Ruleville bank celebrates 100 years in business. (Regional: Delta & River Cities).(Delta Southern Bank)

RULEVILLE -- In the 100 years Delta Southern Bank, formerly Bank of Ruleville, has been open, they've only closed their doors on two business days, and that was during the Great Depression.

The Ruleville Chamber of Commerce honored the bank, which ranks among the country's oldest businesses, at the chamber's annual banquet for the bank's 100 years of service to the community. The bank will officially reach its 100th birthday on Nov. 19, 2002. A plaque presented by the chamber to Delta Southern chairman. Lawson Holladay reads "Delta Southern Bank in Appreciation and Recognition for 100 Years of Service and Support to the Ruleville Community."

"My dad went to work for the bank in 1940 so I wish he was here to see this," said Holladay, an attorney with Townsend, McWilliams and Holladay, which has offices in Drew and Indianola. Holladay's father spent 51 years of his life working at the bank. "It's more than a business to me," Holladay said. "I have personal feelings involved."

Chamber president Elise Jenkins, who presented the plaque to Holladay, said it means a lot to have access to a bank in a rural area.

"It says a lot for them and for our town," Jenkins said. "It says a lot about the bank's leadership and our town's stability."

Delta Southern Bank is one of only two certified development financial institutions in the state, meaning that it operates in a depressed economic area. The bank operates branch offices in Drew, Friars Point, Lambert, Lula and Sledge.

Delta Southern president and CEO George Purcell said when Bank of Ruleville became a subsidiary of Southern Development Bancorporation (SDB) last year and combined with Delta Bank and Trust, it was to be able to offer larger loans and more services to its customers. SDB is a $350-million development banking organization with offices in Mississippi and Arkansas. Before Delta Southern was purchased by SDB, it was a $19 million bank. Today the bank has $55 million in assets.