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Synchrony Financial
Annual Report 2021

SYF · NYSE Financial Services
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Ticker SYF
Exchange NYSE
Sector Financial Services
Industry Financial - Credit Services
Employees 10,000+
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FY2021 Annual Report · Synchrony Financial
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A look  
inside the  
future of 
commerce

2021 ANNUAL REPORT

LET TER FROM
BR I AN DOUBLES

President and  
Chief Executive Officer

DE AR SYNCHRONY STAK EHOLDERS, 

We created new digital products and capabilities.

In 2021, Synchrony delivered record purchase 
volume and record net earnings.

We managed the company through the ongoing 
pandemic while building for the future.

We launched new partner programs and 
extended existing ones.

BRIAN DOUBLES
President and  
Chief Executive Officer

And we built out our product suite and distribution 
channels through strategic partnerships and  
investments.

We did all this so Synchrony’s products and  
capabilities could reach and serve more consumers. 
Consumers who increasingly want simplicity and  
choice in how they purchase and pay for the things  
that matter to them. Synchrony is delivering.

Synchrony also continued our investments and  
commitments to our culture and people through 
progressive, industry-leading compensation  
and benefits, maximum work-life flexibility, Agile  
methodologies and substantive action around  
equity, diversity and inclusion. 

01 / 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

SYNCHRONY ’S   
2021 PERFORMANCE

In 2021, we executed on our strategy and delivered 
strong financial results.

We delivered nearly 25 million new account  
originations, record purchase volume of $166 billion, 
a 19% increase in spend per active account and  
record net earnings of $4.2 billion.

In addition, we operated with a very strong balance 
sheet; our liquid assets as a percentage of total assets 
were 13.6%, and our CET1 capital ratio was 15.6%.  
From 2020 to 2021, our reserve coverage dropped  
from 12.5% to 10.8%, and our net charge-off rate went 
from 4.6% to 2.9%. 

Our bank continues to be an important funding 
mechanism with total deposits of $62.3 billion,  
accounting for 81% of Synchrony’s funding. 

Synchrony’s record financial results for 2021 are  
attributed to our deep partnership model, superb  
underwriting capabilities, improved consumer spending 
and strong credit performance. Our focus on driving 
sustainable growth at appropriate risk-adjusted returns, 
coupled with the scalability of our technology platform 
and continued cost discipline, allowed us to achieve 
strong returns while continuing to invest for the future  
and returning $3.4 billion to shareholders.

These investments pay off in an engaged workforce  
that drive innovation and great service to our partners 
and customers. I am proud to say we were once again 
recognized on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work 
For®” list for 2022 by Great Place to Work,® one of the  
many accolades for our business, people and culture.

We accomplished all of this, guided by our 
long-term strategy to:

01. Win and grow large partner programs.

02. Diversify and expand with new products

and markets.

03. Deliver best-in-class customer experiences.

04. Operate with a strong financial profile to deliver

attractive total shareholder returns.

This strategy is the right one for  
Synchrony because it enables us to do  
what we do best: building the relationships, 
developing the solutions and advancing 
the technologies that are creating the  
future of commerce.

I want to thank Synchrony’s 18,000-plus employees,  
as well as our Board of Directors, partners, customers 
and shareholders. Through the support of all our  
stakeholders, we were able to overcome challenges,  
take advantage of opportunities and deliver strong  
financial results in 2021, all while setting the company  
up for continued prosperity in the long term. 

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 02

ORGANIZING   
OUR COMPANY   
FOR CONT INUED 
GROW TH

Our 2021 financial results show a 
healthy, well-managed, diversified 
business that is expanding through 
the continuing pandemic. 

To achieve these results  
and build for the future, we 
positioned the company to 
more effectively go after 
the more than $5 trillion of 
consumer spend across the 
many industries we operate 
in today. 

Last year, we expanded our sales 
platforms from three to five—Digital, 
Health & Wellness, Home & Auto, 
Diversified & Value, and Lifestyle— 
to align to industry verticals and 
better serve our partners and their 
customers’ evolving expectations. 
Through these platforms, we can  
better scale our products and  
digital capabilities while deploying 
Synchrony’s deep industry and  
domain expertise and consumer 
financing know-how to meet our  
partners’ needs.

