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IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                          BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC.
                          OPENS FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN
                             CLIFTON PARK, NEW YORK

                         FULL-SERVICE BRANCH LOCATED AT
                      SHOPPERS WORLD PLAZA, 15 PARK AVENUE


PITTSFIELD, MA, September 7, 2005 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (the
"Company") (AMEX:BHL), the holding company for Berkshire Bank (the "Bank")
announced today that the Bank has opened a full-service branch in Shoppers World
Plaza, located at 15 Park Avenue in Clifton Park, New York. This is the Bank's
second branch opened this year in the Capital Region of Albany and its third in
the state of New York. The Bank offers a full array of financial products and
services at the new Clifton Park branch, including personal and business
checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, IRAs, safe deposit
boxes, an ATM, residential and commercial mortgages, auto loans and a wide
variety of other types of commercial and consumer loans, home equity loans,
retirement products and wealth and investment management.

The Bank also has full-service branches in Oriskany Falls and at 41 State Street
in Albany, as well as a representative office at 54 State Street in Albany. The
Company made an earlier announcement that it expects to open a full-service Bank
branch in East Greenbush later this year.

Commenting on the Bank's continued expansion in New York, Michael P. Daly,
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank, said,
"Berkshire Bank has many customers in Clifton Park and the surrounding areas, so
we are pleased that they, as well as the new customers we attract, will be able
to access our full line of commercial and consumer loan and deposit products and
services. We have a well-known, experienced team in Clifton Park that will give
our customers the personal attention they might not receive from larger banks,
yet we offer the sophisticated banking products and services of much larger
banks. Clifton Park is an important community for us, and we are very pleased
with the new facility."

The manager of the new branch is Malta resident Stephan O. Scribner. Mr.
Scribner is a native of Clifton Park and a graduate of Shenendehowa High School
and the College of Saint Rose. He holds a Certified Financial Planning(R)
designation from the College for Financial Planning. He comes to Berkshire from
Key Bank where he was employed in various positions since 1995, most recently as
a branch sales manager in Latham.

Kimberley Riggs Halusic, a resident of Mechanicville, New York will serve as
business development officer of the new branch. Ms. Riggs, who attended
Champlain College, also comes from Key Bank in Albany where she was employed as
a Relationship Manager since 1999. Prior to that, she was an assistant branch
manager for Fleet Bank in Clifton Park.

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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
branch offices serving communities throughout Western Massachusetts and
Northeastern New York and a representative office in New York. The Bank is
committed to continuing to operate as an independent super community 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 Legislation 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:

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.
Michael P. Daly,(413) 236-3194
President and Chief Executive Officer