Card balances fell by 1.5% in the first quarter from the previous three months, according to data released by TransUnion. Balances remain near a record high and are up 19% from a year earlier.

The retail behemoth alleged in a lawsuit last month that Capital One fell short on customer service. But the McLean, Virginia-based bank says ending the partnership would open a path for a rival offering from a Walmart-backed fintech venture.

Discover, Capital One and other issuers began effortlessly reaping strong deposit inflows months before the banking crisis. The trend may not last much longer.

The credit card firm attracted new business in part from the consumers who were moving their funds over from traditional banks.

The card network has a new policy to determine who pays when consumers dispute certain e-commerce transactions, but many smaller sellers are unaware of new requirements and may run afoul of them.

Despite slower new-account growth, the card network had healthy overall sales, loan growth and deposit inflows in the first quarter. The performance gave credence to its ambitions to become a digital banking giant.

The card network says it is prepared to act on any new demand created by the recent banking crisis or possible economic downturn even though it reported slower growth in small-merchant card spending in the first quarter.

Reacting to a sharp uptick in charge-offs, Synchrony more than doubled its provision for credit losses during the first quarter to account for further shocks along with healthy loan-portfolio growth as more consumers revolve credit card balances.

The world's largest retailer sued Capital One over their four-year-old credit card partnership, saying the bank failed to meet customer service standards. The McLean, Virginia-based bank disputed the allegations, and analysts said that the firm could compensate by landing new credit card partnerships or cutting back on marketing expenses.

The new offering will allow consumers to finance purchases of gear, parts, maintenance and fuel for ATVs, boats and motorcycles. The powersports sector has enjoyed strong growth since the early days of the pandemic.

Credit card issuers say they need more time to respond to the substantial data request made by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its proposal to slash late fees.

Goldman Sachs said that investigations and inquiries into its credit-card business has expanded beyond the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to include other government agencies.

If the industry's largest players reported more payment information to the credit bureaus, many consumers would qualify for better offers from competitors, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. It's the latest example of the bureau's increased scrutiny of credit card companies.

About 3% of borrowers in their 20s and 30s became seriously delinquent on their credit card payments last quarter, significantly faster than older consumers. The picture was similar in auto lending, according to research by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The San Francisco bank entered into a multiyear partnership with Choice Hotels, which operates brands such as Radisson, Comfort and Econo Lodge. The company had previously partnered on its credit cards with Barclays.

A core issue in the upcoming fight over late fees involves what data is being collected on card issuers' costs and losses associated with late payments.

A plan released Wednesday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was more aggressive than anticipated, leading to share price declines at Synchrony Financial, Capital One and Bread Financial. "This skews toward the worst-case scenario," one analyst wrote.