diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajContentHandler.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajContentHandler.java
index e78a49a0..6da25b46 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajContentHandler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajContentHandler.java
@@ -17,20 +17,21 @@
 package org.springframework.ws.soap.saaj.support;
 
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 import javax.xml.soap.Name;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPElement;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPEnvelope;
 import javax.xml.soap.SOAPException;
 
-import org.springframework.core.CollectionFactory;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
-import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 import org.xml.sax.ContentHandler;
 import org.xml.sax.Locator;
 import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
 
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+
 /**
  * SAX <code>ContentHandler</code> that transforms callback calls to the creation of SAAJ <code>Node</code>s and
  * <code>SOAPElement</code>s.
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ public class SaajContentHandler implements ContentHandler {
 
     private final SOAPEnvelope envelope;
 
-    private Map namespaces = CollectionFactory.createLinkedMapIfPossible(5);
+    private Map namespaces = new LinkedHashMap();
 
     /**
      * Constructs a new instance of the <code>SaajContentHandler</code> that creates children of the given
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajXmlReader.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajXmlReader.java
index 57e8dcf9..47ebe479 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajXmlReader.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ws/soap/saaj/support/SaajXmlReader.java
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ public class SaajXmlReader extends AbstractXmlReader {
 
     private void handleText(Text text) throws SAXException {
         if (getContentHandler() != null) {
-            char[] ch = text.getValue().toCharArray();
+            char[] ch = text.getValue() != null ? text.getValue().toCharArray() : new char[0];
             getContentHandler().characters(ch, 0, ch.length);
         }
     }