diff --git a/src/qt/bitcoingui.cpp b/src/qt/bitcoingui.cpp
index a4bb63886b..546a39f43d 100644
--- a/src/qt/bitcoingui.cpp
+++ b/src/qt/bitcoingui.cpp
@@ -849,7 +849,7 @@ void BitcoinGUI::changePassphrase()
 
 void BitcoinGUI::verifyMessage()
 {
-    VerifyMessageDialog *dlg = new VerifyMessageDialog(walletModel->getAddressTableModel(), this);
+    VerifyMessageDialog *dlg = new VerifyMessageDialog(this);
     dlg->setAttribute(Qt::WA_DeleteOnClose);
     dlg->show();
 }
diff --git a/src/qt/forms/verifymessagedialog.ui b/src/qt/forms/verifymessagedialog.ui
index a7c99716e4..afe98b05ab 100644
--- a/src/qt/forms/verifymessagedialog.ui
+++ b/src/qt/forms/verifymessagedialog.ui
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
    <rect>
     <x>0</x>
     <y>0</y>
-    <width>494</width>
-    <height>342</height>
+    <width>650</width>
+    <height>380</height>
    </rect>
   </property>
   <property name="windowTitle">
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
    <item>
     <widget class="QLabel" name="label">
      <property name="text">
-      <string>Enter the message and signature below (be careful to correctly copy newlines, spaces, tabs and other invisible characters) to obtain the Bitcoin address used to sign the message.</string>
+      <string>Enter the signing address, signature and message below (be careful to correctly copy newlines, spaces, tabs and other invisible characters) to verify the message.</string>
      </property>
      <property name="alignment">
       <set>Qt::AlignLeading|Qt::AlignLeft|Qt::AlignTop</set>
@@ -28,38 +28,28 @@
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item>
-    <widget class="QPlainTextEdit" name="edMessage"/>
-   </item>
-   <item>
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="lnSig">
+    <widget class="QValidatedLineEdit" name="lnAddress">
      <property name="text">
       <string/>
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item>
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="lnAddress">
+    <widget class="QValidatedLineEdit" name="lnSig">
      <property name="text">
       <string/>
      </property>
-     <property name="readOnly">
-      <bool>true</bool>
-     </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item>
-    <widget class="QLabel" name="lblStatus">
-     <property name="text">
-      <string/>
-     </property>
-    </widget>
+    <widget class="QPlainTextEdit" name="edMessage"/>
    </item>
    <item>
     <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout">
      <item>
       <widget class="QPushButton" name="verifyMessage">
        <property name="toolTip">
-        <string>Verify a message and obtain the Bitcoin address used to sign the message</string>
+        <string>Verify a message to ensure it was signed with the specified Bitcoin address</string>
        </property>
        <property name="text">
         <string>&amp;Verify Message</string>
@@ -71,33 +61,51 @@
       </widget>
      </item>
      <item>
-      <widget class="QPushButton" name="copyToClipboard">
-       <property name="enabled">
-        <bool>false</bool>
-       </property>
+      <widget class="QPushButton" name="clearButton">
        <property name="toolTip">
-        <string>Copy the currently selected address to the system clipboard</string>
+        <string>Reset all verify message fields</string>
        </property>
        <property name="text">
-        <string>&amp;Copy Address</string>
+        <string>Clear &amp;All</string>
        </property>
        <property name="icon">
         <iconset resource="../bitcoin.qrc">
-         <normaloff>:/icons/editcopy</normaloff>:/icons/editcopy</iconset>
+         <normaloff>:/icons/remove</normaloff>:/icons/remove</iconset>
        </property>
       </widget>
      </item>
      <item>
-      <widget class="QPushButton" name="clearButton">
-       <property name="toolTip">
-        <string>Reset all verify message fields</string>
+      <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_2">
+       <property name="orientation">
+        <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+       </property>
+       <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
+        <size>
+         <width>40</width>
+         <height>20</height>
+        </size>
+       </property>
+      </spacer>
+     </item>
+     <item>
+      <widget class="QLabel" name="lblStatus">
+       <property name="minimumSize">
+        <size>
+         <width>0</width>
+         <height>48</height>
+        </size>
+       </property>
+       <property name="font">
+        <font>
+         <weight>75</weight>
+         <bold>true</bold>
+        </font>
        </property>
        <property name="text">
-        <string>Clear &amp;All</string>
+        <string/>
        </property>
-       <property name="icon">
-        <iconset resource="../bitcoin.qrc">
-         <normaloff>:/icons/remove</normaloff>:/icons/remove</iconset>
+       <property name="wordWrap">
+        <bool>true</bool>
        </property>
       </widget>
      </item>
@@ -118,6 +126,13 @@
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>QValidatedLineEdit</class>
+   <extends>QLineEdit</extends>
+   <header>qvalidatedlineedit.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources>
   <include location="../bitcoin.qrc"/>
  </resources>
diff --git a/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.cpp b/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.cpp
index d71568d2e9..92f58328a4 100644
--- a/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.cpp
+++ b/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.cpp
@@ -4,35 +4,36 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
-#include <QDialogButtonBox>
-#include <QAbstractButton>
-#include <QClipboard>
-#include <QMessageBox>
+#include <QDialog>
+#include <QLabel>
+#include <QLineEdit>
+#include <QPlainTextEdit>
+#include <QPushButton>
 
