Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. The number of shareholders of a credit union is limited and formalized by a list. Limit of the number is defined by the assembly and such assembly establishes the charter. Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. Typically new members of the credit union become citizens having suretyship or recommendations from their friends - members of the credit union. Among the U.S. credit unions, there are three groups that differ in terms of assets, shareholders, and business services. 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. Since the early 80's started the process of consolidation of credit unions, leading to a decrease in their number with a simultaneous increase in the total number of members. 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, like today's credit unions, emerged in the 19th century in Germany as a result of crop failure and famine. Credit unions base their activities on savings of shareholders, their shares and savings contributions, which make up the fund of mutual financial assistance - a source of cash loans to shareholders.