It had no physical branch bank offices and could only be accessed online.
It was founded in Pineville, Kentucky, in October 1995 by Michael Karlin and James (Chip) S. Mahan III.
It was initially established as a savings bank along with a wholly owned software company (Security First Technologies).
RBC subsequently acquired Centura Bank of North Carolina, rebranded the online banking segment as RBC Centura, and made several adjustments to customer terms of service at that time.
Security First allowed direct access to accounts, bill payment and the viewing of check images, all of which are commonplace today.