Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
12 February 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                                                  17,000
Lloyds Bank Nominees Limited                                                  166,800
Northern Trust                                                                 39,700
State Street Bank & Trust                                                      32,600
Bank of New York-Europe                                                         7,900
National Cities                                                                41,200
Chase Nominees Limited                                                      7,741,041
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                   791,500
Bankers Trust                                                                  58,200
Citibank                                                                      154,500
BT Globenet Nominees Limited                                                   48,900
MSS Nominees Limited                                                           49,750
Chase Nominees Limited                                                         21,300
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                      93,880
RBS Trust Bank                                                                325,547
Bank of New York London                                                       267,695
Credit Suisse FST  BOS Zurich                                                   5,100
Chase Nominees Limited                                                        443,900
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                     326,400
Bankers Trust                                                                 130,300
RBS Trust Bank                                                                540,400
Morgan Stanley                                                                198,690
State Street Bank & Trust                                                     391,863
Bank of New York London                                                     1,023,600
Northern Trust                                                              1,037,363
Citibank                                                                       67,170
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                   140,115
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                     143,100
JP Morgan                                                                     246,877
Deutsche Bank                                                                  34,100
Mellon Nominees Limited                                                        38,600
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


2,789,803



8. Percentage of issued class


1.10%



9. Class of security


Ordinary shares of 10 4/11 p



10. Date of transaction


Not disclosed



11. Date company informed


11 February 2003



12. Total holding following this notification


14,852,646



13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification


5.84%



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 L Farbridge

Assistant Company Secretary



Date of notification


12 February 2003




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange