PITTSFIELD, Mass., April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire
Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) has expanded its private banking
and wealth management services in the Capital Region of
New York through the addition of
two experienced managers.
Cindy Barford, SVP, Private
Banking, comes to Berkshire from
KeyBank where she held multiple positions, most recently SVP,
Senior Relationship Manager for Key Private Bank. Leveraging
more than 30 years and multiple roles in the financial services
industry, Barford works with affluent customers in the Albany area to provide comprehensive,
customized personal and business banking solutions. She holds
the NYS Life Accident & Health Insurance License, Variable
Annuities License and Certified Wealth Strategist
Designation.
Kevin Smith, VP, Wealth Advisor,
joins Barford and the Commercial and Small Business teams in the
region to deliver trust and wealth management solutions. He
has over a decade of experience, most recently with Trustco Bank
where he served as a Trust Officer. Smith received a B.A.
from SUNY New Paltz and has completed
the Cannon Trust School - Levels I, II and III. He holds the
CFP®, CDFA and CTFA designations and has a NYS Life Accident &
Health Insurance License. Smith is also a board member of the
Estate Planning Council of Eastern NY and the Schenectady Community
Home.
Michael Daly, President and CEO
commented, "This is another step forward in our fast growing
New York presence where we added
branches and recruited small business and commercial bankers in the
last year. Our ability to attract and retain high caliber
people, like Cindy and Kevin, is a competitive advantage and we
look forward to continuing to strengthen all of our banking,
wealth, and insurance offerings in Albany and our other expanding regional
markets."
Charles Leach, SVP and Wealth
Management Group Leader, added, "We have been making significant
strides towards integration and expansion of our services for
high-net worth individuals and their families across our footprint.
Cindy is well-known in her market for her relationships and
experience, and combined with Kevin's client-first approach to
delivering in-market fiduciary, financial planning and asset
management expertise, we have a powerful team in place. We
continue to see opportunities in New
York and are excited to be making a further commitment to
this market with an experienced team that will service both
existing clientele and referral business."
Barford and Smith are both located in Berkshire's Albany Regional Headquarters at 41
State Street, Albany, NY
12207. Cindy Barford, SVP,
Private Banking, 518-729-1448, cbarford@berkshirebank.com.
Kevin Smith, VP, Wealth Advisor,
518-729-1449, ksmith@berkshirebank.com.
BACKGROUND
Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of
Berkshire Bank – America's Most Exciting Bank®. The Company has
$6.5 billion in assets and 91
full-service branch offices in Massachusetts, New
York, Connecticut, and
Vermont providing personal and
business banking, insurance, and wealth management services.
Berkshire has a pending agreement
to acquire Hampden Bancorp, the parent of Hampden Bank, which has $706 million in assets and operates ten offices
in the Springfield, Massachusetts
area.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document contains
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.
CONTACTS
Investor Relations Contact
Allison O'Rourke; Senior Vice
President, Investor Relations Officer; 413-236-3149
Media Contact
Ray Smith; Assistant Vice President,
Marketing; 413-236-3756
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SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp