Filed by  TrustCo  Bank  Corp NY  Pursuant  to Rule 425
                    under the  Securities  Act of 1933 and deemed filed pursuant
                    to Rule 14d-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Subject
                    Company:   Cohoes   Bancorp,   Inc.(Commission   File   No.
                    000-25027)







TRUSTCO
Bank Corp NY                                                    News Release
192 Erie Boulevard, Schenectady, New York, 12305
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(518) 377-3311   Fax: (518) 381-3668

Subsidiary:  Trustco Bank                                       NASDAQ -- TRST


             Contact:        William F. Terry
                             Secretary
                             518-381-3611



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


                  INSTITUTIONAL SHAREHOLDER SERVICES RECOMMENDS
             TRUSTCO CANDIDATES FOR COHOES BANCORP, INC BOARD SEATS


Schenectady, New York - November 21, 2000

     TrustCo  Bank Corp NY (Nasdaq:  TRST)  today  reported  that  Institutional
     Shareholder Services (ISS), the nation's leading independent proxy advisory
     firm, has recommended  that  shareholders of Cohoes Bancorp,  Inc. vote for
     TrustCo's four candidates for seats on the Cohoes Board of Directors at the
     annual meeting of Cohoes shareholders to be held on November 30, 2000.

     In  advising  Cohoes  shareholders  to vote for the  TrustCo  nominees  and
     withhold  authority  for the Cohoes  nominees,  ISS said:  "On balance,  we
     believe  that the  circumstances  in this  contest  warrant the election of
     TrustCo's  nominees to the Cohoes  board of  directors.  The failure of the
     incumbent directors to step forward and play the proper, productive role in
     the sale of the  company  is  clear  evidence  of the  need  for a  change.
     TrustCo's offer is simply too rich to ignore out of hand, particularly when
     management has already conceded that it will sell the company and there are
     no other, better offers for the company in sight. Therefore,  the inability
     of  TrustCo  and  Cohoes   management  to  sit  down  and  hold  productive
     discussions,  while  understandable  in light of previous  events,  clearly
     calls for more active  participation  on the part of the Cohoes' board. The
     election of four new  nominees  with no  affiliation  to either  TrustCo or
     Cohoes appears to be in the best  available  means of resolving the current
     impasse and helping jump-start the meaningful  discussions that would be in
     shareholders best interests."


                                    - More -


     Additionally  the ISS report  stated,  "unfortunately  it appears  that the
     Cohoes board has been entirely supine to date,  failing to assert itself in
     a process  that  desperately  needs  the  intervention  of the  independent
     directors."

     Finally,  "We recommend a vote FOR Item 1 (i.e., the TrustCo candidates) on
     the Dissident Proxy (White Card)."

     Institutional   Shareholder  Services,   based  in  Rockville,  MD,  is  an
     independent  advisor  to  more  than  500  institutional   shareholders  on
     corporate  governance and proxy voting  matters,  including proxy contests,
     management  and  shareholder  resolutions,  and  other  shareholder-related
     issues.  TrustCo  has not  obtained  the  written  consent  of ISS to quote
     portions of its analysis and recommendation,  however,  ISS does not object
     to the use of portions of its report.

     Robert A. McCormick, President and CEO, of TrustCo Bank Corp NY said, "I am
     gratified that ISS, a highly  respected  independent  advisor,  agrees with
     TrustCo that the board of Cohoes has a duty to its  shareholders  to direct
     management to pursue the TrustCo offer or find one that is better."

     TrustCo urges Cohoes  shareholders  to promptly sign, date and return their
     WHITE proxy by November 30, 2000. If you need  assistance  with voting your
     shares,  shareholders  may call Georgeson  Shareholder  Communications  Inc
     toll-free at 800-223-2064.

     TrustCo is a $2.4 billion bank holding  company and through its  subsidiary
     banks,  Trustco  Bank,  National  Association,  and Trustco  Savings  Bank,
     operates  54  bank  offices  in  Albany,  Columbia,   Greene,   Montgomery,
     Rensselaer,  Saratoga,  Schenectady,   Schoharie,  Warren,  and  Washington
     counties.  In addition,  Trustco Bank, National Association operates a full
     service Trust Department with $1.34 billion of assets under management.


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