National Pawn in Raleigh, NC

FirstCash Holdings, Inc. is headquartered at 1600 West 7th Street in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates as the leading international operator of pawn stores. The company is publicly traded and included in both the S&P MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index, reflecting its scale and stability as a major financial services company. With approximately 22,000 employees across the U.S., Latin America, and the United Kingdom, FirstCash has grown to become one of the largest pawn operators in the world.

FirstCash's core business is operating retail pawn locations that buy and sell a wide variety of merchandise—including jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, and musical instruments—while also making small non-recourse pawn loans secured by pledged personal property. Through its wholly owned subsidiary AFF, FirstCash also provides lease-to-own and retail finance payment solutions through a nationwide network of over 15,000 active retail merchant partner locations. Additional consumer services include gold, silver, and platinum buying and a layaway program requiring just 10% down.

What distinguishes FirstCash from smaller pawn operators is its geographic reach and corporate infrastructure. Its 3,300+ stores span 29 U.S. states plus Washington D.C., the United Kingdom, and Latin America (all Mexican states, Guatemala, Colombia, and El Salvador). The non-recourse nature of its pawn loans means borrowers who cannot repay simply forfeit the collateral—there is no debt collection, no credit reporting, and no legal pursuit. This structure provides a meaningful safety net compared to payday or title loan products.

For consumers considering FirstCash, the primary appeal is speed and accessibility: pawn loans require no credit check, no income verification, and fund immediately upon agreement. The trade-off is that loan amounts are limited to a fraction of the item's assessed resale value, and fees can be substantial on an annualized basis. Borrowers who cannot repay lose their item permanently. FirstCash is best approached as a short-term liquidity tool of last resort, not a primary lending relationship. Its retail sales floor can, however, offer genuine value for bargain hunters seeking electronics, jewelry, and tools at below-market prices.