POWER OF ATTORNEY

     I, John J. Howard, Executive Vice President of Berkshire Hills Bancorp,
Inc.(the "Corporation"), hereby authorize and designate each of Michael P.
Daly,Gerald A. Denmark or any partner of the law firm of Muldoon Murphy &
Aguggia LLP as my agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power of substi-
tution, to:

     (1) prepare and sign on my behalf any Form 3, Form 4 or Form 5 under
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with respect to the
Corporation's securities and file the same with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and each stock exchange on which the Corporation's stock is listed;

     (2) prepare and sign on my behalf any Form 144 Notice under the Securities
Act of 1933 with respect to a sale by me or on my behalf of the Corporation's
securities and file the same with the Securities and Exchange Commission; and

     (3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to,
in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the
undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall
contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such
attorney-in-fact's discretion.

     The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or
could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorney-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming,
nor is the Corporation assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to
comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.


     This Power of Attorney shall remain in effect until the undersigned is no
longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to the undersigned's
holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Corporation, unless
earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed and dated writing delivered to
each of the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.


Date: 10/03/2006					/s/ John J. Howard
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							John J. Howard