The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the Swiss bank had suspended an employee as part of an internal probe into electronic communications.

The newspaper said Zoe Henderson, a trader on the European equities sales desk in London, was alleged to have improperly shared client information with her husband, Toby Henderson, a trader at rival bank RBC Capital Markets.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the internal probe also uncovered communications from Henderson in which she complained about improper behavior by her colleagues.

It added that Henderson's boss, Andrew Davis, had recently gone on leave in connection with the probe.

Reuters could not independently confirm the allegations in the report.

In a statement Credit Suisse declined to comment on whether it had suspended any employees but said it was investigating the issue.

"With regard to the story published in today's Wall Street Journal, we cannot comment on employee matters under investigation," Credit Suisse said in a statement.

"However, any allegations of this nature are taken very seriously at Credit Suisse."

Zoe Henderson could not immediately be reached for comment. Toby Henderson did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Andrew Davis could not immediately be reached for comment. His lawyer, Toby Stroh, told Reuters that there was due process being undertaken at the bank but declined to comment further.

Electronic communications like chat rooms have featured prominently in the investigations into the manipulation of Libor and Euribor benchmarks and the possible rigging of the $5.3 trillion-a-day currency markets.

A number of banks subsequently placed tighter controls on chat functions or limited access to certain forums.