Merchants and Marine Bank expands into Louisiana

• The Mississippi Coast financial institution has acquired Mississippi River Bank in Belle Chase, expanding its footprint into Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish and the West Bank.

Pascagoula-based Merchants and Marine Bank, better known as M and M Bank, announced on Thursday that the company had completed its acquisition of Mississippi River Bank out of Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

The acquisition, which was effective with the close of business on April 10, 2024, expands the M and M’s operations into the growing Plaquemines Parish and West Bank communities in Louisiana.

According to a statement from M and M Bank, Mississippi River Bank will continue to serve clients under its existing branding as “Mississippi River Bank, a Division of Merchants & Marine Bank.”

Local executives are also staying on board. Mississippi River Bank’s Mike Bush and Lisa Works will be the Divisional Chief Executive Officer and Mississippi River Bank Divisional President / Chief Operations Officer, respectively. All remaining members of the Mississippi River Bank team have also been retained, with some joining M and M’s bank services division, Community of Resources.

The acquisition results in consolidated assets of approximately $794 million, gross loans of approximately $449 million, and deposits of approximately $617 million (unaudited totals excluding merger-related adjustments). M and M Bank now has six unique companies operating in diversified niches throughout the Southeast.