Business Blog

Metropolitan BancGroup Inc., holding company for Metropolitan Bank, ended the year with its 13th consecutive quarter and fourth consecutive year of increased earnings, the bank, co-headquartered in Ridgeland and Memphis, said in a press statement. The privately held Metropolitan Bank reported pre-tax, full-year earnings of approximately $5.02 million for the year ending Dec. 31, 2012. [...]

Tupelo’s BancorpSouth closed the final quarter of 2012 with net income of $17 million and earnings of 18 cents s share, a two-penny increase over the same quarter a year ago. BancorpSouth attributed its 4th quarter showing to stronger mortgage lending and improved asset management, particularly in the disposal of Real Estate Owned properties. However, [...]

Regions Financial (RF) reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates as its net interest margin, a gauge of lending profitability, widened, Bloomberg reports. Net income was $265 million, or 18 cents a share, compared with a loss of $548 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier, when the lender posted a non-cash charge tied to [...]

Proclaiming that a full scale attack on the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi is soon to be underway at the Capitol, Democratic legislators gathered Tuesday to pledge a fight to the finish on the issue. “We’re going to be a blockade,” declared House Minority Leader Bobby Moak at the close of a late morning [...]

    The Women’s Fund of Mississippi is marking its first decade by investing $346,000 in 10 nonprofits across Mississippi for programs that support programs that support women and girls.   In announcing the 2013 grants, the Jackson-based Women’s Fund said the awards will help provide young women across the state with access to teen-oriented [...]

  Community Trust Bank is widening its footprint in metro-Jackson yet again with the grand opening Jan, 22 of its Madison Banking Center at 1910 Main St. No sooner will the Madison center be inaugurated than bank officials will begin prepping for the opening of a Flowood office in February followed by an official grand [...]

Just how popular is Rep. Steven Palazzo? Click here to vote …  

Congressman says he’ll be ‘point person’ on disaster-relief reform >> Poll question … U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo toured areas of the Jersey shore and Staten Island for the first time to view Sandy hurricane damage Tuesday, after the backlash over his vote against funding for the National Flood Insurance Program last week.  >> Read more [...]

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker received assignments today to five Senate committees for the 113th Congress. Mississippi’s junior senator remains on the Armed Services Committee and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. In addition, he will serve on the Budget Committee; the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee; and the Joint Economic Committee (JEC). “These committees [...]

On Wednesday, BancorpSouth CEO Dan Rollins gave a three-minute interview to MBJ-TV just three weeks into his new role as leader of one of the state’s largest financial institutions. Rollins’ successful tenure at Prosperity Bank in Houston, Texas led to that bank becoming Houston’s largest holding company and nearly doubling its assets in five years. [...]