Amerant Bancorp Inc.

Greetings. Welcome to the Amarant's second quarter 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in listen-only mode. The question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your telephone keypad. Please note that this conference is being recorded. At this time, I'll turn the conference over to Laura Rossi, Head of Investor Relations and Strategy. Thank you, Laura. You may now begin.

Thank you, Operator. Good morning everyone and thank you for joining us to review AMRA and Bancorp's second quarter 2026 results. On today's call are Carlos Iafigliola, our President and CEO, and Sharymar Calderon, our CFO. As we begin, please note that discussions on today's call contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Exchange Act. In addition, we will also refer to non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to the company's earnings release for a statement regarding forward-looking statements, as well as for information and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures. I will now turn it over to our CEO, Carlos Iafigliola.

Thank you, Laura, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today to discuss Ameren's second quarter 2026 results. Before turning to our results, I would like to acknowledge the devastating impact of the earthquakes that struck Venezuela this past month. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the families and communities impacted as they begin the difficult work of recovery and rebuilding. With that important context, let me turn to our second quarter results, and more importantly, the progress we're making against the strategic priorities that are reshaping Ameren's progression. Our objective is clear. Stabilize the business, strengthen the foundation, and positioning the company for disciplined, sustainable growth and improved shareholder value. I want to spend a few minutes providing additional clarity on the four strategic initiatives that are driving this work, the intention behind each, and the tangible progress we have made during the second quarter. First, transforming credit. As I shared in previous calls, this is our highest priority initiative, given its connection to current and prospective asset quality, capital efficiency, and predictability of future earnings. Our objective here is to continue developing our credit capabilities to support profitable and sustainable growth through stronger risk selection practices. During the second quarter, we revised our credit policy and procedures, including approval authorities and key product programs. and completed the loan origination stage revamp. We also continue to optimize our portfolio by exiting select exposures, out of footprint loans and criticized credits, which contributed to the decline in special mention and classified loans we reported during this quarter. Second, operational efficiency. This initiative is about simplifying how we operate. We are standardizing, streamlining, and digitizing end-to-end processes to remove structural costs, increase capacity, and deliver faster, more reliable client services at scale. To this end, we're happy to report that we have identified multiple use cases for AI that will enhance our productivity in the near future. During the second quarter, we identified additional cost savings initiatives that are expected to materialize in the fourth quarter and support continued improvement in the efficiency ratio. This gives us greater confidence in our path towards a more scalable operating model and reflects our commitment to structurally decreasing our expenses versus previous years. Third, relationship first. This strategic initiative is designed to deepen existing client relationships through an integrated sales model that coordinates private and commercial banking with our advisory and treasury management capabilities to increase cross-sell, boost fee income, and improve overall client profitability. During the quarter, we advanced this work by strengthening CRM tracking and referral discipline. Improving coordination across client-facing teams and focusing execution on opportunities to grow revenue. Fourth, Grow the Bank. This initiative is about growing balance and revenues with sustainability within our core markets at a pace consistent with our risk appetite and return objectives. In 2Q, we continue to prioritize long growth in Florida, our core market, and a more granular CNI production, as well as select residential mortgage growth. On the deposit side, momentum remains strong with total deposits increasing over 400 million, primarily driven by international deposit growth. Having a source of low-cost funding becomes a great attribute within our competitive environment. This performance reflects the strength of our international franchise The depth of our long-standing client relationships and the clear advantage of our differentiated business model. We continue to see significant progress in our Latin American business, especially in Venezuela, where Ameren capitalized on its brand recognition, established client relationships, and the work we have done over many years to preserve relationships with local financial institutions, commercial, and private banking clients. During the second quarter, that opportunity continued to materialize, with Venezuelan deposits increasing close to $500 million from the first quarter and contributing significantly to the total international deposit growth. These are operating deposits tied to essential industries, processed through established banking channels and supported by our existing compliance, due diligence, and relationship management framework. Our focus remains on relationship deposits that are low-cost, operational in nature, and aligned with our risk appetite. As these balances grow, we will continue to manage concentration, compliance, and pricing discipline carefully while cross-selling our advisory and wealth management platforms. Taken together, these initiatives are beginning to show up in our results. During the quarter, net income increased, profitability improved, and we maintained strong capital levels while continuing to return capital to shareholders. We also made further progress on our credit, with classified loans and special mentions declining meaningfully. These outcomes reinforce our confidence that our strategic initiatives are effective and that we are building a more efficient, relationship-driven, and profitable franchise. With that strategic context, I will turn it over to Shari to walk through the quarter's financial results in more detail.