Day: November 18, 2008

Rest in Peace Leo Seal (Updated)

I mentioned last night he needed prayers (H/T Steve). Today he has been called home. Business people like Uncle Leo are born, not made and are a very rare breed. Though he slowed down a bit in his later years his passing leaves a huge void in the Gulf Coast business community.

Update

Hancock Bank has issued a press release on the passing of Leo Seal:

An icon of Gulf South banking is gone, according to an announcement by Hancock Holding Company (Nasdaq:HBHC) senior executives. However, his legacy — an extraordinary six decades of visionary business, economic, civic, and philanthropic leadership — continues to sustain the financial services company that he led for almost three-fourths of his remarkable career.

Leo W. Seal, Jr., succeeded his father as president of Gulfport-based Hancock Bank in 1963 and continued to serve as president of Hancock Holding Company, parent company of Hancock Bank, until his death last night following an extended illness. He was 84.

“Ensuring value for Hancock Bank’s shareholders and customers and facilitating opportunities for the Gulf South remained foremost in Leo Seal’s every business decision during the past 60 years. Continue reading “Rest in Peace Leo Seal (Updated)”

Insurance and Affordable Housing: Habitat Homes Going Unused on the Coast

What happens when sky high insurance costs meets charity at the corner of Captured Regulator Blvd and Price Gouging Way? Easy, affordable houses go unused. AP reporter Sheila Byrd has the story for the Sun Herald along with quotes from our own Captured Regulator Mike Chaney who admits insurance rates have gone up and stayed up, despite his earlier proclamations on that subject. (No word yet if he has bothered to reply to the United Poloicyholders Inquiry – somehow I doubt it.) Belated H/T to Editilla at the Ladder.

In four states along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, Habitat for Humanity came with a mission to build hundreds of homes during a spring blitz so people pushed into poverty after Katrina would have the chance to own a home.

Many of the dozens of completed houses in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama are occupied or will soon be dedicated. But not in Mississippi, where only six of the 30 homes are filled. Continue reading “Insurance and Affordable Housing: Habitat Homes Going Unused on the Coast”