Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds. Like the credit cooperatives, credit unions form associations of a higher level, which are called corporate credit unions. 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. All the members of the credit union, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, as well as the size of the monetary share have equal rights. 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. Until the mid-XX century, credit unions in the United States had little assets that did not exceed, as a rule, 100 thousand dollars In the case of default the shareholder - individual will respond with its property and, in addition, is jointly and severally liable with the credit union's commitments. The specifics of credit unions and, in some sense, their uniqueness lies in the fact that they work not for profit and do not appropriate profit.