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Who is Synchrony Bank? — How to Beat Them in Court

George Simons | December 06, 2023

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Known for using sketchy debt collection tactics and suing consumers for debt, Synchrony Bank is the leading provider of private-label credit cards in the US. If you are involved in a Synchrony Bank lawsuit, use SoloSuit to respond in just 15 minutes and increase your chances of winning.

Did you receive a lawsuit via certified mail from Synchrony Bank? If you did, it is time to act, not shy away from the suit. The stakes are too high for your credit score and financial future to ignore the lawsuit, hoping it will disappear. Unfortunately, lawsuits do not go away without action.

If you do not respond to a certified letter from Synchrony Bank, they will obtain a default judgment against you. This judgment means that the court will give Synchrony Bank permission to garnish your wages or access your bank accounts.

The good news is that you can respond to the lawsuit, and you have a strong chance of winning if you prepare for court using the proper documents.

This article will discuss Synchrony Bank and the tactics they use to get you to pay your credit card debt, and how you can fight back against a lawsuit they may have filed. If you have questions about how to effectively respond to a Synchrony Bank lawsuit once you finish reading, contact us at SoloSuit. We are here to help people face debt collectors.

Respond to a debt collection lawsuit in minutes with SoloSuit.

Who is Synchrony Bank?

Synchrony Bank provides credit card services for retail stores and online shopping sites. For example, when you apply for a store credit card from Old Navy, DICK'S Sporting Goods, or Guitar Center, you will get a Synchrony Bank credit card with those trade names on the card. The largest online retailer, Amazon, also offers Synchrony Bank credit cards.

So, where did Synchrony Bank come from? Their history is rooted in General Electric (GE). In early 2000, GE reached into the capital, lending, and credit card world with a series of financial companies called GE Capital Retail Bank. However, by 2014, GE Capital Retail had to settle claims for millions of dollars involving illegal credit card practices, including claims filed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the U.S. Justice Department.

Since GE Capital Retail Bank's name was tainted by its unscrupulous activities, it re-branded by changing its name to Synchrony Bank.

Currently, Synchrony Bank is a subsidiary of a publicly-traded company named Synchrony Financial. It is now one of the largest providers of private-label credit cards in the United States. As mentioned earlier, Synchrony Bank works with retailers to support their credit card programs.

Below is an exhaustive list of the credit cards issued by Synchrony Bank as of 2022:

