Future-Proofing Critical Financial Systems with a Strategic .NET Upgrade

Client Overview

ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust (ClearPoint) is a federally chartered savings bank specializing in fiduciary and investment services for funeral homes and cemeteries across the country. With unmatched expertise in managing preneed contracts, ClearPoint provides comprehensive solutions including fiduciary oversight, investment management, recordkeeping, and detailed reporting. Their proprietary recordkeeping platform ensures precise and secure administration of preneed contracts, trusts, and funeral-related disbursements—where accuracy, security, and reliability are paramount.

The Challenge: Modernizing Without Disruption

ClearPoint’s legacy .NET 4.8 API had been a dependable backbone for years, but it was built on a framework no longer in active development by Microsoft. While still functional, the platform carried growing risks:

• Limited access to modern APIs and performance enhancements due to end of active development.
  
• Security-only long-term support, creating dependencies on outdated third-party packages.
  
• Costly deployment options, tied to large Windows VMs instead of more efficient cross-platform hosting.
  

Although ClearPoint’s Director of Software Engineering, Nick Howard, had a capable internal .NET team, other high-priority projects made it impractical to dedicate resources to the migration. They needed a partner who could modernize their system without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Why They Chose Seven Hills Technology

ClearPoint first worked with Seven Hills on a React upgrade project. The smooth execution and strong collaboration led them back to us for the .NET upgrade. They communicated to us that they valued the following experience:

• Proven Upgrade Experience – We’ve completed similar migrations and know how to avoid common pitfalls.
  
  
• Independent Execution – We advanced the project without pulling their team away from active initiatives.
  ‍‍
• Collaborative Handoff – We handled 80% of the migration independently, then worked alongside their developers for the final 20% to ensure full knowledge transfer.
  
  

"Thanks for another successful project. We're 2 for 2! The Seven Hills team is so easy to work with."
- Nick Howard, Director of Software Engineering

Our Approach

1. Direct Framework Upgrade
   Migrated the API from .NET Framework 4.8 and EF6 to .NET 8 and EF Core — unlocking access to modern APIs, ongoing Microsoft improvements, and future cross-platform deployment.
   
   
2. Strategic Code Cleanup
   Removed unused backend logic identified through joint review, simplifying the codebase and reducing maintenance needs.
   
   
3. Entity Framework Core Migration
   Reworked database mappings for a large, interconnected schema, ensuring data integrity and identical behavior to the original system.
   
   
4. Collaborative Testing & QA
   Both teams split application sections for testing, identifying subtle differences (like JSON serialization) before production release. The end result was a fully validated migration with zero end-user disruption.
   
   
5. Challenges & Breakthroughs

Challenge: Migrating EF6’s model binding patterns for a large, complex database while ensuring existing queries behaved exactly the same.

Breakthrough: Close collaboration meant we could skip migrating obsolete code, cutting scope and finishing 5–10% under budget.

The Impact

• Seamless End-User Experience – Internal users noticed no changes other than a subtle boost in responsiveness.
  ‍
• Improved Performance – Optimizations like reduced EF tracking and query splitting sped up high-load queries.
  ‍
  
• Cost Savings – Delivered under budget, freeing resources to address unrelated front-end fixes and add automated test suites.
  ‍
  
• Future-Ready Infrastructure – ClearPoint can now leverage cross-platform deployment and ongoing Microsoft enhancements.
  
  

Client Collaboration & Experience

Lessons Learned

A well-architected codebase accelerates upgrades. ClearPoint’s clean architecture meant fewer problem areas and a faster, higher-quality migration.

Conclusion

ClearPoint’s .NET upgrade shows how strategic modernization can happen without operational disruption. By pairing technical depth with a collaborative process, Seven Hills Technology delivered a seamless migration, measurable performance gains, and a future-proof foundation — all under budget.