1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   ESKOW, ALAN D.
   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)
   EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT CHIEF
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         4000        A   $0.0000    33686          D
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               441            I           IRA/WIFE
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/19/91
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/27/92
                                                                                                                      QUAL. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           10/29/93
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/08/94
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           10/29/93
                                                                                                                      QUAL. STK.
                                                                                                                      OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/08/94
                                                                                                                      QUAL. STK.
                                                                                                                      OPTION
COMMON STK.                                                                                1436           D
 COMMON STOCK                                                                              451            D
401K                                                                                       813            D
TEST FOR EDGAR                                                                             0              D





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                      5789    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $19.2                                                     11/12/2009 Common                      6891    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $21.6                                                     11/28/2010 Common                      13125   D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $25.17                                                    11/27/2011 Common                      5174    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $26.33   11/18/2         A     12000       11/18/2003 11/18/2012 Common  12000    $26.3300   12000   D
Option               002                                                         Stock
STOCK       $25.17                                                    11/27/2011 Common                      8576    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/ ALAN D. ESKOW

DATE
11/20/2002