HWC 10-Q Quarterly Report March 31, 2018 | Alphaminr

HWC 10-Q Quarter ended March 31, 2018

HANCOCK WHITNEY CORP
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10-Q 1 hbhc-20180331x10q.htm 10-Q Form 10Q_Taxonomy2016





UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

___________________________________________________________





FORM 10-Q

___________________________________________________________



(Mark one)



QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

OR





TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-36827



HANCOCK HOLDING COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)





Mississippi

64-0693170

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)



One Hancock Plaza, 2510 14 th Street,
Gulfport, Mississippi

39501

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)



(228) 868-4000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

NOT APPLICABLE

(Former name, address and fiscal year, if changed since last report)



Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company , or an emerging growth company . See the definition s of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer ,” “smaller reporting company , and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):





Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer



Non-accelerated filer

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company



Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes No

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

8 5, 287,037 common shares were outstanding as of April 30, 2018.



1








Ha ncock Holding Company

Index



Part I. Financial Information

Page Number

ITEM 1.

Financial Statements



Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) – March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017

5



Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited) – Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 and 2017

6



Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited) – Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 and 2017

7



Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity - (unaudited) – Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 and 2017

8



Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) - Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 and 201 7

9



Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited) – March 31, 2018 and 2017

10

ITEM 2.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

33

ITEM 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

54

ITEM 4.

Controls and Procedures

54

Part II.  Other Information

ITEM 1.

Legal Proceedings

55

ITEM 1A.

Risk Factors

55

ITEM 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

56

ITEM 3.

Default on Senior Securities

N/A

ITEM 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

N/A

ITEM 5.

Other Information

N/A

ITEM 6.

Exhibits

56

 Signatures



2




Hancock Holding Company

Glossary of Defined Terms



AFS – available for sale securities

AOCI – accumulated other comprehensive income or loss

ALLL – allowance for loan and lease losses

ASC – Accounting Standards Codification

ASU – Accounting Standards Update

ATM - automatic teller machine

Bank – Whitney Bank

Basel II - Basel Committee's 2004 Regulatory Capital Framework (Second Accord)

Basel III - Basel Committee's 2010 Regulatory Capital Framework (Third Accord)

Basel Committee - Basel Committee on Banking Supervision

Beige Book - Federal Reserve’s Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions

BOLI – Bank-owned life insurance

bp(s) – basis point(s)

C&I – commercial and industrial loans

Capital One – Capital One, National Association

CD – certificate of deposit

CDE – Community Development Entity

CMO – Collateralized Mortgage Obligation

Company – Hancock Holding Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries

CRE – commercial real estate

Dodd-Frank Act – The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

FASB – Financial Accounting Standards Board

FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Federal Reserve Bank – The 12 banks that are the operating arms of the U.S. central bank. They implement the

policies of the Federal Reserve Board and also conduct economic research.

Federal Reserve Board – The 7-member Board of Governors that oversees the Federal Reserve System, establishes

monetary policy (interest rates, credit, etc.), and monitors the economic health of the country. Its members are appointed

by the President subject to Senate confirmation, and serve 14-year terms.

Federal Reserve System – The 12 Federal Reserve Banks, with each one serving member banks in its own district.

This system, supervised by the Federal Reserve Board, has broad regulatory powers over the money supply and the

credit structure.

FHLB – Federal Home Loan Bank

FNBC – The former New Orleans, Louisiana based First NBC Bank that failed on April 28, 2017

FNBC I – acquired selected assets and liabilities from FNBC under agreement dated March 10, 2017

FNBC II – acquired selected assets and liabilities from the FDIC as receiver for FNBC under agreement dated April 28, 2017

GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America

Hancock – Hancock Holding Company

Hancock Bank – Whitney Bank does business as Hancock Bank in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida

HFC – Harrison Finance Company, a former consumer finance subsidiary

HTM – held to maturity securities

LIBOR – London Interbank Offered Rate

LIHTC – Low Income Housing Tax Credit

MD&A – management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

NAICS – North American Industry Classification System

n/m – not meaningful

OCI – other comprehensive income

OFI – Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions

ORE – other real estate defined as foreclosed and surplus real estate

3


Parent Company – Hancock Holding Company

PCI – purchased credit impaired loans

Repos – securities sold under agreements to repurchase

SEC – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Securities Act – Securities Act of 1933, as amended

Tax Act – Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

te – taxable equivalent adjustment , or the term used to indicate that a financial measure is presented on a fully taxable equivalent basis

TDR – troubled debt restructuring (as defined in ASC 310-40)

TSR – total shareholder return

U.S. Treasury – The United States Department of the Treasury

Whitney Bank – wholly-owned subsidiary of Hancock Holding Company, through which Hancock conducts its banking operations

4






Part I. Financial Information

Item 1 . Financial Statements

Hancock Holding Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)









March 31,

December 31,

(in thousands, except per share data)

2018

2017

ASSETS

Cash and due from banks

$

253,860

$

386,948

Interest-bearing bank deposits

61,288

92,157

Federal funds sold

253

227

Securities available for sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $3,008,951 and $2,949,057 )

2,915,648

2,910,869

Securities held to maturity (fair value of $2,952,295 and $2,962,010 )

3,014,428

2,977,511

Loans held for sale

21,827

39,865

Loans

19,092,504

19,004,163

Less: allowance for loan losses

(210,713)

(217,308)

Loans, net

18,881,791

18,786,855

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $218,540 and $214,998

334,254

333,663

Prepaid expenses

29,669

28,015

Other real estate, net

13,963

14,862

Accrued interest receivable

80,812

82,191

Goodwill

745,523

745,523

Other intangible assets, net

85,021

90,640

Life insurance contracts

544,427

541,081

Deferred tax asset, net

52,735

53,979

Other assets

261,838

251,700

Total assets

$

27,297,337

$

27,336,086

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Liabilities:

Deposits

Noninterest-bearing

$

8,230,060

$

8,307,497

Interest-bearing

14,255,662

13,945,705

Total deposits

22,485,722

22,253,202

Short-term borrowings

1,452,097

1,703,890

Long-term debt

300,443

305,513

Accrued interest payable

11,801

8,680

Other liabilities

151,236

179,852

Total liabilities

24,401,299

24,451,137

Stockholders' equity:

Common stock

292,716

292,716

Capital surplus

1,723,689

1,718,117

Retained earnings

1,060,182

1,008,518

Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

(180,549)

(134,402)

Total stockholders' equity

2,896,038

2,884,949

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

27,297,337

$

27,336,086

Common shares authorized (par value of $3.33 per share)

350,000

350,000

Common shares issued

87,903

87,903

Common shares outstanding

85,285

85,200





See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

5


Hancock Holding Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited)









Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands, except per share data)

2018

2017

Interest income:

Loans, including fees

$

205,847

$

172,781

Loans held for sale

221

217

Securities-taxable

29,301

23,367

Securities-tax exempt

5,537

5,407

Short-term investments

489

743

Total interest income

241,395

202,515

Interest expense:

Deposits

26,959

12,819

Short-term borrowings

5,351

2,941

Long-term debt

3,421

5,064

Total interest expense

35,731

20,824

Net interest income

205,664

181,691

Provision for loan losses

12,253

15,991

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

193,411

165,700

Noninterest income:

Service charges on deposit accounts

21,448

19,206

Trust fees

11,335

11,211

Bank card and ATM fees

14,458

12,468

Investment and annuity fees and insurance commissions

6,125

5,264

Secondary mortgage market operations

3,401

3,567

Other income

9,485

11,775

Total noninterest income

66,252

63,491

Noninterest expense:

Compensation expense

80,100

73,099

Employee benefits

19,874

19,080

Personnel expense

99,974

92,179

Net occupancy expense

11,010

10,757

Equipment expense

3,546

3,714

Data processing expense

16,449

15,397

Professional services expense

9,255

11,276

Amortization of intangibles

5,618

4,705

Telecommunications and postage

3,850

3,467

Deposit insurance and regulatory fees

7,948

6,490

Other real estate (income) expense, net

210

(13)

Other expense

12,931

15,570

Total noninterest expense

170,791

163,542

Income before income taxes

88,872

65,649

Income taxes

16,397

16,635

Net income

$

72,475

$

49,014

Earnings per common share-basic

$

0.83

$

0.57

Earnings per common share-diluted

$

0.83

$

0.57

Dividends paid per share

$

0.24

$

0.24

Weighted average shares outstanding-basic

85,241

84,365

Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted

85,423

84,624





See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

6


Hancock Holding Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited)











Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Net income

$

72,475

$

49,014

Other comprehensive income before income taxes:

Net change in unrealized gain/loss on securities available for sale and hedges

(62,244)

1,184

Reclassification of net losses realized and included in earnings

1,796

1,387

Amortization of unrealized net loss on securities transferred to held to maturity

755

650

Other comprehensive income/loss before income taxes

(59,693)

3,221

Income tax expense (benefit)

(13,546)

1,201

Other comprehensive income/loss net of income taxes

(46,147)

2,020

Comprehensive income

$

26,328

$

51,034



See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

7


Hancock Holding Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

(Unaudited)











Accumulated



Other



Comprehensive



Common Stock

Capital

Retained

Income (Loss),

(in thousands, except per share data)

Shares Issued

Amount

Surplus

Earnings

net

Total

Balance, December 31, 2016

87,495

$

291,358

$

1,698,253

$

850,689

$

(120,532)

$

2,719,768

Net income

49,014

49,014

Other comprehensive income

2,020

2,020

Comprehensive income

49,014

2,020

51,034

Cash dividends declared ( $0.24 per common share)

(20,793)

(20,793)

Common stock activity, long-term  incentive plan

12,815

43

12,858

Issuance of stock from dividend reinvestment

755

755

Balance, March 31, 2017

87,495

$

291,358

$

1,711,823

$

878,953

$

(118,512)

$

2,763,622



Balance, December 31, 2017

87,903

$

292,716

$

1,718,117

$

1,008,518

$

(134,402)

$

2,884,949

Net income

72,475

72,475

Other comprehensive income

(46,147)

(46,147)

Comprehensive income

72,475

(46,147)

26,328

Cash dividends declared ( $0.24 per common share)

(20,881)

(20,881)

Common stock activity, long-term incentive plan

4,735

70

4,805

Issuance of stock from dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plan s

837

837

Balance, March 31, 2018

87,903

$

292,716

$

1,723,689

$

1,060,182

$

(180,549)

$

2,896,038



See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

8


Hancock Holding Company and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)







Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Net income

$

72,475

$

49,014

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization

6,551

6,915

Provision for loan losses

12,253

15,991

( Gain ) loss on other real estate owned

210

(54)

Deferred tax expense

14,790

7,156

Increase in cash surrender value of life insurance contracts

(3,346)

(3,636)

Loss on disposal of other assets

73

229

Loss on sale of business

1,145

Net decrease in loans held for sale

18,172

13,966

Net amortization of securities premium/discount

8,453

7,323

Amortization of intangible assets

5,618

4,705

Amortization of FDIC indemnification asset

1,100

Stock-based compensation expense

4,883

4,209

Decrease in interest payable and other liabilities

(32,568)

(33,323)

Net payments to FDIC for loss share claims

(1,131)

Decrease in FDIC loss share receivable

902

Decrease in payable to FDIC for loan servicing

(11,107)

Decrease in other assets

6,821

21,362

Other, net

71

1,600

Net cash provided by operating activities

104,494

96,328

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Proceeds from maturities of securities available for sale

80,155

81,116

Purchases of securities available for sale

(142,052)

(60,484)

Proceeds from maturities of securities held to maturity

93,408

92,684

Purchases of securities held to maturity

(134,020)

(87,847)

Net decrease in short-term investments

30,843

9,428

Proceeds from sales of loans

12,211

33,279

Net increase in loans

(196,328)

(306,745)

Purchases of property and equipment

(7,904)

(7,329)

Proceeds from sales of property and equipment

42

17

Proceeds from sales of other real estate

1,641

3,099

Cash paid for acquisition, net of cash received

(322,708)

Proceeds from the sale of business, net of cash sold

77,081

Other, net

(8,915)

(39,588)

Net cash used in investing activities

(193,838)

(605,078)

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Net increase in deposits

232,638

99,583

Net increase (decrease) in short-term borrowings

(251,793)

385,777

Repayments of long-term debt

(5,268)

(4,475)

Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt

83

41

Dividends paid

(20,881)

(20,793)

Payroll tax remitted on net share settlement of equity awards

(142)

(163)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

782

8,650

Proceeds from dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plans

837

755

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

(43,744)

469,375

NET DECREASE IN CASH AND DUE FROM BANKS

(133,088)

(39,375)

CASH AND DUE FROM BANKS, BEGINNING

386,948

372,689

CASH AND DUE FROM BANKS, ENDING

$

253,860

$

333,314

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR NON-CASH

INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES



Assets acquired in settlement of loans

$

1,305

$

1,031



See notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements.

9


HANCOCK HOLDING COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS



1. Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Hancock Holding Company and all other entities in which it has a controlling interest (the “Company”). The financial statements include all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to fairly state the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the interim periods presented.  The Company has also evaluated all subsequent events for potential recognition and disclosure through the date of the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.  Some financial information and disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission rules and regulations. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .  Financial information reported in these financial statements is not necessarily indicative of the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows for any other interim or annual period.

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These changes in presentation did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or operating results.

Use of Estimates

The accounting principles the Company follows and the methods for applying these principles conform to GAAP and general practices followed by the banking industry.   These accounting principles require management to make estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates



There were no material changes or developments during the reporting period with respect to methodologies that the Company uses when applying what management believes are critical accounting policies and developing critical accounting estimates as disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.  Refer to Note 15 – Recent Accounting Pronouncements for a discussion of accounting standards adopted during the quarter ended March 31, 2018.



2.  Acquisitions and Divestiture



On March 10, 2017, the Company , through its banking subsidiary, Whitney Bank (“Whitney”), acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities, including nine branches, from First NBC Bank (“FNBC”), referred to as the FNBC I transaction.  Whitney paid approximately $323 million in cash consideration ( $326 million cash paid net of $3 million in branch cash acquired), including a $41.6 million transaction premium for the earnings stream acquired.



On April 28, 2017, the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (“OFI”) closed FNBC and appointed the FDIC as receiver. Whitney entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with the FDIC , referred to as the FNBC II transaction . Pursuant to the agreement, Whitney acquired selected assets and assumed selected liabilities of the former FNBC , including substantially all of the transaction and savings deposits. Whitney paid a premium of $35 million to the FDIC for the earnings stream acquired and received approximately $ 800 million in cash ( $64 2 million from the FDIC for the net liabilities assumed and $158 million in branch cash acquired).  The terms of the a greement require the FDIC to indemnify Whitney against certain liabilities of FNBC and its affiliates not assumed or otherwise purchased by Whitney. Neither the Company nor Whitney Bank acquired any assets, common stock, preferred stock or debt, or assume d any other obligations, of First NBC Bank Holding Company.



Pending Business Combination



In December 2017, the Company announced entry into an agreement to acquire the bank-managed high net worth individual and institutional investment management and trust business from Capital One, National Association (“Capital One”). The transaction is expected to close in early third quarter 2018, pending regulatory approval and the satisfaction of customary and other closing conditions.



Divestiture



On March 9, 2018, the Company sold its consumer finance subsidiary, Harrison Finance Company (“HFC”).  The Company recorded a loss on the sale of $1.1 million based on the preliminary cash settlement of $78.3 million , with a final cash settlement expected to occur in the second quarter of 2018.



10




3 .  Securities

The amortized cost , gross unrealized gains and losses, and estimated fair value of securities classified as available for sale and held to maturity follow.









Securities Available for Sale

(in thousands)

March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017



Gross

Gross

Gross

Gross



Amortized

Unrealized

Unrealized

Fair

Amortized

Unrealized

Unrealized

Fair



Cost

Gains

Losses

Value

Cost

Gains

Losses

Value

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

97,431

3,547

93,884

$

99,535

$

$

2,263

$

97,272

Municipal obligations

245,164

211

8,084

237,291

245,997

1,135

3,346

243,786

Residential mortgage-backed securities

1,787,382

3,552

47,391

1,743,543

1,729,989

5,611

20,387

1,715,213

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

715,360

35,088

680,272

704,518

480

17,863

687,135

Collateralized mortgage obligations

158,114

2,956

155,158

165,518

4

1,559

163,963

Corporate debt securities

5,500

5,500

3,500

3,500



$

3,008,951

$

3,763

$

97,066

$

2,915,648

$

2,949,057

$

7,230

$

45,418

$

2,910,869









Securities Held to Maturity

(in thousands)

March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017



Gross

Gross

Gross

Gross



Amortized

Unrealized

Unrealized

Fair

Amortized

Unrealized

Unrealized

Fair



Cost

Gains

Losses

Value

Cost

Gains

Losses

Value

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

50,000

576

49,424

$

50,000

$

$

289

$

49,711

Municipal obligations

707,581

1,315

13,453

695,443

723,094

8,323

4,245

727,172

Residential mortgage-backed securities

695,655

721

10,624

685,752

725,748

4,175

2,690

727,233

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

316,966

11,400

305,566

317,185

40

3,915

313,310

Collateralized mortgage obligations

1,244,226

391

28,507

1,216,110

1,161,484

572

17,472

1,144,584



$

3,014,428

$

2,427

$

64,560

$

2,952,295

$

2,977,511

$

13,110

$

28,611

$

2,962,010



The following table presents the amortized cost and estimated fair value of debt securities available for sale and held to maturity at March 31, 2018 by contractual maturity.  Actual maturities will differ from contractual maturities because of rights to call or repay obligations with or without penalties and scheduled and unscheduled principal payments on mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations.











Debt Securities Available for Sale

Amortized

Fair

(in thousands)

Cost

Value

Due in one year or less

$

7,388

$

7,408

Due after one year through five years

45,623

45,740

Due after five years through ten years

1,249,127

1,202,997

Due after ten years

1,706,813

1,659,503

Total available for sale debt securities

$

3,008,951

$

2,915,648



Debt Securities Held to Maturity

Amortized

Fair

(in thousands)

Cost

Value

Due in one year or less

$

4,190

$

4,205

Due after one year through five years

132,047

131,197

Due after five years through ten years

1,478,419

1,446,343

Due after ten years

1,399,772

1,370,550

Total held to maturity securities

$

3,014,428

$

2,952,295

The Company held no securities c lassified as trading at March 31, 2018 or December 31, 2017 .

11


The fair value and gross unrealized losses for securities classified as available for sale with unrealized losses for the periods indicated follow.







Available for Sale

March 31, 2018

Losses < 12 months

Losses 12 months or >

Total



Gross

Gross

Gross



Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

(in thousands)

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

43,521

1,214

50,362

2,333

$

93,883

$

3,547

Municipal obligations

54,330

948

169,119

7,136

223,449

8,084

Residential mortgage-backed securities

654,990

14,667

850,853

32,724

1,505,843

47,391

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

279,631

8,091

400,641

26,997

680,272

35,088

Collateralized mortgage obligations

122,186

2,324

32,972

632

155,158

2,956



$

1,154,658

$

27,244

$

1,503,947

$

69,822

$

2,658,605

$

97,066











Available for Sale

December 31, 2017

Losses < 12 months

Losses 12 months or >

Total



Gross

Gross

Gross



Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

(in thousands)

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

45,616

$

42

$

51,157

$

2,221

$

96,773

$

2,263

Municipal obligations

2,768

11

173,530

3,335

176,298

3,346

Residential mortgage-backed securities

461,835

4,195

898,099

16,192

1,359,934

20,387

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

203,618

995

411,046

16,868

614,664

17,863

Collateralized mortgage obligations

128,174

1,076

35,488

483

163,662

1,559



$

842,011

$

6,319

$

1,569,320

$

39,099

$

2,411,331

$

45,418

The fair value and gross unrealized losses for securities classified as held to maturity with unrealized losses for the periods indicated follow.









