FirstCash, Inc. is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas and operates as the leading international pawn shop chain with over 3,300 retail locations spanning 29 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, and Latin America (Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador). The company employs approximately 22,000 people and is listed in both the S&P MidCap 400 Index and Russell 2000 Index, indicating its size and stability as a publicly traded enterprise.
FirstCash's core business model focuses on serving cash and credit-constrained consumers through retail pawn operations. They buy and sell a wide variety of merchandise including jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, and musical instruments. Their primary lending product is non-recourse pawn loans secured by pledged personal property, meaning customers are not personally liable if the collateral doesn't cover the loan amount. Additionally, the company offers layaway services (10% down payment required), gold and precious metal buying, and retail merchandise sales through their store locations.
What distinguishes FirstCash is its massive scale as the largest pawn operator internationally, with over 2,500 North American locations and established presence across multiple countries. The company also operates AFF, a wholly owned subsidiary providing lease-to-own and retail finance payment solutions through over 15,000 retail merchant partner locations nationwide, demonstrating diversification beyond traditional pawn lending.
FirstCash serves cash and credit-constrained consumers who need immediate liquidity or lack access to traditional lending. Customers benefit from quick access to cash with eligibility claims to verify, though pawn loans come with the risk of losing pledged items if the loan cannot be repaid. The company's national presence and established infrastructure provide reliability and accessibility, but pawn loans remain an expensive way to borrow compared to traditional credit.