KARTIKO Wirjoatmodjo did not mince words when he spoke about Bank Mandiri's financial report. Last week, the CEO of this state-owned bank recognized that the high level of non-performing loans (NPLs) last year was the result of overly-aggressive lending to middle-income customers. "Or exposure in this segment was oversized. We are currently taking care of this," said Kartiko, interviewed by Tempo in his office.

The performance of Bank Mandiri decli