Holding in Company

Provident Financial PLC
2 April 2001

                                 SCHEDULE 10

                  NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1) Name of company

Provident Financial plc

2) Name of shareholder having a major interest

FMR Corporation and its direct and indirect subsidiaries, Fidelity
International Limited and its direct and indirect subsidiaries

3) Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of
holding of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a
non-beneficial interest or in the case of an individual holder if it is a
holding of that person's spouse or children under the age of 18

Non-beneficial interest of shareholders referred to in 2 above

4) Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the
number of shares held by each of them

Registered Shareholder                                          Shares Held

State Street Nominees Limited                                   31,700
Chase Nominees Limited                                          600,000
State Street Nominees Ltd                                       30,000
Bank of New York Europe                                         27,900
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                       206,900
Nortrust Nominees                                               18,000
National Cities                                                 45,700
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Limited                  5,590,965
Bankers Trust                                                   205,114
Citibank                                                        99,926
BT Globenet Nominees Ltd                                        66,500
MSS Nominees Ltd                                                22,650
Chase Nominees Ltd                                              232,995
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                       139,308
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                           403,521
RBS Trust Bank                                                  200,550
Bank of New York Europe                                         98,539
MSS Nominees Ltd                                                1,955,319
Chase Nominees Ltd                                              58,100
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Limited                  501,980
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                           530,758
Bankers Trust                                                   388,750
Mellon Trust                                                    131,900
RBS Trust Bank                                                  1,092,620
Morgan Stanley                                                  116,500
NAB-Australia                                                   78,772
State Street Bank & Trust                                       472,568
Credit Suisse                                                   8,100
KAS Associatie                                                  40,100
Bank of New York Europe                                         293,122
RBS-EDINBURG                                                    50,100
Northern Trust                                                  931,364
Citibank                                                        56,038
National Australia Bank                                         5,300
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee(UK) Limited                        30,654
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                       3,976



5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired
-


6) Percentage of issued class
-


7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed
2,608,161


8) Percentage of issued class

1.047%

9) Class of security

10 4/11 p ordinary

10) Date of transaction

29 March 2001

11) Date company informed

30 March 2001

12) Total holding following this notification

14,766,289

13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

5.93%

14) Any additional information



15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Rosamond J Marshall Smith, Company Secretary

Tel: [phone]

16) Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for
making this notification

Rosamond J Marshall Smith, Company Secretary

Date of notification 2 April 2001