Bankers most likely to cheat on partners finds extra-marital dating site IllicitEncounters.com

Those working in finance are more likely to cheat on their partner than any other profession, according to research from extra-marital dating website IllicitEncounters.com.

IllicitEncounters.com connects bored married people with other like-minded married people, with a view to embarking on extra-marital affairs.

The site asks users their professions (there are 20 option fields), creating a database, of which a massive 18% said they work in financial services. The next highest is management & HR with 12%.

Illicit's findings are somewhat ironic given that only last week another "affairs" website, Ashley Madison, which bills itself as "the google of cheating", was shunned by City of London brokers on some sort of moral basis.

The controversial start-up is looking raise £130m ($201m, €180m) on the London Stock Exchange, which would value it at £660m. One feels confident the investment community will manage to ignore its scruples when the chips are down.

Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com Claire Page said: "Those working in the banking sector make the perfect affair candidates. They already know how to keep a secret and the financial security means they can afford the luxury of having an affair.

"Fraudulent and irresponsible activity has been the trademark of bankers in recent years, with the economic crisis and Libor scandal, so taking this into their personal lives comes as no real surprise. Bankers are not one to miss out on an opportunity!"

Page noted that bankers are wont to switch positions on business transactions at the flip of a coin and seem to be able to compartmentalise their private and professional life.

A banker who is only named as "John" who uses the Illicit site, said: "The banking industry is very fast paced and stress levels can be sky high when dealing with such a vast amount of money on a daily basis.

"It is an aggressive environment and the only way I seem to be able to relieve the tension is by sleeping with a string of women that are not my wife.

"When I'm going on a date after work I still feel cocky and ballsy with an answer for everything, but when I go home and see my wife I'm relaxed and can be the loving and attentive husband she needs me to be," he said.