4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


                     BERKSHIRE BANK TO OPEN ALBANY, NEW YORK
                              REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE

                BRUCE C. PECK TO HEAD NEW CAPITAL DISTRICT OFFICE


PITTSFIELD,  MA, July 8, 2004 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp,  Inc. (the  "Company"),
(AMEX:BHL),  the holding company for Berkshire Bank (the "Bank")  announced that
the Bank has received approval from the State of New York Banking Department, to
open a  representative  office at 54 State  Street in  Albany.  This will be the
Bank's  first  facility  in the  State of New York and it will  initially  offer
commercial  loans and related  services from this new office  commencing on July
12, 2004.

Commenting on the Bank's expansion into New York, Michael P. Daly, president and
CEO of the Company and the Bank said,  "Over the last several  years,  Berkshire
Bank has developed  relationships  with many commercial loan customers in Albany
and  surrounding  areas.  We plan to  build on  those  relationships  as well as
establish  new ones.  We are  recognized  as a leader in  community  banking and
believe  that our  style of  banking  will be  warmly  received  in the  Capital
District.  Albany and the Greater  Capital  District are very exciting places in
the early stages of growth and prosperity,  and we want to be a significant part
of that."

Heading up this new office is Bruce C. Peck, vice president-commercial  banking,
who has over thirty years of banking  experience and extensive  knowledge of the
Capital District.  He earned both his B.A. in economics and an M.B.A. in finance
from Columbia University.  Peck joined the Bank's commercial lending division in
1998. Prior to that, during his banking career in the Capital  District,  he was
the  senior  loan  officer  at the  former  Union  National  Bank  and a  senior
commercial  loan officer at the former Home & City Savings Bank. Peck has served
in various capacities on the board of the Parson Child & Family Center in Albany
since  1978 and is a former  board  member of the  Geneva,  New York  Chamber of
Commerce  and the Ontario  County,  New York United Way. He and his wife Barbara
reside in East Greenbush.

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 11
branch  offices  serving   communities   throughout   Berkshire   County  and  a
representative  office in Albany,  New York. The Bank is committed to continuing
to operate as an independent bank, delivering exceptional customer service and a
broad  array of  competitively  priced  retail and  commercial  products  to its
customers.    For   more    information,    call    1-800-773-5601    or   visit
www.berkshirebank.com.



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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.
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 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 web site (www.sec.gov) and to which reference
is hereby made.  Therefore,  actual future results may differ significantly from
results discussed in these forward-looking statements.




CONTACT: Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.
         Elizabeth A. Mach, 413-445-8390



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