Across these platforms, we signed  
36 new partners and renewed 38  
existing ones, such as long-term  
partners American Eagle, Ashley 
HomeStore and the TJX Companies.  
We continued to grow our digital  
platform, which grew 25% year to  
year in purchase volume and 6%  
year to year in receivables across  
digital partners such as Amazon,  
PayPal (including Venmo) and Verizon.  
Reflecting our deep partner relationship 
and commitment to Agile innovation, 
we also expanded our work with 
PayPal beyond financing through the 
PayPal Savings program, which went 
live for consumers in early 2022.  
This savings program provides  
consumers access to a competitive 
high-yield interest rate and encourages 
the development of healthy savings 
habits. Additionally, our collaboration 
on marketing innovations has driven 
strong value for both our cardholders 
and partners, including purchase  
volume growth in partner programs 
such as those we have with Sam’s 
Club and TJX, among others. 

Our expansion in the vast and rapidly 
growing health-and-wellness market 
continued in 2021. We partnered 
with Walgreens to launch the first-
of-its-kind myWalgreens credit card 
program, featuring two industry-first 
retail health-and-wellness credit 
cards that reward customers for their 
personalized well-being purchases  
at more than 9,000 locations and  

online. We acquired Allegro Credit,  
a consumer finance provider that  
is now part of our Health & Wellness 
platform, to further accelerate our 
leadership in audiology and dental 
financing. We’ve signed 20 health  
system partners since moving into  
the health systems space in 2019,  
with seven new ones in 2021. These 
partners are using Synchrony’s  
products to help patients pay for  
the care they need. 

We also continued to broaden our 
reach from “vet to pet,” including 
through Synchrony’s acquisition of 
Pets Best in 2019, which gave us an 
entry point into the fast-growing pet 
insurance market. In the three years 
since acquiring Pets Best, we have 
significantly grown the business,  
quadrupling the number of pets we 
cover to more than 500,000 today. 

Synchrony also excelled in our   
Home & Auto platform, which had  
$43 billion in purchase volume  
and $27 billion in receivables—up  
14% and 3% year to year, respectively.  
The increase demonstrates the  
effectiveness of our three-pillar  
Home & Auto growth strategy of 
integrating more deeply with current 
partners while growing the networks 
and exploring adjacent markets,  
like smart home and rideshare. 

03 / 2021 ANNUAL REP ORT

BROADEST R ANGE   
OF FINANCING   
OPT IONS POWERED BY 
SCAL ABLE TECH OFFERS 
CONSUMERS FLEX IBIL I T Y 
AND CHOICE

Synchrony has more than 200  
Agile build teams that provide  
the broadest portfolio of financing 
products across our partner  
portfolios, offering consumers  
the right financing option at the  
right time in the channel of  
their choosing.  

PAYMENT 
INTEGR ATIONS

Client  
Wallet 

Third-Party 
Wallet 

QR  
Code 

POS 

APIs

Revolving

Business

Installments 

Growth  
Adjacencies

PLCC

CO- 
BR AND

DUAL   
CARD

BUSINESS
REVOLV ING

INSTALLMENTS
& BNPL

PET   
INSUR ANCE

SECURED

NET WORK

SYNCHRONY 
MASTERCARD

COMMERCI AL
ACCOUNT

INSTALLMENTS
& LEASING

HEALTH   
SYSTEMS

SECURED

GIF TNOW

COMMON 
PL ATFORMS

Digital 
Acquisitions

Native 
Plug-In 

Digital 
Servicing

Rewards

Digital 
Marketing

BR INGING OUR   
CAPABIL I T IES TO MARKET 
FASTER; SCAL ING   
TO MORE CONSUMERS

To bring Synchrony’s products and capabilities  
to market faster and scale them more seamlessly,  
we combined our data, marketing and product teams  
into our new Growth Organization last year. We also 
merged our Technology and Operations teams to fuel 
digital innovation, drive operational excellence and  
efficiency, and improve customer service across our 
contact centers. 

These moves are supported by our  
long-term investments in our company. 

