EX-3.2 4 a2239413zex-3_2.htm EX-3.2

Exhibit 3.2

 

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
OF
ALERUS FINANCIAL CORPORATION

 

ARTICLE I

 

Stockholders

 

Section 1.1.                                Annual Meetings. An annual meeting of stockholders shall be held for the election of directors at such date, time and place, either within or without the State of Delaware, as may be designated by resolution of the Board of Directors from time to time. Any other proper business may be transacted at the annual meeting.

 

Section 1.2.                                Special Meetings. Special meetings of stockholders for any purpose or purposes may be called at any time by the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Secretary and shall be called by any such officer at the request in writing of a majority of the Board of Directors or by holders of shares entitled to cast not less than 25 percent (25%) of the votes at the meeting. Such request shall state the purpose or purposes of the meeting.

 

Section 1.3.                                Notice of Meetings. Whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of the meeting shall be given not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting. Such notice shall state the place, date and hour of the meeting and (1) in the case of a special meeting, the general nature of the business to be transacted, and no other business may be transacted, or (2) in the case of the annual meeting, those matters which the Board of Directors, at the time of the mailing of the notice, intends to present for action by the stockholders, but subject to the provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the “DGCL”), any proper matter may be presented at the meeting for such action.

 

Notice of a stockholders’ meeting shall be given either personally or by mail, and shall be addressed to the stockholder at the address of such stockholder appearing on the books of the Corporation or given by the stockholder to the Corporation for the purpose of notice; or if no such address appears or is given, at the place where the principal office of the Corporation is located. The notice shall be deemed to have been given at the time when delivered personally or deposited in the mail or sent by other means of written communication.

 

Notwithstanding anything in these bylaws to the contrary, without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation under any provision of the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws shall be effective if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder to whom notice is given.  Any such consent shall be revocable by the stockholder by written notice to the Corporation.  Any such consent shall be deemed revoked if the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and such inability becomes known to the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation or to the transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided, however, that the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action.  “Electronic transmission” means any form of

 


 

communication, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process.

 

Whenever notice is required to be given, under any provision of the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, to any stockholder to whom (1) written notice of two consecutive annual meetings, and all notices of meetings or of the taking of action by written consent without a meeting to such person during the period between such two consecutive annual meetings, or (2) all, and at least two, payments (if sent by first-class mail) of dividends or interest on securities during a 12-month period, have been mailed addressed to such person at such person’s address as shown on the records of the Corporation and have been returned undeliverable, the giving of such notice to such person shall not be required (does not include notice given by electronic transmission). Any action or meeting which shall be taken or held without notice to such person shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. If any such person shall deliver to the Corporation a written notice setting forth such person’s then current address, the requirement that notice be given to such person shall be reinstated. In the event that the action taken by the Corporation is such as to require the filing of a certificate under any of the other sections of this title, the certificate need not state that notice was not given to persons to whom notice was not required to be given pursuant to this section.

 

Section 1.4.                                Adjournments. Any meeting of stockholders, annual or special, may be adjourned from time to time and reconvened at the same or some other place, and notice need not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting, the Corporation may transact any business that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting.

 

Section 1.5.                                Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, at each meeting of stockholders the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of shares of stock having a majority of the votes that could be cast by the holders of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote at the meeting shall be necessary and sufficient to constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the stockholders so present may, by majority vote, adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in Section 1.4 of these bylaws until a quorum shall attend. Shares of its own stock belonging to the Corporation or to another corporation, if a majority of the shares entitled to vote in the election of directors of such other corporation is held, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation, shall neither be entitled to vote nor be counted for quorum purposes; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not limit the right of the Corporation to vote stock, including, without limitation, its own stock, held by it in a fiduciary capacity.

 

Section 1.6.                                Organization. Meetings of stockholders shall be presided over by the Chairman of the Board, if any, or in such person’s absence by the Vice Chairman of the Board or Lead Independent Director, if any, or in such person’s absence by the Chief Executive Officer, or in such person’s absence by the President (if not the Chief Executive Officer), or in such person’s absence by a Vice President, or in the absence of the foregoing persons by a chairman designated

 

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by the Board of Directors, or in the absence of such designation by a chairman chosen at the meeting. The Secretary shall act as secretary of the meeting, but in such person’s absence the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting shall announce at the meeting of stockholders the date and time of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote.

