Regional accounting firm Cherry, Bekaert & Holland has acquired Massey + Pittman, giving the firm a larger presence in the Atlanta area and expanding its real estate and construction industry group.

Two accounting firms, Mueller Yuva & Osterman and Larson and Associates, have merged to combine their strengths in auditing, estate planning and other services.

Accounting firm Lopez Levi PA has merged two local South Florida firms into its practice to expand its range of services.

Sage Software reseller Blytheco said it is merging another Sage Software business partner, Baker Consulting, into its firm, broadening its geographic coverage.

Kellogg & Andelson Accountancy Corp. has acquired the Los Angeles office of a subsidiary of UHY Advisors.

Gilman Ciocia has acquired Kelchlin Business Services, an accounting firm located in the Buffalo, N.Y., suburb of Depew.

Thomson has acquired TaxStream, a software provider that helps companies comply with income tax demands.

Super-regional CPA and business advisory firm Dixon Hughes said it would merge with Rhea & Ivy PLC. effective Feb. 1. Terms were not disclosed. The union will add some 70 employees and 12 partners to Dixon Hughes. Upon completion of the merger, Rhea & Ivy, headquartered here, will operate under the Dixon Hughes brand. The Rhea & Ivy team will remain in Memphis, while an existing Dixon Hughes office in Memphis -- whose client roster is comprised primarily of auto dealerships -- will combine with the new Memphis practice, bringing that team to more than 90 people. Ranked No. 17 on Accounting Today's 2007 Top 100 Firms list, Dixon Hughes generated annual revenues of $155 million.

Accounting firm Templeton & Co. has combined practices with James Machen Chartered, a CPA and consulting firm based in Boca Raton, Fla.

Marks Paneth & Shron has merged with Schneider & Associates, adding four new partners to its Woodbury, N.Y., office.

Two venerable Chicago accounting firms have merged.

Following a flurry of mergers throughout 2007, many top-drawer consultants in the accounting profession believe that this year will be just as active — and that foretells myriad changes for firms of all sizes.“I feel that [M&A activity is] hitting rapid proliferation moving forward,” said Gary Shamis, managing director of Ohio-based SS&G Financial Services. “And it’s going to become more significant in this year.”

Accounting firm Sanford Baumeister & Frazier has acquired the CPA practice of Kent Altaras for an undisclosed sum as Altaras prepares for retirement.

Gilman Ciocia has acquired Edward W. Halleran Accounting & Tax Service.

Accounting firm Watson Rice said it has entered into a partnership agreement with Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio & Associates, effectively merging the two firms.

CPA firms Lazard Dana LLP and Deemer Davidson Prather PC have merged, changing their name to Deemer Dana & Froehle LLP.

Deloitte Financial Advisory Services has acquired certain assets of Barrasso Consulting, a firm that specializes in data collection and document review for litigation discovery programs.

South Florida accounting firms Goldstein Schechter Price Lucas Horwitz & Co. and Koch Reiss & Co. have merged.

The International Accounting Standards Board has issued a revised version of its standards for accounting for business combinations such as mergers and acquisitions, in coordination with the Financial Accounting Standards Board, in a move that will highlight the expenses of business combinations that used to be considered assets.

Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP has merged with H.J. Behrman, adding 26 accounting and tax professionals to Anchin's roster and building the firm's real estate practice.