Credit Builders:
More Than Your Score

Beyond the algorithm lies the truth: you’re more than your credit score. Synchrony is showcasing the technology and talent that see the whole picture.

From Invisible to Unstoppable:
An Innovator’s Drive to Redefine Creditworthiness

Fifteen years ago, Anita Chalkley arrived in America from Australia and realized that her entire financial history had been rendered invisible. A homeowner with a stellar credit track record, she suddenly found her history no longer counted.

Chalkley’s story mirrors that of millions of Americans who find themselves trapped in what financial experts call the “credit invisible” limbo. 45 million U.S. adults have no credit history, creating a significant barrier to financial opportunity.

But Chalkley realized that in some ways, she was one of the lucky credit invisibles – not everyone has cash to put down as a security for a secured card, particularly when they are starting over or just entering the financial world, and not everyone understands how a credit score works.

Chalkley's personal experience has shaped her professional mission at Synchrony, where she now leads the Credit Acquisitions team. Her group innovates credit underwriting using PRISM, a leading data processing system that evaluates thousands of financial indicators—giving a more complete picture of a person than standard benchmarks ever could.

"We asked ourselves: what if we could see the whole person, not just their credit score?" Chalkley explains.

PRISM uses a holistic approach to provide a truer picture of a consumer’s creditworthiness than the credit report. By identifying those who deserve more — or less — credit than a credit report would suggest, PRISM helps people finance things they want and need while protecting them from becoming overextended.

The unique technology represents a fundamental shift in credit evaluation. Traditional credit scoring systems often fail to recognize the financial responsibility of young professionals, immigrants, freelancers, and others whose financial lives don’t fit neatly into conventional categories. "It's like looking at someone's financial life in high definition instead of a single snapshot," Chalkley notes.

The impact extends far beyond individual credit decisions. By opening up new pathways to financial access, PRISM creates ripple effects throughout communities. Small businesses gain access to crucial startup capital. More residents can invest in housing and local economies. The technology becomes a tool for economic empowerment.

One turning point in Synchrony’s journey to expand financial access has been their involvement in Project REACh, a government program that promotes financial inclusion through greater access to credit. Created by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Project REACh and the participating banks have already helped approve more than 100,000 accounts and Synchrony has originated more than half of them. Even more remarkable: within a year, nearly half of these customers achieve prime credit scores, validating Synchrony’s belief that many credit invisibles can be responsible borrowers.

As Chalkley looks to the future, she sees a financial system that works for everyone, not just those with traditional credit histories. "When we developed PRISM and started our partnership with Project REACh, some people said our goals were too ambitious," she recalls. "But the results speak for themselves. We’re not just transforming the system – we're transforming real lives and futures. And we're just getting started."

PRISM: A Deeper Look at How Synchrony is Transforming Credit Decisioning

What if the financial system could see beyond your credit score to the full story of your financial life? What if more people had more access to responsible lending opportunities? These are some of the questions driving Synchrony's unique approach to credit decisioning.

All across the country, responsible Americans are being overlooked because they don’t have traditional credit histories. Some maintain steady jobs and never miss a rent payment. Others faithfully pay utilities and keep healthy checking account balances. Yet traditional credit scores often miss these signs of financial responsibility, leaving millions of Americans unable to access the credit they deserve.

That’s why Synchrony designed PRISM, a credit decisioning system that sees beyond the numbers. While other lenders might stop at a credit score, PRISM looks deeper. It considers the full picture of someone's financial life – from consistent rent payments to steady income patterns, from banking relationships to bill payment history.

Traditional credit scoring might look at five or ten data points. PRISM examines thousands, including income stability, payment consistency, banking behaviors, and transaction patterns. Leveraging anonymized data from Synchrony’s 70 million account holders and 400,000 merchant partners, the platform draws from an unprecedented wealth of predictive financial information. PRISM then creates a 360-degree view of financial responsibility that goes far beyond a simple credit score. This technology helps Synchrony say “yes” when other lenders might say “no,” providing credit lines that match people’s true creditworthiness.

The impact ripples through everyday lives. It's the young teacher getting their first credit card. The parent financing their child's dental work. The recent graduate furnishing their first apartment. For each, PRISM's broader view creates opportunities that might otherwise be denied.

Many Synchrony team members understand the importance of credit access firsthand. Anita Chalkley, Senior Vice President of Credit Acquisitions and a driving force behind PRISM, had to rebuild her credit from scratch when she arrived from Australia because credit scores don't transfer between countries. Chalkley has turned her personal challenge into professional purpose — driving PRISM’s continued evolution and aim to create a system focused on seeing the complete financial picture of each applicant.

At its heart, PRISM transforms credit evaluation from a simple yes-or-no decision into a more nuanced understanding of human financial behavior. It's not just about offering credit – it's about offering credit that's right for each person, helping them move forward while protecting them from financial pitfalls. PRISM also identifies risky consumer behavior that other issuers might overlook, enabling Synchrony to do its part in helping consumers from overextending themselves.

It is an excellent example of using data and proprietary analytics to better understand the purchases of more than 70 million consumer credit accounts.

The full potential of PRISM is only just starting to be seen. The platform continues to evolve, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in credit decisioning. Every approval, every success story, helps teach the financial system more about what responsible credit use looks like. PRISM isn’t just evaluating credit worthiness – it’s redefining it for the modern economy.

In a world of complex financial technologies, PRISM aims to offer a clear promise: credit that truly understands you.

Extending Credit to Build Credit: Synchrony’s Partnership with Project REACh

Everyone deserves a chance to build credit, but millions of Americans face a frustrating catch-22: they need credit to build credit.

Without a credit score, simple things can become major hurdles: renting an apartment, getting a phone plan, even landing certain jobs. Yet traditional lending systems often can’t see past that missing score.

Enter Project REACh (Roundtable for Economic Access and Change), a groundbreaking program dedicated to supporting credit fairness led by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency under the Treasury Department that brings together leaders from banking, business, technology, and national civil rights organizations to reduce barriers to full, equal, and fair participation in the economy.

Project REACh represents a fundamental shift in credit evaluation. Instead of focusing on what people don't have – a credit score – it looks at what they do have: reliable cashflow and bank account management.

The results tell a powerful story. More than 50,000 Americans have received their first credit card through Synchrony’s work with Project REACh. And the results speak for themselves. Within 12 months, nearly half of these first-time cardholders achieved prime credit scores, demonstrating Synchrony’s belief that many credit invisibles can responsibly manage credit if given the opportunity. New cardholders typically start with modest credit limits that align with their financial situations. This careful approach helps prevent overextension while still providing enough credit to build a meaningful history.

As Project REACh gains momentum, the initiative continues to evolve and expand its approach. The success of leveraging programs like PRISM, Synchrony’s alternative credit assessment technology, demonstrates that financial inclusion is not just socially responsible, it’s good for our economy.

The financial industry is increasingly recognizing that traditional credit assessment methods leave too many capable, responsible Americans on the sidelines.

For the millions of Americans still struggling with credit invisibility, Project REACh represents more than just access to a credit card – it’s an on-ramp to full participation in the market. And for financial partners like Synchrony, it’s a powerful reminder that when we remove artificial barriers and focus on real-world indicators of financial responsibility, everyone wins.