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Pawn shop owners see strong business across the country, even in unexpected locales like Beverly Hills, the mecca of luxury living and shopping.

“Banks aren’t lending so people are coming here for short-term loans against collateral like diamonds, watches and other jewelry,” said Jordan Tabach-Bank, CEO of Beverly Loan Co, self-described “pawnbroker to the stars.”

“I do see my share of actors, writers, producers and directors,” he said, but also cited more visits from white-collar professionals and especially business owners struggling to meet payroll obligations.

“We still do the five-, six-figure loans to Beverly Hills socialites who want to get plastic surgery, but never have we seen so many people in desperate need of funds to finance business enterprises,” he added.

In the 70 years of the family business, Beverly Loan, which usually charges 4 percent monthly interest on loans, has never loaned so much as it has in the past few months, he said.

“We’re a lot easier to deal with than a bank,” he said from his office on the third floor of a Bank of America building near Rodeo Drive. An armed security guard watches over the reception, where case after case is filled with precious gems.

It’s less glamorous at Mo Money Pawn, located in the grimy area of central Phoenix, where struggling building contractor Robert Lane waited for the shop to open its doors so he could pawn a table saw he bought for $900.

“It’s to get ahead and pay off some of the bills,” he says standing outside the store, where he hoped to get $300 for a cherished workshop tool he now rarely uses as work dries up.

MORTGAGE BROKERS AT PAWNBROKERS

There are as many as 15,000 pawnbrokers across the United States. As the U.S. recession deepens, pawnbrokers — long seen as a lender of last resort — are noting a rise in business.

No national body keeps statistics for the sector, but proprietors across the spectrum say they are thriving as home foreclosures spiral and bank credit remains scarce.

“Business is good,” Mo Money owner Eric Baker said. The store, which makes loans on anything from a motor home to guns to lawnmowers and jewelry, says turnover is up by around 20 percent over a year ago on a broader range of clients.

“You are seeing some bigger stuff, you’re seeing some people you probably wouldn’t have seen,” he said.