Most modern credit unions represent specialized consumer cooperatives of citizens associated by the principle of social community: place of work, place of residence, profession, or any other shared interest. 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. " When organizing the credit union it is important that people know each other and know the extent to which each of them is trustworthy. Credit union services are available only to its shareholders. 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. 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. In some cases, the initiators of credit unions can be trade unions, associations such as social support centers and others.