First BanCorp. New

Ramon, please go ahead.

Thank you, Christine. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining First Bank Corp's conference call and webcast to discuss the company's financial results for the third quarter of 2026. I'm here with Aurelio Alemán, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Said Ortiz, Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin today's call, it is my responsibility to inform you that this call may involve certain forward-looking statements, such as rejections of revenue, earnings, and capital structure, as well as statements on the plans and objectives of the company's business. The company's actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements made due to the important factors described in the company's latest SEC filing. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made during the call. If anyone does not already have a copy of the webcast presentation or press release, you can access them at our website at fbbinvestor.com. At this time, I'd like to turn the call over to our CEO, Aurelio Alemán.

Thank you, Ramon, and good morning, everyone. Well, you know, we deliver another quarter of a strong consistent performance supported by healthy balance sheet trends in both deposit and loans, stable credit quality, and continued profitability. Net income total 96.1 million, or 63 cents per share, essentially unchanged from last quarter. while year-to-year earnings per share increased actually 14% compared to same period last year. Our franchise continued to generate attractive returns with return after of 1.98% marking actually over 19 consecutive quarters, about 1.5%. While margin was somewhat noisy during the quarter, the comparison is impacted by events of the second quarter Purchase discount and deferred fees acceleration that were recognized in that quarter. In addition to an increasingly volatile rate environment which negatively impacted funding costs, which actually happened ahead of laundry pricing, which took place after the Fed revised rates and for some of the commercial loans, it takes place at the beginning of each quarter. Even when accounting for these factors, our money remains among the strongest in the industry. Long growth was broad-based across our market, but particularly within the commercial segment, with total loan increasing at a 3.3 annualized link order rate. Consumer loans actually declined a bit, as we have forecasted. And, you know, good to say that deposits remain stable and were supported by growth in core customer balance of $120 million. Credit metrics remain healthy with the MPA ratio unchanged at 0.59 basis points. Importantly, we continue to return substantial capital to shareholders through both repurchases and dividends while maintaining a CET1 ratio of 16.9%, providing significant flexibility to support opportunities and future capital deployment initiatives. As we disclosed yesterday in a separate press release, We're very pleased that our board approved a 25% increase in our quarterly common dividend and a $350 million stock buyback authorization. Our capital allocation priorities remain unchanged. You know, given the strength of the balance sheet and capital position, we saw an opportunity to increase capital returns while continuing to support our customers, invest in the franchise, and maintain a prudent capital quotient. We expect share repurchase to remain an important tool, particularly when market valuations create compelling opportunities. Overall, we believe the quarter demonstrated the feelings of earning power of our franchise. Please let's move to slide five. Stepping back from the quarter, the broader operating environment remains, I would say, stable and supportive. Puerto Rico economies continue to show resilience. supported by ongoing reconstruction activity, steady unemployment conditions, and encouraging manufacturing and reshoring announcements. Against the backdrop, we continue to see health decline activity and constructed business pipelines into the fourth quarter. This quarter, we continue advancing our multi-channel strategy. We opened a new branch in the San Germán area where there was only one bank present. and we continue to expand digital tools that provide you know faster and more efficient seamless service experience. This commitment to innovation is being recognized by a you know by different multiple getting multiple recognitions one by Global Finance which name was the best digital user experience in Latin America and Puerto Rico and the best digital banking app in Puerto Rico. In addition, Forbes included our company among the world's top-performing banks in 2026, making our highest ranking yet and the first position among our Puerto Rico peers. Again, we're very proud of these recognitions, which reflect our associates' hard work and dedication to delivering the best digital experience for our clients while sustaining a strong and profitable franchise. The combination of these achievements, stable asset quality, significant asset capital, you know position as well to continue executing our priorities creating long-term value for our shareholders. Before I turn over the court to Sai, I'd like to provide some additional context on our key performance indicators and outlook for the remainder of the year, only one quarter away. Please let's move to slide six. Looking at the priority, you know, we believe we remain on track of the beginning of the year operating metrics. Long-term trends have continued to improve by strong ordination and healthy pipeline. You know, we remain confident that we can achieve the lower end of our 3% to 5% guidance with what we see going on this quarter. Efficiency remains ahead of target. Year-to-date margin performance remains consistent. with our expectation to close 50 million more in buybacks during this fourth quarter. As equality remains stable and we continue to balance growth and discipline on the riding, we believe it's a prudent thing to do with all the noise that we see in the global macros. As we move to the final quarter, priorities remain clear. Selective Broad Market Chair, My Thanks to Profitability, Drive Operating Leverage, and Continue Enhancing the Customer Experience through Technology and AI. As always, I thank you for your interest in Fairbank and look forward to answering your questions. Now, I'll turn the call over to Said to discuss quarterly results in more detail. Thank you.