diff --git a/java/org/slub/rosetta/dps/repository/plugin/storage/nfs/SLUBStoragePlugin.java b/java/org/slub/rosetta/dps/repository/plugin/storage/nfs/SLUBStoragePlugin.java
index bb3fbbb8d031e8e699295abfa73aa299c4b0acf5..ab397311ac6593d63a232d0e290f26a697696e60 100644
--- a/java/org/slub/rosetta/dps/repository/plugin/storage/nfs/SLUBStoragePlugin.java
+++ b/java/org/slub/rosetta/dps/repository/plugin/storage/nfs/SLUBStoragePlugin.java
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ public class SLUBStoragePlugin extends AbstractStorageHandler {
      */
     private boolean checkFixityByPlugin(Fixity fixity, String storedEntityIdentifier, boolean isRelativePath, boolean result) throws Exception {
         log.info("SLUBStoragePlugin.checkFixityByPlugin() another fixity");
-        String pluginname;
+        String pluginname = "";
         try {
             pluginname = fixity.getPluginName();
             log.info("SLUBStoragePlugin.checkFixityByPlugin() pluginname=" + pluginname);
@@ -185,8 +185,10 @@ public class SLUBStoragePlugin extends AbstractStorageHandler {
             log.warn("SLUBStoragePlugin.checkFixityByPlugin() hard error getting plugin name, " + e.getMessage());
             pluginname = "";
         }
-        if (pluginname.length() == 0) {
-            log.error("SLUBStoragePlugin failed to get pluginname, because it is empty. Possibly, there is no valid fixity typeused or a CustomFixityPlugin missed");
+        finally {
+            if (pluginname == null || pluginname.length() == 0) {
+                log.error("SLUBStoragePlugin failed to get pluginname, because it is empty. Possibly, there is no valid fixity typeused or a CustomFixityPlugin missed");
+            }
         }
 
         String oldValue = "";