Kentucky Born & Raised
A partnership of people, talents, and purpose – crafted with care, strengthened by trust, and rooted in community.
In 1904, Stock Yards Bank & Trust started as a small bank working with Kentucky businesses that supported the livestock industry. Today, we help individuals, families, and businesses with a complete line of financial services, with our unique focus on personal banking. It’s not new—in fact, we call it “banking, the way it used to be.” This vision allows us to keep what makes community banking special—with authentic relationships and one-on-one advice at your neighborhood branch. It also allows us to continue to grow in sophistication and technology, ensuring our customers have all the tools and financial products they expect.
How Stock Yards Bank Began
The story of Stock Yards Bank starts in the early summer of 1904, when a group of Louisville businessmen—most of them deeply rooted in the livestock industry—recognized the need for a financial institution dedicated to serving the fast-growing market around the Bourbon Stock Yards.
On June 9, 1904, ten men met for the very first time to lay the groundwork for what would become Stock Yards Bank. The group included John Letterle, Henry Embry, Wallace Embry, Anton Zehnder, Lytle Hudson, Clay McCandless, Taylor Watkins, B. Mattingly, Louis Bornwasser, and Charles Wulkop. Together, they invested in the sale of 1,000 shares at $100 each, establishing the bank’s initial capitalization of $100,000—a significant sum for the time and a strong signal of their confidence in the new venture.
What made this founding group unique was their shared connection to the livestock trade. Eight of the ten investors were directly involved in livestock, and remarkably, all but Wulkop and Bornwasser operated their businesses on the very same block where the bank still stands today. Their proximity meant they understood the needs of local traders firsthand—speed, reliability, and financial services that aligned with the rhythm of the livestock markets.
Just three months after that initial meeting, the bank opened its doors for the first time. On Saturday, September 17, 1904, Stock Yards Bank officially began business. The choice of a Saturday was intentional: it was the busiest and most important day for livestock merchants, who traditionally sold their animals at week’s end. Opening on a Saturday ensured the bank was available to support these customers at the moment they needed financial services most.
What began with ten investors, 1,000 shares, and a single busy Saturday has since grown into a historic institution—yet its origins remain deeply tied to the energy, entrepreneurship, and needs of Louisville’s early livestock community.
Weathering Many Storms
Stock Yards Bank & Trust has a long and impressive history of resilience, having successfully weathered numerous storms over the years. From the devastating effects of the Great Depression to the catastrophic '37 Flood, and even the tumultuous periods of World Wars I & II and the Global Economic Crisis of 2008, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to our customers. It's worth noting that since we first opened our doors for business, there have been 21 U.S. Presidents, five new states added to the Union (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii), six moon landings, as well as the public introductions of radio and television broadcasting. Despite all of these changes and challenges, Stock Yards Bank & Trust has remained a constant, trusted presence in the lives of our customers.
A Timeline of Our Innovations
| 1948 | Drive-thru banking made its debut |
|---|---|
| Late 1950s | Expanded drive-thru to three lanes |
| 1970 | Debuted the first ATM—it had no operating system, and records had to be updated by tape every night |
| 1970s | We had telephone banking before it was called that—we could make transactions over the phone because we knew our customers |
| 1999 | Introduced Online Banking, then called "Internet Banking" |
| 2012 | Mobile Banking was introduced. In 2024, 75% of our customers do their banking exclusively with a mobile device |
| 2014 | Installed the first Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) |
| 2014 | Customers made their first digital deposits using their mobile phones (mobile deposit). In that first year, customers deposited 3,000 checks. In 2025, customers deposited 295,149 checks through mobile deposit, totaling $133,985,569. |
| 2014 | Customers began opening deposit accounts online |
| 2025 | Integrated Zelle® within Mobile and Online Banking, giving customers the ability to send and receive money directly between U.S. bank accounts in minutes. Learn More |
| 2026 | Began offering Greenlight — a smart, parent-managed debit card and app that helps kids build real-world money skills. With instant spending controls, chore tracking, and savings rewards, kids learn to spend, save, and even invest responsibly. Parents stay in the loop with real-time alerts and activity monitoring for added peace of mind. Learn More |