BOSTON, Dec. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills
Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), the parent company of Berkshire Bank, a
socially responsible community-dedicated bank with branch locations
in New England and New York,
announced the launch of a new suite of investment solutions
designed to help people of all backgrounds align their investments
with positive environmental and social outcomes. Offered through
Berkshire Wealth Management, these new Socially Responsible
Investment (SRI) Portfolios further strengthen Berkshire's commitment to Environmental,
Social, and Governance (ESG) factors that demonstrate the
sustainability, impact and ethical nature of its business as part
of its BEST Community Comeback.
Berkshire built its SRI
portfolios to include mission-aligned companies with solid track
records across ESG metrics and strong fundamental attributes that
positively contribute to the long-term sustainability of
communities, making them ideally suited for individual,
institutional and non-profit clients. In alignment with
Berkshire's commitment to social
responsibility, Berkshire Wealth Management does not require a
minimum amount of assets, which is differentiated in the
industry.
"We believe where you invest matters," said Kathryn Hersey, CFA, Berkshire's Director of Wealth Management
& Chief Investment Officer. "This suite of sustainable
portfolios allows investors to take an active approach to investing
in companies committed to advancing environmental and social
progress, which in turn leads to more capital directed toward these
companies and a positive ripple effect in our communities. Offering
investment solutions that contribute to the long-term health of our
communities is deeply aligned with our vision of being the leading
socially responsible community bank in the markets we serve."
Fueled by increased interest from institutional and individual investors,
socially responsible investing is experiencing record growth with
global assets rising 42% between 2018-2020.1
Berkshire's SRI Portfolios are
constructed to maximize impact through an extensive due diligence
process that leverages multiple ESG data aggregators, alongside
proprietary research and company engagement, consistent with
Berkshire's own Responsible &
Sustainable Business Policy. This helps address the challenges of
accurately measuring a portfolio's impact and ensuring that
holdings align with investor objectives.
"We believe that by incorporating ESG factors into our research
process, we are able to identify issues that impact long term stock
performance," added Hersey. "Organizations that more
effectively manage and mitigate these comprehensive risks can
generate positive, sustainable returns and long-term
outperformance, ultimately benefiting our clients, communities, and
world."
Berkshire Wealth Management provides purpose-driven investment
management, financial planning, and estate management solutions
with a focused approach on supporting client relationships through
a concentration on wellness, financial health, community, and
sustainable and responsible investment. The team recently added key
positions within the group to help strengthen the new suite of
socially and environmentally responsible investment solutions and
enhance financial planning and educational offerings.
ABOUT BERKSHIRE HILLS
BANCORP
Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent
of Berkshire Bank, which is transforming what it means to bank
its neighbors socially, humanly, and digitally to empower the
financial potential of people, families, and businesses in its
communities as it pursues its vision of being the leading socially
responsible omni-channel community bank in the markets it serves.
Berkshire Bank provides business and consumer banking, mortgage,
wealth management, and investment services.
Headquartered in Boston,
Berkshire has approximately
$11.8 billion in assets and operates
106 branch offices in New England and New
York, and is a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality
Index. To learn more, call 800-773-5601 or follow us on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This document contains
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. You can identify these
statements from the use of the words "may," "will," "should,"
"could," "would," "plan," "potential," "estimate," "project,"
"believe," "intend," "anticipate," "expect," "target" and similar
expressions. There are many 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. Accordingly, you should not place undue
reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our
expectations only as of the date of this document. Berkshire does not undertake any obligation to
update forward-looking statements.
MEDIA CONTACT
Alison
Skratt, Head of Communications
Email: communications@berkshirebank.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Kevin Conn, SVP, Investor Relations &
Corporate Development
Email: KAConn@berkshirebank.com
Tel: (617) 641-9206
David Gonci, Capital Markets
Director
Email: dgonci@berkshirebank.com
Tel: (413) 281-1973
1 US SIF Trends Report 2020 Executive Summary
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SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.