Exhibit 99.1

Carl G. Herde Named to Board of Directors of S.Y. Bancorp


   LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 2004--S.Y. Bancorp,
Inc. (AMEX: SYI), the parent company of Stock Yards Bank & Trust
Company in Louisville, southern Indiana and Indianapolis, today
announced that Carl G. Herde has been named to its Board of Directors.
Herde, 44, fills the vacancy created by the death of Jefferson T.
McMahon in September 2004. As an outside, independent director, Herde
will serve as the Audit Committee Financial Expert for S.Y. Bancorp.
   Herde currently is Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial
Officer of Baptist Healthcare System, Inc., in Louisville, one of the
largest not-for-profit healthcare systems in Kentucky with over $1.3
billion in assets, $1.3 billion in revenues, and 9,000 employees.
Prior to that, Herde served as Corporate Controller for Baptist
Healthcare System. He began his business career in Louisville with
Touche Ross & Co., the predecessor firm of Deloitte & Touche.
   Commenting on the appointment, Chairman David H. Brooks said, "We
are pleased and fortunate to have Carl join our Board. Because of his
extensive background and experience in finance and accounting, he
brings impressive credentials to our Board and our Audit Committee;
thus, his appointment greatly supports the Board's continued efforts
to enhance its corporate governance on behalf of all our shareholders.
We think Carl will be an excellent addition to our Board and will
contribute measurably to its work, and we look forward to his
participation as a director and to his counsel about the future
direction for S.Y. Bancorp."
   Herde received his B.A. degree in Accounting from Bellarmine
University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kentucky
Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also is a member of the
Healthcare Financial Management Association and Leadership Louisville.
He serves as President of the Board of Directors of Assumption High
School and is a member of the Kentucky Medicaid Technical Advisory
Committee and the St. Meinrad Endowment Committee.
   S.Y. Bancorp, Inc. was incorporated in 1988 as a bank holding
company in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the parent company of Stock
Yards Bank & Trust Company, which has branch locations in Louisville
and southern Indiana, as well as a branch in Indianapolis. Stock Yards
Bank & Trust Company was established in 1904 in Louisville, Kentucky.
S.Y. Bancorp, Inc. is also the parent company of S.Y. Bancorp Capital
Trust I, a Delaware statutory business trust that is a 100%-owned
finance subsidiary.
   This release contains forward-looking statements under the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act that involve risks and uncertainties.
Although the Company's management believes the assumptions underlying
the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of
these assumptions could be inaccurate. Therefore, there can be no
assurance the forward-looking statements included herein will prove to
be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from
those discussed in forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to: economic conditions both generally and more specifically
in the market in which the Company and its subsidiaries operate;
competition for the Company's customers from other providers of
financial services; government legislation and regulation which change
from time to time and over which the Company has no control; changes
in interest rates; material unforeseen changes in liquidity, results
of operations, or financial condition of the Company's customers;
other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, all of which are difficult to predict and many of
which are beyond the control of the Company.


    CONTACT: S.Y. Bancorp Inc., Louisville
             Nancy B. Davis, 502-625-9176