EXHIBIT 99.1



                   [BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC. LETTERHEAD]

                       BERKSHIRE HILLS FIRST QUARTER 2008
                   EARNINGS RELEASE AND CONFERENCE CALL DATES

PITTSFIELD, MA, April 1, 2008 - Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB) will issue its
first quarter earnings release after the market closes on Tuesday, April 29,
2008.

Berkshire will conduct a conference call/webcast at 10:00 A.M. eastern time on
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 to discuss first quarter results and guidance about
expected future results. Interested parties are requested to access the
conference a few minutes prior to the call as follows:

         Dial-in:           800-860-2442
         Webcast:           www.berkshirebank.com  (Investor Relations link)
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A telephone replay of the call will be available until May 6, 2008 by calling
877-344-7529 and entering replay passcode: 417887. The webcast will be available
at Berkshire's website above for an extended period of time.

BERKSHIRE WILL ALSO HAVE A PODCAST AVAILABLE FROM ITS WEBSITE SHORTLY AFTER THE
CALL FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN DOWNLOADING THE CONFERENCE CALL ONTO INDIVIDUAL
LISTENING DEVICES OR COMPUTERS.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp is a regional financial services company with assets of
approximately $2.5 billion. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, it is
the parent of Berkshire Bank - AMERICA'S MOST EXCITING BANK(SM). Berkshire
provides business and consumer banking, insurance, and wealth management
services through 48 banking and insurance offices in Western Massachusetts,
Northeastern New York, and Southern Vermont. For more information, visit
www.berkshirebank.com or call 800-773-5601.
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Contact:
David H. Gonci
Corporate Finance Officer
413-281-1973