Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported core net operating earnings of $2.69 per share, a 16% increase from $2.31 per share in the prior year period [7] - The annualized core operating return on equity for the third quarter was 19% [4] - Net investment income increased by 5% year-over-year, attributed to higher interest rates and increased balances of invested assets [7][8] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Underwriting profit in specialty property and casualty insurance businesses grew 19%, with a combined ratio of 93, improving by 1.3 points from the prior year [15] - Gross and net written premiums in specialty property and casualty businesses decreased by 2% and 4% respectively compared to the previous year [15] - In the specialty financial group, the combined ratio was 81.1, which is 11.2 percentage points better than the comparable period in 2024 [22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Average renewal pricing across the property and casualty group increased by approximately 5% in the third quarter [15] - The property and transportation group achieved a combined ratio of 94.1, improving by 2.7 points from the comparable 2024 period [16] - The specialty casualty group reported a combined ratio of 95.8, which is 3.7 percentage points higher than the 92.1 reported in the comparable period in 2024 [19] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to maintain a disciplined underwriting approach while seeking growth opportunities in specialty property and casualty businesses [12] - There is a focus on evaluating acquisitions and maintaining a pipeline of startups that could become new business units [13] - The company expects to generate significant excess capital throughout 2025 and into 2026, allowing for potential acquisitions, special dividends, or share repurchases [10] Management Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism regarding the recovery in multifamily investments and expects higher rental and occupancy rates by the end of 2026 [9] - The company anticipates premium growth to rebound in 2026, driven by startups and underwriting actions taken in specialty casualty businesses [14] - Management noted that while some loss ratio trends have improved, others, particularly in social inflation-exposed businesses, remain stable [30] Other Important Information - The company returned $66 million to shareholders through regular quarterly dividends and announced a special dividend of $2 per share [10] - The company has declared $54 per share or $4.6 billion in special dividends since the beginning of 2021 [10] Q&A Session Summary Question: Why were there no buybacks in the quarter? - Management indicated that they become active in buybacks when the stock is trading at a significant discount to its value and have retained capital for future opportunities [25] Question: Can you elaborate on pricing trends in the P&C side? - Management stated that a 5% price increase is still exceeding prospective loss ratio trends, with a diverse portfolio mitigating risks [28] Question: What is the outlook for crop premium and pricing? - Management suggested that trade aspects are reflected in futures prices, leading to stable or potentially increasing premiums for crops [39] Question: Is there an impact from new participating insurance companies on crop premiums? - Management believes the impact is marginal, with new entrants likely taking on less desirable business [47]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company's Q2 GAAP net investment income and core NII was $6,600,000 or $0.02 per share, down from $6,800,000 or $0.02 per share in Q1, and below the quarterly distribution of $0.03 per share [6][18] - NAV per share at the end of Q2 was $11.82, representing a 2.4% decrease from the prior quarter [6][10] - Total investments decreased by $21,700,000 from the prior quarter to $629,300,000 [10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Gross capital deployments in Q2 were $39,000,000, partially offset by repayments and sales of $36,200,000, resulting in net deployments of $2,800,000 [7] - The weighted average effective yield on income-producing debt investments decreased to 11.9% at the end of Q2 compared to 12.1% in Q1 [10] - Nonaccrual investments totaled 4.9% of the debt portfolio, an improvement from 8.8% in the prior quarter [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - M&A activity remains subdued due to tariff uncertainty, leading to reduced supply of new financing deals [12] - In the upper mid cap and large cap markets, deals are pricing at SOFR $4.25 to SOFR $4.75, while the middle market pricing is 50 basis points higher at SOFR $4.75 to SOFR $5.25 [13] - The non-sponsor market remains less competitive, with the company focusing on sourcing off-the-run sponsor deals and non-sponsor deals [14] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company continues to focus significant resources on the non-sponsor market, where better risk returns are available [14] - The company has no plans to increase the size of the existing joint venture (JV) at this time, believing it is appropriately sized [37] - The company is actively working on getting deals off nonaccrual, leveraging a dedicated restructuring team [11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that the portfolio is performing well despite tariff pressures, with less than 10% of the portfolio being heavily or moderately exposed to tariffs [12] - The company expects that a portion of MSI Information Services will likely return to accrual in Q3, subject to successful restructuring [11] - The company anticipates a fully deployed balance sheet this quarter based on current mandates and repayment activity [35] Other Important Information - The company announced a third-quarter distribution of $0.03 per share, consistent with the prior quarter [22] - The company completed a CLO term debt securitization, issuing $174,000,000 in debt, which is expected to result in cost savings of $0.01 to $0.15 per share per quarter [20][21] Q&A Session Summary Question: Was the American Crafts exit a sale or a restructuring? - It was a sale of the remaining piece of the company, yielding very little in terms of proceeds, and there is no further downside on that account [25] Question: What is the term of the CLO reinvestment period? - The reinvestment period is through 05/25/2029 [26] Question: Can you elaborate on the tariff pressure and mitigating actions? - Companies are negotiating with suppliers to absorb tariff costs, and some are moving sourcing from China to Vietnam [32] Question: Should we expect elevated repayment activity given the higher number of mandates? - The company expects a good balance between repayment and new mandates, with the BDC balance sheet expected to be fully deployed this quarter [35] Question: Any plans to upsize the existing JV or pursue additional joint ventures? - There are no plans to increase the JV at this time, as it is believed to be sized appropriately [37] Question: Any updates on working down the spillover through 2025 and into 2026? - The company is considering the undistributed spillover income in combination with other factors when thinking about dividends for 2026 [41]