Last year, 27 new credit unions joined myCUmortgage, themortgage issuing CUSO wholly owned by the $1.9 billion Wright-PattCredit Union. They boosted the CUSO to nearly $1 billion in volume,the CU announced.

"[M]yCUmortgage's focus of offering more revenue to our creditunion partners at lower costs to their members enabled us toexperience tremendous growth," said Tim Mislansky, president ofmyCUmortgage. "We believe credit unions work best when creditunions work together and the payment of $3.6 million to ourpartners in a challenging financial year is a testament to thiscollaboration."

The 10-year-old CUSO and its credit union partners increasedclosed loan production by more than 24% between 2009 and 2010, theCU said. The volume increase came about due to historically lowmortgage interest rates, more awareness of credit union mortgageproducts, greater market penetration and active credit unionpartners.

"Working with myCUmortgage has made it possible for us to offerour members more options," said Susie Breitmeyer, chief lendingofficer of Class Act Federal Credit Union, Louisville, Ky., withassets of $142.9 million. "Before myCUmortgage, we only offered a15-year term mortgage; and in the nine months we've been workingwith the CUSO, we have closed 22 loans for a total of $2,737,621,all of which were 20- and 30-year terms. This partnership ishelping our credit union grow as we provide a product our communitywants and needs."