Mississippi

BancorpSouth posted lower earnings from the first quarter after adjusting for lower valuations in its mortgage servicing rights, the company said Monday.

The insurance unit of BancorpSouth (BXS) has agreed to buy the assets of Securance Group, an insurance agency in Brewton, Ala.

BancorpSouth (BXS) has reached a settlement in principle for a class-action lawsuit alleging that the Tupelo, Miss., company violated federal securities law.

Continuing its aggressive expansion throughout the Southeast, Renasant Bank in Tupelo, Miss., is opening its first office in east Tennessee.

BancorpSouth (BXS) of Tupelo, Miss., is coming off its strongest quarter in two years as improved asset quality and modest growth in fee income more than offset declining loan revenue.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated a written agreement with the former Cadence Financial about a year after the Starkville, Miss., company was acquired.

Peoples Financial Corp. in Biloxi, Miss., revised its fourth-quarter and 2011 results to record an additional $660,000 for its loan-loss provision.

Britton & Koontz Bank in Natchez, Miss., has been ordered by its regulator to immediately take steps to reduce the level of risk in its loan portfolio.

NBC Bancshares LLC in Lincoln, Neb., has completed its purchase of a controlling interest in a unit of Capitol Bancorp Ltd.

Hancock Holding Co.'s fourth-quarter results included hefty costs associated with buying Whitney Holding Corp.

Trustmark Corp. in Jackson, Miss., said late Tuesday that fourth-quarter net income fell 10% from a quarter earlier, to $24.3 million.

BancorpSouth Inc. in Tupelo, Miss., on Tuesday reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter and hopes to parlay the good news into a successful capital-raising effort.

Callahan & Associates has hired J. F. Sean Hession, a former executive at First National Bank of Omaha, as the consulting group's president and CEO.

Trustmark said late Wednesday that it will pay $22 million for the $247 million-asset Bay Bank, representing about 85% of the seller's tangible book value at Sept. 30.

Trustmark National Bank in Jackson, Miss., has set up a mortgage lending shop in Birmingham, Ala., to serve its growing retail and wholesale customer base in the state.

BancorpSouth Inc.'s shares plunged Tuesday after the Tupelo, Miss., company reported an increase in problem loans and Moody's Corp. downgraded its credit rating.

First Bancshares Inc. in Hattiesburg, Miss., said Monday that it had expanded along the Gulf Coast after buying eight branches that had belonged to Whitney National Bank.

First M&F Corp. in Kosciusko, Miss., is looking to shed six branches, or roughly 14% of its offices.

Trustmark Corp. in Jackson, Miss., said Tuesday that its second-quarter earnings jumped 21% from the same period last year, to $31.6 million.

Shares of BancorpSouth Inc. were up sharply early Tuesday after the Tupelo, Miss., company rebounded from a surprisingly weak first quarter to report a second-quarter profit that handily beat analysts' estimates.