For example, since our 2014 IPO, Synchrony has  
invested nearly $5 billion in our digital and technology 
capabilities, in areas such as analytics, AI, cloud,  
customer experience and data. Today, we have more  
than 200 Agile build teams that provide the broadest 
portfolio of financing products, offering consumers the 
right financing option at the right time in the channel  
of their choosing. 

In 2021, we continued to expand this digitally 
 enabled product suite:

• We offer a wide range of “buy now, pay later” (BNPL)

options that provide more choice and flexibility
for the consumer while driving sales and growth
for partners:

- Our BNPL installment product, SetPay, enables

customers to take out a loan for the exact amount of
a one-time purchase, then pay it off over time through
equal monthly payments. Terms are three months
or longer with order values typically above $500—
and sometimes significantly higher.

- To broaden our SetPay offering, and in the spirit of

flexibility and choice, we introduced SetPay pay in 4,
Synchrony’s short-term BNPL product for smaller
purchases of $40–$500, which allows for four equal,
interest-free payments made over six weeks.

- Our revolving BNPL offering allows consumers a

way to make a new BNPL purchase in equal payments
without having to open an account by connecting
it with an existing revolving credit card account.
This gives consumers an easy way to make repeat
purchases and drives higher engagement and loyalty
for partners.

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 04

• Approximately 65%1 of our total payments and

55% of our total applications came through our digital
channels, as we continued to drive advancements
in our digital capabilities. These include:

- SyPI, our Synchrony plug-in that integrates with
our partners’ retail apps. It has been upgraded
with several new features, including digital wallet
provisioning and enhancements to push notifications
and e-bill. Collectively, the availability of these
features contributed to a 40% increase in unique
visitors in 2021 and 56% growth in the number
of payments we receive in SyPI.

- Our Prequalification preapproval engine,

which helped drive 5.6 million requests and more
than 1.3 million new customer accounts in 2021.

- Direct to Device applications for providing in-store

contactless engagement with customers.

- dApply, which reduces the number of fields required
for a customer to open an account, and QR Codes
that allow consumers to apply for credit as well
as pay, all by scanning a code on their own device.

14Q21 percentage of total payments

We’ve also made collaborating with startups and other 
innovative companies a priority. Our Synchrony Ventures 
team backs early-stage entrepreneurs who help us better 
serve our customers and complement our own innovations. 
We invest in startups that offer seamless experiences,  
user-centered design and a deep, intuitive understanding  
of the customers they aim to serve. For example, last  
year we acquired a minority stake in Skipify, which allows 
shoppers to purchase directly from blog posts, reviews, 
product links and emails, eliminating the multiple screens 
and clicks often associated with online shopping to  
provide a much better customer experience.

We’re also excited about the expansion of Synchrony  
products and capabilities through new distribution  
channels, particularly third-party digital platforms that 
reach large and small merchants, hospitals, healthcare 
providers and more. We signed partnerships with Clover 
and Epic Systems, expanding our reach to consumers. 
Merchants using Clover point-of-sale terminals can add 
Synchrony services to accept private-label card payments 
as well as new applications for credit through their Clover 
terminals and apps. Working with Epic Systems, we  
have made our CareCredit patient financing available  
in the Epic App Orchard. The app allows health systems  
and providers to offer patients flexible, convenient  
and easy payment options. 

DIGI TAL CONT INUES   
AS A CHANNEL OF CHOICE 
FOR CONSUMERS

Consumers continue to shift to the digital channel, 
and Synchrony’s innovative technology  
is serving their needs.

~65%

DIGITAL PAYMENTS* 
* *4Q21 Percentage of Total 
Payments

~55%

DIGITAL   
APPLICATIONS

~35%

~40%

MOBILE CHANNEL 
APPLICATIONS

ONLINE SALES† 
†Excluding Health & Wellness

05 / 2021 ANNUAL RE PORT

 
L I V ING OUR   
VALUES, ENHANCING 
OUR CULTURE

I am proud that we have evolved our company from  
a consumer lending business into a digitally powered  
financial ecosystem that is driving great experiences  
and choices for customers—and value and growth  
for our partners and Synchrony. I’m equally proud of our 
culture and company, especially of the team we have 
built to help execute our strategy. 

Synchrony is a great place to work because we have 
great people who believe in and live our values: 

We are honest, passionate, caring,  
responsible, bold and driven. These values 
underpin the innovations we create  
and the trust we build with our partners  
and customers. 

