diff --git a/pmd/regress/test/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactoryTest.java b/pmd/regress/test/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactoryTest.java
index 01addab111..204771ab35 100644
--- a/pmd/regress/test/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactoryTest.java
+++ b/pmd/regress/test/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactoryTest.java
@@ -140,16 +140,27 @@ public class RuleSetFactoryTest extends TestCase {
         assertEquals("TestMessageOverride", r.getMessage());
     }
 
+    public void testOverrideMessageOneElem() {
+        Rule r = loadFirstRule(REF_OVERRIDE_ORIGINAL_NAME_ONE_ELEM);
+        assertEquals("TestMessageOverride", r.getMessage());
+    }
+
     private static final String REF_OVERRIDE_ORIGINAL_NAME =
             "<?xml version=\"1.0\"?>" + PMD.EOL +
             "<ruleset name=\"test\">" + PMD.EOL +
             " <description>testdesc</description>" + PMD.EOL +
             " <rule " + PMD.EOL +
-            "  ref=\"rulesets/unusedcode.xml/UnusedLocalVariable\" " + PMD.EOL +
-            "  message=\"TestMessageOverride\"> " + PMD.EOL +
+            "  ref=\"rulesets/unusedcode.xml/UnusedLocalVariable\" message=\"TestMessageOverride\"> " + PMD.EOL +
             " </rule>" + PMD.EOL +
             "</ruleset>";
 
+    private static final String REF_OVERRIDE_ORIGINAL_NAME_ONE_ELEM =
+            "<?xml version=\"1.0\"?>" + PMD.EOL +
+            "<ruleset name=\"test\">" + PMD.EOL +
+            " <description>testdesc</description>" + PMD.EOL +
+            " <rule ref=\"rulesets/unusedcode.xml/UnusedLocalVariable\" message=\"TestMessageOverride\"/> " + PMD.EOL +
+            "</ruleset>";
+
     private static final String REF_OVERRIDE =
             "<?xml version=\"1.0\"?>" + PMD.EOL +
             "<ruleset name=\"test\">" + PMD.EOL +
diff --git a/pmd/src/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactory.java b/pmd/src/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactory.java
index 2ce9664535..812e6b045a 100644
--- a/pmd/src/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactory.java
+++ b/pmd/src/net/sourceforge/pmd/RuleSetFactory.java
@@ -260,10 +260,8 @@ public class RuleSetFactory {
         RuleSet externalRuleSet = rsf.createRuleSet(ResourceLoader.loadResourceAsStream(externalRuleID.getFilename()));
         Rule externalRule = externalRuleSet.getRuleByName(externalRuleID.getRuleName());
 
-        if (ruleNode.getFirstChild() != null) {
-            OverrideParser p = new OverrideParser((Element)ruleNode);
-            p.overrideAsNecessary(externalRule);
-        }
+        OverrideParser p = new OverrideParser((Element)ruleNode);
+        p.overrideAsNecessary(externalRule);
 
         ruleSet.addRule(externalRule);
     }
diff --git a/pmd/xdocs/credits.xml b/pmd/xdocs/credits.xml
index 41a781c892..3f307b0127 100644
--- a/pmd/xdocs/credits.xml
+++ b/pmd/xdocs/credits.xml
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@
         </subsection>
         <subsection name="Contributors">
         <ul>
+            <li>Wouter Zelle - Fixed a devious bug in RuleSetFactory, AvoidPrintStackTrace, initial implementation of SimplifyConditional</li>
             <li>Wim Deblauwe - noted problems with web site rule index, bug report for JUnitTestsShouldContainAsserts, Clover license coordination and implementation, UseCorrectExceptionLogging, coordinated and coded a much nicer asXML() implementation, suggested cleanup of UnusedFormalParameter, Javadoc patch, SystemPrintln bug report, helped get Ant task and CLI squared away with JDK 1.5 params, JDK 1.5-specific bug reports, suggested improvements for ExceptionSignatureDeclaration</li>
             <li>Dennis Klemann - reported fix for pmd.bat problem</li>
             <li>Jeff Chamblee - bug report for CompareObjectsWithEquals</li>
             <li>Tor Norbye - Suggested CompareObjectsWithEquals</li>
-            <li>Wouter Zelle - AvoidPrintStackTrace, initial implementation of SimplifyConditional</li>
             <li>Thomas Skariah - bug reports for MethodArgumentCouldBeFinal and AvoidReassigningParameters</li>
             <li>Tom Parker - bug report for MethodReturnsInternalArray, found missed case in NullAssignment, suggested addition to UnnecessaryBooleanAssertion, suggested splitting up AvoidThrowingCertainExceptionTypes, AvoidInstantiatingObjectsInLoops bug report, AtLeastOneConstructor bug report</li>
             <li>Bruno Juillet - bug report for missing package/class/method names, patch for Ant task's excludeMarker attribute, bug report on ruleset overrides</li>