Exhibit 99.1





                          For Immediate Release
                    For Further Information, Contact:
                Brian Arsenault, SVP, Investor Relations
                              207 761-8517




            Banknorth Group to Present at Sandler Conference

Portland, Maine, March 3, 2004 - Banknorth Group, Inc. (NYSE: BNK) announced
today that Peter J. Verrill, the Company's Chief Operating Officer, will
present at the Sandler O'Neill & Partners 2004 West Coast Financial Services
Conference at the Four Season Resort, Aviara, North San Diego, California from
1:40 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. (West Coast time) on March 10, 2004.

A live webcast of the conference will be available at
http://www.sandleroneill.com. The webcast will be archived for 30 days and
will also be available at Banknorth's website: http://www.banknorth.com,
Investor Relations. The Company's presentation will be available on its
website, www.banknorth.com, Investor Relations - Presentations, at the time
of presentation and will be archived for 30 days. The presentation will also
be available via audio conference by dialing 706 645-9215. Callers will need
to reference "Sandler O'Neill Conference, Session 1" to access the Banknorth
presentation.

Banknorth Group is a $26.5 billion banking and financial services holding
company headquartered in Portland, Maine.  The Company offers banking and
financial services in every New England state except Rhode Island and in
upstate New York.