The economic basis of credit unions - finances of a household. The main objective of the credit union - to ensure financial stability of a household, to ensure the priority of their shareholders' financial interests. Credit unions attract people in the first place by the opportunity to get cash loan (credit) - quickly and relatively inexpensively. 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. Income received by the credit union shall be distributed among the shareholders or spent for the depreciation of services, that is, are the most effective means of meeting the needs of shareholders. Credit unions perform the function of social protection in a vital for people sphere of financial services. They care about improving the financial literacy of the population, are working on the formation of their members and their employees. To reduce the risk of default on loans members of the credit union shall the joint guarantee. 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). Credit unions, like today's credit unions, emerged in the 19th century in Germany as a result of crop failure and famine. U.S. credit unions have another significant difference from the credit cooperatives of farmers: the first have major proportion of short-term loans, the second - long and mostly in real estate.