NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: Jean Quinn, Vice President, Corporate Communications
         The Provident Bank
         (201) 915-5490

FOR RELEASE 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time: November 22, 2006


Provident Financial Services, Inc. Names Laura L. Brooks to the Board of
Directors

JERSEY  CITY,  NJ November  22  /PRNewswire-First  Call/ -  Provident  Financial
Services,  Inc.  (NYSE:PFS) (the "Company") today announced that Laura L. Brooks
has been named to the Boards of  Directors  of the Company and its  wholly-owned
subsidiary, The Provident Bank.

Laura L. Brooks is Vice President-Risk  Management and the Chief Risk Officer of
PSEG  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  she  is  responsible  for  refining  and
implementing  PSEG's  global risk  management  strategy.  Prior to assuming that
position  with  PSEG in 2002,  Ms.  Brooks  held a  similar  position  with PG&E
Corporation  in  San  Francisco,  California  from  2000.  Before  joining  PG&E
Corporation,  Ms.  Brooks  was a Senior  Manager  of  Deloitte & Touche USA LLP,
providing consulting services on risk management for the energy industry. During
her career,  Ms. Brooks has held a number of other positions  serving the energy
and utility industries.  She is a member of the Committee of Chief Risk Officers
and serves on the Advisory Board for the Quantitative Finance Program at Rutgers
University.

Ms.  Brooks has M.S.  degrees  from  Carnegie  Mellon  University  and  Stanford
University, and an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Colorado

"We are  delighted  to have Laura join our board,"  said Paul M.  Pantozzi,  the
Company's Chairman and Chief Executive  Officer.  "Her background and experience
in risk management will be a tremendous  asset to us. I'm sure Laura will play a
vital role in helping the board guide Provident in the years to come."

Provident Financial Services, Inc., which reported assets of $5.82 billion as of
September 30, 2006, is the holding  company for The Provident  Bank.  Founded in
1839, the bank has 76 branches in northern and central New Jersey.

This news release may contain a number of  forward-looking  statements,  as that
term is defined in the Private  Securities  Litigation  Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking  statements are subject to risks and  uncertainties  which could
cause actual results to differ  materially from those currently  anticipated due
to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, factors discussed
in documents  filed by the Company with the Securities  and Exchange  Commission
from  time to time.  The  Company  undertakes  no  obligation  to  update  these
forward-looking  statements to reflect events or circumstances  that occur after
the date on which such  statements  were made.  You may access the  filings  and
other   financial   and   business   information   regarding   the   Company  at
www.providentnj.com.