diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/GitUtil.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/GitUtil.java
index ffa394211faf..eca2b0f14503 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/GitUtil.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/GitUtil.java
@@ -687,8 +687,13 @@ public class GitUtil {
 
 
   @Nullable
-  public static GitRemote findRemoteByName(@NotNull GitRepository repository, @Nullable final String name) {
-    return ContainerUtil.find(repository.getRemotes(), new Condition<GitRemote>() {
+  public static GitRemote findRemoteByName(@NotNull GitRepository repository, @NotNull final String name) {
+    return findRemoteByName(repository.getRemotes(), name);
+  }
+
+  @Nullable
+  public static GitRemote findRemoteByName(Collection<GitRemote> remotes, @NotNull final String name) {
+    return ContainerUtil.find(remotes, new Condition<GitRemote>() {
       @Override
       public boolean value(GitRemote remote) {
         return remote.getName().equals(name);
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchUtil.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchUtil.java
index 6dfa3f23dd36..b996dea69e5f 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchUtil.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchUtil.java
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.vcs.VcsException;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VfsUtilCore;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VirtualFile;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
-import com.intellij.vcs.log.Hash;
 import com.intellij.vcsUtil.VcsUtil;
 import git4idea.*;
 import git4idea.commands.GitCommand;
@@ -209,46 +208,6 @@ public class GitBranchUtil {
     return remote;
   }
 
-  /**
-   *
-   * @return {@link git4idea.GitStandardRemoteBranch} or {@link GitSvnRemoteBranch}, or null in case of an error. The error is logged in this method.
-   * @deprecated Should be used only in the GitRepositoryReader, i. e. moved there once all other usages are removed.
-   */
-  @Deprecated
-  @Nullable
-  public static GitRemoteBranch parseRemoteBranch(@NotNull String fullBranchName, @NotNull Hash hash,
-                                                  @NotNull Collection<GitRemote> remotes) {
-    String stdName = stripRefsPrefix(fullBranchName);
-
-    int slash = stdName.indexOf('/');
-    if (slash == -1) { // .git/refs/remotes/my_branch => git-svn
-      return new GitSvnRemoteBranch(fullBranchName, hash);
-    }
-    else {
-      String remoteName = stdName.substring(0, slash);
-      String branchName = stdName.substring(slash + 1);
-      GitRemote remote = findRemoteByName(remoteName, remotes);
-      if (remote == null) {
-        // user may remove the remote section from .git/config, but leave remote refs untouched in .git/refs/remotes
-        LOG.info(String.format("No remote found with the name [%s]. All remotes: %s", remoteName, remotes));
-        GitRemote fakeRemote = new GitRemote(remoteName, ContainerUtil.<String>emptyList(), Collections.<String>emptyList(),
-                                             Collections.<String>emptyList(), Collections.<String>emptyList());
-        return new GitStandardRemoteBranch(fakeRemote, branchName, hash);
-      }
-      return new GitStandardRemoteBranch(remote, branchName, hash);
-    }
-  }
-
-  @Nullable
-  private static GitRemote findRemoteByName(@NotNull String remoteName, @NotNull Collection<GitRemote> remotes) {
-    for (GitRemote remote : remotes) {
-      if (remote.getName().equals(remoteName)) {
-        return remote;
-      }
-    }
-    return null;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Convert {@link git4idea.GitRemoteBranch GitRemoteBranches} to their names, and remove remote HEAD pointers: origin/HEAD.
    */
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
index 576f326a8ea3..66ce94172794 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
@@ -25,9 +25,7 @@ import com.intellij.util.Processor;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
 import com.intellij.vcs.log.Hash;
 import com.intellij.vcs.log.impl.HashImpl;
-import git4idea.GitBranch;
-import git4idea.GitLocalBranch;
-import git4idea.GitRemoteBranch;
+import git4idea.*;
 import git4idea.branch.GitBranchUtil;
 import git4idea.branch.GitBranchesCollection;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NonNls;
@@ -349,7 +347,7 @@ class GitRepositoryReader {
             String hash = loadHashFromBranchFile(file);
             Hash h = createHash(hash);
             if (h != null) {
-              GitRemoteBranch remoteBranch = GitBranchUtil.parseRemoteBranch(branchName, h, remotes);
+              GitRemoteBranch remoteBranch = parseRemoteBranch(branchName, h, remotes);
               if (remoteBranch != null) {
                 branches.add(remoteBranch);
               }
@@ -386,7 +384,7 @@ class GitRepositoryReader {
         localBranches.add(new GitLocalBranch(branchName, hash));
       }
       else if (branchName.startsWith(REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX)) {
-        GitRemoteBranch remoteBranch = GitBranchUtil.parseRemoteBranch(branchName, hash, remotes);
+        GitRemoteBranch remoteBranch = parseRemoteBranch(branchName, hash, remotes);
         if (remoteBranch != null) {
           remoteBranches.add(remoteBranch);
         }
@@ -395,6 +393,31 @@ class GitRepositoryReader {
     return new GitBranchesCollection(localBranches, remoteBranches);
   }
 
+  @Nullable
+  private static GitRemoteBranch parseRemoteBranch(@NotNull String fullBranchName,
+                                                   @NotNull Hash hash,
+                                                   @NotNull Collection<GitRemote> remotes) {
+    String stdName = GitBranchUtil.stripRefsPrefix(fullBranchName);
+
+    int slash = stdName.indexOf('/');
+    if (slash == -1) { // .git/refs/remotes/my_branch => git-svn
+      return new GitSvnRemoteBranch(fullBranchName, hash);
+    }
+    else {
+      String remoteName = stdName.substring(0, slash);
+      String branchName = stdName.substring(slash + 1);
+      GitRemote remote = GitUtil.findRemoteByName(remotes, remoteName);
+      if (remote == null) {
+        // user may remove the remote section from .git/config, but leave remote refs untouched in .git/refs/remotes
+        LOG.debug(String.format("No remote found with the name [%s]. All remotes: %s", remoteName, remotes));
+        GitRemote fakeRemote = new GitRemote(remoteName, ContainerUtil.<String>emptyList(), Collections.<String>emptyList(),
+                                             Collections.<String>emptyList(), Collections.<String>emptyList());
+        return new GitStandardRemoteBranch(fakeRemote, branchName, hash);
+      }
+      return new GitStandardRemoteBranch(remote, branchName, hash);
+    }
+  }
+
   @NotNull
   private static String readBranchFile(@NotNull File branchFile) {
     return RepositoryUtil.tryLoadFile(branchFile);