Mississippi

BancorpSouth has extended the deadline to complete two acquisitions until the end of 2017 as it seeks to resolve a recent CRA downgrade.

First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Miss., has agreed to buy two banks in Alabama and Florida and it announced plans for a capital-raise to fund the deals.

Capital One Financial plans to start issuing credit cards for the outdoor equipment chain Cabela's under a deal connected with the retailer's expected sale to Bass Pro Shops.

Bankers may have a reputation for being old-school, but their rapidly growing digital-ad budgets are in step with the rest of the business world. Banks can both gather valuable demographic data from who clicks on their ads and better measure returns on their investments.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., has hired Kyle Gilliam as president of its equipment finance and leasing division.

Roughly once a quarter senior executives at Community Bank in Brandon, Miss., take a select group of up-and-coming managers on a three-day retreat. The trips are part of a management training course known as the Falcon Program that took flight in 2012.

Popular among employees: Favorite perks include a stock ownership program, clothing allowance, and tuition reimbursement for undergraduate classes.

Popular with employees: On most Fridays, each office organizes free breakfast, such as donuts, bagels with cream cheese or homemade casseroles.

Popular with employees: Employees have the option to take their families to a minor league baseball game and sit in the BankPlus suite.

The latest lending figures show just how prodigious banks' shift from construction to C&I loans has been since the crisis. Yet a hard look at C&I credits, especially their loss rates, raises questions about whether they are safer.