The uniqueness of credit unions is that they put together the principles and benefits of financial cooperatives, consumer cooperatives and mutual aid funds, born once by trade unions. Cooperation between credit unions, how they would not have been named, took place always, from the moment when the movement moved outside one credit union. The relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. In some cases, the initiators of credit unions can be trade unions, associations such as social support centers and others. Credit unions, like today's credit unions, emerged in the 19th century in Germany as a result of crop failure and famine. Credit unions encourage the proper use of shareholders savings, developing social programs (education, health, recreation, housing, etc.).