To get a loan in the credit union a shareholder must be not only a formally adopted there, but necessary pay in cash contributions, the amount and order of payment of which approved by the General Assembly and fixed by the charter. Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds. Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. 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. Membership in the credit union forms responsible citizens and conscientious attitude to their obligations as a norm of behavior, identify the value of a decent man's reputation in the business turnover. The relationship of shareholders with credit union are not client-based, they are co-operative, based on different principles and standards, in particular, on the principles of the law of obligations. 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). Until the mid-XX century, credit unions in the United States had little assets that did not exceed, as a rule, 100 thousand dollars 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. Worldwide credit union movement is represented by regional confederations and national organizations within the World Council of Credit Unions.
Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. 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. Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds.