diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/splitter/AbstractMessageSplitter.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/splitter/AbstractMessageSplitter.java
index 2d8dc1f302..6d396b489a 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/splitter/AbstractMessageSplitter.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/splitter/AbstractMessageSplitter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2015 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2016 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -112,12 +112,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractMessageSplitter extends AbstractReplyProducingMess
 			Object correlationId, int sequenceNumber, int sequenceSize) {
 		AbstractIntegrationMessageBuilder<?> builder;
 		if (item instanceof Message) {
-			builder = this.getMessageBuilderFactory().fromMessage((Message<?>) item);
+			builder = getMessageBuilderFactory().fromMessage((Message<?>) item);
 		}
 		else {
-			builder = this.getMessageBuilderFactory().withPayload(item);
-			builder.copyHeaders(headers);
+			builder = getMessageBuilderFactory().withPayload(item);
 		}
+		builder.copyHeaders(headers);
 		if (this.applySequence) {
 			builder.pushSequenceDetails(correlationId, sequenceNumber, sequenceSize);
 		}
diff --git a/spring-integration-ftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/ftp/outbound/FtpServerOutboundTests-context.xml b/spring-integration-ftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/ftp/outbound/FtpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
index 2d2925e481..1174cd05b4 100644
--- a/spring-integration-ftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/ftp/outbound/FtpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-ftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/ftp/outbound/FtpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@
 	</int:chain>
 
 	<int:service-activator input-channel="markers"
-	  expression="payload.mark.toString().equals('END') ? headers['file_remoteSession'].close() : null"/>
+	  expression="'END'.equals(headers['file_marker']) ? headers['file_remoteSession'].close() : null"/>
 
 	<int:channel id="appending" />
 
diff --git a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/outbound/SftpServerOutboundTests-context.xml b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/outbound/SftpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
index 200c807b1c..5796220c94 100644
--- a/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/outbound/SftpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-sftp/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/sftp/outbound/SftpServerOutboundTests-context.xml
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@
 	</int:chain>
 
 	<int:service-activator input-channel="markers"
-	  expression="payload.mark.toString().equals('END') ? headers['file_remoteSession'].close() : null"/>
+	  expression="headers['file_marker']?.equals('END') ? headers['file_remoteSession'].close() : null"/>
 
 	<int-sftp:outbound-gateway
 			session-factory="sftpSessionFactory"