Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
12 March 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

Registered holder Shares held

Chase Nominees Limited 2,984,591

Bankers Trust 46,900

Citibank 34,800

BT Globenet Nominees Limited 41,800

MSS Nominees Limited 42,150

Chase Nominees Limited 9,000

Nortrust Nominees Limited 33,300

RBS Trust Bank 222,150

Bank of New York London 220,295

MSS Nominees Limited 3,870,867

Chase Nominees Limited 197,130

Nortrust Nominees Limited 159,490

Bankers Trust 246,559

Mellon Trust 78,450

RBS Trust Bank 628,050

Morgan Stanley 156,790

State Street Bank & Trust 224,353

KAS Associate 24,040

Bank of New York Europe 74,000

RBS-EDINBURG 29,890

Northern Trust 450,670

Citibank 45,200

Chase Manhattan Bank London 12,049


5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired

46,254

6) Percentage of issued class

0.02%

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

11 March 2002

11) Date company informed

11 March 2002

12) Total holding following this notification

9,832,524

13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

4.01%

14) Any additional information



15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Caroline Farbridge

Tel: [phone] ext. 2569

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

Caroline Farbridge

Assistant Company Secretary

Date of notification 12 March 2002



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