NAB's business satisfaction rating falls

AUSTRALIA'S biggest business lender National Australia Bank has fallen further behind its big four rivals in business customer satisfaction.

NAB had an average satisfaction rating of 6.9 out of ten in November, well behind Commonwealth Bank (7.5), Westpac (7.4) and ANZ (7.3).

According to the monthly DBM Consultants' Business Financial Services Monitor, NAB's satisfaction rating went backwards in November, while ANZ, which had lagged alongside it for most of the past two years, continued to pull ahead.

DBM director Maria Claridad said ANZ achieved its highest ever average score in November and was well above the 6.9 it scored in April this year.

"What ANZ has been able to achieve in the past six months is great for their business and it has closed the gap on the two major banks that were well ahead of it,' she said.

She said the challenge now was for ANZ to sustain or improve on the customer satisfaction level.

The BFSM, which is based on interviews with 20,000 businesses a year, also showed the Commonwealth was the most popular bank among large and micro businesses, while Westpac lead among small and medium sized companies.

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NSW woman dies in single vehicle crash

A 45-YEAR-OLD woman has been killed in Sydney's west when the car she was driving crashed at Hassall Grove.

Police say the woman was driving along Luxford Road about 12.50am (AEDT) on Sunday when her car hit the gutter, before crashing through the guard rail and hitting an embankment.

Investigations are continuing and police will prepare a report for the coroner.

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Extreme fire danger in WA prompts bans

FIRE alerts ranging from severe to extreme for much of Western Australia have prompted total fire bans in many areas, including parts of the Goldfields-Midlands region.

With temperatures set to soar again on Monday, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has also issued a ban for parts of the Midwest Gascoyne region.

The DFES warned residents in the Central Wheatbelt and inland parts of the Great Southern and Central West they would be facing extreme fire danger, while those in the Gascoyne, Eucla, Pilbara, coastal parts of the Great Southern and the Upper Great Southern are facing severe fire danger.

On Sunday an emergency warning was downgraded to an advice alert for a bushfire four kilometres east of Toodyay.

The DFES said the blaze was contained and under control.

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Ferry runs aground in Baltic Sea

A FINNISH ferry operator says one of its Sweden-bound vessels is stuck on rocks in the Baltic Sea but none of the nearly 2000 passengers are injured or in any danger.

Viking Line says the M/S Amorella hit the rocks after a power failure on the ship on Saturday as it was on its way from the Finnish port of Turku to Stockholm with 1945 passengers.

In a statement, the operator said a minor leak has been found in a ballast tank but stressed the ship was not taking in water.

The Aland Islands, a group of semi-autonomous Finnish islands, are midway between the two port cities and the ferry was making a scheduled stop there.

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Car located for missing Qld man

A SEARCH will resume at first light for a man missing on a southwestern Queensland property after his vehicle was found bogged.

The man in his 50s was reported missing on Saturday after he failed to return from checking bores on the property south of Quilpie.

Two fixed wing aircraft, police and members of the public helped with the search on Saturday, which located his vehicle bogged on a neighbouring property.

There was no sign of the worker and the search will resume on Sunday.

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Santa marathon attracts six thousand

AROUND 6000 people dressed as Santa Claus and his elves have run a "mini-marathon" through the streets of Madrid to promote festive cheer as the country tries to emerge from a two-year recession.

While grown-ups dressed in red costumes with wispy white beards, children donned green elf outfits to run the 5.5 kilometre course on Saturday through the city centre.

The race was organised by one of Spain's leading department stores and it contributed one euro ($A1.55) for each entrant to a charity that buys Christmas presents for deprived children around the world.

Javier Menendez, one of the runners, said he was surprised at the number of people who have donned the robes for the run.

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Severe fire danger for Perth prompts ban

THE heatwave gripping much of Western Australia has prompted bushfire warnings for much of the state and a total fire ban in Perth.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has issued severe fire danger advices for Sunday for the Central West, Upper Great Southern, and parts of the Central Wheatbelt, Pilbara and Perth and sourrounding areas.

With the mercury tipped to top 41C in Perth for the third day of the Ashes Test, a total fire ban has been issued for inland parts of the city and surrounding areas.

They include Armadale, Gosnells, Swan, Chittering, Gingin, Kalamunda, Mundaring, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Toodyay.

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