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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) April 23, 2003
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BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC.
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 1-15781 04-3510455
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(State or other jurisdiction of (Commission (IRS Employer
incorporation) File Number) Identification No.)
24 North Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201
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(Address of principal executive offices)
(413) 443-5601
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
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ITEM 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND OTHER EXHIBITS
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Exhibit 99.1 Press Release Dated April 23, 2003
ITEM 9. REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE
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On April 23, 2003, Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") announced
its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. The press release
announcing financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2003 is filed as
Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
This information is being furnished pursuant to Item 12 of Form 8-K and is
being presented under Item 9 as provided in the Commission's interim guidance
regarding Form 8-K Item 11 and Item 12 filing requirements (Release No.
34-47583).
Additionally, as disclosed on the conference call held on April 24,2003,
because of recent legislation in Massachusetts which eliminated the state tax
deduction of dividends Berkshire Bank received from its real estate investment
trust subsidiary, the Company expects to incur an additional tax expense of
$0.02 per share per quarter for 2003. As a result, the Company updated its
earnings guidance for the 2003 fiscal year announcing that it expects to meet
and hopefully exceed net earnings of $1.32 per diluted share for the 2003 fiscal
year. For more information, stockholders can access replays of the conference
call through May 2, 2003 at 12:00 a.m. (ET) by dialing 1-888-203-1112 and using
access code 631974. Additionally, the tables and graphs discussed in the
conference call will be available at www.berkshirebank.com for the same time
period.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP, INC.
Dated: April 24, 2003 By: /s/ Wayne F. Patenaude
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Wayne F. Patenaude
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer