EXHIBIT 99.1


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 23, 1997

CONTACT: Cathy Califano, S.V.P./C.F.O., Haven Bancorp, tel.
         (718) 850-1203
Hal Levine, The Levine Group, tel. (212) 682-8875


         HAVEN BANCORP ANNOUNCES 100% STOCK DIVIDEND


Woodhaven, NY--Haven Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAVN), the holding 
company for Columbia Federal Savings Bank, today announced that 
its Board of Directors has declared a stock split in the form of 
a 100% stock dividend.  Shareholders of record on the close of 
business October 31, 1997, will receive one additional share of 
Haven Bancorp common stock for each share they own as of that 
date.  The new shares will be distributed on November 28, 1997.  
As a result of the split, the total number of shares outstanding 
will increase to approximately 8,772,104 shares compared to 
4,386,052 shares outstanding as of September 30, 1997.  The 
annual cash dividend per common share will be adjusted to $0.30 
per share, or $0.075 per share quarterly, which is unchanged from 
the present level.

Earlier today, the Company announced third quarter earnings per 
share of $0.53.  Adjusting for the stock split, earnings per 
share for the third quarter are $0.27 per share compared to $0.01 
per share for the year-earlier period.  For the first nine months 
of 1997, post-split earnings per share equaled $0.89 per share 
versus $0.68 for the comparable year-earlier period.

The Company also announced that it has changed the name of its 
subsidiary bank from Columbia Federal Savings Bank to CFS Bank.

Headquartered in Woodhaven, New York, Haven Bancorp is the 
holding company for CFS Bank, a community-oriented institution 
offering deposit products, residential and commercial real estate 
loans and a full range of financial services including discount 
brokerage, mutual funds and annuities through eight full-service 
branches branches and twenty-five supermarket branches located in 
Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Nassau, Suffolk and Rockland 
Counties.  At September 30, 1997, Haven Bancorp had assets of 
$1.83 billion.  The Bank's deposits are insured by the FDIC.