John Hancock, based in Boston, was founded as a mutual life insurance company in 1862. The company's initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 marked the end of its 138 year existence as a mutual company. In 2004, John Hancock was acquired by Manulife Financial Corporation ("Manulife"), a Toronto-based life insurance company. With a market capitalization in excess of US$29 billion as of January 6, 2009, Manulife is the second largest life insurance company in North America and the fifth largest life insurance company in the world.

The Food and Commodities Team is part of John Hancock’s Bond and Corporate Finance Group. With investments exceeding $56 billion the Bond and Corporate Finance Group’s portfolio represents approximately 50% of Manulife’s on-balance sheet assets. We have global access to bond markets in 44 countries representing a broad spectrum of economies, from emerging to developed. Because of our industry focus, we are able to provide depth of knowledge and expertise to our borrowers.