People: Richard Bartolo joined the capital markets advisors practice of the Berkeley Research Group in Atlanta … J. Andrew Koecher joined Houlihan Lokey as managing director and head of transaction advisory services, based in the Dallas office … Steven Kuzma and Joseph Galanti have joined Grant Thornton’s forensic and valuation services practice as managing director and principal, respectively; both are based in the firm’s Atlanta office … Travis Pittman has been appointed markets leader for transaction advisory services at Houlihan Lokey; he will coordinate cross-border deals and head up client development at the Dallas office.

Firms: AN Valuation Services, a business and IP valuation firm in the Netherlands, joined the MG Valuation Alliance, a group that assists accounting and consulting firms by providing real estate, machinery, and business valuation throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia … Brown, Edwards & Co., a regional CPA firm with headquarters in Virginia, merged with Dent K. Burk Associates and Hodges, Jones & Mabry, adding automobile dealerships and restaurants to its specialized services lines … EisnerAmper merged with Mallah Furman of South Florida, a firm that specializes in insurance, hospitality, professional services, construction/real estate, retail, and telecom … EisnerAmper also merged Ueltzen & Co. of California into its forensic, litigation and valuation services group … Ernst & Young has merged with NorthPoint Digital, a digital services company based in New York City that designs, builds, and implements technology for websites, apps, and portals … Katz Sapper & Miller, headquartered in Indianapolis, announced its merger with the 65-year-old firm Krouse Kern & Co., based in Fort Wayne, on December 1 … Marcum announced two mergers as of December 1: with the Philadelphia firm Smart, Devine & Co. and with DGLF CPAs & Business Advisors of Nashville, Tenn., and Orlando, Fla. … MarksNelson of Kansas City, Mo., acquired Marsh & Co., a firm based in Overland Park, Kan., that specializes in tax credit consulting and auditing services to real estate professionals, developers, and historic preservationists in the region … Porte Brown of Chicago merged in Alliant Advisors, an Illinois firm that provides financial, strategic, and business operations expertise … The Chicago firms Prism Healthcare Partners and Principle Valuation announced the intent to merge as of January 2016 and to combine Prism's performance improvement efforts with Principle's valuation and advisory services.