 

Section 1.7.                                Voting; Proxies; Inspectors. Except as otherwise provided by the certificate of incorporation, each stockholder entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders shall be entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by such person that has voting power upon the matter in question. Unless otherwise provided by the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, on all matters other than the election of directors, the affirmative vote of the majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at any stockholder meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders.  Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at any stockholder meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.

 

Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders may authorize another person or persons to act for him or her by proxy in any manner, including, without limitation, via telephone, Internet, other means of electronic communication or such other manner as permitted by Section 212 of the DGCL, provided that such authorization sets forth or contains information from which the Corporation can determine that the authorization was granted by the stockholder. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication, or other reliable reproduction of the original of either the writing or transmission may be used in lieu of the original, provided that it is a complete and legible reproduction of the entire original. If the authorization is granted in a manner other than in a written form, the proxy holder shall provide such reasonable verification as required by the Corporation. A proxy shall be irrevocable if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power. A stockholder may revoke any proxy that is not irrevocable by attending the meeting and voting in person or by filing an instrument in writing revoking the proxy or by delivering a proxy in accordance with applicable law bearing a later date to the Secretary of the Corporation. Voting at meetings of stockholders need not be by written ballot.  The Corporation shall, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. The Corporation may designate one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of stockholders, the person presiding at the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before discharging the duties of inspector, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability. The inspectors may appoint or retain other persons or entities to assist the inspectors in the performance of the duties of the inspectors.

 

Section 1.8.                                Fixing Date for Determination of Stockholders of Record. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of

 

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Directors and which record date:  (1) in the case of determination of stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders or adjournment thereof, shall, unless otherwise required by law, not be more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of such meeting; (2) in the case of determination of stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, shall not be more than 10 days from the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors; and (3) in the case of any other action, shall not be more than 60 days prior to such other action. If no record date is fixed:  (a) the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held; (b) the record date for determining stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting when no prior action of the Board of Directors is required by law shall be the first date on which a signed written consent setting forth the action taken or proposed to be taken is delivered to the Corporation in accordance with applicable law, or, if prior action by the Board of Directors is required by law, shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution taking such prior action; and (c) the record date for determining stockholders for any other purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

 

Section 1.9.                                List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote. A complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at each meeting of the stockholders, arranged in alphabetical order and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder, shall be prepared by the Secretary or other officer of the Corporation having charge of the stock ledger, at least 10 days before the meeting.  The Corporation does not need to include electronic mail addresses or other electronic contact information on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting for a period of at least 10 days prior to the meeting, either on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or, during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation. The list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof for inspection by any stockholder who may be present.

 

Section 1.10.                         Action By Consent of Stockholders. Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation, any action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted and shall be delivered (by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of minutes of stockholders are recorded. Prompt notice of the taking of the

 

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corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent shall be given to those stockholders who have not consented in writing.

 

Section 1.11.                         Conduct of Meetings. The Board of Directors of the Corporation may adopt by resolution such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairman of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following:  (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iii) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (iv) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (v) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent determined by the Board of Directors or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.

 

Section 1.12.                         Advance Notice of Stockholder Nominees for Director and Other Stockholder Proposals.

 

(a)                                 The matters to be considered and brought before any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation shall be limited to only such matters, including the nomination and election of directors, as shall be brought properly before such meeting in compliance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.12.

 

(b)                                 For any matter to be brought properly before the annual meeting of stockholders, the matter must be (i) specified in the notice of the annual meeting given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) otherwise brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) brought before the annual meeting by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record of the Corporation on the date the notice provided for in this Section 1.12 is delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation, who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting and who complies with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.12.

 

(c)                                  In addition to any other requirements under applicable law and the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Corporation, written notice (the “Stockholder Notice”) of any nomination or other proposal must be timely and any proposal, other than a nomination, must constitute a proper matter for stockholder action.  To be timely, the Stockholder Notice must be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive office of the Corporation not less than 90 nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year; provided, however, that if (and only if) the annual meeting is not scheduled to be held within a period that commences 30 days before such anniversary date and ends within 60 days after such anniversary date (an annual meeting date outside such period being referred to herein as an “Other Meeting Date”), the Stockholder Notice shall be given in the manner provided herein by the later of the close of business on (i) the date 90 days prior to such Other Meeting Date

 