Our clients feel it, too, as evidenced by our deep and 
long-lasting business relationships. We have fostered a 
culture where employees are empowered to do their best 
work—taking smart risks, trying new things and iterating 
rapidly on the way to success. The kind of work that was 
front and center in 2021. 

Our people stay—and thrive—at Synchrony because  
they can do innovative work and because we have made 
work more flexible. We’ve adapted it to their lives. For 
example, we no longer wait for the annual cycle to roll out 
new benefits; instead, we move fast, testing and learning 
and adapting as we go. Since the start of the pandemic, 
we’ve introduced new wellness offerings and new  
learning, compensation, rewards and other programs. 
We launched flexibility for all, providing Synchrony  
employees the opportunity to work remotely full-time, 
coming in when business needs require, or in a hybrid 
fashion for those who want to come into the office  
a few days a week. 

We’ve also reinvented our approach to attracting new 
talent to Synchrony. Nearly all open jobs can be based 
anywhere we do business. This change, combined  
with our progressive approach to flexibility, has helped 
expand our applicant pools by more than 25% as  
compared with the pre-pandemic period.

Last year, we established a $20 per hour minimum  
wage in the U.S. for our contact center associates,  
and we paid them their highest bonus ever in recognition 
of our results and their outstanding service to our  
partners and customers in 2021.

Firm in our belief that every Synchrony  
employee deserves respect, support  
and the opportunity to achieve their full  
potential, we accelerated our actions 
around equity, diversity and inclusion. 
Our goal is to achieve measurable results 
across all areas of our business  
and communities with a focus in three  
areas: culture, growth and investment,  
and citizenship.

I am proud to say we are making progress in all  
three areas. For example, in 2021, Synchrony increased  
representation of Black and Hispanic employees  
at the vice president level and higher in the U.S.  
We also increased the number of diverse suppliers  
participating in requests for proposals by 300% year 
to year. We partnered with the Synchrony Foundation 
through our Education as an Equalizer program,  
investing $50 million in helping underrepresented  
groups acquire the skills they need to earn college  
degrees or certificates to advance their careers.  
We also joined OneTen, a coalition of leading and former 
CEOs and companies that will train, hire and advance  
1 million Black individuals into family-sustaining  
American jobs over the next decade. These are just  
a few of the examples of progress we are making  
(you can read more on pages 10 and 11). We also know  
we have continuing work to do and remain committed  
to keeping equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) as a  
strategic priority for our business.

We’ve proven that investing in our people and our  
communities creates engaged, innovative employees, 
and a faster, nimbler Synchrony. It is our belief that 
this formula allows us to better serve our partners and 
customers, and ultimately drive growth for our partners, 
shareholders and Synchrony, too. 

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 06

A LOOK TO
THE FUTURE:   
2022 AND BEYOND 

Proud of all we accomplished in 2021, I’m confident  
about the road ahead. We’ve created an enterprise  
that can succeed in good times and in challenging ones 
because it is built on a very strong foundation based  
on 90 years of experience. Our ability to quickly adapt  
has allowed us to transform our business to meet 
fast-changing partner and consumer needs. 

We’re well positioned to outperform over the long  
term as we continue to win new partners and renew  
existing ones; further diversify our programs,  
products and the markets we operate in; and provide 
consumers the broadest range of choice with the most 
comprehensive, integrated product set in the industry. 
Our team is flexible, agile and adaptable—anticipating 
new customer needs and driving innovations for  
seamless, digital-first experiences. We did it in 2021,  
and we will do it again in 2022 and beyond.

We believe, with our great team, we’ll deliver on our 
long-term strategy and continue to generate sustainable 
growth at attractive returns, unlocking even greater  
value for our stakeholders.

Our results to date show how we have 
strengthened our position as the trusted 
partner of choice as a leading financial  
service provider for retailers, merchants, 
providers and consumers alike. 

That is an enduring competitive advantage. 
That is Synchrony.

