Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. Credit union services are available only to its shareholders. Credit unions of the open type are still controlled by their members, but at the same time provide services to people who are not its members (external customers). 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 relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. 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. Credit unions encourage the proper use of shareholders savings, developing social programs (education, health, recreation, housing, etc.). Unlike banks, in order to use the services of a credit union, you have to become its member, having written an application and having paid thus shares and membership fee. Credit union as a consumer cooperative operates on the principles of equality of all its members.