MFA Financial, Inc.

Your conference will begin momentarily please continue to hold.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to the MFA second quarter 2024 earnings call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later, we'll conduct a question and answer session, and instructions will be given at that time. If you should require any assistance during today's conference, please press star, then zero. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to our host, Hal Schwartz.

Please go ahead. Thank you, Operator, and good morning, everyone. The information discussed on this conference call today may contain or refer to forward-looking statements regarding MFA Financial, Inc., which reflect management's beliefs, expectations, and assumptions as to MFA's future performance and operations. When used, statements that are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as will, believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, should, could, would, or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. These types of statements are subject to various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, including those described in the MFA's annual report on Form 10-K for the year end of December 31, 2023, and other reports that it may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors could cause MFA's actual results to differ materially from those projected, expressed, or implied in any forward-looking statements it makes. For additional information regarding MFA's use of forward-looking statements, please see the relevant disclosure in the press release announcing MFA's second quarter 2024 financial results. Thank you for your time. I would now like to turn this call over to MFA's CEO and President, Craig Knudson.