Ian James, director of Orchard House Mortgages, obtained a personal bank loan of just over £9,000 by submitting two falsified payslips with overstated salaries and fake employment histories.

The Financial Services Authority has now banned him from offering financial services after his deception was uncovered.

His wife, Nicola James, who acted as company secretary has also been banned from offering financial services.

Orchard House, based in Green Lane, Scawthorpe, and which also has an office in Bridge Street, Swinton, has also banned from operating.

Jonathan Phelan, head of retail enforcement at the FSA - the government body which regulates the financial services industry - said: "As the approved person at Orchard House Mortgages Limited, Mr James had overall responsibility for ensuring that Orchard House conducted its business with integrity.

"He showed a lack of honesty and integrity in relation to his own personal financial dealings.

"Given our concerns about brokers' use of false payslips on customers' mortgage applications, we applied the same standards to him and we concluded that he could not be trusted to occupy any position in relation to customers' mortgage applications."

"A prohibition order is therefore necessary in line with the FSA's tough stance against people lacking honesty and integrity who wish to work in authorised financial services firms."