Table of Contents
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 21, 2022
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 51-0483352 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
777 Long Ridge Road
Stamford, Connecticut 06902
(203) 585-2400
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Jonathan S. Mothner, Esq.
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
777 Long Ridge Road
Stamford, Connecticut 06902
(203) 585-2400
(Name and address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Brian J. Fahrney, Esq.
Robert A. Ryan, Esq.
Sidley Austin LLP
787 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
(212) 839-5300
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. ☐
Table of Contents
PROSPECTUS
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
Senior Debt Securities
Subordinated Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Stock Purchase Contracts
Stock Purchase Units
Hybrid Securities Combining Elements of the Foregoing
This prospectus relates to senior debt securities, subordinated debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants, stock purchase contracts, stock purchase units and hybrid securities combining one or more elements of the foregoing that we or, if applicable, a selling securityholder may offer and sell at any time and from time to time in one or more transactions. This prospectus contains a general description of these securities. The specific terms of the securities will be contained in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities unless accompanied by one or more prospectus supplements. Prospectus supplements may add, update or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and each applicable prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus and each applicable prospectus supplement, before you invest in securities to which this prospectus relates.
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SYF.” On July 20, 2022, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $33.30 per share. We have not yet determined whether any of the other securities that may be offered by this prospectus and one or more applicable prospectus supplements will be listed on any exchange, inter-dealer quotation system or over-the-counter market.
The securities to which this prospectus relates may be offered directly, through agents designated from time to time by us, or to or through underwriters or dealers. For additional information, you should refer to “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of the securities to which this prospectus relates, their names, and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them or us, will be set forth or will be calculable based on information included or incorporated by reference in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Our principal executive office is located at 777 Long Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut 06902, and our telephone number at that address is (203) 585-2400.
Investing in the securities to which this prospectus relates involves risks. See “Risk Factors” included on page 4 of this prospectus and in any applicable prospectus supplement, in addition to the risk factors that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities offered hereby or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The securities to which this prospectus relates are not deposits or other obligations of a bank or savings association and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.
The date of this prospectus is July 21, 2022
Table of Contents
| i | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| 7 | ||||
| 8 | ||||
| 9 | ||||
| 25 | ||||
| 30 | ||||
| 31 | ||||
Description of Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase Units | 32 | |||
| 33 | ||||
| 36 | ||||
| 36 |
This prospectus is part of an automatic shelf registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). By using a shelf registration statement, we or, if applicable, a selling securityholder, may offer and sell, at any time and from time to time, the securities described in this prospectus. As permitted by SEC rules, this prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement to which it relates. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement, including its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are not necessarily complete. If the SEC’s rules require an agreement or document to be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, you should see that agreement or document for a complete description of these matters. The registration statement can be obtained from the SEC as indicated under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
You should also carefully read and consider the information included in this prospectus and each applicable prospectus supplement together with the documents we have incorporated by reference in this prospectus or an applicable prospectus supplement. Information incorporated by reference after the date of this prospectus forms a part of this prospectus and may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or any earlier prospectus supplement. Any such information that is inconsistent with this prospectus or an earlier prospectus supplement will supersede the information in this prospectus or that earlier prospectus supplement.
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or an applicable prospectus supplement prepared by us or on our behalf or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer to sell the securities to which this prospectus relates in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date of the applicable document or such other date specified in the applicable document. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
i
Table of Contents
Certain Defined Terms
Except as the context may otherwise require in this prospectus, references to:
| • | “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” are to SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL and its subsidiaries; |
| • | “Synchrony” are to SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL only; |
| • | the “Bank” are to Synchrony Bank (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Synchrony); |
| • | the “Board of Directors” or “Board” are to Synchrony’s board of directors; |
| • | “CECL” are to the impairment model known as the Current Expected Credit Loss model, which is based on expected credit losses; and |
| • | “VantageScore” are to a credit score developed by the three major credit reporting agencies which is used as a means of evaluating the likelihood that credit users will pay their obligations. |
We provide a range of credit products through programs we have established with a diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers, which, in our business and in this prospectus, we refer to as our “partners.” The terms of the programs all require cooperative efforts between us and our partners of varying natures and degrees to establish and operate the programs. Our use of the term “partners” to refer to these entities is not intended to, and does not, describe our legal relationship with them, imply that a legal partnership or other relationship exists between the parties or create any legal partnership or other relationship.
“Synchrony” and its logos and other trademarks referred to in this prospectus, including CareCredit®, Quickscreen®, Dual Card™, Synchrony Car Care™ and SyPI™ belong to us. Solely for convenience, we refer to our trademarks in this prospectus without the ™ and ® symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our trademarks. Other service marks, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners.
ii
Table of Contents
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and, in accordance with these requirements, we file reports and other information relating to our business, financial condition and other matters with the SEC. We are required to disclose in such reports certain information, as of particular dates, concerning our results of operations and financial condition, executive officers and directors, principal holders of shares, material interests of such persons in transactions with us and other matters. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC, including the registration statement to which this prospectus relates. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.
Our website is www.synchronyfinancial.com. Our SEC filings are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed or furnished to the SEC. You may access these SEC filings on our website. However, other than any documents expressly incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement, the information on, or accessible through, our website or any other website that is referred to in this prospectus is not part of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement.
1
Table of Contents
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information in this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring to those documents we file with the SEC. Any information incorporated this way is considered to be part of this prospectus, and any information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and, in some cases, supersede the information contained or incorporated by reference herein. We hereby “incorporate by reference” the documents listed below (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to be furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules).
| • | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on February 10, 2022 (including those portions of our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 5, 2022 that are incorporated by reference into Part III of such Annual Report on Form 10-K); |
| • | Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022 filed with the SEC on April 21, 2022 and July 21, 2022, respectively; |
| • | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 4, 2022 (Item 1.01 only), April 5, 2022 (Item 5.02 only), May 25, 2022, and June 13, 2022 (Item 8.01 only); and |
| • | The description of our common stock, $0.001 par value, set forth in our Form 8-A filed with the SEC on July 22, 2014 and our Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-194528) filed with the SEC on July 18, 2014 and declared effective on July 30, 2014, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating that description. |
We also incorporate by reference in this prospectus any future filings that we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act until we sell all the securities to which this prospectus relates; provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 or any related exhibit furnished under Item 9.01(d) of any Current Report on Form 8-K unless, and except to the extent, specified in any such Current Report on Form 8-K or in any applicable prospectus supplement.
Upon your oral or written request, we will provide you with a copy of any of these filings at no cost. Requests should be directed to:
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
Investor Relations
777 Long Ridge Road
Stamford, Connecticut 06902
(855) 818-3056
2
Table of Contents
We are a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry’s most complete, digitally-enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries, including digital, health and wellness, retail, home, auto, outdoor, jewelry, pets and more. We have an established and diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers, which we refer to as our “partners.” We connect our partners and consumers through our dynamic financial ecosystem and provide them with a diverse set of financing solutions and innovative digital capabilities to address their specific needs and deliver seamless, omnichannel experiences. We utilize a broad set of distribution channels, including mobile apps and websites, as well as online marketplaces and business management solutions like Point-of-Sale platforms. Our offerings include private label, dual, co-brand and general purpose credit cards, as well as short- and long-term installment loans and consumer banking products.
Our business benefits from longstanding and collaborative relationships with our partners, including some of the nation’s leading retailers and manufacturers with well-known consumer brands, such as Lowe’s and Sam’s Club and also leading digital partners, such as Amazon and PayPal. We believe our business model has been successful because it aligns our interests with those of our partners and provides substantial value to both our partners and our customers. Our partners promote our credit products because they generate increased sales and strengthen customer loyalty. Our customers benefit from instant access to credit, discounts, or other benefits such as cash back rewards, and promotional offers. We seek to differentiate ourselves through our deep industry expertise, our long history of consumer lending, our innovative digital capabilities and our diverse product suite. We have omni-channel (in-store, online and mobile) technology and marketing capabilities, which allow us to offer and deliver our credit products instantly to customers across multiple channels.
We conduct our operations through a single business segment. Profitability and expenses, including funding costs, credit losses and operating expenses, are managed for the business as a whole. Substantially all of our revenue activities are within the United States. We primarily manage our credit products through five sales platforms (Home & Auto, Digital, Diversified & Value, Health & Wellness and Lifestyle). Those platforms are organized by the types of partners we work with, and are measured on interest and fees on loans, loan receivables, active accounts and other sales metrics.
