Sued by Synchrony Bank in Washington?
You may not think of yourself as a Synchrony customer. Synchrony Bank is the lender behind many store-branded credit cards and financing plans, and behind CareCredit, which is used for medical, dental and veterinary bills. The lawsuit will be in Synchrony's name, not the store's.
Synchrony balances often jump because of deferred-interest promotions. If the promotional balance is not paid in full by the deadline, interest is charged back to the purchase date. A manageable balance can become a lawsuit quickly.
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Served with a Synchrony lawsuit?
You generally have 20 days to respond in writing. Local guides: Spokane County, Yakima County, Whatcom County
Stop a wage garnishment?
How garnishments are stopped in bankruptcy.
What people report about Synchrony
From public forum posts and a class action settlement:
Synchrony rarely stays the creditor to the end. Members of the myFICO forums report their charged-off Synchrony accounts turning up on credit reports under Portfolio Recovery Associates, the debt buyer that bought them.
It reacts fast to a bankruptcy filing. One poster's sister-in-law, who had not filed and was not on her husband's Chapter 13, had her own Synchrony cards closed before his meeting of creditors.
After discharge, the accounts tend to vanish. A member whose Amazon, Lowe's and CareCredit cards were in a 2020 Chapter 7 says the tradelines were removed from all three bureaus automatically. A class action over how GE Capital, Synchrony's predecessor, reported charged-off accounts after bankruptcy settled for nearly $8.5 million.
New Synchrony cards come back slower than with some lenders. In one long thread, members reported approvals anywhere from several months to more than two years after discharge.
Before the 20 days run out
- Find the service date. Washington defendants served in state generally get 20 days.
- Match the account. Use the last four digits in the complaint to work out which store card or financing plan this is. People with several Synchrony accounts are sometimes sued on one they forgot.
- Check the math. Look for back-charged promotional interest and late fees. Those are the parts of a Synchrony balance most worth questioning.
- Your rights are affected. What you do in those 20 days can decide the case. Talk to an attorney before you respond.
My guides for Spokane County, Yakima County and Whatcom County cover the local steps.
What Synchrony already has
Unlike a debt buyer, Synchrony is the original lender. It holds your application, the cardholder agreement and every statement. Arguing that it cannot prove the debt is usually a losing position.
Can bankruptcy stop it?
It can. Store cards and medical financing are unsecured debt, and Chapter 7 generally discharges them. The automatic stay also stops the lawsuit on the day of filing. Read seven debts Chapter 7 wipes out.
Be careful with any agreement that lets Synchrony take a judgment if you miss a payment.
Doing nothing is the one option I never recommend. An unanswered summons becomes a default judgment, and a judgment becomes a garnishment.
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This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contacting Spalding Law Firm PLLC does not create an attorney-client relationship. Information pertains to Washington State law and the Federal District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington. Spalding Law Firm PLLC is a debt relief agency helping people file for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.