Held to maturity

March 31, 2018

Losses < 12 months

Losses 12 months or >

Total



Gross

Gross

Gross



Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

(in thousands)

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

49,424

576

$

49,424

$

576

Municipal obligations

341,011

4,530

221,438

8,923

562,449

13,453

Residential mortgage-backed securities

403,985

4,090

224,200

6,534

628,185

10,624

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

234,468

6,845

71,098

4,555

305,566

11,400

Collateralized mortgage obligations

672,660

12,567

441,866

15,940

1,114,526

28,507



$

1,652,124

$

28,032

$

1,008,026

$

36,528

$

2,660,150

$

64,560









Held to maturity

December 31, 2017

Losses < 12 months

Losses 12 months or >

Total



Gross

Gross

Gross



Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

Fair

Unrealized

(in thousands)

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

Value

Losses

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

$

$

49,711

$

289

$

49,711

$

289

Municipal obligations

14,603

19

230,960

4,226

245,563

4,245

Residential mortgage-backed securities

8,815

99

230,277

2,591

239,092

2,690

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

174,882

744

72,499

3,171

247,381

3,915

Collateralized mortgage obligations

570,289

5,653

472,536

11,819

1,042,825

17,472



$

768,589

$

6,515

$

1,055,983

$

22,096

$

1,824,572

28,611

The unrealized losses primarily relate to c hanges in market rates on fixed rate debt securities since the respective purchase dates.  In all cases, the indicated impairment on these debt securities would be recovered no later than the security’s maturity date or possibly earlier if the market price for the security increases with a reduction in the yield required by the market.  None of the unrealized losses relate to the marketability o f the securities or the issuers’ abilities to meet contractual obligations.  The Company believes it has adequate liquidity and, therefore, does not plan to and, more likely than not, will not be required to sell these securities before recovery of the indicated impairment.  Accordingly, the unrealized losses on these securities have been determined to be temporary.

There were no sales of securities during either of the three months ended March 31, 2018 or 2017.

Securities with carrying values totaling $ 3.4 billion and $3.3 billion at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, were pledged as collateral , primarily to secure public deposits or sec urities sold under agreements to repurchase.



12


4.  Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses

The Company generally makes loans in its market areas of south Mississippi, southern and central Alabama, south Louisiana, the Houston, Texas area and the northern, central and panhandle regions of Florida. Loans, net of unearned income, by portfolio are presented in the table below.









March 31,

December 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Commercial non-real estate

$

8,336,222

$

8,297,937

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

2,185,543

2,142,439

Total commercial & industrial

10,521,765

10,440,376

Commercial real estate - income producing

2,394,862

2,384,599

Construction and land development

1,413,878

1,373,421

Residential mortgages

2,732,821

2,690,472

Consumer

2,029,178

2,115,295

Total loans

$

19,092,504

$

19,004,163



The following briefly describes the composition of each loan category.



Commercial and industrial



Commercial and industrial loans are made available to businesses for working capital (including financing of inventory and receivables), business expansion, to facilitate the acquisition of a business, and the purchase of equipment and machinery, including equipment leasing. These loans are primarily made based on the identified cash flows of the borrower and, when secured, have the added strength of the underlying collateral.



Commercial non-real estate loans may be secured by the assets being financed or other tangible or intangible business assets such as accounts receivable, inventory, ownership , enterprise value or commodity interests, and may incorporate a personal or corporate guarantee; however, some short-term loans may be made on an unsecured basis, including a small portfolio of corporate credit cards, generally issued as a part of overall customer relationships.



Commercial real estate – owner occupied loans consist of commercial mortgages on properties where repayment is generally dependent on the cash flow from the ongoing operations and activities of the borrower.  Like commercial non-real estate, these loans are primarily made based on the identified cash flows of the borrower, but also have the added strength of the value of underlying real estate collateral.



Commercial real estate – income producing



Commercial real estate – income producing loans consist of loans secured by commercial mortgages on properties where the loan is made to real estate developers or investors and repayment is dependent on the sale, refinance, or income generated from the operation of the property.  Properties financed include retail, office, multifamily, senior housing, hotel/motel, skilled nursing facilities and other commercial properties.



Construction and land development



C onstruction and land development loans are made to facilitate t he acquisition, development, improvement and construction of both commercial and residential-purpose properties.  Such loans are made to builders and investors where repayment is expected to be made from the sale, refinance or operation of the property or to businesses to be used in their business operations.  This portfolio also includes a small amount of residential construction loans and loans secured by raw land not yet under development.



Residential m ortgages



Residential mortgages consist of closed-end loans secured by first liens on 1- 4 family residential properties. The portfolio includes both fixed and adjustable rate loans, although most longer term, fixed rate loans originated are sold in the secondary mortgage market .



Consumer



Consumer loans include second lien mortgage home loans, home equity lines of credit and nonresidential consumer purpose loans. Nonresidential consumer loans include both direct and indirect loans.   Direct nonresidential consumer loans are made to finance the purchase of personal property, including automobiles, recreational vehicles and boats, and for other personal purposes (secured and unsecured), and deposit account secured loans. Indirect nonresidential consumer loans include automobile financing provided to the consumer through an agreement with automobile dealerships.  Consumer loans also include a small portfolio of credit card receivables issued on the basis of applications received through referrals from the Bank’s branches, online and other marketing efforts.

13


Allowance for Loan Losses

The following tables show activity in the allowance for loan losses by portfolio class for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, as well as the corresponding recorded investment in loans at the end of each period. Charge-off, recovery and provision activity in the purchased credit impaired portfolio previously segregated has been collapsed into the remainder of the portfolio’s activity as it is no longer material, and the respective reclassifications have been made to the prior period to conform to the current presentation.











Commercial

Commercial



Commercial

real estate-

Total

real estate-

Construction



non-real

owner

commercial &

income

and land

Residential

(in thousands)

estate

occupied

industrial

producing

development

mortgages

Consumer

Total



Three Months Ended March 31, 2018

Allowance for loan  losses:

Beginning balance

$

127,918

$

12,962

$

140,880

$

13,709

$

7,372

$

24,844

$

30,503

$

217,308

Charge-offs

(9,335)

(851)

(10,186)

(10)

(192)

(8,048)

(18,436)

Recoveries

4,146

88

4,234

63

29

116

1,794

6,236

Net provision for loan losses

3,877

1,421

5,298

(787)

2,533

150

5,059

12,253

Reduction as a result of sale of subsidiary

(6,648)

(6,648)

Ending balance

$

126,606

$

13,620

$

140,226

$

12,985

$

9,924

$

24,918

$

22,660

$

210,713



Allowance at end of period :

Individually evaluated for impairment

$

20,356

$

2,475

$

22,831

$

1,261

$

1

$

276

$

232

$

24,601

Amounts related to purchased credit impaired loans

471

495

966

576

173

11,720

612

14,047

Collectively evaluated for impairment

105,779

10,650

116,429

11,148

9,750

12,922

21,816

172,065

Total allowance

$

126,606

$

13,620

$

140,226

$

12,985

$

9,924

$

24,918

$

22,660

$

210,713

Loans at end of period :

Individually evaluated for impairment

$

323,913

$

30,318

$

354,231

$

14,071

$

113

$

8,338

$

617

$

377,370

Purchased credit impaired loans

8,510

8,384

16,894

4,361

5,843

116,409

5,876

149,383

Collectively evaluated for impairment

8,003,799

2,146,841

10,150,640

2,376,430

1,407,922

2,608,074

2,022,685

18,565,751

Total loans

$

8,336,222

$

2,185,543

$

10,521,765

$

2,394,862

$

1,413,878

$

2,732,821

$

2,029,178

$

19,092,504















Commercial

Commercial



Commercial

real estate-

Total

real estate-

Construction



non-real

owner

commercial &

income

and land

Residential

(in thousands)

estate

occupied

industrial

producing

development

mortgages

Consumer

Total



Three Months Ended March 31, 2017

Allowance for loan  losses:

Beginning balance

$

147,052

$

11,083

$

158,135

$

13,509

$

6,271

$

25,361

$

26,142

$

229,418

Charge-offs

(24,791)

(29)

(24,820)

(7)

(91)

(348)

(8,678)

(33,944)

Recoveries

938

275

1,213

375

471

113

1,743

3,915

Net provision for loan losses

8,101

193

8,294

(266)

69

376

7,518

15,991

Decrease in FDIC loss share receivable

(31)

(31)

(1,696)

(103)

(1,830)

Ending balance

$

131,269

$

11,522

$

142,791

$

13,611

$

6,720

$

23,806

$

26,622

$

213,550



Allowance at end of period :

Individually evaluated for impairment

$

15,017

$

76

$

15,093

$

1,114

$

1

$

94

$

199

$

16,501

Amounts related to purchased credit impaired loans

411

787

1,198

213

283

13,286

1,019

15,999

Collectively evaluated for impairment

115,841

10,659

126,500

12,284

6,436

10,426

25,404

181,050

Total allowance

$

131,269

$

11,522

$

142,791

$

13,611

$

6,720

$

23,806

$

26,622

$

213,550

Loans at end of period :

Individually evaluated for impairment

$

231,988

$

3,894

$

235,882

$

13,599

$

1,592

$

3,236

$

2,149

$

256,458

Purchased credit impaired loans

6,693

12,468

19,161

7,669

4,326

138,260

9,951

179,367

Collectively evaluated for impairment

7,835,606

2,031,089

9,866,695

2,483,836

1,246,749

2,124,767

2,046,996

17,769,043

Total loans

$

8,074,287

$

2,047,451

$

10,121,738

$

2,505,104

$

1,252,667

$

2,266,263

$

2,059,096

$

18,204,868



Impaired Loans

The following table shows the composition of nonaccrual loans by portfolio class.  Purchased credit impaired loans accounted for in pools with an accretable yield are considered to be performing and are excluded from the table.









March 31,

December 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Commercial non-real estate

$

179,203

$

152,863

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

27,387

25,989

Total commercial & industrial

206,590

178,852

Commercial real estate - income producing

15,633

14,574

Construction and land development

3,724

3,807

Residential mortgages

35,069

40,480

Consumer

14,163

15,087

Total loans

$

275,179

$

252,800

14


Nonaccrual loans include nonaccruing loans modified in troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) of $ 118.0 million and $ 99.2 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.  Total TDRs, both accruing and nonaccruing, were $ 284.5 million at March 31, 2018 and $ 219.7 million at December 31, 2017.  All TDRs are individually evaluated for impairment.  At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the Company had unfunded commitments of $8.5 million and $7.3 million, respectively, to borrowers whose loan terms have been modified in a TDR.

The table below details by portfolio class TDRs that were modified during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017:











Three Months Ended

($ in thousands)

March 31, 2018

March 31, 2017



Pre-Modification

Post-Modification

Pre-Modification

Post-Modification



Outstanding

Outstanding

Outstanding

Outstanding



Number of

Recorded

Recorded

Number of

Recorded

Recorded

Troubled Debt Restructurings:

Contracts

Investment

Investment

Contracts

Investment

Investment

Commercial non-real estate

13

$

55,482

$

55,482

9

$

38,659

$

38,659

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

1

5,909

5,909

1

656

656

Total commercial & industrial

14

61,391

61,391

10

39,315

39,315

Commercial real estate - income producing

1

1,564

1,564

2

5,527

5,527

Construction and land development

1

43

43

Residential mortgages

1

250

250

Consumer

1

222

222

Total loans

17

$

63,220

$

63,220

13

$

45,092

$

45,092



The TDRs modified during the three months ended March 31, 2018 reflected in the table above include $ 48.4 million of loans with extended amortization terms or other payment concessions, $ 14.6 million with significant covenant waivers and $ 0.2 million with other modifications.  The TDRs modified during the three months ended March 31, 2017 include $ 27.4 million of loans with extended amortization terms or other payment concessions, $ 10.7 million with significant covenant waivers and $ 6.9 million with other modifications.



For the three month periods ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, there were no loans modified in a TDR within the previous twelve months that subsequently defaulted during the respective periods.

The tables below present loans that are individually evaluated for impairment disaggregated by portfolio class at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.  Loans individually evaluated for impairment include TDRs and loans that are determined to be impaired and have aggregate relationship balances of $1 million or more.









March 31, 2018



Recorded investment

Recorded investment

Unpaid

(in thousands)

without an allowance

with an allowance

principal balance

Related allowance

Commercial non-real estate

$

108,898

$

215,015

$

335,178

$

20,356

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

6,064

24,254

30,997

2,475

Total commercial & industrial

114,962

239,269

366,175

22,831

Commercial real estate - income producing

6,055

8,016

14,269

1,261

Construction and land development

100

13

114

1

Residential mortgages

5,861

2,477

11,682

276

Consumer

14

603

718

232

Total loans

$

126,992

$

250,378

$

392,958

$

24,601







December 31, 2017



Recorded investment

Recorded investment

Unpaid

(in thousands)

without an allowance

with an allowance

principal balance

Related allowance

Commercial non-real estate

$

116,682

$

151,199

$

285,685

$

16,129

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

16,927

4,564

24,829

793

Total commercial & industrial

133,609

155,763

310,514

16,922

Commercial real estate - income producing

5,101

10,429

15,687

1,326

Construction and land development

100

263

363

11

Residential mortgages

8,245

2,395

13,855

189

Consumer

1,292

1,294

118

Total loans

$

147,055

$

170,142

$

341,713

$

18,566

The tables below present the average balances and interest income for total impaired loans for the three months ended March 31, 2018

15


and 2017.  Interest income recognized represents interest on accruing loans modified in a TDR.











Three Months Ended



March 31, 2018

March 31, 2017



Average

Interest

Average

Interest



recorded

income

recorded

income

(in thousands)

investment

recognized

investment

recognized

Commercial non-real estate

$

295,897

$

1,586

$

251,625

$

337

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

25,905

66

5,081

4

Total commercial & industrial

321,802

1,652

256,706

341

Commercial real estate - income producing

14,801

25

14,487

43

Construction and land development

238

1,766

Residential mortgages

9,489

5

3,792

2

Consumer

955

9

2,152

2

Total loans

$

347,285

$

1,691

$

278,903

$

388

Aging Analysis

The tables below present the age analysis of past due loans by portfolio class at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Purchased credit impaired loans accounted for in pools with an accretable yield are considered to be current.









Recorded



Greater than

investment



30-59 days

60-89 days

90 days

Total

Total

> 90 days and

March 31, 2018

past due

past due

past due

past due

Current

Loans

still accruing

(in thousands)

Commercial non-real estate

$

45,309

$

18,497

$

130,360

$

194,166

$

8,142,056

$

8,336,222

$

20,330

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

7,464

115

22,138

29,717

2,155,826

2,185,543

1,360

Total commercial & industrial

52,773

18,612

152,498

223,883

10,297,882

10,521,765

21,690

Commercial real estate - income producing

928

1,954

8,419

11,301

2,383,561

2,394,862

2,771

Construction and land development

6,537

416

3,115

10,068

1,403,810

1,413,878

259

Residential mortgages

32,815

4,496

20,122

57,433

2,675,388

2,732,821

1,170

Consumer

16,083

5,124

7,542

28,749

2,000,429

2,029,178

573

Total

$

109,136

$

30,602

$

191,696

$

331,434

$

18,761,070

$

19,092,504

$

26,463











Recorded



Greater than

investment



30-59 days

60-89 days

90 days

Total

Total

> 90 days and

December 31, 2017

past due

past due

past due

past due

Current

Loans

still accruing

(in thousands)

Commercial non-real estate

$

62,766

$

10,761

$

92,982

$

166,509

$

8,131,428

$

8,297,937

$

21,989

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

8,493

648

15,517

24,658

2,117,781

2,142,439

2,032

Total commercial & industrial

71,259

11,409

108,499

191,167

10,249,209

10,440,376

24,021

Commercial real estate - income producing

5,315

2,165

6,081

13,561

2,371,038

2,384,599

489

Construction and land development

4,113

1,056

3,412

8,581

1,364,840

1,373,421

477

Residential mortgages

33,621

10,554

30,537

74,712

2,615,760

2,690,472

2,208

Consumer

22,959

7,816

8,553

39,328

2,075,967

2,115,295

571

Total

$

137,267

$

33,000

$

157,082

$

327,349

$

18,676,814

$

19,004,163

$

27,766



16


Credit Quality Indicators

The following tables present the credit quality indicators by segments and portfolio class of loans at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.











March 31, 2018

(in thousands)

Commercial non-real estate

Commercial real estate - owner-occupied

Total commercial & industrial

Commercial real estate - income producing

Construction and land development

Total commercial

Grade:

Pass

$

7,250,715

$

1,954,384

$

9,205,099

$

2,268,358

$

1,334,456

$

12,807,913

Pass-Watch

269,657

51,856

321,513

58,092

59,208

438,813

Special Mention

100,005

35,971

135,976

9,344

6,279

151,599

Substandard

715,827

143,332

859,159

59,068

13,935

932,162

Doubtful

18

18

18

Total

$

8,336,222

$

2,185,543

$

10,521,765

$

2,394,862

$

1,413,878

$

14,330,505





December 31, 2017

(in thousands)

Commercial non-real estate

Commercial real estate - owner-occupied

Total commercial & industrial

Commercial real estate - income producing

Construction and land development

Total commercial

Grade:

Pass

$

7,190,604

$

1,896,366

$

9,086,970

$

2,223,245

$

1,291,638

$

12,601,853

Pass-Watch

293,069

82,913

375,982

83,444

60,804

520,230

Special Mention

80,649

27,456

108,105

13,244

4,788

126,137

Substandard

733,558

135,704

869,262

64,658

16,191

950,111

Doubtful

57

57

8

65

Total

$

8,297,937

$

2,142,439

$

10,440,376

$

2,384,599

$

1,373,421

$

14,198,396













March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

(in thousands)

Residential mortgage

Consumer

Total

Residential mortgage

Consumer

Total

Performing

$

2,696,582

$

2,014,442

$

4,711,024

$

2,647,784

$

2,099,637

$

4,747,421

Nonperforming

36,239

14,736

50,975

42,688

15,658

58,346

Total

$

2,732,821

$

2,029,178

$

4,761,999

$

2,690,472

$

2,115,295

$

4,805,767

Below are the definitions of the Company’s internally assigned grades:

Commercial :

·

Pass – loans properly approved, documented, collateralized, and performing which do not reflect an abnormal credit risk.

·

Pass-Watch – credits in this category are of sufficient risk to cause concern.  This category is reserved for credits that display negative performance trends.  The “Watch” grade should be regarded as a transition category.

·

Special Mention – a criticized asset category defined as having potential weaknesses that deserve management’s close attention.  If left uncorrected, these potential weaknesses may, at some future date, result in the deterioration of the repayment prospects for the credit or the institution’s credit position.  Special mention credits are not considered part of the Classified credit categories and do not expose the institution to sufficient risk to warrant adverse classification.

·

Substandard – an asset that is inadequately protected by the current sound worth and paying capacity of the obligor or of the collateral pledged, if any.  Assets so classified must have a well-defined weakness or weaknesses that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt.  They are characterized by the distinct possibility that the institution will sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected.

·

Doubtful – an asset that has all the weaknesses inherent in one classified Substandard with the added characteristic that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions, and values, highly questionable and improbable.

·

Loss – credits classified as Loss are considered uncollectable and are charged off promptly once so classified.

Residential and Consumer:

·

Performing – loans on which payments of principal and interest are less than 90 days past due.

·

Nonperforming – a nonperforming loan is a loan that is in default or close to being in default and there are good reasons to doubt that payments will be made in full.  All loans rated as nonaccrual loans are also classified as nonperforming.



17


Purchased Credit Impaired Loans

Changes in the carrying amount of purchased credit impaired loans and related accretable yield are presented in the following table for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017.











