Purchase of Own Securities

Provident Financial PLC
19 September 2001




                Provident Financial plc ('the Company)


Share repurchase

Provident Financial plc announces that, pursuant to the authority conferred at
the Annual General Meeting on 26 April 2001, it has today purchased 500,000
Ordinary shares for cancellation at a price of 635p per share through Dresdner
Kleinwort Wasserstein Securities Limited.  This purchase represents 0.20% of
the Company's issued ordinary share capital.