Purchase of Own Securities

Provident Financial PLC
3 October 2001

                   Provident Financial plc ('the Company')



Share repurchase



Provident Financial plc announces that, pursuant to the authority conferred at
the Annual General Meeting on 26 April 2001, on 2 October 2001 it purchased
650,000 ordinary shares for cancellation at a price of 618.62p per share
through Merrill Lynch. This purchase represents 0.26% of the Company's issued
ordinary share capital and brings the aggregate number of shares purchased by
the Company since 18 September 2001 to 2,972,000.