March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017



Carrying

Carrying



Amount

Accretable

Amount

Accretable

(in thousands)

of Loans

Yield

of Loans

Yield

Balance at beginning of period

$

153,403

$

62,517

$

190,915

$

113,686

Addition of cost recovery loans - FNBC I

15,000

Payments received, net

(8,288)

(1,703)

(69,591)

(7,412)

Accretion

4,268

(4,268)

17,079

(17,079)

Increase in expected cash flows based on actual cash flows and changes in cash flow assumptions

(956)

(30,379)

Net transfers from nonaccretable difference to accretable yield

3,701

Balance at end of period

$

149,383

$

55,590

$

153,403

$

62,517



During the three months ended March 31, 2017, certain of the Company’s purchased credit impaired loans were covered by two loss share agreements with the FDIC. The Company had a receivable representing an indemnification asset arising from the agreements.  The receivable was accounted for separately from the covered loans as the agreements were not contractually part of the loans and were not transferrable should the Company have disposed of the loans.  The agreements were terminated by the Company during the third quarter of 2017.





Residential Mortgage Loans in Process of Foreclosure



Included in loans are $ 7.8 million and $ 7.5 million of consumer loans secured by single family residential real estate that are in process of foreclosure as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.   Loans in process of foreclosure include those for which formal foreclosure proceedings are in process according to local requirements of the applicable jurisdiction.  In addition to the single family residential real estate loans in process of foreclosure, the Company also held $ 3.7 million and $3. 4 million of foreclosed single family residential properties in other real estate owned as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.



5.  Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase

Included in short-term borrowings are customer securities sold under agreements to repurchase (“repurchase agreements”) that mature daily and are secured by U.S. agency securities totaling $ 443.2 million and $430.6 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively .  The Company borrows funds on a secured basis by selling securities under agreements to repurchase, mainly in connection with treasury management services offered to its deposit customers. As the Company maintains effective control over assets sold under agreements to repurchase, the securities continue to be carried on the consolidated statements of financial condition. Because the Company acts as borrower transferring assets to the counterparty, and the agreements mature daily, the Company’s risk is limited.

6.  Derivatives

On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the provisions of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging,” using the modified retrospective transition approach . As a result of adoption of the u pdate, the Company is making certain adjustments to its existing designation documentation for active hedging relationships to take advantage of sp ecific provisions of the update. Adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.  Following is a discussion of the provisions of the guidance relevant to the Company:

Ineffectiveness measurement and presentation

The provisions of the update eliminate the concept of ineffectiveness from an accounting perspective. The guidance provides that, as long as a hedging instrument is designated and the results of the effectiveness testing support that the instrument qualifies for hedge accounting treatment, there will be no periodic measurement or recognition of ineffectiveness.  Rather, the full impact of hedge gains and losses will be recognized in the period in which the hedged transactions impact the entity’s earnings.

Presentation of r eclassifications from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

Amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income that are included in the assessment of effectiveness should be reclassified into earnings in the same period in which the hedged forecasted transactions impact earnings.  As such, the Company will recognize all reclassifications out of Other Comprehensive Income in the same statement of income line item in which the earnings effect of the hedged item is presented.

18


Changes to hedged risk

The update also states that if the designated hedged risk changes during the life of the hedging relationship, an entity may continue to apply hedge accounting as long as the hedging instrument is highly effective at achieving offsetting cash flows attributable to the revised hedged risk. Regardless of the description of the hedged transactions contained in the initial designation documentation, the Company intends to utilize this provision in the updated guidance to the extent possible.

Risk component hedging in fair value hedges

The update allows an entity to make a one-time transition election regarding the fair value measurement methodology applied to fair value hedges in place at adoption .  The Company did not elect either of the one-time transition options; rather, it will continue to measure the hedged item s as documented in th e initial hedge documentation.

Risk Management Objective of Using Derivatives

The Company enters into derivative financial instruments to manage risks related to differences in the amount, timing, and duration of the Company’s known or expected cash receipts and its known or expected cash payments, currently related to select pools of variable rate loans and fixed rate brokered deposits.  The Bank also enters into interest rate derivative agreements as a service to certain qualifying customers.  The Bank manages a matched book with respect to these customer derivatives in order to minimize its net risk exposure resulting from such agreements.  The Bank also enters into risk participation agreements under which it may either sell or buy credit risk associated with a customer’s performance under certain interest rate derivative contracts related to loans in which participation interests have been sold to or purchased from other banks.

Fair Values of Derivative Instruments on the Balance Sheet

The table below presents the notional or contractual amounts and fair values of the Company’s derivative financial instruments as well as their classification on the consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.









March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017



Derivative (1)

Derivative (1)

(in thousands)

Type of Hedge

Notional or Contractual Amount

Assets

Liabilities

Notional or Contractual Amount

Assets

Liabilities

Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:

Interest rate swaps

Cash Flow

$

875,000

$

1,752

$

12,667

$

875,000

$

$

14,020

Interest rate swaps

Fair Value

483,110

3,948

483,110

2,475



$

1,358,110

$

1,752

$

16,615

$

1,358,110

$

$

16,495

Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:

Interest rate swaps (2)

N/A

$

1,184,109

$

20,680

$

20,710

$

1,144,789

$

15,408

$

15,857

Risk participation agreements

N/A

121,479

13

61

119,951

23

109

Forward commitments to sell residential mortgage loans

N/A

81,326

847

454

80,462

1,000

290

Interest rate-lock commitments on residential mortgage loans

N/A

61,904

376

789

53,724

186

782

Foreign exchange forward contracts

N/A

42,815

3,096

3,062

42,260

2,453

2,419



1,491,633

25,012

25,076

1,441,186

19,070

19,457

Total derivatives

$

2,849,743

$

26,764

$

41,691

$

2,799,296

$

19,070

$

35,952

Less:  netting adjustment (3)

(14,081)

(19,162)

(4,913)

(21,563)

Total derivative assets/liabilities

$

12,683

$

22,529

$

14,157

$

14,389

(1)

Derivative assets and liabilities are reported at fair value in other assets or other liabilities, respectively, in the consolidated balance sheets.

(2)

The notional amount represents both the customer accommodation agreements and offsetting agreements with unrelated financial institutions.



(3)

Represents balance sheet netting of derivative assets and liabilities for variation margin collateral held or placed with the same central clearing counterparty.  See offsetting assets and liabilities for further information.



19


Cash Flow Hedges of Interest Rate Risk

The Company is party to various interest rate swap agreements designated and qualify ing as cash flow hedges of the Company’s forec asted variable cash flows for pools of variable rate loans.   For each agreement, the Company receives interest at a fixed rate and pays at a variable rate. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company terminated five of its shorter-term swap agreements with notional amounts totaling $450 million and entered into five longer-term agreements with notional amounts totaling $450 million.  The Company paid termination fees of approximately $10.6 million to settle the interest rate swap liabilities, and the resulting accumulated other comprehensive loss will be amortized over the remaining maturities of the designated instruments. Amortization of other comprehensive loss on terminated cash flow hedges totaled $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The notional amounts of the swap agreements in place at March 31, 2018 expire as follows: $ 425 million in 20 22 ; $ 350 million in 202 3 ; and $ 100 million in 202 4 .



Fair Value Hedges of Interest Rate Risk



During 2017, the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements that modify the Company’s exposure to interest rate risk by effectively converting a portion of the Company’s brokered certificates of deposit from fixed rates to variable rates. The maturities and call features of these interest rate swaps match the features of the hedged deposits.  As interest rates fall, the decline in the value of the certificates of deposit is offset by the increase in the value of the interest rate swaps.  Conversely, as interest rates rise, the value of the underlying hedged deposits increases, but the value of the interest rate swaps decrease s , resu lting in no impact on earnings.  Interest expense is adjusted by the difference between the fixed and floating rates for the period the swaps are in effect.

Derivatives Not Designated as Hedges

Customer interest rate derivative program

The Bank enters into interest rate derivative agreements, primarily rate swaps, with commercial banking customers to facilitate their risk management strategies.  The Bank enters into offsetting agreements with unrelated financial institutions, thereby mitigating its net risk exposure resulting from such transactions.  Because the interest rate derivatives associated with this program do not meet hedge accounting requirements, changes in the fair value of both the customer derivatives and the offsetting derivatives are recognized directly in earnings.

Risk participation agreements

The Bank also enters into risk participation agreements under which it may either assume or sell credit risk associated with a borrower’s performance under certain interest rate derivative contracts.  In those instances where the Bank has assumed credit risk, it is not a direct counterparty to the derivative contract with the borrower and has entered into the risk participation agreement because it is a party to the related loan agreement with the borrower.  In those instances in which the Bank has sold credit risk, it is the sole counterparty to the derivative contract with the borrower and has entered into the risk participation agreement because other banks participate in the related loan ag reement.  The Bank manages its credit risk under risk participation agreements by monitoring the creditworthine ss of the borrower, based on the Bank’s normal credit review process.

Mortgage banking derivatives

The Bank also enters into certain deri vative agreements as part of its mortgage banking activities.  These agreements include interest rate lock commitments on prospective residential mortgage loans and forward commitments to sell these loans to investors on a best efforts delivery basis.

Customer foreign exchange forward contract derivatives

The Bank enters into foreign exchange forward derivative agreements, primarily forward foreign currency contracts, with commercial ban king customers to facilitate their risk management strategies.  The Bank manages its risk exposure from such transactions by entering into offsetting agreements with unrelated financial institutions.  Because the foreign exchange forward contract derivatives associated with this program do not meet hedge accounting requirements, changes in the fair value of both the customer derivatives and the offsetting derivatives are recognized directly in earnings.

Effect of Derivative Instruments on the Income Statement



Derivative instrument income consisting primarily of customer interest rate swap fees, net of fair value adjustments, is reflected in the income statement in other noninterest income, totaling $ 1.5 million and $ 0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 , respectively .  The impact to interest income from cash flow hedges, including amortization of comprehensive loss on terminated cash flow hedges, was $(0. 6 ) million and $0. 1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Interest expense as a result of mark to market adjustments of fair value hedges was $0.1 million and $(0.1) million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017.

20


Credit Risk-R elated Contingent Features

Certain of the Bank’s derivative instruments contain provisions allowing the financial institution counterparty to terminate the contracts in ce rtain circumstances, such as a downgrade of the Bank’s credit ratings below specified levels, a default by the Bank on its indebtedness, or the failure of the Bank to maintain specified minimum regulatory capital ratios or its regulatory status as a well-capitalized institution.  These derivative agreements also contain provisions regarding the posting of collateral by each party.

Offsetting Assets and Liabilities

The Bank’s derivative instruments with certain counterparties contain legally enforceable netting provisions that allow for net settlement of multiple transactions to a single amount, which may be positive, negative, or zero.  Agreements with certain bilateral counterparties require both parties to maintain collateral in the event that the fair values of derivative instruments exceed established exposure thresholds.  For centrally cleared derivatives, the Company is subject to initial margin posting and daily variation margin exchange with the central clearinghouses. Offsetting information in regards to all derivative assets and liabilities , including accrued interest, subject to these master netting agreements at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 is presented in the following tables.









(in thousands)

Gross
Amounts

Net Amounts

Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement
of Income

Description

Gross
Amounts
Recognized

Offset in
the Statement
of Income

Presented in
the Statement
of Income

Financial
Instruments

Cash
Collateral

Net
Amount

As of March 31, 2018

Derivative Assets

$

18,822

$

(14,314)

$

4,508

$

1,517

$

$

2,991



Derivative Liabilities

$

18,081

$

(16,497)

$

1,584

$

1,517

$

4,770

$

(4,703)









(in thousands)

Gross

Amounts

Net Amounts

Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Statement

of Income

Description

Gross

Amounts

Recognized

Offset in

the Statement

of Income

Presented in

the Statement

of Income

Financial
Instruments

Cash

Collateral

Net
Amount

As of December 31, 2017

Derivative Assets

$

7,155

$

(5,007)

$

2,148

$

2,148

$

$



Derivative Liabilities

$

24,015

$

(20,077)

$

3,938

$

2,148

$

4,099

$

(2,309)



The Company has excess collateral compared to total exposure due to initial margin requirements for day-to-day rate volatility.



7 . Stockholders’ Equity



Common Shares Outstanding



Common shares outstanding excludes treasury shares totaling 1.1 million and 1.2 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively, with a first-in-first-out cost basi s of $24.4 million and $25.5 m illion at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , respectively.  Shares outstanding also exclude s unvested restricted share awards totaling 1. 5 million at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

21


A ccumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

T he components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss and changes in those components are presented in the following table.









Available

HTM Securities



for Sale

Transferred

Employee

Cash

(in thousands)

Securities

from AFS

Benefit Plans

Flow Hedges

Total

Balance, December 31, 2016

$

(28,679)

$

(14,392)

$

(72,501)

$

(4,960)

$

(120,532)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:

Net change in unrealized gain

2,319

(1,135)

1,184

Reclassification of net (gain) loss realized and included in earnings

1,387

1,387

Amortization of unrealized net loss on securities transferred to HTM

650

650

Income tax expense (benefit)

843

266

504

(412)

1,201

Balance, March 31, 2017

$

(27,203)

$

(14,008)

$

(71,618)

$

(5,683)

$

(118,512)

Balance, December 31, 2017

$

(29,512)

$

(14,585)

$

(79,078)

$

(11,227)

$

(134,402)

Other comprehensive income (loss) before income taxes:

Net change in unrealized gain (loss)

(55,114)

(7,130)

(62,244)

Reclassification of net losses realized and included in earnings

1,177

619

1,796

Other valuation adjustments for employee benefit plan

Amortization of unrealized net loss on securities transferred to HTM

755

755

Income tax expense (benefit)

(12,508)

171

267

(1,476)

(13,546)

Balance, March 31, 2018

$

(72,118)

$

(14,001)

$

(78,168)

$

(16,262)

$

(180,549)

AOCI is reported as a component of stockholders’ equity.  AOCI can include, among other items, unrealized holding gains and losses on securities available for sale (“AFS”), gains and losses associa ted with pension or other post- retirement benefits that are not recognized immediately as a component of net periodic benefit cost, and gains and losses on derivative instruments that are designated as, and qualify as, cash flow hedges.  Net unrealized gains/losses on AFS securities reclassified as securities held to maturity (“HTM”) also continue to be reported as a component of AOCI and will be amortized over the estimated remaining life of the securities as an adjustment to interest income. Subject to certain thresholds, unrealized losses on employee benefit plans will be reclassified into income as pension and post-retirement costs are recognized over the remaining service period of plan participants. Accumulated gains/losses on the cash flow hedge of the variable rate loans described in Note 6 will be reclassified into inco me over the life of the hedge.  Accumulated other comprehensive loss resulting from the terminated interest rate swaps will be amortized over the remaining maturities of the designated instruments. Gains (losses) in AOCI are net of deferred income taxes.

The following table shows the line items of the consolidated statements of income affected by amounts reclassified from AOCI .











Three Months Ended

Amount reclassified from AOCI (a)

March 31,

Affected line item on

(in thousands)

2018

2017

the statement of income

Amortization of unrealized net loss on securities transferred to HTM

(755)

(650)

Interest income

Tax effect

171

266

Income taxes

Net of tax

(584)

(384)

Net income

Amortization of defined benefit pension and post-retirement items

(1,177)

(1,387)

Other noninterest expense (b)

Tax effect

267

504

Income taxes

Net of tax

(910)

(883)

Net income

Reclassification of unrealized gain on cash flow hedges

336

Interest income

Tax effect

(76)

Income taxes

Net of tax

260

Net income

Amortization of loss on terminated cash flow hedges

(954)

Interest income

Tax effect

216

Income taxes

Net of tax

(738)

Net income

Total reclassifications, net of tax

$

(1,972)

$

(1,267)

Net income

(a)

Amounts in parenthesis indicate reduction in net income.



(b)

These AOCI components are included in the computation of net periodic pension and post-retirement cost that is reported with employee benefits expense (see Note 1 2 – Retirement Plans for additional details).



22


8. Revenue Recognition



Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the amended provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” using the modified retrospective approach.  The standard applies to most of the Company’s noninterest income, with a significant portion of the Company’s revenue excluded from the scope of the standard, including interest and loan origination fees associated with financial instruments, gains and losses on investment securities, derivatives and sales of financial instruments.



The Company’s evaluation of contracts for compliance with the standard did not identify any material changes to the timing of revenue recognition as the standard was largely consistent with the existing guidance and current practices . Therefore, the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations and there was no cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings. However, upon adoption the Company has begun presenting certain underwriting costs (previously offset against Investment and Annuity Fees), as well as certain subadvisor costs (previously offset against Trust Fees) gross as noninterest expense, neither of which are material to operating results.



Due to the nature of the Company’s primary sources of revenue , there are no significant receivables, contract assets or contract liabilities not otherwise disclosed. The Company has assessed that its current disclosures are consistent with the requirements of the standard to present revenue disaggregated in to categories that depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.  The following provides additional qualitative disclosures about the Company’s noninterest income and revenue recognition policies.



Service Charges on Deposit Accounts

Service charges on deposit accounts include transaction based fees for non-sufficient funds , account analysis fees, and other service charges on deposits, including monthly account service fees. Non-sufficient funds fees are recognized at the time when the account overdraft occurs in accordance with regulatory guidelines.  Account analysis fees consist of fees charged on certain business deposit accounts based upon account activity as well as other monthly account fees, are recorded under the accrual method of accounting as services are performed.



Other service charges are earned by providing depositors safeguard and remittance of funds as well as by providing other elective services for depositors that are performed upon the depositor’s request. Charges for deposit services for the safeguard and remittance of funds are recognized at the end of the statement cycle, after services are provided , as the customer retains funds in the account. Revenue for other elective services is earned at the point in time the customer uses the service.



Trust Fees

Trust fee income represents revenue generated from asset management services provided to individuals, businesses, and institutions. The Company has a fiduciary responsibility to the beneficiary of the trust to perform agreed upon services which can include investing assets, periodic reporting, and providing tax information regarding the trust. In exchange for these trust and custodial services, the Company collects fee income from beneficiaries as contractually determined via fee schedules. The Company’s performance obligation is primarily satisfied over time as the services are performed and provided to the customer.  These fees are recorded under the accrual method of accounting as the services are performed.  The Company generally acts as the principal in these transactions and records revenue and expenses on a gross basis.



Bank Card and Automated Teller Machine (“ATM”) Fees

Bank card and ATM fees include credit card, debit card and ATM transaction revenue. The majority of this revenue is card interchange fees earned through a third party network. Performance obligations are satisfied for each transaction when the card is used and the funds are remitted. The network establishes interchange fees that the merchant remits for each transaction, and costs are incurred from the network for facilitating the interchange with the merchant.  Card fees also include merchant services fees earned for providing merchants with card processing capabilities.



ATM income is generated from allowing customers to withdraw funds from other banks’ machines and from allowing a non-customer cardholder to withdraw funds from the Company’s machines. The Company satisfies its performance obligations for each transaction at the point in time that the withdrawal is processed.



Bank card and ATM fee income is recorded on accrual basis as services are provided with the related expense reflected in data processing expense.



Investment and Annuity Fees and Insurance Commissions

Investment and annuity services fee income represents income earned from investment and advisory services. The Company provides its customers with access to investment products through the use of third party carriers to meet their financial needs and investment objectives. Upon selection of an investment product, the customer enters into a policy with the carrier. The performance obligation is satisfied by fulfilling its responsibility to acquire the investment for which a commission fee is earned from the carrier based on agreed-upon fee percentages on a trade date basis. The Company has a contractual relationship with a third party broker dealer to

23


provide full service brokerage and investment advisory activities. As the agent in the arrangement, the Company recognizes the investment services commissions on a net basis.  Investment revenue also includes portfolio management fees, which represent monthly fees charged on a contractual basis to customers for the management of their investment portfolios and are recorded under the accrual method of accounting on a gross basis, with expenses recorded in the appropriate expense line item.



This revenue line item includes investment banking income, which includes fees for services arising from securities offerings or placements in which the Company acts as a principal. Revenue is recognized at the time the underwriting is completed and the revenue is reasonably determinable.