  • ABT Credit Card
  • Adairs Credit Card
  • Adorama Credit Card
  • AEO Inc. Credit Card Account
  • AEO Inc. Visa Card
  • Amazon.com Store Card
  • Amazon Secured Card and Amazon Prime Secured Card
  • American Car Care Centers Credit Card
  • American Signature Credit Card
  • Americas Tires Credit Card
  • AMI Credit Card Account
  • Appliance Factory Outlet Credit Card
  • ASE Synchrony Car Care Credit Card
  • Ashley Credit Card
  • At Home Insider Perks Credit Card
  • At Home Insider Perks MasterCard
  • Bailey Banks Biddle Credit Card
  • Bargain Outlet Credit Card
  • Belk Rewards Card
  • Belk Rewards MasterCard
  • BERNINA Credit Card
  • B&H Payboo Credit Card
  • Big Sandy Superstore Credit Card
  • Bjorns Credit Card
  • Blains Credit Card
  • Blish Mize Credit Card
  • BP Credit Card
  • BP Visa Credit Card
  • BP Visa Signature Card
  • Brakes Plus Credit Card
  • BransMart USA Credit Card
  • Briggs and Straton Credit Card
  • Bryant Credit Card
  • Cabinets to Go Credit Card
  • CareCredit Credit Card
  • CareCredit Mastercard
  • Carpet Barn Credit Card
  • Carpeteeria Credit Card
  • Carpet Mill Outlet Credit Card
  • Carpet One Credit Card
  • Carstar Credit Card
  • Carvin Guitars Credit Card
  • Cathay Pacific Visa Card Account
  • Cathay Pacific Visa Signature Account
  • CITGO Rewards Card Account
  • Conns Credit Card
  • Continental Tire Credit Card
  • Cooper Mastercraft Credit Card
  • Country Home Products Credit Card
  • Crate and Barrel CB2 Credit Card
  • Crate and Barrel CB2 Mastercard
  • Crutchfield Credit Card
  • Diamonds on Web Credit Card
  • Discount Tire Credit Card
  • Drexel Credit Card
  • Dr. Power Credit Card
  • eBay Mastercard
  • EC Barton Credit Card
  • Ethan Allen Credit Card
  • EX Eng Credit Card
  • Express Oil Credit Card
  • Family Farm and Home Credit Card
  • Fanatics Credit Card
  • Ferguson Credit Card
  • Find Truck Services Credit Card
  • Fleet Rewards Credit Card
  • Fleet Rewards Visa Card
  • Flooring America Credit Card
  • Four Mine Credit Card
  • Fred Meyer Littman Credit Card
  • Furniture Row Credit Card
  • Furniture World IN Credit Card
  • Furniture World PA Credit Card
  • Gap Inc. Credit Card
  • Gap Inc. Visa Card
  • GECAF Credit Card
  • Generac Credit Card
  • Goedekers Credit Card
  • Google Store Credit Card
  • Grand Credit Card
  • Guitar Center Account
  • Hannoush Jewelers Credit Card
  • Harbor Freight Tools Account
  • Havertys Credit Card
  • Haynes Credit Card
  • Horizon Services Credit Card
  • House Hasson Credit Card
  • HSN Card Account
  • Hudsons Credit Card
  • Husqvarna Credit Card
  • International Diamonds Center Credit Card
  • Invicta Stores Center Credit Card
  • Jabaras Credit Card
  • JCPenney Credit Card
  • JCPenney Mastercard
  • Jiffy Lube Credit Card
  • Johnny Janosik Credit Card
  • JTV Credit Card
  • Kauffman Tire Credit Card
  • La-Z-Boy Credit Card
  • Lenovo Credit Card
  • Lenox Credit Card
  • LensCrafters Credit Card
  • L Fish Credit Card
  • Lowe’s Advantage Credit Card
  • Lumber Liquidators Credit Card
  • Luxury Virgin Islands Credit Card
  • Maaco Credit Card
  • Mathis Credit Card
  • Mattress Discounters Credit Card
  • Mattress Firm Credit Card
  • Mavis Tired Credit Card
  • McCoys Credit Card
  • Meineke Credit Card
  • Merlins Credit Card
  • Metro Mattress Credit Card
  • Midas Credit Card
  • Mitsubishi Credit Card
  • Mobile Productivity Credit Card
  • Mohawk Credit Card
  • Moran Industries Credit Card
  • Morris Credit Card
  • My Home Renovations Credit Card
  • MyWalgreens Credit Card
  • MyWalgreens Mastercard
  • Namm Account
  • Nautilus Credit Card
  • NCI Brakes Credit Card
  • Newegg Credit Card
  • Nissan Visa Card
  • Nissa Visa Signature Card
  • Olejo Credit Card
  • Onecall Credit Card
  • OneTravel or CheapOAir Credit Card
  • OneTravel or CheapOAir Visa Card
  • One Travel or CheapOAir Visa Signature
  • P66-Conoco-76-P66 Aviation Credit Card
  • Payne Credit Card
  • PayPal Cashback Mastercard
  • PayPal Credit Account
  • PayPal Extras MasterCard
  • PC Richard & Son Credit Card
  • Pearl Credit Card
  • Pep Boys Credit Card
  • Phillips 66 Commercial Credit Card
  • Pieratts Credit Card
  • Pierce Floording Credit Card
  • Preferred Jewelers Credit Card
  • QVC Credit Card
  • Rakuten Visa Platinum Credit Card
  • Rakuten Visa Signature Credit Card
  • Reeds Jewelers Credit Card
  • Regency Credit Card
  • Rooms to Go Credit Card
  • Sam Ash Account
  • Sam Kinnarids Credit Card
  • Sam’s Club Credit Card
  • Sam’s Club Mastercard
  • ScoreRewards Credit Card
  • ScoreRewards Mastercard
  • SEE Eyeware Credit Card
  • Service Experts Credit Card
  • Sewing Machines Credit Card
  • SGI Credit Card
  • Shaw Floors Credit Card
  • Sheelys Credit Card
  • ShopHQ Credit Card
  • Sleep County Credit Card
  • Sleep Experts Credit Card
  • Sleep Number Credit Card
  • Sony Store Credit Card
  • Specialized Bicycles Credit Card
  • Sport Retail Credit Card
  • Star Lumber Credit Card
  • Store 5a Credit Card
  • Summit Racing Credit Card
  • Sunglass Hut Credit Card
  • Sutherlands Account
  • Sweetwater Sound Account
  • Synchrony Care Care Credit Card
  • Synchrony Home Credit Card
  • Synchrony Plus World Mastercard
  • Synchrony Preferred Mastercard
  • Synchrony Premier World Mastercard
  • System Payers Credit Card
  • Tappers Credit Card
  • Techron Advantage Credit Card
  • Techron Advantage Visa Credit Card
  • The Container Store Account
  • The Number Credit Card
  • Thomasville Credit Card
  • Tire Discounters Credit Card
  • Tires Pros Credit Card
  • Tirerama Credit Card
  • Tivol Credit Card
  • TJX Rewards Credit Card
  • TJX Rewards Platinum Mastercard
  • Town Fair Tires Credit Card
  • Truckers Preferred Synchrony Car Care Credit Card
  • United Hardware Home Hardware Account
  • Value City Credit Card
  • Varsity Dealers Credit Card
  • Venmo Visa Credit Card
  • Venmo Visa Signature Card
  • Verizon Visa Account
  • Verizon Visa Signature Account
  • Vintage King Credit Card
  • Virginia Furniture Credit Card
  • Westrich Credit Card
  • Westrick Credit Card
  • WG&R Furniture Credit Card
  • Worlds of Floors Credit Card
  • Yamaha Music Credit Card
  • York Credit Card
  • Zuliliy Credit Card

