Principles of consolidation - The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of FirstCash Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company regularly makes acquisitions and the results of the acquired operations have been consolidated since the acquisition dates. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Cash and cash equivalents - The Company considers any highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of acquisition to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2021, the amount of cash associated with indefinitely reinvested foreign earnings was $57.5 million, which is primarily held in Mexican pesos.

Pawn loans and revenue recognition - Pawn loans are secured by the customer’s pledge of tangible personal property, which the Company holds during the term of the loan. If a pawn loan defaults, the Company relies on the sale of the pawned property to recover the principal amount of an unpaid pawn loan, plus a yield on the investment, as the Company’s pawn loans are non-recourse against the customer. The Company accrues pawn loan fee revenue on a constant-yield basis over the life of the pawn loan for all pawns for which the Company deems collection to be probable based on historical pawn redemption statistics, which is included in accounts receivable, net in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. If the pawn loan is not repaid prior to the expiration of the pawn loan term, including any extension or grace period, if applicable, the principal amount loaned becomes the inventory carrying value of the forfeited collateral, which is typically recovered through sales of the forfeited items at prices well above the carrying value. The Company has determined no allowance related to credit losses on pawn loans is required as the fair value of the pledged collateral is significantly in excess of the pawn loan amount.

Pawn inventories and revenue recognition - Pawn inventories represent merchandise acquired from forfeited pawn loans and merchandise purchased directly from the general public. The Company also retails limited quantities of new or refurbished merchandise obtained directly from wholesalers and manufacturers. Pawn inventories from forfeited pawn loans are recorded at the amount of the pawn principal on the unredeemed goods, exclusive of accrued interest. Pawn inventories purchased directly from customers, wholesalers and manufacturers are recorded at cost. The cost of pawn inventories is determined on the specific identification method. Pawn inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value and, accordingly, valuation allowances are established if pawn inventory carrying values are in excess of estimated selling prices, net of direct costs of disposal. Management has evaluated pawn inventories and determined that a valuation allowance is not necessary.

The Company’s merchandise sales are primarily retail sales to the general public in its pawn stores. The Company records sales revenue at the time of the sale. The Company presents merchandise sales net of any sales or value-added taxes collected. Some jewelry inventory is melted and processed at third-party facilities and the precious metal and diamond content is sold at either prevailing market commodity prices or a previously agreed upon price with a commodity buyer. The Company records revenue from these wholesale scrap jewelry transactions when a price has been agreed upon and the Company ships the commodity to the buyer.

Layaway plan and deferred revenue - The Company does not currently provide direct financing to customers for the purchase of merchandise in its pawn stores, but does permit its customers to purchase pawn merchandise on an interest-free “layaway” plan. Should the customer fail to make a required payment pursuant to a layaway plan, the item is returned to pawn inventory and all or a portion of previous payments are typically forfeited to the Company. Deposits and interim payments from customers on layaway sales are recorded as deferred revenue and subsequently recorded as retail merchandise sales revenue when the merchandise is delivered to the customer upon receipt of final payment or when previous payments are forfeited to the Company. Layaway payments from customers are included in customer deposits and prepayments in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Leased merchandise and revenue recognition - The Company provides merchandise, consisting primarily of furniture and mattresses, appliances, jewelry, electronics and automotive products, to customers of its merchant partners for lease under certain terms agreed to by the customer. The customer has the right to acquire the title either through an early buyout option or through payment of all required lease payments. The Company maintains ownership of the leased merchandise until all payment obligations are satisfied under the lease agreement. The customer has the right to cancel the lease at any time by returning the merchandise and making all scheduled payments due through the minimum lease holding period, which is typically 60 days. Leased merchandise contracts can typically be renewed for between six to 24 months. Leased merchandise is stated at depreciated cost. The Company depreciates leased merchandise over the life of the lease, and assumes no salvage value. Depreciation is accelerated upon an early buyout. All of the Company’s leased merchandise represents on-lease merchandise and all leases are operating leases.

