Regional CPA and business advisory firms WithumSmith+Brown, and Mendlowitz Weitsen have merged their practices, effective Jan. 1.

National firm Crowe Chizek has completed its previously announced merger with Chicago-based CPA firm PTW. Going forward, PTW and its 50 staffers will now operate under the Crowe brand. Crowe merged PTW under its Public Sector Services umbrella and, as a result, the union created the largest single practice group in Illinois offering government-related consulting, attestation and financial services. Crowe's existing offices in Oak Brook and Chicago, and PTW's offices in Oak Brook, Chicago and Springfield, Ill., will remain. Headquartered here, Crowe ranked No. 12 on Accounting Today's 2004 Top 100 Firms list, with annual revenues of $247.3 million.

Konigsberg Wolf, a CPA, tax and management consulting firm headquartered here, said that it has merged in Steven Merdinger and Peter Gadaleta as partners to the concern. Merdinger and Gadaleta formerly were partners in the New York-based firm of Merdinger, Fruchter Rosen & Co., where Merdinger was founding partner. The addition of Merdinger and Gadlata brings Konigsberg's partner total to 13, with a total staff of 50.

Regional powerhouse Horne LLP, a 21-partner firm based here, has bolstered its staff and expanded its Tennessee presence with the merger of Jackson, Tenn.-based Crain & Co. into its fold.

Integrated human resources and benefits services provider RSM McGladrey Employer Services Inc. has acquired SourceWeb, an HR/payroll and self-service product from Minneapolis-based Ceridian Corp.

Operating under the theory that bigger is better, regional CPA firms Reinsel & Co. LLP and Kuntz Lesher LLP have joined forces to strengthen their presence in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

LBMC Technologies, an affiliate of top-ranked CPA firm Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, has merged with IT Solutions.

Local CPA firms Grimaldi & Associates CPAs and Nelkin, Griesel and Graves CPAs have merged their practices to form Grimaldi & Nelkin CPAs.

H&R Block subsidiary RSM McGladrey Inc., a national accounting and consulting firm focused on serving the middle market, has boosted its presence in northern Illinois with the acquisition of the non-attest assets of the Rockford office of BDO Seidman LLP.

Midwestern accounting and consulting powerhouse Virchow, Krause & Co. is kicking off the New Year by flexing its acquisition muscle.

Technology researcher Gartner Inc. agreed to acquire research competitor META Group for $162 million in cash. Gartner, which reported $858 million in revenues in fiscal 2003, will pay $10 per share in cash for META, which posted revenues of $122 million last year. Gartner said the purchase of META, which is also headquartered in Stamford, would help bolster its research capabilities. Gartner said it would finance the acquisition with its cash on hand, as well as borrowing from its existing credit line.

Top-ranked accounting and consulting firm Rothstein Kass, which specializes in serving the alternative investments industry, said that it is selling its interests in RK Consulting, the firm's investment fund administration affiliate, to stave off independence issues.

Filomeno & Company PC, an eight-partner CPA firm based here, has expanded its financial planning practice with the merger of fee-only planning firm Thibodeau Financial Advisors LLC into its fold.

Just three days after Oracle and PeopleSoft signed a truce in their protracted shareholder war via a $10.3 billion merger agreement, security software provider Symantec Corp. agreed to pay $13.5 million to purchase data storage and recovery software concern Veritas Software Corp.

Regional firm Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., based here, is expanding into Newport with the merger of Casten, Victor & Co. into its fold.

Accounting and business consulting firm Citrin Cooperman & Co. has plans to merge Brewster, N.Y.-based CPA firm J.P. Bryan & Co. into its fold.

Interface Software, which makes the Interaction CRM software line for the professional services market, has been acquired by LexisNexis.

Two consultants to the profession have launched a consulting firm that will help accountants with succession planning and mergers and acquisitions.

Top-ranked accounting firm The Rehmann Group, based here, will add Perrin, Fordree & Co., a $5 million, 38-employee firm based in Troy, to its fold effective Jan. 1, 2005.

Ernst & Young has shed its investment banking arm by selling the practice to the consulting firm run by former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.