Insurance commission revenue is recognized, net of cost, as of the effective date of the insurance policy as the Company’s performance obligation is connecting the customer to the insurance products.  The Company also receives contingent commissions from insurance companies as additional incentive for achieving specified premium volume goals and/or the loss experience of the insurance placed. Contingent commissions from insurance companies are recognized when determinable, which is generally when such commissions are received or when we receive data from the insurance companies that allows the reasonable estimation of these amounts.



Secondary Mortgage Market Operations

Secondary mortgage market operations revenue is primarily comprised of service release premiums earned on the sale of closed-end mortgage loans to other financial institutions or government agencies that are recognized in revenue as each sales transaction occurs.



Income from Bank-Owned Life Insurance

Bank-owned life insurance income primarily represents income earned from the appreciation of cash surrender value of insurance contracts held and the proceeds of insurance benefits. Revenue from the proceeds of insurance benefits is recognized at the time a claim is confirmed.



Credit Related Fee Income

Credit-related fee income includes letters of credit fees and unused commercial commitment fees. Revenue for letters of credit fees is recognized over time. Revenue for unused commercial commitment fees are recognized based on contractual terms, generally when collected.



Income from Derivatives

Income from derivatives consists primarily of interest rate swap fees, net of fair value adjustments for customer derivatives and the related offsetting agreements with unrelated financial institutions for which the derivative instruments are not designated as hedges. This line item also includes the resulting gain or loss from ineffectiveness on derivatives that are designated as hedged items.



Gain (Loss) on Sales of Assets

Gain (loss) on sales of assets reflects the excess (deficiency) of proceeds received over the carrying amount assets sold plus cost to sell for various assets other than foreclosed real estate. Gain or loss on the sale of assets are recognized as each transaction occurs.



Other Miscellaneous Income

Other miscellaneous income represents a variety of revenue streams, including safe deposit box income, wire transfer fees, syndication fees and any other income not reflected above.  Income is recorded once the performance obligation is satisfied, generally on the accrual basis or on a cash basis if not material and/or considered constrained.



9 .  Other Noninterest Income

Components of other no ninterest income are as follows:













Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Income from bank-owned life insurance

$

3,070

$

2,652

Credit related fees

2,722

2,878

Income from derivatives

1,523

465

Gain (loss) on sales of assets

(1,207)

4,125

Amortization of FDIC loss share receivable

(1,100)

Other miscellaneous

3,377

2,755

Total other noninterest income

$

9,485

$

11,775



























24


10 .  Other Noninterest Expense

Components of other non interest expense are as follows:





Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Advertising

$

2,526

$

3,077

Corporate value and franchise taxes

3,440

3,036

Printing and supplies

1,286

1,178

Travel expense

1,066

1,059

Entertainment and contributions

2,518

1,783

Tax credit investment amortization

874

1,212

Other retirement expense

(4,463)

(3,060)

Other miscellaneous

5,684

7,285

Total other noninterest expense

$

12,931

$

15,570



1 1 .  Earnings Per Share

The Company calculates earnings per share using the two-class method.  The two-class method allocates net income to each class of common stock and participating security according to common dividends declared and participation rights in undistributed earnings.  Participating secur ities consist of nonvested share- based payment awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents.

A summary of the information used in the computation of earnings per common share follows.









Three Months Ended



March 31,

(in thousands, except per share data)

2018

2017

Numerator:

Net income to common shareholders

$

72,475

$

49,014

Net income allocated to participating securities - basic and diluted

1,366

1,156

Net income allocated to common shareholders - basic and diluted

$

71,109

$

47,858

Denominator:

Weighted-average common shares - basic

$

85,241

$

84,365

Dilutive potential common shares

182

259

Weighted-average common shares - diluted

$

85,423

$

84,624

Earnings per common share:

Basic

$

0.83

$

0.57

Diluted

$

0.83

$

0.57



Potential common shares consist of stock options, nonvested performance - based awards, and nonvested restricted share awards deferred under the Company’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan.  These potential co mmon shares do not enter into the calculation of diluted earnings per share if the impact would be anti-dilutive, i.e., increase earnings per share or redu ce a loss per share.  There were no anti-dilutive potential common shares excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2018. Weighted average anti-dilutive potential common shares totaled 15,986 for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

12.  Retirement Plans



The Company sponsors a qualified defined benefit pension plan, the Hancock Holding Company Pension Plan and Trust Agreement (“Pension Plan”), covering certain eligible associates. Eligibility is based on minimum age and service-related requirements. During the second quarter of 2017, the Pension Plan was amended to exclude any individual hired or rehired by the Company after June 30, 2017 from eligibility to participate. The Pension Plan amendment further provided that the accrued benefits of each participant in the Pension Plan whose combined age plus years of service as of January 1, 2018 totals less than 55 were to be frozen as of January 1, 2018 and therefore not increase. The Company makes contributions to the Pension Plan in amounts sufficient to meet funding requirements set forth in federal employee benefit and tax laws, plus such additional amounts as the Company may determine to be appropriate. The Company was not required to make a contribution to the Pension Plan in 2017, and does not anticipate making a contribution in 2018.



25


The Company also offers a defined contribution retirement benefit plan (401(k) plan), the Hancock Holding Company 401(k) Savings Plan and Trust Agreement (“401(k) Plan”), that covers substantially all associates who have been employed 60 days and meet a minimum age requirement and employment classification criteria. The Company matches 100% of the first 1% of compensation saved by a participant, and 50% of the next 5% of compensation saved. Newly eligible associates are automatically enrolled at an initial 3% savings rate unless the associate actively opts out of participation in the plan. The 401(k) Plan was also amended during the second quarter of 2017 for participants whose benefits are frozen under the Pension Plan to add an enhanced Company contribution beginning January 1, 2018, in the amount of 2% , 4% or 6% of such participant’s eligible compensation, based on the participant’s age and years of service with the Company. The 401(k) Plan’s amendment further provides that the Company will contribute to the benefit of those associates of the Company hired or rehired after June 30, 2017 and those associates of the Company never enrolled in the Pension Plan an additional basic contribution in an amount equal to 2% of the associate’s eligible compensation beginning January 1, 2018. Participants will vest in the new basic and enhanced Company contributions upon completion of three years of service.



The Company sponsors a nonqualified defined benefit plan covering certain legacy Whitney employees that was frozen as of December 31, 2012 and no future benefits are accrued under this plan .

The Company sponsors defined benefit postretirement plans for both legacy Hancock and legacy Whitney employees that provide health care and life insurance benefits. Benefits under the Hancock plan are not available to employees hired on or after January 1, 2000. Benefits under the Whitney plan are restricted to retirees who were already receiving benefits at the time of plan amendments in 2007 or active participants who were eligible to receive benefits as of December 31, 2007.

The following tables show the components of net periodic benefits cost included in expense for the plans for the periods indicated.













Other Post-

(in thousands)

Pension Benefits

Retirement Benefits

Three months Ended March 31,

2018

2017

2018

2017

Service cost

$

2,925

$

3,750

$

35

$

48

Interest cost

3,923

4,123

137

180

Expected return on plan assets

(9,700)

(8,750)

Amortization of net loss and prior service costs

1,326

1,435

(149)

(48)

Net periodic benefit cost (reduction of cost)

$

(1,526)

$

558

$

23

$

180

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Costs.” In accordance with the Update, only the service component of net periodic benefit cost is included in the Employee Benefits line item on the Company’s Consolidated Statement s of Income.  All other components have been included in Other Noninterest Expense.  Prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current presentation.



13 .  Share-Based Payment Arrangements

Hancock maintains incentive compensation plans that provide for awards of share-based compensation to employees and directors.  These plans have been approved by the Company’s shareholders.  Detailed descriptions of these plans were included in Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .

A summary of stock option activity for the three months ended March 31, 2018 is presented below:







Weighted



Average



Weighted

Remaining



Average

Contractual

Aggregate



Number of

Exercise

Term

Intrinsic

Options

Shares

Price

(Years)

Value ($000)

Outstanding at January 1, 2018

88,301

$

34.84

2.8

$

1,294

Exercised/Released

(24,793)

35.12

495

Cancelled/Forfeited

Expired

Outstanding at March 31, 2018

63,508

$

34.73

2.6

$

1,078

Exercisable at March 31, 2018

63,508

$

34.73

2.6

$

1,078



The total intrins ic value of options exercised for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was $ 0.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively.

26


The Company’s restricted and performance-based share awards to certain employees and directors are subject to service requirements . A summary of the status of the Company’s nonvested restricted and performance -based share awards as of March 31, 2018 and changes during the three months ended March 31, 2018 , is presented in the following table.







Weighted



Average



Number of

Grant Date



Shares

Fair Value

Nonvested at January 1, 2018

1,708,942

$

37.05

Granted

54,710

48.22

Vested

(9,587)

35.90

Forfeited

(30,376)

35.25

Nonvested at March 31, 2018

1,723,689

$

37.44



As of March 31, 2018 , there was $ 47.5 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested restricted and performance shares expected to vest.  This compensation is expected to be recognized in expense over a weighted average period of 3 .3 years.  T he total fair value of shares which vested during three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 was $0.3 million and $0.5 million , respectively .

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company granted 2 6,147 performance share awards subject to a total shareholder return (“TSR”) performance metric with a grant date fair value of $ 51.13 per share and 2 6,147 performance shares subject to an operating earnings per share performance metric with a grant date fair value of $ 44.84 per share to key members of executive management. The number of performance shares subject to TSR that ultimately vest at the end of the three -year performance period, if any, will be based on the relative rank of the Company’s three-year TSR among the TSRs of a peer group of 4 3 regional banks. The fair value of the performance shares subject to TSR at the grant date was determined using a Monte Carlo simulation method.  The number of performance shares subject to core earnings per share that ultimately vest will be based on the Company’s attainment of certain core earnings per share goals over the two -year performance period. The maximum number of performance shares that could vest is 200% of the target award. Compensation expense for these performance shares is recognized on a straight line basis over the three -year service period.

14 . Fair Value Measurements

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market partici pants on the measurement date. The FASB’s guid ance also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to these valuation techniques used to measure fair value, giving preference to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (“level 1”) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs such as a reporting entity’s own data (“level 3”). Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, observable inputs other than quoted prices, such as interest rates and yield curves, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on a Recurring Basis

The following tables present for each of the fair value hierarchy levels the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis in the consolidated balance sheets.









March 31, 2018

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Assets

Available for sale debt securities:

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

$

93,884

$

$

93,884

Municipal obligations

237,291

237,291

Corporate debt securities

5,500

5,500

Residential mortgage-backed securities

1,743,543

1,743,543

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

680,272

680,272

Collateralized mortgage obligations

155,158

155,158

Total available for sale securities

2,915,648

2,915,648

Derivative assets (1)

12,682

12,682

Total recurring fair value measurements - assets

$

$

2,928,330

$

$

2,928,330

Liabilities

Derivative liabilities (1)

$

$

22,529

$

$

22,529

Total recurring fair value measurements - liabilities

$

$

22,529

$

$

22,529



27










December 31, 2017

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Assets

Available for sale debt securities:

U.S. Treasury and government agency securities

$

$

97,272

$

$

97,272

Municipal obligations

243,786

243,786

Corporate debt securities

3,500

3,500

Residential mortgage-backed securities

1,715,213

1,715,213

Commercial mortgage-backed securities

687,135

687,135

Collateralized mortgage obligations

163,963

163,963

Total available for sale securities

2,910,869

2,910,869

Derivative assets (1)

14,157

14,157

Total recurring fair value measurements - assets

$

$

2,925,026

$

$

2,925,026

Liabilities

Derivative liabilities (1)

$

$

14,389

$

$

14,389

Total recurring fair value measurements - liabilities

$

$

14,389

$

$

14,389



(1)

For further disaggregation of derivative assets and liabilities, see Note 6 - Derivatives.

Securities classified as level 2 include obligations of U.S. Government agencies and U.S. Government-sponsored agencies, residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations that are issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, and state and munic ipal bonds. The level 2 fair value measurements for investment securities are obtained quarterly from a third-party pricing service that uses industry-standard pricing models.  Substantially all of the model inputs are observable in the marketplace or can be supported by observable data.

The Company invests only in securities of investment grade quality with a targeted duration, for the overall portfolio, generally between two and five years . Company policies generally limit investments to U.S. agency securities and municipal securities determined to be investment grade according to an internally generated score which generally includes a rating of not less than “Baa” or its equivalent by a nationally recognized statistical rating agency.

The fair value of derivative financial instruments, which are predominantly customer interest rate swaps, is obtained from a third-party pricing service that uses an industry-standard discounted cash flow model that relies on inputs, LIBOR swap curves and Overnight Index swap rate curves, observable in the marketplace.  To comply with the accounting guidance, credit valuation adjustments are incorporated in the fair values to appropriately reflect nonperformance risk for both the Company and the counterparties.  Although the Company has determined that the majority of the inputs used to value the derivative instruments fall within level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the credit value adjustments utilize level 3 inputs, such as estimates of current credit spreads.  The Company has determined that the impact of the credit valuation adjustments is not significant to the overall valuation of these derivatives.  As a result, the Company has classified its derivative valuations in their entirety in level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company’s policy is to measure counterparty credit risk quarterly for all derivative instruments, including those subject to master netting arrangements consistent with how market participants would price the net risk exposure at the measurement date.

The Company also has certain derivative instruments asso ciated with the Bank’s mortgage banking activities.  These derivative instruments include interest rate lock commitments on prospective residential mortgage loans and forward commitments to sell these loans to investors on a best efforts delivery basis.  The fair value of these derivative instruments is measured using observable market prices for similar instruments and is classified as a level 2 measurement.

The Company’s policy is to recognize transfers between valuation hierarchy levels as of the end of a reporting period. There were no transfers between levels during the periods presented .

Fair Value of Assets Measured on a Nonrecurring Basis

Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.  Collateral-dependent impaired loans are level 2 assets measured at the fair value of the underlying collateral based on independent third-party appraisals that take into consideration market-based information such as recent sales activity for similar assets in the property’s market.

Other real estate owned, including both foreclosed property and surplus banking property, are level 3 assets that are adjusted to fair value, less estimated selling costs, upon transfer to other real estate owned.  Subsequently, other real estate owned is carried at the lower of carrying value or fair value less estimated selling costs.  Fair values are determined by sales agreement or third-party appraisals as discounted for estimated selling costs, information from comparable sales, and marketability of the property.

The fair value information presented below is not as of the period-end, rather it was as of the date the fair value adjustment was recorded during the twelve months for each of the dates presented below, and excludes nonrecurring fair value measurements of assets no longer on the balance sheet.

28


The following tables present the Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis for each of the fair value hierarchy levels.











March 31, 2018

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Collateral-dependent impaired loans

$

$

205,945

$

$

205,945

Other real estate owned

5,493

5,493

Total nonrecurring fair value measurements

$

$

205,945

$

5,493

$

211,438











December 31, 2017

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

Collateral-dependent impaired loans

$

$

184,205

$

$

184,205

Other real estate owned

6,928

6,928

Total nonrecurring fair value measurements

$

$

184,205

$

6,928

$

191,133



Accounting guidance from the FASB requires the disclosure of estimated fair value information about certain on- and off-balance sheet financial instruments, including those financial instruments that are not measured and reported at fair value on a recurring basis.  The significant methods and assumptions used by the Company to estimate the fair value of financial i nstruments are discussed below.

Cash, Short ‑Term Investments and Federal Funds Sold For these short ‑term instruments, the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value.

Securities – The fair value measurement for securities available for sale was discussed earlier in the note.  The same measurement techniques were applied to the valuation of securities held to maturity.

Loans, Net The fair value measurement for certain impaired loans was discussed earlier in the note.  For the remaining portfolio, fair values were generally determined by discounting scheduled cash flows using discount rates determined with reference to current market rates at which loans with similar terms would be made to borrowers of similar credit quality.

Loans Held for Sale – These loans are recorded at fair value and carried at the lower of cost or market.  The carrying amount is considered a reasonable estimate of fair value.

Deposits – The accounting guidance requires that the fair value of deposits with no stated maturity, such as noninterest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, be assigned fair values equal to amounts payable upon demand (“carrying amou nts”).  The fair value of fixed maturity certificates of deposit is estimated using the rates currently offered for deposits of similar remaining maturities.

Securities Sold under Agreements to Repurchase, Federal Funds Purchased, and FHLB Borrowings – For these short-term liabilities, the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value.

Long-Term Debt – The fair value is estimated by discounting the future contractual cash flows using current market rates at which debt with similar terms could be obtained.

Derivative Financial Instruments – The fair value measurement for derivative financial instruments was discussed earlier in the note.

29


The following tables present the estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments by fair value hierarchy levels and the corresponding carrying amount at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 .











March 31, 2018



Total Fair

Carrying

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Value

Amount

Financial assets:

Cash, interest-bearing bank deposits, and federal funds sold

$

315,401

$

$

$

315,401

$

315,401

Available for sale securities

2,915,648

2,915,648

2,915,648

Held to maturity securities

2,952,295

2,952,295

3,014,428

Loans, net

205,945

18,337,770

18,543,715

18,881,791

Loans held for sale

21,827

21,827

21,827

Derivative financial instruments

12,682

12,682

12,682

Financial liabilities:

Deposits

$

$

$

22,438,772

$

22,438,772

$

22,485,722

Federal funds purchased

25,967

25,967

25,967

Securities sold under  agreements to repurchase

443,151

443,151

443,151

FHLB short-term borrowings

982,979

982,979

982,979

Long-term debt

297,555

297,555

300,443

Derivative financial instruments

22,529

22,529

22,529











December 31, 2017



Total Fair

Carrying

(in thousands)

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Value

Amount

Financial assets:

Cash, interest-bearing bank deposits, and federal funds sold

$

479,332

$

$

$

479,332

$

479,332

Available for sale securities

2,910,869

2,910,869

2,910,869

Held to maturity securities

2,962,010

2,962,010

2,977,511

Loans, net

184,205

18,403,303

18,587,508

18,786,855

Loans held for sale

39,865

39,865

39,865

Derivative financial instruments

14,157

14,157

14,157

Financial liabilities:

Deposits

$

$

$

22,238,847

$

22,238,847

$

22,253,202

Federal funds purchased

140,754

140,754

140,754

Securities sold under  agreements to repurchase

430,569

430,569

430,569

FHLB short-term borrowings

1,132,567

1,132,567

1,132,567

Long-term debt

303,631

303,631

305,513

Derivative financial instruments

14,389

14,389

14,389









15. Recent Accounting Pronouncements



Accounting Standards Adopted in 2018



In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities,” with the objective of improving financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity’s risk management activities in its financial statements. The update provides changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application is permitted in any interim period after issuance of the update. All transition requirements and elections are to be applied to hedging relationships existing on the date of adoption, and the effect of the adoption should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption.  The Company early adopted this standard effective January 1, 2018 and has made certain adjustments to its existing designation documentation for active hedging relationships in order to take advantage of specific provisions in the new guidance and to fully align its documentation with the ASU.  The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations.  See further discussion in Note 6 – Derivatives.



30


In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715):  Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Costs,” to improve the presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic postretirement benefit cost.  The amendments require that an employer report the service cost component in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period.  The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations, if one is presented.  The amendments also allow only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable.  These amendments are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those annual periods.  Disclosures of the nature of and reason for the change in accounting principle are required in the first interim and annual periods of adoption.  The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018 and the amendments were applied retrospectively for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs in the statement of income. Refer to Note 12 – Retirement Plans – for detail on the components of net periodic pension and post-retirement benefit costs that were reclassified for each reporting period. The provisions of this update app ly only to presentation and therefore did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.



In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” affecting any entity that enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards. The core principle of this standard is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Most revenue associated with financial instruments, including interest and loan origination fees, is outside the scope of the guidance. Gains and losses on investment securities, derivatives, and sales of financial instruments are also excluded from the scope.  Subsequent to issuance of the revenue recognition guidance, the FASB has issued several updates that deferred by one year the effective date for revenue recognition guidance; clarified its guidance for performing the principal-versus-agent analysis; clarified guidance for identifying performance obligations allowing entities to ignore immaterial promised goods and services in the context of a contract with a customer and other clarifying guidance and technical corrections.  Entities could elect to adopt the guidance either on a full or modified retrospective basis.  The standard was effective and the Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective approach.  The Company inventoried and evaluated its contracts with customers for compliance with the standard. The Company did not identify material changes to the timing of revenue recognition and the adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations. See Note 8 - Revenue Recognition for additional information regarding the implementation of this standard.



