MidSouth Bank continues its expansion in Texas with the addition of key personnel, including two new City Presidents

LAFAYETTE, La., Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of MidSouth Bank's strategy to expand its footprint throughout several major markets in Texas, the bank has added three key employees: Gary W. Junek, City President in Houston, John Wattinger, City President in Austin, and Lee F. Hertel, Vice President and Commercial Lender in Ft. Worth.

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"With these three hires, we have added significant depth to our overall management team and particularly to our Texas operations," MidSouth Bank Chief Operating Officer Jerry Reaux said.

Noted MidSouth Bank Chief Banking Officer Troy Cloutier: "This is a competitive banking and employment environment, and we have devoted considerable time and resources to this state and will continue to hire talented bankers who have spent their careers building relationships here."

Gary W. Junek is now leading the Lafayette, La.-based bank's growth in the Houston market as City President. A native Texan with three decades of banking experience, Junek is overseeing all of the bank's operations in the market. He most recently was Executive Vice President for Commercial Banking at Bank of Houston, having previously worked for Compass Bank, Wells Fargo and Texas Commerce Bank (now JPMorgan Chase). Junek has a bachelor of business administration in finance from Texas A&M University.

Junek has worked in a variety of business development and management roles for these national and regional banks, successfully nurturing and providing a broad range of financial products to privately owned middle market companies and individuals. "There is significant overlap in energy services and marine lending between the Louisiana and Texas economies, which makes Houston a natural market for MidSouth Bank," Junek said. "We will capitalize on our energy services and marine lending experience and expertise to become one of the providers of choice in both of these industries."  

In Austin, John Wattinger was hired as City President in charge of all operations in that market and throughout Central Texas. The Austin native, who has almost three decades of banking experience, most recently worked for Capital One Bank as Senior Loan Officer. Wattinger's banking career includes stints at PlainsCapital Bank, Wells Fargo and PNC Bank. He earned a bachelor of business administration in accounting from Texas A&M University.

Wattinger's strength is in managing multimillion dollar, syndicated credit facilities under stressful and tense situations, as well as restructuring small mom-and-pop businesses without incurring any losses.

"This job offer allowed me to relocate back to Austin after 26 years in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to help grow MidSouth Bank's ideas and community philosophy that fit perfectly in the Central Texas market," Wattinger said. "I will continue to work with equity partners/investors to support portfolio companies and provide insight and financial options to existing businesses and startups."

Commercial lending efforts in the Ft. Worth market are accelerating under new Vice President and Commercial Lender Lee F. Hertel, who has more than 30 years of banking experience. For the past four years, Hertel was Senior Vice President and Branch President for Pinnacle Bank in Ft. Worth. Before that, he spent 23 years at Liberty Bank in North Richland Hills, Texas, starting as Vice President of Consumer Lending and working his way up to Branch President and a member of the bank's board of directors before the bank was sold. 

"Each and every time I am able to help a small business with something as basic as an inventory loan all the way up to a client who refinanced a multi-million-dollar debt at a greatly reduced interest rate it was a win — win for both the customer as well as the bank," Hertel said. "Community bankers like MidSouth believe no loan should ever be disregarded due to its size, because we have an obligation to help our community, and that means helping the businesses that are critical to its growth."

Both Reaux and Cloutier pointed out that Texas' overall economy, particularly its job growth, sales tax collections and construction permits, is the envy of the country.

"MidSouth Bank and these new employees will do our part to ensure that local businesses have the tools they need to operate and expand so that Texas continues down this path to prosperity," Reaux said.

About MidSouth Bancorp, Inc.
MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, with assets of $1.9 billion as of September 30, 2013. MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. trades on the NYSE under the symbol "MSL." The Company's Series C Preferred Stock is now quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board ("OTCBB") under the ticker symbol MSLXP. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, MidSouth Bank, N.A., MidSouth offers a full range of banking services to commercial and retail customers in Louisiana and Texas. MidSouth Bank currently has 61 locations in Louisiana and Texas, including a Loan Production Office in Austin, Texas, and is connected to a worldwide ATM network that provides customers with access to more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Additional corporate information is available at www.midsouthbank.com.  

SOURCE MidSouth Bank