Corporate credit unions are united on a cooperative basis in the Central Credit Union (US Central Credit Union). National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) - an independent federal agency, based in Washington (State of Columbia), established by the U.S. Congress to oversee the federal credit union system. The first credit union in the United States was founded in 1909. by the group of Franco-American Catholics in Manchester, New Hampshire, and was called "Cooperative Credit Association of St. Mary. " In recent decades, many credit unions began to resort to such form of service as Credit unions attract people in the first place by the opportunity to get cash loan (credit) - quickly and relatively inexpensively. The number of shareholders of a credit union is limited and formalized by a list. Limit of the number is defined by the assembly and such assembly establishes the charter. The main advantage of credit unions consists in transparency, controllability, governance for shareholders. Initially, the target groups of credit unions were farmers (Raiffeisen), and now they include both individuals (credit unions), and organizations.