In 1938, J.D. Purcell and Harry W. Moores organized The Central Exchange Bank at the corner of Short Street and Upper Street in downtown Lexington. Later, in 1945, Garvice D. Kincaid purchased the Bank from the estate of Mr. Purcell and shortened the name to Central Bank. By April 1946, we were open for business.
Mr. Kincaid founded Central Bank on the idea that banks can and should be pillars of their communities – in good times and in bad. As a result of his dedication to this core tenet, Central Bank has grown significantly from our humble beginnings at the corner of Short and Upper streets. Today, we are proud to be community fixtures in eight counties, serving the cities of Berea, Crestview Hills, Florence, Ft. Mitchell, Georgetown, Lexington, Louisville, Nicholasville, Richmond, Union and Winchester.
We are now and have always been a community bank. Yet, being a bit smaller than other banks has not kept us from introducing an impressive list of financial innovations – all designed to make our customers’ financial lives easier. Central bank was the first bank in Central Kentucky to install a vault (1951), offer Saturday morning hours (1956), and provide drive-through banking facilities (1962) and online ATMs (1978). Today, we remain committed to offering the latest digital conveniences to our customers through our online, mobile and phone banking services.
While we pride ourselves on offering a robust suite of products and services, we are most proud of our reputation for excellent customer service and dedication to personal, relationship banking. In the words of our founder, and our owner Joan Kincaid’s father, “No one person is responsible for our success. It has been a team effort.” Joan and I echo Mr. Kincaid’s sentiments as we thank our loyal customers and dedicated employees without which the last 75 years would not have been possible. As we celebrate Central Bank’s 75th anniversary throughout 2021, we hope you will share in our excitement and pride.
Luther Deaton, Jr.
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer