diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/symboltable/TypeSet.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/symboltable/TypeSet.java
index 02ea9ff0e2..fdd1a6db63 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/symboltable/TypeSet.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/symboltable/TypeSet.java
@@ -228,31 +228,25 @@ public class TypeSet {
                 throw new ClassNotFoundException();
             }
 
-            final String fqName = qualifyName(name);
-            final Class<?> c = resolveMaybeInner(fqName, fqName);
-
-            if (c == null) {
-                throw new ClassNotFoundException("Type " + name + " not found");
-            }
-
-            return c;
+            return pmdClassLoader.loadClass(qualifyName(name));
         }
 
         @Override
         public boolean couldResolve(String name) {
-        	return super.couldResolve(qualifyName(name));
+            return pmdClassLoader.couldResolve(qualifyName(name));
         }
 
         private String qualifyName(final String name) {
+            final String qualifiedName = name.replace('.', '$');
             if (pkg == null) {
-                return name;
+                return qualifiedName;
             }
 
             /*
              * String.concat is bad in general, but for simple 2 string concatenation, it's the fastest
              * See http://www.rationaljava.com/2015/02/the-optimum-method-to-concatenate.html
              */
-            return pkg.concat(name);
+            return pkg.concat(qualifiedName);
         }
     }
 
@@ -291,7 +285,7 @@ public class TypeSet {
              * String.concat is bad in general, but for simple 2 string concatenation, it's the fastest
              * See http://www.rationaljava.com/2015/02/the-optimum-method-to-concatenate.html
              */
-            clazz = pmdClassLoader.loadClass("java.lang.".concat(name));
+            clazz = pmdClassLoader.loadClass("java.lang.".concat(name.replace('.', '$')));
             CLASS_CACHE.putIfAbsent(name, clazz);
 
             return clazz;
@@ -303,7 +297,7 @@ public class TypeSet {
              * String.concat is bad in general, but for simple 2 string concatenation, it's the fastest
              * See http://www.rationaljava.com/2015/02/the-optimum-method-to-concatenate.html
              */
-            return super.couldResolve("java.lang.".concat(name));
+            return pmdClassLoader.couldResolve("java.lang.".concat(name.replace('.', '$')));
         }
     }
 
@@ -333,12 +327,16 @@ public class TypeSet {
                 throw new ClassNotFoundException();
             }
 
+            name = name.replace('.', '$');
             for (String importStmt : importStmts) {
                 final String fqClassName = new StringBuilder(importStmt.length() + name.length()).append(importStmt)
                         .replace(importStmt.length() - 1, importStmt.length(), name).toString();
-                final Class<?> c = resolveMaybeInner(name, fqClassName);
-                if (c != null) {
-                    return c;
+                if (pmdClassLoader.couldResolve(fqClassName)) {
+                    try {
+                        return pmdClassLoader.loadClass(fqClassName);
+                    } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+                        // ignored
+                    }
                 }
             }
 
@@ -347,11 +345,12 @@ public class TypeSet {
 
         @Override
         public boolean couldResolve(String name) {
+            name = name.replace('.', '$');
             for (String importStmt : importStmts) {
                 final String fqClassName = new StringBuilder(importStmt.length() + name.length()).append(importStmt)
                         .replace(importStmt.length() - 1, importStmt.length(), name).toString();
                 // can any class be resolved / was never attempted?
-                if (super.couldResolve(fqClassName)) {
+                if (pmdClassLoader.couldResolve(fqClassName)) {
                     return true;
                 }
             }