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United States

Securities And Exchange Commission Washington, DC 20549

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FORM 8-K

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Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15( d ) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): May 25, 2021

Alerus Financial Corporation (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware	001-39036	45-0375407
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

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401 Demers Avenue Grand Forks , North Dakota **** 58201 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (701) 795-3200

N/A (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

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☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
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☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
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☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	****	Trading symbol	****	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $1.00 par value per share	​	ALRS	​	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b–2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b–2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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Item 8.01.Voluntary Disclosure and Other Events.

On May 25, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing the strengthening of its U.S. Small Business Administration lending capabilities with the addition of an expert SBA team, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information furnished pursuant to Item 8.01 of this Report, and the related exhibit, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as may be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit No.	****	Description
99.1	​	Press Release of Alerus Financial Corporation, dated May 25, 2021
104	​	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within Inline XBLR document)

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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Date: May 25, 2021	Alerus Financial Corporation
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​	By:	/s/ Randy L. Newman
​	Name:	Randy L. Newman
​	Title:	Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
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Exhibit 99.1

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​	​<br><br>​<br><br>​<br><br>​
	Kris Bevill, Public Relations Manager<br><br>701.280.5076 (Office) :: 701.306.8561 (Cell)<br><br>kris.bevill@alerus.com<br><br>investors.alerus.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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ALERUS FINANCIAL CORPORATION EXPANDS SBA LENDING STRENGTH WITH ADDITION OF 5 SPECIALISTS

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. (May 25, 2021) – Alerus Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: ALRS) is pleased to announce it is strengthening its U.S. Small Business Administration lending capabilities with the addition of an expert SBA team. Led by industry veteran John Kimball, who most recently served as SBA lending manager at MidWestOne Bank, the five-person team collectively has more than 100 years of business banking and small business lending experience at community and regional banks.

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“Adding this level of expertise to Alerus will greatly strengthen our SBA lending capabilities and allow us to provide more options and enhanced client service for small business clients,” said Alerus Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Goldberg. “The pandemic has left some businesses struggling and in need of help to recover. There are also new businesses emerging that may not have the history of operations needed to qualify for traditional lending. Strengthening our SBA lending capabilities allows us to provide more robust assistance for those types of business and aligns perfectly with our mission to positively impact our clients’ financial potential.”

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Members of the Twin Cities-based SBA team include John Kimball, SBA lending director; Angela Kazmierski, SBA lending advisor; Terri Fleming, SBA lending advisor; Tadd Johnson, SBA loan product specialist, and Katie Behrend, SBA loan servicing specialist. The team will collaborate with Alerus advisors to serve clients in Arizona, Minnesota, and North Dakota, in addition to developing and growing client relationships in the Twin Cities.

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About Alerus Financial Corporation Alerus Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Grand Forks, ND. Through its subsidiary, Alerus Financial, N.A., Alerus provides innovative and comprehensive financial solutions to businesses and consumers through four distinct business segments--banking, retirement and benefit services, wealth management, and mortgage. These solutions are delivered through a relationship-oriented primary point of contact along with responsive and client-friendly technology. Alerus Financial banking and wealth management offices are located in Grand Forks and Fargo, ND, the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN metropolitan area and Scottsdale and Mesa, AZ. Alerus Retirement and Benefits plan administration offices are located in St. Paul, MN, East Lansing, MI, and Littleton, CO.

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