FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


              BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC. TO ISSUE THIRD QUARTER
                      EARNINGS RELEASE ON OCTOBER 26, 2006;
           CONFERENCE CALL SET FOR OCTOBER 27, 2006 AT 10:00 A.M. (ET)


PITTSFIELD, MA, September 28, 2006 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (the
"Company") (NASDAQ:BHLB), the holding company for Berkshire Bank, today
announced that it will issue its earnings release for the quarter ending
September 30, 2006, at approximately 4:15 P.M. eastern time on Thursday, October
26, 2006.

The Company will conduct a post-earnings conference call at 10:00 A.M. eastern
time on Friday, October 27, 2006. President and Chief Executive Officer Michael
P. Daly and Chief Financial Officer Wayne F. Patenaude will discuss highlights
of the Company's third quarter financial results. Information about the
conference call follows:

         Dial-in:                   1-877-407-8035
         Replay Dial-in:            1-877-660-6853
         Replay Access Codes:       Account #286; Conference ID #215330
                                    (Both are needed to access the Replay)
         Replay Dates:              October 27, 2006 at 1:00 P.M. (ET) through
                                    November 6, 2006 at 11:59 P.M. (ET)

All interested parties are welcome to access the conference call and are
requested to call in a few minutes prior to 10:00 A.M. (ET) to register for the
event. The presentation by Messrs. Daly and Patenaude will last approximately 15
minutes, followed by another 15 minutes scheduled for questions and answers.

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 the largest banking institution based in Western
Massachusetts. The Bank is headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with
branches serving communities throughout Western Massachusetts and Northeastern
New York. The Bank is transitioning into a regional bank and is positioning
itself as the financial institution of choice in its retail and commercial
markets, delivering exceptional customer service and a broad array of
competitively priced deposit, loan, insurance, wealth management and trust
services, and investment products. For more information on Berkshire Hills
Bancorp, Inc. or Berkshire Bank, visit www.berkshirebank.com or call
                                       ---------------------
800-773-5601.


                                       ###

BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC.
WAYNE F. PATENAUDE, 413-236-3195
WPATENAUDE@BERKSHIREBANK.COM