Exhibit 99.1

COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM, INC.
5790 Widewaters Parkway, DeWitt, New York 13214

              For further information please contact:

              Sanford A. Belden,
              President and Chief Executive Officer
              Tel: (315) 445-7304

              Mark E. Tryniski,
              Chief Financial Officer
              Tel: (315) 445-7378

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Community Bank System, Inc. Agrees to Purchase PricewaterhouseCoopers' Upstate
New York Human Resources Consulting Group

      DeWitt, N.Y. - June 9, 2003 - Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) has
signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Upstate New York Global Human
Resources Solutions Group (UNY GHRS) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). The
UNY GHRS Group is a leading provider of retirement and employee benefits
consulting services for larger and middle-market companies throughout Upstate
New York. The two senior principals, Nicholas Phillips and Vincent Spina, as
well as the entire professional staff of the Group, will become part of CBU's
Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc. (BPA) subsidiary.

Sanford A. Belden, CBU's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are
very familiar with the principals and professional staff of PwC's UNY GHRS Group
and their well-known reputation for providing high-quality retirement and
employee benefit plan services. We have first-hand knowledge of their expertise,
and we look forward to continuing the same high level of professional services
to the



group's clients, while expanding their services to other organizations
throughout the Northeast Region and beyond. This transaction will complement the
services offered by our defined contribution plan administration company, BPA,
which has experienced exceptional growth since we acquired it in 1996."

BPA, led by Barry Kublin, President, has expanded to provide services to clients
in 27 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Mr. Kublin noted that, "the
additional depth of resources and breadth of experience gives us the ability to
bring innovative solutions to our clients' benefits programs, whether employees
are part of a single business unit or spread among the units of a multi-national
enterprise. Headquartered in Utica, N.Y., BPA will also maintain an office in
Syracuse to ensure a seamless transition of client service with the addition of
the new consulting group."

Following the acquisition, BPA will employ over 70 professionals and serve over
700 clients in connection with retirement plan administration.

A conference call will be held with company management this afternoon at 4:30
p.m. (ET) to discuss both of today's announced transactions in greater detail.
You may participate by dialing 1-888-632-5950 (access code 3983126). An audio
recording of this call will be available one hour after its completion and made
available through July 15, and may be accessed at 1-877-519-4471 (access code
3983126). Investors may also listen live via the Internet at:
www.firstcallevents.com/service/ajwz383069624gf12.html. An archive of this call
will also be available via this web site through July 15.

Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) is a registered bank holding company
with $3.4 billion in assets based in DeWitt, N.Y. Upon completion of the
acquisition of Grange National Banc Corp. (announced earlier today), the company
will have over $3.7 billion in assets, and its wholly-owned


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banking subsidiary, Community Bank, N.A. (http://www.communitybankna.com), will
become the second-largest community banking franchise headquartered in Upstate
New York, having 128 customer facilities and 95 ATMs stretching diagonally from
Northern New York to the Southern Tier, west to Lake Erie, and in Northeastern
Pa. Other subsidiaries within the CBU family are Elias Asset Management, Inc.,
an investment management firm based in Williamsville, N.Y.; Benefit Plans
Administrative Services, Inc. (BPA), a pension administration and consulting
firm located in Utica, N.Y., serving sponsors of defined benefit and defined
contribution plans; and Community Investment Services, Inc. (CISI), a
broker-dealer delivering financial products, including mutual funds, annuities,
individual stocks and bonds, and long-term health care and other selected
insurance products, from various locations within Community Bank's branch system
and from offices in Jamestown and Lockport, N.Y.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of l995 with respect to the anticipated
effects of the merger. The following factors, among others, could cause the
actual results of the merger to differ materially from the parties'
expectations: the satisfaction of contingencies for closing the merger,
including regulatory approval; the successful integration of operations of UNY
GHRS into those of CBU and Community Bank, N.A.; competition; changes in
economic conditions, interest rates and financial markets; and changes in
legislation or regulatory requirements. CBU assumes no duty to update
forward-looking statements.

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