ExxonMobil to be investigated by regulators over asset values

US oil corporation ExxonMobil is to have its assets examined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, after questions have emerged about how they are reported by the company.

The US regulator adds further pressure to Exxon, which is already being investigated by the New York attorney general concerning its public statements on its climate change actions.

The news of the SEC investigation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, with Exxon saying it has nothing to hide.

"We are fully complying with the SEC request for information and are confident our financial reporting meets all legal and accounting requirements," Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers said.

New York attorney general Eric Schneidermann launched an inquiry last year, whom the company accused of unfairly targeting fossil fuel companies.

In the wide-ranging investigation, Schneidermann has looked at the possible misleading of Exxon's investors about the dangers of climate change, and just last week turned to the corporation's practice of not writing down its assets despite a global downturn in oil prices.