Thomson Tax & Accounting has acquired the Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc., an Edmonds, Wash.-based provider of benefits research and guidance to corporations and advisory firms.

Regional accounting and consulting firm WithumSmith+Brown has merged in the Iselin and Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia offices of M.D. Oppenheim & Co. PC. The merger was effective May 1, 2007. WS+B gained approximately 50 professional and support staff and two new office locations in the greater Philadelphia area. The MDO Iselin staff will join WS+B's New Brunswick staff in the coming months at a new location currently under construction, while MDO's Cherry Hill and Philadelphia locations will continue as new WS+B offices. "The decision to join WS+B was based on the belief that the union would prove beneficial to all parties involved -- especially our clients," said Richard Cohen, former managing partner of MDO. "Assimilating into a well-respected regional firm with eight offices, including an additional international affiliation, allows our clients access to considerably more resources, receiving the same superior quality services they have come to expect and more." Founded in 1974, WS+B has 375 employees, and ranked No. 37 on Accounting Today's 2007 Top 100 Firms list, with 2006 revenues of $53.1 million.

National CPA and business advisory firm RSM McGladrey Inc. and its audit and attest firm, McGladrey & Pullen LLP have completed the acquisition of Orlando, Fla.-based Tedder, James, Worden & Associates P.A. The audit and attest assets of Tedder, James, Worden & Associates are being acquired by McGladrey & Pullen while the accounting, tax and business consulting assets will become part of RSM McGladrey. The resulting consolidation will bring the total number of Florida employees to more than 400, with the combined RSM McGladrey and McGladrey & Pullen businesses encompassing eight offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Miami, Naples, Titusville, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

Northeast super-regional CPA and business advisory firm J.H. Cohn has merged with Glastonbury, Conn.-based Haggett Longobardi, effective June 1. Terms were not disclosed. Going forward, the Glastonbury office will now do business as Haggett Longobardi, a Division of J.H. Cohn LLP. The move will add 85 staffers to J.H. Cohn, including 66 professionals and 12 partners. Haggett Longobardi has specialties in the manufacturing and distribution, real estate and health-care sectors, as well as international client experience. Frank Longobardi, one of the firm's founding partners, will continue to run the Glastonbury office. The union with Haggett is the second merger within a month for J.H. Cohn. In May the firm added New York City-based Berenson LLP, which has an established apparel industry niche. Ranked No. 16 on Accounting Today's 2007 Top 100 Firms, J.H. Cohn generated revenues of $175 million.

Intuit Inc. and Electronic Clearing House Inc. have agreed to scrap a deal that would have seen Intuit pay $142 million for the debit and credit card processor.Intuit had announced the acquisition plan in mid-December, after the boards of both companies approved the proposed deal. The companies announced late in April that it would be in their mutual best interest to terminate the proposed agreement.

Education provider Kaplan Inc. has acquired the Canadian test preparation firm U.S. CPA Success, based in Toronto, Ont.Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

A pair of Michigan accounting firms -- Lewis & Knopf in Mundy Township and Rachor, Purman & Tucker of Flint Township -- have merged.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The combined firm will operate under the name Lewis & Knopf CPAs.

WHK Group is set is to acquire Australia’s Grant Thornton Perth, according to published reports.

Two accounting firms with presences in Long Island and New York -- Nussbaum, Yates & Wolpow PC and Berg Klein Salomon LLP -- announced that they will merge.

NET@WORK BUYS CONNECTICUT VARNEW YORK - Net@Work, a regional New York Accpac and MAS 90/200 and 500 reseller, has acquired Apptech Inc., a Cheshire, Conn.-based consulting firm specializing in Sage Pro ERP (formerly SBT/Accpac Pro Series) sales and support. Terms were not disclosed.

SMART Business Advisory and Consulting LLC announced that a Boston-based private equity firm has invested $60 million into its business.

Not even a month after talks were announced, two of Canada’s largest accounting firms have called off their merger talks.

The trustees of London-based Reuters Group have given their consent to a $17.2 billion combination offer from electronic publisher Thomson Corp, based in Toronto.

Wiss & Co. has merged with Behan, Ling and Ruta CPAs PC, a New York-based wealth management firm.Financial terms of the deal, which became effective April 1, were not disclosed.

Amper, Politziner & Mattia CPAs and Consultants, announced that Martin I. Blaustein and the staff of White Plains, N.Y.-based Blaustein & Co. LLP have joined the firm.

On the heels of announcing its bid to combine with Reuters Group, Thomson Corp. said that its education unit’s assets will sell for $7.75 billion in cash.

Crowe Chizek and Co. LLC announced that it intends to combine practices with New Jersey-based Enterprise Financial Consulting Group LLC.

J.H. Cohn LLP has acquired the practice of Berenson LLP, a New York accounting firm specializing in solid apparel and import specialization practices.

On the heels of News Corp.’s bid for The Wall Street Journal, electronic publisher Thomson Corp. confirmed that it will offer $17.5 billion for the Reuters Group news service.

The partners of Grant Thornton U.K. LLP and RSM Robson Rhodes LLP announced an agreement last week to merge the two firms.Financial terms of the deal, expected to be completed on July 1, were not disclosed. The combined firm will operate under the Grant Thornton name.