MEDAN, INDONESIA — Concerns over administrative management in public banking have re-emerged following allegations of negligence at Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) Unit Tanjung Sari, under the Iskandar Muda Branch Office in Medan. A customer’s original Motor Vehicle Ownership Certificate (BPKB), deposited as collateral for a Peoples Business Credit (KUR) loan, has reportedly gone missing.
The affected debtor, Juliana Br Barus, a resident of Jalan Jamin Ginting in Medan Johor, expressed deep disappointment after her efforts to settle her credit facilities and retrieve her document hit a dead end. Instead of obtaining clarity, the customer experienced an unsettling administrative runaround between two separate branch offices without receiving definitive answers.
Juliana recounted that upon visiting BRI Unit Tanjung Sari to pay off her outstanding loan and request the release of her vehicle title, bank officials informed her that her credit file could not be located. Bank representatives initially directed her to BRI Unit Simpang Pos, claiming that her records had been transferred in accordance with geographic jurisdiction adjustments based on the debtor’s address.
However, inquiries made at BRI Unit Simpang Pos revealed conflicting details. A bank representative, Kurnia, confirmed that while Juliana’s loan account was digitally recorded under Simpang Pos in the internal system, the physical collateral documents had never been delivered from BRI Unit Tanjung Sari. As a result, the physical whereabouts of the vehicle title remain unverified.
Responding to inquiries, Rahmad Harahap, Head of BRI Unit Tanjung Sari, acknowledged that the collateral document is currently unlocated. He stated that branch management is actively liaising with the Micro Business Manager (MBM) and internal auditors (MRR) to investigate the matter and determine procedures for restoring the missing document.
The disappearance of vital legal documents held in bank custody has raised serious questions regarding internal document security and custodial compliance. Financial analysts point out that improper document handling not only compromises customer trust but also exposes financial institutions to administrative and legal liabilities.
Furthermore, the incident has drawn renewed attention to compliance regarding Indonesia’s KUR program guidelines. According to government regulations and policy mandates established by PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Micro KUR loans with funding limits up to IDR 100 million are explicitly prohibited from requiring mandatory additional collateral beyond the business entity itself.
Local civil society observers emphasize that requesting physical vehicle titles for standard micro-loan disbursements—if substantiated—would contravene state guidelines aimed at simplifying credit access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Stakeholders are currently awaiting formal internal audit results from BRI management to clarify both the missing asset and operational practices at the local unit level.