EXHIBIT 23.1



                            [LETTERHEAD OF KPMG LLP]



               Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants


The Board of Directors
Ambanc Holding Co., Inc.


We consent to incorporation  by reference in the Registration  Statement on Form
S-8 of Ambanc  Holding Co., Inc.  relating to the Mohawk  Community  Bank 401(k)
Savings Plan in RSI  Retirement  Trust,  of our report dated  February 12, 1999,
relating to the consolidated statements of financial condition of Ambanc Holding
Co.,  Inc. and  subsidiaries  as of December 31, 1998 and 1997,  and the related
consolidated statements of operations,  changes in shareholders' equity and cash
flows for each of the years in the  three-year  period ended  December 31, 1998,
which  report  appears in the  December  31, 1998 Annual  Report on Form 10-K of
Ambanc Holding Co., Inc.



                                                     /s/ KPMG LLP


Albany, New York
September 1, 1999