessee. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.

CONTACT: For More Information
R. Paul Maxwell, Senior Communications Officer
228.867.8690 or [email protected]