IMGCAP(1)]Gordon Krater took the reins as managing partner of Plante & Moran in July, only the sixth managing partner since the firm was founded in 1924. He was first elected by the firm’s partners last October, and succeeded Bill Hermann, who had served as managing partner at the Southfield, Mich.-based firm since July 2001.

Accounting firm J.H. Cohn LLP has merged in Charles Brucia & Co., expanding its entertainment-related client base.

Hedge accounting software developer Reval has acquired FXpress Corp., a treasury software provider.

Accounting and financial services provider LECG plans to merge with Smart Business Advisory & Consulting in a deal valued at $25 million in cash and $39.9 million in stock.

Accounting firm M&A specialist Allan Koltin predicts a “mega-merger” will take place within the profession before the end of the year.

Accounting firm Marcum LLP plans to merge with Margolis & Co., a 70-person CPA firm based in the Philadelphia area, expanding Marcum’s reach across the East Coast.

Accounting and consulting firm Sikich LLP has acquired Levi Littell Herbst & Co., a boutique M&A advisory firm that specializes in transactions under $100 million in value.

Bay Area accounting firms Greenstein Rogoff Olsen & Co. and Ronald G. Boyer Accountancy Corp., plan to merge on August 14.

Regional accounting firms Parente Randolph and Beard Miller Co. plan to merge later this year to create one of the largest firms in the Northeast, with a total $175 million in revenue.

Mowery & Schoenfeld plans to combine forces with another Illinois firm, Katch, Tyson & Co., effective August 1.

BNA has acquired the training seminar and conference businesses of the Council for International Tax Education, Atlas Information Group and the Structured Finance Institute.

The financial services sector can count on plenty of merger and acquisition activity in the near future, as insurance companies and retail banks try to turn themselves into financial supermarkets, according to a Tiburon Strategic Advisors report on mergers and acquisitions in the financial services industry that was released this morning.

UHY Advisors has acquired Step3 Consulting, a provider of performance improvement services for companies in various industries.

CBIZ has acquired EAO Consultants, an employee benefits firm also known as Egan, Amato & O’Connor, expanding the accounting provider’s benefits-consulting expertise in the Northeast.

Accounting firm Plante & Moran plans to merge with Jackson, Rolfes, Spurgeon & Co., extending Michigan-based Plante to the Cincinnati market.

Retirement plan recordkeeping service provider ExpertPlan has acquired portions of ADP’s retirement plan recordkeeping business that service independent third-party administrators.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has completed the $44 million acquisition of BearingPoint’s North American Commercial Services business.

Two accounting firms in the Bay Area — Smith, Lange & Phillips LLP and Daoro Zydel & Holland LLP — are combining forces, with the merger set to take effect July 1.

Intuit has signed a deal to acquire online payroll service PayCycle for approximately $170 million in cash, boosting the accounting and tax software vendor’s presence in the payroll business.

Accounting firm LarsonAllen has expanded its presence in Arizona by combining with Scottsdale-based Cronstrom, Osuch & Co.