Whatever the woes its twin International Personal Finance may be suffering in Poland, Provident Financial is seeing all its own numbers heading in the right direction. The international side went its own way in 2007; Provident Financial as a company has been running since 1880 and has been profitable throughout.
The business is now dominated by Vanquis Bank, its credit card side, having expanded this quickly to meet demand from customers whose credit records or other criteria do not allow them to approach other lenders, in keeping with the switch in consumer patterns towards plastic. There are plans to move this further towards the prime end of the market, more into the space occupied by Barclaycard and Capital One. Vanquis continues to increase customer numbers,