Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
21 October 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

State Street Nominees Ltd                                                                 17,105
Lloyds Bank Nominees Limited                                                             147,700
Northern Trust                                                                            26,400
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                 34,400
JP Morgan Chase                                                                           52,700
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                    10,006,959
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              805,100
Bankers Trust                                                                             52,000
Citibank                                                                                 157,900
BT Globenet Nominees Ltd                                                                  23,700
MSS Nominees Ltd                                                                          51,950
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                                                    119,180
RBS Trust Bank                                                                            71,097
Bank of New York London                                                                  259,395
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                       141,700
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                       494,000
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                                                    339,531
Bankers Trust                                                                             49,000
RBS Trust Bank                                                                           486,800
Morgan Stanley                                                                           204,390
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                902,079
Bank of New York London                                                                  883,100
Northern Trust                                                                         1,121,957
Citibank                                                                                  42,970
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              667,948
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                136,180
JP Morgan                                                                                292,611
Deutsche Bank                                                                            277,000
Mellon Nominees Ltd                                                                       28,300
National Australia Bank                                                                    3,400
Bank of New York Brussels                                                                137,200
PICG                                                                                       2,000
Chase Manhattan Bank AG Frankfurt                                                         31,594
State Street Nominees Ltd                                                                  3,500

5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired

2,809,262

6. Percentage of issued class

1.11%

7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed

-

8. Percentage of issued class

-

9. Class of security

Ordinary shares of 10 4/11p

10. Date of transaction

Not disclosed

11. Date company informed

21 October 2003

12. Total holding following this notification

18,070,846

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

7.11%

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


21 October 2003




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            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange