Tim Coop, Tampa Bay Regional President, Hancock Whitney

August 2026 —In an interview with Invest:, Tim Coop, Regional President of Hancock Whitney in Tampa Bay, discussed how the bank is expanding in Tampa Bay and Central Florida, navigating economic uncertainty, embracing AI as a business tool, serving its communities, and delivering One Bank to clients through every phase of their life cycle. “For our bankers, it means doing a lot of listening — understanding a client’s business, industry and long-term goals, and then thoughtfully introducing the right specialists when the time is right. It’s a relationship manager-driven model, and our clients feel that difference,” said Coop.

What external changes over the past year most impacted Hancock Whitney?

The biggest external factor was tariffs and the uncertainty around how they would affect our client base. Even U.S. manufacturers aren’t immune as many import components, so the impact  was broader than some expected. More recently we’ve had more uncertainty introduced with the Iran War and the impact on oil prices and global commerce. That said, in both cases, the economy proved far more resilient than a lot of people anticipated, and I think that speaks to how diversified and adaptable it is. Expectations around interest rates were another major factor.

One thing I’ve learned is don’t bet on conventional wisdom when it comes to rates — it’s often wrong. Position yourself for either outcome and don’t be too confident you know where rates are headed.  As an aside, I should mention that we offer interest rate risk management tools such as swaps and options that allow our clients to minimize or eliminate interest rate risk.

How is Hancock Whitney evolving its commercial banking strategy to better support clients?

Hancock Whitney is a $36 billion bank, not small by any measure, but also not so big as to be unmanageable and impersonal. Having worked at much larger institutions, I can say we have the sophistication and breadth of products to compete with the biggest banks, but we approach the market with tenured bankers and local executives who have real decision-making authority. I’m out with clients frequently, and our regional presidents are empowered to act. We combine the product depth of a large bank with the feel and responsiveness of a community bank.

We call our approach “One Bank” —  which means seamlessly delivering the breadth of Hancock Whitney’s personal and business solution sets to our clients. For our bankers, it means doing a lot of listening, understanding a client’s business, industry and long-term goals, and then thoughtfully introducing the rightspecialists when the time is right. It’s a relationship manager-driven model, and our clients feel that difference.

A highlight of 2025 was our acquisition of Sabal Trust, based in St. Petersburg with offices in Sarasota, Tampa and the Villages. This geometrically expanded our wealth client base here in Tampa Bay and Central Florida, and when you pair that with the deeper product offerings Hancock Whitney already had, there’s significant value to be unlocked for clients. Bryant Jones, who was CEO of Sabal Trust, now manages private banking and wealth management for the entire company. That kind of merit-based approach to merger integration reflects who we are as an organization. Here in Tampa Bay, we added several wholesale bankers in 2025, and have continued that hiring in 2026.  

What key trends and challenges are shaping your strategy in regional banking?

AI is the trend everyone is talking about, and rightfully so. It has applications across virtually every business. We’re using it internally to make our bankers sharper, particularly for industry research. If a relationship manager is preparing for a prospect meeting, having AI as a tool is genuinely powerful. I also believe our clients that are embracing AI to make their teams more productive and insightful will be the ones that thrive long term.

Consolidation has re-emerged as regulatory headwinds under the prior administration have now become tailwinds. We plan to continue to participate, and in fact in May announced an exciting deal with One Florida Bank of Orlando, which is an ideal fit in terms of client base and culture.  This will give us a presence we’ve been lacking in the high growth Orlando market and also adds significantly to our talent pool.  With Sabal Trust, this is two deals for us in Florida within the past year.

Labor remains a challenge for many of our clients. A trained workforce is essential to a thriving economic hub, and we’re seeing real initiatives develop around that here in the region. There’s also a growing recognition that the trades offer meaningful, well-compensated careers — not everyone needs a white-collar path, and that shift in thinking is healthy. 

Transportation infrastructure is another challenge Tampa Bay still needs to solve, particularly as we strive to continue attracting businesses to the region.

How is Hancock Whitney engaging with the Tampa Bay community?

Community involvement is genuinely in our DNA. I currently serve on three boards, including the St. Pete Chamber Board of Trustees and the Ruth Eckerd Hall Board of Trustees, and we encourage  our employees to get involved in causes that personally resonate with them. When an employee joins a board, we back that commitment with meaningful sponsorships of those organizations.

On the formal community development side, our Community Development Officer here in Tampa Bay focuses primarily on affordable housing and financial literacy. We’ve worked with the CDC of Tampa, Habitat organizations, food banks and others, and we provide grant funding annually to numerous nonprofits. We also have a credit culture that makes it easier to get well-structured loans approved for reputable nonprofits than at some other institutions I’ve worked at. We believe it’s the right thing to do for our  communities.

Disaster response is another dimension of our commitment. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, our Gulfport headquarters building was essentially destroyed, and we opened a makeshift branch two days later out of a repossessed RV — handing out $500 in cash to anyone who could sign an IOU, whether they were a client or not. After Hurricane Milton, we sent an 18-wheeler full of ice, water and food to Anna Maria Island, and for four days we distributed supplies to residents. We also lent fuel trucks to area hospitals so their employees could get to work. Feeling a responsibility to be there for our communities immediately after a storm or disaster is a core part of our culture.

What are your key goals and priorities for the next two to three years?

First, we want to make sure we fully optimize the Sabal Trust integration and serve those clients well. Second, we want to get the One Florida Bank deal closed, make sure we’re welcoming their team and clients with open arms, and bringing the full value of our combined capabilities to bear for all of our clients. Third, we’re continuing to hire tenured, experienced bankers with deep roots in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida market. Banking is complex, and we prioritize technical expertise paired with strong relationship skills over a pure sales skill set.  Finally, you’ll see selective de-novo retail expansion to better round out our market presences.

Simply put, our goal is to be the best bank for privately held businesses in every market we serve.  I believe we do this by executing on our One Bank model for clients during every phase, from early stage financing, through growth and equipment purchases, perhaps acquisition financing and, eventually business transition planning and investment management that safeguards and grows the wealth they’ve worked so hard for.

Our wealth management and private banking team offers business transition planning to help business owners pass on or monetize what they’ve built in the most tax-efficient way. The goal is to be with our clients from the beginning and throughout their lives. That’s what being the best bank for privately held business means to us, and continuing to grow our client base in Tampa Bay and Central Florida is our highest priority.