John Hancock Closed-End Funds Announce Annual Meeting Date

BOSTON, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Funds is pleased to announce that seven of its closed-end funds, John Hancock Bank and Thrift Opportunity Fund (NYSE: BTO), John Hancock Preferred Income Fund (NYSE: HPI), John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II (NYSE: HPF), John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE: HPS), John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (NYSE: PDT), John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (NYSE: HTD), and John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund (NYSE: HTY), will hold a Joint Annual Meeting of Shareholders ("Annual Meeting") on January 20, 2012 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Time, at the offices of the Funds, 601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.

Shareholders of record of each Fund as of the close of business on November 1, 2011 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting and at any adjournment thereof.  At the Annual Meeting, shareholders of the Funds will be asked to re-elect certain of the Funds' Trustees.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds, manages more than $71.6 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at June 30, 2011.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. 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 Cdn$481 billion (US$498 billion) at June 30, 2011.

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.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds

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