Our Home & Auto sales platform provides comprehensive payments and financing solutions with integrated in-store and digital experiences through a broad network of partners and merchants providing home and automotive merchandise and services, as well as our Synchrony Car Care network and Synchrony HOME credit card offering. Our Digital sales platform provides comprehensive payments and financing solutions with integrated digital experiences through partners and merchants who primarily engage with their customers through digital channels. Our Diversified & Value sales platform provides comprehensive payments and financing solutions with integrated in-store and digital experiences through large retail partners who deliver everyday value to consumers shopping for daily needs or important life moments. Our Health & Wellness sales platform provides comprehensive healthcare payments and financing solutions, through a network of providers and health systems, for those seeking health and wellness care for themselves, their families and their pets. Our Lifestyle sales platform provides comprehensive payments and financing solutions with integrated in-store and digital experiences through partners and merchants who offer merchandise in power sports, outdoor power equipment, and other industries such as sporting goods, apparel, jewelry and music.
We offer our credit products primarily through our wholly-owned subsidiary, the Bank. In addition, through the Bank, we offer, directly to retail, affinity relationships and commercial customers, a range of deposit products insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”), money market accounts, savings accounts and sweep and affinity deposits. We also take deposits at the Bank through third-party securities brokerage firms that offer our FDIC-insured deposit products to their customers. We have significantly expanded our online direct banking operations in recent years and our deposit base serves as a source of stable and diversified low cost funding for our credit activities.
3
Table of Contents
Investing in securities to which this prospectus relates involves risks. Before deciding to purchase any of the securities to which this prospectus relates, you should carefully consider the discussion of risks and uncertainties under the heading “Risk Factors Relating to Our Business” and “Risk Factors Relating to Regulation” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and under similar headings in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as the other risks and uncertainties described in any other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or in any applicable prospectus supplement. See the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus.
4
Table of Contents
CAUTIONARY NOTES REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and any applicable prospectus supplement, contain or will contain certain statements that are “forward-looking statements” as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “targets,” “outlook,” “estimates,” “will,” “should,” “may” or words of similar meaning, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for our future business and financial performance, such as those contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Business Trends and Conditions” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results could differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include global political, economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors and risks, such as:
| • | the impact of macroeconomic conditions and whether industry trends we have identified develop as anticipated, including the future impacts of the novel coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) outbreak and measures taken in response thereto for which future developments are highly uncertain and difficult to predict; |
| • | retaining existing partners and attracting new partners, concentration of our revenue in a small number of partners, and promotion and support of our products by our partners, |
| • | the financial performance of our partners; |
| • | cyber-attacks or other security breaches; |
| • | higher borrowing costs and adverse financial market conditions impacting our funding and liquidity, and any reduction in our credit ratings; |
| • | our ability to grow our deposits in the future; |
| • | our ability to securitize our loan receivables, occurrence of an early amortization of our securitization facilities, loss of the right to service or subservice our securitized loan receivables, and lower payment rates on our securitized loan receivables; |
| • | changes in market interest rates and the impact of any margin compression; |
| • | effectiveness of our risk management processes and procedures, reliance on models which may be inaccurate or misinterpreted, our ability to manage our credit risk; |
| • | the sufficiency of our allowance for credit losses and the accuracy of the assumptions or estimates used in preparing our financial statements, including those related to the CECL accounting guidance; |
| • | our ability to offset increases in our costs in retailer share arrangements; |
| • | competition in the consumer finance industry; |
| • | our concentration in the U.S. consumer credit market; |
| • | our ability to successfully develop and commercialize new or enhanced products and services; |
| • | our ability to realize the value of acquisitions and strategic investments; |
| • | reductions in interchange fees; |
| • | fraudulent activity; |
| • | failure of third-parties to provide various services that are important to our operations; |
5
Table of Contents
| • | disruptions in the operations of our and our outsourced partners’ computer systems and data centers; |
| • | international risks and compliance and regulatory risks and costs associated with international operations; |
| • | alleged infringement of intellectual property rights of others and our ability to protect our intellectual property; |
| • | litigation and regulatory actions; |
| • | damage to our reputation; |
| • | our ability to attract, retain and motivate key officers and employees; |
| • | tax legislation initiatives or challenges to our tax positions and/or interpretations, and state sales tax rules and regulations; |
| • | regulation, supervision, examination and enforcement of our business by governmental authorities, the impact of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and other legislative and regulatory developments and the impact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (the “CFPB”) regulation of our business; |
| • | impact of capital adequacy rules and liquidity requirements; |
| • | restrictions that limit our ability to pay dividends and repurchase our common stock, and restrictions that limit the Bank’s ability to pay dividends to us; |
| • | regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection; |
| • | use of third-party vendors and ongoing third-party business relationships; and |
| • | failure to comply with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing laws. |
See the headings “Risk Factors Relating to Our Business” and “Risk Factors Relating to Regulation” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and under similar headings in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K for a further description of these and other factors. For the reasons described above, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements. You should not consider any list of such factors to be an exhaustive statement of all of the risks, uncertainties, or potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause our current expectations or beliefs to change. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events that occur or circumstances that arise after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by the federal securities laws.
6
Table of Contents
Unless otherwise stated in any applicable prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities that may be offered hereby for general corporate purposes. General corporate purposes may include, but are not limited to, increasing our liquidity, reducing or refinancing our indebtedness or the indebtedness of one or more of our subsidiaries, funding our operations, financing receivables, financing acquisitions and redeeming outstanding securities. Pending such use, any net proceeds may be invested temporarily in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade securities and/or similar assets as we may determine.
7
Table of Contents
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We or a selling securityholder may under this prospectus offer debt securities; common stock; preferred stock; depositary shares; warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock or preferred stock; stock purchase contracts; stock purchase units; any combination of the foregoing, either individually or as units consisting of two or more securities; or hybrid securities consisting of a combination of features of any of the foregoing.
The following description of the terms of the securities we or a selling securityholder may offer under this prospectus sets forth some general terms and provisions of these securities. The particular terms of securities offered by us or a selling securityholder under this prospectus and the extent, if any, to which the general terms set forth in this prospectus do not apply to those securities will be described in one or more prospectus supplements. In addition, if we or a selling securityholder offer two or more securities as units, the terms of the units will be described in one or more prospectus supplements. To the extent the information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement differs from the general description set forth in this prospectus, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement.
8
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
We may issue senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. The senior debt securities will be issued in one or more series under the indenture, dated as of August 11, 2014, between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (as amended and supplemented from time to time, the “senior indenture”), a copy of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement to which this prospectus relates. The subordinated debt securities will be issued in one or more series under a subordinated indenture, to be entered into between us and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (as amended and supplemented from time to time, the “subordinated indenture”), the form of which is attached as an exhibit to the registration statement to which this prospectus relates.
The senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities are referred to in this prospectus individually as a “debt security” and collectively as the “debt securities.” The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are each referred to in this prospectus individually as an “indenture” and collectively as the “indentures.”
Each indenture is subject to any amendments or supplements we may enter into from time to time as permitted under that indenture. We will file any amendments or supplements to an indenture as exhibits to a Current Report on Form 8-K or a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to which this prospectus relates. The statements herein relating to the debt securities and the indentures are summaries and are subject to the detailed provisions of the debt securities and the indentures. The descriptions set forth in this prospectus do not restate the indentures and do not contain all the information you may find useful. We urge you to read the indentures because they, and not the summary set forth in this prospectus or contained in any applicable prospectus supplement, define your rights as a holder of the debt securities. Whenever we refer to particular sections of or defined terms in an indenture, those sections and definitions are incorporated by reference. The indentures are subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).
As used in this description of debt securities, “we,” “our,” “us,” “Synchrony” and the “Company” refer solely to SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL and not to any of our subsidiaries.
General
We will describe in one or more prospectus supplements the terms of the series of debt securities that we may offer and the supplemental indenture relating to such series of debt securities. These terms will include the following:
| • | the designation and the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of the series; |
| • | whether the debt securities are senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities and, if subordinated debt securities, any specific subordination provisions applicable thereto not otherwise set forth in this prospectus; |
| • | whether the debt securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or other securities and the terms and conditions governing such exchange or conversion; |
| • | any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of the series which may be issued; |
| • | the date or dates on which the principal and premium, if any, of the debt securities of the series shall be payable; |
| • | the rate or rates, or the method of determination thereof, at which the debt securities of the series shall bear interest, the date or dates from which that interest shall accrue, the interest payment dates on which that interest shall be payable and the record dates for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable; |
9
Table of Contents
| • | if other than the U.S. dollars, the currency of the debt securities of the series and the currency in which payments on the debt securities of the series shall be payable; |
| • | if applicable, the price or prices at which, the period or periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which debt securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option, pursuant to any sinking fund or otherwise; |
| • | if applicable, our obligation to redeem, purchase or repay debt securities of the series pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder thereof and the price at which or process by which and the period or periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which debt securities of the series would be redeemed, purchased or repaid, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; |
| • | if other than in minimum denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof, the denominations in which debt securities of the series shall be issuable; |
| • | any events of default, if different from the existing events of default under the indentures and described in this prospectus, and whether such additional or modified events of default are subject to covenant defeasance; |
| • | the trustee, if different from the existing trustee under an indenture; |
| • | any addition to, or modification of, any covenants set forth in the applicable indenture with respect to the debt securities of any series, and whether any such additional or modified covenant is subject to covenant defeasance; and |
| • | any other terms of the series. |
When we use the term “business day,” we mean any calendar day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or a day on which commercial banking institutions are not required to be open for business in The City of New York, New York.