Lease income is recognized over the lease term and is recorded net of any sales taxes collected. Charges for late fees and insufficient fund fees are recognized as income when collected. Initial direct costs related to the Companyʼs lease agreements are added to the basis of the leased property and recognized over the lease term in proportion to the recognition of lease income. The Company typically charges the customer a non-refundable processing fee at lease inception and may also receive a discount from or pay a premium to certain merchant partners for leases originated at their locations, which are deferred and amortized using the straight-line method as adjustments to lease income over the contractual life of the related leased merchandise. Unamortized fees, discounts and premiums are recognized in full upon early buyout or charge-off.

The Company accrues for lease income earned but not yet collected as accrued rent receivable, which is included in accounts receivable, net in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Alternatively, lease payments received in excess of the amount earned are recognized as deferred revenue, which is included in customer deposits and prepayments in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Customer payments are first applied to applicable sales tax and scheduled lease payments, then applied to any uncollected fees, such as late fees and insufficient fund fees. The Company collects sales taxes on behalf of the customer and remits all applicable sales taxes collected to the respective jurisdiction.

Provision for lease losses - The Company records a provision for lease losses on an allowance method, which estimates the leased merchandise losses incurred but not yet identified by management as of the end of the accounting period. The allowance for lease losses is based primarily upon historical loss experience with consideration given to recent and forecasted business trends including, but not limited to, loss trends, delinquency levels, economic conditions, underwriting and collection practices.

Finance receivables and revenue recognition - The Company purchases and services retail finance receivables, the term of which typically ranges from six to 24 months, directly from its merchant partners or from its bank partner. The Company has a partnership with a Utah state-chartered bank that requires the Company to purchase the rights to the cash flows associated with finance receivables marketed to retail consumers on the bank’s behalf. The bank establishes the underwriting criteria for the finance receivables originated by the bank.

Interest income is recognized using the interest method over the life of the finance receivable for all loans for which the Company deems collection to be probable based on historical loan redemption statistics and stops accruing interest upon charge-off. Accrued interest, net of an allowance for uncollectible interest income is included in accounts receivable, net in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $12.4 million and $0.0 million, respectively. Charges for late fees and insufficient fund fees are recognized as income when collected. The Company receives an origination fee on newly purchased bank loans and may receive a discount from or pay a premium to certain merchant partners for finance receivables purchased from them, which are deferred and amortized using the interest method as adjustments to yield over the contractual life of the related finance receivable. Unamortized origination fees, discounts and premiums are recognized in full upon early payoff or charge-off.

The Company offers customers an early payoff discount on most of its finance receivables whereby the customer has between 90 and 105 days to pay the full principal balance without incurring any interest charge. If the borrower does not pay the full principal balance prior to the expiration of the early payoff discount period, interest charges are applied retroactively to the inception date of the loan. The Company accrues interest income during the early payoff discount period but records a reserve for loans expected to pay the full principal balance prior to the expiration of the early payoff discount period based on historical payment patterns.

Provision for loan losses - Expected lifetime losses on finance receivables are recognized upon loan purchase, which requires the Company to make its best estimate of probable lifetime losses at the time of purchase. The Company segments its finance receivable portfolio into pools of receivables with similar risk characteristics which include loan product and monthly origination vintage and evaluates each pool for impairment.

The Company calculates the allowance for loan losses based on historical loss information and incorporates observable and forecasted economic conditions over a reasonable and supportable forecast period covering the full contractual life of finance receivables. Incorporating observable and forecasted economic conditions could have a material impact on the measurement of the allowance to the extent that forecasted economic conditions change significantly. The Company may also consider other qualitative factors to address recent and forecasted business trends in estimating the allowance, as necessary, including, but not limited to, loss trends, delinquency levels, economic conditions, underwriting and collection practices. The allowance for loan losses is maintained at a level considered appropriate to cover expected lifetime losses on the finance receivable portfolio, and the appropriateness of the allowance is evaluated at each period end.

