ST. JOSEPH — United Federal Credit Union has received and is reviewing more than 50 proposals to build a new headquarters.

Credit union officials say they expect to add 500  jobs over the next decade and announced in October they will build a new headquarters to accommodate their growth.

The bids, received from within the Michiana area, were in response to a request for proposals in that month.

“The overwhelming response that we have received from municipalities, corporations and individuals provided us many ideas, including some which we had not previously considered,” said Gary Easterling, president and chief executive officer of UFCU. “As a result, we now plan to take additional time to more fully explore a larger set of options than we initially planned.”

The credit union is  working out of multiple corporate locations, some leased on a short-term basis, Easterling said. The headquarters building project will allow the company to consolidate its operations and accommodate a growing staff, he said.

Although officials can’t comment on the number of proposals from the Niles area, Niles Township Supervisor Jim Kidwell confirmed in November that ML Developers, owners of the old Eastgate Shopping Plaza property, submitted a proposal.

UFCU is a 63-year-old business with more than 108,000 members, managing assets of more than $1.4 billion. It has two branches in Niles with its main branch in St. Joseph.