The first credit union in the United States was founded in 1909. by the group of Franco-American Catholics in Manchester, New Hampshire, and was called "Cooperative Credit Association of St. Mary. " Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. 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. The relationship between credit unions and shareholders arise from the membership and are not customer relationship. Worldwide credit union movement is represented by regional confederations and national organizations within the World Council of Credit Unions.
Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. 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. Today in the UK there are about 700 credit unions with assets exceeding 200 million pounds.