Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
17 January 2003



                                  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 and 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


Mellon Bank                                                    16,521
State Street Nominees Limited                                  30,600
Lloyds Bank Nominees Limited                                   175,800
Brown Brothers Harriman                                        7,400
Northern Trust                                                 39,700
State Street Bank & Trust                                      25,600
Bank of New York-Europe                                        7,900
National Cities                                                41,200
Chase Nominees Limited                                         7,635,541
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                    791,900
Bankers Trust                                                  237,108
Citibank                                                       152,800
BT Globenet Nominees Limited                                   48,900
MSS Nominees Limited                                           49,750
Chase Nominees Limited                                         113,100
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                      82,380
RBS Trust Bank                                                 313,547
Bank of New York London                                        267,695
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                      103,249
Credit Suisse FST BOS Zurich                                   5,100
MSS Nominees Limited                                           6,258,934
Chase Nominees Limited                                         486,741
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                      364,540
Bankers Trust                                                  197,500
RBS Trust Bank                                                 609,280
Morgan Stanley                                                 198,690
State Street Bank & Trust                                      709,495
Bank of New York London                                        1,048,692
Northern Trust                                                 1,036,863
Citibank                                                       67,170
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                    314,535
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                      143,100
JP Morgan                                                      246,877
Deutsche Bank                                                  30,700
Mellon Nominees Limited                                        39,500
Brown Brothers Harriman Limited Lux                            12,000
National Australia Bank                                        5,100
Bank of New York Brussels                                      133,000
PICG                                                           2,800
Chase Manhattan Bank AG Frankfurt                              14,100
JP Morgan                                                      39,034
State Street Nominees Limited                                  5,000



5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired

410,902


6. Percentage of issued class

0.16%


7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed

-


8. Percentage of issued class

-


9. Class of security

10 4/11 ordinary


10. Date of transaction

15 January 2003


11. Date company informed

16 January 2003


12. Total holding following this notification

22,109,442


13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

8.70%


14. Any additional information

-


15. Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Caroline L Farbridge   01274 731111 ext. 2569


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

Caroline L Farbridge
Assistant Company Secretary


Date of notification

16 January 2003


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange