Starved of affection from the public, UK bankers are looking to extra-marital affairs in a bid to feel loved, according to a survey from an online dating agency.
IllicitEncounters, a Web site for people seeking affairs, claims 20,000 members from the financial services industry and surveyed over 600 male and female bankers to compile a top ten list of reasons for seeking affairs.
Top of the list for bankers branded as public enemy number one, is "to feel loved", says the site. The second most popular reason for people in a profession that has shown itself to be fond of risks is "for the thrill".
The third most popular justification is an "unstable home life", followed by a desire to "escape the mundane".
In fifth place is a need to "boost their ego", which was a particularly popular reason for male respondents.
The sixth most popular reasons for having affairs is "to avoid costly divorces while others say they want to "lavish" all their "hard-earned" money on someone.
In eighth place is a belief that they are "entitled". One respondent told the dating site: "My job is hard. The time I have with [my lover] is 'Me Time'. I work bl***dy hard, I want to be able play hard too!"
The ninth most common excuse is simply "because they can" and rounding off the top ten is " peer pressure".
Says one respondent: "Where I work, many of the tops dogs are open about their affairs. Having a mistress is like having a flash car."
Sara Hartley, IllicitEncounters, says: "It seems that the theme of commodification transfers from banker's professional lives to their personal ones - many male respondents regarded their mistress as just another status symbol."