Activity of the credit union consists of organizing mutual financial assistance by meeting the needs of its members in the services of saving and obtaining loans. Credit union services are available only to its shareholders. Credit unions of the open type are still controlled by their members, but at the same time provide services to people who are not its members (external customers). In the credit union compensation for use of the loan (interest) is a source of compensation for savings. Taking a decision to join a credit union, citizens create an organization through which they participate in the shared savings by mutual crediting and joint (collective) use of personal savings. Shareholders in corporate organizations are basic credit unions, besides the same union can be a shareholder of several corporate organizations. In some cases, the initiators of credit unions can be trade unions, associations such as social support centers and others. 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. Credit Union - one of the most attractive financial institutions for the public being a non-profit alternative to banks.
Credit unions of the open type are still controlled by their members, but at the same time provide services to people who are not its members (external customers). In the credit union compensation for use of the loan (interest) is a source of compensation for savings. Credit union services are available only to its shareholders.