CU*Answers said this week that it converted 18 credit union clients to the CU*BASE core processing platform in fiscal 2013, including 10 new clients and eight through mergers with existing clients.

The most recent was the $142 million KALSEE Credit Union in Kalamazoo, Mich., which CU*Answers said had been running on the UltraData platform from Harland Financial Services.

The company said it also has converted three so far in its fiscal 2014 year, which began in October. The most recent there was the $18 million Village Community Credit Union in Dearborn, Mich., which had been an UltraData user, according to data from Callahan & Associates.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based CUSO said it now provides core processing to just more than 170 credit unions directly and that network partners CU*South now has 29 credit union clients and CU*NorthWest has 25.

The CUSO also is providing two years of free processing to the newly formed Northern Eagle Federal Credit Union in Minnesota through the company's “Starting A Credit Union With CU*Answers” program.

Northern Eagle plans to open two branches in January and will serve tribal members and employees of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in northeastern Minnesota.

“While there have been hundreds or thousands of decisions made in our start-up phase, picking the right data processor was among the most important,” said CEO Nichole Pieratos.

CU*Answers said it also has added its 121^st owner, the $25 million Chiropractic Federal Credit Union in Farmington, Mich.