EXHIBIT 99


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  September 29, 1998

CONTACT: Cathy Califano, S.V.P./C.F.O., Haven Bancorp, tel.
         (516) 683-4483
         Hal Levine, The Levine Group, tel. (212) 682-8875


       HAVEN BANCORP AGREES TO ACQUIRE INSURANCE AGENCY


Westbury, NY--Haven Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: HAVN), the holding
company for CFS Bank, announced today that it has agreed to
acquire Century Insurance Agency (CIA) for approximately $1.2
million.  CIA, which is headquartered in Centereach, New York,
specializes in providing automobile, homeowners and casualty
insurance to individuals and various lines of commercial insurance
to businesses.  CIA, which will operate as a subsidiary of Haven
Bancorp, generated approximately $6 million in premiums in 1997
and represents more than twelve insurance companies as an
independent agency.  CIA was the largest producer in New York
State in 1997 for one of the major insurance companies it
represents.  This transaction requires no regulatory or
shareholder approval and is expected to be completed in the fourth
quarter of 1998.

Commenting on the news, Philip S. Messina, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Haven, said, "We're very enthusiastic about
this transaction.  I'm particularly pleased that we're retaining
CIA's current executive management who have run the Company so
successfully.  CIA's insurance business integrates well with the
life, health and disability insurance business of CFS Investments
and we're eager for our branch sales force to have the resulting
expanded product line.  We believe the supermarket branch sales
force is sufficiently in place and ready to take on these new
products.  Also, CFS InterCounty Mortgage, which we acquired this
past May, represents a natural source of leads to our new
insurance agency for homeowners coverage while CFS Bank's
commercial real estate department is an ideal source of leads for
the Agency's business insurance lines.  We expect to add further
to CIA's current business base through direct mail advertising to
our existing customers."

Mr. Messina continued, "We believe the transaction will not have a
significant effect on our consolidated results in its first year
of operation.  Looking out further, we envision an important
contribution from the more complete package of services we will be
able to provide our customers through our rapidly-expanding
distribution platform of supermarket branches."




Headquartered in Westbury, 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, annuities and insurance through eight full-service
banking offices and fifty-two supermarket branches located in New
York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Westchester counties, New
Jersey and Connecticut.  The Bank provides residential mortgage
banking services through its CFS InterCounty Mortgage division. 
The Bank's deposits are insured by the FDIC.

Statements made herein that are forward-looking in nature within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995 are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially.  Such risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, those related to overall business
conditions, particularly in the consumer financial services,
mortgage and insurance markets in which Haven operates, fiscal and
monetary policy, competitive products and pricing, credit risk
management, changes in regulations affecting financial
institutions and other risks and uncertainties discussed in the
Company's SEC filings.  The Company disclaims any obligation to
publicly announce future events or developments, which affect the
forward-looking statements herein.