Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank, of Richmond looks on during the Charlotte Chamber's Economic Outlook Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina December 17, 2012. REUTERS/Chris Keane Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, has abruptly resigned after apparently admitting he was the source of a leak of secret, market-sensitive information about key discussions on interest rate policy within the central bank to consulting firm Medley Global Advisors.

“The Federal Reserve’s confidentiality policies seek to guide participants in maintaining the balance between transparency and confidentiality,” Lacker said in his resignation letter. “In 2012, my conduct was inconsistent with those important confidentiality policies.”

Lacker, a self-dubbed inflation hawk who opposed many of the Fed's post-crisis actions, had been president of the Richmond Fed since 2004, and had already signaled his intention to resign later this year.

Lacker's departure adds turmoil to what was already a shaky personnel outlook for the central bank, with President Donald Trump expected to make key appointments in the months and years ahead.

In the interim, first vice president Mark Mullinix is serving as the bank’s acting president, the Richmond Fed said. Regional Fed presidents are appointed by their boards of directors, made up of bankers, businessmen and community leaders, while governors of the Fed's Washington-based board are appointed by the US president.

"The Federal Reserve places a high priority on safeguarding information," the Richmond Fed said in a statement. "Once our Bank’s Board of Directors learned of the outcome of the government investigations, they took appropriate actions."

The regional bank added: "We are focused on moving forward within our organization—and were already underway with our presidential search, following Jeffrey Lacker’s announcement in January to retire in 2017. This search process will continue as scheduled."

The leak to Medley took place in 2012. It involved deliberations about the reasoning behind the Fed's actions to stimulate the economy, in particular its bond-buying programs.

The Federal Reserve board declined to comment on Lacker's resignation.