Typically, donor contributions to the credit unions are targeted and used in the same statutory requirements and restrictions as the Mutual Financial Aid fund as a whole. 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. " Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. When organizing the credit union it is important that people know each other and know the extent to which each of them is trustworthy. 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. International cooperation has been particularly felt since the days when Alphonse Desjardins began the activity on development of credit union movement in North America. Initially, the target groups of credit unions were farmers (Raiffeisen), and now they include both individuals (credit unions), and organizations. To increase the number of credit unions in 1979 was adopted the corresponding law that serves as the legal basis of their activity. Unlike banks credit unions limit their activities to a closed circle of people. Corporate alliances are intermediaries between credit unions and financial markets.