WALTHAM, Sept. 4, Clark/Bardes Consulting (Nasdaq: CLKB) announced the purchase of Lyons Compensation & Benefits, LLC. The consideration consists of a total purchase price of $12 million dollars. The company expects the transaction to be accretive by $0.04 starting in 2002. Lyons Compensation and Benefits, based in Waltham, Mass., specializes in the design and administration of compensation and benefits programs with the goal of attracting and retaining key employees. Clark/Bardes Consulting provides a full array of executive compensation and benefits solutions.

NEWTON, Sept. 5, Mellon Financial Corporation (NYSE: MEL) and Eagle Investment Systems Corp. announced a definitive agreement under which Mellon will acquire Eagle. Mellon will acquire Eagle with a combination of Mellon's common stock and cash at the election of Eagle's shareholders. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of this year. Headquartered in Newton, Mass., Eagle develops Web-based investment management software solutions. Mellon Financial Corporation provides custody and investment support services worldwide.

WESTFORD, Sept. 6, ENSR International has acquired selected assets of McLaren-Hart/Jones (MH/J) Environmental Consulting. These assets include operations in Detroit, MI; Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI; Cincinnati, OH; Egg Harbor, NJ; and Oakland and Santa Ana, CA. Staff and projects associated with these offices are operating under the ENSR name. ENSR International provides environmental and energy development services.

BOSTON, Sept. 7, Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd (HVP) has acquired all the shares of Australian Paper Plantations Pty Ltd (APP) from PaperlinX (ASX: PPX) for U.S. $77.2 million. The property includes 134,862 acres in the Gippsland region of the state of Victoria, Australia. HVP is Australia's largest private timberland owner. Boston-based Hancock Timber Resource Group (HTRG) oversees the operations of HVP, which is owned jointly by U.S. and Australian institutional investors. HRTG is a unit of the Hancock Natural Resources Group, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: JHF).

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Sept. 10, Westbank Corporation (Nasdaq:WBKC) announced the merger of its wholly owned subsidiaries. Cargill Bank was merged with and into Park West Bank and Trust Company, a Mass.-chartered bank and trust company headquartered in West Springfield, Mass. In connection with the merger, Park West changed its name to Westbank. Westbank Corporation is the holding company of Westbank, and operates a total of 17 banking offices in western Mass. and northeastern Connecticut. Westbank Corporation has total assets of $656 million and deposits of $541 million.

ANDOVER, Sept. 13, Engage, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENGA), a majority owned CMGI (Nasdaq: CMGI) company, announced it has sold certain online advertising assets and will discontinue the rest of its media operations later this month, completing its effort to refocus the company on software products for multichannel marketing. Engage's remaining 125 media-related positions will either move to Bluestreak or be terminated, consistent with the company's August 20 announcement regarding its departure from the media business. Bluestreak is based in Rhode Island.

LEXINGTON, Sept. 14, The DeWolfe Companies, Inc. (AMEX:DWL), announced the acquisition of the business of Lazarus Properties of Cranston, R.I. Lazarus Properties is a residential real estate brokerage firm. DeWolfe is a provider of homeownership services, including residential real estate brokerage, mortgage banking, insurance, moving and relocation services. DeWolfe has offices in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.