diff --git a/lib/checknullpointer.cpp b/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
index 8dca3e7c0..a2e5abe62 100644
--- a/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
+++ b/lib/checknullpointer.cpp
@@ -516,9 +516,13 @@ void CheckNullPointer::nullPointerByDeRefAndChec()
 
             for (const Token *tok1 = tok->previous(); tok1 && tok1 != decltok; tok1 = tok1->previous())
             {
-                if (tok1->str() == ")" && Token::Match(tok1->link()->tokAt(-3), "%varid% = %var%", varid))
+                if (tok1->str() == ")" && Token::Match(tok1->link()->previous(), "%var% ("))
                 {
-                    break;
+                    const Token *tok2 = tok1->link();
+                    while (tok2 && !Token::Match(tok2, "[;{}]"))
+                        tok2 = tok2->previous();
+                    if (Token::Match(tok2, "[;{}] %varid% = %var%", varid))
+                        break;
                 }
 
                 if (tok1->str() == ")" && Token::Match(tok1->link()->previous(), "while ( %varid%", varid))
diff --git a/test/testnullpointer.cpp b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
index 764879d65..4f0eb41c3 100644
--- a/test/testnullpointer.cpp
+++ b/test/testnullpointer.cpp
@@ -487,6 +487,14 @@ private:
               "}\n");
         ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
 
+        check("void foo(x *p)\n"
+              "{\n"
+              "    p = aa->bar(p->next);\n"
+              "    if (!p)\n"
+              "        ;\n"
+              "}\n");
+        ASSERT_EQUALS("", errout.str());
+
         check("void foo(struct ABC *abc)\n"
               "{\n"
               "    abc = abc ? abc->next : 0;\n"