Unless otherwise specified in any applicable prospectus supplement, each series of the debt securities will be issued in the form of one or more fully-registered debt securities registered in the name of the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).
Neither indenture limits the aggregate amount of debt securities that we may issue. We may issue debt securities under either indenture up to the aggregate principal amount authorized by our board of directors from time to time. In addition, neither indenture limits our ability to incur senior debt, subordinated or secured debt, or our ability, or that of any of our existing or future subsidiaries, to incur other indebtedness and other liabilities or issue preferred stock.
We may, from time to time, without the consent of the holders of debt securities of a particular series, reopen that series of debt securities and issue additional debt securities of that series having the same ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms as the debt securities of that series, except for the public offering price, the issue date and, if applicable, the initial interest payment date and initial interest accrual date. Any such additional debt securities, together with the debt securities of the same series initially offered by this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the applicable indenture; provided that if the additional debt securities are not fungible for U.S. federal income tax purposes with the debt securities of the same series initially offered by this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, the additional debt securities will be issued under a separate CUSIP number. No additional debt securities may be issued if an event of default has occurred and is continuing with respect to the series of debt securities of which those additional debt securities would be a part.
The trustee will initially be the registrar and paying agent for the debt securities. We will maintain an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York where we will pay the principal of, and any premium and
10
Table of Contents
interest on, the debt securities and you may present the debt securities for registration of transfer and exchange. We have designated the office of the trustee located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286 for this purpose.
Ranking
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our operations through our subsidiaries. However, the debt securities will be obligations exclusively of Synchrony and will not be guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries. As a result, the debt securities will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries (including deposit liabilities of the Bank), as well as the indebtedness and other liabilities of our securitization entities, which means that creditors of our subsidiaries (including depositors of the Bank) and our securitization entities will be paid from their assets before holders of the debt securities would have any claims to those assets.
As a holding company, we depend on the ability of our subsidiaries, particularly the Bank, to transfer funds to us to meet our obligations, including our obligations to pay the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the debt securities. Our subsidiaries have no obligation to pay any amounts due on the debt securities.
Senior Debt Securities
Unless otherwise specified in any applicable prospectus supplement, each series of senior debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and will rank without preference or priority among themselves and equally in right of payment with all of our existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated obligations, and senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to that series of senior debt securities.
Subordinated Debt Securities
Unless otherwise specified in any applicable prospectus supplement, each series of subordinated debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and will rank junior in right of payment to all of our existing and future unsubordinated obligations.
In the event of any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), whether voluntarily or involuntarily, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership or other proceedings involving us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), then and in any such event the holders of senior obligations (including holders of any senior debt securities) will be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all senior obligations, or provision made for such payment in cash, before the holders of subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive or retain any payment on account of principal of, or any premium or interest on, subordinated debt securities. To that end, the holders of senior obligations will be entitled to receive, for application to the payment thereof, any payment or distribution of any kind or character, which may be payable or deliverable in respect of the subordinated debt securities in the event of any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), whether voluntarily or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership or other proceedings involving us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), whether in cash, property or securities, including any such payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by reason of the payment of any of our other indebtedness being subordinated to the payment of the subordinated debt securities. By reason of such subordination, in the event of any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), whether voluntarily or involuntary, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership or other proceedings involving us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank), holders of senior obligations and holders of our other obligations that are not subordinated to senior obligations may recover more, ratably, than the holders of the subordinated debt securities.
11
Table of Contents
Subject to the payment in full of all senior obligations, the rights of the holders of the subordinated debt securities will be subrogated to the rights of the holders of the senior obligations to receive payments or distributions of cash, property or securities from us applicable to those senior obligations by virtue of that subordination until the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the subordinated debt securities have been paid in full.
No payment of principal (including any redemption or sinking fund payments) of, and any premium or interest on, the subordinated debt securities may be made (1) in the event and during the continuation of any default by us in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other amount due on any senior obligations or (2) if the maturity of any senior obligations has been accelerated because of a default.
The subordinated indenture does not limit or prohibit us from incurring additional senior obligations, which may include indebtedness that is senior to the subordinated debt securities, but subordinate to our other obligations. The senior debt securities will constitute senior obligations under the subordinated indenture.
The subordinated indenture provides that the foregoing subordination provisions, insofar as they relate to any particular issue of the subordinated debt securities, may be changed prior to such issuance. Any such change would be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Certain Covenants
Set forth below are summaries of certain covenants in the indentures that apply to us, unless otherwise provided in an applicable prospectus supplement. However, the indentures do not significantly limit our operations. In particular, the indentures do not:
| • | limit the amount or frequency of dividends that we can pay; |
| • | limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue from time to time; |
| • | limit the number of series of debt securities that we may issue from time to time; |
| • | limit or otherwise restrict the amount of debt which we or our subsidiaries may incur or the number or amount of securities that we may issue; or |
| • | contain any covenant or other provision that is specifically intended to afford any holder of debt securities any protection in the event of highly-leveraged transactions or similar transactions involving us or our subsidiaries. |
Limitation on Disposition of Voting Stock of the Bank
The senior indenture contains a covenant limiting our ability to dispose of the Voting Stock (as defined below) of a Bank Subsidiary (as defined below). This covenant generally provides that, except as permitted as described under “—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” in this prospectus, as long as any series of the senior debt securities are outstanding:
| • | neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will sell, assign, transfer or otherwise dispose of any shares of Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary, or securities convertible into or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary, and we will not permit any Bank Subsidiary to issue any shares of, or securities convertible into or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of, Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary, in each case if, after giving effect to such transaction and to the issuance of the maximum number of shares of Voting Stock of that Bank Subsidiary issuable upon the exercise of all such convertible securities, options, warrants or rights, such Bank Subsidiary would cease to be a “controlled subsidiary” (as defined below); and |
| • | we will not permit any Bank Subsidiary to merge or consolidate with or into any corporation unless the survivor is us or is, or upon consummation of the merger or consolidation will become, a controlled |
12
Table of Contents
subsidiary, or to lease, sell or transfer all or substantially all of its properties and assets to any person except to us or a controlled subsidiary or a person that upon such lease, sale or transfer will become a controlled subsidiary. |
A “Bank Subsidiary” is the Bank, any successor to the Bank, or any subsidiary of ours that owns, directly or indirectly, any Voting Stock of the Bank or any successor to the Bank.
A “controlled subsidiary” is a subsidiary of ours in respect of which at least 80% of the outstanding shares of the Voting Stock of that subsidiary is at the time owned by us, by one or more of our subsidiaries or by us and one or more of our controlled subsidiaries.
“Voting Stock” of any specified person as of any date means the capital stock of that person of the class or classes having general voting power under ordinary circumstances to elect at least a majority of the board of directors, managers or trustees of that person; provided that, for the purposes hereof, capital stock which carries only the right to vote conditionally upon the happening of an event shall not be considered “Voting Stock” whether or not such event shall have happened.
The limitations described above do not apply to transactions required by law, rule, regulation, direction or order of any governmental agency or authority. In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, the limitations described in the second bullet point above will not apply to any transfer of loan receivables, on customary terms and in the ordinary course of business, directly or indirectly to our securitization entities in connection with our securitization financing facilities.
The subordinated indenture does not contain the limitation described above or any other limitation on the disposition of Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary.
Limitation on Creation of Liens
The senior indenture contains a covenant limiting our ability to create liens on the Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary. This covenant generally provides that, as long as any series of the senior debt securities are outstanding, neither we nor any of our subsidiaries will create, assume or incur any pledge, encumbrance or lien upon any shares of Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary, or upon securities convertible into or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase, any shares of Voting Stock of a Bank Subsidiary, in each case to secure indebtedness for borrowed money, if, treating that pledge, encumbrance or lien as a transfer of the shares of Voting Stock of that Bank Subsidiary or securities convertible into or options, warrants or rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of Voting Stock of that Bank Subsidiary to the secured party (in each case after giving effect to such transaction and to the issuance of the maximum number of shares of Voting Stock of that Bank Subsidiary issuable upon the exercise of all such convertible securities, options, warrants or rights), that Bank Subsidiary would cease to be a controlled subsidiary (as defined above under “—Limitation on Disposition of Voting Stock of the Bank”), unless the senior debt securities are equally and ratably secured with any and all such indebtedness for so long as such indebtedness is so secured.
