The Board of Directors at Merchants & Farmers Bank has announced that Ken Hughes, President & CEO of Merchants & Farmers Bank, is retiring after 52 years of service to Merchants & Farmers and the communities we serve.

A retirement reception will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, from 12-1 p.m., at the Main Office of Merchants & Farmers Bank, 501 South 5th Street in Leesville. All friends and well-wishers are welcome to attend.

As vice president in the early 1990’s Hughes directed the development of the bank’s website, one of the
first by a Louisiana financial institution. He began with the bank as a summer employee in the 1970’s
working in the bookkeeping department, and he served in every sector of the bank over the course of his career.

Hughes has served as CEO and President of Merchants & Farmers since 2002 and during that time led
the bank’s strategic development, introducing technology that has included mobile and online banking
services, digital wallets, multi-function debit and credit cards, and remote deposit.

In May of 2021, the Board named CEO and President Hughes, a 40-year veteran of the bank and
25-year Board member, as the new Chairman of the Board. Hughes continued as CEO and President of the bank.

In the 52 years that Hughes has served Merchants & Farmers, the Leesville-based, 97-year-old institution has grown from $18 million to more than $500 million and expanded to nine locations throughout western and southwestern Louisiana.

Ken has led this institution embracing new technology often years ahead of the competition, and he inspires his team of eighty-one employees to be the best they can be, it’s a combination that continues to spell success for Merchants & Farmers.

A Leesville native, Hughes is a member of the Louisiana Bankers Association and is a 1974 graduate of Leesville High School, Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking, and McNeese State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business education. He resides in Leesville with wife, Sheri. They have two sons—Kenny and Andy, and three grandchildren—Maggie, Charlie, and Cooper, who recently has signed with McNeese State University to continue his education and play football.

“Throughout my 52 years with Merchants & Farmers, the remarkable evolution of the banking industry has given me opportunities to embrace new technology at every turn. That has kept it interesting, but it is the people who have kept me here. From tellers to Board members and shareholders, each relationship has been rewarding and important to our community and the growth of this institution. Sheri and I look forward to traveling and spending more time with our grandkids, who are growing too fast, and that kind of time is incredibly valuable,” states Hughes.

In operation since 1928, Merchants & Farmers Bank is an independent community bank headquartered
in Leesville, Louisiana, with eight full-service locations in seven cities. Among the first of Louisiana banks to establish online banking, Merchants & Farmers offers a variety of banking products and services
throughout the western and southwestern areas of the state.