Pittsfield’s Berkshire Hills Bancorp has recruited an asset-based lending group to serve middle market companies in New England and northeastern New York.

This new lending group is part of the commercial banking team at Berkshire Bank.

The bank has appointed Paul F. Flynn, Jr. as senior vice president and manager of asset based lending, and Mark Foster has been named senior vice president. Both will work out of the bank’s headquarters.

Jim Hickson will serve as vice president of asset-based lending, and work in the Springfield regional headquarters, according to a statement.

This team has been working together since 2002 under Flynn’s direction as the asset-based lending department manager at TD Bank, according to a statement.

Flynn reports to Michael J. Oleksak, executive vice president of commercial banking at Berkshire Bank.

"Our expansion into asset-based lending positions us to provide more financing solutions to our commercial customers in these challenging times, and to reach new customers in the region," Michael P. Daly, Berkshire’s president and CEO. "We have steadily expanded our commercial team in recent quarters by recruiting strong and experienced regional leaders in northeastern New York, western Massachusetts and southern Vermont."

"I have worked with Flynn, Foster and Hickson in the past and know first hand their ability to provide responsible asset-based lending solutions to area businesses," said Oleksak.