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           BERKSHIRE BANK ACQUIRES BERKSHIRE FINANCIAL PLANNING, LTD

             RICHARD E. GINGRAS JOINS BANK'S WEALTH MANAGEMENT TEAM


PITTSFIELD,  MA -  December  1,  2004  -  Berkshire  Hills  Bancorp,  Inc.  (the
"Company"),  (AMEX:  BHL), the holding  company for Berkshire Bank (the "Bank"),
announced  that  the Bank has  acquired  the  business  of  Berkshire  Financial
Planning, Ltd, and that its president and founder,  Richard E. Gingras,  CFP(R),
has joined the Bank's wealth management group as a senior financial advisor.  By
agreement of the parties, the terms of the transaction were not announced.

In making the announcement,  Thomas W. Barney, CFP, senior vice president of the
Bank's Asset  Management/Trust  Group stated,  "With the addition of Rick to the
Bank's wealth  management  group,  it becomes the only bank in Berkshire  County
with three  Certified  Financial  Planners on its  investment  management  team,
providing  objective  and  comprehensive  planning,  investment,  and  insurance
services  to our  clients.  Rick's  skills,  experience,  and  talents  are  now
available to our current  clients as he continues to serve his existing  clients
with the Bank's full  resources.  We are confident  that Rick's  clients will be
pleased  with the service  they will  receive and we welcome  them to  Berkshire
Bank."  The wealth  management  group of  Berkshire  Bank,  including  its Asset
Management/Trust Group, manages over $330 million in client investments.

Gingras added,  "I am excited about joining the Berkshire Bank team. I have been
impressed  with its  focused  strategies  and look  forward to drawing  upon the
Bank's resources to assist Asset  Management/Trust  Group clients, as well as my
existing  clients.  We will continue to provide the same superior client service
and quality  products  customers  have come to expect from  Berkshire  Financial
Planning.  Joining  the Bank  will  allow us to build on an  already  successful
business by expanding our resources."

Gingras earned his B.A. in Business  Administration  from St. Michael's  College
and is a graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Officer Candidate School. He completed
his advance flight-training in airplanes and helicopters at the U.S. Navy Flight
School, was designated a Coast Guard Aviator,  and served two tours of duty as a
Coast Guard  Officer and Rescue  Helicopter  Pilot.  He has earned the Certified
Financial Planner designation from the Board of Standards, holds Series 7 and 65
securities licenses, and life insurance licenses. Gingras has used his extensive
military and business background, along with his professional skills, to develop
practical,  cost-effective programs for managing the investment,  insurance, and
financial  planning  needs  of his  clients.  He and his  wife  Judy  reside  in
Pittsfield. The have one son Jeffrey, a freshman at Berkshire Community College.

Berkshire  Hills  Bancorp,  Inc. is the  holding  company  for  Berkshire  Bank.
Established in 1846, Berkshire Bank is one of Massachusetts'  oldest and largest
independent  banks  and is the  largest  banking  institution  based in  Western
Massachusetts. The Bank is headquartered in Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  with 11
branch  offices  serving   communities



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throughout  Berkshire County, and a representative  office and one branch in New
York.  The bank is  committed  to continue  operation  as an  independent  bank,
delivering  exceptional  customer  service  and a broad  array of  competitively
priced retail and commercial products to its customers.

Statements  contained in this news release  contain  forward-looking  statements
within the  meaning of the  Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995.
These  statements are based on the beliefs and  expectations  of management,  as
well  as  the  assumptions  made  using  information   currently   available  to
management.  Since these statements  reflect the views of management  concerning
future events, these statements involve risks,  uncertainties,  and assumptions.
These risks and uncertainties  include, among others: changes in market interest
rates and  general  and  regional  economic  conditions;  changes in  government
regulations; changes in accounting principles; and the quality or composition of
the loan and  investment  portfolios  and other factors that may be described in
the Company's  quarterly  reports on Form 10-Q, for the quarters ended March 31,
June 30,  September 30, and in its annual report on Form 10-K -- each filed with
the  Securities and Exchange  Commission,  which are available at the Securities
and Exchange Commission's Internet Web site (WWW.SEC.GOV) and to which reference
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is hereby made.  Therefore,  actual future results may differ significantly from
results discussed in these forward-looking statements.

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Media Contact:
Thomas W. Barney, CFP
(413) 236-3161
tbarney@berkshirebank.com