8-K

                        UNITED STATES
               SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                    Washington, D.C. 20549

                          FORM 8-K

                       CURRENT REPORT
             PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE 
                SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) OCTOBER 23, 1997


                      HAVEN BANCORP, INC.
    (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                          DELAWARE
 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)


                          000-21628
                    (Commission File Number)


                          11-3153802
             (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


       93-22 JAMAICA AVENUE, WOODHAVEN, NEW YORK  11421
      (Address of principal executive offices)  (Zip Code)

                        (718) 847-7041
      (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


                        NOT APPLICABLE                 
      (Former name, former address and former fiscal year,
                  if changed since last report)













ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS


On October 23, 1997, the Board of Directors of Haven Bancorp, 
Inc. (the "Company") declared a stock split in the form of a 100% 
stock dividend.  Stockholders of record as of the close of 
business on October 31, 1997 will receive one additional share of 
the Company's common stock for each share they own on that date. 
The new shares will be distributed on November 28, 1997.



ITEM 7.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION
         AND EXHIBITS

         (a)  Financial Statements of the Business Acquired.
              Not Applicable.

         (b)  Pro Forma Financial Information.
              Not Applicable.

         (c)  Exhibits.
              99.1  Press Release, dated October 23, 1997.




                        SIGNATURE


Pursuant to the requirements of The Securities Exchange Act of 
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on 
its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                               HAVEN BANCORP INC.
                                 (Registrant)



Date:  October 28, 1997      By:    /s/  Catherine Califano
                                    ---------------------------
                                    Catherine Califano
                                    Senior Vice President and 
                                      Chief Financial Officer

 

 
 

EX-99

                         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.