A grand jury is probing E. F. Hutton, the firm said.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hutton reported that a federal grand jury in Providence, R.I., is examining whether the company violated reporting requirements regarding deposits of cash and checks at a Providence branch office between 1981 and 1984. Stephen J. Friedman, Hutton general counsel, said the probe is in a preliminary stage and concerns actions of a single Providence broker who has since died. Friedman said the company “doesn’t believe it has committed any violations.”