Cash America 2003 Annual Report Download - page 8

6
A link to the past, a bridge to the future.
Historians believe the pawn loan business dates
back 3,000 years. It is a simple concept that people
have supported for centuries.
Here’s how it works today: Customers bring an
item of value to Cash America locations. Within
minutes, they receive a loan based on the value of
the item. It’s a quick, easy,
simple solution to
overcoming a financial
obstacle. While most
customers choose to redeem
their collateral by paying
back the loan amount, plus
fees, others decide to allow
Cash America to keep the
item in satisfaction of the loan terms. In that case,
Cash America will make the asset available for sale
in its bright and inviting retail environments. In
either event, Cash America stands ready to make
another loan to that customer should the need arise.
It is a simple process at heart, and yet Cash
America has found ways to revolutionize the industry.
Cash America is the first company to build a wide
network of locations and connect them via advanced
computer systems. The Hollywood image of a
cigar-smoking pawnbroker trying to determine a loan
amount on a customer’s watch is an inaccurate one to
say the least. Today, Cash America customer-service
representatives in each of their respective countries
have at their fingertips all the knowledge and
experience of nearly 500 locations, operating in 38
markets in 17 states throughout the U.S. and in the
United Kingdom and Sweden. They can generate
estimated collateral values for items and print
agreements in minutes. These proprietary estimates
are based on the database of actual transactions and
other sources that Cash America has developed and
refined over thousands of individual transactions.
Cash America people are courteous and well trained;
they believe that the customer comes first.
PUENTE LA REINA
Spain
Known also as the Bridge of Pilgrims,
it was built in the 11th century by order
of Doña Elvira, Mayor of Castile, to
solve a critical need nearly 10,000 years
ago. The bridge is located where four
primary European routes on the
pilgrims’ journey to the Shrine of St.
James at Santiago converged to a
difficult river crossing. Everyone from
princes and knights to peasants
crossed the river Arga here. Before this
bridge, a detour and a sort of medieval
pole vault across a narrower crossing
were required.