In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, the limitations described in the preceding paragraph do not apply to the incurrence of any pledge, encumbrance or lien upon loan receivables, on customary terms and in the ordinary course of business, in connection with our securitization financing facilities.
The subordinated indenture does not contain the limitation on liens described above or any other limitation on creation of liens.
13
Table of Contents
Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
Each indenture provides that we will not (i) merge or consolidate with any other person or (ii) sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets to any person (other than a subsidiary), in each case unless:
| • | either we are the continuing person or the successor person is a corporation or limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America or any state thereof or the District of Columbia that pursuant to a supplemental indenture to the applicable indenture expressly assumes all of our obligations under the applicable indenture and the debt securities issued and outstanding thereunder; provided that, in the event that the successor person is not a corporation, another person that is a corporation shall expressly assume, as co-obligor with that successor person, all of our obligations under the applicable indenture and the debt securities issued and outstanding thereunder; |
| • | immediately after that merger or consolidation, or that sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition, no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing under the applicable indenture; and |
| • | we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that the merger, consolidation, sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition and that supplemental indenture (if any) comply with the applicable indenture. |
In the event of any such merger, consolidation, sale, conveyance (other than by way of lease), transfer or other disposition, and upon any such assumption by the successor person or persons, such successor person or persons shall succeed to and be substituted for us, with the same effect as if it or they had been named in the applicable indenture as us and we shall be relieved of any further obligations under such indenture and under the debt securities issued and outstanding thereunder and the predecessor company may be dissolved, wound up and liquidated at any time thereafter.
For the avoidance of doubt, without limiting the foregoing, the limitations described in this section will not apply to any transfer of loan receivables, on customary terms and in the ordinary course of business, directly or indirectly to our securitization entities in connection with our securitization financing facilities.
Reports
Under the indentures, we are required to file with the trustee, within 15 days after we are required to file the same with the SEC, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents, and other reports that we are required to file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act or pursuant to Section 314 of the Trust Indenture Act. Annual reports, information, documents and other reports that are filed by us with the SEC via the EDGAR system or any successor electronic delivery procedure will be deemed to be filed with the trustee at the time those documents are filed via the EDGAR system or that successor procedure. Delivery of those reports, information and documents to the trustee is for informational purposes only, and the trustee’s receipt thereof will not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including our compliance with any of our covenants in the indentures.
Events of Default
Senior Debt Securities
Unless otherwise provided in any applicable prospectus supplement, any of the following events will constitute an event of default under the senior indenture with respect to any series of senior debt securities:
| • | default in the payment of any installment of interest on that series of senior debt securities when due and payable, and the continuance of that default for 30 days; |
14
Table of Contents
| • | default in the payment of the principal of, or any premium on, that series of senior debt securities when due and payable (whether at maturity, upon redemption or otherwise); |
| • | default in the making or satisfaction of any sinking fund payment or analogous obligation as and when the same shall become due and payable by the terms of the senior debt securities of that series; |
| • | failure to observe or perform any other covenants or agreements in the senior indenture in respect of the senior debt securities of that series, which failure continues for 60 days after written notice to us, requiring us to remedy the same, from the trustee or holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of that series of senior debt securities as provided in the senior indenture; |
| • | any indebtedness of ours or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank) for borrowed money is accelerated by its terms if the aggregate principal amount of that indebtedness which has been so accelerated exceeds $100 million and the acceleration is not rescinded or annulled within 15 days after written notice from the trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of that series of senior debt securities as provided in the senior indenture; provided that this event of default will be remedied, cured or waived without further action upon the part of either the trustee or any of the holders if any default giving rise to the acceleration of that other indebtedness is remedied, cured or waived; and |
| • | specified events relating to the bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank). |
Subordinated Debt Securities
An event of default under the subordinated indenture with respect to subordinated debt securities of any series will occur only upon the occurrence of certain events relating to the bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank). There will be no “event of default,” and holders of subordinated debt securities will not be entitled to accelerate the maturity of the subordinated debt securities, in the case of a default in the performance of any covenant or obligation with respect to the subordinated debt securities, including a default in the payment of principal of, and any premium or interest on, such subordinated debt securities.
Remedies
If an event of default arising from specified events of the bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank) occurs, the principal amount of all outstanding debt securities will become due and payable immediately, without further action or notice on the part of the holders of the debt securities or the trustee.
Acceleration of Senior Debt Securities; Waiver of Defaults
If any other event of default with respect to a series of senior debt securities occurs, the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities of that series may declare the principal amount of the senior debt securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to us, and to the trustee if given by holders. Upon any such declaration, the principal amount of that series of senior debt securities will become immediately due and payable.
However, at any time after a declaration declaring the principal amount of a series of senior debt securities to be due and payable immediately has been made or any series of senior debt securities shall have otherwise become due and payable, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series of senior debt securities may, subject to conditions specified in the indentures, rescind and annul that declaration or acceleration and its consequences.
15
Table of Contents
Acceleration of Subordinated Debt Securities
As discussed above, payment of the principal amount of any series of subordinated debt securities shall be accelerated automatically in the case of certain events relating to the bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or receivership of us or the Bank (or any successor to the Bank). Payment of the principal amount of any series of subordinated debt securities, however, may not be accelerated if we default in the performance of any covenant or obligation with respect to those subordinated debt securities, including a default in the payment of principal of, and any premium or interest on, those subordinated debt securities.
Indemnification of the Trustee for Actions Taken on Your Behalf
Subject to the provisions of each indenture relating to the duties of the trustee, if an event of default then exists, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the applicable indenture at your request, order or direction, unless you have offered to the trustee reasonable security or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee. Subject to the provisions for the security or indemnification of the trustee and otherwise in accordance with the conditions specified in the applicable indenture, the holders of a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series issued under that indenture have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for and remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee in connection with the debt securities of such series.
Notice of Default
The trustee will, within 90 days after the occurrence of a default with respect to a series of debt securities, mail to the holders of such debt securities notice of such default relating to such series of debt securities, unless such default has been cured or waived. However, the Trust Indenture Act and each indenture permits the trustee to withhold notices of defaults (except for certain payment defaults) if the trustee in good faith determines that withholding of such notices to be in the interests of the holders.
We will furnish the trustee with an annual statement as to our compliance with the conditions and covenants in each indenture.
Legal Proceedings and Enforcement of Right of Payment
You will not have any right to institute any proceeding under or with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the applicable indenture, unless you have previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default with respect to the debt securities you hold. In addition, the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series must have made written request, and offered to the trustee such reasonable indemnity as it may require, to institute that proceeding as trustee, and, within 60 days following the receipt of that notice, the trustee must not have received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request, and must have failed to institute the proceeding. However, you will have an absolute right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, the debt securities you hold at the place, time, rates and in the currency expressed in the applicable indenture and the debt securities you hold and to institute a suit for the enforcement of that payment.
Modification of Indentures
We may enter into supplemental indentures for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of each indenture with respect to one or more series of debt securities issued thereunder with the consent of holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of all such series affected by such modification or amendment, voting as a single class. However, the consent of each holder affected is required for any amendment to:
| • | change the stated maturity of principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any debt security; |
16
Table of Contents
| • | in the case of the subordinated indenture, modify the provisions of the subordinated indenture with respect to the subordination provisions in a manner materially adverse to the holders of the subordinated debt securities; |
| • | adversely affect the right of any holder of the debt securities to convert or exchange any debt security into or for our common stock or other securities in accordance with the terms of such security; |
| • | reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest, if any, on any debt security or alter the manner of calculation of interest payable on any debt security; |
| • | reduce the principal amount or premium, if any, on any debt security; |
| • | make the principal of, and any premium or interest on, any debt security payable in a different currency; |
| • | reduce the percentage in principal amount of any series of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any supplemental indenture or to any waiver of any past default or event of default; |
| • | change any place of payment where the debt securities or interest thereon is payable; |
| • | modify the interest rate reset provision of any debt security; |
| • | impair the right of any holder of the debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, any debt securities on or after the respective due dates for such principal, premium or interest, or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, or reduce the amount of the principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon an acceleration of the maturity thereof, or adversely affect the right of repayment, if any, at the option of the holder, or extend the time for, or reduce the amount of, any payment to any sinking fund or analogous obligation relating to any debt security; or |
| • | modify provisions of the indentures relating to waiver of defaults or amendment of the indentures, except to increase the percentage in principal amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment or to provide that certain other provisions of the indentures cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected by the modification or waiver. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, holders of the debt securities of any series shall vote as a separate class with respect to modifications or amendments that affect only the debt securities of that series, and the holders of other series of debt securities shall not have any voting rights with respect to those matters as they relate to the debt securities of that series.
