For the past five years, Courtney Martin has been working her way up the ranks in banking. She now holds the position as the lead of the Picayune branch of Southern Bancorp.

At only 25, Martin has worked hard, not just as a banker, but as a mother, wife and full-time student.

She started her banking career a little more than 5 years ago as a part-time teller after a friend spoke highly of the profession.

After a year, she was promoted to the title of universal banker. She worked in that capacity until she was promoted again to personal banker about a year and a half later. In February of this year, she took over as Southern Bancorp’s consumer loan officer.

Not only does she manage a staff of three bank professionals, she can also help customers secure any type of loan or open an account.

When she’s not at work, she’s earning a bachelors degree in international business with a minor in marketing or spending time with her husband and their son.

She plans to use that degree to help the bank grow and help market her family’s local jewelry business.

As a loan officer, she enjoys helping the community by providing them with financial assistance in the form of loans, accounts and valuable information about budgeting and other tips.

Originally from Pascagoula, Martin moved to Pearl River County in 2011. She enjoys singing, fishing, spending time with family and learning about other cultures. She says the person who influenced her the most in life is her father, Robert Williams. She is also a member of the Exchange Club of Picayune and Picayune Rotary Club.

Southern Bancorp is a regional bank with 43 branches in Arkansas and Mississippi.

According to the company’s website, “Thirty years ago, some of rural America’s most underserved and distressed communities gained an economic development partner when visionaries such as Bill Clinton, Rob Walton, Mack McLarty, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and others formed the Southern Development Bank Corporation, today known as Southern Bancorp.”

Picayune’s branch opened in 2010.

In addition to offering loans and accounts, Southern Bancorp also provides additional services to its customers. Martin said that next year the Picayune branch will offer the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which provides free tax preparation services to customers who make $54,000 or less annually.

Martin said customers can also participate in the license plate game, where they can possibly win $130 for displaying a Southern Bancorp license plate holder on their vehicle.

The Picayune branch employs four people full time. Operating hours are Monday through Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m. for the drive through window and 9 a.m. for the lobby. Those days the bank closes at 4 p.m. On Friday the bank opens at the usual hours, but closes at 5:30 p.m. It is closed Saturday and Sunday. 

Southern Bancorp in Picayune can be reached at 601-799-4320 and is located at 9 Lakeshore Dr., Carriere.