BRIAN DOUBLES
President and CEO

07 / 2021 ANNUAL REP ORT

ORGANIZING OUR   
COMPANY FOR CONT INUED 
GROW TH FOR SYNCHRONY 
AND OUR PARTNERS

In 2021, we positioned our company to more effectively go after  
the more than $5 trillion of consumer spend across the many industries 
we operate in today. Our five platforms enable Synchrony to better 
scale our products and digital capabilities while deploying Synchrony’s 
deep industry and domain expertise and consumer financing know-how 
to meet our partners’ needs.

DIGITAL

Enables our  
digital-first partners  
to deepen consumer 
engagement and 
extend digital  
relationships into 
in-person commerce.

HEALTH   
& WELLNESS

Provides  
comprehensive 
healthcare  
financing and  
payments solutions 
through a network  
of providers and  
partners for those 
seeking health- 
and-wellness care  
for themselves,  
their families and  
their pets.

HOME   
& AUTO

Works with partners  
to offer flexible 
financing options to 
customers, whether 
they want to realize 
their dreams or  
need value and utility  
to stay on the go.

DI VERSIFIED   
& VALUE

Helps large retail  
partners deliver 
everyday value to 
consumers shopping 
for daily needs  
or important life  
moments, in-store  
or online. 

LIFEST YLE
Partners with  
a diverse set of 
merchants to extend 
the passion for their 
brands and products 
to the customer,  
offering seamless  
financing while 
building a relationship 
grounded in special 
experiences across 
multiple generations. 

Sample partners across Synchrony’s five platforms

EQUI T Y, DI VERSI T Y 
AND INCLUSION:   
TAK ING A STAND THROUGH 
MEANINGFUL ACT ION

Synchrony has long stood for equity, diversity and inclusion. We have  
recommitted to further action and advancement to address challenges facing 
those who are underrepresented, marginalized or discriminated against.  
Our senior-level committee and leaders company-wide are focused on driving  
measurable results across all areas of our business and our communities: 

CULTURE:   
Increasing diverse employee talent at all levels  
of the workforce and strengthening a culture of inclusion 
and well-being for all

• Launched the Latinx Executive Alliance,

dedicated to advancing Latinx talent in corporate
America; launched an internal sponsorship program
for high-potential Latinx talent.

• Joined the OneTen coalition and committed to hire

or advance Black individuals with high school diplomas
and other certifications into middle-skill jobs.

• Launched a global expansion of Advancing

Diverse Talent, Synchrony’s data analytics initiative
to increase the hiring, development and advancement
of underrepresented minorities.

• Hosted the sixth annual Global Diversity Symposium,

a three-day employee event that deepened our
commitment to drive lasting change.

GROW TH AND INVESTMENT:   
Advancing financial opportunities, growth and wellness 
among diverse communities and businesses

• In 2021, Synchrony Ventures committed up to

$100 million toward opportunities in diverse-owned
businesses spearheaded by Ariel Alternatives, LLC.
Our ventures team also committed $15 million in venture
capital funds led by diverse partners with a track record
of investing in underrepresented startups.

• Committed $5 million to community organizations that
help small businesses, including $2 million to the Local
Initiatives Support Corporation, for emergency grants
to minority- and women-owned businesses.

• Joined the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council
with an expanded $50,000 pledge. Since 2018, our
annual diverse supplier spend has increased 20%.

MORE THAN 10,000   
SYNCHRONY EMPLOYEES 
ARE ACT I VE IN OUR SYNCHRONY 
DI VERSI T Y NET WORKS

Synchrony’s diversity networks  
help cultivate a culture of inclusion where 
employees can bring their best selves  
to work every day. 

09 / 2021 ANNUAL REPORT

CI T I ZENSHIP: 
Increasing our commitment to addressing deeply  
rooted gender and racial inequality and disparities 
within the communities we serve.

• Launched Education as an Equalizer, a $50 million,
five-year initiative to advance education equity for
underrepresented communities and our own
workforce. This includes $20 million in Synchrony
Foundation grants to academic institutions, nonprofits
and skills-credentialing organizations.

• Continued our actions to support the Business

Roundtable’s series of recommendations on corporate
and public policies for advancing racial equity
and justice.

• Expanded partnership with the Executive Leadership
Council to enhance the role of Black executives while
preparing the next generation of corporate leaders.

