Walmart

After rising between 2016 and 2018, the card issuer's charge-off rates are now steady. The trend reflects both the impact of tighter underwriting standards and the continued resilience of U.S. consumers.

In selling its Walmart credit card portfolio to Capital One and extending a partnership with Sam’s Club that appeared to be in peril, Synchrony Financial avoids an expensive legal battle with the world’s largest retailer.

As part of the agreement with HSN, Synchrony has also extended its partnerships with HSN affiliates QVC and the e-commerce site Zulily.

The Stamford, Conn., issuer of store credit cards has two potential options after the retail giant chose to partner with Capital One. But the decision over which path to take is out of its hands.