Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. (ABR) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Hello, and welcome to the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Arbor Realty Trust. Please note that today's meeting is being recorded. [Operator Instructions] It is now my pleasure to turn today's meeting over to Mr. Ivan Kaufman, the floor is yours.

Thank you. This meeting will come to order. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am Ivan Kaufman. As Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Arbor Realty Trust, I want to welcome all of you to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. As we did last year, this meeting is being conducted virtually. I hope each of you and your families are healthy and safe and being to see some level of normalcy returning to your lives. I will serve as Chairman of the meeting; and Mr. John Bishar, the Corporate Secretary of Arbor Realty Trust, will serve as Secretary of the meeting. As we begin, I would like to introduce Mr. Paul Elenio, the Chief Financial Officer of Arbor Realty Trust, who is joining us virtually. After my brief opening remarks, Mr. Elenio will conduct the balance of the meeting. If there are any questions from shareholders, both Mr. Elenio and I will be available to respond. I would now like to introduce those Board members -- those of our Board members of Directors who are able to join us today, Mr. Melvin Lazar, Chairman of our Audit Committee; Mr. Elliot Schwartz, Chairman of our Corporate Governance Committee; Dr. Archie Dykes; Mr. George Tsunis; Mr. Ed Farrell; Mr. Kenneth Bacon; Mr. Joseph Martello. I will now turn the meeting over to Paul Elenio.

Okay. Thank you, Ivan. Written notice of this meeting was mailed on or about April 30, 2021, to all holders of record of our common stock, and the Secretary is presented affidavit certifying to the mailing of the notice. April 1, 2021, is the record date for the voting of shares at this meeting. The Secretary will file the notice and certificate with the minutes of the company. American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, represented by Ms. [ Christine Pino ], has been designated the inspector of elections and is participating today. The inspector has taken the oath of office, which I direct to be filed with the minutes of the meeting. The Secretary will now report the number of shares of common stock entitled to vote at this meeting.

As of the close of business on April 1, 2021, Arbor Realty Trust Inc. had outstanding and entitled to vote 133,690,060 shares of common stock and 17,560,633 shares of special voting preferred stock, each share of which is entitled to 1 vote. The inspector of elections has determined that a quorum is present. Therefore, this meeting is duly organized for the transaction of business.

We will now proceed with the business agenda. Each of the following proposals is described in detail on the proxy statement distributed in connection with this meeting. I am pleased to announce that from proxies already received, the company has sufficient votes to pass all the resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors at this meeting. The first item of business on the agenda is the election of 3 Class III directors for a 3-year term, each to serve until 2024's annual meeting and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The Secretary has advised that under the company's bylaws, the only persons who have been properly nominated are those nominees listed in the company's proxy statement. Mr. William Green, Mr. Elliot Schwartz, and Mr. Kenneth Bacon. I, therefore, declare that the nominations for directors are closed. The following resolution is deemed duly presented at this meeting: resolved, that the stockholders of Arbor Realty Trust Inc., hereby vote to elect each of the 3 nominees identified above. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote for this proposal. The second item of business on the agenda is the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm to examine and report on the financial statements of the company for the 2021 fiscal year. The following resolution is deemed duly presented at this meeting: resolve, that the stockholders of Arbor Realty trust, Inc. hereby ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the 2021 fiscal year. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends that stockholders vote for this proposal. Mr. [ Robert Hatch ], a representative of Ernst & Young LLP, is participating in the meeting today and is available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders during the question-and-answer period. The polls are now open for voting on these proposals. If you have previously voted by proxy, you do not need to vote during the meeting unless you wish to change your vote. Voting at the meeting revokes any prior proxy you may have submitted. If you're attending this meeting as a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner and you have logged into the meeting using your control number, you can vote your shares by clicking the link proxy voting site on the meeting page and then following the prompts. We will close to polls promptly following the conclusion of the question-and-comment period. The floor is now open for questions or comments from stockholders of the company. If you're attending this meeting as a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner and you have logged into the meeting using your control number, you can ask a question by clicking the message icon on the right side of the toolbar appearing at the top of the meeting page and then typing and submitting your question. The floor is now open for stockholder questions or comments.

Paul, there seems to be none.

Okay. We'll continue with the agenda then. That concludes our question-and-comment period. If you intend to vote your shares during the meeting, please do so now. Again, I emphasize that if you previously voted by proxy, it is not necessary to vote during the meeting unless you wish to change your vote. Voting during the meeting revokes your prior proxy. I will pause from a moment for any last votes to be submitted. [Voting]

I don't see any. I declare the polls closed. All votes and proxies are now in the custody of the inspector of elections. Mr. Bishar, will you please report on the preliminary voting results?

The inspector of elections has determined that each of the nominees for election as a director has been elected by the necessary vote, and the ratification of the auditors has been approved by the necessary vote.

Okay. Thank you, John. The Secretary will file the master ballot and the final report of the inspector of elections with the minutes of the meanings of the company's stockholders. We are pleased by your attendance at this meeting. We are grateful for your interest and support of Arbor Realty Trust. That concludes the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Company's Stockholders, I declare the meeting adjourned.

This concludes today's meeting. You may now disconnect.