Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. Among the U.S. credit unions, there are three groups that differ in terms of assets, shareholders, and business services. 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). In the case of default the shareholder - individual will respond with its property and, in addition, is jointly and severally liable with the credit union's commitments. Historically, credit unions have grown from the experience of credit cooperatives, but they took the experience of organizations of mutual aid of citizens by moving methods of social self-protection from labor and toward consumption. Credit unions are financial institutions, financial cooperatives of citizens, and in this capacity they are above all associations of people, not unification of capitals, which is typical, for example, for public companies. The right to use the services of the credit union have only its members. Credit cooperatives and credit unions exist in many different forms. The main differences relate to the nature of the membership and the opening of a credit institution. 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.