2009 News Releases

Toronto – Manulife Mutual Funds, a division of Elliott & Page Limited, has announced the addition of three new mandates to its lineup of funds.

“We continuously review our products to ensure we provide access to a comprehensive and competitive fund lineup." said Jeff Ray, Assistant Vice-President, Mutual Fund Products. "These additions provide Canadians with additional sources of diversification and access to top-ranked investment management.” added Mr. Ray.

The new funds are:

Manulife Investment Savings Fund
Given the low yields currently being earned on money market funds, the Manulife Investment Savings Fund will provide investors with an alternative for their short-term investments. The fund leverages our relationship with Manulife Bank of Canada to offer investors with a short-term investment solution that focuses on capital preservation by providing a strong rate of return for investors.

Manulife Canadian Balanced Growth Fund
This Canadian balanced fund will be managed by MFC Global Investment Management’s Shauna Sexsmith, who utilizes a unique thematic approach to stock selection and Terry Carr who applies his award-winning strategy to fixed income investments. Equities will constitute 40-60% of the portfolio with the balance in fixed income securities. The equity portion of the fund’s assets will primarily be invested in a portfolio of Canadian securities based on the successful strategy used in the Manulife Canadian Equity Fund. The fixed-income portion of the fund may invest in Canadian and foreign government and corporate debt securities including high yield securities. The fund may also invest in securities of the Manulife Corporate Bond Fund.

Manulife Mawer Global Equity Class
Sub-advised by Mawer Investment Management Ltd., this new global equity fund is an addition to the Manulife Mawer funds which were launched last year. The fund will be a concentrated portfolio of Mawer’s best equity ideas from around the world using the same successful investment strategy that is used for all of Mawer’s equity funds. This fund will be available for sale as of November 2, 2009.

In addition, Manulife Mutual Funds also announced other changes to the 2009 simplified prospectus renewal.

• Dan Cole, Vice-President, MFC Global Investment Management (U.S.) LLC, will replace Rhonda Chang as the lead manager for the Manulife U.S. Mid-Cap Fund. Mr. Cole has over 17 years investment experience, many of which were spent managing U.S. Mid-Cap mandates. Mr. Cole is further supported by portfolio managers/analysts Christopher O’Brien and Robert Shea.
• Effective December 19, 2009, the following funds will be terminated as previously announced: Manulife Global Real Estate Fund, Manulife Global Tactical Fund, Manulife Real Return Strategy Fund and Manulife International Large Cap Fund. The funds were capped on June 19, 2009 and therefore are not part of the 2009 Simplified Prospectus.

About Manulife Investments
Manulife Investments is the brand name describing certain Canadian subsidiaries and operating divisions of Manulife Financial Corporation that offer personal wealth management products and services in Canada. As one of Canada's leading integrated financial services providers, Manulife Investments offers a variety of products and services including segregated funds, mutual funds, annuities and guaranteed investment contracts.

About MFC Global Investment Management
MFC Global Investment Management^® is the asset management division of Manulife Financial, with investment offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, and throughout Southeast Asia. With more than Cdn$291 billion in assets under management as at June 30, 2009, MFC Global Investment Management^® is a leading global investment management group.

About Mawer Investment Management Limited
Mawer has been managing portfolios for individual and institutional investors for more than three decades. The firm is one of Canada’s most experienced investment counsellors. Since investment is their only business, they are able to focus on their primary objective: to preserve and create wealth for their clients.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia, and primarily through 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$421 billion (US$362 billion) as at June 30, 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.

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Media Contact:
Tom Nunn
Manulife Financial
519-594-8578
tom_nunn@manulife.com