Hancock Holding Co. of Gulfport, Miss., has won all federal approvals to acquire Whitney Holding Corp. in New Orleans, setting the stage for the deal to close on June 4.
The $1.5 billion-deal, announced in December, would create a $20 billion-asset company with more than 300 branches stretching from Florida to Texas.
The Whitney name is not going away, however. The newly merged bank will operate under the Hancock banner in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi and under the Whitney brand Louisiana and Texas, states where Whitney's name is better known.