When you receive an email, voicemail, or call from Synchrony Bank, ask for more information about the debt in question. It could be a genuine debt from these companies. Choosing to ignore their attempts to collect can, and does, result in Synchrony filing a lawsuit.

Access your Synchrony card agreements to get more details on your specific contract with Synchrony Financial.

Let's discuss this further.

Synchrony Bank has bad reviews and receives many complaints

If you feel like you’ve been harassed or treated unfairly by Synchrony, you’re not alone.

As of 2022, Synchrony Financial has received more than 7,000 complaints on its Better Business Bureau profile in the most recent three-year period. Even worse, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has reported nearly 16,500 complaints against Synchrony in the last ten years.

Complaints raised against Synchrony Bank debt collection range from unfair late fees charges, contacting consumers for a debt they already cleared, refusing to remove a false debt from the credit report, and speaking to unprofessional agents. Overall, Synchrony Bank is known for using sketchy debt collection tactics, increasing fees and interest, and being difficult to reach and work with.

Let’s take a look at a real complaint against Synchrony from the CFPB complaint database (edited for clarity):

“I recently found out that Synchrony Bank filed a lawsuit against me in Virginia where I do not live. I was not served to appear in court and I knew nothing about the court dates. I do not live in Virginia. In addition, the debt they are trying to collect is outside of the statute of limitations in North Carolina where I live which is 3 years. I have disputed the information but they ignore my demands for proper handling of my account.”

