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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

                                  NEWS RELEASE

                        BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP ANNOUNCES
                      NEW 300,000 SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM


PITTSFIELD, MA - December 14, 2007 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB), the holding
company for Berkshire Bank, announced today that its Board of Directors has
approved a new stock repurchase program (the "Repurchase Program") authorizing
the Company to repurchase up to 300,000 shares, or approximately 2.85% of its
outstanding common stock. The Repurchase Program will commence following this
announcement and will continue until the Repurchase Program is completed. The
repurchases, which will be conducted through open market purchases or privately
negotiated purchases, will be made from time to time, subject to market
conditions, at the discretion of management of the Company. In addition to this
new program, the Company has approximately 30,000 shares remaining available for
purchase under the previously approved stock repurchase program.

The Company intends to hold the shares repurchased as treasury shares. The
Company may utilize such shares to fund any stock benefit or compensation plan
or for any other purpose the Board of Directors of the Company deems advisable
in compliance with applicable law.

BACKGROUND
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Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the holding company for Berkshire Bank - AMERICA'S
MOST EXCITING BANK(SM). 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, Northeastern New York and Southern Vermont. The Bank is
transitioning into a regional bank, 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 or Berkshire Bank, visit www.berkshirebank.com or call
800-773-5601.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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Statements contained in this news release contain forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate
strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and "intend" or future or
conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may." These
statements are based on the beliefs and expectations of management. Since these
statements reflect the views of

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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;
the quality or composition of the loan and investment portfolios; and the
achievement of anticipated future earnings benefits from recent acquisitions. In
addition, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to
differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed
in the forward-looking statements: adverse governmental or regulatory policies
may be enacted; the risks associated with continued diversification of assets
and adverse changes to credit quality; and difficulties associated with
achieving expected future financial results. Additionally, other risks and
uncertainties may be described in the Company's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q
for the quarters ended March 31, June 30, and 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 website
(www.sec.gov) and to which reference is hereby made. Therefore, actual future
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results may differ significantly from results discussed in these forward-looking
statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The
Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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Media contact:
Kevin P. Riley, Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
(413) 236-3195
kriley@berkshirebank.com
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