Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
27 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                                                                            125,584
Citibank                                                                                 152,800
BT Globenet Nominees Limited                                                              48,900
MSS Nominees Limited                                                                      49,750
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                    33,300
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                                 82,380
RBS Trust Bank                                                                           313,547
Bank of New York London                                                                  267,695
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                 37,149
Credit Suisse FST  BOS Zurich                                                              5,100
MSS Nominees Limited                                                                   2,584,118
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                   441,641
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                                331,740
Bankers Trust                                                                            136,000
RBS Trust Bank                                                                           540,400
Morgan Stanley                                                                           198,690
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                522,414
Bank of New York London                                                                1,022,100
Northern Trust                                                                         1,036,863
Citibank                                                                                  67,170
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              198,335
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                143,100
JP Morgan                                                                                246,877
Deutsche Bank                                                                             34,100
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

-

6. Percentage of issued class

-

7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed

1,326,445

8. Percentage of issued class

0.52%

9. Class of security

Ordinary shares of 10 4/11 p

10. Date of transaction

Not disclosed

11. Date company informed

24 January 2002

12. Total holding following this notification

17,642,449

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

6.94%

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


27 January 2003






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