1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   GOULD, ERIC W.
   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    5400           D
                                                      
Common Stock                                                                               400            I           Custodian for
                                                                                                                      minor child
Common Stock                                                                               271439         I           By trust





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       $17.9                                                     06/30/2008 Common                      2004    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $22                                                       01/19/2011 Common                      4594    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $24.55                                                    11/07/2011 Common                      3000    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $26.33   11/18/2         A     3500        11/18/2003 11/18/2012 Common  3500     $26.3300   3500    D
Option               002                                                         Stock
STOCK       $24.55                                                    11/07/2011 Common                      750     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/ ERIC W. GOULD

DATE
11/20/2002