Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933

                  Subject Company: Whitney Holding Corporation
                         Commission File No. 000-01026

Joint Press Release of Whitney Holding Corporation and Prattville Financial
Services Corporation

                                [WHITNEY LOGO]

                           WHITNEY HOLDING CORPORATION

                             228 ST. CHARLES AVENUE

                              NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130

                                  NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Thomas L. Callicutt, Jr.                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
         504/552-4591                                             August 8, 2000

 WHITNEY   TO  INCREASE  PENETRATION  OF  MONTGOMERY,  ALABAMA  MARKET   THROUGH
 ACQUISITION OF PRATTVILLE FINANCIAL SERVICES

         New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  Whitney  Holding  Corporation  (NASDAQ-WTNY)
announced  today that it has  entered  into a  definitive  agreement  to acquire
Prattville Financial Services Corporation  ("PFSC"),  whose principal subsidiary
is Bank of  Prattville.  Bank of Prattville  has  approximately  $170 million in
total assets in four  locations in Autauga  County,  which is one of the fastest
growing counties in Alabama.  After the acquisition,  Bank of Prattville will be
merged with Whitney  National Bank, the principal  subsidiary of Whitney Holding
Corporation.

         The acquisition,  which is structured as a tax-free merger of PFSC with
and into Whitney Holding  Corporation,  has an estimated value of  approximately
$40.5  million.  The  acquisition  is subject to certain  conditions,  including
approval  by PFSC  shareholders  and  appropriate  regulatory  agencies,  and is
expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2000.

         James  B.   Striplin,   Chairman  of  Prattville   Financial   Services
Corporation,  said, "We are pleased to be joining the Whitney family. Whitney is
well known for its  commitment  to  personal  banking  relationships  and to the
communities it serves, while providing strength and other advantages  associated
with a larger banking organization. We look forward to bringing Whitney products
and services to our  customers  and to being an important  part of its continued
success."

         William L. Marks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Whitney said,
"Bank of  Prattville  is a  well-established  bank in the  Prattville/Montgomery
market with banking  philosophies that are very compatible with Whitney's.  This
merger will allow us to build on the valued customer  relationships that Bank of
Prattville  has  established  over  the  years  and will  allow us to serve  our
existing Montgomery area customers better."

         Whitney Holding  Corporation,  through its banking subsidiaries Whitney
National Bank and Bank of Houston,  has 118 banking  locations in the five-state
Gulf Coast region stretching from Houston,  Texas; across southern Louisiana and
the coastal region of  Mississippi;  to central and south Alabama;  and into the
panhandle of Florida.

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         In connection with the proposed merger  of PFSC into  Whitney,  Whitney
intends to file a registration statement, including the related prospectus, with
the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission.  WHITNEY  URGES  INVESTORS  AND PFSC
SHAREHOLDERS  TO READ THESE  DISCLOSURE  DOCUMENTS  WHEN THEY  BECOME  AVAILABLE
BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.  A free copy of these documents
(after they are filed) and other  documents filed by Whitney with the Commission
can be obtained at the  Commission's  web site at  www.sec.gov.  Shareholders of
PFSC  and  other  investors  can  request  a free  copy  of the  prospectus  and
registration  statement (after they are filed) and any other relevant  documents
filed or to be filed  (after they are filed) by  Whitney,  by writing to Whitney
Holding  Corporation,  228 St. Charles Avenue,  New Orleans,  Louisiana,  70130,
Attention: Corporate Secretary.

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To the  extent  that  this  press  release  contains  statements  that  are  not
historical facts, they should be considered forward-looking statements.  Various
important   factors  that  might  cause  future  results  to  differ  from  such
forward-looking  statements  are  described in more detail in Whitney's  filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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