Berkshire Bank has opened a full-service branch at 602 Columbia Turnpike, East Greenbush, New York.
The Bank completely renovated the building which formerly housed a Resnick's Mattress store and transformed it into a state-of-the-art branch facility with drive-thru lanes, at which it offers a complete line of financial products and services, including personal and business checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRAs, an ATM, safe deposit boxes, residential and commercial mortgages, auto loans and a wide variety of other types of commercial and consumer loans, home equity loans, retirement products and wealth and investment management.
"Berkshire Bank now has five branches and six ATMs in the Albany Capital Region and a total of 26 branches and 35 ATMs throughout our two regions of Western Massachusetts and Northeastern New York," said Michael P. Daly, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We opened our Delmar branch just one week ago and expect to open our Guilderland branch next month. In addition, I'm pleased to announce that we have received regulatory approvals for two full-service branches in Halfmoon and in Colonie, which we expect to open in the 4th quarter of this year. We continue to believe that the Albany Capital Region is a great place to do business and we're obviously delighted that we are now a part of East Greenbush."
Sandra L. Fromma is Manager of the East Greenbush branch. Fromma earned an associates degree in business management from Bryant & Stratton College and joined Berkshire Bank in May 2005 as branch manager in Lee, Massachusetts. Prior to that, she was a branch manager with Charter One Bank in Albany for four years and a relationship associate with Key Bank in West Sand Lake for a year. She also held several positions in the mortgage banking industry. Fromma resides in Nassau, New York. She is in the process of becoming a member of the Ambassador's Committee for the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce and is an Assistant Girl Scout leader.
Dawn Marie Fountain, a resident of Clifton Park, is the Assistant Branch Manager. Fountain is a senior in the Marketing and Management program at Siena College. Her prior banking experience includes four years with Charter One Bank where she was a Financial Services Representative in the Clifton Park branches and specialized in CDs, IRAs and consumer loans. Fountain is active in several community functions, including the annual Making Strides For Breast Cancer campaign.
Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Berkshire Bank. Established in 1846, Berkshire Bank is one of Massachusetts' oldest and largest independent banks and the largest banking institution based in Western Massachusetts.
The Bank is headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts with branches serving communities throughout Western Massachusetts and Northeastern New York. The Bank is transitioning into a regional bank and is positioning itself as the financial institution of choice in its retail and commercial markets, delivering exceptional customer service and a broad array of competitively priced deposit, loan, insurance, wealth management and trust services, and investment products.
For more information on Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. or Berkshire Bank, visit www.berkshirebank.com or call 800-773-5601.
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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures.
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).
All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;
All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and
All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County.
To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated.
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season."
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration.
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:
Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing
Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live
Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents
Create year-round housing for artists
Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment
Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing
Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots
Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence
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