President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, Berkshire Hills Bancorp
Search every verified Nitin Mhatre interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Nitin Mhatre, CEO of Berkshire Hills Bancorp, has described the bank's approach to innovation and talent acquisition amid industry disruption. In a podcast recorded in October 2024, Mhatre stated that the bank has been "opportunistic on the talent front," hiring over a dozen seasoned bankers by taking advantage of market disruption caused by mergers in New England. He said the bank focuses on balancing short-term performance with long-term investment, and described its technology strategy as integrating platforms such as Snowflake, Salesforce, and FIS to create a digital experience he characterized as top quartile among midsize banks. Mhatre also discussed the bank's ESG performance, noting it ranks in the 17th percentile nationally among institutions rated by Bloomberg, MSCI, Sustainalytics, and ISS. In earlier appearances, Mhatre emphasized the bank's community-focused approach. He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Berkshire Bank issued PPP loans at about three times the national average and worked with clients in distressed industries. He described the bank's "My Banker" program, which brings banking services to clients who cannot visit a branch, and noted that 99% of the bank's energy use comes from renewable sources. Mhatre has referred to the bank as a "digitouch" organization, combining digital experiences with personal service, and said the bank's vision is to be a "high performing relationship driven community focus bank." He also stated that the bank was the first under $150 billion in assets to issue a sustainability bond.
“It's a 177 year old institution that has always been a purpose-driven values guided community dedicated institution and has built trust in the community over that period of time. Where you bank matters is not just about creating that exceptional client experience but also continuing to earn the trust of our clients acr...”
“While we need to adapt to technology and remain tech forward, we also need to make sure the core of who we are doesn't change. Our vision to be a high performing relationship driven community focus bank will evolve with technology and client expectations but the core does not change, and that core is earning and contin...”
“We launched our own transformation plan about three and a half years ago focusing on optimizing channels, processes, geography, businesses, and organizational structure to create efficiencies that we reinvest into the future, digitizing the cloud experience, enhancing client experience, and upgrading our tech stack.”
“We have probably the top quartile if not top decile digital experience stack among midsize banks, integrating Snowflake for centralized data warehouse, cloud migration, middleware platforms like Moft, Salesforce CRM, and a partnership with FIS for digital experience.”
“The balance between short-term and long-term is crucial. As Warren Buffett said, in the short term the market is a voting machine, but in the long term it's a weighing machine. We optimize ourselves to invest in the future while maintaining solid asset quality and capital strength.”
“Despite flat EPS year-on-year, we've been opportunistic on the talent front, hiring over a dozen seasoned bankers recently. Market disruption from mergers in New England has created opportunities for us to attract bankers whose clients feel disenfranchised by larger banks.”
“Technology has become democratized so that the largest bank in the country and a one or two billion dollar asset size bank can use the same platform. Access to technology has become really easy for those who want to adapt.”
“We track return on technology by measuring how the banker experience improves, including revenue per client and relationship depth, as well as efficiency gains in non-client facing roles. We also measure client revenue growth, product breadth, and cost reductions per account and acquisition.”
“We believe purpose and performance cannot just coexist but can be complementary, amplifying shareholder value. Our transformation includes financial performance, client experience, and ESG performance, where we are in the 17th percentile nationally among institutions rated by Bloomberg, MSCI, Sustainalytics, and ISS.”
“We treat regulators as partners, engaging with them proactively and regularly. This collaboration provides valuable feedback that helps us build effective programs and platforms while ensuring we stay compliant and avoid regulatory pitfalls.”
“Banks are in the business of deploying capital and allocating back capital to your customers and communities; we rank in the top quartile in our peer group in terms of our capital ratio, and we have pretty solid liquidity with a very robust enterprise risk management program to maintain that position of strength.”
“Every client, no matter how big or small, wants to be treated with dignity and respect and feel that they're getting personalized service. When you walk into a branch and are greeted personally, or when the mobile app says good morning by name, it shows the client that they are cared for as an individual, not just a nu...”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we ran towards our customers where things were tough. Our issuance of PPP loans was about three times the average bank in the country, and we worked with clients in industries like restaurants and hospitality to help them stay viable.”
“We were the first bank under $150 billion in assets to issue a sustainability bond, and we deployed the proceeds within the first year. This commitment to sustainability is core to our mission and has helped us achieve top ESG ratings from Bloomberg and other agencies.”
“We have a diverse organization with over 67% of our workforce being women and five out of thirteen board members are women. Diversity brings new perspectives that strengthen our thought processes and better reflect our increasingly diverse client base.”
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