Foreign currency transactions - The Company has pawn operations in Latin America where in Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia the functional currency is the Mexican peso, Guatemalan quetzal and Colombian peso. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate in effect at each balance sheet date, and the resulting adjustments are accumulated in other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rates occurring during the respective period. Prior to translation, U.S. dollar-denominated transactions of the foreign subsidiaries are remeasured into their functional currency using current rates of exchange for monetary assets and liabilities and historical rates of exchange for non-monetary assets and liabilities. Gains and losses from remeasurement of dollar-denominated monetary assets and liabilities in Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia are included in (gain) loss on foreign exchange in the consolidated statements of income. Deferred taxes are not currently recorded on cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments, as the Company indefinitely reinvests earnings of its foreign subsidiaries. The Company also has pawn operations in El Salvador where the reporting and functional currency is the U.S. dollar.

The average value of the Mexican peso to the U.S. dollar exchange rate for 2021 was 20.3 to 1 compared to 21.5 to 1 in 2020 and 19.3 to 1 in 2019. The average value of the Guatemalan quetzal to the U.S. dollar exchange rate for 2021, 2020 and 2019 was 7.7 to 1. The average value of the Colombian peso to the U.S. dollar exchange rate for 2021 was 3,742 to 1 compared to 3,693 to 1 in 2020 and 3,280 to 1 in 2019.

Operating expenses - Costs incurred in operating the Company’s pawn stores have been classified as operating expenses, which include salary and benefit expense of pawn store-level employees, occupancy costs, bank charges, security, insurance, utilities, supplies and other costs incurred by the pawn stores. Additionally, costs incurred in operating AFF have been classified as operating expenses, which include salary and benefit expense of certain operations focused departments, merchant partner incentives, bank and other payment processing charges, credit reporting costs, information technology costs, advertising costs and other operational costs incurred.

Property and equipment - Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is recorded on the straight-line method generally based on estimated useful lives of 30 to 40 years for buildings and three to five years for furniture, fixtures and equipment. The costs of improvements on leased pawn stores are capitalized as leasehold improvements and are depreciated using the straight-line method over the applicable lease period, or useful life, if shorter. Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred and renewals and betterments are charged to the appropriate property and equipment accounts. Upon sale or retirement of depreciable assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation is removed from the accounts, and the resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations in the period the assets are sold or retired.

Business combinations - Business combination accounting requires the Company to determine the fair value of all assets acquired, including identifiable intangible assets, liabilities assumed and contingent consideration issued in a business combination. The total consideration of the acquisition is allocated to the assets and liabilities in amounts equal to the estimated fair value of each asset and liability as of the acquisition date, and any remaining acquisition consideration is classified as goodwill. This allocation process requires extensive use of estimates and assumptions. When appropriate, the Company utilizes independent valuation experts to advise and assist in determining the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with a business acquisition, in determining appropriate amortization methods and periods for identified intangible assets and in determining the fair value of contingent consideration, which is reviewed at each subsequent reporting period with changes in the fair value of the contingent consideration recognized in the consolidated statements of income. See Note 3.

Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets - Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired in each business combination. The Company performs its goodwill impairment assessment annually as of December 31, and between annual assessments if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The Company’s reporting units, which are tested for impairment, are U.S. pawn, Latin America pawn and retail POS payment solutions. The Company assesses goodwill for impairment at a reporting unit level by first assessing a range of qualitative factors, including, but not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry conditions, the competitive environment, changes in the market for the Company’s products and services, regulatory and political developments, entity specific factors, such as strategy and changes in key personnel, and overall financial performance. If, after completing this assessment, it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the Company proceeds to the impairment testing methodology. See Note 14.

The Company’s other material indefinite-lived intangible assets consist of certain trade names and pawn licenses. The Company performs its indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment assessment annually as of December 31, and between annual assessments if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset below its carrying amount. See Note 14.

