FirstCash Inc is screened out under 1 exclusion reason spanning 1 issue category.
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. It is a statement of values.
FirstCash, a national pawnshop chain, was sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in November 2021 for making pawn loans to active-duty servicemembers and their dependents that violated the Military Lending Act (MLA). The CFPB alleged the loan agreements illegally required arbitration in case of a dispute. This enforcement action followed a 2014 case against Cash America, which FirstCash acquired, where that company agreed to refund customers more than $14 million and pay a $5 million fine for similar misconduct against military families.
In July 2025, FirstCash reached a settlement with the CFPB to resolve the litigation. The company agreed to offer a new, compliant pawn lending product for covered military members and their families. The case demonstrates a pattern of regulatory violations concerning a core product—pawn loans—extended to a protected class of consumers, following a prior acquisition that brought with it a history of similar penalties.
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
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