Additionally, the following ASUs were applicable to the Company January 1, 2018, but did not have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements:



·

ASU 2018-05, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118  (SEC Update);

·

ASU 2018-03,Technical Corrections and Improvements to Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities;

·

ASU 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting;

·

ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business;

·

ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other than Inventory;

·

ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments; and

·

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities



31


Issued but Not Yet Adopted Accounting Standards



In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credits Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” to improve financial reporting by requiring timelier recording of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments held by financial institutions and other organizations.  The ASU, more commonly referred to as Current Expected Credit Losses, or CECL, requires the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts.  Financial institutions and other organizations will now use forward-looking information to better inform their credit loss estimates.  Many of the loss estimation techniques currently applied will still be permitted, although the inputs to those techniques will change to reflect the full amount of expected credit losses.  Organizations will continue to use judgment to determine which loss estimation method is appropriate for their circumstances.  In addition, the ASU amends the accounting for credit losses on debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration.  The ASU is effective for SEC filers for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption.  Early application is permitted for all organizations for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.  The Company is not planning to early adopt this guidance.  The Company has begun the implementation process by engaging a third party consultant and forming a cross-functional working group comprised of individuals from various areas including credit, finance, risk management and information technology. Three work streams have been created to complete balance sheet scoping, execute system implementation, and develop the expected credit loss model s .  While the Company has not yet quantified the financial impact of adoption, the expectation is that application of this guidance will result in an increase in the allowance for loan losses given the change in methodology from covering losses inherent in the portfolio to covering losses over the remaining expected life of the portfolio, and the reclassification  of nonaccretable difference on purchased credit impaired loans to allowance (offset by an increase in the carrying value of the related loans). Application of the guidance is also expected to result in the establishment of an allowance for credit loss on held to maturity debt securities.  The amount of the increase in these allowances will be impacted by the portfolio composition and quality at the adoption date as well as economic conditions and forecasts at that time.



In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” that provides new lease accounting guidance. With the exception of short-term leases, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability representing the lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis, and a right-of-use asset representing the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term.  Consequently, lessees will no longer be able to utilize leases a source of off-balance sheet financing.  Lessor accounting is largely unchanged under the new guidance, except for clarification of the definition of initial direct costs which may impact the timing of recognition of those costs. Public business entities are required to apply the amendments for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. In the first quarter of 2018, the FASB issued a targeted improvement standard that allows an additional transition method to the new lease standard by recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Consequently, an entity’s reporting for the comparative periods presented in the financial statements in which the entity adopts the new lease requirements would continue to be in accordance with current GAAP (Topic 840), including disclosures. The Company plans to elect this transition method. The Company has begun its review of existing lease and service contracts that may include embedded leases. The Company also begun the process of upgrading its existing third-party leasing software that will be used for implementation, with a targeted completion date in the fourth quarter of 2018. The Company expects a gross-up of its Consolidated Balance Sheets as a result of recognizing lease liabilities and right of use assets; the extent of such is under evaluation.  The Company does not expect material changes to its consolidated results of operations as a result of the application of this guidance.





32


Ite m 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS



This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning and protections of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.  I mportant factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this annual report are set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC and include, but are not limited to, the following:



·

balance sheet and revenue growth expectations;

·

the provision for loans losses, management’s predictions about charge-offs of loans, including energy-related credits, the impact of changes in oil and gas prices on our energy portfolio, and the downstream impact on businesses that support the energy sector, especially in the Gulf Coast region;

·

the impact of the sale of Harrison Finance Company upon our performance and financial condition;

·

the impact of the FNBC and the pending Capital One transactions or future business combinations upon our performance and financial condition including our ability to successfully integrate the businesses;

·

deposit trends;

·

credit quality trends;

·

changes in interest rates and net interest margin trends;

·

future expense levels;

·

success of revenue-generating initiatives;

·

the effectiveness of derivative financial instruments and hedging activities to manage risks;

·

projected tax rates;

·

future profitability;

·

improvements in expense to revenue (efficiency) ratio;

·

purchase accounting impacts such as accretion levels;

·

potential cyber-security incidents;

·

possible repurchases of shares under stock buyback programs;

·

impact of tax reform legislation; and

·

financial impact of regulatory requirements.



Also, any statement that does not describe historical or current facts is a forward-looking statement. These statements often include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “forecast,” “goals,” “targets,” “initiatives,” “focus,” “potentially,” “probably,” “projects,” “outlook” or similar expressions or future conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” and “could.” Forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and on information currently available to management. Our statements speak as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update these statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in such statements in light of new information or future events.

Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward looking statements. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and in other periodic reports that we file with the SEC.

OVERVIEW



Non-GAAP Financial Measures



Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations include non-GAAP measures used to describe our performance.  A reconciliation of those measures to GA AP measures are provided within the selected financial data section of this Item. The following is a summary of these non-GAAP measures and an explanation as to why they are deemed useful.



C onsistent with Securities and Exchange Co mmission Industry Guide 3, we present net interest income, net interest margin and efficiency ratios on a fully taxable equiva lent (“te”) basis . The te basis adjusts for the tax-favored status of net interest income from certain loans and investmen ts using statutory federal tax rates of 21% and 35 % for 2018 and 2017, respectively, to increase tax-exem pt interest income to a taxable equivalent basis. We believe this measure to be the preferred industry measurement o f net interest income , and it enhances comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.



33


We present certain additional non-GAAP financial measures to assist the reader with a better understanding of the company’s performance period over period, as well as to provide investors with assistance in understanding the success management has experienced in executing its strategic initiatives. These non-GAAP measures may reference the concepts “core” or “operating.” We use the term “core” to describe a financial measure that excludes income or expense arising from accretion or amortization of fair value adjustments recorded as part of purchase accounting. We use the term “operating” to describe a financial measure that excludes income or expense considered to be nonoperating in nature. Items identified as nonoperating are those that, when excluded from a reported financial measure, provide management or the reader with a measure that may be more indicative of forward-looking trends in our business.

We define Core Net Interest Income as net interest income ( te ) excluding net purchase accounting accretion and amortization. We define Core Net Interest Margin as core net interest income expressed as a percentage of average earning assets. M anagement believes that core net interest income and core net interest margin provide investors with meaningful financial measures of the Company’s performance over time.

We define Operating Revenue as net interest income ( te ) and noninterest income less nonoperating revenue.  We define Operating Pre-Provision Net Revenue as operating revenue ( te ) less noninterest expense, excluding nonoperating items. Management believes that operating pre-provision net revenue is a useful financial measure because it enables investors and others to assess the C ompany’s ability to generate capital to cover credit losses through a credit cycle.

We define Operating Earnings as reported net income excluding nonoperating items net of income tax.  We define Operating Earnings per Share as operating earnings expressed as an amount available to each common shareholder on a diluted basis.



Acquisition s and Divestiture

On March 10, 2017, we, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Whitney Bank (“Whitney”), completed a transaction with First NBC Bank (“ FNBC ”) , whereby Whitney acquired approximately $1.2 billion in loans (net of fair value discount or “loan mark”), nine branch locations with $398 million in deposits, and assumed $604 million in FHLB borrowings.  The operational conversion of the branch locations occurred in the second quarter of 2017, along with the simultaneous closure of 10 overlapping branches. This transaction is referred to as the FNBC I transaction throughout this document.



On April 28, 2017, Whitney entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with the FDIC (“Agreement”), which acted as the receiver for the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (OFI) following the OFI’s closure of FNBC. This transaction is referred to as the FNBC II transaction throughout this document. Pursuant to the Agreement, Whitney acquired selected assets and liabilities of FNBC from the FDIC and continued to operate the 29 former FNBC branch locations until systems conversion, which occurred in July 2017.  In the third quarter of 2017, Whitney exercised its option to acquire seven former FNBC locations and closed and consolidated 25 overlapping branch locations.



Under the Agreement, Whitney assumed approximately $1.6 billion in deposits and customer repurchase agreements and acquired $165 million in performing loans, and $791 million in other assets.  Whitney paid a premium of $35 million to the FDIC for the earnings stream acquired and received approximately $ 800 million in cash ($64 2 million from the FDIC for the net liabilities assumed and $158 million in branch cash acquired).



The terms of the Agreement require the FDIC to indemnify Whitney against certain liabilities of FNBC and its affiliates not assumed or otherwise purchased by Whitney. Neither the Company nor Whitney Bank acquired any assets, common stock, preferred stock or debt, or assume d any other obligations, of First NBC Bank Holding Company.



In December 2017, we announced our entry into an agreement to acquire the bank-managed high net worth individual and institutional investment management and trust business from Capital One. The transaction is expected to close in early third quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. The combination is expected to bring assets under administration and assets under management to approximately $26 billion and $10 billion, respectively, and produce combined annual revenue of $70 to $75 million. Additionally, it will provide opportunity to develop relationships for other private, wholesale and retail services.



On March 9, 2018, we sold our consumer finance subsidiary, Harrison Finance Company (“HFC”), due to a change in corporate strategy.  The subsidiary operated in 35 branches with 137 employees and had $95 million in loans as of December 31, 2017.  The transaction resulted in a loss on sale totaling $1.1 million.

Current Economic Environment

Most of our market area experienced a modest to moderate expansion in economic activity during the first quarter of 201 8 , according to the Federal Reserve’s Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions (“Beige Book”). Overall, the economic outlook remains positive, however there is some uncertainty on the impact of the new tariffs on trade . Energy related businesses operating mainly in our south Louisiana and Houston, Te xas markets continued to expand . U.S. land based d rilling and completion activity was up, and outlook remai ns positive for 2018. However, competit i ve markets for labor and equipment may constrain further acceleration of activity.

34


The commercial real estate market continued to improve in most of our footprint , with growing demand for multi family construction.  In the Houston market, apartment rent growth accelerated.  Commercial construction activity was flat to slightly up, with a continued improvement in general economic conditions.   Continued improvement is expected in the commercial real estate market in 2018.

The residential real estate market has a varied outlook, with new home construction improving, and overall home sales flat to slightly down, but rising moderately in our Houston market.   Residential real estate contacts signaled continued improvement in general economic conditions.  Builders report flat to slightly higher construction activity and an increase in home prices.  Construction activity is expected to be flat or increase slightly over the next three months.

Retail sales activity and consumer spending outlook was positive.  Auto sales gained traction in our Houston market but demand for vehicles weakened in our other markets.  The labor market remained tight and overall wage growth was modest. Employment growth was steady, with challenges continuing in filling high demand and high growth sectors, particularly in the information technology, long-haul transportation, construction and medical fields.

Overall economic reports indicate that loan demand was strong, with growth in commercial real estate loans, but with demand for residential real estate loans and consumer loans flat to down.  Our new loan production in the first quarter 2018 was strong, however, payoffs were elevated, resulting in lower than expected loan growth.

Highlights of First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Net income for the first quarter of 2018 was $72.5 million, or $. 83 per diluted common share (EPS), compared to $5 5 . 4 million, or $.6 4 EPS in the fourth quarter of 2017 and $49 . 0 million, or $. 57 EPS, in the first quarter of 2017 . The first quarter of 2018 includes $7.0 million ($.07 per share after-tax impact) of nonoperating items related to the sale of the consumer finance subsidiary, the pending Capital One trust and asset management transaction, the brand consolidation project and a one-time all hands bonus.  T he fourth quarter of 2017 included an estimated $1 9 . 5 million charge ($. 22 per share) for the re-measurement of net deferred tax assets related to the Tax Act . The first quarter of 2017 included $6.5 million of nonoperating costs related to the FNBC I transaction ($0.05 per share after-tax impact), partially offset by a $4.4 million nonoperating gain from the sale of selected Hancock Horizon funds ($0.03 per share after-tax impact).

Highlights of Our First Quarter 2018 Results (Compared to Fourth Quarter 2017):

·

Net income increased $17.0 million, or 31%; excluding the impact of the deferred tax asset re-measurement charge and nonoperating items, operating earnings increased $3.3 million, or 4%

·

Loans increased $88 million, or 2%, linked-quarter annualized; net increase includes a decline of $95 million related to the sale of the consumer finance subsidiary

·

Energy loans totaled $1.1 billion and comprised 5.5% of total loans; allowance for the energy portfolio totaled $62.6 million, or 5.9% of energy loans

·

Net interest margin (NIM) of 3.37%, down 11 bps; core NIM down 9 bps to 3.26% ; impacted by tax reform, interest reversals on nonaccrual loans, and the sale of the consumer finance subsidiary

·

Operating expenses totaled $164.9 million, down 2% linked quarter

·

Efficiency ratio was 57.5% compared to 56.6% linked quarter; the change is mainly related to the impact of tax reform on the TE adjustment

·

Return on average assets improved 26 bps to 0.88%; excluding nonoperating items and the fourth quarter 2017 deferred tax asset re-measurement charge, operating ROA increased 7 bps to 1.17%

·

Tangible common equity ratio increased 7 bps to 7.80%

Results for first quarter of 2018 were solid, reflecting positive impacts from a lower provision for loan loss, lower operating expenses, and a lower income tax rate, partially offset by negative impacts of tax reform on our TE income, the loss on sale of our consumer finance business , typical first quarter seasonality and the impact of today’s rate environment on our capital ratios.



We intend to consolidate the Hancock and Whitney brands during the second quarter of 2018, pending shareholder approval, after which time the Company and Bank expect to operate as Hancock Whitney Corporation and Hancock Whitney Bank, respectively.  The brand consolidation is a natural progression of our business that allows the simplification of certain operations, while honoring the legacies of the iconic brands of Hancock and Whitney that have existed since the late 1800s.









35


RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Net Interest Income

Net interest income (te) for the first quarter of 2018 was $209.6 million, a $7.4 million, or 3% , decrease from the fourth quarter of 2017. Over the same period, c ore net interest income decreased $6.2 million . Net interest income (te) for the first quarter of 2018 increased $19.6 million, or 10%, compared to the first quarter of 2017 , while core net interest income was up $17.4 million, or 9%. The linked quarter decrease is primarily attributable to a $4.2 million impact of tax reform on the TE adjustment resulting from the change in the statutory tax rate, approximately $3.3 million from two fewer accrual days, and $1.7 million reversal of interest on nonaccrual loans.

The net interest margin was 3.37% for the first quarter of 2018 , down 11 bps from the fourth quarter of 2017.  The core net interest margin for the first quarter of 2018 was 3 . 26%, down 9 bps from the fourth quarter of 2017. The net interest margin was down 8 bps related to the impact of the lower tax rate on the TE adjustment, 3 bps related to reversals of interest on nonaccrual loans and 2 bps related to the sale of the consumer finance company.  Excluding those items, the net interest margin would have been up 2 bps and the core net interest margin was up 4 bps.  The loan yield of 4.43% is down 3 bps compared to fourth quarter of 2017, which reflects negative impacts from the lower tax rate of 6 bps and sale of the consumer finance subsidiary of 3 bps.  The securities yield of 2.46% was down 4 bps compared to fourth quarter of 2017, which reflects a negative impact of 10 bps from tax reform. The cost of funds was up 8 bps to .58%, due in part to promotional pricing campaigns aimed at attracting and retaining deposits.

The net interest margin was flat to the first quarter of 201 7 at 3.37% , and the core net interest margin was down 3 bps , with comparability also affected by the 8 bps impact of tax reform, the FNBC transactions and rising interest rates.

The following tables detail the components of our net interest income and net interest margin.











Three Months Ended





March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

March 31, 2017



(dollars in millions)

Average Balance

Interest

Rate

Average Balance

Interest

Rate

Average Balance

Interest

Rate

Average earning assets

Commercial & real estate loans (te) (a)

$

14,224.4

$

150.9

4.30

%

$

14,096.1

$

154.5

4.35

%

$

13,058.7

$

130.4

4.04

%

Residential mortgage loans

2,718.4

27.9

4.10

2,642.3

26.3

3.99

2,185.9

21.3

3.90

Consumer loans

2,085.7

29.0

5.64

2,101.1

29.8

5.63

2,058.5

26.6

5.24

Loan fees & late charges

0.5

0.6

(0.1)

Total loans (te) (a) (b)

19,028.5

208.3

4.43

18,839.5

211.2

4.46

17,303.1

178.2

4.16

Loans held for sale

32.2

0.2

2.75

22.2

0.2

3.28

21.3

0.2

4.08

US Treasury and government agency securities

148.4

0.8

2.21

144.5

0.8

2.21

116.3

0.6

2.04

Mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations

4,785.3

27.9

2.33

4,682.2

26.2

2.24

3,975.2

22.1

2.22

Municipals (te) (a)

960.1

7.6

3.18

971.1

9.3

3.82

942.1

9.0

3.84

Other securities

3.5

2.06

3.7

2.03

3.7

1.96

Total securities (te) (a) (c)

5,897.3

36.3

2.46

5,801.5

36.3

2.50

5,037.3

31.7

2.52

Total short-term investments

148.3

0.5

1.34

149.5

0.4

1.07

408.3

0.7

0.74

Total earning assets (te) (a)

$

25,106.3

$

245.3

3.95

%

$

24,812.7

$

248.1

3.98

%

$

22,770.0

$

210.8

3.74

%

Average interest-bearing liabilities

Interest-bearing transaction and savings deposits

$

8,043.2

$

9.1

0.46

%

$

7,927.3

$

8.3

0.42

%

$

6,897.7

$

4.5

0.27

%

Time deposits

2,979.0

9.7

1.32

2,936.4

8.7

1.17

2,340.0

5.1

0.89

Public funds

3,070.1

8.1

1.07

2,803.5

6.6

0.93

2,547.9

3.2

0.50

Total interest-bearing deposits

14,092.3

26.9

0.78

13,667.2

23.6

0.68

11,785.6

12.8

0.44

Short-term borrowings

1,823.1

5.4

1.17

1,763.2

4.1

0.92

2,127.3

2.9

0.56

Long-term debt

305.1

3.4

4.48

312.7

3.4

4.37

458.0

5.1

4.42

Total borrowings

2,128.2

8.8

1.66

2,075.9

7.5

1.45

2,585.3

8.0

1.24

Total interest-bearing liabilities

16,220.5

35.7

0.89

%

15,743.1

31.1

0.79

%

14,370.9

20.8

0.59

%

Net interest-free funding sources

8,885.8

9,069.6

8,399.1

Total cost of funds

$

25,106.3

$

35.7

0.58

%

$

24,812.7

$

31.1

0.50

%

$

22,770.0

$

20.8

0.37

%

Net interest spread (te) (a)

$

209.6

3.05

%

$

217.0

3.19

%

$

190.0

3.15

%

Net interest margin

$

25,106.3

$

209.6

3.37

%

$

24,812.7

$

217.0

3.48

%

$

22,770.0

$

190.0

3.37

%



(a)

Taxable equivalent (te) amounts are calculated using the current statutory federal income tax rate.

(b)

Includes nonaccrual loans.

(c)

Average securities do not include unrealized holding gains/losses on available for sale securities

36


Provision for Loan Losses

During the first quarter of 201 8 , we recorded a provision for loan losses of $12.3 million, down $2.7 million from the fourth quarter of 2017 and down $3.7 million from the first quarter of 2017.

Net charge-offs totaled $12.2 million, which represents 0.26% of average total loans on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2018, compared to $20.8 million, or 0.44% of average total loans in the fourth quarter of 2017.  Net charge-offs from energy credits in the first quarter of 2018 were $4.3 million and included gross charges of $7.6 million, and recoveries totaling $3.3 million.  There were $8.4 million in net charges-offs related to energy credits in the fourth quarter of 2017.

