Berkshire Bank Names Hartford-Springfield Commercial Leader

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: BHLB) has announced the appointment of Sheryl L. McQuade as Senior Vice President, Commercial Regional Leader, for Berkshire Bank's Hartford-Springfield region. 

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120904/NE67798 )
(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120131/NE44966LOGO )

Prior to joining Berkshire Bank, McQuade spent the majority of her 25 year banking career with Bank of America where she served in various areas of business banking.  She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Market Manager - Business Banking where she managed the Greater Hartford, New Haven, and Springfield markets.  Previously, she was Senior Market Credit Officer in the Northeast Region.

McQuade will report to Patrick J. Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking and Wealth Management.  McQuade will assume leadership of the bank's Connecticut and Pioneer Valley commercial banking teams.  She will provide strategic direction to support and expand customer relationships throughout all lines of business including lending, depository, insurance and wealth management.

"We are pleased to welcome Sheryl to Berkshire Bank's commercial leadership team," said Mr. Sullivan.  "She has served the Connecticut and Pioneer Valley area for over 20 years, and truly understands the benefits of cultivating the complete financial relationship of clients. Her vast experience will be of great value to America's Most Exciting Bank^SM as we continue to pursue opportunities for growth throughout the region." 

Michael P. Daly, Berkshire's President and CEO, added "With our recent acquisition of CBT – The Connecticut Bank and Trust Company, we look forward to expanding our business in the Berkshire Bank - CBT region and combining our commercial market leadership with the momentum of our existing Springfield region team.  We have developed a strong commercial relationship model, and with Sheryl's leadership, we will be implementing this model in the Hartford-Springfield market.  We look forward to replicating the success we have had in commercial banking in our other markets based on the strength of our people, products, brand, and culture."

About Berkshire Hills Bancorp

Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of Berkshire Bank - America's Most Exciting Bank(SM).  Berkshire has $4.5 billion in assets and 68 full service branch offices in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont providing personal and business banking, insurance, and wealth management services.  Berkshire Bank provides 100% deposit insurance protection for all deposit accounts, regardless of amount, based on a combination of FDIC insurance and the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF).  For more information, visit www.berkshirebank.com or call 800-773-5601. 

Berkshire has a pending agreement to acquire Beacon Federal Bancorp which, through its bank subsidiary, Beacon Federal, offers banking and related financial services to both individual and commercial customers. Beacon is headquartered with a full-service branch in East Syracuse, New York, along with six other full-service branches in East Syracuse, Marcy and Rome, New York, Smartt and Smyrna, Tennessee, and Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Beacon's stock trades under the symbol "BFED" and, at June 30, 2012, Beacon reported assets totaling $1.0 billion.  For more information, visit www.beaconfederal.com or call 888-256-3800.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  There are several factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from expectations described in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of such factors, please see Berkshire's most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.  Berkshire does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made in this document.

Investor Relations Contact
David Gonci
Investor Relations Officer
413-281-1973

Media Contact
Lori Gazzillo
Assistant Vice President of Community Relations
413-822-1695

SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp