Like any financial institution, credit unions have the financial resources. In recent decades, many credit unions began to resort to such form of service as Among the U.S. credit unions, there are three groups that differ in terms of assets, shareholders, and business services. Since the early 80's started the process of consolidation of credit unions, leading to a decrease in their number with a simultaneous increase in the total number of members. As of the January 1, 2012 the national associations and confederations unite more than 196 million members participating in the 51,013 credit unions in 100 countries. Credit Union - a non-profit financial institution specialized in mutual financial assistance by providing savings and credit services to their members. Credit union as a consumer cooperative operates on the principles of equality of all its members.