Accounting software supplier Reckon has sold A$1 million of small business loans since its set up a distribution agreement with online lender Prospa in July. Reckon Loans offers business loans from $5000 to $250,000, promising a 24-hour turnaround. Credit assessments are carried out by accessing accounting data on the Reckon platform. Finance company zipMoney has scored a big win, signing a partnership with Solahart Australia, a leading supplier of solar water heating and solar power systems. zipMoney has been appointed Solahart's preferred interest-free finance provider. zipMoney, which listed on the ASX in September last year, grew its loan book from A$2.9 million in 2014/15 to $40.7 million at the end of June. Other partners include Thermomix, Oz Design Furniture and Open Colleges. A Westpac customer caught up in an armed robbery at a Canberra branch has failed in a bid to have the bank pay compensation. The Canberra Times reports that Gary Roberts was threatened by a balaclava-clad robber brandishing a gun during a branch holdup in 2010. Roberts argued that the bank owed him a duty of care, which it failed to exercise, leaving him with post-traumatic stress. On Monday the ACT Court of Appeal upheld an earlier ruling that the bank had no control over an armed robber's conduct and was not liable for the impact of the robbery on Roberts. Research performed by credit reporting agency Experian on behalf of comparison website Credit Savvy has found Australians are 1.5 times more likely to default on personal loans taken out before Christmas than at any other time. In addition, credit trends over the last two years disclosed a ten per cent spike in Australians applying for personal loans in the December quarter. Credit cards are not exempt, with a ten per cent increase in defaults for credit cards taken out at this time of year.