Banknorth Group, Inc. Provides $10,000 to Assist with Tsunami Disaster Relief

Portland, ME - January 5, 2005 - Banknorth Group, Inc. announced today that the Banknorth Charitable Foundation has donated $10,000 to support the relief efforts of the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia.

The funds will be donated through the American Red Cross.

“We have all been saddened and touched by the extent of the devastation caused by the tsunami,” said Bill Ryan, President, Chairman, and CEO of Banknorth Group, Inc. “As a company, we wanted to do something to support the ongoing relief efforts of those most in need.”

For additional information on making a donation to the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org.

At September 30, 2004, Banknorth Group, Inc. headquartered in Portland, Maine had $29.0 billion in assets. Banknorth's banking subsidiary, Banknorth, N.A., operates banking divisions in Connecticut (Banknorth Connecticut); Maine (Peoples Heritage Bank); Massachusetts (Banknorth Massachusetts); New Hampshire (Bank of New Hampshire); New York (Evergreen Bank); and Vermont (Banknorth Vermont). The Company and Banknorth, N.A. also operate subsidiaries and divisions in insurance, money management, merchant services, mortgage banking, government banking and other financial services and offer investment products in association with PrimeVest Financial Services, Inc. The Company's website is at www.banknorth.com.

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CONTACT: Banknorth Group, Inc.
Jeffrey Nathanson, 207-761-8517

SOURCE: Banknorth Group, Inc.