diff --git a/ompi/mca/osc/pt2pt/osc_pt2pt_data_move.c b/ompi/mca/osc/pt2pt/osc_pt2pt_data_move.c
index 5c855d58b3..93eb864617 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/osc/pt2pt/osc_pt2pt_data_move.c
+++ b/ompi/mca/osc/pt2pt/osc_pt2pt_data_move.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
  *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
  *                         All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2008      Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
  * 
  * Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -797,7 +798,8 @@ ompi_osc_pt2pt_sendreq_recv_accum(ompi_osc_pt2pt_module_t *module,
                 /* create convertor */
                 OBJ_CONSTRUCT(&convertor, ompi_convertor_t);
 
-                payload = (void*) malloc(buflen);
+                buffer = (void*) malloc(buflen);
+                if (NULL == buffer) return OMPI_ERR_TEMP_OUT_OF_RESOURCE;
 
                 /* initialize convertor */
                 ompi_convertor_copy_and_prepare_for_recv(proc->proc_convertor,