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BancorpSouth, Inc., announced today from its Tupelo headquarters that BancorpSouth Insurance Services' Stewart Sneed Hewes division has expanded into the Alabama market with the opening of a Mobile, Ala., commercial lines production and marketing office.

"The opening of the Mobile Stewart Sneed Hewes office coincides with the growth of our Company's Alabama footprint," said BancorpSouth Chairman and CEO Aubrey B. Patterson. Our bank expanded into the Huntsville and Gulf Shores, Ala., markets earlier this year, increasing our already established Alabama banking presence which includes markets in North Alabama, Birmingham, Auburn/Opelika, and the Fort Deposit areas." BancorpSouth's Alabama Region President Byrd Williams added, "Stewart Sneed Hewes' new Mobile insurance office will serve to enhance the overall financial services offered by BancorpSouth in Alabama."

In conjunction with the new office announcement, Stewart Sneed Hewes President John B. Sneed said that Andy Underwood would serve as vice president of marketing and manager for the Mobile office. His responsibilities will include commercial lines marketing for Stewart Sneed Hewes offices in Alabama and Mississippi as well as recruitment of a production team for the Mobile office. Underwood had previously worked with Stewart Sneed Hewes in its Gulfport marketing office from 1998 to 2002.

Stewart Sneed Hewes, which merged with BancorpSouth in 1999, is a regional insurance brokerage operation with the capacity to provide insurance and risk management programs for commercial clients that are regional, national and international in their scope of operations.

Since its founding in 1905, Stewart Sneed Hewes/BancorpSouth Insurance has grown to rank today among the 50 largest insurance agency/brokerage operations in the United States and a regional insurance force in the Southeastern United States. Currently Stewart Sneed Hewes has offices in Gulfport, Biloxi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Pascagoula and Tupelo.

Headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, BancorpSouth is an $11.8 billion asset financial holding company that operates 282 commercial banking, mortgage, insurance, trust and broker/dealer locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. BancorpSouth and its subsidiaries provide, in addition to traditional banking services, mortgage origination and servicing, student loans, leasing, credit card, trust and fiduciary services, brokerage, investment and insurance services. BancorpSouth's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BXS."

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SOURCE: BancorpSouth, Inc.