Webster Financial Corporation

Good morning and welcome to the Webster Financial Corporation and Sterling Bancorp merger and first quarter 2021 earnings call. Please note this event is being recorded. I would now like to introduce Webster's Director of Investor Relations, Kristen Manginelli, to introduce the call. Ms. Manginelli, please go ahead.

Thank you, Melissa. Good morning and welcome. Earlier this morning, we issued a joint press release to announce a merger of equals of Webster Financial Corporation and Sterling Bancorp. Both companies also separately issued their respective first quarter earnings releases. On the call today, we will discuss the merger announcement and provide some brief comments regarding each company's first quarter earnings. As noted in our earnings releases, this call will take the place of the earnings calls previously scheduled, and those calls have been canceled. Today's presentation slides have been posted on each company's investor relations website. Before we begin our remarks, I want to remind you that the comments made by management teams of both Webster Financial Corporation and Sterling Bancorp may include forward-looking statements within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to the safe harbor rule. Please review the forward-looking disclaimer and safe harbor language in today's press release and presentation for more information about risks and uncertainties which may affect us. I'll now introduce Webster's Chairman and CEO, John Siula.

Thank you, Kristen, and good morning. We appreciate everyone joining us this morning to talk about this terrific transaction. With me here in Stanford are Jack Kopniewski, President and CEO of Sterling, Luis Massiani, Chief Operating Officer of Sterling, Glenn McGinnis, Webster's CFO, and Bea Ordonez, CFO of Sterling. Jack and I will walk you through the merger transaction. Glenn and Bea will then briefly discuss each bank's first quarter earnings, materials for which were released earlier this morning. At the end of our joint presentation, the five of us will be happy to take your questions. Jack and I are so excited about bringing together two great banking organizations. We believe that we're creating a banking powerhouse. a differentiated, commercially focused, high-performing franchise with strong middle market and retail market share from Metro New York to Metro Boston, and established and growing national health savings and commercial banking businesses. With that, let me turn it over to Jack.