One of the most irritating adverts on the television has been banned for making it look easy to take out a loan of a large sum of money. Picture Loans was ordered by regulators to withdraw the advert.

The advert showed a man ringing Picture Loans for a £25,000 consolidation loan, during the phone call he exchanged jokes and banter with a salesman while playing with a football.

Picture has since been criticised by advertising watchdogs for the lighthearted manner in which it treated such a serious process, the company was warned not to repeat the ad in any similar format.

The Advertising Standards Association said: "Consolidating unsecured loans into one loan, particularly one secured on a home, was a serious step that needed careful consideration.

"We noted the man on the phone was shown wandering round the house, being filmed by his partner, making jokes and playing with a football. We also noted he had to check with his partner how much they wanted to borrow and ... we considered that was likely to suggest that the discussion was not being taken seriously."

Secured loans are more popular during the credit crunch as lenders are more willing to lend against the security of a house, good news for lenders, advisers and secured loan leads companies.