The National Announces Fire Assistance Package - 5 December 2002

The National's General Manager, Personal Financial Services, Mr Gordon Lefevre, today announced a range of further measures to provide special relief for customers affected by the recent New South Wales bushfires.

"The National wants to provide practical assistance to victims of these devastating fires. We have customers who are affected and we want them to know how we are able to help," he said.

The National's relief package, for customers who have suffered loss of property in the fires, includes:

• a suspension of home loan repayments;
  
• waiving fees and costs for early withdrawal of term deposits;
  
• waiving home loan and personal loan application fees;
  
• providing existing customers access to low "honeymoon" home loan rates (currently 4.99% for 6 months or 5.39% for 12 months) and waiving the application fee to change to another loan at expiry;
  
• waiving establishment fees for restructuring business loans;
  
• credit card relief where appropriate.

Customers of the National should discuss these options with their banker or call the National's Customer Contact Centre on 13 22 65.