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or (ii) the 10th day following the date such Other Meeting Date is first publicly announced or disclosed. A Stockholder Notice must contain the following information: (i) whether the stockholder is providing the notice at the request of a beneficial holder of shares, whether the stockholder, any such beneficial holder or any nominee has any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, or has received any financial assistance, funding or other consideration from, any other person with respect to the investment by the stockholder or such beneficial holder in the Corporation or the matter the Stockholder Notice relates to, and the details thereof, including the name of such other person (the stockholder, any beneficial holder on whose behalf the notice is being delivered, any nominees listed in the notice and any persons with whom such agreement, arrangement or understanding exists or from whom such assistance has been obtained are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Interested Persons”); (ii) the name and address of all Interested Persons; (iii) a complete listing of the record and beneficial ownership positions (including number or amount) of all equity securities and debt instruments, whether held in the form of loans or capital market instruments, of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries held by all Interested Persons; (iv) whether and the extent to which any hedging, derivative or other transaction is in place or has been entered into within the prior six months preceding the date of delivery of the Stockholder Notice by or for the benefit of any Interested Person with respect to the Corporation or its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities, debt instruments or credit ratings, the effect or intent of which transaction is to give rise to gain or loss as a result of changes in the trading price of such securities or debt instruments or changes in the credit ratings for the Corporation, its subsidiaries or any of their respective securities or debt instruments (or, more generally, changes in the perceived creditworthiness of the Corporation or its subsidiaries), or to increase or decrease the voting power of such Interested Person, and if so, a summary of the material terms thereof; and (v) a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation that would be entitled to vote at the meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose the matter set forth in the Stockholder Notice. As used herein, “beneficially owned” has the meaning provided in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act.  The Stockholder Notice shall be updated not later than 10 days after the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting to provide any material changes in the foregoing information as of the record date. Any Stockholder Notice relating to the nomination of directors must also contain (i) the information regarding each nominee required by paragraphs (a), (e) and (f) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (or the corresponding provisions of any successor regulation), (ii) each nominee’s signed consent to serve as a director of the Corporation if elected and (iii) whether each nominee is eligible for consideration as an independent director under the relevant standards contemplated by Item 407(a) of Regulation S-K (or the corresponding provisions of any successor regulation). The Corporation may also require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information, including completion of the Corporation’s directors’ questionnaire, as it may reasonably require to determine whether the nominee would be considered “independent” as a director or as a member of the audit committee of the Board of Directors under the various rules and standards applicable to the Corporation. Any Stockholder Notice with respect to a matter other than the nomination of directors must contain (i) the text of the proposal to be presented, including the text of any resolutions to be proposed for consideration by stockholders and (ii) a brief written statement of the reasons why such stockholder favors the proposal.

 

Notwithstanding anything in this Section 1.12(c) to the contrary, if the number of directors to be elected to the Board of Directors of the Corporation is increased and either all of the nominees

 

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for director or the size of the increased Board of Directors is not publicly announced or disclosed by the Corporation at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a Stockholder Notice shall also be considered timely hereunder, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the first date all of such nominees or the size of the increased Board of Directors shall have been publicly announced or disclosed.

 

(d)                                 For any matter to be brought properly before a special meeting of stockholders, the matter must be set forth in the Corporation’s notice of the meeting given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors. In the event that the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more persons to the Board of Directors, any stockholder may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be), for election to such position(s) as specified in the Corporation’s notice of the meeting, if the Stockholder Notice required by Section 1.12(c) hereof shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting is publicly announced or disclosed.

 

(e)                                  For purposes of this Section 1.12, a matter shall be deemed to have been “publicly announced or disclosed” if such matter is disclosed in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

(f)                                   Only persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.12 shall be eligible for election as directors of the Corporation. In no event shall the postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting already publicly noticed, or any announcement of such postponement or adjournment, commence a new period (or extend any time period) for the giving of notice as provided in this Section 1.12. This Section 1.12 shall not apply to (i) stockholder proposals made pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act or (ii) the election of directors selected by or pursuant to the provisions of the certificate of incorporation relating to the rights of the holders of any class or series of stock of the Corporation having a preference over the common stock as to dividends or upon liquidation to elect directors under specified circumstances.

