1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   LIPKIN, GERALD H.
   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
   03/04/2003
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
   CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT AND CEO
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                    02/28/2003            A         6000        A   $0.0000    213950         D
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               62243          I           WIFE
Common Stock                                                                               4818           I           IRA/WIFE
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           11/15/90
                                                                                                                      RESTRICTED
                                                                                                                      STK. AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           3/17/92 REST.
                                                                                                                      STK. AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           03/16/93
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           03/16/93
                                                                                                                      QUALIFIED
                                                                                                                      STK. OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           02/15/94
                                                                                                                      QUALIFIED
                                                                                                                      STK. OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           2/15/94 REST.
                                                                                                                      STK. AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           02/28/95
                                                                                                                      NON-QUAL.
                                                                                                                      STK. OPTION
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           02/28/95
                                                                                                                      REST. STK.
                                                                                                                      AWARD
Common Stock                                                                               0              I           01/05/99
                                                                                                                      NON-QUAL.
                                                                                                                      STK. OPTION
Common Stock / IRA                                                                         5130           D
401K                                                                                       889            D
Common Stock  (with Spouse)                                                                98             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       $12                                                       02/20/2006 Common                      6250    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $15.2                                                     02/18/2007 Common                      11460   D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $17.6                                                     02/12/2010 Common                      20673   D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $20                                                       01/05/2009 Common                      4345    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $20.8                                                     02/09/2008 Common                      27130   D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $25.65   02/28/2         A     17600       02/28/2004 02/28/2013 Common  17600    $25.6500   17600   D
Option               003                                                         Stock
Stock       $26.7                                                     02/15/2012 Common                      1076    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $20                                                       01/05/2009 Common                      17360   I       01/05/9
Option                                                                           Stock                                       9
                                                                                                                             NON-QUA
                                                                                                                             L. STK.
                                                                                                                             OPTION
Stock       $20.8                                                     02/09/2008 Common                      9045    D
Appreciatio                                                                      Stock
n Right
STOCK       $22.27                                                    02/08/2011                             21000   D
OPTION/NQ                                                                        COMMON
                                                                                 STK.
STOCK       $26.7                                                     02/15/2012 Common                      18924   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.

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



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ GERALD H. LIPKIN

DATE
03/03/2003