EXHIBIT 23

                               Consent of KPMG LLP













                                       II-167                    March 14, 2001



INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT


The Board of Directors
NBT Bancorp Inc.:


We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration  statements on Form
S-3 (File No. 33-12247) and Form S-8 (File Nos.  33-18976,  33-77410,  333-02925
and  333-67615)  of NBT Bancorp  Inc.  of our report  dated  January  22,  2001,
relating to the consolidated balance sheets of NBT Bancorp Inc. and subsidiaries
as of December 31, 2000 and 1999,  and the related  consolidated  statements  of
income,  stockholders'  equity, cash flows and comprehensive  income for each of
the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2000, which report appears
in the December 31, 2000 annual report on Form 10-K.



KPMG
Albany, New York
March 29, 2001