Blackstone Group LP, the world’s largest private-equity firm, was asked by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for more detail about how its top executives are paid, as buyout firms continue to confront the scrutiny that comes with public listings.

The SEC, in a letter dated April 25, asked Blackstone for further information about compensation for the firm’s so-called named executive officers. The letter, along with the company’s May 9 response, was disclosed in filings yesterday by Blackstone.

Blackstone Chairman Stephen Schwarzman has “sole discretion” to adjust executives’ compensation and their portion of profits tied to the firm’s funds, a measure known as carried interest, according to the letter. The SEC pressed Blackstone to spell out in future filings how Schwarzman made those determinations.

The, a response to the firm’s 2010 annual report filed earlier this year, also asked Blackstone for more information about pending litigation, specifically a class-action lawsuit tied to the firm’s 2007 IPO.