In addition, we and the trustee with respect to each indenture may enter into supplemental indentures without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of any series for one or more of the following purposes:
| • | to evidence that another corporation or limited liability company has become our successor and/or to add a co-obligor under the provisions of the applicable indenture relating to mergers, consolidations, sales, conveyances, transfers or other dispositions of assets described under “—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” in this prospectus, and that the successor or successors assume our covenants, agreements and obligations in the applicable indenture and in the debt securities issued thereunder; |
| • | to add to our covenants further covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders of all or any series of the debt securities as our board of directors and the trustee shall consider to be for the protection of the holders of those debt securities, and to make a default in any of these additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions a default or an event of default under the applicable indenture; |
| • | to establish the forms or terms of debt securities of any series; |
17
Table of Contents
| • | to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provisions that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision or to make such other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising under the applicable indenture that do not adversely affect the interests of the holders of such series of debt securities in any material respect; provided that any amendment made solely to conform the provisions of the applicable indenture to the description of the debt securities contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or other offering document pursuant to which the debt securities were sold will not be deemed to adversely affect the interests of the holders of that series of debt securities; |
| • | to modify or amend the applicable indenture to permit the qualification of the indentures or any supplemental indentures under the Trust Indenture Act as then in effect; |
| • | to provide for the issuance of additional debt securities of any series; |
| • | to provide for the exchange of any debt securities in global form represented by one or more global certificates for debt securities of the same series issued under the applicable indenture in definitive certificated form in the circumstances permitted by the terms of the applicable indenture and those debt securities, and to make all appropriate changes to the applicable indenture for that purpose; |
| • | to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the supplemental indentures in respect of one or more series of debt securities; provided that any such addition, change or elimination (i) shall not apply to, or modify the rights of any holder of, any debt security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indentures or (ii) shall become effective only when no debt securities of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indentures are outstanding; |
| • | to add guarantees with respect to any series of debt securities or to secure any series of debt securities; and |
| • | to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor or separate trustee with respect to the debt securities. |
Defeasance of Indentures
We have the right to terminate all of our obligations with respect to a series of debt securities under the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants” in this prospectus and under such other covenants for that series as may be established in the future in accordance with the terms of the applicable indenture and to provide that any event of default expressed to be subject to covenant defeasance under the applicable indenture shall no longer constitute an event of default under the applicable indenture with respect to that series of debt securities, following irrevocably depositing in trust with the trustee, as trust funds solely for the benefit of holders of debt securities of that series, money in an amount sufficient, U.S. government obligations the scheduled payments of principal and interest on which shall be sufficient, or a combination thereof sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification delivered to the trustee, without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay principal of, and any premium or interest on, the debt securities of that series to their maturity or redemption, as the case may be, and complying with certain other conditions, including delivery to the trustee of an opinion of counsel, to the effect that you will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of our exercise of such right and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case otherwise.
In addition, we have the right at any time to terminate all of our obligations under an indenture with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder, other than (i) your right to receive, solely from the trust fund described below, payments of principal of, and any premium or interest on, that series of debt securities when due and (ii) certain obligations relating to the defeasance trust and obligations to register the transfer or exchange of the debt securities, to replace mutilated, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain registrars and paying agents in respect of the debt securities, to pay compensation to, and expenses of, the trustee, and with respect to the
18
Table of Contents
resignation or removal of the trustee, following irrevocably depositing in trust with the trustee, as trust funds solely for the benefit of holders of debt securities of that series, money in an amount sufficient, U.S. government obligations the scheduled payments of principal and interest on which shall be sufficient, or a combination thereof sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification delivered to the trustee, without consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay principal of, and any premium or interest on, the debt securities of such series to their maturity or redemption, as the case may be, and complying with certain other conditions, including delivery to the trustee of a ruling received from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of counsel to the effect that you will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of our exercise of such right and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case otherwise, which, in the case of an opinion of counsel, is based upon a change in law after the date of the applicable indenture.
Original Issue Discount Securities
Debt securities may be sold at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount and may bear no interest or interest at a rate which at the time of issuance is below market rates. Important federal income tax consequences and special considerations applicable to those debt securities will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Indexed Securities
If the amount of payments of principal of, and any premium or interest on, debt securities of any series is determined with reference to any type of index or formula or changes in prices of particular securities or commodities, the federal income tax consequences, specific terms and other information with respect to those debt securities and that index or formula and securities or commodities will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Foreign Currencies
If the principal of, and any premium or interest on, debt securities of any series are payable in a foreign or composite currency, the restrictions, elections, federal income tax consequences, specific terms and other information with respect to those debt securities and that currency will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Satisfaction and Discharge
An indenture will generally cease to be of any further effect with respect to any series of debt securities issued thereunder, if:
| • | either (i) we have delivered to the trustee for cancellation all outstanding debt securities of that series (with certain limited exceptions), or (ii) all of the outstanding debt securities of that series not previously delivered to the trustee for cancellation have become due and payable, or are by their terms to become due and payable within one year, or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the trustee, and we have deposited with the trustee in trust, funds sufficient to pay at maturity or upon redemption all of the outstanding debt securities of that series; and |
| • | if, in either case, we also pay or cause to be paid all other sums then payable under the applicable indenture by us. |
Any monies and U.S. government obligations deposited with the trustee for payment of principal of, and any premium or interest on, the debt securities of any series and not applied but remaining unclaimed by the holders of the debt securities of that series for two years after the date upon which the principal of, and any premium or
19
Table of Contents
interest on, the debt securities of such series, as the case may be, shall have become due and payable, shall be repaid to us by the trustee on written demand. Thereafter, the holders of the debt securities of that series may look only to us for payment thereof.
Miscellaneous Provisions
Each indenture provides that certain debt securities, including those debt securities owned by us or any other obligor of the applicable debt securities or any person directly or indirectly controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with us or any other obligor of the applicable debt securities, will not be deemed to be “outstanding” in determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a particular series have given or taken any demand, direction, consent or other action under the indentures as of any date, or are present at a meeting of holders for quorum purposes.
We will be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the identity of holders of debt securities of any series issued under an indenture entitled to vote or consent (or to revoke any vote or consent) to any action under that indenture, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in that indenture.
Resignation and Removal of a Trustee
The trustee may resign with respect to an indenture at any time by giving written notice thereof to us.
Under certain circumstances, we may remove the trustee and appoint a successor trustee. The trustee may also be removed by act of the holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of one or more series issued and outstanding under the applicable indenture.
No resignation or removal of a trustee and no appointment of a successor trustee will become effective until the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee in accordance with the requirements of the indentures.
Governing Law
The senior indenture is, and the subordinated indenture and any debt securities issued under either indenture, and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to the indentures and the debt securities will be, governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Book-Entry System
Unless otherwise indicated in an applicable prospectus supplement, DTC, which we refer to along with its successors in this capacity as the “depositary,” will act as securities depositary for the debt securities. Unless otherwise indicated in an applicable prospectus supplement, each series of debt securities will be issued as fully-registered securities registered in the name of Cede & Co., the depositary’s nominee. One or more fully-registered global security certificates, representing the total aggregate principal amount of each series of the debt securities, will be issued with respect to each series of the debt securities and will be deposited with the depositary or its custodian and will bear a legend regarding the restrictions on exchanges and registration of transfer referred to below.
The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in the debt securities so long as the debt securities are represented by global security certificates.
Investors may elect to hold interests in the global debt securities through either DTC in the United States or Clearstream Banking S.A. (“Clearstream”) or Euroclear Bank SA/NV, as operator of the Euroclear System (the
20
Table of Contents
“Euroclear System”), in Europe if they are participants of such systems, or indirectly through organizations which are participants in such systems. Clearstream and the Euroclear System will hold interests on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s and the Euroclear System’s names on the books of their respective U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in the respective depositaries’ names on the books of DTC. Citibank N.A. will act as depositary for Clearstream and JPMorgan Chase Bank will act as depositary for the Euroclear System (in such capacities, the “U.S. Depositaries”).
The information in this section concerning the depositary, its book-entry system, Clearstream and the Euroclear System has been obtained from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we have not attempted to verify the accuracy of this information.
