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. " Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. The relationship of shareholders with credit union are not client-based, they are co-operative, based on different principles and standards, in particular, on the principles of the law of obligations. Until the mid-XX century, credit unions in the United States had little assets that did not exceed, as a rule, 100 thousand dollars 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. The main activities of credit unions, aimed at the organization of mutual aid and social support of citizens is not intended to profit. 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. Worldwide credit union movement is represented by regional confederations and national organizations within the World Council of Credit Unions. Today, the World Council of Credit Unions is represented as members four regional confederations and twelve national associations.