1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   GARBER, RICHARD P.
   1455 VALLEY ROAD
   WAYNE, NJ 07470-
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP (VLY)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year
   11/20/2002
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
   FIRST SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+--------------------------+--------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security          |2. Trans- |2A.Execu- |3. Trans-|4. Securities Acquired (A)|5. Amount of  |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                              |   action |   action |   action|   or Disposed of (D)     |Securities    |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                              |   Date   |   Date   |   Code  |                          |Beneficially  |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                              |          |          |         |                          |Owned         |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                              |  (Month/ |  (Month/ |         |                          |Following     |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                              |   Day/   |   Day/   +-----+---+-----------+---+----------+Reported      |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                              |   Year)  |   Year)  |Code |V  |Amount     |A/D|Price     |Transaction(s)|   (I)     |   ship     |
+------------------------------+----------+----------+-----+---+-----------+---+----------+--------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                        
Common Stock                    11/18/2002            A         1125        A   $0.0000    23068          D
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/27/92
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           10/29/93
                                                                                                                      REST.STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/08/94
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/08/94
                                                                                                                      QUAL. STK.
                                                                                                                      OPTION





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+-------+-------+------+
|1.        |2.      |3.     |3A.    |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.     |10.    |11.   |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Number |Owner- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |of     |ship   |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv- |Form of|      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative  |Deriv- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur- |ative  |Nature|
|          |Conver- |Trans- |Execu- |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities  |Secur- |of    |
|          |sion or |action |tion   |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi-|ity:   |In-   |
|          |Exercise|Date   |Date   |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially |Direct |direct|
|          |Price of|       |       |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned  |(D) or |Bene- |
|Title of  |Deriv-  |(Month/|(Month/|tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |       |In-    |ficial|
|Derivative|ative   | Day/  | Day/  +------+--+-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|       |direct |Owner-|
|Security  |Security|Year)  |Year)  |Code  |V |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |       |(I)    |ship  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                
Stock       $13.6                                                     11/07/2006 Common                      5696    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $17.6                                                     10/27/2007 Common                      7236    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $18.4                                                     10/23/2008 Common                      7236    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $19.2                                                     11/12/2009 Common                      6892    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $21.6                                                     11/15/2010 Common                      6563    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $24.55                                                    11/07/2011 Common                      4451    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $26.33   11/18/2         A     5600        11/18/2003 11/18/2012 Common  5600     $26.3300   5600    D
Option               002                                                         Stock
STOCK       $24.55                                                    11/07/2011 Common                      1799    D
OPTION/NQ                                                                        Stock

Explanation of Responses:


Restricted grant under Valley's Stock Option Plan, awarded in five vesting
periods beginning one year from date of grant.

Valley stock split five for
four on May 17, 2002.

Granted under Valley's Stock Option Plan, exercisable in five equal installments
beginning one year from the grant date.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ RICHARD P. GARBER

DATE
11/20/2002