LAFAYETTE, La., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MidSouth Bank President and CEO Rusty Cloutier was invited back to Capitol Hill to testify on Tuesday, March 17, before the House Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy. A live webcast of "Too Big To Fail?: The Role of Antitrust Law in Government-Funded Consolidation in the Banking Industry" will be available at 1 p.m. (CT) via the House Judiciary Committee's website at http://www.judiciary.house.gov/. The hearing takes place in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building. Representing the Independent Community Bankers of America, Cloutier will continue to voice his opinion that excessive financial concentration was instrumental in creating the current financial crisis. He will recommend bold and immediate action to deal with the systemic risk this concentration has created. "Those deteriorating major banks today control 60 to 64 percent of the nation's assets," Cloutier said. "The only way to maintain a vibrant banking system where small and large institutions are able to compete fairly, and where taxpayers are protected, is for Congress to immediately address that concentration with emphasis on breaking up those institutions that pose a risk to our entire economy." Cloutier returns to Capitol Hill two weeks after his March 4 appearance before the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, where he testified on "TARP Oversight: Is TARP Working for Main Street?" About MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Lafayette, La., with total assets of $936.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2008. Through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, MidSouth Bank, N.A., the Company offers complete banking services to commercial and retail customers in south Louisiana and southeast Texas. It has 34 locations in Louisiana and Texas and more than 170 ATMs. The group is community oriented and focuses primarily on offering commercial and consumer loan and deposit services to individuals, and small and middle market businesses. Established in 1985, MidSouth Bank has 27 offices extending along the Interstate 10 corridor in south Louisiana located in Lafayette (9), Baton Rouge (3), New Iberia (3), Lake Charles (2), Sulphur, Jeanerette, Jennings, Thibodaux, Larose, Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, Morgan City and Houma. Additionally, the Company has seven full-service offices in the southeast region of Texas, including Houston, Beaumont (3), Vidor, College Station and Conroe. It also has a mortgage loan center in Conroe. MidSouth Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NYSE Alternext Exchange under the symbol MSL. DATASOURCE: MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. CONTACT: Rusty Cloutier, President and CEO, +1-337-962-9900, or Alex Calicchia, Chief Marketing Officer, +1-337-593-3008, both of MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. Web Site: http://www.judiciary.house.gov/

Copyright