In recent decades, many credit unions began to resort to such form of service as Some credit unions are closed, serving only their members. However, the more and more popularitywin cooperatives of open type. Income received by the credit union shall be distributed among the shareholders or spent for the depreciation of services, that is, are the most effective means of meeting the needs of 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). Credit unions appeared in England in the 19th century. In 1844 a group of workers from Rochdale established the first cooperative. The value of credit unions is not limited to the role of the economic agent - they are an important element of the social structure and a factor of social stability and progress. The specifics of credit unions and, in some sense, their uniqueness lies in the fact that they work not for profit and do not appropriate profit.