“As we approach the finish line of that five-year strategic cycle, we are on track to accomplish, if not exceed, each of the key targets and objectives we laid out relative to distributable cash, operating leverage and return on equity.”

In context

“ur communities, and our shareholders with the objective of delivering long-term value to each of these stakeholders. Perhaps nowhere is the success of these efforts more evident than in the pages of our Annual Sustainability Report and can be found on MetLife's website. In it, you'll see highlights of our efforts to build more confident futures for our stakeholders and updates on our sustainability commitments. Among our many successes, I am pleased to mention that the MetLife Foundation has surpassed $1 billion in total giving in its history. As a 156-year-old company, and the intent to log another 156 years more, sustainability is an essential part of MetLife's heritage. As I close, one of the objectives of our Next Horizon strategy was to emerge as a stronger, more predictable company. As we approach the finish line of that five-year strategic cycle, we are on track to accomplish, if not exceed, each of the key targets and objectives we laid out relative to distributable cash, operating leverage and return on equity. As I have said before, we do not stand still here at MetLife. We constantly look for opportunities to raise the bar and challenge ourselves further, pursuing these new challenges with passion and enthusiasm. We are hard at work developing and pressure testing our next five-year strategy, which we are calling New Frontier. This will build on the core pillars of Next Horizon while looking to accelerate growth, boost returns, and foster consistency. The first stop on this journey will begin with our annual board strategy review in September. Subsequently, I look forward to sharing with you our plans for the future at our Investor Day scheduled for December 12th of this year. Now I'll turn it over to John to cover our quarterly performance in more detail. John McCallion: Thank you, Michel, an”