Crowe Chizek Announces Combination of Practices with Madsen Sapp Mena Rodriguez & Co.; Public Accounting and Consulting Firm Expands Presence in Florida Through Combination.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Crowe Chizek and Company LLC has announced that it will combine practices with Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Madsen Sapp Mena Rodriguez & Co. (MSMR) Certified Public Accountants & Advisors. The transaction is scheduled to be effective May 1, 2006.

"We're pleased to take this step in the expansion of our south Florida operations by combining practices with a firm of the caliber of Madsen Sapp Mena Rodriguez," said Mark Hildebrand, Crowe CEO. "The cultures and values of our two organizations are an excellent fit and our resources complement each other, which we believe will make this combination successful and provide added value to our clients."

MSMR brings substantial experience and a considerable client base in construction and manufacturing industries, which complements two of Crowe's industry specializations. Additionally, MSMR provides resources to serve Latin America businesses, a key element in the execution of Crowe's growth strategy.

"Combining with Crowe provides us and our clients with immediate access to Crowe's vast network of resources," said Ray Rodriguez, MSMR president and CEO. "The combination bolsters our capabilities in our traditional practice areas such as construction and manufacturing and will allow us to assist our clients in new areas such as mergers and acquisitions assistance, wealth management, risk consulting and performance management. Additionally, we are aligning ourselves with a firm that has a very strong national reputation that will help us better meet our clients' needs."

Founded in 1926, MSMR offers advisory, assurance, business valuation, employee benefit plans, litigation support and tax services. MSMR boasts a growing client base of high-quality construction, manufacturing, distribution, real estate development and not-for-profit organizations.

Once the combination of practices is complete, all 24 MSMR current professionals and partners will join Crowe. Rodriguez will continue in a significant leadership role in Crowe's commercial practice in South Florida.

The two firms will operate under the Crowe name, with the MSMR personnel joining Crowe's 2,200 personnel, located in offices in eight states.

Florida locations for the combined practice include Crowe's existing locations in Fort Lauderdale, Lake Worth and Tampa, in addition to MSMR's current office at Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.

With the combination with MSMR, Crowe's presence in South Florida will grow to more than 100 professionals concentrating in a wide range of practice areas, including assurance, benefit plan services, financial advisory, forensic services, performance services, risk consulting and tax consulting.

"We've been planning to expand in the south Florida market," said Hildebrand. "This combination accelerates our ability to do that, with a firm that has an excellent reputation and significant experience. We believe that this transaction will provide our personnel and our firms with numerous opportunities for continued growth."

The combined practice provides the MSMR client community with access to resources from Crowe's offices throughout the United States, in addition to access to other firms around the world via Crowe's affiliation with the Horwath International organization of public accounting and consulting firms.

Established in 1942, Crowe opened its office in Fort Lauderdale in 1985. Crowe has spent the last decade expanding the services it provides in south Florida and increasing the industries it serves in that market.

Crowe Chizek is a Crowe Group LLP entity. Crowe has been ranked in the top 10 of largest U.S. public accounting and consulting firms for the past 10 years, according to Public Accounting Report (PAR). Crowe was ninth in PAR's 2005 Top 100 list and named to Inside Public Accounting's 2005 list of best firms based on fiscal and management performance.

About MSMR

Madsen Sapp Mena Rodriguez & Co. was founded in 1926 and is Broward County's oldest CPA firm. The firm has concentrated on family-owned and middle market businesses, providing traditional accounting services as well as business advice. MSMR enjoys relationships that span several generations of ownership and management among its clients.

About Crowe Chizek

Under its core purpose of "Building Value with Values(R)," Crowe Chizek and Company LLC (www.crowechizek.com) provides innovative business solutions in the areas of assurance, benefit plan services, financial advisory, forensic services, performance services, risk consulting and tax consulting. Crowe Chizek, a Crowe Group LLP entity, was founded in 1942. One of the top 10 public accounting and consulting firms in the United States, Crowe also serves clients worldwide as a leading independent member of the Horwath International global professional services organization.