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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1





                           SOUTHERN FINANCIAL BANCORP

                                 Consent Letter

                                   May 6, 2004

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                        INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT



We consent to the  incorporation  by reference in the Current Report on Form 8-K
of  Provident  Bankshares  Corporation  of our report  dated  February 27, 2004,
relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Southern Financial Bancorp,  Inc.
and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2003 and 2002, and the related  consolidated
statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders' equity, and
cash flows for each of the years in the  three-year  period  ended  December 31,
2003, which report appears in the Southern Financial Bancorp, Inc. Form 10-K.


                                /s/ KPMG LLP

Richmond, Virginia
May 6, 2004