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 10

A MESSAGE   
FROM THE BOARD 
OF DIRECTORS

Dear Stakeholders:

Working closely with Synchrony’s management,  
the Board of Directors oversees the company’s evolving 
business operations and strategy, including its  
environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.  
In a highly competitive environment, our close working  
relationship with management helps create long-term 
value for stockholders, employees and other  
stakeholders by ensuring the company can quickly  
address challenges, capitalize on opportunities  
and maximize efficiency.

One of the most important responsibilities of the Board 
is ensuring successful leadership transitions. Last year,  
we oversaw the retirement of longtime Chair Richard  
Hartnack. We thank Richard for his many contributions  
to Synchrony since being named founding Chair  
of the Board of Directors in 2014. 

We also managed the successful transition of Brian  
Doubles to President, CEO and Director; Margaret  
Keane to Executive Chair; and Jeffrey G. Naylor to Lead 
Independent Director. These three leaders moved  
seamlessly into their new roles. 

Moreover, the Board and its Nominating and Corporate 
Governance Committee (NCGC) managed the leadership 
transition of the Management Development and  
Compensation Committee (MDCC) from Richard Hartnack 
to Laurel J. Richie.

Given these changes, the NCGC and the Board made  
it a top priority to maintain strong board performance.  
We moved up by one year the hiring of an external  
consultant to facilitate the annual board self-evaluation 
during the transition year. The Board intends to return  
to its established practice of hiring an external consultant 
every third year.

OVERSEEING 
STR ATEGY

The Board provides active oversight  
of the company’s strategic direction and 
the performance of its business and 
management. As part of Synchrony’s 
annual strategic planning process, 
we conducted an intensive, multiday 
review of Synchrony’s short-, medium- 
and long-term strategic plans,  
considering economic, consumer, 
technology, healthcare, sustainability 
and other significant trends, as  
well as developments in industry  
and regulatory initiatives.

Our input was then incorporated into 
the strategic plan and approved at our 
next meeting. Throughout the year, 
we provided regular feedback on the 
progress of the company’s strategic 
plan as well as deep dives on devel-
opments in important areas, such as 
cybersecurity. In addition, the Board 
regularly discussed and reviewed 
feedback from our stockholders and 
other stakeholders, and we engaged 
with internal and external experts and 
advisors to ensure our strategy reflects 
the latest competitive landscape.

11 / 2021 ANNUAL RE PORT

This process supported management’s  
execution of key strategic imperatives, including:

ORGANIZING FOR GROWTH 

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

As Brian Doubles noted in his  
shareholder letter, Synchrony  
organized partner portfolios across 
five sales platforms to better serve 
partners, deepen industry focus  
and enhance customer experiences. 
The company created a growth  
organization to scale products,  
capabilities and services more quickly 
across these five platforms, and  
combined the technology and  
operations teams to fuel digital  
innovation and drive operational  
excellence and efficiency.

R ISK MANAGEMENT

Synchrony hosted its first investor  
day for the financial community and  
all stakeholders. Themes included our  
diversified business operations and 
large addressable market opportunity  
(more than $5 trillion of consumer spend 
across the many industries we operate 
in today), as well as our multiproduct 
suite and digital capabilities. We believe 
our stakeholders walked away knowing 
that Synchrony is well positioned to 
generate sustainable growth, attractive 
returns and significant capital over  
the long term. 

The Board and the Risk Committee oversee Synchrony’s enterprise-wide risk 
management program to ensure that all relevant risks, including credit risk,  
market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk (including compliance risk), strategic  
risk and reputational risk, are appropriately identified and controlled. For  
example, we have devoted significant resources and board attention to topics 
such as information security, including privacy, data security and cybersecurity, 
the company’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and capital planning.  
We believe the corporate culture and enterprise-wide risk governance framework 
established by the board and management facilitate an effective risk presence 
across the company.

OVERSEEING   
ESG PROGRESS

Since our IPO in 2014, the Board has consistently  
prioritized environmental, social and governance (ESG) 
programs. We believe that caring for our business, our  
customers, our partners, our employees, our communities 
and the environment creates sustainable, long-term  
stockholder value while reducing risk. We wholeheartedly 
agree with stakeholders’ recent focus on ESG matters  
and have responded through action. 

