diff --git a/java/java-tests/testData/codeInsight/completion/normalSorting/UnderscoresDontMakeMatchMiddle.java b/java/java-tests/testData/codeInsight/completion/normalSorting/UnderscoresDontMakeMatchMiddle.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7867e3415883
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/java-tests/testData/codeInsight/completion/normalSorting/UnderscoresDontMakeMatchMiddle.java
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+class FooBar {
+  void foo(FooBar _fooBar) {
+    fb<caret>
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/java/java-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/NormalCompletionOrderingTest.groovy b/java/java-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/NormalCompletionOrderingTest.groovy
index 0f73a23f289f..771413f86736 100644
--- a/java/java-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/NormalCompletionOrderingTest.groovy
+++ b/java/java-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/NormalCompletionOrderingTest.groovy
@@ -378,4 +378,9 @@ public class NormalCompletionOrderingTest extends CompletionSortingTestCase {
     assertPreferredItems(0, 'fooy', 'foox', 'fooAClass', 'fooBar');
   }
 
+  public void testUnderscoresDontMakeMatchMiddle() {
+    CodeInsightSettings.getInstance().COMPLETION_CASE_SENSITIVE = CodeInsightSettings.NONE;
+    checkPreferredItems(0, '_fooBar', 'FooBar')
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/impl/CompletionServiceImpl.java b/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/impl/CompletionServiceImpl.java
index ba7543e680da..63f738b5b147 100644
--- a/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/impl/CompletionServiceImpl.java
+++ b/platform/lang-impl/src/com/intellij/codeInsight/completion/impl/CompletionServiceImpl.java
@@ -147,10 +147,7 @@ public class CompletionServiceImpl extends CompletionService{
         Iterable<TextRange> fragments = matcher.matchingFragments(ls);
         if (fragments != null) {
           Iterator<TextRange> iterator = fragments.iterator();
-          if (!ls.isEmpty() && prefix.charAt(0) == ls.charAt(0)) {
-            return false;
-          }
-          if (iterator.hasNext() && iterator.next().contains(0)) {
+          if (!iterator.hasNext() || MinusculeMatcher.isStartMatch(ls, iterator.next().getStartOffset())) {
             return false;
           }
         }
diff --git a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/psi/util/NameUtilTest.java b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/psi/util/NameUtilTest.java
index ef0108a05aa4..d02b2e454f64 100644
--- a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/psi/util/NameUtilTest.java
+++ b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/psi/util/NameUtilTest.java
@@ -380,6 +380,7 @@ public class NameUtilTest extends UsefulTestCase {
   }
 
   public void testPreferStartMatchToMiddleMatch() {
+    assertPreference(" fb", "FooBar", "_fooBar", NameUtil.MatchingCaseSensitivity.NONE);
     assertPreference("*foo", "barFoo", "foobar");
     assertPreference("*f", "barfoo", "barFoo");
     assertPreference("*f", "barfoo", "foo");
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/psi/codeStyle/MinusculeMatcher.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/psi/codeStyle/MinusculeMatcher.java
index fcac227f07d9..59919fd3e0d0 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/psi/codeStyle/MinusculeMatcher.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/psi/codeStyle/MinusculeMatcher.java
@@ -269,18 +269,31 @@ public class MinusculeMatcher implements Matcher {
       fragmentCount++;
     }
 
+    if (first == null) {
+      return 0;
+    }
+
     int commonStart = 0;
     while (commonStart < name.length() && commonStart < myPattern.length && name.charAt(commonStart) == myPattern[commonStart]) {
       commonStart++;
     }
 
-    boolean prefixMatching = first != null && first.getStartOffset() == 0;
-    boolean middleWordStart = first != null && first.getStartOffset() > 0 && NameUtil.isWordStart(name, first.getStartOffset());
-    int startIndex = first != null ? first.getStartOffset() : 42;
+    int startIndex = first.getStartOffset();
+    boolean prefixMatching = isStartMatch(name, startIndex);
+    boolean middleWordStart = !prefixMatching && NameUtil.isWordStart(name, first.getStartOffset());
 
     return -fragmentCount + matchingCase * 10 + commonStart - startIndex + (prefixMatching ? 2 : middleWordStart ? 1 : 0) * 100;
   }
 
+  public static boolean isStartMatch(String name, int startIndex) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < startIndex; i++) {
+      if (!NameUtil.isWordSeparator(name.charAt(i))) {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+    return true;
+  }
+
   @Override
   public boolean matches(String name) {
     return matchingFragments(name) != null;