Sept 9 (Reuters) - A New York state regulator has soughtinformation from Barclays Plc, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and Societe Generale on potential manipulation of U.S. Treasury auctions, said aperson familiar with the matter.
The Department of Financial Services sent letters to thebanks in early August, seeking information on their operationsrelated to Treasury auctions, the person said.
The letters do not necessarily indicate wrongdoing by thebanks, said the person.
The Financial Times, citing sources, reported that theletters contained general questions and that the probe was inearly stages with no focus on any particular bank. (http://on.ft.com/1JSDKww)
U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Peter Carr declined tocomment. Representatives of Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank andGoldman Sachs also declined to comment.
Barclays did not immediately respond to requests forcomment.
All the banks are primary dealers in the $12.5 trillionTreasury market, authorized to transact directly with theFederal Reserve. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and Rachel Chitra inBengaluru; Editing by Kirti Pandey)