John Hancock Bank and Thrift Opportunity Fund; John Hancock Preferred Income Fund; John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II; John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III; John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund; John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund; John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield Fund Announce Results of Annual Shareholder Meeting

BOSTON, Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The following seven John Hancock Closed-End Funds announced the results of their annual shareholder meeting: 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) (collectively, the "Funds").

At their annual meeting held today, shareholders of the Funds re-elected Stanley Martin, John A. Moore and John G. Vrysen to serve as Trustees of the Funds for a term ending at the annual shareholder meeting in 2015 or such earlier date as required by the by-laws of the Funds. The terms of office of the other Trustees of the Funds have not ended and they remain in office.

Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined by the United States securities laws. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Fund's control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds, manages more than $62.3 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at September 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$492 billion (US$473 billion) at September 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