diff --git a/lib/rpmdb.c b/lib/rpmdb.c
index d38b8fe3e0..2dd368432d 100644
--- a/lib/rpmdb.c
+++ b/lib/rpmdb.c
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ int rpmdbCheckTerminate(int terminate)
     sigset_t newMask, oldMask;
     static int terminating = 0;
 
-    if (terminating) return 0;
+    if (terminating) return terminating;
 
     (void) sigfillset(&newMask);		/* block all signals */
     (void) sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &newMask, &oldMask);
@@ -454,6 +454,12 @@ int rpmdbClose(rpmdb db)
     if (db == NULL)
 	goto exit;
 
+    prev = &rpmdbRock;
+    while ((next = *prev) != NULL && next != db)
+	prev = &next->db_next;
+    if (!next)
+	goto exit;
+
     (void) rpmdbUnlink(db);
 
     if (db->nrefs > 0)
@@ -474,9 +480,6 @@ int rpmdbClose(rpmdb db)
     db->db_indexes = _free(db->db_indexes);
     db->db_descr = _free(db->db_descr);
 
-    prev = &rpmdbRock;
-    while ((next = *prev) != NULL && next != db)
-	prev = &next->db_next;
     if (next) {
         *prev = next->db_next;
 	next->db_next = NULL;
@@ -1085,7 +1088,8 @@ rpmdbMatchIterator rpmdbFreeIterator(rpmdbMatchIterator mi)
     if (next) {
 	*prev = next->mi_next;
 	next->mi_next = NULL;
-    }
+    } else
+	return NULL;
 
     pkgdbOpen(mi->mi_db, 0, &dbi);
 
@@ -2085,7 +2089,8 @@ rpmdbIndexIterator rpmdbIndexIteratorFree(rpmdbIndexIterator ii)
     if (next) {
         *prev = next->ii_next;
         next->ii_next = NULL;
-    }
+    } else
+	return NULL;
 
     ii->ii_dbc = dbiCursorFree(ii->ii_dbi, ii->ii_dbc);
     ii->ii_dbi = NULL;