Hancock Bank, Whitney Bank Carry On Winning Streak with 19 Greenwich Excellence Awards for 2015

GULFPORT, Miss., March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank, consistently rated among the country's strongest, safest banks, have earned a record 19 national and regional 2015 Greenwich Excellence Awards for small business banking and middle market banking.

Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank are trade names under which $23 billion Hancock Holding Company (Nasdaq: HBHC) offers banking services in six Gulf South states.

The Hancock and Whitney organization has won a total of 80 Greenwich Excellence designations for small business and middle market banking since 2005. 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.

"We are incredibly pleased to receive this prestigious national and regional recognition for our work with small businesses and middle market companies," said Hancock Holding Company President and CEO John M. Hairston. "Hancock and Whitney have a legacy of helping local businesses grow since the late 1800s. Commitment to service is one of the century-old core values that guide everything we do. We are honored and humbled that our clients have once again distinguished us as one of America's best business banking partners."

Greenwich Associates tapped the Hancock and Whitney banking operation as a small business national winner for Overall Satisfaction, Likelihood to Recommend, Relationship Manager Performance, Branch Satisfaction, Industry Expertise, Cash Management-Overall Satisfaction, Cash Management-Customer Service, and Cash Management-Ease of Product Implementation. Small business regional awards include the South's Overall Satisfaction designation as well as the South's Likelihood to Recommend and Cash Management-Overall Satisfaction.

The bank's middle market banking also received national recognition for Overall Satisfaction, Likelihood to Recommend, Relationship Manager Performance, and Cash Management-Overall Satisfaction. Regional awards for middle market banking included the South's Overall Satisfaction, Likelihood to Recommend, Relationship Manager Performance, and Cash Management Overall Satisfaction.

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 multi-faceted financial services company with regional business headquarters and locations throughout a growing Gulf South corridor. With a heritage dating to the late 1800s, the company's banking subsidiary provides a comprehensive network of full-service financial choices at Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and at Whitney Bank offices in Louisiana and Texas, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; energy banking; private banking; trust and investment services; certain insurance services; mortgage services; and consumer financing. The bank also has a healthcare banking business center in Nashville, Tennessee. More information and online banking are available at www.hancockbank.com and www.whitneybank.com.

SOURCE Hancock Holding Company