FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


              BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC. TO ISSUE FIRST QUARTER
                       EARNINGS RELEASE ON APRIL 28, 2005;
            CONFERENCE CALL SET FOR APRIL 28, 2005 AT 2:00 P.M. (ET)


PITTSFIELD, MA, April 1, 2005 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company")
(AMEX:BHL), the holding company for Berkshire Bank (the "Bank"), today announced
that it will issue its earnings release for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 at
approximately 8:15 A.M. eastern time on Thursday, April 28, 2005.

The Company will conduct a post-earnings conference call at 2:00 P.M. eastern
time on Thursday, April 28, 2005. President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael
P. Daly and Chief Financial Officer, Wayne F. Patenaude will discuss highlights
of the Company's first 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 #144107
                                    (Both are needed to access the Replay)
         Replay Dates:              April 28, 2005 at 5:00 P.M. (ET) through
                                    May 6, 2005 at 4:00 P.M. (ET)

All interested parties are welcome to access the conference call and are
requested to call in a few minutes prior to 2:00 P.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 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 and one branch in New York. The Bank is committed to
continuing operation as an independent bank, delivering exceptional customer
service and a broad array of competitively priced retail and commercial products
to its customers.

                                       ###


MEDIA AND INVESTOR CONTACT:

ROSE A. BOROTTO
413-236-3144
RBOROTTO@BERKSHIREBANK.COM