As you can see from the example above, Synchrony Bank sues for credit card debt relentlessly. If you find yourself in the middle of a lawsuit against Synchrony, you can fight back and win. Here’s how.

Does Synchrony Bank sue for credit card debt?

Yes, Synchrony Bank sues for credit card debt. If you’ve opened a line of credit and defaulted on your payments with any of the businesses listed above, there is a good chance that Synchrony Bank collections will start contacting you. If no payment is made to collections, you’ll probably be taken to court.

If Synchrony is suing you, the first step is to respond to the lawsuit with an Answer. This response lets Synchrony Bank know that you are willing to proceed with the legal process, but they have to prove you owe the debt.

You could be aware that you have not paid your Old Navy card invoices. So, you might conclude that "they have me dead to rights," and thus, the only thing you can do is ignore the paperwork because you don't have money for a lawyer. That feeling is completely understandable but a bad idea.

Ignoring Synchrony Bank's attempts to collect its debt is not the best move. You may be surprised to discover that many people who respond correctly to a credit card debt lawsuit get the debt removed because the credit card company could not prove its case.

That is why you are better off responding to a lawsuit. Sending an Answer does not mean you are committing to paying the debt. You are only expressing your interest in seeing the information Synchrony Bank has to prove that you owe the debt. Filing an Answer is the first step in defending yourself, and SoloSuit makes it easy.

SoloSuit makes it simple to respond the right way.

How do I respond to a Synchrony Bank lawsuit?

Consumers sued for credit card debt often represent themselves in court because hiring an attorney can be cost-prohibitive. You do not need a lawyer to handle your case with SoloSuit's legal documents available. The crucial thing is to understand the requirements and the deadline for your response. Typically, you have about 14–30 days (depending on the state) to file your Answer.

When you file an Answer, you can admit or deny all the allegations in the lawsuit, and you can assert your affirmative defenses. Thus, the three things you need to worry about when filing an Answer are:

  1. Address every allegation: The Complain document by admitting or denying allegations as outlined in the Synchrony bank lawsuit.
  2. Assert affirmative defenses: Make sure you assert whatever defenses you have to the lawsuit. Such defenses include: the credit card was not in your name, you have already paid the debt, the company already forgave the debt, or the company is too late in suing you (i.e., the lawsuit was filed after the statute of limitations).
  3. File the Answer with the court on time: Ensure that you mail the Answer to the appropriate court within the time allotted.

Those three steps might seem daunting because you may not have heard the term "affirmative defense" or "statute of limitations" before, but that is where you can easily get the help of SoloSuit. Check out this video to learn more about these three steps:

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit. SoloSuit is a step-by-step web app that will ask you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer to a lawsuit. Afterward, you can print the completed forms and mail the hard copies to the courts. You can also pay SoloSuit a small fee to have an attorney review the document and file it with the courts.

Check out this video for even more helpful tips that will help you win a debt collection lawsuit against Synchrony Bank:

What collection agency does Synchrony Bank use?

Synchrony Bank has its own debt collection department, commonly referred to as Synchrony Financial's in-house collections and billing department. They do not hire collection agencies to follow up on their debt. You would expect fewer complaints since they collect their own debt, but Synchrony Bank collections have numerous complaints, as mentioned before.

If you have been a victim of bad business practices from Synchrony Bank collections, report them to FTC, CFPB, and your state's attorney general's offices.

Do Synchrony Bank credit agreements have an arbitration clause? 

Yes, most credit card issuers have a mandatory arbitration clause that allows consumers, like you, to force a debt lawsuit out of court and into arbitration. This credit card agreement is stipulated in each Synchrony Bank contract, which you can access on the CFPB website’s Synchrony credit card agreement database.

Credit card companies permit consumers to take disputes into a private panel, also known as arbitration, instead of proceeding to court. The reason given for this decision is to avoid lengthy court processes, but consumer advocates believe it is designed to protect credit card companies from wrongdoing.