DTC
DTC has advised us that it is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act. The depositary holds securities that its participants deposit with the depositary. The depositary also facilitates the settlement among participants of securities transactions, including transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. Direct participants include both U.S. and non-U.S. securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations. Access to the depositary’s system is also available to others, including securities brokers and dealers, banks and trust companies that clear transactions through or maintain a direct or indirect custodial relationship with a direct participant either directly, or indirectly. The rules applicable to the depositary and its participants are on file with the SEC.
According to DTC, the foregoing information with respect to DTC has been provided to the financial community for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a representation, warranty or contract modification of any kind.
Clearstream
Clearstream has advised us that it is incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg as a professional depositary. Clearstream holds securities for its participating organizations (“Clearstream Participants”) and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between Clearstream Participants through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of Clearstream Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Clearstream provides to Clearstream Participants, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of internationally-traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. As a professional depositary, Clearstream is subject to regulation by the Luxembourg Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Sector (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier). Clearstream Participants are recognized financial institutions around the world, including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Clearstream is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Clearstream Participant, either directly or indirectly.
Distributions with respect to interests in the debt securities held beneficially through Clearstream will be credited to cash accounts of Clearstream Participants in accordance with its rules and procedures, to the extent received by the U.S. Depositary for Clearstream.
21
Table of Contents
The Euroclear System
The Euroclear System has advised us that it was created in 1968 to hold securities for participants of the Euroclear System (“Euroclear Participants”) and to clear and settle transactions between Euroclear Participants through simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities and cash. The Euroclear System includes various other services, including securities lending and borrowing and interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. The Euroclear System is operated by Euroclear Bank SA/NV (the “Euroclear Operator”). All operations are conducted by the Euroclear Operator, and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and Euroclear System cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear Operator. Euroclear Participants include banks (including central banks), securities brokers and dealers and other professional financial intermediaries and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to the Euroclear System is also available to other firms that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Euroclear Participant, either directly or indirectly.
Securities clearance accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear Operator are governed by the Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System, and applicable Belgian law (collectively, the “Terms and Conditions”). The Terms and Conditions govern transfers of securities and cash within the Euroclear System, withdrawals of securities and cash from the Euroclear System, and receipts of payments with respect to securities in the Euroclear System. All securities in the Euroclear System are held on a fungible basis without attribution of specific certificates to specific securities clearance accounts. The Euroclear Operator acts under the Terms and Conditions only on behalf of Euroclear Participants, and has no records of or relationship with persons holding through Euroclear Participants.
Distributions with respect to each series of debt securities held beneficially through the Euroclear System will be credited to the cash accounts of Euroclear Participants in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, to the extent received by the U.S. Depositary for the Euroclear System.
Definitive Certificate Form
We will issue debt securities in definitive certificated form in exchange for global securities if:
| • | the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary with respect to the applicable series of debt securities or the depositary ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in each case, a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days of such notice or of our becoming aware of that failure to be registered; |
| • | we determine at any time that the applicable series of debt securities will no longer be represented by global security certificates (in which case we will inform the depositary of such determination who will, in turn, notify participants of their right to withdraw their beneficial interest from the global security certificates representing such series of debt securities); or |
| • | any event shall have occurred and be continuing which, after notice or lapse of time, or both, would constitute an event of default with respect to the applicable series of debt securities, and that exchange is so requested by or on behalf of the depositary in accordance with customary procedures following the request of a beneficial owner seeking to exercise or enforce its rights under that series of debt securities. |
Any global debt security, or portion thereof, that is exchangeable pursuant to the foregoing paragraph will be exchangeable for debt security certificates, as the case may be, registered in the names directed by the depositary. We expect that these instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global security certificates.
As long as the depositary or its nominee is the registered owner of the global security certificates, the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner and holder of the global security
22
Table of Contents
certificates and all debt securities represented by these certificates for all purposes under the debt securities and the indentures. Except in the limited circumstances referred to above, owners of beneficial interests in global security certificates:
| • | will not be entitled to have the debt securities represented by these global security certificates registered in their names; and |
| • | will not be considered to be owners or holders of the global security certificates or any debt securities represented by these certificates for any purpose under the debt securities or the indentures. |
All payments on the debt securities represented by the global security certificates and all transfers and deliveries of related debt securities will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the holder of the debt securities.
Global Security Certificates
Ownership of beneficial interests in the global security certificates will be limited to participants or persons that may hold beneficial interests through institutions that have accounts with the depositary or its nominee. Ownership of beneficial interests in global security certificates will be shown only on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary or its nominee, with respect to participants’ interests, or any participant, with respect to interests of persons held by the participant on their behalf. Payments, transfers, deliveries, exchanges and other matters relating to beneficial interests in global security certificates may be subject to various policies and procedures adopted by the depositary from time to time. Neither we nor the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the depositary’s or any participant’s records relating to, or for payments made on account of, beneficial interests in global security certificates, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any of the depositary’s records or any participant’s records relating to these beneficial ownership interests.
Although the depositary has agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of interests in the global security certificates among participants, the depositary is under no obligation to perform or continue to perform these procedures, and these procedures may be discontinued at any time. We will not have any responsibility for the performance by the depositary or its direct participants or indirect participants under the rules and procedures governing the depositary.
Global Clearance and Settlement Procedures
Unless otherwise indicated in an applicable prospectus supplement, initial settlement for the debt securities will be made in immediately available funds. Secondary market trading between DTC participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with DTC’s rules and will be settled in immediately available funds using DTC’s Same-Day Funds Settlement System. Secondary market trading between Clearstream Participants and/or Euroclear Participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with the applicable rules and operating procedures of Clearstream and the Euroclear System, as applicable.
Cross-market transfers between persons holding directly or indirectly through DTC on the one hand, and directly or indirectly through Clearstream Participants or Euroclear Participants, on the other, will be effected through DTC in accordance with DTC rules on behalf of the relevant European international clearing system by its U.S. Depositary; however, such cross-market transactions will require delivery of instructions to the relevant European international clearing system by the counterparty in such system in accordance with its rules and procedures and within its established deadlines (European time). The relevant European international clearing system will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to its U.S. Depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving securities in DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Clearstream Participants and Euroclear Participants may not deliver instructions directly to their respective U.S. Depositaries.
23
Table of Contents
Because of time-zone differences, credits of debt securities received in Clearstream or the Euroclear System as a result of a transaction with a DTC participant will be made during subsequent securities settlement processing and dated the business day following the DTC settlement date. Such credits or any transactions in such debt securities settled during such processing will be reported to the relevant Euroclear Participant or Clearstream Participant on such business day. Cash received in Clearstream or the Euroclear System as a result of sales of the debt securities by or through a Clearstream Participant or a Euroclear Participant to a DTC participant will be received with value on the DTC settlement date but will be available in the relevant Clearstream or the Euroclear System cash account only as of the business day following settlement in DTC.
Although DTC, Clearstream and the Euroclear System have agreed to the foregoing procedures in order to facilitate transfers of debt securities among participants of DTC, Clearstream and the Euroclear System, they are under no obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be discontinued or changed at any time.
24
Table of Contents
We have provided below a summary description of our capital stock. This description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (our “certificate of incorporation”) and amended and restated bylaws (our “bylaws”). You should read the full text of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as the applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
References in this section to “we,” “us” and “our” refer to SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL and not to any of its subsidiaries.
General
Under our certificate of incorporation, we have authority to issue (i) 4,000,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and (ii) 300,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of July 18, 2022, we had 481,759,025 shares of common stock outstanding, and 750,000 shares of Series A preferred stock issued.
Common Stock
Voting Rights
Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of common stock are entitled to vote. Holders of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.
Dividend Rights
Subject to the prior rights of holders of preferred stock, if any, holders of common stock are entitled to receive, on a pro rata basis, such dividends and distributions, if any, as may be lawfully declared from time to time by our board of directors. Declaration and payment of dividends are subject to the discretion of our board of directors.
Other Rights
Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders of common stock will be entitled to receive such assets as are available for distribution to stockholders after there shall have been paid or set apart for payment of the full amounts necessary to satisfy any preferential or participating rights to which the holders of any outstanding series of preferred stock are entitled by the express terms of such series.
Listing
Our common stock has been authorized for listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SYF.”
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors has the authority, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the preferences, limitations and rights of the shares of each series, including:
| • | the designation of the series; |
25
Table of Contents
| • | the number of shares constituting the series; |
| • | dividend rights; |
| • | conversion or exchange rights; and |
| • | the terms of redemption and liquidation preferences. |
Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of the DGCL, Federal Reserve Board Regulations and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
The DGCL, Federal Reserve Board regulations and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may delay, deter, prevent or render more difficult a takeover attempt that our stockholders might consider to be in their best interests. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, these provisions may also adversely affect the prevailing market price for our common stock if they are viewed as limiting the liquidity of our common stock or discouraging takeover attempts in the future.
