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Berkshire Hills Bancorp (Nasdaq: BHLB) reported net income of $3.4 million, or $0.25 per share, in the third quarter of 2010. This was a 78% increase over third quarter 2009 results of $1.9 million, or $0.14 per share, and included the benefit of positive operating leverage from strong revenue growth. For the first nine months of the year, Berkshire's net income increased by 25% to $10.2 million in 2010 from $8.1 million in 2009. Earnings per share for the first nine months more than doubled to $0.73 in 2010 from $0.32 in 2009 due to the impact in 2009 of retiring government preferred stock.
THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS(revenue and expense comparisons are to prior year third quarter, unless otherwise noted)
15% growth in net interest income
9% growth in total net revenue
15% annualized growth in total commercial loans
7% annualized growth in total loans
6% annualized growth in total deposits.

Burlington is one of eight cities serving as a research site for a Phase I clinical trial for people suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a serious lung disease. The clinical trial will take place at The University of Vermont and patients are actively being recruited.
IPF is a devastating lung disease that is progressive and generally fatal. An estimated 128,000 persons in the United States suffer from IPF, with 48,000 new persons diagnosed annually and 40,000 patients dying from the disease each year. The number of deaths annually is the same as breast cancer and greater than other cancers such as multiple myeloma. Currently no FDA-approved medicines exist for IPF in the United States or Europe.

The College of St. Joseph in Rutland, VT, is pleased to announce that the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Vermont Community Foundation, has presented the college with a grant for $33,000 to support its STEPS Program. STEPS (Students Taking an Effective Path to Success) is a program designed to assist young people in foster care with the transition to college. The program, now in its third year, is the first of its kind in the state of Vermont.
College president Frank G. Miglorie and the CSJ community express gratitude for the generosity of the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation through their contribution to the STEPS program. The J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation provided financial assistance to the college when it launched the STEPS program in 2008. The continued generosity of the Foundation has enabled the program’s great success at CSJ, which has helped students find the means to pursue higher education through STEPS.

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader in online marketing solutions for auto dealers, today announced that it ranked number 150 on the 2010 Technology Fast 500(TM), Deloitte's ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2005-2009. Dealer.com grew 678 percent during this period.
Dealer.com's CEO, Mark Bonfigli, credits innovative technology and a unique culture with the company's rapid growth over the past five years. He said:

People's United Financial, Inc today announced net income of $24.1 million, or $0.07 per share, for the third quarter of 2010, compared to $16.0 million, or $0.04 per share, for the second quarter of 2010, and $26.8 million, or $0.08 per share, for the third quarter of 2009. Included in both this quarter's and the second quarter's results are pre-tax merger-related expenses, core system conversion costs and one-time charges totaling $5.3 million and $23.2 million, respectively. Excluding the effect of these items, net income would have been $27.7 million, or $0.08 per share, for the third quarter of 2010 and $31.8 million, or $0.09 per share, for the second quarter of 2010. Third quarter 2010 earnings reflect a modest increase in the net interest margin despite pressure associated with the historically low interest rate environment and the company's asset sensitive balance sheet, and an increase in the provision for loan losses.

The State of Vermont’s recent $50 million bond sale to support its annual capital program garnered the lowest interest costs the State has incurred in memory. The State locked in a total interest cost of 2.58 percent over the 20-year life of the bonds, the lowest rate in records dating back to the 1960s. The proceeds of the bonds will fund infrastructure projects authorized by the State Legislature in the last session.
Contributing to the very low interest cost were the State’s high credit rating, a very low interest rate environment, and use of Build America Bonds. Build America Bonds, often referred to simply as ‘BABs,’ were made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Vermont Public Service Department Commissioner David O'Brien told an audience at the 90th Annual Meeting of Associated Industries of Vermont in Montpelier Wednesday that Vermont Yankee is safe to operate, that Vermont manufacturers need low-cost power to effectively compete with overseas competition, and closing Vermont's only nuclear power plant would cause extensive transmission problems in the New England region.
O'Brien's comments echoed the concerns voiced by a panel of leading manufacturing and technology companies earlier in the event who, in discussing Vermont's key economic strengths and weaknesses, cited energy costs, along with tax burdens and other key issues, as a top concern in keeping Vermont manufacturing competitive nationally and globally.

Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center is one of only 480 locations around the country taking part in a study of a new drug for treating breast cancer. The study, called a clinical trial, will help determine if adding a new drug, bevacizumab, to conventional chemotherapy affects the prognosis of women with a specific type of breast cancer.

‘The new drug is specifically aimed at women with HER2-negative breast cancer,’ explained Dr. Orion Howard, director of medical oncology at the cancer center. ‘There are several types breast cancer caused by hormone or growth factor imbalances. A HER2-negative tumor means the tumor was not caused by a problem with the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, a technical term for the gene that controls cell growth in the body.’

Continuing efforts to ensure a clean, low-carbon energy supply, Central Vermont Public Service (NYSE: CV) and Green Mountain Power announced today that they have signed contracts to purchase additional wind power from a New Hampshire wind project. The new contracts will add about 27 megawatts of capacity to the Vermont utilities' portfolios.
"Vermonters have clearly stated their desire for clean, low-emission, renewable energy if it can be obtained at an affordable cost, and this contract meets all of those criteria," CVPS President Bob Young and GMP President Mary Powell said in a joint statement.

A Rutland oral surgeon, Peter B Gray, was arraigned on October 18, 2010, in Vermont Superior Court, Criminal Division, Rutland County on 23 felony counts of Medicaid fraud, announced Attorney General William H. Sorrell.
According to papers filed in court, Dr. Gray is accused of fraudulently billing Vermont Medicaid for diagnosing patients with non-existent dental cysts, and for services which he did not provide, including anesthesia and the removal of bone-impacted teeth.
For each of the 23 Medicaid fraud charges, Dr. Gray faces a potential fine of up to $1,000.00 or an amount equal to twice the amount of payments obtained, or up to ten years in prison, or both. The court imposed standard conditions of release that govern Dr. Gray’s conduct while the case is pending.
Source: Vermont Attorney General. 10.20.2010

For the week of October 9, 2010, there were 752 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance, a decrease of 88 from the week before. Altogether 7,405 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 55 from a week ago and 2,166 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,787 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 54 fewer than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,516 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 23 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Union Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ ‘ UNB) today announced results for the third quarter of 2010. Net Income was $1.46 million or $0.32 per share compared to $1.44 million or $0.32 per share for 2009. Quarterly results reflect an increase in net interest income of $127 thousand, or 2.8%, a $116 thousand, or 7.7%, increase in noninterest income, and a reduction of $63 thousand in net expenses related to Other Real Estate Owned. These positive items were partially offset by a $58 thousand increase in personnel and benefit costs which is partially due to the opening of a new Loan Center in South Burlington, Vermont, in August 2010 as well as a $125 thousand increase in the loan loss provision due mainly to the growth and composition of the loan portfolio.