ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc.

Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us and welcome to the Connect One Bancorp, Inc. third quarter 2026 earnings call. After today's prepared remarks, we will host a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one to raise your hand. To withdraw your question, press star one again. I will now hand the conference over to Siya Vansia, Chief Brand and Innovation Officer. Siya, please go ahead.

Good morning and welcome to today's conference call to review Connect One's results for the third quarter of 2026 and to update you on recent developments. On today's conference call will be Frank Sorrentino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Bill Burns, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. I'd like to caution you that we may make forward-looking statements during today's conference call that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations are detailed in our SEC filings. The forward-looking statements included in this conference call are only made as of the date of this call and the company is not obligated to publicly update or revise them. In addition, certain terms used in this call are non-GAAP financial measures, reconciliations of which are provided in the company's earnings release and accompanying tables or schedules, which have been filed today on Form 8K with the SEC and may also be accessed through the company's website. I will now turn the call over to Frank Sorrentino. Frank, please go ahead.

Thank you, Siya, and good morning everyone. I'm pleased to report that during the third quarter, we continue to drive strong core operating performance and momentum across the franchise. We also took a decisive step to strengthen our balance sheet and enhance our capacity for future growth. When we acquired First of Long Island, we gained a terrific franchise, deep deposit, deep client relationships, and a strong deposit base. The acquisition also included a portfolio of high-quality, non-relationship, multifamily loans. Last quarter, we told you we were evaluating a bulk sale, and we're pleased to announce we've executed a definitive agreement to sell up to approximately $750 million of those multifamily loans. The transaction, which emphasizes the sale of rent-stabilized assets, accomplishes several strategic objectives at once. It sharpens our focus on what we do best, serving core banking clients and deepening those connections while further aligning our balance sheet with our relationship-focused banking strategy. Bancorp, Inc. Operating PPNR crossed 2% of average assets and operating return on tangible common equity exceeded 15%. Core deposit growth was exceptional this quarter. Client deposits grew at an annualized pace of 11%, led by 14% growth in average non-interest bearing demand, reflecting the staying power of our homegrown relationship banking culture. Our margin widened again despite higher short-term rates and stiff competition for deposits. The pace of margin widening is steady and loan repricing continues to work in our favor. On efficiency, expenses were flat for the quarter, a reflection of our culture. We're always looking for ways to work smarter and our investments in technology, including agentic workflows, are freeing our bankers to spend more time serving our clients. Efficiency has always been one of our core strengths and our efforts continue to improve this quality. Credit quality improved across the board. Operating charge-offs were just a few basis points and non-performing assets declined. Following the loan sale, the remaining rent-stabilized loans represent a much smaller, well-reserved portion of our total loan portfolio. To provide full clarity and details, Bill will give you some more specifics on the remaining portfolio. On capital, we remain disciplined stewards. Restructuring enhances our flexibility to support organic growth, return capital through dividends and opportunistic buybacks, and pursue the most advantageous path to redeem our preferred stocks. Overall, our third quarter performance clearly demonstrates the strength of our franchise. And looking ahead, we enter the final quarter of the year with a more liquid balance sheet, growing earnings profile, and a team focused on what we do best, serving our clients. Bill, why don't you walk us through the quarter's financial performance in a little bit more detail?