Dateline:
Stamford, Conn.

March 11, 2016 – Stamford, CT

Synchrony Financial is proud to support MARVEL’S CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR – GIRLS REFORMING THE FUTURE competition, which launches today. The contest seeks to empower young girls in grades 10-12 nationwide to explore their potential to reform the future with positive world change through STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Also supported by the National Academy of Sciences, girls are asked to develop innovative projects with the potential of changing the world and submit videos demonstrating and describing their projects. A panel of science and technology experts, including Synchrony Financial Executive Vice President and CIO, Carol Juel, will select the top five finalists, who will have the opportunity to go to California for the red carpet premiere of MARVEL’S CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, to meet with talent and sponsors on the red carpet. In addition, each of the five finalists will receive $500.00 deposited into a High Yield Savings account with Synchrony Bank. Sue Davis-Gillis, Consumer Banking Leader, explains, “Synchrony Bank is thrilled to support this initiative that will nurture the love for STEM and help prepare young women in high school, for a positive future.” The winning entrant, who will receive an internship experience with Marvel Studios, will be announced at the premiere.

Inspired by the strong, independent female characters in MARVEL’S CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, this contest aims to inspire young girls to create positive world change for their generation and beyond through science and technology.

A champion for women in business, Synchrony Financial’s President and CEO, Margaret Keane, exemplifies strong female leadership and is passionate about innovative technology’s ability to drive our business forward and make an impact on our society. Toni White, Synchrony Financial’s Executive Vice President and CMO, as well as the executive sponsor of the company’s Women’s Network notes, “A legacy isn’t just ‘passing down’ help and learning from those who went before you, it is also ‘pulling up’ ideas and learning from women in all stages of life.”

Especially as it relates to careers in STEM fields such as financial technology, there is an urgent need to address the gender gap. In middle school, 74% of girls express interest in STEM, but when choosing a college major, just 0.4% of high school girls select computer science[1].  Statistics show that girls who get exposed to technology at 14 years old are more likely to pursue a career in technology than girls who are 18. Earlier this year Synchrony Financial also partnered with Girls Who Code, an organization that aims to inspire and interest young women to pursue careers in technology. Carol Juel is excited about the opportunity to further address this important need.  She explains, “Exposing young women to science and technology in a positive way during their formative years is key to driving innovation and meeting the demands for a tech-savvy workforce of the future.”

Synchrony Financial is committed to developing, mentoring and inspiring women to achieve their career goals at all ages and thrilled to partner with Marvel to empower girls to explore their potential.

About Synchrony Bank:

Synchrony Bank is part of Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF), one of the nation’s premier consumer financial services companies. Our roots in consumer finance trace back to 1932, and today we are the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on purchase volume and receivables.^* 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 to help generate growth for our partners and offer financial flexibility to our customers. Through our partners’ over 350,000 locations across the United States and Canada, and their websites and mobile applications, we offer our customers a variety of credit products to finance the purchase of goods and services. Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance) offers private label and co-branded Dual Card^™ credit cards, promotional financing and installment lending, loyalty programs and FDIC-insured savings products through Synchrony Bank. More information can be found at http://www.synchronyfinancial.com, http://facebook.com/SynchronyFinancial and http://twitter.com/SYFNews.

^*Source: The Nilson Report (April, 2015, Issue # 1062) - based on 2014 data.

[1] Girls Who Code, 2016, (http://girlswhocode.com/about-us/#section2)