John Hancock Bond Fund (JHNBX) Marks Ten Years with Portfolio Manager Howard C. Greene at the Helm

BOSTON, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Funds announced that Howard C. Greene, lead portfolio manager for the John Hancock Bond Fund (Class A: JHNBX, Class I: JHBIX)) has just passed the ten-year milestone at the helm of the $1.4 billion fund (as of June 30, 2012).  Sub-advised by John Hancock Asset Management, the John Hancock Bond Fund is an income fund that seeks to generate a high level of current income consistent with prudent investment risk.  

Mr. Greene joins an elite group of only 57 managers who have a tenure of 10 years or more and manage a fund with at least a 4-star Morningstar rating in one of the mutual fund industry's top selling categories, intermediate bond. 

Overall, the Fund's Class A shares are currently rated 4 stars and Class I shares are rated 5 stars by Morningstar. Class A shares were rated 5 stars out of 1015 funds, 3 stars out of 880 funds and 4 stars out of 606 funds for the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively, and Class I shares were rated 5 stars out of 1015 funds, 5 stars out of 880 funds and 5 stars out of 606 funds for the 3-, 5- and 10-year periods, respectively, all as of June 30, 2012, by Morningstar.  

Mr. Greene, CFA, is a Senior Portfolio Manager with John Hancock Asset Management, the US division of Manulife Asset Management, the global asset management arm of Manulife Financial. His team at John Hancock and Manulife manages $14 billion in retail and institutional accounts, up from $3 billion in 2002. The John Hancock Bond Fund, I share class, was honored with a three year trophy for performance at the 2011 Lipper Awards in the category of Corporate Debt A-Rated Funds.

"Congratulations to Howard and his team for passing this decade-long milestone with such a remarkable and steady record," said Barry Evans, Chief Investment Officer, Global Fixed Income & Asset Allocation, Manulife Asset Management. "Howard has done an exceptional job leading the team to a category-leading, top decile record in one of this past decade's toughest, most competitive investment categories, at the helm of the one of our broadest fixed income mandates."

"While our strategy has been to maintain an overall investment grade portfolio and intermediate term duration, the fact that we also have the flexibility to use high yield bonds when those markets offer attractive opportunities – up to 25 percent of the portfolio – has contributed to our long-term performance," said Mr. Greene.

Mr. Greene also is lead portfolio manager for the John Hancock Investment Grade Bond Fund (TAUSX).  He joined John Hancock in 2002. Before that, he spent more than 14 years at Sun Life Financial Services Company of Canada, where he was a senior vice president at Sun Capital Advisers, Inc., and managed more than $13 billion in investment grade and high yield fixed income portfolios for Sun Life's general account and separately managed pension clients, mutual funds, and other institutional investors. Earlier in his career, he worked at Baring Asset Management Corp. as a fixed income analyst. He is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society, and a past president and director of the Fixed Income Management Society of Boston.

About John Hancock Funds  
The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $73.7 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, college savings and retirement plans, and related party assets for individual and institutional investors as at June 30, 2012.

About Manulife Asset Management and John Hancock Asset Management
Manulife Asset Management™ is the global asset management arm of Manulife Financial. Manulife Asset Management provides comprehensive asset management solutions for institutional investors and investment funds in key markets around the world. Manulife Asset Management also provides investment management services to affiliates' retail clients through product offerings of Manulife and John Hancock. This investment expertise extends across a full range of asset classes including equity, fixed income and alternative investments such as real estate, timber, farmland, as well as asset allocation strategies.

Manulife Asset Management has offices with full investment capabilities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. In addition, it has a joint venture asset management business in China, Manulife TEDA. It also has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay. John Hancock Asset Management, Hancock Natural Resource Group and Declaration Management and Research are units of Manulife Asset Management. John Hancock Asset Management, Hancock Natural Resource Group and Declaration Management and Research are units of Manulife Asset Management.

Manulife Asset Management was named a 2011 Bond Manager of the Year finalist in the United States by Money Management Intelligence (MMI) and Best Asian Bond House by Asia Asset Management. As at June 30, 2012, assets under management were US$218 billion. Additional information about Manulife Asset Management may be found at ManulifeAM.com.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation  
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2012, John Hancock celebrates 150 years of serving clients across the United States, while Manulife celebrates its 125^th anniversary. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation 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 C$514 billion (US$504 billion) as at June 30, 2012.  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 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, 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 johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds