UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

_____________________________________________________________________

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): March 1024, 2026

ARES COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Maryland

001-35517

45-3148087

(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)

(Commission
File Number)

(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

245 Park Avenue,

42nd Floor,

New York,

10167

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (212) 750-7300

(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):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

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


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share	ACRE	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in 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. o

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On March 24, 2026, ACRC Lender MS LLC and ACRC Lender MS II LLC, each a subsidiary of Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (the “Company”), and the Company entered into an amendment ~~dated~~to asthe ofMaster ~~March~~Repurchase ~~10,~~Agreement ~~2026~~and Securities Contract (as amended from time to time, the ~~secured~~“Morgan ~~revolving~~Stanley ~~funding~~Facility”) ~~facility~~ with ~~City~~Morgan ~~National~~Stanley Bank, N.A. The purpose of the amendment is to, among other things, extend the initial maturity date of the Morgan Stanley Facility to ~~December~~July 3116, ~~2026~~2029 with one 12-month extension, which may be exercised at ACRC Lender MS LLC's and ACRC Lender MS II LLC’s option with the consent of Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions and the payment of aan ~~renewal~~extension fee. The amendment also increased the facility commitment from $250 million to $350 million and includes an accordion provision such that the facility commitment may be increased by an additional $50 million to up to $400 million, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including payment of an upsize fee.

Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information required by Item 2.03 contained in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits:


Exhibit Number						Description
10.1						Eighth Amendment to Master Repurchase and Securities Contract, dated as of March 24, 2026, by and among Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A., a national banking association, as buyer, ACRC Lender MS LLC and ACRC Lender MS II LLC, as sellers, and Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, as guarantor
104						Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document

SIGNATURE

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.

			ARES COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CORPORATION
Date:	March 1630, 2026		/s/ Jeffrey M. Gonzales
		Name:	Jeffrey M. Gonzales
		Title:	Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

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