EXHIBIT 99

                                  PRESS RELEASE

                      1ST BERGEN BANCORP DECLARES DIVIDEND

     WOOD-RIDGE, NEW JERSEY (AUGUST 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 seven cents ($0.07) per common share. The dividend will be
payable on September 30, 1998, to shareholders of record at the close of
business on September 15, 1998.

     William M. Brickman, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The
September 30th dividend payment represents the ninth 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 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).

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