United Fire Group, Inc

Good day and welcome to the United Fire Group Insurance 2026 second quarter conference call. All participants will be in listen only mode. Should you need assistance, please signal a conference specialist by pressing the star key followed by zero. After today's presentation, there will be an opportunity to ask questions. To ask a question, you may press star then one on a touch tone phone. To withdraw your question, please press star, then two. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Tim Borst. Please go ahead.

Good morning and thank you for joining this call. Yesterday afternoon, we issued a press release on our results. To find a copy of this document, please visit our website at ufginsurance.com. Press releases and slides are located under the Investors tab. Joining me today on the call are UFG President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Leidwinger, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Julie Stephenson, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Eric Martin. Before I turn the call over to Kevin, a couple of reminders. First, please note that our presentation today may include forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the company, the industry in which we operate, and beliefs and assumptions made by management. The company cautions investors that any forward looking statement includes risks and uncertainties and are not a guarantee of future performance. Any forward looking statement made by us in this presentation is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, and the company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. The actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors which are described in our press release and SEC filings discussed specifically in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K. Also, please note that in our discussion today, we may use some non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of these measures to the most comparable GAAP measures are also available in our press release and SEC filings. At this time, I will turn the call over to Mr. Kevin Leidwinger, CEO of UFG Insurance.

Good morning and thank you for joining UFG's second quarter 2026 earnings call. I'm pleased to report another quarter of exceptional performance for UFG. Our team delivered outstanding results across the organization, achieving our best second quarter combined ratio in more than 15 years, record net income, record net written premium, and our highest level of investment income in over a decade. These results reflect the success of the strategic actions we've taken to transform the company. By deepening our underwriting expertise, evolving our capabilities, strengthening alignment with our distribution partners, and improving investment performance, we continue to create meaningful value for our stakeholders. These efforts are driving sustained improvements in UFG's financial and operational performance while positioning the company for long-term success. While we achieved several notable performance milestones in the quarter, I am particularly encouraged by the strength of our underwriting results. Our combined ratio was the best for a second quarter in more than 15 years, reflecting disciplined risk selection, appropriate pricing relative to exposure, and the continued successful execution of our catastrophe management strategy. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our underwriting approach and our commitment to delivering consistent profitability. Investment income was also a significant contributor to our performance, reaching its highest quarterly level in more than 10 years. The strength of our portfolio, combined with favorable market conditions, continued to support earnings growth. Together, strong underwriting execution and improved investment returns produced another quarter of excellent financial results. Beyond our second quarter achievements, we delivered a 13.2% return on equity for the first six months of 2026, representing our best year-to-date financial performance in 20 years. This milestone highlights the progress we've made in building a more profitable, resilient, and higher performing organization. As we look forward to the second half of the year, we remain confident in our ability to navigate evolving market conditions. Our deep underwriting expertise, strong agency relationships, and disciplined operating approach position us well to continue delivering profitable growth and creating long-term value. Before I turn the call over to Julie, I want to thank our employees, agency partners, and policyholders for their continued trust, commitment, and support. Their dedication is fundamental to our success, and I'm proud of all we've accomplished together. With that, I'll turn the call over to Julie to review the quarter in greater detail. Thank you.