In the first half of this year, 183 staff exited the authority

Resignations from the FSA have more than doubled in the past year as the government prepares to scrap the regulator.

Data released to City law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) shows that 121 FSA staff resigned in the second quarter of 2010. Fifty-three left in the same period last year.

One hundred and eighty-three resigned during the first six months of this year – more than for the whole of 2009 (180), according to the figures, which were released following a Freedom of Information Act request to the regulator.

The second-quarter resignations include three managing directors – Sally Dewar, Mark Norris and Jon Pain.

RPC partner Jonathan Davies said: “The FSA’s staff have been leaving in droves because of uncertainty over the regulator’s future. This kind of exodus cannot have a positive impact on its ability to function.”