Credit unions encourage savings of citizens, setting compensation payments (interest) on savings and provide from these savings loans to their members. Income received by the credit union shall be distributed among the shareholders or spent for the depreciation of services, that is, are the most effective means of meeting the needs of shareholders. Among the U.S. credit unions, there are three groups that differ in terms of assets, shareholders, and business services. 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. Today, the World Council of Credit Unions is represented as members four regional confederations and twelve national associations.