Aubrey Patterson

TUPELO — Aubrey Patterson will retire from his post as chairman and CEO of BancorpSouth Inc. in 2013, the regional bank says.

In a Thursday release, Patterson said he expected to retire around the time of the company’s annual meeting in April 2013.

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The company says its board had formed a search committee to seek a replacement and had hired a search firm. Patterson says he will stay on until the transition was complete.

Patterson has been the chairman of the bank holding company since 1991, and has served in other top leadership roles since 1983.

During Patterson’s time at the top, the Tupelo bank has grown from $1.5 billion in assets to $13.3 billion in assets, expanding from Mississippi to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.