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:

 Jupiter Asset Management Ltd

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:

 21 July 2009

6. Date on which issuer notified:

 23 July 2009

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

 5%

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

6,683,038

6,683,038 

6,255,518

6,255,518

4.681%

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

 n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

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

Short CFD

n/a

n/a

n/a

(7,948)

Nominal

Delta

 0.006

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

 6,263,466

4.687%

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

The shares will appear on the register in the names of:

BNY (OCS) Nominees Limited - 646,219

J P Morgan - 40,000

Nortrust Nominees Limited - 4,282,620

State Street Trustees Limited 1,068,374

HSBC Global Custody Nominee - 226,253

CSFB - (7,948)

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