 

(g)                                  The person presiding at any meeting of stockholders, in addition to making any other determinations that may be appropriate to the conduct of the meeting, shall have the power and duty to determine whether notice of nominees and other matters proposed to be brought before a meeting has been duly given in the manner provided in this Section 1.12 and, if not so given, shall direct and declare at the meeting that such nominees and other matters are not properly before the meeting and shall not be considered. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.12, if the stockholder or a qualified representative of the stockholder does not appear at the annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present any such nomination, or make any such proposal, such nomination or proposal shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation.

 

Section 1.13.                         Remote Communications. Subject to such guidelines as the Board of Directors may adopt, stockholders and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting of

 

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stockholders may, by means of remote communications, (a) participate in a meeting of stockholders and (b) be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication; provided, that (i) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxyholder, (ii) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (iii) if any stockholder or proxyholder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such vote or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE II

 

Board of Directors

 

Section 2.1.                                Powers. Subject to any provisions of the certificate of incorporation, these bylaws and the DGCL limiting the powers of the Board of Directors or reserving powers to the stockholders, the Board of Directors shall, directly or by delegation, manage the business and affairs of the Corporation and exercise all corporate powers permitted by law.

 

Section 2.2.                                Number; Qualification. The number of Directors constituting the Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors, except as required by the certificate of incorporation or the DGCL. Directors need not be stockholders, except as required by the certificate of incorporation or the DGCL.

 

Section 2.3.                                Resignation; Vacancies. Any director may resign at any time upon written notice to the Corporation. Any such resignation shall take effect on the date of receipt of such notice by the Corporation or on such later effective date or upon the happening of an event or events as is therein specified. Unless otherwise specified therein no acceptance of such resignation shall be necessary to make it effective.  Any newly created directorship or, except as otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, any vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors for any cause may be filled by a majority of the remaining members of the Board of Directors, although such majority is less than a quorum, or by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders, and each director so elected shall hold office until the expiration of the term of office of the director whom such person has replaced or until such person’s successor is elected and qualified.

 

Section 2.4.                                Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at such places within or without the State of Delaware and at such times as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine, and if so determined notices thereof need not be given.

 

Section 2.5.                                Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any time or place within or without the State of Delaware whenever called by the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Secretary, or by any two members of the Board of Directors. Notice of a special meeting of the Board of Directors shall be given by

 

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the person or persons calling the meeting at least 48 hours before the special meeting by oral, electronic transmission or written notice duly sent or mailed to each director.

 

Section 2.6.                                Telephonic Meetings Permitted. Members of the Board of Directors, or any committee designated by the Board of Directors, may participate in a meeting thereof by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in a meeting pursuant to this bylaw shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

 

Section 2.7.                                Quorum:  Vote Required for Action. At all meetings of the Board of Directors a majority of the whole Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Except in cases in which the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws otherwise provide, the vote of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2.8.                                Organization. Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be presided over by the Chairman of the Board, if any, or in such person’s absence by the Vice Chairman of the Board or Lead Independent Director, if any, or in such person’s absence by the Chief Executive Officer, or in such person’s absence by the President (if not the Chief Executive Officer), or in such person’s absence by a chairman chosen at the meeting. The Secretary shall act as secretary of the meeting, but in such person’s absence the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.

 

Section 2.9.                                Informal Action by Directors. Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board of Directors or such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing, or by electronic transmission and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors or such committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

 

Section 2.10.                         Adjournment. A majority of the directors present, whether or not a quorum is present, may adjourn any meeting to another time and place.

 

Section 2.11.                         Notice of Adjournment. Notice of the time and place of holding an adjourned meeting need not be given to absent directors if the time and place are fixed at the meeting before adjourned, except that if the meeting is adjourned for more than 24 hours such notice shall be given prior to the adjourned meeting of the directors who were not present at the time of the adjournment.

 

Section 2.12.                         Presumption of Assent. A director of the Corporation who is present at a meeting of the directors at which action on any corporate matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent to such action with the person acting as the Secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered mail to the

 

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Secretary of the Corporation immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a director who voted in favor of such action.

 

Section 2.13.                         Fees and Expenses. Directors shall receive such reasonable fees for their services on the Board of Directors and any committee thereof and such reimbursement of their actual and reasonable expenses as may be fixed or determined by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2.14.                         Removal of Directors. At any duly called and held meeting of the stockholders, any director or directors may, by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all the shares of stock outstanding and entitled to vote in an election of directors, be removed from office, either with or without cause. The successor or successors to any director or directors so removed may be elected by the stockholders at the meeting at which removal was effectuated.  The remaining directors may, to the extent vacancies are not filled by election by the stockholders, fill any vacancy or vacancies created by the removal.

