Like any financial institution, credit unions have the financial resources. Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds. Until the 70's there was a proliferation of the U.S. credit unions due to the increase of their number and the number of shareholders, although it must be acknowledged that there was also and a qualitative growth. In some cases, the initiators of credit unions can be trade unions, associations such as social support centers and others. The supreme body of the World Council of Credit Unions is the Assembly, which elects the president and the board of directors of WOCCU. On the consumer credit market in the U.S. credit unions are on the third place after the commercial banks and finance companies and are ahead of savings institutions, not taking into account the loans on real estate.