Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. Until the mid-XX century, credit unions in the United States had little assets that did not exceed, as a rule, 100 thousand dollars The value of credit unions is not limited to the role of the economic agent - they are an important element of the social structure and a factor of social stability and progress. Today, the World Council of Credit Unions is represented as members four regional confederations and twelve national associations.