EXHIBIT 99

                                  PRESS RELEASE
                                  -------------

     WOOD-RIDGE, NEW JERSEY (FEBRUARY 19, 1998)...1st Bergen Bancorp
(NASDAQ:FBER), the holding company for South Bergen Savings Bank, today
announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend on its
common stock of five cents ($0.05) per common share. The dividend will be
payable on March 31, 1998, to shareholders of record at the close of business on
March 16, 1998.

     William M. Brickman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said "The March
31st dividend payment represents the seventh consecutive quarter in which the
Company has paid a cash dividend on its common stock and is reflective to
management's ongoing commitment to provide shareholder value."

     Headquartered in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, South Bergen Savings Bank is a
federally chartered stock savings bank that conducts business from its
headquarters located in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, and from its branch offices
located in East Rutherford, Wanaque and Montville, New Jersey. South Bergen
Savings Bank's deposits are insured by the Savings Association Insurance Fund
(SAIF) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).