Merger and acquisition expenses - The Company incurs incremental costs directly associated with merger and acquisition activity, including, but not limited to, professional fees, legal expenses, severance, retention and other employee-related costs, contract breakage costs and costs related to consolidation of technology systems and corporate facilities. The Company presents merger and acquisition expenses separately in the consolidated statements of income to identify these incremental activities apart from the expenses incurred to operate the business.

Long-lived assets - Property and equipment, intangible assets subject to amortization and non-current assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the net book value of the asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized if the sum of the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and before interest) from the use of the asset is less than the net book value of the asset. Generally, the amount of the impairment loss is measured as the difference between the net book value of the asset and the estimated fair value of the related asset.

Fair value of financial instruments - The fair value of financial instruments is determined by reference to various market data and other valuation techniques, as appropriate. Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment, and may affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. All fair value measurements related to acquisitions are level 3, non-recurring measurements, based on unobservable inputs. Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair values of financial instruments approximate their recorded values, due primarily to their short-term nature. See Note 6.

Share-based compensation - All share-based payments to employees and directors are recognized in the financial statements based on the grant date or if applicable, the subsequent modification date fair value. The Company recognizes compensation cost net of estimated forfeitures and recognizes the compensation cost for only those awards expected to vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which is generally the vesting term. The Company records share-based compensation cost as an administrative expense. See Note 15.

Forward sales commitments - The Company periodically uses forward sale agreements with a major gold bullion bank to sell a portion of the expected amount of scrap gold, which is typically jewelry that is broken or of low retail value, produced in the normal course of business from its liquidation of such merchandise. These commitments qualify for an exemption from derivative accounting as normal sales, based on historical terms, conditions and quantities, and are therefore not recorded on the Company's balance sheet.

Earnings per share - Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by giving effect to the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common shares were exercised and converted into common shares during the year.


	Year Ended December 31,
	2021		2020		2019
Numerator:
Net income	$	124,909	$	106,579	$	164,618

Denominator:
Weighted-average common shares for calculating basic earnings per share	40,975		41,502		43,020
Effect of dilutive securities:
Stock options and restricted stock unit awards	49		98		188
Weighted-average common shares for calculating diluted earnings per share	41,024		41,600		43,208

Earnings per share:
Basic	$	3.05	$	2.57	$	3.83
Diluted	3.04		2.56		3.81

Use of estimates - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and related revenue and expenses, and the disclosure of gain and loss contingencies at the date of the financial statements. Such estimates and assumptions are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s estimates. Significant estimates include the accrual for earned but uncollected pawn fees, allowances for lease and loan losses and related lease and loan loss provisions, valuation of acquired assets, assumed liabilities and contingent consideration of the AFF Acquisition, evaluation of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment and current and deferred tax assets and liabilities.

Recent accounting pronouncements - In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes” (“ASU 2019-12”). ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. ASU 2019-12 is effective for public entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of ASU 2019-12 did not have a material effect on the Company’s current financial position, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting” (“ASU 2020-04”). ASU 2020-04 provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the GAAP guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. ASU 2020-04 is effective beginning on March 12, 2020, and the Company may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company does not expect ASU 2020-04 to have a material effect on the Company’s current financial position, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.

In August 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No 2021-06, “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205), Financial Services—Depository and Lending (Topic 942), and Financial Services—Investment Companies (Topic 946): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Final Rule Releases No. 33-10786, Amendments to Financial Disclosures About Acquired and Disposed Businesses, and No.33-10835, Update of Statistical Disclosures for Bank and Savings and Loan Registrants” (“ASU 2021-06”). ASU 2021-06 amends certain SEC disclosure guidance that is included in the accounting standards codification to reflect the SEC’s recent issuance of rules intended to modernize and streamline disclosure requirements. The Company adopted ASU 2021-06 upon issuance, which did not have a material effect on the Company’s current financial position, results of operations or financial statement disclosures.