BancorpSouth Bank Opens Lake Charles, Louisiana Banking Office

TUPELO, Miss., Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- BancorpSouth Bank, subsidiary of BancorpSouth, Inc. (NYSE: BXS), has opened a loan production office in Lake Charles, Louisiana, expanding the Bank's footprint in Southwest Louisiana.  BancorpSouth's Lake Charles office is located at 4660 Lake Street and provides commercial, real estate construction, and residential mortgage lending, together with a range of related banking services. 

Russell Pawlowski, President of BancorpSouth's Lake Charles market, is a veteran commercial banker having served as a commercial loan officer in the Lake Charles office of a national financial services company, and most recently as a commercial banker for a local Lake Charles bank. 

Don Morris, First Vice President, is a Lake Charles native and a McNeese State University alumnus. He began his banking career in Houston, Texas, and most recently served with a national financial services company in Lake Charles. 

Tammy Murchison, senior loan administration assistant, is also a Lake Charles native and a graduate of Sowela Technical Community College, having previously served with two other Southwest Louisiana banks.

BancorpSouth Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dan Rollins, commenting on the efforts of the Lake Charles staff, said, "Russell Pawlowski, Don Morris, and Tammy Murchison are already off to a great start closing more than $15 million in new loans, with additional transactions approved pending closing."  Chris Bagley, BancorpSouth President and Chief Operating Officer, added, "BancorpSouth's Lake Charles teammates are relationship bankers who are passionate about serving their clients and assisting with all of their financial needs.  We are pleased to have this outstanding team leading our efforts in this area of Louisiana; a market with much opportunity and potential in support of our Company's growth goals."

BancorpSouth currently operates 22 full-service Louisiana banking locations with approximately $920 million in net loans and $911 million in total deposits.  The Bank currently serves 14 Louisiana markets, including Shreveport/Bossier City, Monroe/West Monroe/ Ruston/Rayville, Lafayette/New Iberia/Broussard, Baton Rouge/Prairieville/Denham Springs, and Alexandria/Pineville. 

BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc., one of the largest agencies in the country, offers a wide range of insurance solutions to its Louisiana clients from offices in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, and Shreveport.

Contiguous to existing BancorpSouth markets, Lake Charles is located on the I-10 corridor east of Houston and west of BancorpSouth's Lafayette/Baton Rouge markets and south of the Bank's Alexandria market.

Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana feature an impressive and diverse list of major corporations and small to medium size businesses.  The area's economy is based in oil & gas, timber & agriculture, aviation, petro/chemical, manufacturing, health care, maritime, ship building, sea food harvesting, tourism, and gaming. 

The area features world-class port facilities, including the 11^th largest port in the nation and one of the longest runways on the Gulf Coast with free-trade and enterprise zones. The area's economy continues to experience upward trends with billions of dollars in recent industrial announcements representing major increases in employment estimates for the region, according to a recent SWLA Economic Development Alliance economics and projects report.

Home of McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College, the Southwest Louisiana area features top rated public schools providing a well educated and productive workforce.  Recognized for its quality of life, the region has a total population of over 295,000 with a diverse culture, an abundance of services, natural resources, and recreational opportunities. 

BancorpSouth, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with approximately $13.0 billion in assets.  BancorpSouth Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BancorpSouth, Inc., operates approximately 300 commercial banking, mortgage, and insurance locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois.

SOURCE BancorpSouth, Inc.