American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) operates as an insurance holding company, specializing in providing a broad array of property and casualty insurance ...
American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) is a diversified insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with roots dating back to 1872. Founded in 1959, AFG has grown into a leading provider of specialized property and casualty insurance products. The company operates through two primary segments: Property and Transportation, and Specialty ...American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG) is a diversified insurance holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with roots dating back to 1872. Founded in 1959, AFG has grown into a leading provider of specialized property and casualty insurance products. The company operates through two primary segments: Property and Transportation, and Specialty Casualty. The Property and Transportation segment offers coverage for physical damage and liability related to vehicles such as buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine policies, agricultural products, and other commercial property insurance. The Specialty Casualty segment provides excess and surplus lines, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability policies, and customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses, as well as workers' compensation. Additionally, AFG offers specialty financial insurance including risk management for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety bonds, and trade credit insurance. The company distributes its policies primarily through a network of independent insurance agents and brokers. With approximately 8,500 employees and a market capitalization of around $12 billion, AFG maintains a strong financial position, evidenced by its consistent dividends and robust underwriting performance. The company is led by co-CEOs Carl H. Lindner III and S. Craig Lindner, who continue the legacy of founder Carl H. Lindner. AFG is committed to delivering financial solutions that fulfill today's needs and tomorrow's dreams, focusing on long-term shareholder value and operational excellence.
Operator: Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the American Financial Group 26 Second Quarter Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listening-only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question and answer session. To ask a question during this session, you need to press Star 11 on your telephone. You will hear an automated message that your hand is raised. To withdraw your question, please press Star 11 again. Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your first speaker today, Diane Weidner, Vice President, Investor Relations. Diane, please go ahead.
Diane Weidner: Good morning. And welcome to American Financial Group's Second Quarter 26 Earnings Results Conference Call. We released our results yesterday afternoon. Our press release, investor supplement and webcast presentation are posted on AFG's website under the Investor Relations section. These materials will be referenced during portions of today's call. Joining me this morning are Carl Henry Lindner III and Craig Lindner, co CEOs of American Financial Group, and Brian S. Hertzman, AFG's CFO. Before I turn the discussion over to Carl, I would like to draw your attention to the notes on Slide 2 of our webcast. Some of the matters to be discussed today are forward looking. These forward looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results and or financial condition to differ materially from these statements. A detailed description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in AFG's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are also available on our website. We may include references to core net operating earnings, a non GAAP financial measure, in our remarks or in responses to questions. A reconciliation of net earnings to core net operating earnings is included in our earnings release. And finally, if you are reading a transcript of this call, please note that it may not be authorized or reviewed for accuracy. And as a result, it may contain factual or transcription errors that could materially alter the intent or meaning of our statements. Now I am pleased to turn the call over to Carl to discuss our results.
Carl Henry Lindner: Well, good morning. Before we begin our commentary about the quarter, I want to take a moment to express our deepest condolences to the Berkeley family. Bill was an icon in our industry, a respected competitor, and most importantly, our good friend. He leaves an incredible legacy and will be sorely missed. Turning our focus to AFG's second quarter, I will share a few highlights after which Craig and I will walk through more details. We will then open it up for Q&A, where Craig, Brian and I will respond to your questions. I am pleased to report that we set a new second quarter record for pretax property and casualty operating income, driven by strong underwriting margins healthy …