To date, credit unions - virtually the only form of financial institution where people can quickly and without any problems get a relatively inexpensive cash loan. Most modern credit unions represent specialized consumer cooperatives of citizens associated by the principle of social community: place of work, place of residence, profession, or any other shared interest. In recent decades, many credit unions began to resort to such form of service as Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. The number of shareholders of a credit union is limited and formalized by a list. Limit of the number is defined by the assembly and such assembly establishes the charter. The uniqueness of credit unions is that they put together the principles and benefits of financial cooperatives, consumer cooperatives and mutual aid funds, born once by trade unions. 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. In some cases, the initiators of credit unions can be trade unions, associations such as social support centers and others.