The Big Four accounting firms are reportedly being probed by the SEC

• The Securities and Exchange Commission is probing the Big Four accounting firms, per The Wall Street Journal.
• The Big Four accounting firms are Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is probing potential conflicts of interest within the Big Four accounting firms, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The Big Four refers to a quartet of powerful accounting firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, or EY, PricewaterhouseCoopers, or PwC, and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler, or KPMG.

According to the Journal, the regulator's probe centers around whether the four firms' "non-audit services" conflict with their independence when reviewing public company's financials.

The newspaper reported the SEC's Miami office is investigating rule violations by the Big Four, as well as a number of smaller firms.

Spokespeople for the SEC, Deloitte, EY, PwC, and KPMG did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal.