2009 News Releases

• Newly Created Position Will Span Entire Organization, Further StrengtheningJohn Hancock Financial’s Risk Management Capabilities

Boston – Craig Raymond has been appointed Chief Risk Officer & Chief Actuary for John Hancock Financial, John Hancock President Jim Boyle said today.

Mr. Raymond will report to Mr. Boyle and his appointment is effective immediately. He will serve as a member of the U.S. Operations Management group. He will also join Manulife's Global Asset Liability, Global Finance and Product Oversight Committees.

Mr. Boyle said the newly created position will span the entire organization and Mr. Raymond will be responsible for monitoring all risks including strategic, insurance, market and liquidity, credit and operational risks.

“Risk management has long been a hallmark of the entire company,” Mr. Boyle said. “Bringing Craig Raymond on board with his extensive experience and skill will only further strengthen our overall risk management capabilities and further enhance our ability to serve our customers.”

Mr. Raymond is joining John Hancock from The Hartford Financial Services Group, where most recently he was Senior Vice President, Enterprise Corporate Development, overseeing all merger and acquisition activity. Before that, he was The Hartford’s Chief Risk Officer for four years, successfully directing efforts to enhance their risk management functions. He had previously held the position of Chief Actuary of Hartford Life for 10 years, with responsibility for product profitability, capital allocation and valuation.

He graduated from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and served as Vice President of the Society of Actuaries in 2000-2002 and 2006-2008.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation (the Company), a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$405 billion (US$322 billion) as at March 31, 2009.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com..

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

PR 2009—

- 30 -

Contact:
Brian Carmichael
Phone: (617) 663-4748
E-mail: bcarmichael@jhancock.com