 

Section 2.15.                         Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors shall annually elect one of its members to be its Chairman of the Board and shall fill any vacancy in the position of Chairman of the Board at such time and in such manner as the Board of Directors shall determine.  Except as otherwise provided in these bylaws, the Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of stockholders. The Chairman of the Board shall perform such other duties and services as shall be assigned to or required of the Chairman of the Board by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2.16.                         Vice Chairman / Lead Independent Director. Whenever the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are one and the same person or whenever the Chairman of the Board is not ‘independent’ according to strict stock exchange definitions, the independent members of the Board of Directors shall appoint one of its members to be the Vice Chairman or Lead Independent Director of the Corporation. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board, the Vice Chairman or Lead Independent Director shall preside at any meeting of the Board. The Lead Independent Director, or the Vice Chairman acting as such, shall have ultimate approval over the information flow that goes to the Board, board meeting agendas, and board meeting schedules. The Vice Chairman or Lead Independent Director shall also chair any meeting of the non-management directors.

 

Section 2.17.                         Directors Emeritus/Advisory Directors. The Board of Directors may by resolution appoint directors emeritus or advisory directors who shall have such authority and receive such compensation and reimbursement as the Board of Directors shall provide.  Directors emeritus or advisory directors shall not have the authority to participate by vote in the transaction of business.

 

ARTICLE III

 

Committees

 

Section 3.1.                                Committees. The Board of Directors may, by resolution, designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. The Board of Directors may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any

 

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committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of the committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not he, she, or they constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified members. Any such committee, to the extent permitted by law and to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board of Directors, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation.

 

Section 3.2.                                Committee Rules. Unless the Board of Directors otherwise provides, each committee designated by the Board of Directors may make, alter and repeal rules for the conduct of its business. In the absence of such rules, each committee shall conduct its business in the same manner as the Board of Directors conducts its business pursuant to Article II of these bylaws.

 

ARTICLE IV

 

Officers

 

Section 4.1.                                Executive Officers; Election; Qualifications; Term of Office; Resignation; Removal; Vacancies. The Board of Directors shall elect a Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, and it may also choose one or more Presidents, one or more Vice Presidents, one or more Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and one or more Assistant Treasurers. Each such officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until such person’s earlier resignation or removal. Any officer may resign at any time upon written notice to the Corporation. Any such resignation shall take effect on the date of receipt of such notice by the Corporation or on such later effective date or upon the happening of an event or events as is therein specified. Unless otherwise specified therein no acceptance of such resignation shall be necessary to make it effective.  The Board of Directors may remove any officer with or without cause at any time, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contractual rights of such officer, if any, with the Corporation. Subject to Section 4.2, any number of offices may be held by the same person. Any vacancy occurring in any office of the Corporation by death, resignation, removal or otherwise may be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by the Board of Directors at any regular or special meeting.

 

Section 4.2.                                Powers and Duties of Executive Officers. The officers of the Corporation shall have such powers and duties in the management of the Corporation as may be prescribed in a resolution by the Board of Directors and, to the extent not so provided, as generally pertain to their respective offices, subject to the control of the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE V

 

Stock

 

Section 5.1.                                Certificates. Every holder of stock shall be entitled to have a certificate signed by or in the name of the Corporation by the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, if any, or the Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer, or the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, of the Corporation

 

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certifying the number of shares owned by such person in the Corporation. Any of or all the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent, or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if he or she was such officer, transfer agent, or registrar at the date of issue.

 

Section 5.2.                                Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Stock Certificates; Issuance of New Certificates. The Corporation may issue a new certificate of stock in the place of any certificate theretofore issued by it, alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, and the Corporation may require the owner of the lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such person’s legal representative, to give the Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify it against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate.

 

Section 5.3.                                Uncertificated Shares. Notwithstanding anything in these bylaws to the contrary, the Board of Directors of the Corporation may provide by resolution or resolutions that some or all of any or all classes or series of its stock shall be uncertificated shares. Any such resolution shall not apply to shares represented by a certificate until such certificate is surrendered to the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

 

Section 6.1.                                Limitation of Director Liability. Pursuant to the provisions of the certificate of incorporation, and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty of a director.

