help!!XPATH QUERY:How to use "<"

I would like to find out how to incorporate a query such as when AccBal is less than 25000.00
When I use for-each select or when test it gives me error saying

The value of attribute "test" associated with an element type "xsl:when" must not contain the '<' character. [84]
----------------------------------------------------------

<xsl:template match="ns:Customer">

<!--<xsl:template match="ns:Product">-->


<tr>

<xsl:variable name="Fees" select="10.00"/>
<xsl:variable name="Deposits" select="sum(nsep)"/>
<xsl:variable name="Wdl" select="sum(ns:Wdl)"/>
<xsl:variable name="Monthly" select="($Balance + $Deposits) - ($Wdl)"/>
<xsl:variable name="FinalMonthly" select="($Monthly) - ($Fees)"/>



<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="ns:Customer[(ns:AccBal<'25000.00')]">


<td><xsl:number value="position()"/>.<xsl:value-of select="ns:Customer[@Name]"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="ns:AccBal"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="ns:Country"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="Country"/></td>
<td><xsl:value-of select="$FinalMonthly"/></td>

</xsl:when>


<xsltherwise>
<td>#a0FFa0</td>
</xsltherwise>



</xsl:choose>
is less than

Simple answer is that there are certain characters you cannot use in xsl. Good example is '&nsbp;'. Here you have to use '&nsbp;' or you you can use the decimal equivalent '*'. Both will work.

Both '<' and '>' fall into this as well so use '&lt' for '<' and '&gt' for '>'.

Decimal is #160; with a & before it. Won't show here for some reason.

---thanks much for responding!Can you please give me the full syntax with < and decimal that you are talking about?I dont think I am using them right...

Assuming your code is correct & your syntax is right,

<xsl:when test="ns:Customer[(ns:AccBal < '25000.00')]">

I don't know the decimal code off hand but this link was given to me by eknock in another thread,

http://www.natural-innovations.com/wa/doc-charset.html