| Stock Yards Bank
Claims Transparency on Protest
to Field & Main by Fair
Finance Watch
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack FEDERAL
COURT,
March 4 รข€“ How automatic
do banks now think merger
approvals are? Stock Yards
Bancorp announced a proposal
to buy Field & Main bank
and its holding company - but
has yet to apply to the
Federal Reserve. This while
Stocks Yards' CEO is on a
board of directors of the
Federal Reserve Bank of St
Louis. On February 13
Fair Finance Watch filed
challenges to the deal with
the FDIC - and with the
Federal Reserve, opposing any
waiver: Dear Regional
Director Bottone and
others at the
FDIC: This
is a timely first comment
opposing and requesting an
extension of the FDIC's public
comment period on the
Application by Stock Yards
Bank & Trust Company to
acquire Field & Main Bank.
The application is on the
FDIC's website where a public
comment period running through
April 3, 2026 . These comment,
and supplements to come, are
timely.
Fair Finance Watch, which has
commented to the FDIC that its
proposal to eliminate public
notice of branch applications
violates the CRA, noting the
FDIC's rationale that it
receives few public comments,
hereby timely informs the FDIC
that is troubled by Stock
Yards Bank & Trust's
lending record and is
requesting public hearings and
denial of this
application.
In 2024 in Kentucky, from
which Stock Yards is
ostensibly regulated, Stock
Yards made only 60 loans to
African Americans while
denying 46 applications
from African Americans. By
contrast in Kentucky in 2024
Stock Yards made 1,424 loans
to whites while denying only
515. This
comparison is striking. This
application must be
denied. In
2024 in Ohio Stock Yards made
only 13 loans to African
Americans while denying three
applications from African
Americans. By contrast in Ohio
in 2024 Stock Yards made 53
loans to whites while denying
only six. In
2024 in Indiana Stock Yards
made only 27 loans to African
Americans while denying seven
applications from African
Americans. By contrast in
Indiana in 2024 Stock Yards
made 209 loans to whites while
denying only
59. This
comparison is striking. This
application must be denied On March 4, Stock
Yards Bank replied to the
FDIC, saying "the Bank remains
fully committed to
transparency and cooperation
throughout this process.
I. Procedural Background
The FDIC has accepted the
public comment, removed the
application from expedited
processing, and invited this
written response. Stock Yards
will continue to provide any
additional information needed
to assist the FDIC in its
analysis." The same data has
been sent to the Federal
Reserve, along with this: Dear Chairman
Powell, others: This is
a timely first comment
opposing the Proposal of Stock
Yards Bancorp Inc. to acquire
Field & Main Bancorp,
Field & Main Bank and
affiliates - no waiver should
be given to this holding
company buying holding company
proposal, esp given Stock
Yards' CEO being named by the
Reserve Bank to its Louisville
branch Board of
Directors: James A.
Hillebrand Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer Stock Yards
Bank & Trust Louisville,
Kentucky 2028 (here)
We are writing in at this
time, the first day the
proposal showed up on the FDIC
website without being on the
Fed's H2A, to oppose any
waiver by the FRB of St Louis,
including given its conflict
of interest. That Reserve Bank
named Stock Yards' CEO to the
board of its Louisville branch
- the Reserve Bank cannot be
viewed as impartially granting
approvals or waivers to Stock
Yards bank.
Shockingly, in response to
Inner City Press' FOIA
request, the Fed has said it
has not record of reviewing or
imposing any safeguards on
such conflicts of interesting,
including for example SVB
having been on the FRB of SF
board when it
failed.
This must go to the Board.
*** Your
support means a lot. As little as $5 a month
helps keep us going and grants you access to
exclusive bonus material on our Patreon
page. Click
here to become a patron. 
Feedback:
Editorial [at] innercitypress.com Mail: Box 130222, Chinatown Station,
NY NY 10013 Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540 Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis. Copyright 2006-2026 Inner City
Press, Inc. To request reprint or other
permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com |
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Stock Yards Bank Claims Transparency on Protest to Field & Main by Fair Finance Watch