The provision for loan losses reflects a continued decline in the energy allowance, offset by an increase in nonenergy reserves . The discussion of Allowance fo r Loan Losses and Asset Quality later in this Item provides additional information on changes in the allowance for loan losses and general credit quality.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income totaled $66.3 million for the first quarter of 2018 , down $3.4 million, or 5%, from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up $2.8 million, or 4%, compared to the first quarter of 201 7 . Excluding nonoperating items, noninterest income totaled $67.4 million for the first quarter of 2018, down $2.3 million , or 3% , from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up $8.3 million , or 14% , from the first quarter of 2017.  The decrease was largely driven by a decline in gain on sales of assets as the fourth quarter of 2017 included a $2.9 million gain from a bulk sale of loans, and a decline in service charges on deposits, partially offset by increases in most other revenue sources.  The increase compared to the first quarter of 2017 was largely driven by higher service charges on deposit accounts, bank card and ATM fees and income from derivatives

Included in the first quarter of 2018 is a loss on the sale of the finance company of $1.1 million and included in the first quarter of 2017 is a $4.4 million gain related to the sale of selected Hancock Horizon funds, both considered to be nonoperating items.

The components of noninterest income are presented in the following table for the indicated periods.









Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Service charges on deposit accounts

$

21,448

$

22,455

$

19,206

Trust fees

11,335

11,079

11,211

Bank card and ATM fees

14,458

14,234

12,468

Investment and annuity fees and insurance commissions

6,125

5,802

5,264

Secondary mortgage market operations

3,401

3,244

3,567

Amortization of FDIC loss share receivable

(1,100)

Income from bank-owned life insurance

3,070

2,841

2,652

Credit related fees

2,722

2,843

2,878

Income from derivatives

1,523

1,385

465

Gain (loss) on sales of assets

(62)

3,013

(227)

Other miscellaneous

3,377

2,792

2,755

Total noninterest operating income

$

67,397

$

69,688

$

59,139

Nonoperating income items

(1,145)

4,352

Total noninterest income

$

66,252

$

69,688

$

63,491



Service charges on deposits totaled $21.4 million for the first quarter of 2018, down $1.0 million, or 4%, from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up $2.2 million, or 12%, from the first quarter of 2017. The decrease from the prior quarter was due to a seasonal increase in customer balances in the fourth quarter 2017, and the increase over the first quarter of 2017 was primarily due to an increase in consumer overdraft fees and new sustained overdraft fees , along with the larger deposit base following the FNBC transactions.

Bank card and ATM fees totaled $14.5 million for the first quarter of 2018, up $0.2 million, or 2%, from the fourth quarter of 2017, due mostly to activity in the merchant business. Compared to the first quarter of 2017, bank card and ATM fees were up $2.0 million, or 16%, due to increased activity.

Fee income from se condary mortgage market operations was up $0.2 million , or 5% , from fourth quarter of 2017 with a slightly higher sales activity , and down $0.2 million , or 5% , from the first quarter of 2017.



Trust fees increased $0.3 million , or 2%, linked quarter, due in part to higher market values of assets managed.  For the first quarter of 2018, trust fees increased $0.1 million, or 1%, compared to the first quarter of 2017.



37


Investment and annuity fees and insurance commisisons increased $0.3 million, or 6%, compared to fourth quarter 2017 and increased $0.9 million, or 16%, compared to first quarter 2017.  The increases are mainly due to higher sales volumes in annuities, mutual funds and bond trading.

Income from bank-owned life insurance increased $0.2 million, or 8%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2017, and increased $0.4 million, or 16%, compared to the first quarter of 2017.  The increase over the first quarter of 2017 is due to an additional policy investment of $50 million made in the second quarter of 2017.



Income on our customer interest rate derivative program resulted in a $1.5 million net gain for the first quarter of 2018 compared to net gains of $1.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 and $0.5 million for the first quarter of 2017.  This income can be volatile and is dependent upon both customer sales activity as well as market value adjustments due to interest rate movement.



Gain (loss) on sales of assets was down $3.1 million from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up $0.2 million from the first quarter of 2017. The fourth and first quarter s of 2017 included the previously mentioned $2.9 million gain on the sale of loans and $4.4 million gain on the sale of selected Hancock Horizon funds, respectively .



Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense for the first quarter of 2018 was $170.8 million, up $2.7 million, or 2%, from the fourth quarter of 2017, and up $7.2 million, or 4%, from the first quarter of 2017.  Excluding nonoperating expense items, total operating expense for the first quarter of 2018 totaled $164.9 million, a decrease of $3.1 million, or 2% , linked quarter and up $7.9 million, or 5% , from the first quarter of 2017.

Nonoperating expenses in the first quarter of 2018 included costs associated with a one-time all hands bonus, the brand consolidation project, the sale of the consumer finance company and the pending acquisition of Capital One’s trust and asset management business. There were no nonoperating expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017.  The nonoperating expenses in the first quarter of 2017 related to the FNBC I transaction.  The components of noninterest expense and nonoperating expense are presented in the following tables for the indicated periods.



























Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Operating expense

Compensation expense

$

76,743

$

82,610

$

73,005

Employee benefits

19,623

16,948

19,067

Personnel expense

96,366

99,558

92,072

Net occupancy expense

10,943

11,585

10,762

Equipment expense

3,493

3,383

3,708

Data processing expense

16,368

17,392

15,395

Professional services expense

7,847

8,544

6,649

Amortization of intangibles

5,618

5,885

4,705

Telecommunications and postage

3,850

3,605

3,467

Deposit insurance and regulatory fees

7,948

8,271

6,490

Other real estate (income) expense, net

210

(340)

(13)

Advertising

2,341

3,060

2,947

Corporate value and franchise taxes

3,440

2,855

3,036

Printing and supplies

1,031

1,210

1,174

Travel expense

1,064

1,408

1,044

Entertainment and contributions

2,509

2,173

1,767

Tax credit investment amortization

874

1,213

1,212

Other Retirement expense

(4,463)

(4,399)

(3,060)

Other miscellaneous

5,499

2,660

5,724

Total operating expense

$

164,938

$

168,063

$

157,079

Nonoperating expense items

5,853

6,463

Total noninterest expense

$

170,791

$

168,063

$

163,542





































38






Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Nonoperating expense

Personnel expense

$

3,608

$

$

107

Net occupancy and equipment expense

120

1

Professional services expense

1,408

4,627

Advertising

185

130

Printing and supplies

255

4

Other expense

277

1,594

Total nonoperating expenses

$

5,853

$

$

6,463





The following discussion of the components of operating expense excludes nonoperating items for each period.

Personnel expense totaled $96.4 million for the first quarter of 2018, down $3.2 million, or 3%, from the previous quarter due to a decrease in incentive and bonus expense, partially offset by seasonal increase in benefit costs . Year over year, personnel ex pense was up $4.3 million, or 5 %, primarily due to merit increases .

Occupancy and equipment expenses totaled $14.4 million in the first quarter of 2018, down $0.5 million, or 4%, from the fourth quarter of 2017 and flat to the first quarter of 201 7.



ORE expense for the first quarter of 2018 was $0.2 million compared to small net gains on ORE dispositions of $0 . 3 million in the linked quarter and small gain in the first quarter of 2017.  Management believes the current quarter reflects a more typical level of ORE expense.



All other expenses, excluding amortization of intangibles and nonopera ting expense items, totaled $48.3 million for the first quarter of 2018, up $0.3 million, or 1 %, from the fou rth quarter of 2017, and up $2.5 million, or 5 % , from the first quarter of 2017.  The increases from the first quarter of 2017 include professional services, regulatory fees, data processing and entertainment, partially offset with decreases in other retirement expense and advertising.













Income Taxes

The effective income tax rate for the first quarter of 2018 was approximately 18.5 %, compared to 20.8 % in the fourth quarter of 2017 (exclusive of the $19.5 million of income tax expense resulting from re-measurement of the deferred tax asset) and 25.3% in the first quarter of 2017 . The decrease in the effective tax rate was primarily due to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”) on December 22, 2017.  The Tax Act significantly revised U.S. corporate income tax laws by, among other things, lowering the statutory corporate federal income tax rate from 35% to 21%, eliminating or reducing the deductibility of certain meals and entertainment expenses, limiting the deduction of FDIC insurance premiums as well as modifying the deductibility of executive compensation through the elimination of the performance-based compensation exception and changes to the definition of a covered employee.

As a result of the reduced tax rate , we re-measured our deferred tax assets and liabilities during the fourth quarter of 201 7 resulting in incremental income tax expense of $19.5 milli on.  The re-measurement charge was c omprised of $25.3 million related to certain items included in AOCI and a provisional income tax benefit of $5.8 million related to items included in continuing operations.  Pursuant to the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, entities have a measurement period not to exceed one year from the enactment date of the Tax Act to record provisional amounts related to the impact of the Tax Act.  As of March 31, 2018, no adjustment has been made to the initial provisional benefit recorded .  We are still in the process of collecting information, finalizing calculations and awaiting additional guidance from the IRS or other regulatory agencies.  Any such adjustments could materially impact income tax expense in the period in which the adjustments are made.

Our effective tax rate historically varies from the federal statutory rate primarily because of tax-exempt income and tax credits.  Interest income on bonds issued by or loans to state and municipal governments and authorities, and earnings from the BOLI program are the major components of tax-exempt income.  The main source of tax credits has been investments in tax-advantaged securities and tax credit projects.  These investments are made primarily in the markets the Company serves and are directed at tax credits issued under the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (“QZAB”), Qualified School Construction Bonds (“QSCB”) and Federal and State New Market Tax Credit (“NMTC”) programs. The investments generate tax credits, which reduce current and future taxes and are recognized when earned as a benefit in the provision for income taxes.  The Tax Act repealed the provision related to tax credit bonds effective for bonds issued after December 31, 2017.  As such, these bonds are no longer viable alternatives for lowering our effective tax rate.

We have invested in NMTC projects through investments in our Community Develop ment Entity (“CDE”), as well as other unrelated CDEs.  These investments are expected to generate approximately $104 million in federal and state tax credits.  Federal tax credits from NMTC investments are recognized over a seven-year period, while recognition of the benefits from state tax credits varies from three to five years.

39


We intend to continue making investments in tax credit projects.  However, our ability to access new credits will depend upon, among other factors, federal and state tax policies and the level of competition for such credits.  Based on tax credit investments that have been made to date, we expect to realize benefits from federal and state tax credits totaling $6.1 million, $3.6 million and $1.6 million for 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. In February 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced the 2017 New Market Tax Credit allocation.  We were awarded a New Market Tax Credit allocation that will allow us to invest $50 million in tax credit projects and receive a total of $19.5 million in tax credits to be recognized over a seven-year period.



The following table reconciles reported income tax expense to that computed at the statutory federal tax rate for the indicated periods.

























Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Taxes computed at statutory rate

$

18,663

$

33,140

$

22,977

Tax credits:

QZAB/QSCB

(759)

(642)

(642)

NMTC - Federal and State

(1,379)

(1,679)

(1,679)

LIHTC and other credits

(88)

Total tax credits

(2,138)

(2,409)

(2,321)

State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit

2,044

1,594

843

Tax-exempt interest

(2,786)

(4,849)

(4,673)

Life insurance contracts

(930)

(2,119)

(947)

Employee share-based compensation

(140)

(3,821)

(434)

Impact of deferred tax asset re-measurment

19,520

Impact from interim estimated effective tax rate

356

(2,230)

1,880

FDIC Assessment Disallowance

747

Other, net

581

411

(690)

Income tax expense

$

16,397

$

39,237

$

16,635







Selected Financial Data

The following tables contain selected financial data as of the dates and for the periods indicated .











Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,



2018

2017

2017

Common Share Data

Earnings per share:

Basic

$

0.83

$

0.64

$

0.57

Diluted

$

0.83

$

0.64

$

0.57

Cash dividends paid

$

0.24

$

0.24

$

0.24

Book value per share (period-end)

$

33.96

$

33.86

$

32.70

Tangible book value per share (period-end)

$

24.22

$

24.05

$

23.19

Weighted average number of shares (000s):

Basic

85,241

85,044

84,365

Diluted

85,423

85,303

84,624

Period-end number of shares (000s)

85,285

85,200

84,517

Market data:

High sales price

$

56.40

$

53.35

$

49.50

Low sales price

$

49.48

$

46.18

$

41.71

Period-end closing price

$

51.70

$

49.50

$

45.55

Trading volume (000s) (a)

35,459

29,308

45,119



(a)

Trading volume is based on the total volume as determined by NASDAQ on the last day of the quarter.





40








Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Income Statement:

Interest income

$

241,395

$

239,173

$

202,515

Interest income (te) (a)

245,358

248,122

210,813

Interest expense

35,731

31,126

20,824

Net interest income (te) (a)

209,627

216,996

189,989

Provision for loan losses

12,253

14,986

15,991

Noninterest income

66,252

69,688

63,491

Noninterest expense (excluding amortization of intangibles)

165,173

162,178

158,837

Amortization of intangibles

5,618

5,885

4,705

Income before income taxes

88,872

94,686

65,649

Income tax expense

16,397

39,237

16,635

Net income

$

72,475

$

55,449

$

49,014



Earnings excluding nonoperating items

Net income

$

72,475

$

55,449

$

49,014

Nonoperating income

1,145

(4,352)

Nonoperating expense

5,853

6,463

Income tax benefit

(1,216)

(739)

Income tax resulting from re-measurement of deferred tax asset

19,520

Nonoperating items, net of applicable income tax benefit

5,782

19,520

1,372

Operating earnings

78,257

74,969

50,386











Three Months ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,



2018

2017

2017

Performance Ratios

Return on average assets

1.08

%

0.82

%

0.80

%

Return on average common equity

10.23

%

7.67

%

7.27

%

Return on average tangible common equity

14.41

%

10.81

%

9.92

%

Earning asset yield (te) (a)

3.95

%

3.98

%

3.74

%

Total cost of funds

0.58

%

0.50

%

0.37

%

Net interest margin (te) (a)

3.37

%

3.48

%

3.37

%

Noninterest income to total revenue (te) (a)

24.01

%

24.31

%

25.05

%

Average loan/deposit ratio

86.32

%

86.57

%

89.90

%

FTE employees (period-end)

3,775

3,887

3,819

Capital Ratios

Common stockholders' equity to total assets

10.61

%

10.55

%

10.84

%

Tangible common equity ratio (b)

7.80

%

7.73

%

7.94

%



Select performance measures excluding nonoperating items

Operating earnings per share - diluted (d)

$

0.90

$

0.86

$

0.58

Return on average assets - operating

1.17

%

1.10

%

0.83

%

Return on average common equity - operating

11.05

%

10.37

%

7.48

%

Return on average tangible common equity - operating

15.56

%

14.62

%

10.20

%

Efficiency ratio (c)

57.51

%

56.57

%

61.16

%

Noninterest income as a percent of total revenue (te) - operating

24.33

%

24.31

%

23.74

%



(a)

Tax able equivalent (te) amounts are calculated using the applicable statutory federal income tax rate .

(b)

The tangible common equity ratio is common stockholders’ equity less intangible assets divided by total assets less intangible assets .

(c)

The efficiency ratio is noninterest expense to total net interest (te) and noninterest income, excluding amortization of purchased inta ngibles and nonoperating items .

(d)

See Reco nciliation of Non-GAAP Measures “Operating earnings per share – diluted”  for the reconciliation of this non-GAAP mea sure .

41










Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

($ in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Asset Quality Information

Nonaccrual loans (a)

$

275,179

$

252,800

$

262,649

Restructured loans - still accruing

166,520

120,493

47,267

Total nonperforming loans

441,699

373,293

309,916

Other real estate (ORE) and foreclosed assets

26,630

27,542

17,156

Total nonperforming assets

$

468,329

$

400,835

$

327,072

Accruing loans 90 days past due (a)

$

12,724

$

27,766

$

590

Net charge-offs

12,200

20,800

30,029

Allowance for loan losses

210,713

217,308

213,550

Provision for loan losses

12,253

14,986

15,991

Ratios:

Nonperforming assets to loans, ORE and foreclosed assets

2.45

%

2.11

%

1.79

%

Accruing loans 90 days past due to loans

0.07

%

0.15

%

0.00

%

Nonperforming assets + accruing loans 90 days past due to loans, ORE and foreclosed assets

2.52

%

2.25

%

1.80

%

Net charge-offs to average loans

0.26

%

0.44

%

0.70

%

Allowance for loan losses to period-end loans

1.10

%

1.14

%

1.17

%

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans + accruing loans 90 days past due

46.37

%

54.18

%

68.77

%



(a)

Nonaccrual loans and accr uing loans past due 90 days or more do not include purchased credit impaired loans with an accretable yield. Included in nonaccrual loans are $118.0 million, $99.2 million, and $112.6 million in restructured loans at March 31, 2018, December 31, 2017, and March 31, 2017, respectively.













March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Period-End Balance Sheet

Total loans, net of unearned income (a)

$

19,092,504

$

19,004,163

$

18,786,285

$

18,473,841

$

18,204,868

Loans held for sale

21,827

39,865

23,236

26,787

20,883

Securities

5,930,076

5,888,380

5,624,552

5,668,836

5,001,273

Short-term investments

61,541

92,384

111,725

126,428

51,273

Earning assets

25,105,948

25,024,792

24,545,798

24,295,892

23,278,297

Allowance for loan losses

(210,713)

(217,308)

(223,122)

(221,865)

(213,550)

Goodwill

745,523

745,523

739,403

740,265

716,761

Other intangible assets, net

85,021

90,640

96,525

101,694

86,952

Other assets

1,571,558

1,692,439

1,658,151

1,714,583

1,616,566

Total assets

$

27,297,337

$

27,336,086

$

26,816,755

$

26,630,569

$

25,485,026

Noninterest-bearing deposits

$

8,230,060

$

8,307,497

$

7,896,384

$

7,887,867

$

7,722,279

Interest-bearing transaction and savings deposits

8,058,793

8,181,554

7,893,546

8,402,133

7,162,760

Interest-bearing public funds deposits

3,108,008

3,040,318

2,762,048

2,537,030

2,595,263

Time deposits

3,088,861

2,723,833

2,981,881

2,615,785

2,441,718

Total interest-bearing deposits

14,255,662

13,945,705

13,637,475

13,554,948

12,199,741

Total deposits

22,485,722

22,253,202

21,533,859

21,442,815

19,922,020

Short-term borrowings

1,452,097

1,703,890

1,737,151

1,810,907

2,121,932

Long-term debt

300,443

305,513

331,179

407,876

525,082

Other liabilities

163,037

188,532

351,291

155,009

152,370

Stockholders' equity

2,896,038

2,884,949

2,863,275

2,813,962

2,763,622

Total liabilities & stockholders' equity

$

27,297,337

$

27,336,086

$

26,816,755

$

26,630,569

$

25,485,026







42








Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Average Balance Sheet

Total loans, net of unearned income (a)

$

19,028,490

$

18,839,537

$

17,303,044

Loans held for sale

32,194

22,231

21,328

Securities (b)

5,897,290

5,801,451

5,037,286

Short-term investments

148,309

149,457

408,343

Earning assets

25,106,283

24,812,676

22,770,001

Allowance for loan losses

(216,796)

(225,769)

(226,503)

Goodwill and other intangible assets

833,269

833,162

729,766

Other assets

1,514,321

1,553,438

1,483,242

Total assets

$

27,237,077

$

26,973,507

$

24,756,506

Noninterest-bearing deposits

$

7,951,121

$

8,095,563

$

7,462,258

Interest-bearing transaction and savings deposits

8,043,176

7,927,250

6,897,660

Interest-bearing public fund deposits

3,070,079

2,803,547

2,547,874

Time deposits

2,979,043

2,936,397

2,340,066

Total interest-bearing deposits

14,092,298

13,667,194

11,785,600

Total deposits

22,043,419

21,762,757

19,247,858

Short-term borrowings

1,823,033

1,763,189

2,127,256

Long-term debt

305,117

312,719

458,050

Other liabilities

192,695

267,367

190,253

Stockholders' equity

2,872,813

2,867,475

2,733,089

Total liabilities & stockholders' equity

$

27,237,077

$

26,973,507

$

24,756,506



(a)

Includes nonaccrual loans.

