Exhibit 23





               Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants




The Board of Directors
Ambanc Holding Co., Inc.

We  consent  to  incorporation  by  reference  in  the  following   registration
statements:

   File No. 333-50973 on Form S-8, and
   File No. 333-50975 on Form S-8

of Ambanc Holding Co., Inc. 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
March 26, 1999