Federal Reserve Board Requirements
Under Federal Reserve Board regulations, takeover attempts, business combinations and certain acquisitions of our common stock may require the prior approval of or notice to the Federal Reserve Board. If an entity seeks to acquire, either acting alone or in concert with others, 25% or more of any class of our voting stock, acquire control of the election or appointment of a majority of the directors on our board of directors, or exercise a controlling influence over our management or policies, it would be required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. An existing bank holding company generally would need to obtain the Federal Reserve Board’s approval before acquiring 5% or more of any class of our voting stock. In addition, under other Federal Reserve Board regulations, if any individual or entity seeks to acquire, either acting alone or in concert with others, 25% or more of any class of our voting stock, the individual or entity generally is required to provide 60 days’ prior notice to the Federal Reserve Board. An individual or entity is presumed to control us, and therefore generally required to provide 60 days’ prior notice to the Federal Reserve Board, if the individual or entity acquires 10% or more of any class of our voting stock, although the individual or entity may seek to rebut the presumption of control based on the facts.
Authorized but Unissued Common and Preferred Stock
The existence of authorized and unissued common and preferred stock may enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and could thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive stockholders of opportunities to sell common stock they own at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Board of Directors
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed at any time with or without cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon.
Stockholder Action
Our certificate of incorporation provides that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of such holders and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such holders; provided, however, that any action required or permitted to be taken
26
Table of Contents
by the holders of any series of preferred stock, voting separately as a series or separately as a class with one or more other such series, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, to the extent expressly so provided by the applicable preferred stock designation.
Our certificate of incorporation also provides that, except as required by law and subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock, special meetings of our stockholders for any purpose or purposes may be called only (i) by or at the direction of our board of directors, any committee of our board of directors, our Chairman of the board of directors or our Chief Executive Officer or (ii) by our corporate secretary upon the written request of holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding common stock. No business other than that stated in the notice will be transacted at any special meeting. These provisions may have the effect of delaying consideration of a stockholder proposal until the next annual meeting.
Advance Notice Requirements for Nominations of Directors or Other Stockholder Proposals
Our bylaws require stockholders seeking to nominate persons for election as directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, or to bring other business before an annual or special meeting (other than a matter brought under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act), to provide timely notice in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice generally must be delivered to our corporate secretary, in the case of an annual meeting, not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. However, if the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after that anniversary date, or in the case of a special meeting, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received by our corporate secretary not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made by us of the date of such meeting.
A stockholder’s notice to our corporate secretary must be in proper written form and must set forth information related to the stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner (if any) on whose behalf the nomination is made, including:
| • | the name and record address of the stockholder and the beneficial owner; |
| • | information as to the ownership by the stockholder and the beneficial owner of our capital stock, derivative instruments, short positions and related information; |
| • | a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of our stock entitled to vote at that meeting and that the stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such nomination or business; and |
| • | a representation whether the stockholder or the beneficial owner intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of our outstanding capital stock required to elect the nominee, or otherwise to solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such nomination or proposal. |
As to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director, the notice shall include, among other information, the following:
| • | all information relating to the person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election contest, or otherwise required, pursuant to the Exchange Act; |
| • | the person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected; |
| • | a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made; |
27
Table of Contents
| • | the person’s written representation and agreement that: (i) except as has been disclosed to us, such person is not and will not become a party to any voting commitment or compensation, reimbursement or indemnification arrangement in connection with service as a director and (ii) such person would, if elected as a director, comply with all of our corporate governance, ethics, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines applicable generally to our directors; and |
| • | such other information as required under our bylaws. |
As to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, the notice shall include, among other information, the following:
| • | a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the complete text of any resolutions or bylaw amendment proposed for consideration), the reasons for conducting the business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such stockholder and beneficial owner on whose behalf the proposal is made; and |
| • | a description of all agreements, arrangements and understandings between the stockholder and beneficial owner and any other person or persons acting in concert with them in connection with the proposal. |
Exclusive Forum
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of another forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim pursuant to the DGCL or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Our certificate of incorporation further provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this provision. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as it now exists or may hereafter be amended, none of our directors will be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Under the DGCL as it now reads, such limitation of liability is not permitted:
| • | for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
| • | for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| • | for payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions under Section 174 of the DGCL; or |
| • | for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. |
Section 145 of the DGCL provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers, as well as other employees and individuals, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, that are incurred in connection with various actions, suits or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, known as a derivative
28
Table of Contents
action, if they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, if they had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such actions, and the statute requires court approval before there can be any indemnification if the person seeking indemnification has been found liable to the corporation. The statute provides that it is not exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted by a corporation’s bylaws, disinterested director vote, stockholder vote, agreement or otherwise.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that such person, or a person of whom such person is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of us, or has or had agreed to become a director of us, or, while a director or officer of us, is or was serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, whether the basis of such proceeding is the alleged action of such person in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, will be indemnified and held harmless by us to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL against all expense, liability and loss reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection therewith. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that we will pay the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition, subject to the provisions of the DGCL. These rights are not exclusive of any other right that any person may have or acquire under any statute, provision of our certificate of incorporation, bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. No repeal or modification of these provisions will in any way diminish or adversely affect the rights of any director or officer of us under our certificate of incorporation in respect of any occurrence or matter arising prior to any such repeal or modification. Our certificate of incorporation also specifically authorizes us to grant similar indemnification rights to our employees or agents and our bylaws authorize us to maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is an officer, director, employee or agent.
Delaware Business Combination Statute
Our certificate of incorporation does not exempt us from the application of Section 203 of the DGCL.
Section 203 of the DGCL provides that, subject to exceptions set forth therein, an interested stockholder of a Delaware corporation shall not engage in any business combination, including mergers or consolidations or acquisitions of additional shares of the corporation from the corporation, with the corporation for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder unless:
| • | prior to such time, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
| • | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder,” the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares; or |
| • | at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Except as otherwise set forth in Section 203 of the DGCL, an interested stockholder is defined to include:
| • | any person that is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation, or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within three years immediately prior to the date of determination; and |
| • | the affiliates and associates of any such person. |
29
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
We may offer depositary receipts for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fractional interest in a share of a particular series of a class of our preferred stock, as described in any applicable prospectus supplement. Preferred stock of each series of each class represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a separate deposit agreement among us, the preferred stock depositary named in the deposit agreement and the holders from time to time of our depositary receipts. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary receipt will be entitled, in proportion to the fractional interest of a share of the particular series of a class of our preferred stock represented by the depositary shares evidenced by such depositary receipt, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by those depositary shares (including dividend, voting, conversion, redemption and liquidation rights).
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the applicable deposit agreement. Immediately following our issuance and delivery of the preferred stock to the preferred stock depositary, we will cause the preferred stock depositary to issue, on our behalf, the depositary receipts.
The description in any applicable prospectus supplement will not necessarily be complete, and reference will be made to the relevant deposit agreement and depositary receipts, which will be filed with the SEC. Copies of the applicable form of deposit agreement and depositary receipt may be obtained from us upon request.
30
Table of Contents
We may issue warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock or preferred stock. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities. Warrants sold with other securities may be attached to or separate from the other securities. We will issue warrants under one or more warrant agreements between us and a warrant agent that we will name in any applicable prospectus supplement.
An applicable prospectus supplement relating to any warrants we are offering will describe the specific terms relating to the offering. These terms will include some or all of the following:
| • | the title of the warrants; |
| • | the aggregate number of warrants offered; |
| • | the designation, number and terms of the debt securities, common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of the warrants and procedures by which those numbers may be adjusted; |
| • | the exercise price of the warrants; |
| • | the dates or periods during which the warrants are exercisable; |
| • | the designation and terms of any securities with which the warrants are issued; |
| • | if the warrants are issued as a unit with another security, the date on and after which the warrants and the other security will be separately transferable; |
| • | if the exercise price is not payable in U.S. dollars, the foreign currency, currency unit or composite currency in which the exercise price is denominated; |
| • | any minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any one time; |
| • | any terms relating to the modification of the warrants; and |
| • | any terms, procedures and limitations relating to the transferability, exchange or exercise of the warrants. |
The description in an applicable prospectus supplement will not necessarily be complete, and reference will be made to the relevant warrant agreements, which will be filed with the SEC.
31
Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS
We may issue stock purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and us to sell to the holders, a specified number of shares of our common stock or preferred stock at a future date or dates (the “Stock Purchase Contracts”). The price per share of shares of our common stock or preferred stock and number of shares of our common stock or preferred stock may be fixed at the time the Stock Purchase Contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula set forth in the Stock Purchase Contracts. The Stock Purchase Contracts may be issued separately or as a part of units consisting of a Stock Purchase Contract and our debt securities or debt obligations of third parties, securing the holders’ obligations to purchase the shares of our common stock or preferred stock under the Stock Purchase Contracts, which we refer to in this prospectus as “Stock Purchase Units.” The Stock Purchase Contracts may require holders to secure their obligations thereunder in a specified manner. The Stock Purchase Contracts also may require us to make periodic payments to the holders of the Stock Purchase Units or vice-versa and such payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis.
An applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any Stock Purchase Contracts or Stock Purchase Units. The description in any applicable prospectus supplement will not necessarily be complete, and reference will be made to the Stock Purchase Contracts, and, if applicable, collateral or depositary arrangements, relating to the Stock Purchase Contracts or Stock Purchase Units. Material United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the Stock Purchase Units and the Stock Purchase Contracts will also be discussed in an applicable prospectus supplement.
32
Table of Contents
We or, if applicable, a selling securityholder, may sell the offered securities inside and outside the United States from time to time (a) through underwriters or dealers, (b) directly to one or more purchasers, including our affiliates, (c) through agents, or (d) through a combination of any of these methods. An applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the offering of the applicable securities and the method of distribution of those securities, including the following information, if applicable:
| • | the names of any underwriters or agents; |
| • | the name or names of any managing underwriter or underwriters; |
| • | the purchase price of the securities from us; |
| • | the net proceeds to us from the sale of the securities; |
| • | any delayed delivery arrangements; |
| • | any underwriting discounts, commissions and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation; |
| • | any initial public offering price; |
| • | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
| • | any commissions paid to agents. |
General
Underwriters, dealers, agents and remarketing firms that participate in the distribution of the offered securities may be “underwriters” as defined in the Securities Act. Any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profits they receive on the resale of the offered securities may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. We will identify any underwriters, agents or dealers and describe their commissions, fees or discounts in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Sale Through Underwriters or Dealers
If we use underwriters in a sale, they will acquire the offered securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. These sales will be made at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of the sale.
We may offer the securities to which this prospectus relates to the public through an underwriting syndicate or through a single underwriter.
Unless any applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to certain conditions contained in an underwriting agreement that we will enter into with the underwriters. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities of the series offered if any of the securities are purchased, unless an applicable prospectus supplement says otherwise. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed, re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
If we use dealers in a sale of securities, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. We will include in an applicable prospectus supplement the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.
Direct Sales and Sales Through Agents
We may choose to sell the offered securities directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. We may also sell the securities through agents we designate from time to time. In an applicable
33
Table of Contents
prospectus supplement, we will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities, and we will describe any commissions payable by us to the agent. Unless we inform you otherwise in an applicable prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.
We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. We will describe the terms of any such sales in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Delayed Delivery Contracts
If we so indicate in an applicable prospectus supplement, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of institutions to purchase securities from us at the public offering price under delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in an applicable prospectus supplement. An applicable prospectus supplement will describe the commission payable for solicitation of those contracts.
Indemnification
We may have agreements with agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms and each of their respective affiliates to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms, and their affiliates, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business. This includes commercial banking and investment banking transactions.
Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions
Unless any applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, each series of offered securities will be a new issue and will have no established trading market. We may elect to apply to list any series of offered securities on an exchange. Any underwriters that we use in the sale of offered securities may make a market in those securities, but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the offered securities will have a liquid trading market.
In connection with the distribution of the securities offered under this prospectus, we may enter into swap or other hedging transactions with, or arranged by, underwriters or agents or their affiliates, which may include short sales of the securities by counterparties or option, forward or other types of transactions that require delivery of securities to a counterparty, who may resell or transfer the securities offered under this prospectus.
Underwriters and others who are deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities, including the entry of stabilizing bids or syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids. Any such underwriters and distribution participants may be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the associated rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, including Regulation M, which provisions may limit the timing of purchases and sales of shares by the selling securityholders. Furthermore, under Regulation M, persons engaged in a distribution of securities are prohibited from simultaneously engaging in market making and certain other activities with respect to such securities for a specified period of time prior to the commencement of such distributions, subject to special exceptions or exemptions. In addition, the anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of the securities in the market. All of these limitations may affect the marketability of the securities and the ability of any person to engage in market-making activities with respect to the securities.
34
Table of Contents
Selling Securityholder
A selling securityholder may use this prospectus in connection with the offering of our securities for resale. An applicable prospectus supplement will identify the selling securityholder and the terms of the securities offered for resale. A selling securityholder may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the securities it resells and any profits on the resales may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. A selling securityholder will receive all the proceeds, and we will not receive any proceeds, from resales by that selling securityholder.
35
Table of Contents
The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Sidley Austin LLP, New York, New York.
The consolidated financial statements for SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL and its subsidiaries at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 have been incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
36
Table of Contents
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
| Item 14. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution |
The expenses, other than underwriting commissions, expected to be incurred in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered under this registration statement are estimated to be as follows:
SEC Registration Fee | * | |||
Trustee Fees and Expenses | * | * | ||
Printing Fees and Expenses | * | * | ||
Legal Fees and Expenses | * | * | ||
Accountants’ Fees and Expenses | * | * | ||
Rating Agency Fees | * | * | ||
Listing Fees | * | * | ||
Miscellaneous | * | * | ||
|
| |||
Total | $ | |||
|
|
| * | Omitted because the registration fee is being deferred pursuant to Rule 456(b) and 457(r). |
| ** | These fees are calculated based on the number of issuances and amount of securities offered and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time. |
| Item 15. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers |
Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) provides that a corporation may indemnify any person, including directors and officers, as well as employees and agents, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed actions, suits or proceedings in which such person is made a party by reason of such person being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation. Section 145 of the DGCL provides that the rights contained therein are not exclusive of other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.
Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or (iv) for any transactions from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.
The certificate of incorporation of SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL (the “Registrant”) provides that the Registrant will indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law and that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, no director shall be liable for monetary damages to the Registrant or its stockholders for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director.
The Registrant has obtained industry standard policies of insurance under which coverage is provided to its directors and officers against legal liability for loss which is not indemnified arising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act while acting in their capacity as directors and officers of the Registrant. Further, the Registrant entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers which would require it, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities which may arise by reason of their status or service as a director or officer and to advance to them expenses, subject to reimbursement to the Registrant if it is determined that they are not entitled to indemnification.
II-1
Table of Contents
In addition, any underwriting agreement that the Registrant may enter into in connection with the sale of any securities registered hereunder may provide for indemnification of the Registrant, its directors, certain of its officers and certain persons who control the Registrant by the underwriters against certain liabilities. To the extent that the Registrant enters into any such underwriting agreement, it will file it as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K, which will be incorporated by reference into this registration statement.
| Item 16. | Exhibits |
EXHIBIT INDEX
II-2
Table of Contents
| * | To be filed by amendment or by a report on Form 8-K pursuant to Regulation S-K, Item 601(b). |
Item 17. Undertakings
The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
II-3
Table of Contents
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement;
provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference into the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;
II-4
Table of Contents
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
(6) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(7) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the indemnification provisions described herein, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(8) To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.
II-5
Table of Contents
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Stamford, State of Connecticut, on the 21st day of July, 2022.
| SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL | ||
| By: | /s/ Brian D. Doubles | |
| Name: | Brian D. Doubles | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Brian D. Doubles, Brian J. Wenzel, Sr. and Jonathan S. Mothner, and each of them acting individually, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to execute for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, as the attorney-in-fact and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and any other documents required in connection therewith with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents and their substitutes, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated below on July 21, 2022:
Signature | Title | |
/s/ Brian D. Doubles (Brian D. Doubles) | Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | |
/s/ Brian J. Wenzel, Sr. (Brian J. Wenzel, Sr.) | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) | |
/s/ David P. Melito (David P. Melito) | Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer) | |
/s/ Fernando G. Aguirre (Fernando G. Aguirre) | Director | |
/s/ Paget L. Alves (Paget L. Alves) | Director | |
/s/ Kamila Chytil (Kamila Chytil) | Director | |
/s/ Arthur W. Coviello, Jr. (Arthur W. Coviello, Jr.) | Director | |
II-6
Table of Contents
Signature | Title | |
/s/ William W. Graylin (William W. Graylin) | Director | |
/s/ Roy A. Guthrie (Roy A. Guthrie) | Director | |
/s/ Margaret M. Keane (Margaret M. Keane) | Director | |
/s/ Jeffrey G. Naylor (Jeffrey G. Naylor) | Director | |
/s/ Bill Parker (Bill Parker) | Director | |
/s/ Laurel J. Richie (Laurel J. Richie) | Director | |
/s/ Ellen M. Zane (Ellen M. Zane) | Director | |
II-7