H&R; Block Buys Missouri Accounting Firm

H&R; Block has acquired a Kansas City, Mo., accounting firm in its first step toward building a national accounting practice. The firm, Donnelly Meiners Jordan Kline, will be acquired by Block’s newly formed subsidiary, HRB Business Services Inc. Terrence E. Putney, the firm’s president, will head the new subsidiary. “This is the first in what we expect will be a series of local and regional accounting firm acquisitions,” H&R; Block President and Chief Executive Frank L. Salizzoni said. Donnelly Meiners Jordan Kline will retain its company name, as will other firms acquired in the future, officials said. The accounting firm was established in 1949 and has more than 60 full-time employees. H&R; Block, headquartered in Kansas City, offers tax preparation, mortgages and financial products and services.