diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/Ebean.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/Ebean.java
index cc6a42b31..126519503 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/Ebean.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/Ebean.java
@@ -315,7 +315,10 @@ public final class Ebean {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Start a new explicit transaction.
+   * Start a transaction with 'REQUIRED' semantics.
+   * <p>
+   * With REQUIRED semantics if an active transaction already exists that transaction will be used.
+   * </p>
    * <p>
    * The transaction is stored in a ThreadLocal variable and typically you only
    * need to use the returned Transaction <em>IF</em> you wish to do things like
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/EbeanServer.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/EbeanServer.java
index ba0cbd8b5..e372ebe9b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/EbeanServer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebean/EbeanServer.java
@@ -509,7 +509,10 @@ public interface EbeanServer {
   Transaction createTransaction(TxIsolation isolation);
 
   /**
-   * Start a new explicit transaction putting it into a ThreadLocal.
+   * Start a transaction with 'REQUIRED' semantics.
+   * <p>
+   * With REQUIRED semantics if an active transaction already exists that transaction will be used.
+   * </p>
    * <p>
    * The transaction is stored in a ThreadLocal variable and typically you only
    * need to use the returned Transaction <em>IF</em> you wish to do things like
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/DefaultServer.java b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/DefaultServer.java
index e0b1ca6e9..b6ea67a9b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/DefaultServer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/avaje/ebeaninternal/server/core/DefaultServer.java
@@ -756,16 +756,16 @@ public final class DefaultServer implements SpiEbeanServer {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Start a transaction.
+   * Start a transaction with 'REQUIRED' semantics.
+   * <p>
+   * If a transaction already exists that transaction will be used.
+   * </p>
    * <p>
    * Note that the transaction is stored in a ThreadLocal variable.
    * </p>
    */
   public Transaction beginTransaction() {
-    // start an explicit transaction
-    SpiTransaction t = transactionManager.createTransaction(true, -1);
-    transactionScopeManager.set(t);
-    return t;
+    return beginTransaction(TxScope.required());
   }
 
   public Transaction beginTransaction(TxScope scope) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/TestExplicitInsert.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/TestExplicitInsert.java
index e6277344e..77ba1bc93 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/TestExplicitInsert.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/TestExplicitInsert.java
@@ -32,6 +32,9 @@ public class TestExplicitInsert extends BaseTestCase {
 
     Assert.assertNotNull(b.getId());
 
+    Assert.assertEquals(b.getId(), server.getBeanId(b));
+
+
     EBasic b2 = server.find(EBasic.class, b.getId());
     b2.setId(null);
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/event/TestTransactionEvent.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/event/TestTransactionEvent.java
index f502bd706..6a36c862e 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/event/TestTransactionEvent.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/basic/event/TestTransactionEvent.java
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ public class TestTransactionEvent extends TestCase {
     tx.commit();
 
     assertNotNull(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted());
-    assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted(), tx);
     assertNotNull(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted().getUserObject("myUserObject"));
     assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted().getUserObject("myUserObject"), myUserObject);
     assertNull(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastRollbacked());
@@ -54,11 +53,9 @@ public class TestTransactionEvent extends TestCase {
 
     assertNotSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted(), MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastRollbacked());
 
-    assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted(), tx);
     assertNotNull(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted().getUserObject("myUserObject"));
     assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastCommitted().getUserObject("myUserObject"), myUserObject);
-
-    assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastRollbacked(), tx2);
+    
     assertNotNull(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastRollbacked().getUserObject("myUserObject2"));
     assertSame(MyTestTransactionEventListener.getLastRollbacked().getUserObject("myUserObject2"), myUserObject);
   }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/transaction/TestCreateTransactionWithIsolation.java b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/transaction/TestCreateTransactionWithIsolation.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b69d01f41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/avaje/tests/transaction/TestCreateTransactionWithIsolation.java
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package com.avaje.tests.transaction;
+
+import com.avaje.ebean.*;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class TestCreateTransactionWithIsolation extends BaseTestCase {
+
+  @Test
+  public void test() {
+
+    EbeanServer server = Ebean.getServer(null);
+    Transaction txn = server.createTransaction(TxIsolation.SERIALIZABLE);
+    txn.end();
+
+  }
+
+}