Dec 16 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hills Bancorp ( BHLB ) and

Brookline Bancorp ( BRKL ) have agreed to merge in an all-stock

deal valued at about $1.1 billion, the regional lenders said on

Monday.

Regional lenders that were at the heart of the banking

crisis in 2023 have been cutting more deals this year to expand

their geographic foothold and better compete with rivals,

extending a wave of consolidation in the sector.

Shares of Brookline were last up 1.4% in premarket trading.

The combined company will trade on the New York Stock

Exchange under a new name and ticker symbol, which will be

announced later.

The banks expect the deal to close by the second half of

next year.