Not everyone has a credit history but everyone has a personality.

And by that rational a major British bank is to start using personality tests to decide whether or not to lend to individuals.

It may sound sinister but the list of questions will determine a person's work ethic and assess their 'humility' and 'resilience' to ascertain whether or not they are a good risk to repay their loans in a time of austerity.

“Do you feel you have a right to material goods such as cars and expensive TVs? Or do you feel you have to earn and afford these things?” asks one of the directors of the firm that pioneered it, London-based VisualDNA.

The tests have been in use by lenders in Russia since October 2013, and in Poland since January this year.