ESG is now a quarterly agenda item for the Nominating 
and Corporate Governance Committee, including a joint 
meeting with the Management Development and  
Compensation Committee to focus on ESG and equity,  
diversity and inclusion. The MDCC added culture— 
including ESG factors, such as employee support during 
the pandemic, pay equity and our new, agile ways of  
working—as a funding component in the 2021 annual 
incentive plan, a cash bonus plan offered to approximately 
3,500 Synchrony leaders.

The Board managed and provided oversight for the  
company’s best-in-class ESG policies. These include 
programs to aid employees during the pandemic, as well 
as the introduction of a $20 minimum wage for all hourly 
workers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. We also continued to 
oversee other important initiatives, such as the company’s 
debt-free tuition reimbursement program, ongoing work  
to ensure pay equity, the new way of working and hybrid  
work options.

We also provided oversight of progress against  
Synchrony’s ED&I goals. In 2021, Synchrony increased 
representation of Black and Hispanic employees at the 
vice president level and higher in the U.S., and increased 
the number of female employees in executive-level roles 
globally. The company launched its Education as an  
Equalizer program, backed by $50 million over five years,  
to expand access to higher education and skills training  
in high-growth fields, and financial literacy for underserved 
communities and our own workforce. 

The company also committed $15 million to venture 
capital funds led by Black, Latinx and women-led  
investing partners. 

Lastly, our directors delivered on personal commitments 
to engage on ED&I issues:

• Fernando Aguirre helped lead the development and
launch of Synchrony’s Latinx Executive Alliance,
a coalition of C-suite executives and business leaders
from different companies, industries and sectors,
dedicated to collectively helping Latinx employees
advance in corporate America. He continues as
a co-sponsor of the alliance.

• In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month,

Aguirre led a conversation sponsored by the
Synchrony Hispanic Network—our internal Hispanic
diversity network—on “Why Hispanic Representation
Matters,” focusing on the importance of driving
Hispanic representation.

• William Graylin led a conversation sponsored by

Synchrony’s internal Asian Professional Engagement
Network on experiences, perspectives and career
recommendations.

• Laurel J. Richie and Margaret Keane led a town hall
on diversity, focusing on women’s empowerment in
celebration of International Women’s Day.

• Keane participated in a session with the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce on how businesses can lead the way
to an inclusive recovery, with a specific focus on how
to keep women in the workforce. She also engaged the
Synchrony team on these topics through our Women’s
Network.

It is our privilege to serve all Synchrony stakeholders
in building this great company. We are confident in
the company’s strategy and pleased with all that was
accomplished in 2021.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED
SUPPORT AND TRUST.

MARGARET KEANE

FERNANDO AGUIRRE

PAGET ALVES

ARTHUR COVIELLO JR.

BRIAN DOUBLES

ROY GUTHRIE

WILLIAM GRAYLIN

JEFFREY NAYLOR

BILL PARKER

LAUREL RICHIE

OLYMPIA SNOWE

ELLEN ZANE

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 12

EXECUTIVE   
LEADERSHIP 
TEAM

President  
& CEO

EVP, Chief  
Growth Officer

EVP & CEO,  
Health & Wellness

EVP, Chief  
Human Resources  
Officer

EVP, Chief  
Credit Officer  
& Capital  
Management  
Leader

BRIAN
DOUBLES

EVP & CEO,  
Home & Auto

MICHAEL
BOPP

EVP, Chief  
Technology  
& Operating  
Officer

ALBERTO 
CASELLAS

EVP, Chief  
Audit  
Executive

DJ
CASTO

HENRY
GREIG

EVP, Chief  
Strategy Officer  
& Corporate  
Development  
Leader

EVP, General  
Counsel  
& Secretary

CURTIS
HOWSE

CAROL
JUEL

MARK
MARTINELLI

TRISH
MOSCONI

JONATHAN
MOTHNER

EVP & CEO,  
Diversified  
& Value  
and Lifestyle  
Platforms

EVP & CEO,  
Digital

EVP, Chief Financial  
Officer

EVP, Chief Risk Officer

TOM
QUINDLEN

BART 
SCHALLER 

BRIAN J. 
WENZEL SR.

