Representative organization, leading the coordination work in the field of development of both global and national credit union movement is the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) established in 1971 (headquartered in Madison, USA). Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. The supreme body of the World Council of Credit Unions is the Assembly, which elects the president and the board of directors of WOCCU. Credit unions, like today's credit unions, emerged in the 19th century in Germany as a result of crop failure and famine. To increase the number of credit unions in 1979 was adopted the corresponding law that serves as the legal basis of their activity.