Valley National Bank Acquires NIA/Lawyers Title Agency, LLC

November 4, 2002

WAYNE, N.J., /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Valley National Bank, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp (NYSE: VLY - News),has acquired NIA/Lawyers Title Agency, LLC, a title insurance agency based in Paramus, NJ. For 2001, NIA/Lawyers' annual revenues were approximately $5 million. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

NIA/Lawyers maintains offices in Paramus, Morris Plains and Trenton, NJ. Louis C. Meyer, Jr., President of NIA/Lawyers, will continue with NIA/Lawyers, and Valley expects the other NIA/Lawyers employees will also remain with NIA/Lawyers. NIA/Lawyers joins Valley's Financial Services Division, which includes Commonwealth All Service Title Agency, Inc., acquired in 1999.

"We are very pleased to add the services of NIA/Lawyers to the offerings of our Financial Services Division," said Gerald H. Lipkin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valley. "Title insurance is a natural complement to our commercial and residential mortgage business."

Valley National Bancorp is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. Its principal subsidiary, Valley National Bank, including its Merchants Bank of New York Division, currently operates 128 offices located in 82 communities serving 10 counties throughout northern New Jersey and Manhattan.

Source: Valley National Bank


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