In the U.S., credit unions have a clear organizational structure. All credit unions belong to one or the other parent credit union (there are 35 of them in the U.S.). Like any financial institution, credit unions have the financial resources. Is necessary that all shareholders of the credit union were members of a single community, would know each other well enough to enjoy mutual trust. International cooperation has been particularly felt since the days when Alphonse Desjardins began the activity on development of credit union movement in North America. The relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. The supreme body of the World Council of Credit Unions is the Assembly, which elects the president and the board of directors of WOCCU. Credit unions historically formed as a special form of social support, initially taken upon themselves the social mission of protecting the interests of citizens in the field of financial services. Unlike banks credit unions limit their activities to a closed circle of people.