[applause] Today I'm going to start with a uninteresting story. How's that for a compelling start. But I promise things will become more relevant to you in short order.But here's the story first. So my dad has black hair, my mom red hair, my dad's from Mexico, my mom's from Ireland, and these two met in Mexico, fell in love, and had me. That said, my life started in Mexico.Although I moved to the US when I was 10 years old and I've been here ever since. And as the years rolled forward and also as a daughter ...

Group 1: Community Banks - Community banks remain a strong investment opportunity due to their local focus and lower exposure to large commercial real estate loans compared to big banks [4][17] - Key metrics for evaluating community banks include capital levels, non-performing assets (NPAs), and book value, with a specific focus on maintaining NPAs below 2% [10][12] - The current environment shows that community banks have low commercial real estate loan losses, indicating their resilience during economic downturns [18][20] Group 2: Regulatory Environment and M&A - The regulatory landscape for banks has shifted, with the current administration being more favorable towards bank mergers and acquisitions, leading to an acceleration in consolidation [26][28] - The previous administration's regulatory stance created a hostile environment for bank M&A, which is now changing, allowing for easier consolidation in the community banking sector [26][28] Group 3: Investment Opportunities - Specific community banks are highlighted as attractive investments, such as NSTS Bancorp, which has a high equity-to-asset ratio and trades at 70% of tangible book value [38][39] - RBB Bancorp is noted for its strong ties to the Korean-American community and is considered a potential acquisition target due to its low trading value and solid fundamentals [43][46] Group 4: Global Value Opportunities - Investment opportunities are also identified in international markets, particularly in Japan and Hong Kong, where companies are trading below book value despite strong fundamentals [70][78] - The focus on intangible assets is increasing, with U.S. corporates deploying significant capital towards R&D and other intangible-heavy investments, indicating a shift in capital allocation strategies [53][55]