Berkshire Hills Bancorp : 06/03/2021 - It's A Matter of Pride for Berkshire Bank

It's A Matter of Pride for Berkshire Bank

Berkshire Bank Highlights Commitment to LGBTQ Community and Employees

Boston, MA - June 3, 2021 - Berkshire Bank, a socially responsible community-dedicated bank with locations primarily in New England and New York, celebrates its employees' and customers' diversity by recognizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) PRIDE all year long.

While the country has come a long way for LGBTQIA+ rights, there is still work to be done. That effort starts at home, and it begins in the workplace. Berkshire Bank has a longstanding and proud tradition of support for the LGBTQ community, its offices, branches, and beyond. Here are some points of pride at Berkshire Bank:

• Berkshire established The Futures Fund and deployed more than $1MM to support BlPOC and LGBTQ Businesses with COVID Relief.
• Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index Perfect Score - Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality
• Installation of Gender Inclusive Restrooms and Inclusive Pride Welcome Signage at all Berkshire locations.
• Employees are encouraged to include their preferred pronouns in their email signatures with corporate-approved gender signature guidelines.
• Adopted Gender Inclusive Policy Language to update and remove gender-specific pronoun usage in company policies.
• Adopted Inclusive Account Opening Procedures to assist our customers who desire to be addressed by an alternative or preferred name and expanded the documents that the Bank would accept to process a formal name change on accounts.
• Conduct LGBTQ targeted Financial Wellness Programming
• Berkshire Bank contributed to various community organizations in 2020 to LGBTQ non-profit organizations, and we have been a long-time supporter of LGBTQ organizations across our service footprint.
• In 2019, launched the PRIDE Employee Resource Group, which provides a safe space for dialogue, education and collective action on topics impacting employees and the LGBTQIA+ community.
• We also display one of the largest Pride Flags on the East Coast and in the nation outside the San Francisco Pride Flag.

Berkshire Bank consistently reviews our diversity efforts and addresses diverse topics for inclusiveness and the importance of being an active ally. Our elevation of essential LGBTQIA+ topics and support for organization-wide and community-wide celebratory events, such as our Annual Company-wide Pride Month Celebration, deepen our commitment to issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community.

'Berkshire Bank is committed to building a more equitable and inclusive company, which allows us to serve better the needs of our diverse employees, customers, and communities,' said Angela Dixon, chief diversity officer, Berkshire Bank. 'Our continued support of community LGBTQIA+ events, organizations, and issues give us the unique opportunity to strengthen our existing partnerships, deepen our customer relationships and engage our LGBTQIA+ employees and their allies.'

'I am so impressed by the Berkshire Bank PRIDE Employee Resource group's dedication not only to Berkshire Bank and our mission but also to their coworkers and the broader LGBTQIA+ community. This shines through in the way they promote inclusiveness and understanding throughout the community.' Said Nitin Mhatre, CEO, Berkshire Bank.

Berkshire Bank celebrates its LGBTQIA+ team members and encourages all employees and corporate leaders to become allies and fight for human rights.

About Berkshire Bank

Berkshire Bank 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 pursue 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, investment, and insurance services. The Bank has approximately $12.8 billion in assets and operates 118 branch offices primarily in New England and New York, with an agreement to sell its eight Mid-Atlantic branches. Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank 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.