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. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. 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. Credit unions are competitors of savings institutions, adding interest on deposits of members. This applies to the shares, as well as to additional funds transferred to the account in the credit union. Corporate alliances are intermediaries between credit unions and financial markets.