Banker & Tradesman photo / file
Berkshire Bank announced has been recognized for its equality, earning the highest possible rating on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index.
The publicly-traded, Boston-based bank said Tuesday it received a perfect score of 100.
The announcement comes amid a campaign where major financial institutions and other large corporations have generally backed away from diversity, equity, inclusion and environmental programs under pressure from right-wing groups, a recent Supreme Court case banning the use of race as a factor in college admissions and angry rhetoric from the incoming Trump administration against transgender youth and racial diversity initiatives.
Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Bank of America all withdrew from an ambitious climate coalition aimed at helping reduce American businesses’ contributions to global warming known as the Net-Zero Banking Alliance. Major Wall Street names are opening programs originally meant to grow the number of people of color in their talent pipelines to people of all backgrounds. Many publicly-traded firms have dropped diversity goals from their annual reports, entirely. And numerous high-profile companies including Ford announced their withdrawal from the Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index.
After a stinging 2018 report alleging a “toxic” culture at the bank, successive Berkshire Bank have made diversity, equity and inclusion central pillars of the bank’s brand. The bank also launched efforts to grow its lending to diverse small businesses, pilot new loan products to close racial gaps in access to capital and open physical locations in historically-underserved neighborhoods.
“We’re grateful to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the work it does to promote LGBTQ+ workplace equality,” Gary Levante, chief sustainability and communications officer at Berkshire Bank, said in a statement. “In addition to shining a spotlight on the importance of equity, the work also helps ensure that companies can attract top talent, drive performance and support clients of all backgrounds, including those from the LGBTQ+ community.”
The Corporate Equality Index rates companies in four key areas: non-discrimination policies across business entities, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, “supporting an inclusive culture” and corporate social responsibility.
“This recognition underscores Berkshire’s unwavering dedication to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for our employees, customers and the communities we serve,” Chad Stier said in a statement.
Stier is co-chair of Berkshire’s Pride Employee Resource Group and vice president and business development administrator at Berkshire’s direct small business lending division.
According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 report, 76 percent of Corporate Equality Index participants documented that they provide inclusive benefits for same and different-sex spouses and partners according to the report. Additionally, 91 percent of CEI-rated businesses offer at least one transgender-inclusive plan option with current market standard coverage.
