UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                  FORM 10-Q / A

             |X| QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                  For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2003

                         Commission File Number: 1-15607


                      JOHN HANCOCK FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.
                Exact name of registrant as specified in charter


            DELAWARE                              04-3483032
 (State or other jurisdiction of      (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 incorporation or organization)


                               John Hancock Place
                               Post Office Box 111
                           Boston, Massachusetts 02117
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                                 (617) 572-6000
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

      Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes |X| No |_|

      Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as
defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes |X| No |_|

      Number of shares outstanding of our only class of common stock as of
May 9, 2003: 288,985,073

<PAGE>

EXPLANATORY NOTE:

Item 6 of Part II of this Form 10-Q/A is being amended to file exhibit 10.2.2.1
which, while listed as an exhibit to the Form 10-Q for the period ended March
31, 2003, was inadvertently omitted when the document was EDGARized and filed
with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.


PART II - OTHER INFORMATION


ITEM 6. EXHIBITS and REPORTS on FORM 8-K

a)    Exhibits

Exhibit
Number      Description
------      -----------

2.2        Purchase and Sale Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, as seller, and Beacon Capital Strategic Partners, as
           purchaser, for the sale of certain John Hancock home office
           properties. *

10.2.2.1   Executive Employment Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and Thomas E. Moloney
           @ +

10.2.5.1   Amended and Restated Employment Continuation Agreement between John
           Hancock Life Insurance Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.
           and Maureen Ford dated April 1, 2003. * +

10.2.5.2   Executive Employment Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and Maureen Ford dated
           April 1, 2003. * +

10.2.6.1   Executive Employment Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and Robert Walters * +

10.2.8.1   Executive Employment Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and Wayne A. Budd * +

10.2.9.1   Executive Employment Agreement between John Hancock Life Insurance
           Company, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and Deborah H. McAneny
           * +

99.1       Chief Executive Officer certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
           1350, as adopted by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *

99.2       Chief Financial Officer certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
           1350, as adopted by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *

Any exhibit not included with this amended quarterly report on Form 10-Q/A when
furnished to any shareholder of record will be furnished to such shareholder
upon written request and payment of up to $.25 per page plus postage (except no
payment will be required for the financial statements and schedules included in
Exhibit 13 if not included). Such requests should be directed to John Hancock
Financial Services, Inc., Investor Relations, John Hancock Place, Post Office
Box 111, Boston, Massachusetts 02117.

----------
*     Previously filed as an exhibit to John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.'s
      quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2003, and
      incorporated by reference herein.
@     Filed herewith.
+     Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

<PAGE>

b)    Reports on Form 8-K.

      During the First Quarter of 2003 the Company filed the following Current
Reports on Form 8-K:

      On January 9, 2003, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, dated
January 8, 2003 reporting under Item 5 thereof the Company's agreement with
Allmerica Financial Corporation (Allmerica) to reinsure Allmerica's fixed
universal life insurance business.

      On February 7, 2003, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K dated
February 7, 2003 reporting under Item 5 thereof the Company's operating and
financial results for the fourth quarter of 2002.

      On March 13, 2003, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, dated
March 13, 2003 reporting under Item 5 thereof that the Company's Canadian
operating subsidiary, Maritime Life had entered into an agreement to assume the
insurance business of Liberty Health, a Canadian Division of Liberty
International, a subsidiary of US-based Liberty Mutual Group.

      On March 17, 2003, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K dated
March 14, 2003 reporting under Item 5 thereof the Company's sale of three of its
home office complex properties.

      On March 21, 2003, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K dated
March 20, 2003 furnishing under Item 9 thereof the Certifications of the
Company's Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officers, as required by Section
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

<PAGE>

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                           JOHN HANCOCK FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.

Date: June 20, 2003                        By: /s/ THOMAS E. MOLONEY
                                               ---------------------
                                               Thomas E. Moloney
                                               Senior Executive Vice
                                               President and Chief Financial
                                               Officer

<PAGE>

                                 CERTIFICATIONS

      I, David F. D'Alessandro, certify that:

1.    I have reviewed this amended quarterly report on Form 10-Q/A of John
      Hancock Financial Services, Inc.;
2.    Based on my knowledge, this amended quarterly report does not contain any
      untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
      necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under
      which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
      covered by this amended quarterly report;
3.    Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
      information included in this amended quarterly report, fairly present in
      all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and
      cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this
      amended quarterly report;
4.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for
      establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
      defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and
      have:
      a)    designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that
            material information relating to the registrant, including its
            consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within
            those entities, particularly during the period in which this amended
            quarterly report is being prepared;
      b)    evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
            and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date
            of this amended quarterly report (the "Evaluation Date"); and
      c)    presented in this amended quarterly report our conclusions about the
            effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our
            evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;
5.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
      our most recent evaluation, to the registrant's auditors and the audit
      committee of registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the
      equivalent functions):
      a)    all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
            controls which could adversely affect the registrant's ability to
            record, process, summarize and report financial data and have
            identified for the registrant's auditors any material weaknesses in
            internal controls; and
      b)    any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
            other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's
            internal controls; and
6.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I have indicated in this
      amended quarterly report whether there were significant changes in
      internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect
      internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation,
      including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies
      and material weaknesses.

Date: June 20, 2003

By: /S/ DAVID F. D'ALESSANDRO
    --------------------------
    David F. D'Alessandro
    Chairman, President and
      Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>

                                 CERTIFICATIONS

      I, Thomas E. Moloney, certify that:

1.    I have reviewed this amended quarterly report on Form 10-Q/A of John
      Hancock Financial Services, Inc.;
2.    Based on my knowledge, this amended quarterly report does not contain any
      untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
      necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under
      which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
      covered by this amended quarterly report;
3.    Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
      information included in this amended quarterly report, fairly present in
      all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and
      cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this
      amended quarterly report;
4.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I are responsible for
      establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
      defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14) for the registrant and
      have:
      a)    designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that
            material information relating to the registrant, including its
            consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within
            those entities, particularly during the period in which this amended
            quarterly report is being prepared;
      b)    evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
            and procedures as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date
            of this amended quarterly report (the "Evaluation Date"); and
      c)    presented in this amended quarterly report our conclusions about the
            effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on our
            evaluation as of the Evaluation Date;
5.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on
      our most recent evaluation, to the registrant's auditors and the audit
      committee of registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the
      equivalent functions):
      a)    all significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
            controls which could adversely affect the registrant's ability to
            record, process, summarize and report financial data and have
            identified for the registrant's auditors any material weaknesses in
            internal controls; and
      b)    any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
            other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's
            internal controls; and
6.    The registrant's other certifying officers and I have indicated in this
      amended quarterly report whether there were significant changes in
      internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect
      internal controls subsequent to the date of our most recent evaluation,
      including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies
      and material weaknesses.

Date: June 20, 2003

By: /s/ THOMAS E. MOLONEY
    --------------------------
    Thomas E. Moloney
    Senior Executive Vice President and
      Chief Financial Officer