 

Section 6.2.                                Indemnification. (a)  Each person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation shall be indemnified by the Corporation in accordance with, and to the fullest extent permitted by, the DGCL, subject to the limits of applicable federal banking laws and regulations.

 

(b)  Each person who is or was an employee or agent of the Corporation or who serves or served at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, bank, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise may be indemnified by the Corporation in accordance with, and to the fullest extent permitted by, the DGCL, subject to the limits of applicable federal banking laws and regulations.

 

(c)  No amendment to or repeal of this Article shall apply to or have any effect on the rights of any individual referred to in this Article for or with respect to acts or omissions of such individual occurring prior to such amendment or repeal.

 

Section 6.3.                                Claims. If a claim for indemnification or payment of expenses under this Article VI is not paid in full within 60 days after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, the claimant may file suit to recover the unpaid amount of such claim and, if successful in whole or in part, shall be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim.

 

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In any such action the Corporation shall have the burden of proving that the claimant was not entitled to the requested indemnification or payment of expenses under applicable law.

 

Section 6.4.                                Advancement of Expenses. (a)  Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by each person who is or was an officer or director of the Corporation arising from any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding related to such officer’s or director’s service to the Corporation shall be paid by the Corporation, subject to the limits of applicable federal banking laws and regulations, in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by the officer or director incurring such expenses to repay such amount if it should ultimately be determined that such officer or director was guilty of fraud, theft or a crime involving dishonesty or did not act in good faith or in a manner he or she did not reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the Corporation.

 

(b)  Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by each person who is or was an employee or agent of the Corporation or who serves or served at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, bank, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise arising from any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding related to such person’s service to the Corporation may be paid by the Corporation, subject to the limits of applicable federal banking laws and regulations, in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by such person incurring such expenses to repay such amount if it should ultimately be determined that such person was guilty of fraud, theft or a crime involving dishonesty or did not act in good faith or in a manner he or she did not reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the Corporation.

 

Section 6.5.                                Liability Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or who is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, bank, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against him or her and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

Interests of Directors or Officers in Certain Transactions

 

Section 7.1.                                Action or Criteria Required.  No contract or transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its directors or officers, and no contract or transaction between the Corporation and any other corporation, partnership, association or other organization in which one or more of its directors or officers are directors or officers or have a financial interest, shall be void or voidable solely for this reason, or solely because the director or officer is present at or participates in the meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof which authorizes the contract or transaction, or solely because the vote of an interested director is counted for such purposes, if:

 

(a)                                 the material facts regarding the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the Board of Directors or the

 

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committee, and the Board of Directors or committee in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by the affirmative votes of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors be less than a quorum;

 

(b)                                 the material facts regarding the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the stockholders; or

 

(c)                                  the contract or transaction is fair as to the Corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified, by the Board, a committee thereof, or the stockholders.

 

Section 7.2.                                Effect of Quorum.  Interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee thereof.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

Miscellaneous

 

Section 8.1.                                Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be determined by resolution of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 8.2.                                Seal. The Corporation shall have no seal.

 

Section 8.3.                                Books and Records. Any records administered by or on behalf of the Corporation in the regular course of its business, including its stock ledger, books of account, and minute books, may be maintained on any information storage device, method, or one or more electronic networks or databases (including one or more distributed electronic networks or databases); provided that the records so kept can be converted into clearly legible paper form within a reasonable time, and, with respect to the stock ledger, the records so kept comply with Section 224 of the DGCL. The Corporation shall so convert any records so kept upon the request of any person entitled to inspect such records pursuant to applicable law.

 

Section 8.4.                                Amendment of Bylaws. These bylaws may be altered or repealed, and new bylaws made, in the manner prescribed in the certificate of incorporation.

 

Section 8.5.                                Waiver of Notice. Whenever notice is required to be given, by the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws, a written waiver thereof, signed by the person entitled to notice, whether before or after the date of the meeting, shall be deemed equivalent to notice.  Attendance of a person at a meeting of the stockholders, the Board of Directors or any committee designated by the Board of Directors shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting, except when the person attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.  Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the stockholders, directors or any committee designated thereby need be specified in

 

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any written waiver of notice unless so required by the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or these bylaws.

 

Duly adopted by the Board of Directors of Alerus Financial Corporation on August 13, 2019.

 

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