Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
31 December 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                                                                 39,400
JP Morgan Chase                                                                           52,700
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                     9,141,217
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              783,100
Bankers Trust                                                                             52,000
Citibank                                                                                 155,600
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                                                                  247,095
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                       143,000
Chase Nominees Ltd                                                                       514,300
Nortrust Nominees Ltd                                                                    339,531
Bankers Trust                                                                             47,800
RBS Trust Bank                                                                           481,100
Morgan Stanley                                                                           204,390
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                725,016
Bank of New York London                                                                  922,400
Northern Trust                                                                           998,157
Citibank                                                                                  42,970
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              915,732
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                136,180
JP Morgan                                                                              1,177,411
Deutsche Bank                                                                            272,200
Mellon Nominees Ltd                                                                       28,300
National Australia Bank                                                                    3,400
Bank of New York Brussels                                                                139,600
PICG                                                                                       2,000
Chase Manhattan Bank AG Frankfurt                                                         33,694
State Street Nominees Ltd                                                                  3,500
State Street Hong Kong                                                                     2,500





5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired


697,633



6. Percentage of issued class


0.274%



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


30 December 2003



12. Total holding following this notification


18,061,425



13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification


7.101%



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


31 December 2003




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