LONDON—UK-based corporate and financial public relations firms FTI Consulting (the former FD) and Brunswick Group dominate the global mergers and acquisitions business through the first three quarters of 2011, according to the latest M&A league tables published by the authoritative mergermarket newsletter.

FTI led in volume of deals, working on 177 transactions during the nine month period, ahead of the 155 for Brunswick, while Brunswick was number one in terms of the value of deals worked: $245 billion compared to $148 billion for second place Sard Verbinnen and $141 billion for FTI.

Kekst and Company (83 deals), Finsbury Group (79 deals), and Sard Verbinnen (75 deals) rounded out the global top five in terms of volume.

Global M&A for the first three quarters of 2011 totaled $ 1,739 billion, up 22.9 percent from the same period in 2010, making it the busiest Q1-Q3 period since 2008. The biggest deals included AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile; Express Scripts’ acquisition of Medco Health Solutions; and Duke Energy’s acquisition of Progress Energy.

Kekst was number one in the US in terms of deal volume, beating out Sard Verbinnen, Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, Brunswick and FTI, while Brunswick was number one in terms of deal value, ahead of Sard, Abernathy MacGregor Group, Kekst and Joele Frank.

In Europe, FTI was number one in volume of deals, followed by Brunswick, Finsbury, Citigate and Matiland. Brunswick led the volume ranking, beating out FTI, Kekst, Hering Schuppener and Finsbury. FTI was the market leader in the UK by both value and volume of deals; Euro RSCG C&O led in France by value, with Brunswick topping the volume ranking; Hering Schuppener ranked number one in Germany on both measures; Barabino & Partners was tops in Italy by volume, while Community Group led by value.

In Asia, FTI Consulting led by both value and volume of deals. In the volume ranking, Brunswick was second, ahead of Hill & Knowlton, Strategic Public Relations Group and Kreab Gavin Anderson. Brunswick was also second in terms of value, ahead of Kreab and (in a three-way tie) Bespoke Approach, Butcher & Co., and Stockwell Communications.