The First acquires eight Whitney branches

HATTIESBURG — The First Bancshares Inc.’s subsidiary, The First, A National Banking Association, has acquired eight Whitney branches, seven on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and one in Bogalusa, La.

Terms were not disclosed.

The First now has 11 locations on the Coast from Pascagoula to Bay St. Louis and has expanded into neighboring Louisiana.

President and CEO Hoppy Cole, a Coast native, said, “The acquisition…will more than double our presence on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and open new markets to us in Louisiana.”

The First will now have a total of 18 locations from the Pine Belt to the Gulf Coast in Hattiesburg, Laurel, Purvis, Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis, Picayune, Gulfport, Biloxi, Diamondhead, Long Beach, Wiggins and Bogalusa, La.

One Response to “The First acquires eight Whitney branches”

1. Kathy Talkington Says:
   September 22nd, 2011 at 2:03 pm

   Didn’t Hancock and Whitney Merge?