FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
01/30/06

For Further Information Please Contact:

Paul Carpinella
Marketing Assistant
Brookline Bank
617-730-3600 X3612

Brookline Bank to Open Branch in Newton Highlands
Branch will be the Bank’s sixteenth full-service location in Greater Boston

Brookline, MA, 01/30/06 - Richard P. Chapman, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Brookline Bank, announced today that the Bank will open its sixteenth full-service location, and third Newton branch, at 43 Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands.

The branch is expected to open in Spring 2006. The new location will feature many convenient banking services such as: anytime account access via a twenty-four hour ATM, Internet Banking kiosks, comfortable seating and private offices to conduct transactions.

Mark Flores will serve as the Branch Manager. Mr. Flores most recently served as the Assistant Branch Manager of the Bank’s Newtonville office, and has over ten years of retail banking experience.

“We are excited to expand in to the Newton Highlands area. We are certain that residents and businesses alike will enjoy our style of friendly and knowledgeable customer service and quality financial products. In addition, Newton residents will benefit from the convenience of having a Brookline Bank branch in three separate areas of the city,” said Cheryl B. Gorman, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking.

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About Brookline Bank

Brookline Bank is the sole subsidiary of Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRKL), headquartered in Brookline, Massachusetts. Brookline Bank is a full-service community bank serving Greater Boston with branches in Arlington, Bedford, Brookline, Lexington, Malden, Medford, Newton and West Roxbury. To find out more about Brookline Bank, visit our website at BrooklineBank.com or call us at 1-877-668-2265.