(b)

Average secur ities do not include unrealiz ed holding gains/losses on available for sale securities.





Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures



R eported to core net interest income (te) and core net interest margin







Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

($ in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Net interest income

$

205,664

$

208,047

$

202,857

$

199,717

$

181,691

Tax-equivalent adjustment (te)(a)

3,963

8,949

8,579

8,564

8,298

Net interest income (te)

$

209,627

$

216,996

$

211,436

$

208,281

$

189,989

Purchase accounting adjustments

Loan discount accretion (b)

7,108

8,280

7,711

8,801

5,017

Bond premium amortization (c)

(315)

(320)

(364)

(398)

(454)

Total net purchase accounting adjustments (d)

6,793

7,960

7,347

8,403

4,563

Net interest income (te) - core

$

202,834

$

209,036

$

204,089

$

199,878

$

185,426

Average earning assets

$

25,106,283

$

24,812,676

$

24,487,426

$

24,338,130

$

22,770,001

Net interest margin - reported

3.37

%

3.48

%

3.44

%

3.43

%

3.37

%

Net purchase accounting adjustments

0.11

%

0.13

%

0.12

%

0.14

%

0.08

%

Net interest margin - core

3.26

%

3.35

%

3.32

%

3.29

%

3.29

%



















43


Operating revenue (te) and operating pre-provision net revenue (te)







Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Net interest income

$

205,664

$

208,047

$

202,857

$

199,717

$

181,691

Noninterest income

66,252

69,688

67,115

67,487

63,491

Total revenue

$

271,916

$

277,735

$

269,972

$

267,204

$

245,182

Tax-equivalent adjustment (a)

3,963

8,949

8,579

8,564

8,298

Nonoperating revenue

1,145

(4,352)

Operating revenue (te)

$

277,024

$

286,684

$

278,551

$

275,768

$

249,128

Noninterest expense

(170,791)

(168,063)

(177,616)

(183,470)

(163,542)

Nonoperating expense

5,853

11,393

10,617

6,463

Operating pre-prevision net revenue (te)

$

112,086

$

118,621

$

112,328

$

102,915

$

92,049



Operating earnings per share - diluted







Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Net income

$

72,475

$

55,449

$

58,902

$

52,267

$

49,014

Net income allocated to participating securities

(1,366)

(1,104)

(1,244)

(1,166)

(1,156)

Net income available to common shareholders

71,109

54,345

$

57,658

$

51,101

47,858

Nonoperating items, net of applicable income tax

5,782

19,520

7,405

6,902

1,372

Nonoperating items allocated to participating securities

(109)

(390)

(156)

(154)

(32)

Operating earnings available to common shareholders

$

76,782

$

73,475

64,907

57,849

$

49,198

Weighted average common shares - diluted

85,423

85,303

84,980

84,867

84,624

Earnings per share -diluted

$

0.83

$

0.64

$

0.68

$

0.60

$

0.57

Operating earnings per share - diluted

$

0.90

$

0.86

$

0.76

$

0.68

$

0.58





(a)

Taxable equivalent (te) amounts are calculated using the applicable federal income tax rate.

(b)

Includes net loan discount accretion arising from business combinations.

(c)

Includes net investment premium amortization arising from business combinations.

(d)

Includes net loan discount accretion and net investment premium amortization as defined in (b) and (c) and amortization of the FDIC loss share receivable related to an FDIC assisted transaction.



44


LIQUIDITY

Liquidity management is focused on ensuring that funds are available to meet the cash flow requirements of our depositors and borrowers, while also meeting the operating, capital and strategic cash flow needs of the Company, the Bank and other subsidiaries.  Hancock develops its liquidity management strategies and measures and regularly monitors liquidity risk as part of its overall asset/liability management process.

The asset portion of the balance sheet provides liquidity primarily through loan principal repayments, as well as maturities and repayments of investment securities.  Short-term investments such as federal funds sold, securities purchased under agreements to resell and interest-bearing deposits with the Federal Reserve Bank or with other commercial banks are additional sources of liquidity to meet cash flow requirements.  Free securities represent unpledged securities that can be sold or used as collateral for borrowings, a nd include unpledged securities assigned to short-term dealer repurchase agreements or to the Federal Reserve Bank discount window.  As shown in the table below, our ratio of free securities to total securities was 43.35% at March 31, 2018, compared to 44.15% at December 31 , 2017 and 20.29% at March 31, 2017 .  The total of pledged securities at March 31, 2018 was $3.4 billion, up $76 million from December 31, 2017. Total securities at March 31, 2018 were $0.9 billion higher than at March 31, 2017.









March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

Liquidity Metrics

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Free securities / total securities

43.35

%

44.15

%

36.61

%

33.57

%

20.29

%

Core deposits / total deposits

90.84

%

93.03

%

91.70

%

93.05

%

92.93

%

Wholesale funds / core deposits

8.58

%

9.71

%

10.47

%

11.12

%

14.30

%

Quarter-to-date average loans /quarter-to-date average deposits

86.32

%

86.57

%

87.08

%

87.76

%

89.90

%

The liability portion of the balance sheet provides liquidity mainly through the Company’s ability to use cash sourced from various customers’ int erest-bearing and noninterest-bearing deposit and sweep accounts.  Core deposits consist of total deposits excluding certificates of deposit (“CDs”) of $250,000 or more and brokered deposits. The ratio of core deposits to total deposits was 90.84% at March 31, 2018, compared to 93.03% at December 31, 2017 and 92.93% at March 31, 2017. Core deposits totaled $20.4 billion at March 31, 2018, a decrease of $0.3 billion from December 31, 2017, and up $1.9 billion from March 31, 2017. The increase from March 31, 2017 was primarily due to the FNBC II tra nsaction . Brokered deposits totaled $1.2 billi on as of March 31, 2018, a $0.4 billion increase com pared to December 31 , 2017 and March 31, 2017 . The use of brokered deposits as a funding source is subject to strict parameters regarding the amount , term and interest rate.

Purchases of federal funds, securities sold under agreements to repurchase and other short-term borrowings from customers provide additional sources of liquidity to meet short-term funding requirements. Besides funding from customer sources, the Bank has a line of credit with the FHLB that is secured by blanket pledg es of certain mortgage loans. At March 31, 2018, the Bank had borrowings of approximately $1.0 billion and had approximately $3.5 billion available under this line. The Bank also has unused borrowing capacity at the Federal Reserve’s discount window of approxima tely $2.2 billion ; there were no outstanding borrowings with the Federal Reserve at any date during the twelve months ended March 31, 2018 .

Whol esale funds, which are comprised of short-term borrowings and long-term debt, were 8.58% of core deposits at March 31, 2018, compared to 9.71% at December 31, 2017 and 14.30% at March 31, 2017.  The linked quarter decre ase primarily related to a $0.3 million decrease in both wholesale funds and core deposits. The year over year dec rease was primarily due to a decrease in FHLB borr owings. Management has established an internal target for wholesale funds to be less than 25% of core deposits.

Another key measure the Company uses to monitor its liquidity position is the lo an-to- deposit ratio (average loans outstanding for the reporting period divided by average d eposits outstanding).  The loan-to- deposit ratio measures the am ount of funds the Company lends out for each dollar of deposits on hand. Our loan-to-deposit ratio for the first quarter of 2018 was 86.32%, compared to 86.57 % at December 31 , 2017 and 8 9 . 90 % at March 31, 2017 . Management has established a target range for its loan-to- deposit ratio of 83% to 87 %.

Cash generated from operations is another important source of funds to meet liquidity needs.  The consolidated statements of cash flows present operating cash flows and summarize all significant sources and uses of funds for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 .

Dividends received from the Bank have been the primary source of funds available to the Parent Company for the payment of dividends to our stockholders and for servicing its debt . The liquidity management process takes into account the various regulatory provisions that can limit the amount of dividends the Bank can distribute to the Parent Company.  The Parent Company maintains cash and other liquid assets to provide liquidity in an amount sufficient to fund a minimum of at least six quarters of anticipated common stockholder dividends.

45


CAPITAL RESOURCES



Stockholders’ equity totaled $2.9 billion at March 31, 2018, up $11 million, or less than 1% from December 31, 2017 and up $132 million, or 5%, from March 31, 2017.  The tangible common equity ratio was 7.80% at March 31, 2018 , compared to 7.73% at December 31 , 2017 and 7.9 4 % at March 31, 2017 . The increase in the ratio from prior quarter is due to net tangible earnings , partially offset by the change in accumulated other comprehensive loss . The decrease from March 31, 2017 was primarily related to the increase in tangible assets and the increase in goodwill and core deposits related to the FNBC transaction s , and the change in accumulated other comprehensive loss , partially offset by net tangible earnings. The Company has established an internal target for the tangible common equity ratio of at least 8.00%. However, management will allow the Company’s tangible common equity ratio to drop below 8.00% on a temporary basis if it believes that the shortfall can be replenished through normal operations.



The regulatory capital ratios of the Company and the Bank as of March 31, 2018 continued to improve and remain well in excess of current regulatory minimum requirements. The Company and the Bank have been categorized as “well-capitalized” in the most recent notices received from our regulators. Both entities currently exceed all capital requirements of the Basel III requirements, including the fully phased-in conservation buffer. See the Supervision and Regulation section in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 for further discussion of the Company’s capital requirements.

The following table shows the regulatory capital ratios for the Company and the Bank as calculated under current rules for the indicated periods.









Well-

March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,



Capitalized

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Total capital (to risk weighted assets)

Hancock Holding Company

10.00

%

12.00

%

11.90

%

11.84

%

11.76

%

11.91

%

Whitney Bank

10.00

%

11.60

%

11.55

%

11.35

%

11.33

%

11.52

%

Tier 1 common equity capital (to risk weighted assets)

Hancock Holding Company

6.50

%

10.35

%

10.21

%

10.10

%

10.01

%

10.16

%

Whitney Bank

6.50

%

10.63

%

10.54

%

10.31

%

10.28

%

10.49

%

Tier 1 capital (to risk weighted assets)

Hancock Holding Company

8.00

%

10.35

%

10.21

%

10.10

%

10.01

%

10.16

%

Whitney Bank

8.00

%

10.63

%

10.54

%

10.31

%

10.28

%

10.49

%

Tier 1 leverage capital

Hancock Holding Company

5.00

%

8.51

%

8.43

%

8.34

%

8.21

%

8.79

%

Whitney Bank

5.00

%

8.75

%

8.72

%

8.53

%

8.44

%

9.09

%



Regulatory definitions:

(1)

Tier 1 common equity capital generally includes common equity and retained earnings, reduced by goodwill and other disallowed intangibles, disallowed deferred tax assets and certain other assets.

(2)

Tier 1 capital consists of Tier 1 common equity capital plus non-controlling interest in equity of consolidated subsidiaries and a limited amount of qualifying perpetual preferred stock.

(3)

Total capital consists of Tier 1 capital plus perpetual preferred stock not qualifying as Tier 1 capital, mandatory convertible securities, certain types of subordinated debt and a limited amount of allowances for credit losses.

(4)

The risk-weighted asset base is equal to the sum of the aggregate value of assets and credit-converted off-balance sheet items in each risk category as specified in regulatory guidelines, multiplied by the weight assigned by the guidelines to that category.

(5)

The Tier 1 leverage capital ratio is Tier 1 capital divided by average total assets reduced by the deductions for Tier 1 capital noted above.













46


BALANCE SHEET ANALYSIS

Securities

Invest ments in securities totaled $5.9 b illion at March 31, 2018, up $ 41.7 million, or less than 1 %, fr om December 31, 2017 , and up $ 928.8 million from March 31, 2017. At March 31, 2018, securities available for sale totaled $2.9 billion and securities held to maturity totaled $3.0 billion.

The securities portfolio consists mainly of residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies. The portfolio is designed to enhance liquidity while providing an acceptable rate of return.  The Company invests only in high quality investment grade securities with a targeted effective duration for the overall portfolio of between two and five years.  The effective duration calculates the price sensitivity to changes in interest rates.  At March 31, 2018, the average maturity of the portfolio was 6.15 years with an effective duration of 4.87 years and a nominal weighted-average yield of 2.47%. Management simulations indicate that the effective duration would increase to 4.81 years with a 100 bps increase in the yield curve and to 4.89 years with a 200 bps increase.  At December 31, 2017 , the average maturity of the portfolio was 5.7 8 years with an effective duration of 4 . 74 years and a nominal weighted-average yield of 2. 41 %.  The average maturity of the portfolio at March 31, 2017 was 5. 8 0 years, while the duration was 5 . 0 years, and the nominal weighted average yield was 2. 35 %.

Loans

Total loans at March 31, 2018 were $19.1 billion, up approximately $88 million, from December 31, 2017 , with growth in commercial loans, including healthcare and equipment finance , as well as mortgage and indirect lines of business.  Grow th in loans is net of a $95 million decrease related to the sale of the consumer finance company during the first quarter of 2018. Loans to energy related companies remained relatively flat during first quarter of 2018.

The following table shows the co mposition of our loan portfolio:









March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

2017

2017

Total loans:

Commercial non-real estate

$

8,336,222

$

8,297,937

$

8,129,429

$

8,093,104

$

8,074,287

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

2,185,543

2,142,439

2,076,014

2,078,332

2,047,451

Total commercial and industrial

10,521,765

10,440,376

10,205,443

10,171,436

10,121,738

Commercial real estate - income producing

2,394,862

2,384,599

2,511,808

2,401,673

2,505,104

Construction and land development

1,413,878

1,373,421

1,373,048

1,313,522

1,252,667

Residential mortgages

2,732,821

2,690,472

2,596,692

2,493,923

2,266,263

Consumer

2,029,178

2,115,295

2,099,294

2,093,287

2,059,096

Total loans

$

19,092,504

$

19,004,163

$

18,786,285

$

18,473,841

$

18,204,868

Our commercial customer base is diversified over a range of industries, including energy, healthcare, wholesale and retail trade in various durable and nondurable products and the manufacture of such products, marine transportation and maritime construction, financial and professional services, and agricultural production.

47


The following tables provide detail of the more significant industry concentrations for our commercial and industrial loan portfolio, which is based on NAICS codes, and property type concentrations of our commercial real estate – income producing portfolio.









March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,



2018

2017

2017

2017

2017



Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

( $ in thousands )

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Commercial & industrial loans:

Health Care and Social Assistance

$

1,159,214

11

%

$

1,118,288

11

%

$

1,023,939

10

%

$

1,084,644

11

%

$

1,076,164

11

%

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

1,154,304

11

1,122,389

11

1,134,451

12

1,116,117

11

1,119,937

11

Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (a)

972,580

9

992,179

10

1,074,822

11

1,131,279

11

1,211,006

12

Retail Trade (a)

869,662

8

757,998

7

761,418

7

774,414

8

755,059

8

Public Administration

857,736

8

840,773

8

832,638

8

848,543

8

839,005

8

Manufacturing (a)

795,014

8

745,744

7

726,339

7

769,161

8

769,118

8

Transportation and Warehousing (a)

651,869

6

609,011

6

563,263

6

569,923

6

556,468

5

Construction

626,013

6

619,956

6

564,444

6

521,926

5

519,663

5

Wholesale Trade (a)

536,791

5

578,037

6

513,086

5

492,910

5

490,569

5

Educational Services

440,272

4

462,595

4

438,247

4

434,955

4

428,248

4

Finance and Insurance

437,547

4

501,157

5

559,092

5

503,551

5

478,473

5

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (a)

433,169

4

429,637

4

356,560

3

371,055

4

362,610

4

Other Services (except Public Administration)

371,913

4

356,787

3

349,711

3

348,080

3

342,155

3

Accommodation and Food Services

357,693

3

324,619

3

340,551

3

305,421

3

338,241

3

Other (a)

857,988

9

981,206

9

966,882

10

899,457

8

835,022

8

Total commercial & industrial loans

$

10,521,765

100

%

$

10,440,376

100

%

$

10,205,443

100

%

$

10,171,436

100

%

$

10,121,738

100

%



(a) The Company's energy related lending po rtfolio includes certain balances within each of these selected industry categories as the definition is based on the borrower’s source of revenue.  The energy related lending portfolio totaled approximately $ 1.1 billion at March 31, 2018, December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017, $1.2 billion at June 30, 2017 , and $1.3 billion at March 31, 2017 .

At March 31, 2018 , co mmercial and industrial (“C&I”) loans, including both non-real estate and owner occupied real estate secured loans, totaled approximately $10. 5 billion, an increase of $81.4 million, or 1%, from December 31, 2017.  Included in C&I are $1.1 billion in energy related lo ans, which are comprised of credits to both the exploration and production segment and the support services segment.  Energy related loans comprise d 5.5 % of total loans at March 31, 2018, down from 12.4% in fourth quarter of 2014, the beginning of the downturn in the energy cycle.  Payoffs and paydowns of approximately $76 million and charge-offs of approximately $7.6 million were partially offset by approximately $85 million in draw s on existing lines of credit.  Management has a strategic target to reduce the concentration of energy loans to total loans to 5%.

T he Bank lends mainly to middle market and smaller commercial entities, although it participates in larger shared credit loan facilities.  Shared national credits funded at March 31, 2018 totaling approximately $1.7 billion, or 9% , of total loans were down $368 million from December 31, 2017, primarily due to a change in the definition of a shared national credit from an aggregate loan commitment threshold of $20 million to $100 million. Approximately $474 million of shared national credits under the new definition were with energy related customers at March 31, 2018 .



Commercial real estate – income producing loans totaled approximately $2.4 billion at March 31 , 2018, an increase of $10 .3 million, or 0.4%, from December 31 , 2017.  The majority of the increase in commercial real estate – income producing l oans was related to the mult ifamily and hotel/motel properties . The following table details commercial real estate – income producing by property types for the last five quarters.







March 31,

December 31,

September 30,

June 30,

March 31,



2018

2017

2017

2017

2017



Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

Pct of

( $ in thousands )

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Balance

Total

Commercial real estate - income producing loans:

Retail

$

521,607

22

%

$

526,929

22

%

$

550,720

22

%

$

511,708

22

%

$

565,673

23

%

Office

436,789

18

441,539

19

472,169

19

481,626

20

482,121

19

Multifamily

379,932

15

341,783

14

339,656

13

347,583

15

444,188

18

Hotel/Motel

336,724

14

328,238

14

299,796

12

296,996

12

307,170

12

Industrial

270,812

11

272,133

11

327,048

13

269,985

11

268,138

11

Other

448,998

19

473,977

20

522,419

21

493,775

21

437,814

17

Total commercial real estate - income producing loans

$

2,394,862

100

%

$

2,384,599

100

%

$

2,511,808

100

%

$

2,401,673

100

%

$

2,505,104

100

%



48


C onstruction and land development loans, totaling approximately $1.4 billion at March 31, 2018, increased approximately $40 .5 million from December 31, 2017. Residential mortgages increased $42 .3 million and consumer loans decreased $86 .1 million during the first quarter of 2018. The decrease in consumer loans is primarily the result of the sale of our consumer finance company in the first quarter of 2018.



While our first quarter 2018 loan production was strong, we experienced lowe r than expected growth, due to the sale of our consumer finance company and a high volume of large payoffs.  We currently expect end of period loan growth for second quarter 2018 of approximately $250 to $300 million and the full year 2018 loan growth in the range of 5% to 6%.

Allowance for Loan Losses and Asset Quality

The Company's total allowance for loan losses was $210.7 million at March 31, 2018, compared to $217.3 million at December 31, 2017.  The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to period-end loans decreased 4 bps to 1.10%, compared to 1.14% at December 31, 2017.  The decrease in allowance as well as coverage is largely driven by the sale of the consumer finance company, which had an allowance of $6.6 million at the time of sale.  The allowance for loan losses on the energy portfolio decreased by $7.6 million, while the allowance on the non energy portfolio was increased by roughly the same amount.  Energy prices improved compared the prior quarter and criticized loan levels continued to decline.  Management believes the allowance level for the energy portfolio, as built in previous quarters, remains adequate and we are continuing to allow it to decline as we work through problem credits.  The increase in the nonenergy allowance reflects a continued trend of increasing criticized balances and increased growth and diversification of the portfolio.

