Rafferty Returns To Whitney Bank
NEW ORLEANS — Seasoned Louisiana and Texas commercial banking executive Kevin Rafferty is back at Whitney Bank. With senior banking experience spanning almost 40 years in major MSAs such as New Orleans, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Dallas, Rafferty will be the executive vice president responsible for business development in Whitney’s Greater New Orleans and Houston markets.
Rafferty will work closely with local executives and bankers to help drive revenue growth that enhances value for clients, shareholders, and the bank.
According to New Orleans native and Whitney Bank President Joseph S. Exnicios, Rafferty’s deep, broad experience and strong understanding of local business climates complement the make-up of local banking teams and further energize Whitney’s growth strategy in southern Louisiana and Texas.
“Kevin Rafferty and I grew our careers together at Whitney Bank,” said Exnicios, a Whitney officer since 1978. “He knows Whitney’s culture of core values and has an extraordinary talent for helping clients build ground-up business plans for the life cycle of the business—plans that have led many of those companies to become nationally recognized leaders in their respective industries. We are very pleased to add him back to our Louisiana and Texas banking team.”
Rafferty was a Whitney senior vice president managing middle market banking growth for 27 years. In addition to his Whitney service, Rafferty held bank leadership roles responsible for business development in Washington, D.C., Houston, and Dallas.
“I’ve always respected Whitney Bank for the organization’s longstanding commitment to people and the communities the bank serves,” Rafferty said. For seven years, I followed opportunities that helped me expand experiences and expertise I believe will benefit the bank and our clients. Whitney is a strong institution with a clear vision and the capacity to innovate and grow with our clients. That impressed me and brought me back home to Whitney.”
Rafferty said Whitney’s footprint includes some of the country’s most dynamic economic hubs. He believes Greater New Orleans, southwest Louisiana, and Houston are especially fertile business growth markets.
“Many of our local markets affected by the recent energy cycle have incredibly strong, diverse business arenas reinforced by many sectors outside of the oil industry—commercial and industrial growth, real estate opportunities, healthcare, education, and solid small business expansion,” Rafferty said. “These markets are ripe with new opportunities for our clients and the bank.”
The Tulane University alumnus holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance. He is also a recognized business and civic leader in New Orleans and Houston. Rafferty currently serves on the national board of directors for Rebuilding Together, a leading national non-profit organization with 146 affiliate chapters helping transform the lives of low-income homeowners by rehabilitating the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing their communities.
Since the late 1800s, the Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank names have embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, bank rep said. Part of Hancock Holding Company’s Gulf South financial services family, Hancock Bank locations in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and Whitney Bank locations in Louisiana and Texas provide comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; certain insurance services; and mortgage services, bank reps said.
