Millions of people are unable or unwilling to deal with traditional financial institutions or utilize credit cards. These consumers have regular needs to meet their short-term cash requirements for items such as utility bills, physical care or emergency repairs. In their times of need, many of these consumers turn to Cash America. Loans are granted in a matter of minutes in the same way that people have accessed cash for thousands of years.

For centuries, money has been loaned based solely on the value of an item pledged as collateral, commonly referred to today as a pawn loan. Cash America International, Inc. was the first company to establish a large network of locations focused on customer service and meeting the needs of secured non-recourse borrowers in the oldest and most basic form of consumer financing activity.

The fundamentals of the pawn business have not changed through its 3,000 year existence. The base business is designed to assist the borrower in meeting capital requirements under terms of a simple contract. Items used as security for loans have evolved over the years as commonly owned personal property has changed with the times. Yet the orientation of the collateral has not changed as customers use items which represent value, such as gold and diamond jewelry, capable of providing them a source of liquidity.

At Cash America pawnshops, the age-old pawn loan tradition of a fast, convenient source of ready cash with the loan amount based upon the value of the collateral presented is taken to a new level of ease and customer dignity. Cash America customers are greeted by a courteous, well-trained staff who assist them with their cash needs. The use of a proprietary computer system, which calculates the optimum loan value for the item presented as collateral, assures the loan customer of understanding the maximum loan amount available for the item pledged. In seconds, the loan document is printed, the loan proceeds are counted out and the customer leaves secure with the knowledge that the item pledged is in safe keeping at Cash America until it is redeemed.