Public sector banks face a triple jeopardy. First, they are losing market share; second, their profitability is being seriously squeezed; and, third, their balance sheets are not strong and their sovereign support, which had buttressed them so far, is becoming open to question. The reasons for this less-than-enviable condition of the public sector banks are many, but a principal operative factor derives from the nature of their ownership and what that translates into in terms of goals and priorities.
