Typically new members of the credit union become citizens having suretyship or recommendations from their friends - members of the credit union. International cooperation has been particularly felt since the days when Alphonse Desjardins began the activity on development of credit union movement in North America. In the case of default the shareholder - individual will respond with its property and, in addition, is jointly and severally liable with the credit union's commitments. The relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. Credit unions are financial institutions, financial cooperatives of citizens, and in this capacity they are above all associations of people, not unification of capitals, which is typical, for example, for public companies. Credit unions base their activities on savings of shareholders, their shares and savings contributions, which make up the fund of mutual financial assistance - a source of cash loans to shareholders. 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. Credit union as a consumer cooperative operates on the principles of equality of all its members.