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Parent company Berkshire Hills Bancorp has petitioned the Massachusetts Division of Banks for permission to close a branch office at 2005 Boston Road (Route 20) in Wilbraham and to consolidate the closing office with an existing branch on Center Street in Ludlow, according to a recent public notice.
Any objections to this plan must be made in writing to the Commissioner of Banks in Boston no later than two weeks from Dec. 24.
If Berkshire Bank wins approval for this as well as its other 15 planned bank branch closures, the institution’s footprint would be reduced by 18 percent overall leaving 106 branches in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New York.
The closures and consolidations are expected to begin in January and wrap up by 2021.
“Our optimization plan is consistent with customers' preferences,” said CEO Sean Gray in a statement, “and adoption of digital banking channels and our commitment to enhancing those channels as a 21st-century community bank."
The closing of the Wilbraham branch would be permanent. Berkshire Bank has temporarily closed several branches due to COVID-19 restrictions including one in West Springfield.
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