The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has lost £32,900 worth of electronic devices since 15 July 2021.
This figure was revealed through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by Mortgage Strategy sister magazine Money Marketing on 8 July 2022.
Electronic devices lost include laptops, tablets and desktop. Laptops were the most common loss, with 32 devices going missing.
It was followed by tablets and desktops, with respectively 22 and five losses.
Electronic devices lost by the FCA between 15 July 2021 and 8 July 2022
| Type | Losses | Estimated current market value |
| Laptops | 32 | £27,600 |
| Tablets | 22 | £4,800 |
| Desktop | 5 | £500 |
| Total | 59 | £32,900 |
Source: FCA
The regulator states: “The FCA takes information security very seriously.
“All portable devices utilised by the FCA are protected by appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorised access and ensure information is protected; this includes USB sticks which are encrypted, as well as controls implemented on FCA laptops to prevent it being possible to write data onto un-encrypted USB sticks.”
Last year, litigation practice Griffin Law found via an FOI request that the FCA misplaced 323 electronic devices during the financial years 2019, 2020 and 2021. That equated to a sum of £310,600 over three years.
It asked the regulator for a list electronic devices that had been recorded as lost or missing over that period.
Among the 323 misplaced electronic devices, 197 had been reported as missing, with losses estimated at £193,400.
Recently the regulator announced it wants to hire new staff for its Digital Delivery Centre.
The centre will be established in Leeds and also house other key FCA business teams.
It will be operational from September.
