Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. The number of shareholders of a credit union is limited and formalized by a list. Limit of the number is defined by the assembly and such assembly establishes the charter. Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. At the organization of the credit union it is important that people know each other and know the extent to which each of them is trustworthy. Income derived from the provision of services to its members, does not become the profit of credit union and is distributed among its members in proportion to their savings. U.S. credit unions have another significant difference from the credit cooperatives of farmers: the first have major proportion of short-term loans, the second - long and mostly in real estate.