Armanino McKenna LLP, one of the largest accounting

Tax preparation giant H&R Block Inc. will acquire the Tax & Business Services division of American Express, creating a combined firm with more than 5,000 employees and generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue.

Much has changed at J.H. Cohn from its start 85 years ago in Newark, N.J., to its current status as one of the largest independent accounting firms in the country with offices in New York, New Jersey, California and the Cayman Islands.

Connecticut's Kostin, Ruffkess & Company LLC, a business advisory and accounting firm, will merge with Springfield, Mass.- based CPA firm Themistos & Dane, in September.

Risk consulting and internal audit services provider Protiviti Inc. acquired Philadelphia-based Lender Advisory Services, a unit of national CPA firm RSM McGladrey.

Immediatech Corp., the developer of GoFileRoom, a Web-based document management service for CPA firms, has had its GoFileRoom business acquired by the Thomson Corp.

New York-area firm Weiser LLP has merged in area CPA and business advisory firm Weiner, Dailey, Katz & Co., a Tarrytown, N.Y.-based practice that has forged a strong client niche in the auto industry. Terms were not disclosed.

Looking to accelerate its growth in the online and packaged software tax industry, H&R Block yesterday acquired San Diego-based TaxNet Inc., a provider of customized online tax services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Southwest regional firm Weaver and Tidwell LLP has strengthened its construction niche practice with the merger of Dallas-based CPA firm Brehm & Co. LLP.

Cartesis Group, a business performance management software provider, has signed an agreement to acquire INEA Corp., a Toronto-based supplier of enterprise software.

Weiser LLP has merged in nearby Leslie Sufrin and Co. PC, a boutique accounting, audit, tax and consulting firm that specializes in servicing publishing, media, information and communication businesses.

In a move to deepen its penetration into southwestern markets, middle-market software and consulting concern Enterprise Resource Group, headquartered here, has acquired Houston-based Burch Consultants.

Marking its second deal in a month, top-ranked firm Armanino McKenna acquired Cupertino, Calif.-based ValueNomics Research Inc. in late April, boosting its business valuation and litigation support practice, and strengthening its presence in Silicon Valley and San Diego.

The Resnick Group LLC, based here, has merged its practice with New York-based accounting and financial consulting firm Druckman Hill LLP.

With two dozen deals currently in the pipeline, business advisory and financial services provider Fiducial says that acquisitions will be the main engine of its growth over the next three years.

RSM McGladrey Financial Process Outsourcing, a unit of national CPA and business consulting firm RSM McGladrey, has acquired Madison, Wis.-based Franchise Services Options and Houston-based Restaurant Reporting Plus -- two of the nation's larger providers of back-office outsourcing services to restaurants.

Super-regional firm Plante & Moran has expanded its services and presence in the Chicagoland area with the addition of Wetmore & Associates, a boutique firm specializing in benefit plan audits.

In a move to deepen its penetration into southwestern markets, middle-market software and consulting concern Enterprise Resource Group, headquartered here, has acquired Houston-based Burch Consultants.

Tax and accounting software provider Creative Solutions Inc. has acquired the tax software line of Cincinnati-based Accountware for undisclosed terms.

Marking its second deal this month, top-ranked firm Armanino McKenna has acquired Cupertino, Calif.-based ValueNomics Research Inc., boosting its business valuation and litigation support practice and strengthening its presence in Silicon Valley and San Diego.