BOSTON, Nov. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Funds won one of six top awards from the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) at the 12th annual award dinner celebrating New England's best interactive technology achievements. John Hancock Funds' "Proposal Builder" - a web site tool enabling financial advisors to customize investment solutions for clients - was one of two winners for "Best Use of Technology."
MITX's Best Use of Technology award is given to the entry that incorporates technology, old or new, in the most efficient manner. The award recognizes technology that is appropriate to the target user, enhances the user's experience and integrates well into a web site.

"MITX is the largest and most prestigious awards competition in the country for interactive and web innovations. This award is especially satisfying because of the large number of entries representing a significant number of industries," said Keith F. Hartstein, President and CEO of John Hancock Funds.

"The concept, development and implementation of Proposal Builder was all managed internally and represents a great team effort by our IT web, e- commerce, marketing and legal teams," said Gerard Sullivan, director and head of the E-commerce team.

The MITX award marks the second time in two months that John Hancock Funds has been recognized for its outstanding web-based communications capabilities. In October, John Hancock Funds won "Best Overall Communication" in the large company category (more than $25 billion in assets under management) from the Mutual Fund Education Alliance (MFEA). The company took five individual top honors for retirement materials, advisor services and online innovation, plus two honorable mentions.

About MITX

Established in 1996, The Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) is the leading industry organization focused on the web, bringing together the digital technology, marketing and media community to engage in what is next for the web and how it will impact the marketing and business worlds. Reaching more than 6,000 professionals in New England, MITX is a dynamic and growing community of thought leaders, collaborators, and individuals in search of insight, education and opportunity. MITX is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information please go to http://www.mitx.org.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial Services, John Hancock Funds manages more than $59 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at September 30, 2007. For more information, please visit http://www.jhfunds.com.

John Hancock Financial Services is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 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$399 billion (US$400.5 billion) at September 30, 2007. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial may be found on the Internet at http://www.manulife.com.

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Source: John Hancock Funds

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