Holding(s) in Company

Provident Financial PLC
29 January 2004

                                  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                                                                              460,594
State Street Nominees Ltd                                                                131,693
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                   868,307
Bank of New York                                                                           1,100
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                    10,500
State Street Nominees Limited                                                             17,105
Lloyds Bank Nominees Limited                                                             147,700
Northern Trust                                                                            26,400
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                 39,400
J P Morgan Chase                                                                          52,700
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                10,090,817
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              782,300
Bankers Trust                                                                             52,000
Citibank                                                                                 173,600
BT Globenet Nominees Limited                                                              32,300
MSS Nominees Ltd                                                                          51,950
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                                158,080
RBS Trust Bank                                                                            95,797
Bank of New York London                                                                  301,595
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                   185,500
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                255,800
Chase Nominees Limited                                                                   529,500
Nortrust Nominees Limited                                                                339,531
Bankers Trust                                                                             52,502
RBS Trust Bank                                                                           594,400
Morgan Stanley                                                                           204,390
State Street Bank & Trust                                                                523,787
Bank of New York London                                                                1,045,600
Northern Trust                                                                           977,494
Citibank                                                                                  54,770
Chase Manhattan Bank London                                                              880,320
HSBC Client Holdings Nominee (UK) Limited                                                136,180
J P Morgan                                                                             1,177,411
Deutsche Bank                                                                            349,000
Mellon Nominees Limited                                                                   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 Limited                                                              3,500
State Street Hong Kong                                                                     2,500


5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired

2,951,692

6. Percentage of issued class

1.161%

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

29 January 2004

12. Total holding following this notification

21,013,117

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification

8.262%

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


29 January 2004




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