diff --git a/src/app-utils/gnc-ui-util.c b/src/app-utils/gnc-ui-util.c
index 927a2991a9..3dd2b175cc 100644
--- a/src/app-utils/gnc-ui-util.c
+++ b/src/app-utils/gnc-ui-util.c
@@ -1754,14 +1754,10 @@ gnc_commodity_get_nice_symbol(const gnc_commodity *cm)
     if (!cm) return NULL;
 
     nice_symbol = gnc_commodity_get_user_symbol(cm);
-    if (nice_symbol)
-	return nice_symbol;
-    else if (gnc_commodity_equiv (cm, gnc_locale_default_currency_nodefault ()))
-	return gnc_localeconv()->currency_symbol;
-    else if ((nice_symbol = gnc_commodity_get_mnemonic(cm)))
-	return nice_symbol;
+    if (nice_symbol && *nice_symbol)
+        return nice_symbol;
     else
-	return "";
+        return gnc_commodity_get_mnemonic(cm);
 }
 
 /********************************************************************\
diff --git a/src/engine/iso-currencies-to-c b/src/engine/iso-currencies-to-c
index a2122b5730..1c22154809 100755
--- a/src/engine/iso-currencies-to-c
+++ b/src/engine/iso-currencies-to-c
@@ -54,12 +54,14 @@ exec guile -s $0 "$@"
         PWARN(\"failed to insert %s into commodity table\", fullname);
       }
     }
+    gnc_commodity_set_user_symbol(c, ~S);
   }\n"
 	     fullname
 	     namespace
 	     mnemonic
 	     exchange-code
-	     smallest-fraction)
+	     smallest-fraction
+	     local-symbol)
 
 	    ;; Sorry, code doubling of the error message, but whatever.
 	    (begin