Regular readers will know that we love our dividends at Simply Wall St, which is why it's exciting to see Valley National Bancorp ( NASDAQ:VLY ) is about to trade ex-dividend in the next four days. The ex-dividend date occurs one day before the record date which is the day on which shareholders need to be on the company's books in order to receive a dividend. The ex-dividend date is an important date to be aware of as any purchase of the stock made on or after this date might mean a late settlement that doesn't show on the record date. This means that investors who purchase Valley National Bancorp's shares on or after the 13th of March will not receive the dividend, which will be paid on the 2nd of April.