When you put Alerus Retirement Solutions to work for you, rest assured that your retirement plan is in the hands of experienced professionals.  Alerus Retirement Solutions provides exceptional customer service, an impressive range of investments, and unmatched product flexibility.

At Alerus Retirement Solutions we offer personal service with customized product offerings in a comprehensive package.

Alerus Financial Buys The Retirement Record Keeping division of Acclaim Benefits, Inc.  Grand Forks, N.D. (August 9, 2007) – Alerus Financial, a $7.4 billion financial-services company with offices in the Twin Cities, is proud to announce the acquisition of the retirement plan administration and record keeping business unit of Acclaim Benefits, Inc. The venture expands Alerus Financial’s wealth management division, adding 250 clients in and around the Twin Cities.

The sale allows Acclaim Benefits to focus on its core competency of benefits administration geared towards consumer directed reimbursement plans  and continuation services, according to Jeffrey Ackerson, president and chief operating officer for Acclaim Benefits.  “We welcomed a proposal from Alerus Financial because they specialize in the area of retirement plan record keeping and administrative services,” says Ackerson. “We’re confident Alerus will bring enormous value to our clients.”

“Acclaim Benefits has an established reputation in the community and a loyal client base” says John Flesch, director of Wealth Management–Alerus Financial. “Their expertise and standing in the Twin Cities will be invaluable to us as we expand our market presence in and around Minneapolis.”

“The acquisition of this business provides a number of benefits to Alerus,” says Randy Newman, president and CEO of Alerus Financial. “In addition to expanding our presence in the Twin Cities, this acquisition provides us with an additional source of retirement plan administration revenue.”

Alerus has gained a national reputation providing retirement plan administration, trust, and investment services for over 1400 clients with 110,000 plan participants in 49 states.  Alerus now ranks in the top 50 nationally in both categories.

Alerus Financial purchases Minneapolis-base Stanton Investment Advisors, Inc., the Registered Investment Advisory unit of SearchCorp, Inc.  Grand Forks, N.D. – Alerus Financial, a $7.4 billion financial-services company with offices in Fargo, Grand Forks and the Twin Cities, is proud to announce the acquisition of Minneapolis-based Stanton Investment Advisors, Inc., the registered investment advisory unit of SearchCorp, Inc. (formerly Stanton Group Holdings, Inc.). 

Alerus Financial’s Wealth Management Division is quickly gaining momentum in the Minneapolis market.  Randy Newman, President and CEO of Alerus Financial, said, “This purchase complements the announcement we made earlier this month regarding the acquisition of the retirement record keeping division of Acclaim, Benefits, Inc.—also located in Minneapolis.  We are now able to offer our newly-acquired Minneapolis customer base both bundled and stand alone retirement plan services, which includes trust, record keeping, and investment advisory services.” Newman continued, “Our decision to purchase the Registered Investment Advisory unit of Stanton fits Alerus’ strategic growth model and will better meet the needs of our new clients, allowing them access to all retirement-related services under one roof.” 

Alerus Financial isn’t new to the retirement plan industry.  Richard Joseph, Managing Director of Minneapolis Trust & Investment Services, commented, “Building, implementing, and serving retirement plans is an area of expertise Alerus has had the benefit of perfecting for over 20 years. As a result of our strong background, we are well positioned to welcome Stanton’s nine investment and retirement plan professionals and 720 individual and employer-sponsored retirement plan clients.  Stanton’s core competencies - providing high-touch client service, strategic investment advice, and comprehensive plan consulting - complement our culture and commitment to providing best-in-class retirement plan solutions.”

Newman added, “Growing the wealth management division isn’t the only initiative Alerus has for the Minneapolis area.  As a result of the business banking success we’ve had in our home-based North Dakota market, we opened a business office in Minnetonka last January. With the addition of Stanton’s investment professionals, this office will house a full-service business banking and wealth management team consisting of loan, deposit, cash management, trust and investment services.”  

Alerus Financial is an independent, multibillion-dollar financial services company listing total bank assets of $725 million, with another $6.4 billion in customer assets under management and $300 million in brokerage assets. It is one of the largest and oldest independent financial services organizations in the upper Midwest. For more information, visit alerusfinancial.com.