Social Media Policy Statement

Berkshire Hills Bancorp

The views and opinions expressed in this memo are those of the individual contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of Berkshire Hills Bancorp. or any of its related companies. Comments posted in response to blog posts are the opinions of the readers. In no event will Berkshire Hills Bancorp. or any of its related companies be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this social media site. Statements contained in this social media site, which are not historical facts, including statements about plans, goals and expectations regarding businesses and opportunities, new or existing business strategies, capital resources and future financial results are “forward looking” as contemplated by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in government regulation, generally accepted accounting principles, taxation, competition, general economic conditions and geopolitical conditions. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements.

Social Media Community Guidelines

Berkshire Hills Bancorp. and its subsidiaries are excited to be a part of social media so we can communicate with you in your online communities. In order to keep our conversations on track and your personal information safe online, we’ve created a list of some helpful guidelines to remember.

• Your Private Information: Berkshire acknowledges that social media sites are vulnerable to information security attacks and will implement sufficient information security controls, including but not limited to:
  • Berkshire’s personal computers, laptops and mobile access devices used to access social media and networking sites are required to have current and continuously updated software to protect against destructive technical incidents or events, including but not limited to, cyber, virus and spyware/adware attacks. It is the responsibility of the Information Technology Department to ensure that all such equipment maintains these appropriate safeguards as detailed in the Bank’s Information Security Program.
  • Login IDs, passwords and other authentication methods for social media sites must conform to standards provided within Berkshire’s Information Security Program. Passwords for these sites must meet minimum standards to be considered strong passwords and contain a combination of letters, numbers and special characters.
• Responsibility of Security: Berkshire is not responsible for the privacy or security on social media sites and other third-party sites that may be linked to social media sites.
• Comments by Employees: Berkshire does not endorse any comments made by its employees, unless they are an authorized representative of the bank. All unofficial statements and viewpoints expressed in the comments are strictly those of the commenters alone.
• Endorsements: Berkshire is not responsible for and does not endorse any content or advertisements posted by social media sites or of third party sites or applications that may appear on those social media sites.
• Affiliation: While Berkshire has a brand presence on social media sites; please note that Berkshire is not affiliated with these sites. Berkshire has no control over how third parties use the information you share on these sites. Your participation in social media is at your own risk. We also recommend that you would familiarize yourself with the social media privacy policies of all social media sites before using them. We will not affiliate with sites where the age requirement is below 13 to follow the guidelines of COPPA.
• Validity of Links: Users should be aware when they click on a link on a Berkshire social media page, they assume the risk. Users should also understand that they may be leaving our site when clicking on such links. Users should exercise extra caution when links are posted outside of normal business hours or on third party comments. We may occasionally post links to third-party sites when we think you’ll find the information helpful. However, please note that this does not in any way constitute an official endorsement of the individual, information, site or company.
• Removal of Comments: All Berkshire social media sites are monitored, and any posts considered obscene, pornographic or similarly inappropriate will be removed.

If you have a question or a comment for us, post away! Please note that these pages are moderated by Berkshire employees. We will make every effort to respond in a timely manner between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, Eastern time, (excluding Holidays).