Exhibit 10.17 First Amendment to Employment Agreement

                     FIRST AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


         This FIRST AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT,  made and entered into as
of this____ day of October,  2000, by and between CITIZENS FIRST CORPORATION,  a
Kentucky  corporation  ("Employer"),  and MATTHEW  TODD  KANIPE,  an  individual
("Kanipe").
         For and in consideration  of the mutual terms,  conditions and benefits
         to be  obtained by the parties to this First  Amendment  to  Employment
         Agreement,  the receipt  and  sufficiency  of which the parties  hereby
         acknowledge,   Employer  and  Kanipe  agree  to  amend  the  Employment
         Agreement between them dated October 18, 1999 as follows:
         Employer and Kanipe hereby revoke  Paragraph 4,  Paragraph 5, Paragraph
7, and Paragraph 11 of the  Employment  Agreement  and replace these  paragraphs
with the following language:
         4. Specific  Description  of Authority.  In the position,  Kanipe shall
have the  day-to-day  responsibility  for  marketing  and  managing  the  trust,
investment, and insurance relationships on behalf of Citizens First Bank. Kanipe
shall additionally  observe such directions and restrictions as the Employer may
from time to time confer or impose upon him. Kanipe shall report directly to the
Employer's President and Chief Executive Officer.
         5. Compensation.  For all services rendered or to be rendered by Kanipe
for Employer  during the Term,  Employer  shall pay, and Kanipe hereby agrees to
accept,  compensation  as follows:  Beginning  on October 1, 2000,  Kanipe shall
receive a salary at an annualized rate of $60,000.00 per year,  payable in equal
bi-weekly installments. Kanipe's salary any calendar year after 2001 shall be at
the annualized  rate  established by Employer at the  commencement  of each such
year.
         7.       Vacation and Sick Leave.
 Kanipe shall be entitled to the following weeks of paid vacation:
                           10/1/00-09/30/01                            3 weeks
                           10/1/01-09/30/02                            3 weeks

Vacation  shall be taken only at those times that have been  approved in advance
by Employer.  At least five days of vacation  must be taken  consecutively  each
year.
         Kanipe  shall  additionally  be  entitled to 12 days of paid sick leave
annually  except that if Kanipe becomes  entitled to receive  benefits under any
disability   policy  provided  by  the  Employer,   all  rights  to  sick  leave
compensation shall end at that time. Sick leave shall only be taken if Kanipe is
incapacitated  by illness or injury from  performing  his duties in the Position
and shall not be utilized as additional vacation time.
         Unused vacation time shall not accrue  from  year-to-year. Sick leave
may be carried over from  year-to-year, but Kanipe agrees that he will not be
compensated for any unused sick leave upon termination of the Employment
Agreement.
         11.      Termination Otherwise.  The above provisions of the Employment
Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, Kanipe's employment may be
terminated, upon delivery to Kanipe of 60 days notice of termination, at any
time during the Term,  for any reason  whatsoever,  with or without cause, if
Employer determines that such employment should be terminated.
It is understood that Kanipe has no continuing  right to employment by Employer,
and that Employer may,  therefore,  terminate Kanipe's employment at any time of
its  choosing,  and for any reasons which are  satisfactory  to it. If notice is
delivered pursuant to this Paragraph 11 that Kanipe's  employment is terminated,
then Kanipe shall be entitled to receive all compensation and fringe benefits to
which he is otherwise  entitled  (and which would  otherwise  accrue) under this
Employment  Agreement  during the period of 60 days  following  delivery of such
notice. At the conclusion of such period of 60 days,  Kanipe's employment in the
Position  shall be  terminated  and the only rights to  compensation  and fringe
benefits  which Kanipe shall  thereafter  have under this  Employment  Agreement
shall be: (a) the right to receive from Employer,  on the next scheduled  salary
payment  date,  the value of fringe  benefits  accruing  to  Kanipe  under  this
Agreement as of the effective date of the termination  (subject to the terms and
conditions  of any plan or  agreement  pursuant to which such  benefits are made
available)  and (b) the right to receive  from  Employer the total amount of the
salary,  at the  annual  rate then in  effect,  equal to the number of months of
Kanipe's  service  under the Term but in no event to exceed  twelve  (12) months
(such total amount being referred to as "Severance  Pay").  For purposes of this
Paragraph 11, the Term shall begin anew on each  occasion  that this  Employment
Agreement is renewed.
         All other terms and conditions  contained in the  Employment  Agreement
         remain unchanged and in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the
         parties  hereto  have  executed  this  First  Amendment  to  Employment
         Agreement as of the day and year
first above written.
                                                 CITIZENS FIRST CORPORATION
                                             BY:________________________________
                                                     MARY COHRON, President and
                                                        Chief Executive Officer


                                             -----------------------------------

                                                     MATTHEW TODD KANIPE