diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ebean/text/TimeStringParser.java b/src/main/java/io/ebean/text/TimeStringParser.java
index 53ecab696..b7c6c9e06 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ebean/text/TimeStringParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ebean/text/TimeStringParser.java
@@ -27,16 +27,17 @@ public final class TimeStringParser implements StringParser {
     }
 
     String s = value.trim();
-    int minute;
-    int second;
     int firstColon = s.indexOf(':');
-    int secondColon = s.indexOf(':', firstColon + 1);
 
     if (firstColon == -1) {
       throw new java.lang.IllegalArgumentException("No ':' in value [" + s + "]");
     }
     try {
+      int second;
+      int minute;
       int hour = Integer.parseInt(s.substring(0, firstColon));
+      int secondColon = s.indexOf(':', firstColon + 1);
+
       if (secondColon == -1) {
         minute = Integer.parseInt(s.substring(firstColon + 1, s.length()));
         second = 0;
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java b/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
index a9af1cdbf..8f07c2542 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/deploy/BeanDescriptor.java
@@ -2176,12 +2176,13 @@ public class BeanDescriptor<T> implements MetaBeanInfo, BeanType<T> {
     if (basePos > -1) {
       // nested or embedded property
       String baseName = propName.substring(0, basePos);
-      String remainder = propName.substring(basePos + 1);
 
       BeanProperty assocProp = _findBeanProperty(baseName);
       if (assocProp == null) {
         return null;
       }
+
+      String remainder = propName.substring(basePos + 1);
       return assocProp.buildElPropertyValue(propName, remainder, chain, propertyDeploy);
     }