Historically, credit unions were preceded by widespread development of credit cooperation in many countries of Europe and America. 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. Some credit unions are closed, serving only their members. However, the more and more popularitywin cooperatives of open type. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. Typically new members of the credit union become citizens having suretyship or recommendations from their friends - members of the credit union. 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. All the members of the credit union, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, as well as the size of the monetary share have equal rights. The main advantage of credit unions consists in transparency, controllability, governance for shareholders. As of the January 1, 2012 the national associations and confederations unite more than 196 million members participating in the 51,013 credit unions in 100 countries. Historically, credit unions have grown from the experience of credit cooperatives, but they took the experience of organizations of mutual aid of citizens by moving methods of social self-protection from labor and toward consumption.