Holding in Company

Provident Financial PLC
1 August 2001

                                 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, 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

Registered Shareholder                                         Shares held

State Street Nominees Limited                                  45,000
Chase Nominees Limited                                         886,700
State Street Nominees Ltd                                      12,000
Bank of New York Europe                                        6,400
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Ltd                          100,700
Nortrust Nominees                                              11,300
National Cities                                                20,700
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Ltd                     4,746,741
Bankers Trust                                                  90,614
Citibank                                                       57,526
BT Globenet Nominees Ltd                                       32,600
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               25,050
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             119,295
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Ltd                          48,008
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          33,000
RBS Trust Bank                                                 200,550
Bank of New York Europe                                        103,539
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               2,748,219
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             107,330
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Ltd                     303,840
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          238,608
Bankers Trust                                                  234,960
Mellon Trust                                                   78,450
RBS Trust Bank                                                 757,600
Morgan Stanley                                                 87,190
NAB-Australia                                                  36,772
State Street Bank & Trust                                      221,418
Credit Suisse                                                  4,100
KAS Associatie                                                 24,040
Bank of New York Europe                                        130,422
RBS-EDINBURG                                                   29,890
Northern Trust                                                 552,508
Citibank                                                       42,438
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Ltd                          33,654
Bank of New York Europe                                        39,700




5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired

-

6) Percentage of issued class

-

7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed

2,555,427

8) Percentage of issued class

1.026%

9) Class of security

10 4/11 p ordinary

10) Date of transaction

30 July 2001

11) Date company informed

30 July 2001

12) Total holding following this notification

12,210,862


13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

4.902%

14) Any additional information

-

15) Name of contact and telephone number for queries

Rosamond J Marshall Smith

Company Secretary

Te; 01274 731111 ext. 2356

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

Rosamond J Marshall Smith

Company Secretary


Date of notification 1 August 2001