BancorpSouth, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi with approximately $10.2 billion in assets. BancorpSouth operates approximately 250 commercial banking, insurance, trust and broker/dealer locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

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BancorpSouth Announces Earnings of $0.49 per Diluted Share for Second Quarter 2008 
TUPELO, Miss., July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BancorpSouth, Inc. (NYSE: BXS) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2008.
Highlights of the announcement include:
-- Growth of 14.0 percent in earnings per diluted share to $0.49 for the second quarter of 2008 from the second quarter of 2007.
-- Continued solid loan demand reflected in a 5.7 percent increase in loans for the second quarter of 2008 from the second quarter of 2007 and 2.7 percent growth sequentially from the first quarter of 2008.
-- Maintaining the Company's net interest margin at 3.79 percent for the second consecutive quarter, the highest level achieved in over five years.
-- An increase of 3.0 percent in net interest revenue for the second quarter of 2008 from the second quarter of 2007.
-- Strong credit quality, despite some deterioration in nonperforming loans and net charge-offs. Nonperforming loans at the end of the second quarter of 2008 totaled 0.49 percent of net loans and annualized net charge-offs for the second quarter of 2008 were 0.30 percent of average loans.
-- A 21.6 percent increase in noninterest revenue over the second quarter of 2007 to a record $73.3 million, including growth in insurance commission revenue of 21.5 percent compared to the second quarter of 2007, the second consecutive quarter of growth in insurance commission revenue in excess of 20 percent.
-- The declaration of a 4.8 percent increase in the Company's quarterly cash dividend to $0.22 per share, making 2008 the 25th consecutive year in which the dividend has been increased.
-- An 8.2 percent increase in shareholders' equity and a 1.4 percent increase in total assets at the end of the second quarter of 2008 from the end of the second quarter of 2007, driving BancorpSouth's capital to asset ratio to 9.21 percent from 8.63 percent.
Second Quarter 2008 Summary Results
BancorpSouth's net income for the second quarter of 2008 increased 11.8 percent to $40.1 million from $35.9 million for the second quarter of 2007. Net income per diluted share for the second quarter of 2008 increased 14.0 percent to $0.49 from $0.43 for the second quarter of 2007.
"We are pleased with BancorpSouth's financial performance for the second quarter of 2008," remarked Aubrey Patterson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BancorpSouth. "At a time when many peers within our markets and across the nation have struggled with growth, credit quality and liquidity issues, BancorpSouth's second quarter results are again differentiated by solid growth in loans, a relatively high net interest margin, growth in net interest revenue, strength in both credit quality and capital and ample sources of liquidity. In addition, our long-term strategy of diversifying our revenue through growth in noninterest revenue continues to achieve outstanding results, contributing to our ongoing progress in improving our operating efficiency.
"BancorpSouth is not immune to the challenges the banking industry has been experiencing, as reflected by the slight deterioration in our measures of credit quality during the second quarter of 2008. While the movement in these measures was more substantial compared to the unusual and unsustainably strong levels at the end of the second quarter of 2007, they remained well within the range of our historical experience. more

BancorpSouth Announces Earnings of $0.43 per Diluted Share for First Quarter 2008 
TUPELO, Miss., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BancorpSouth, Inc. (NYSE: BXS) today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008.
    Highlights of the announcement include:
    -- An increase in net interest revenue of 11.6 percent to $110.1 million
       for the first quarter of 2008, the third consecutive quarter of double-
       digit growth from the comparable period in the prior year.
    -- The expansion of net interest margin to 3.79 percent for the quarter,
       the highest level in five years.
    -- A 13.5 percent increase in noninterest revenue over the first quarter
       of 2007 to $66.2 million.
    -- Strong credit quality, despite some deterioration in nonperforming
       loans, annualized net charge-offs and allowance for credit losses in
       the current economic cycle.
    -- Growth in insurance commission revenue of 24.6 percent compared to the
       first quarter of 2007, primarily reflecting the third quarter 2007
       acquisition of the Insurance Network of Jonesboro, Arkansas, as well as
       the acquisitions in the first quarter of 2008 of the Joe Max
       Green/Insurance Concepts Insurance Agency headquartered in Nacogdoches,
       Texas, and an insurance broker in Springfield, Missouri.
    -- The origination of $280.7 million in mortgages for the first quarter of
       2008, an increase of 70.0 percent from the first quarter of 2007 and
       30.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007.
    -- A $1.1 million reversal of a portion of a prior charge related to a
       guarantee of Visa's obligations for certain litigation matters and a
       $2.8 million gain related to the sale of shares of Visa common stock in
       connection with its initial public stock offering.
    -- Further strengthening of BancorpSouth's capital structure reflected by
       an 8.7 percent increase in shareholders' equity at the end of the first
       quarter of 2008 from the end of the first quarter of 2007.
       BancorpSouth's equity to asset ratio was 9.30% at March 31, 2008

    First Quarter 2008 Summary Results
The Company's net income for the first quarter of 2008 increased 4.7 percent to $35.1 million from $33.6 million for the first quarter of 2007. Net income per diluted share for the first quarter of 2008 increased 2.4 percent to $0.43 from $0.42 for the first quarter of 2007.
"BancorpSouth performed well for the first quarter in a challenging economic environment," said Aubrey Patterson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BancorpSouth. "We produced double-digit growth in both net interest revenue and noninterest revenue, while achieving further improvement in operating efficiency. In addition to funding moderate loan growth, our asset/liability management strategies drove the second consecutive quarterly increase in our net interest margin to the highest level since the first quarter of 2003. BancorpSouth's credit quality and capital structure remain strong, and we have maintained ample sources of liquidity.
"As our expanding insurance business demonstrates, we continue to execute our long-term growth strategy throughout the economic cycle. The acquisition of two insurance agencies in the first quarter of 2008 follows our proven strategy of aligning with market-leading providers. We expect them to strengthen our presence in a number of attractive growth markets and to provide our initial entry into others. We also opened five full-service banking locations during the first quarter as we expanded operations in growing markets within our eight-state franchise."
Net Interest Revenue
Interest revenue for the first quarter of 2008 increased 1.8 percent, or $3.3 million, to $190.5 million from $187.1 million for the first quarter of 2007 and decreased 6.4 percent from $203.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2007. Interest expense decreased 9.1 percent, or $8.1 million, to $80.4 million for the first quarter of 2008 from $88.5 million for the first quarter of 2007 and decreased 14.4 percent from $93.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2007.
The average taxable equivalent yield on earning assets decreased to 6.50 percent for the first quarter of 2008 from 6.85 percent for the first quarter of 2007 and from 6.84 percent for the fourth quarter of 2007. The average rate paid on interest bearing liabilities was 3.19 percent for the first quarter of 2008, down from 3.80 percent for the first quarter of 2007 and 3.68 percent for the fourth quarter of 2007.
Net interest revenue increased 11.6 percent to $110.1 million for the first quarter of 2008 from $98.7 million for the first quarter of 2007 and increased 0.4 percent from $109.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2007. Net interest margin increased to 3.79 percent for the first quarter of 2008 compared with 3.66 percent for the first quarter of 2007 and 3.72 percent for the fourth quarter of 2007.
Patterson commented, "In a declining interest rate environment and with moderate loan growth, our asset/liability management initiatives produced an increase in net interest margin for the second consecutive quarter. We expanded interest revenue by continuing to fund loan growth primarily with proceeds from maturing lower yielding investment securities and short-term borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB). Our investment portfolio also experienced a slight increase in yield for the quarter.