Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
7 June 2002



DEALINGS BY SUBSTANTIAL SHAREHOLDERS

NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES



1) Name of company

Provident Financial plc

2) Name of shareholder having a major interest

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

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
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             4,567,847
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                    562,300
Bankers Trust                                                  187,600
Citibank                                                       119,500
BT Globenet Nominees Ltd                                       50,300
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               49,150
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             51,900
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          76,080
RBS Trust Bank                                                 304,547
Bank of New York London                                        272,595
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Ltd                          85,200
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               6,879,067
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             522,760
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          395,910
Bankers Trust                                                  302,239
Mellon Trust                                                   100,850
RBS Trust Bank                                                 890,410
Morgan Stanley                                                 181,690
State Street Bank & Trust                                      420,323
KAS Associatie                                                 31,820
Bank of New York London                                        88,700
RBS-EDINBURGH                                                  38,490
Northern Trust                                                 654,900
Citibank                                                       55,700
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                    9,809
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee(UK)Limited                        110,463
JP Morgan                                                      257,877
Deutsche Bank                                                  10,600



5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired

2,465,197

6) Percentage of issued class

1.00%

7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

-

8) Percentage of issued class

-

9) Class of security

10 4/11p ordinary

10) Date of transaction

4 June 2002

11) Date company informed

7 June 2002

12) Total holding following this notification

17,278,627

13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

7.04%

14) Any additional information

-

15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Caroline Farbridge 01274 731111

16) Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for

making this notification

Caroline Farbridge

Assistant Company Secretary

Date of notification: 7 June 2002





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