One area credit union was downgraded and two were upgraded in the latest ratings from the BauerFinancial rating service.

Community Healthcare Credit Union, Urbana, was downgraded from 4-star ("excellent") to 3-star ("adequate") based on data for the quarter that ended March 31, 2011.

According to BauerFinancial, the credit union had a net loss of $14,000 in the first quarter of 2011 and a net loss of $64,000 for full-year 2010.

Meanwhile, the Paris Hi-Way Credit Union, Paris, and Lauhoff Employees Credit Union, Danville, were both upgraded.

The Paris credit union improved from 3-star to 4-star, while the Lauhoff credit union jumped from 4-star to 5-star ("superior").

The other 19 area credit unions that received ratings from BauerFinancial all kept the same rating they had for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2010.

No area credit unions received ratings of zero stars ("lowest"), 1-star ("troubled") or 2-star ("problematic").

Seven other credit unions in the area were not rated by BauerFinancial, either because they are insured privately, rather than by the National Credit Union Administration, or because they have less than $1.5 million in assets and are too small to be rated.

Credit Union 1, a privately insured institution, was the largest of the area credit unions, with assets of $662 million as of March 31, 2011. It also had the highest percentage of nonperforming assets — 5.15 percent — in the area.

At all other area credit unions, nonperforming assets accounted for less than 2.5 percent of total assets.

Nonperforming assets include loans where principal and interest payments are 90 days or more past due.

BauerFinancial bases its ratings on capital ratios, profitability trends, levels of delinquent loans, charge-offs and repossessed assets, liquidity, historical data and supervisory actions by regulatory agencies.

Another area credit union that was included in previous ratings — the Aldersgate Federal Credit Union, which serves United Methodist clergy and their families — moved its headquarters from Danville to Marion when its treasurer moved.

Here are BauerFinancial's ratings for area credit unions based on March 31, 2011 data:

5-star ("superior")

Twelve credit unions: Area Educational CU, Mattoon; Blaw-Knox CU, Mattoon; Carle Employees Federal CU, Urbana; Central Illinois CU, Champaign; Champaign County School Employees CU, Champaign; Education Personnel Federal CU, Danville; Landmark CU, Danville; Lauhoff Employees CU, Danville; MidWest America FCU, Fort Wayne, Ind.; New Horizon CU, Danville; Tee-Pak CU, Danville; Urbana Municipal Employees CU, Urbana.

4-star ("excellent")

Six credit unions: Champaign Municipal Employees CU, Champaign; Clifford-Jacobs Employees CU, Champaign; First Illinois CU, Danville; Paris Hi-Way CU, Paris; Quorum Federal CU, New York; University of Illinois Employees CU, Champaign.

3-star ("adequate")

Four credit unions: Community Healthcare CU, Urbana; Community Plus Federal CU, Rantoul; Danville Consolidated CU, Danville; Route 1 CU, Paris.

Not rated*

Seven credit unions: Canaan CU, Urbana; Champaign Postal CU, Champaign; Credit Union 1, Rantoul; Danville Bell CU, Danville; McMillen Master CU, Gibson City; MEA CU, Monticello; Urbana Postal CU, Urbana.

* Either because the credit union is insured privately, rather than by the National Credit Union Administration, or because it is too small to be rated, having less than $1.5 million in assets.