8-K

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                                UNITED STATES
                     SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C.  20549
                       ______________________________

                                  FORM 8-K

                               CURRENT REPORT
                   PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                       SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                       ______________________________

      Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): August 27, 2003

                          WESTFIELD FINANCIAL, INC.
           (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

        Massachusetts                001-16767               73-1627673
(State or other jurisdiction        (Commission            (IRS Employer
      of incorporation)             File Number)        Identification No.)

               141 Elm Street, Westfield, Massachusetts 01085
             (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

     Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (413) 568-1911

                               Not Applicable
        (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)





Item 1-4.   Not applicable.

Item 5.     Other Events

      On August 27, 2003, Westfield Financial, Inc., the holding company
for Westfield Bank, issued a news release announcing that the Boards of
Directors of the Company and the Bank and the Board of Trustees of
Westfield Mutual Holding Company adopted a Plan of Charter Conversion
pursuant to which the Company, the Bank and the MHC will convert to federal
charters.

Item 6.     Not applicable.

Item 7.     Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and
            Exhibits

            (a)   No financial statements are required to be filed with
                  this Report.

            (b)   No pro forma financial information is required to be
                  filed with this Report.

            (c)   The following exhibit is filed with this Report:

            Exhibit No.    Description
            -----------    -----------

                99.1       Press release issued by Westfield Financial,
                           Inc. on August 27, 2003 announcing the adoption
                           of the Plan of Charter Conversion.

Items 8-12. Not applicable.

                                 SIGNATURES

      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                       WESTFIELD FINANCIAL, INC.

                                       By:  /s/ Michael J. Janosco, Jr.
                                            -------------------------------
                                            Name:   Michael J. Janosco, Jr.
                                            Title:  Vice President, Chief
                                                    Financial Officer and
                                                    Treasurer

Date: August 27, 2003





                                EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.    Description
- -----------    -----------

   99.1        Press Release dated August 27, 2003.

EX-99

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:          Donald A. Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer
TELEPHONE:        (413) 568-1911

         WESTFIELD FINANCIAL, INC. ADOPTS PLAN OF CHARTER CONVERSION
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Westfield, Massachusetts, August 27, 2003: Westfield Financial, Inc. (the
"Company") (AMEX:WFD), sole shareholder of Westfield Bank (the "Bank") and
a majority-owned subsidiary of Westfield Mutual Holding Company (the
"MHC"), announced today that the Board of Directors of the Company and the
Bank and the Board of Trustees of the MHC adopted a Plan of Charter
Conversion pursuant to which the Company, the Bank and the MHC will convert
to federal charters.

Under the Plan of Charter Conversion, the Company and the MHC will convert
from Massachusetts-chartered companies regulated by the Massachusetts
Division of Banks and the Federal Reserve Board to federally-chartered
companies regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision (the "OTS").  Also
pursuant to the Plan of Charter Conversion, the Bank will convert from a
Massachusetts-chartered savings bank regulated by the Massachusetts
Division of Banks and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to a
federal savings bank regulated by the OTS.

The Board of Directors of the Company and the Bank and the Board of
Trustees of the MHC believe that the Charter Conversion will, among other
things, allow the MHC to waive the receipt of dividends paid by the
Company; provide the Company with additional flexibility to make stock
repurchases; and reduce the number of regulators of the organization from
three to one.

The Plan of Charter Conversion is subject to the regulatory approval of the
OTS and the Massachusetts Division of Banks and the approval of the
shareholders of the Company and the Board of Corporators of the MHC.  The
Charter Conversion is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar
year.

The Bank is headquartered in Westfield, Massachusetts and operates through
10 banking offices in Agawam, East Longmeadow, Holyoke, Southwick,
Springfield, West Springfield and Westfield, Massachusetts. The Bank's
deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements contained in this news release, which speak only
as of the date made. The Company wishes to advise readers that the factors
listed above could affect the Company's financial performance and could
cause the Company's actual results for future periods to differ materially
from any opinions or statements expressed with respect to future periods in
any current statements. The Company and the Bank do not undertake and
specifically decline any obligation to publicly release the result of any
revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect
events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the
occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.