The Company’s balance of criticized commercial loans totaled $1.1 billion at both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, with an increase in nonenergy criticized loans of $35 million, offset by a decrease in energy of $27 million. Commercial criticized loans are down $105 million compared to the first quarter of 2017, with the energy portfolio down $214 million, offset by an increase in non- energy of $109 million.  Criticized loans are defined as those having potential weaknesses that deserve management’s close attention (risk-rated special mention, substandard and doubtful), including both accruing and nonaccruing loans. The increase in nonenergy criticized loans is comprised of loans that are diversified as to both industry and geography and the level as a percent of total loans is not outside of historical norms. As of March 31, 2018, criticized loans in the energy portfolio were $523 million, or approximatel y 50% of that portfolio. Energy related loans delinquent for more than 30 days, including accrual and nonaccrual loans, totaled $101 million, or 10%, of the energy portfolio at March 31, 2018.

Management continues to closely monitor the ability of our energy related customers to service their debt, including reviews of customers’ balance sheets, leverage ratios, collateral values and other critical lending metrics.  We note that even with the rise in commodity prices, we expect a lag in the recovery of energy service and support credits, with the key to resolution being stabilized prices over the longer-term.  Many reserve based lending credits continue to show signs of improvement, however, we are seeing limited improvement in the support sector, with the expectation for land based services to recover mor e quickly than drilling and non drilling services that support offshore production.  Based upon information currently available, management is maintaining the estimate that net charge-offs from energy related credits could be as high as $95 million over the duration of the cycle, which started in the fourth quarter of 2014.  To date, we have recorded approximately $81 million in energy related net charge-offs since the start of the cycle. See Item 7 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 for further discussion of our energy portfolio and its potential impact on the allowance for loan losses.

The following table provides a breakout of the allowance for loan loss for the energy portfolio, allocated by sector, as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 .







March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

( in millions )

Outstanding Balance

Allocated Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses

Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses as a % of Loans

Outstanding Balance

Allocated Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses

Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses as a % of Loans

Upstream (reserve-based lending)

$

344

$

9.9

2.88%

$

353

$

11.4

3.24%

Midstream

57

0.5

0.88%

52

0.4

0.71%

Support - drilling

125

7.6

6.08%

121

10.5

8.62%

Support - nondrilling

527

44.6

8.46%

529

47.9

9.06%

Total

$

1,053

$

62.6

5.94%

$

1,055

$

70.2

6.65%

Net charge-offs were $12.2 million, or 0.26%, of average total loans on an annualized basis in the first quarter of 2018, down from $20.8 million, or 0.44%, of average total loans in the fourth qua rter of 2017.  Net charge-offs of energy credits in the first quarter of 2018 totaled $4.3 million, consisting of gross charge-offs of $7.6 million, net of recoveries of $3.3 million.  There were approximately $8.4 million of net charge-offs related to energy credits and $5.5 million of net charge-offs related to nonenergy commercial loans in the fourth quarter of 2017.  Consumer loan charge-offs were down $0.9 million compared to fourth quarter due to the sale of the consumer finance company during the first quarter of 2018.

49


The following table sets forth activity in the allowance for loan l osses for the periods indicated:









Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

2017

Allowance for loan losses at beginning of period

$

217,308

$

223,122

$

229,418

Loans charged-off:

Commercial non real estate

9,335

16,232

24,791

Commercial real estate - owner-occupied

851

31

29

Total commercial & industrial

10,186

16,263

24,820

Commercial real estate - income producing

99

7

Construction and land development

10

26

91

Total commercial

10,196

16,388

24,918

Residential mortgages

192

354

348

Consumer

8,048

8,586

8,678

Total charge-offs

18,436

25,328

33,944

Commercial non real estate

4,146

1,084

938

Commercial real estate - owner-occupied

88

401

275

Total commercial & industrial

4,234

1,485

1,213

Commercial real estate - income producing

63

333

375

Construction and land development

29

553

471

Total commercial

4,326

2,371

2,059

Residential mortgages

116

725

113

Consumer

1,794

1,432

1,743

Total recoveries

6,236

4,528

3,915

Total net charge-offs

12,200

20,800

30,029

Decrease in allowance as a result of sale of subsidiary

(6,648)

Provision for loan losses before FDIC benefit

12,253

14,986

14,161

Benefit attributable to FDIC loss share agreement

1,830

Provision for loan losses, net

12,253

14,986

15,991

Increase (decrease) in FDIC loss share receivable

(1,830)

Allowance for loan losses  at end of period

$

210,713

$

217,308

$

213,550

Ratios:

Gross charge-offs  to average loans

0.39

%

0.53

%

0.79

%

Recoveries  to average loans

0.13

%

0.10

%

0.09

%

Net charge-offs  to average loans

0.26

%

0.44

%

0.70

%

Allowance for loan losses to period-end loans

1.10

%

1.14

%

1.17

%



50


The following table sets forth nonperforming assets by type for the periods indicated, consisting of nonaccrual loans, troubled debt restructurings and foreclosed and surplus ORE and other foreclosed assets.  Loans past due 90 days or more and still accruing are also disclosed.











March 31,

December 31,

(in thousands)

2018

2017

Loans accounted for on a nonaccrual basis: (a)

Commercial  non-real estate

$

70,773

$

63,387

Commercial non-real estate - restructured

108,430

89,476

Total commercial non-real estate

179,203

152,863

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

25,011

23,549

Commercial real estate - owner-occupied - restructured

2,376

2,440

Total commercial real estate - owner-occupied

27,387

25,989

Commercial real estate - income producing

10,176

9,054

Commercial real estate - income producing - restructured

5,457

5,520

Total commercial real estate - income producing

15,633

14,574

Construction and land development

3,711

3,791

Construction and land development - restructured

13

16

Total construction and land development

3,724

3,807

Residential mortgage

33,385

38,703

Residential mortgage - restructured

1,684

1,777

Total residential mortgage

35,069

40,480

Consumer

14,163

15,087

Consumer - restructured

Total consumer

14,163

15,087

Total nonaccrual loans

$

275,179

$

252,800

Restructured loans - still accruing:

Commercial non-real estate

$

152,612

$

114,224

Commercial real estate - owner occupied

10,308

1,578

Commercial real estate - income producing

2,522

3,827

Construction and land development

Residential mortgage

475

480

Consumer

603

384

Total restructured loans - still accruing

166,520

120,493

Total nonperforming loans

441,699

373,293

ORE and foreclosed assets

26,630

27,542

Total nonperforming assets (b)

$

468,329

$

400,835

Loans 90 days past due still accruing (c)

$

12,724

$

27,766

Total restructured loans

$

284,480

$

219,722

Ratios:

Nonperforming assets to loans plus ORE and foreclosed assets

2.45

%

2.11

%

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans and accruing loans 90 days past due

46.37

%

54.18

%

Loans 90 days past due still accruing to loans

0.07

%

0.15

%



(a)

Nonaccrual loans and acc ruing loans past due 90 days or more do not include purchased credit impaired loans which were written down to fair value upon acquisition and accrete interest income the remaining life of the loan.

(b)

Includes total nonaccrual loans, total restructured loans - still accruing and ORE and foreclosed assets.

(c)

Excludes accruing TDR already reflected as a restructured accruing loan.

Nonperforming assets totaled $468 .3 million at March 31, 2018, up $67 .5 million, or 16.8 %, from December 31, 2017, and up $141 .3 million from March 31, 2017.  During the first quarter of 2018, total nonperforming l oans increased approximately $68.4 million fro m December 31, 2017, and $131.8 million from March 31, 2017. Most of the linked quarter increase in nonperforming loans is attributable to the energy portfolio, and approximately $3.9 million of the increase is attributable to the remainder of the portfolio. The $64.5 million increase in nonperforming energ y loans from December 31, 2017 was related to accruing restructured support nondrilling credits. Nonperforming assets as a percent of total loans, ORE and other foreclosed assets was 2.45% at March 31, 2018, u p 34 bps from December 31, 2017 and up 66 bps from March 31, 2017.

51


Short-Term Investments

Short-te rm liquidity assets are held to ensure funds are available to meet the cash flow needs of both borrowers and depositors.  Short-term liquidity investments, including interest-bearing bank deposits and federal funds sold, were $61.5 million at March 31, 2018. T his represents a decrease of $30.8 million from December 31, 2017 and an increase of $10 .3 million compared to March 31, 2017. These assets are highly volatile on a daily basis depending upon movement in customer loan and deposit accounts.  Average short-term investments of $148 .3 million for the first quarter of 2018 were down $ 1.1 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2017, and down $260 .0 million compared to the first quarter of 201 7 . See the Liquidity section above for further discussion regarding the management of our short-term investment p ortfolio and the impact upon our liquidity in general.

Deposits

Total deposits were $22.5 bi llion at March 31, 2018, up $232.5 million, or 1% , from December 31, 2017, and up $2.6 billion, or 13%, from March 31, 2017.  Average deposits for the first quarter of 2018 were $22.0 billion, up $280.7 million, or 1 %, from the fourth quarter of 2017 and up $2.8 billion, or 15%, from the first quarter of 2017. The deposits assumed in the FNBC transactions made up $1.1 billion of the increase in total deposits and $1.4 billion in average deposits over the first quarter 2017.



Noninterest-bearing demand deposits were $8.2 billion at March 31, 2018, down $77 .4 million, or less than 1%, linked quarter, and up $507.8 million, or 7%, year over year. The FNBC transactions added noninterest-bearing demand dep osits of $211 .0 million, compared to the first quarter of 2017 .  Noninterest- bearing demand deposits comprised 37% of total deposits at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, and 39% at March 31, 2017.



Int erest-bearing transaction and savings accounts of $8.1 billion at March 31, 2018 decreased $122.8 million, or 2%, compared to December 31, 2017 and increased $0.9 billion, or 13%, compared to March 31, 2017 .  The majority of the increase over the first quarter of 201 7 was related to the FNBC transactions.

Interest-bearing public fund deposits totaled $3.1 b illion at March 31, 2018, up $67.7 million, or 2% fr om December 31, 2017 and up $512.7 million, or 20%, compared to March 31, 2017.  Time deposits other than public funds totaled $3.1 billion at March 31, 2018 up $365 .0 million from De cember 31 , 2017, which i ncl udes an increase in brokered CD s of $345 .1 million.

Short-Term Borrowings

At March 31, 2018, short-term borrowings totaled $1.5 billion, down $251.8 million from December 31, 2017, a s FHLB borrowings decreased $149.6 million, and fed eral funds purchased decreased $ 114.8 million .  Short-term borrowings decreased $669.8 million from March 31, 2017 .

A verage short-term borrowings of $1.8 billion in the f irst quarter of 2018 were up $59.8 million, or 3% , compared to the fourth quarter of 2017, and down $304 .2 million, or 14% , co mpared to the first quarter of 2017 . Customer repurchase agreements and FHLB borrowings are the major sources of short-term borrowings. Customer repurchase agreements are offered mainly to commercial customers to assist them with their cash management str ategies or to provide a temporary investment vehicle for their excess liquidity pending redeployment for corporate or investment purposes. While customer repurchase agreements provide a recurring source of funds to the Bank, the amounts available over time can be volatile.  FHLB borrowings are funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank that are collateralized by single family and commercial real estate loans incl uded in the B ank’s loan portfolio, subject to specific criteria.

Long- T erm Debt

At March 31, 2018, long-term debt totaled $300 .4 million, down $5 .1 million from December 31, 2017. The Company was in compliance with all contractual covenants, as amended, related to long-term debt as of March 31, 2018.

52


OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

Loan Commitments and Letters of Credit

In the normal course of business, the Bank enters into financial instruments, such as commitments to extend credit and letters of credit, to meet the financing needs of their customers.  Such instruments are not reflected in the accompanying consolidated financial statements until they are funded, although they expose the Bank to varying degrees of credit risk and interest rate risk in much the same way as funded loans. Under regulatory capital guidelines, the Company and Bank must include unfunded commitments meeting certain criteria in risk-weighted capital calculation s .

Commitments to extend credit include revolving commercial credit lines, nonrevolving loan commitments issued mainly to finance the acquisition and development or construction of real property or equipment, and credit card and personal credit lines.  The availability of funds under commercial credit lines and loan commitments generally depends on whether the borrower continues to meet credit standards established in the underlying contract and has not violated other contractual conditions.  Loan commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee by the borrower.  Credit card and personal credit lines are generally subject to cancellation if the borrower’s credit quality deteriorates.  A number of commercial and personal credit lines are used only partially or, in some cases, not at all before they expire, and the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements of the Company.

A substantial majority of the letters of credit are standby agreements that obligate the Bank to fulfill a customer’s financial commitments to a third party if the customer is unable to perform.  The Bank issues standby letters of credit primarily to provide credit enhancement to its customers’ other commercial or public financing arrangements and to help them demonstrate financial capacity to vendors of essential goods and services.

The contract amounts of these instruments reflect the Company's exposure to credit risk.  The Company undertakes the same credit evaluation in making loan commitments and assuming conditional obligations as it does for on-balance sheet instruments and may require collateral or other credit support.

The following table shows the commitments to extend credit and letters of credit at March 31, 2018 according to expiration date.











Expiration Date





Less than

1-3

3-5

More than

(in thousands)

Total

1 year

years

years

5 years

Commitments to extend credit

$

6,962,514

$

2,859,578

$

1,612,277

$

1,224,069

$

1,266,590

Letters of credit

344,045

295,753

44,361

3,799

132

Total

$

7,306,559

$

3,155,331

$

1,656,638

$

1,227,868

$

1,266,722



CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

There were no material changes or developments with respect to methodologies that the Company uses when applying what management believes are critical accounting policies and developing critical accounting estimates as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and with those generally practiced within the banking industry which require management to make estimates and assumptions about future events. Estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, and the resulting estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of certain assets and liabilities not readily apparent from other sources.  Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.



NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Refer to Note 15 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this report.

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Ite m 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Company’s net incom e is materially dependent on net interest income.  The Company’s primary market risk is interest rate risk which stems from uncertainty with respect to absolute and relative levels of future market interest rates that affect financial produ cts and services.  In order to manage the exposure s to interest rate risk, manageme nt measures the sensitivity of net interest income and cash flows under various market interest rate scenarios, establishes interest rate risk management policies , and implements asset/liability management strategies designed to produce a relatively stable net interest margin under varying rate environments.

The Company measures its interest rate sensitivity primarily by running various net interest income simulations.  The Company’s balance sheet is asset sensitive over a two-year period due to a larger volume of rate sensitive assets than rate sensitive liabilities .  The model measures annual net interest income sensitivity relative to a base case scenario and incorporates assumptions regarding balance sheet growth and the mix of earning assets and funding sources as well as pricing, repricing and maturity characteristics of the existing and projected balance sheet.

The table below presents the results of simulations run as of March 31, 2018 for year 1 and year 2, assuming the indicated instantaneous and sustained parallel shift in the yield curve at the measurement date. The results demonstrate an increase in net interest income as rates rise and a decline should rates fall as compared to the stable rate environment assumed for the base case.









Estimated Increase



(Decrease) in NII

Change in Interest Rates

Year 1

Year 2

(basis points)

- 100

(1.36)

%

(2.79)

%

+100

1.91

%

2.53

%

+200

3.43

%

4.41

%

+300

4.62

%

5.68

%



No te: Decrease in interest rates limited to 100 basis points in the current rate environment

The foregoing disclosures related to our market risk should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements, related notes and management’s discussion and analysis included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .

Item 4. Co ntrols and Procedures

In connection with the preparation of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, an evaluation was carried out by the Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act).  Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of March 31, 2018, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, identified no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three month period ended March 31, 2018 , that has materially affected, or is reasonably l ikely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.



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PART II .  OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1 .   Legal Proceedings

The Company, including subsidiaries, is party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business.  We do not believe that loss contingencies, if any, arising from pending litigation and regulatory matters will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or liquidity.

Item 1A .  Risk Factors

The Company disclosed risk factors in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 .  The risks described may not be the only risks facing us.  Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that are currently considered to not be material also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and/or operating results. The following risk factor regarding cybersecurity matters has been included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in response to the SEC’s Statement and Guidance on Public Company Cybersecurity Disclosures published on February 26, 2018.



Our operational and communications systems and infrastructure may fail or may be the subject of a breach or cyber-attack that, if successful, could adversely affect our business and disrupt business continuity.



We depend on our ability to process, record and monitor a large number of client transactions and to communicate with clients and other institutions on a continuous basis. As client, industry, public and regulatory expectations regarding operational and information security have increased, our operational systems and infrastructure continue to be safeguarded and monitored for p otential failures, disruptions and breakdowns, whether as a result of events beyond our control or otherwise.



Our business, financial, accounting, data processing, or other operating systems and facilities may stop operating properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control. For example, there could be sudden increases in client transaction volume; electrical or telecommunications outages; natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes; disease pandemics; events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; occurrences of employee error, fraud, or malfeasance; and, as described below, cyber-attacks.



Although we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, our operations and communications may be adversely affected by significant and widespread disruption to our systems and infrastructure that support our businesses and clients. While we continue to evolve and modify our business continuity plans, there can be no assurance in an escalating threat environment that they will be effective in avoiding disruption and business impacts. Our insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for all resulting losses, and the cost to obtain adequate coverage may increase for us or the industry.



Security risks for financial institutions such as ours have dramatically increased in recent years , in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication, resources and activities of hackers, terrorists, activists, organized crime, and other external parties, including nation state actors. In addition, clients may use devices or software to access our products and services that are beyond our control environment, which may provide additional avenues for attackers to gain access to confidential information. Although we have information security procedures and controls in place, our technologies, systems, networks, and clients’ devices and software may become the target of cyber-attacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, m onitoring, misuse, loss, change or de struction of our or our clients’ confidential, proprietary and other information (including personal identifying information of individuals), or otherwi se disrupt our or our clients’ or other third parties’ business operations. Other U.S. financial institutions and financial service companies have reported breaches in the security of their websites or other systems, including attempts to shut down access to their networks and systems in an attempt to extract compensation from them to regain control. Financial institutions have experienced distributed denial-of-service attacks, a sophisticated and targeted attack intended to disable or degrade internet service or to sabotage systems.



We and others in our industry are regularly the subject of attempts by attackers to gain unauthorized access to our networks, systems, and data, or to obtain, change, or destroy confidential data (including personal identifying information of individuals) through a variety of means, including computer viruses, malware, and phishing. In the future, these attacks may result in unauthorized individuals obtaining access to our confidential information or that of our clients, or otherwise accessing, damaging, or disrupting our systems or infrastructure.



We are continuously en hancing our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our sys tems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized access. This continued enhancement will require us to expend additional resources, including to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities that may be detected. Despite our ongoing investments in security resources, talent, and business practices, we are unable to assure that security measures will be effective.

If our systems and infrastructure were to be breached, damaged, or disrupted, or if we were to experience a loss of our confidential information or that of our clients, we could be subject to serious negative consequences, including disruption of our operations,

55


damage to our reputation, a loss of trust in us on the part of our clients, vendors or other counterparties, client attrition, reimbursement or other costs, increased compliance costs, significant litigation exposure and legal liability, or regulatory fines, penalties or intervention. Any of these could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, our financial condition, and/or our share price.

Item 2 .  Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Item 6 .  Exhibits

(a)  Exhibits :













































56


SIG NATURES



Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.







Hancock Holding Company





By:

/s/ John M. Hairston



John M. Hairston



President & Chief Executive Officer



(Principal Executive Officer)





/s/ Michael M. Achary



Michael M. Achary



Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Date: May 8, 2018











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