The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating four major accounting firms over potential conflicts of interest, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the issue.
The Big Four, the nickname of the group consisting of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Ernst & Young Global Limited, KPMG International Limited and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are reportedly investigated over the potential of the non-audit services they provide, such as consulting, to affect their independence when examining finances of public companies.
