Holding in Company

Provident Financial PLC
15 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
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
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Ltd                     4,531,041
Bankers Trust                                                  27,900
Citibank                                                       34,500
BT Globenet Nominees Ltd                                       32,600
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               25,050
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             60,500
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          33,000
RBS Trust Bank                                                 200,550
Bank of New York, Europe                                       143,239
MSS Nominees Ltd                                               2,719,372
Chase Nominees Ltd                                             86,130
Clydesdale Bank (Head Office) Nominees Ltd                     266,940
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                          119,590
Bankers Trust                                                  225,119
Mellon Trust                                                   78,450
RBS Trust Bank                                                 565,850
Morgan Stanley                                                 87,190
State Street Bank & Trust                                      170,103
KAS Associatie                                                 24,040
Bank of New York Europe                                        54,700
RBS-EDINBURG                                                   29,890
Northern Trust                                                 291,470
Citibank                                                       37,900
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Ltd                          33,654





5) Number of shares/amount of stock acquired
105,093


6) Percentage of issued class
0.042%


7) Number of shares/amount of stock disposed
-


8) Percentage of issued class
-


9) Class of security
10 4/11 p ordinary


10) Date of transaction
13 August 2001


11) Date company informed
14 August 2001


12) Total holding following this notification
9,878,778


13) Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification
3.966%


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: 15 August 2001