Heritage

The name of the Group changed to Vanquis Banking Group. In line with Woolard Review, the Group made the strategic decision to focus on the mid cost credit market and evolve. The change of name is reflective of this evolution and the Group's fresh position. 

The Consumer Credit Division, Provident, and Satsuma, is placed into a managed orderly run-off. The business closed its doors in December 2021. 

Moneybarn expands its product range into the near-prime vehicle finance market.

Consumer Credit Division seeks Scheme of Arrangement to enable it to pay redress to valid customer affordability claims.

Scheme authorised by the court in July.

Provident introduces remote lending (issuing loans electronically into bank accounts without a home visit as an alternative to cash delivered to customers’ homes) and collections (collecting repayments straight from customers’ bank accounts instead of their doorsteps) to help meet customer needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

Provident Customer Representatives are issued with electronic card machines to collect payments from customers’ doorsteps using debit cards as an alternative to cash.

The World Health Organisation declares covid-19 a pandemic.

Moneybarn moves into Athena House, a purpose-built, eco-accredited office. The office has the ability to house over 400 colleagues.

PPC and PFMSL receive FCA authorisation. 

Moneybarn expands its product to offer vehicle finance for motorbikes as well as vans and cars.

After successfully developing a loans platform, Vanquis commences testing instalment loans, initially to its credit card customer base, with encouraging early results.

Provident simplifies its product range from seven to five product terms and aligns the terms into easy-to-understand periods, i.e. 13, 26, 52, 78 and 104 weeks (aligned to 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months).

Provident starts simplifying its product range by removing its rarely-used vouchers.

Moneybarn broadens its product offering by financing vans as well as cars.

PFG broadens its offering to the non-standard credit market by acquiring vehicle finance specialists Moneybarn.

CCD launches an online loans business, Satsuma Loans. The Provident home credit business continues to operate in the UK and Ireland.

Duncton changes its name to Moneybarn. It also makes the decision to start offering vehicle finance directly to customers in addition to its well-established intermediary network.

PFG moves to a purpose-built head office in the heart of Bradford city centre.

Vanquis starts trading and grows to become a successful non-standard credit card provider with 1.7 million customers in the UK.

Moneybarn, formally known as Duncton, starts trading.

One of the biggest events in PFG’s history was Provident being floated on the stock market on 16 March 1962. It marked the transition from a private family business to a public company under the new name of Provident Financial plc. The flotation was followed by a period of growth as product ranges expanded to reflect the ever-changing needs of the modern customer. In 1967 a brand new head office was built on Sunbridge Road in Bradford to accommodate the increasing number of colleagues.

Provident, our original home credit business, notably endures the Wall Street Crash of 1929. 

By the time Sir Joshua Waddilove dies in 1920, The Provident Clothing and Supply Co Limited has grown into a nationwide business with over 5,000 agents operating from a head office in Bradford.

Sir Joshua Waddilove, working as an insurance agent, sees first-hand how some working class families struggle to pay for essential items like furniture, clothes and shoes. He devises a voucher system that can be exchanged in local shops for clothing, food and coal. Families then repay the vouchers in small weekly instalments they can afford. Demand grows so Sir Joshua opens an office and recruits agents to help collect the repayments. The Provident Clothing and Supply Company is born.