A CFPB study on arbitration confirmed this position. They found that consumers lose more than they win in these private hearings. The process also lacks an appeal provision, and the companies are not required to enforce any consumer protection laws.

So, if your Synchrony credit card agreement includes an arbitration clause, you should consider filing a Motion to Compel Arbitration into your Synchrony lawsuit. This will force Synchrony to resolve the dispute through arbitration. Keep in mind that the arbitration process is expensive, and creditors like Synchrony are usually responsible for all costs. Therefore, when you compel arbitration, there is a good chance that Synchrony would rather drop the case.

Make a Motion to Compel Arbitration in minutes with SoloSuit.

Watch this video to learn more about how to beat Synchrony Bank through arbitration:

Synchrony Bank class-action lawsuit

Synchrony Bank recently allowed class-action lawsuits by consumers to progress after accepting to take responsibility for long-standing complaints raised against them. Synchrony Bank's class-action lawsuit allows consumers to be paid what they are owed for the suffering and damages they incurred as their customers. Synchrony Bank's class-action lawsuit compensation method states that each consumer who sues will receive a reasonable percentage of the total money owed to Synchrony Bank.

Synchrony Bank came to this decision after the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) became involved when they received many complaints from consumers of mistreatment. Particularly, consumers were regularly receiving annoying robocalls and talking to rude representatives. FTC sued Synchrony Bank collections to hold them accountable and ensure other customers are not mistreated.

Since its inception in 2014, many consumers have sued Synchrony Bank, and a majority have won these class-action lawsuits. An example of a Synchrony Bank class-action lawsuit 2020 was from Gap Inc and Banana Republic credit card holder, who claimed that his reward points were unlawfully deleted after replacing his card. The plaintiff said they were misled by the unfair and deceptive marketing of the card company, and they would not have signed up for the card if they knew Gap would wipe out his reward points.

Another Synchrony Bank class action lawsuit 2021 that got a victorious ruling was filed by California debtors whose complaint was that they were receiving frequent harassing calls from Synchrony Bank collections. The case ended on November 9, and Los Angeles Judge Rupert A. Byrdong ordered Synchrony Bank to pay $ 3.5 million.

The comforting news is that you can also sue Synchrony Bank in small claims courts, but ensure you have a strong case against them. The difference between small claims court and other civil courts is that there's a limit to the amount of money you can receive for damages. The maximum monetary compensation ranges from $2,500 to $20,000, depending on your state.

How can I remove Synchrony Bank from my credit report?

A debt entry by Synchrony Bank collections can harm your credit score for seven years if you do not plan to have it removed. Companies trust Synchrony Bank, and a negative report from them could reduce your chances of getting a new line of credit or personal loan. You can take action to have the debt removed from your credit report:

  • Send a Debt Validation Letter to Synchrony bank to have them verify the debt belongs to you. If they cannot verify the debt, they should remove it from your credit report.
  • If you still question the debt, investigate and dispute the debt with TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. They will consult with Synchrony Bank and remove the debt from your report or correct the inaccurate sections.
  • Request for a pay-for-delete agreement: Such an agreement means that Synchrony Bank commits to deleting the debt from your credit report once you pay the agreed amount.
  • Ask for goodwill deletion: Synchrony Bank has no legal obligation to delete the debt after you pay; they are only required to change the status from unpaid to paid. Having a paid status is better, but it still reduces your credibility. Politely ask them to remove the entire entry from your credit report.

Don't let Synchrony Bank take advantage of you

Synchrony Bank may file a lawsuit hoping that you will fail to respond. That way, they do not have to prove their case. Yet, whenever they are asked to prove their case, they often do not have the documentation to back up their allegations. That is why you should let SoloSuit help you respond to the Synchrony Bank lawsuit today. You have a way to fight back – and you can easily do it with the help of SoloSuit.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James


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