PAUL
WHYNOTT

13 / 2021 ANNUAL RE PORT

BOARD  
OF  
DIRECTORS

Executive Chair  
of Synchrony; Former  
President & CEO  
of Synchrony

Former Chairman,  
President & CEO of  
Chiquita Brands  
International, Inc.

Former Chief Sales  
Officer of Sprint  
Corporation

Chief Operating Officer 
of DentaQuest LLC1

Former EVP of EMC 
Corporation; Former 
Executive Chairman of 
RSA Security, Inc.

MARGARET
KEANE

FERNANDO
AGUIRRE

PAGET
ALVES

KAMILA
CHYTIL

ARTHUR
COVIELLO JR.

President  
& CEO of  
Synchrony

Former CEO of Renovate 
America, Inc.; Former 
EVP & CFO of Discover 
Financial Services, Inc.

Chairman & CEO of OV 
Loop, Inc.; Chairman & CEO 
of Indigo Technologies, Inc.; 
Former Global Co-General 
Manager of Samsung Pay, 
Samsung Electronics  
America, Inc.

Lead Independent 
Director of the Board; 
Former Senior EVP, CFO 
and CAO of the TJX 
Companies, Inc.

Former Vice Chairman 
and Chief Risk Officer of 
U.S. Bancorp

BRIAN
DOUBLES

ROY
GUTHRIE

WILLIAM
GRAYLIN

JEFFREY
NAYLOR

BILL
PARKER

Former President  
of the Women’s  
National Basketball  
Association LLC

Chairman and CEO of 
Olympia Snowe, LLC; 
U.S. Senator 1995–2013 
and Member of U.S. 
House of Representatives 
1979–1995.2

Former President  
and CEO of Tufts Medical 
Center and Tufts  
Children’s Hospital

LAUREL
RICHIE

OLYMPIA 
SNOWE

ELLEN
ZANE

Synchrony has one of the  
most diverse Board of Directors 
among commercial banks  
and diversified financials  
in the Fortune 200.3

1Named to the Board effective April 1, 2022.

2Effective May 19, 2022, Ms. Snowe will retire from the Board  
in accordance with our governance principles.

3Based on publicly available information as of February 24, 2022.

2021 ANNUAL REPORT / 14

FINANCI AL
HIGHLIGHTS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED, AND AT, DECEMBER 31, 2021 
(in millions unless otherwise stated except for per share data and ratios)

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Net interest income

Interest and fees on loans

Net earnings

Diluted earnings per share

Shares outstanding1

PERIOD END

Total assets

Loan receivables

Deposits

Common equity Tier 1 capital ratio

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Purchase volume (in billions)2

Period-end active accounts (in thousands)3

Average active accounts (in thousands)3

Net interest margin4

Net charge-off rate5

30+ delinquency rate6

Efficiency ratio7

Return on assets8

 1Diluted weighted average common  
shares outstanding.

 2Purchase volume, or net credit sales,  
represents the aggregate amount of  
charges incurred on credit cards or other  
credit product accounts less returns during  
the period. Purchase volume includes  
activity related to our portfolios classified  
as held for sale.

 3Active accounts represent credit card or  
installment loan accounts on which there has 
been a purchase, payment or outstanding 
balance in the current month. Includes activity 
and accounts associated with loan receivables 
held for sale. 

 4Net interest margin represents net interest 
income divided by average interest-earning 
assets.

 5Net charge-off rate represents net  
charge-offs as a percentage of average  
loan receivables, including those held  
for sale.

15 / 2021 ANNUAL R EPORT

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

2021

14,239

15,228

4,221

7.34

569.3

95,748

80,740

62,270

15.6%

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

2020

14,402

15,950

1,385

2.27

590.8

95,948

81,867

62,782

15.9%

$

165.9

$

139.1

72,420

67,334

14.74%

2.92%

2.62%

38.9%

4.5%

68,540

67,131

14.29%

4.58%

3.07%

36.3%

1.4%

 6Based on customer statement-end  
balances extrapolated to the respective  
period-end date.   

 7Efficiency ratio represents (i) other expense, 
divided by (ii) net interest income, plus other 
income, less retailer share agreements.

 8Return on assets represents net earnings  
as a percentage of average total assets.