Holding(s) in Company

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARES

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached:

Provident Financial plc

2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):

An acquisition or disposal of voting rights

 X

An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached

An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments

An event changing the breakdown of voting rights

Other (please specify):

3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation:

 Invesco Limited

4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):

5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached:

 17 March 2010

6. Date on which issuer notified:

 18 March 2010

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached:

 17%, 18%, 19%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares

Class/type of shares

if possible using the ISIN CODE

Situation previous to the triggering transaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Number of Shares

Number of Voting Rights

Number of shares

Number of voting rights

% of voting rights

Direct

Direct

Indirect

Direct

Indirect

Ordinary shares of 20 8/11p

ISIN:

GB00B1Z4ST84

24,172,223

24,172,223

25,610,175

19.05%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Expiration date

Exercise/ Conversion Period

Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted.

% of voting rights

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Exercise price

Expiration date

Exercise/ Conversion period

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

 25,610,175

19.05%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable:

ABN Amro Bank - 154,335

Bank of Ireland (Dublin) - 428,588

Bank of New York - 19,084,598

Banque Paribas - 62,971

Banque Paribas (Frankfurt) - 54,403

Bank of New York Mellon - 202,663

Bank of New York (Singapore) - 34,025

Boston Safe Deposit - 89,661

Credit Agricole Indosuez (Luxembourg) -100,717

Citibank Hong Kong - 156,109

JP Morgan Chase - 43,983

Citibank New York - 991

Citibank - 55,138

Credit Agricole Indosuez - 37,885

EKK EG Kassel - 698

HSBC Bank Plc London - 362,131

Mellon Bank (Pittsburgh) - 152,230

B.Metzler Seel.Sohn & Co.KG (Frankfurt) - 3,630

Morgan Stanley (London) - 914

State Street (Sydney) - 3,705

State Street Trust & Banking Co (London) - 3,921,366

Trust & Custody Services JP - 5,046

Northern Trust Company (London) - 583,767

UBS (Zurich) - 65,955

Vorarlberger Landes-und Hypothekenbk Akti - 202

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC - 4,464

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will cease to hold:

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights:

13. Additional information:

14. Contact name:

Emma G Versluys

Deputy Company Secretary

15. Contact telephone number:

01274 731111 ext 2569