MountainOne Financial, Mechanics Bancorp Receive Aprovals To Merge

10:44AM / Friday, December 12, 2025Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MountainOne Financial, MHC, the mutual holding company parent of MountainOne Bank, and Mechanics Bancorp, MHC, the mutual holding company parent of Mechanics Cooperative Bank, announced that all regulatory approvals required to complete the merger of the two mutual holding companies have been received.

The merger transaction is scheduled to take place on Jan. 1, 2026, at which time the newly combined mutual holding company will operate under the name MountainOne Financial, MHC, and will have approximately $1.9 billion in assets.

MountainOne Bank and Mechanics Cooperative Bank will continue to operate as two separate, independently chartered community banks, and will each retain their existing names, headquarters locations, leadership teams, and boards of directors. Furthermore, customers will not experience any disruption, nor do they need to take any action.

Bringing together two organizations allows the newly combined mutual holding company to take their time in evaluating opportunities to collaborate where doing so strengthens service, enhances operational efficiency, or supports long-term sustainability.

Upon completion of the merger, Robert J. Fraser will serve as Chairman and Joseph T. Baptista Jr. as President and Chief Executive Officer of the combined Mutual Holding Company, MountainOne Financial, MHC. Fraser will continue in his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of MountainOne Bank and Baptista will also remain as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mechanics Cooperative Bank. There are no staff reductions associated with the merger.

"This merger is a strong step for both organizations," said Robert J. Fraser. "It reflects shared priorities and a clear focus on bringing long-term value to our customers and community. We are proud of the work that brought us here and confident in the direction ahead. Our customers, employees, and communities remain at the center of our decisions."

"We are excited to move forward together," said Joseph T. Baptista Jr. "This merger positions us to grow, invest, and serve with even greater impact. Our teams are energized by our shared vision, and we are looking forward to the opportunities it creates for our customers and communities. MountainOne Financial, MHC will carry on each legacy organizations’ commitment to mutuality, which places its customers and communities at the center of organizational decision-making. MountainOne Bank and Mechanics Cooperative Bank each have deep roots in their respective communities and have prioritized an ongoing commitment to remain local, accessible, and engaged."

FinPro Capital Advisors, Inc. served as the financial advisor to MountainOne Financial, MHC and Piper Sandler & Co. served as the financial advisor to Mechanics Bancorp, MHC. Luse Gorman, PC served as legal counsel to MountainOne Financial, MHC and Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP served as legal counsel to Mechanics Bancorp, MHC.

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North Adams Becomes a Purple Heart Community

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Veterans Service Officer Kurtis Durocher, a Purple Heart recipient, tells his own story of how he was wounded in Iraq.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City leaders last week held a ceremony marking the city as a Purple Heart Community to honor local military service members wounded or killed in combat.

"This designation is much more than a sign that will stand at the entrances to our city," said Kurtis Durocher, Northern Berkshire veterans service officer at City Hall on Friday. "It is a lasting commitment and a promise to this community. We'll never forget the sacrifices made by those who are wounded or killed while serving our nation. It is a public declaration of the courage and sacrifices of combat wounded. Veterans will always have a place of honor here in North Adams."

As a Purple Heart Community, North Adams will place signs throughout the city acknowledging the designation. The city will also hold a ceremony every Aug. 7 on National Purple Heart Day.

During the inaugural ceremony, Durocher said he was asked by the Military Order of the Purple Heart to find a keynote speaker for the event, preferably a Purple Heart recipient. But he was unable to find someone willing to speak. With the date approaching, he decided to tell his own story.

"I don't like standing up and telling my own personal story ... But I realized, in my position as a VSO, I get so many ... children of veterans who will say, 'I didn't know anything about my father until after he passed because he just didn't talk about it,'" Durocher said. "... I have been that way until I've gotten into this position, and so, now, I try to tell my story as much as I can when it is brought to me."

Durocher served in the Army for 20 years and retired as a master sergeant. On Friday, he recalled a time early in his career while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division deploying to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. On Sept. 12, 2003, his squad was conducting a patrol on Route Irish in Baghdad. He was serving as a gunner on an LMTV when it was struck by a 155-millimeter artillery shell. He said the explosive had been hidden behind a guardrail and detonated using nothing more than a washing machine timer.

"In an instant, everything changed. The blast knocked me unconscious. When I regained consciousness, I instinctively was removing my helmet," he said. "Almost immediately my training took over. We had been taught repeatedly that attacks like this were often followed by a secondary attack or an ambush. I quickly put my helmet back on and began searching for my machine gun."

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