John Hancock Advisers, LLC Provides Statement on Demand Letter Regarding Dutch Auction Rate Transferable Securities Preferred Stock

BOSTON, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Advisers, LLC announced that John Hancock Patriot Premium Dividend Fund II (the "Fund"), a leveraged John Hancock closed-end fund, received a demand letter from a law firm on behalf of a putative common shareholder of the Fund.

The demand letter alleges that John Hancock Advisers, LLC, the Fund's adviser, certain of the Trustees and executive officers of the Fund, and certain other individuals breached their fiduciary duties to the Fund related to the redemption at par of the Fund's Dutch Auction Rate Transferable Securities Preferred Stock (DARTS), and demands that the Fund's Board of Trustees take action to remedy those alleged breaches.  The Board of Trustees of the Fund is considering the demand letter at this time.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds, manages more than $57.9 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at March 31, 2010.

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$446 billion (US$440 billion) at March 31, 2010.

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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