diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
index a417a6b62..bc644a72a 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/refdata/VariantContextAdaptors.java
@@ -352,9 +352,7 @@ public class VariantContextAdaptors {
         Set<String> keys = new HashSet<String>();
 
         for ( Genotype g : vc.getGenotypes().values() ) {
-            for ( String key : g.getAttributes().keySet() ) {
-                keys.add(key);
-            }
+            keys.addAll(g.getAttributes().keySet());
         }
 
         keys.add(VCFGenotypeRecord.GENOTYPE_QUALITY_KEY);
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/genotype/vcf/VCFGenotypeRecord.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/genotype/vcf/VCFGenotypeRecord.java
index 2ab618586..606866436 100644
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/genotype/vcf/VCFGenotypeRecord.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/genotype/vcf/VCFGenotypeRecord.java
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ public class VCFGenotypeRecord {
     }
 
     public static String getMissingFieldValue(String field) {
-        String result;
+        String result = "";
         if ( field.equals(GENOTYPE_QUALITY_KEY) )
             result = String.valueOf(MISSING_GENOTYPE_QUALITY);
         else if ( field.equals(DEPTH_KEY) || field.equals(OLD_DEPTH_KEY) )
@@ -328,8 +328,6 @@ public class VCFGenotypeRecord {
         // TODO -- support haplotype quality
         //else if ( field.equals(HAPLOTYPE_QUALITY_KEY) )
         //    result = String.valueOf(MISSING_HAPLOTYPE_QUALITY);
-        else
-            result = "-1";
         return result;
     }