For More Information
Paul Maxwell, Senior Communications Officer
800.448.8812 or paul.maxwell@hancockwhitney.com
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 18, 2026)—When Hancock Whitney Bank and Sabal Trust Company came together in early 2025, investors and clients watched closely and optimistically to see what would happen as one of America’s strongest, safest banks and Florida’s largest employee-owned independent trust company melded both institutions’ exceptional expertise and service into one superior wealth management organization. At the time, the transaction expanded Hancock Whitney’s trust and asset management portfolio by approximately $3 billion and added some of the industry’s most experienced wealth professionals to Hancock Whitney’s highly regarded private wealth management team.
Now, one year after Hancock Whitney acquired Sabal Trust Company, results of the union speak volumes. Hancock Whitney’s wealth management portfolio topped $49 billion in assets under management and administration, as of March 31, 2026. Additionally, recent strategic leadership alignments further boost the value of Hancock Whitney’s comprehensive one-stop financial services approach in serving high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients across a business footprint spanning all five Gulf Coast states.
“When Hancock Whitney and Sabal Trust brought together our organizations, that transaction represented our ongoing commitment to bringing together under one bank the wealth management, commercial banking, and consumer banking guidance and services our clients need to succeed. As we continue to grow, we’re developing new leadership opportunities for seasoned members of our team to reinforce the strength, stability, integrity, and service core to our company for more than 125 years,” said Hancock Whitney Chief Wealth Management Officer Miles Milton.
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Milton said Bryant Jones, the former president and CEO of Sabal Trust in Florida, now serves as Hancock Whitney Director of Private Wealth Management. Jones is responsible for all private wealth offices operating in Hancock Whitney’s five-state footprint. His proven leadership success in the wealth management arena includes serving as Chief Administrative Officer of Atlanta, Georgia, based Reliance Trust. |
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Working with Jones, Travis Brown, CFA, a 15-year associate of Sabal Trust who recently led the firm’s largest market in St. Petersburg, Florida, oversees private wealth management in Hancock Whitney’s Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota, Florida, markets. Holding the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, Brown brings extensive investments and wealth advisory experience and skills to the group. |
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Tim Willard, another Sabal Trust veteran with more than 20 years of commercial banking and wealth leadership, heads up private wealth management in Central and North Florida, including Tampa, The Villages, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Bay County, Destin, and Pensacola. Before joining Sabal Trust, Willard served as the executive facilitating sales and integration of Merrill Lynch with Bank of America.
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“The depth and breadth of experience, expertise, and client insights Bryant Jones, Travis Brown, and Tim Willard have contributed to Hancock Whitney’s private wealth management division demonstrate the extraordinary level of expertise consistent throughout Hancock Whitney’s wealth management organization. As they move forward in their new leadership roles, we look toward opportunities to expand in Florida and other key markets in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas,” added Milton.
Hancock Whitney currently operates under a charter established in 1899 and serves major markets in each of the contiguous states creating the Gulf Coast crescent. Wealth management experts and services are available at the bank’s corporate and regional headquarters complexes as well as more than 180 financial centers in those five states.
BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and analysis firms, recently rated Hancock Whitney as one of America’s most financially sound banks for the 146th consecutive quarter.
Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, and Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.