Facing trouble, Indian public sector banks need leaders but are headless

India’s government-owned banks are becoming increasingly rudderless, just when they most need a firm hand at the top.

Four of the country’s 21 state banks have yet to appoint replacements for departed chief executive officers, and another has seen its CEO stripped of her powers due to fraud charges. Over the coming months, nine more of the lenders are due to lose their top executives, at a time when spiraling bad loans and an intensified crackdown on financial sector-corruption make the jobs less appealing than ever.

“Attracting top talent to lead many of these state-run banks has become tough as