Borrowing rate for the credit union is a source of income to cover the administrative costs. All excess funds are returned to members in the form of dividends on savings. Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds. Main share of credit unions assets is concentrated in loans (about 50%), while the share of consumer loans in commercial banks and finance companies active operations rarely exceeds 15%. The most common type of loans in credit unions are loans to purchase new and used cars (40%), followed by first mortgages and second mortgages (35%), about 10% are unsecured personal loans to member of unions and about 15% - are loans on credit cards and other loans. A potential new member of a credit union must submit a recommendation of shareholders in which the referee becomes a warrant of a future member of the credit union. Over 30% of the assets of credit unions are investments in government securities, certificates of deposit of banks and savings loan associations, as well as in the parent credit unions, and other risk-free investments. International cooperation has been particularly felt since the days when Alphonse Desjardins began the activity on development of credit union movement in North America. Standards by which credit unions build their work do not coincide with the standards and regulations of consumer cooperation of the usual type. Corporate alliances are intermediaries between credit unions and financial markets.