Mississippi

BILOXI, Miss. — The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) FCU here is set to merge with Keesler FCU at the end of March.

First Bancshares (FBMS) in Hattiesburg, Miss., has agreed to buy BCB Holding in Mobile, Ala.

BancorpSouth (BXS) in Tupelo, Miss., reported a big jump in profit as credit quality continued to improve.

Renasant (RNST) in Tupelo, Miss., posted a big increase in quarterly profit following its recent purchase of First M&F.

CEO Dan Rollins has faced external pressure to trim expenses. Eliminating overlap with Ouachita Bancshares, his first acquisition since joining BancorpSouth, could help him do that.

BancorpSouth (BXS) in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to buy Ouachita Bancshares in Monroe, La.

The $19.3 billion-asset company plans to merge its Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank subsidiaries in the first quarter of 2014, pending regulatory approval, it said Thursday.

Home Bancorp (HBCP) in Lafayette, La., has agreed to pay $34.5 million in cash for Britton & Koontz Capital (BKBK) in Natchez, Miss.

Hancock Holding (HBHC) in Gulfport, Miss., reported lower quarterly earnings after taking a charge tied to branch closures and other expense reductions.

The $775 million-asset company said Thursday that it raised the funds through a rights offering to existing shareholders.

Bank mergers, failures and charter consolidations are cutting into the exam fees that provide the financial lifeblood for regulators in Idaho, Montana and other states. Their attempts to balance the budget can cause small banks to pay higher fees.

The Treasury Department will receive $91 million from its latest auction. The agency announced plans last week to auction nearly $118 million of securities from several small banks.

The American Bankers Association has formed a group to lobby on behalf of rural lenders.

The Mississippi companies have received all the necessary approvals and expect to finalize the deal Sept. 1, they announced Friday.

First M&F (FMFC) in Kosciusko, Miss., revised its second-quarter results, turning previously reported earnings into a loss.

Investors have been pressuring Hancock Holding (HBHC) in Gulfport, Miss., to speed up cost cuts after its $1.5 billion purchase of Whitney Holding in 2011. Second-quarter results strengthened their case.

Renasant and First M&F have lifted the curtain on certain aspects of their planned merger as part of a tentative settlement of a shareholder lawsuit.

Trustmark's company's earnings rose 2% from the second quarter and 9.5% from a year earlier, to $29.9 million. The Jackson, Miss., company said in a press release late Tuesday that higher revenue from insurance commissions and mortgages helped boost its bottom line.

Borrowing by homeowners and improving credit quality boosted third-quarter profits at BancorpSouth (BXS) of Tupelo, Miss. The $13.2 billion-asset company said late Thursday that its earnings doubled, to $23.8 million, compared with a year earlier.

Second-quarter income more than tripled from a year ago at Hancock Holding (HBHC) in Gulfport, Miss., after its net interest income surged and it recorded less in merger-related expenses.