Holding in Company

Provident Financial PLC
12 December 2000


Schedule 10 - Notification of Major Interests in Shares

1   Name of company:
Provident Financial plc

2   Name of shareholder having a major interest:
Prudential plc

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:
Notification in respect of shareholder named in 2 above.

4   Name of registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of
shares held by each of them:
M&G (LOMBARD ST) NOMS AA                 147,500
M&G (LOMBARD ST) NOMS G                   52,000
PRUCLT HSBC GIS NOM (UK) PAC AC       11,132,964
PRUCLT HSBC GIS NOM (UK) PPL AC        1,251,082

5   Number of shares/amount of stock acquired:
263,300

6   Percentage of issued class:
0.11

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:
8 December 2000

11  Date company informed:
8 December 2000 

12  Total holding following this notification:
12,583,546

13  Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification:
5.06

14  Contact name for queries:
Mrs R J Marshall Smith

15 Contact telephone number:
01274 731111 extension 2310

16  Name of company official responsible for making notification:
Mrs R J Marshall Smith

17  Date of notification:
12 December 2000 


Additional Information: