497 1 jht.htm JOHN HANCOCK TRUST

John Hancock Trust

 

Supplement dated January 25, 2007 to the

Statement of Additional Information

Dated April 28, 2006

 

Investments in Creditors’ Claims.

 

The High Income Trust may purchase creditors’ claims in bankruptcy (“Creditors’ Claims”) which are rights to payment from a debtor under the U.S. bankruptcy laws. Creditors’ Claims may be secured or unsecured. A secured claim generally receives priority in payment over unsecured claims.

 

Sellers of Creditors’ Claims can either be: (i) creditors that have extended unsecured credit to the debtor company (most commonly trade suppliers of materials or services); or (ii) secured creditors (most commonly financial institutions) that have obtained collateral to secure an advance of credit to the debtor. Selling a Creditor’s Claim offers the creditor an opportunity to turn a claim that otherwise might not be satisfied for many years into liquid assets.

 

Creditors’ Claims may be purchased directly from a creditor although most are purchased through brokers. Creditors’ Claims can be sold as a single claim or as part of a package of claims from several different bankruptcy filings. Purchasers of Creditors’ Claims, such as the High Income Trust, may take an active role in the reorganization process of the bankrupt company and, in certain situations where the Creditors’ Claim is not paid in full, the claim may be converted into stock of the reorganized debtor.

 

Although Creditors’ Claims can be sold to other investors, the market for Creditors’ Claims is not liquid and, as a result, a purchaser of a Creditors’ Claim may be unable to sell the claim or may have to sell it at a drastically reduced price. There is no guarantee that any payment will be received from a Creditors’ Claim, especially in the case of unsecured claims.