 #include "main.h"
 #include "wallet.h"
 #include "walletmodel.h"
-#include "addresstablemodel.h"
 #include "guiutil.h"
 #include "base58.h"
 
-VerifyMessageDialog::VerifyMessageDialog(AddressTableModel *addressModel, QWidget *parent) :
+VerifyMessageDialog::VerifyMessageDialog(QWidget *parent) :
     QDialog(parent),
-    ui(new Ui::VerifyMessageDialog),
-    model(addressModel)
+    ui(new Ui::VerifyMessageDialog)
 {
     ui->setupUi(this);
 
 #if (QT_VERSION >= 0x040700)
     /* Do not move this to the XML file, Qt before 4.7 will choke on it */
+    ui->lnAddress->setPlaceholderText(tr("Enter a Bitcoin address (e.g. 1NS17iag9jJgTHD1VXjvLCEnZuQ3rJDE9L)"));
     ui->lnSig->setPlaceholderText(tr("Enter Bitcoin signature"));
-    ui->lnAddress->setPlaceholderText(tr("Click \"Verify Message\" to obtain address"));
 #endif
 
     GUIUtil::setupAddressWidget(ui->lnAddress, this);
     ui->lnAddress->installEventFilter(this);
 
-    ui->edMessage->setFocus();
+    ui->lnSig->setFont(GUIUtil::bitcoinAddressFont());
+
+    ui->lnAddress->setFocus();
 }
 
 VerifyMessageDialog::~VerifyMessageDialog()
@@ -40,54 +41,65 @@ VerifyMessageDialog::~VerifyMessageDialog()
     delete ui;
 }
 
-bool VerifyMessageDialog::checkAddress()
+void VerifyMessageDialog::on_verifyMessage_clicked()
 {
-    CDataStream ss(SER_GETHASH, 0);
-    ss << strMessageMagic;
-    ss << ui->edMessage->document()->toPlainText().toStdString();
-    uint256 hash = Hash(ss.begin(), ss.end());
+    CBitcoinAddress addr(ui->lnAddress->text().toStdString());
+    if (!addr.IsValid())
+    {
+        ui->lnAddress->setValid(false);
+        ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: red; }");
+        ui->lblStatus->setText(tr("\"%1\" is not a valid address.").arg(ui->lnAddress->text()) + QString(" ") + tr("Please check the address and try again."));
+        return;
+    }
+    CKeyID keyID;
+    if (!addr.GetKeyID(keyID))
+    {
+        ui->lnAddress->setValid(false);
+        ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: red; }");
+        ui->lblStatus->setText(tr("\"%1\" does not refer to a key.").arg(ui->lnAddress->text()) + QString(" ") + tr("Please check the address and try again."));
+        return;
+    }
 
-    bool invalid = true;
-    std::vector<unsigned char> vchSig = DecodeBase64(ui->lnSig->text().toStdString().c_str(), &invalid);
+    bool fInvalid = false;
+    std::vector<unsigned char> vchSig = DecodeBase64(ui->lnSig->text().toStdString().c_str(), &fInvalid);
 
-    if(invalid)
+    if (fInvalid)
     {
-        QMessageBox::warning(this, tr("Invalid Signature"), tr("The signature could not be decoded. Please check the signature and try again."));
-        return false;
+        ui->lnSig->setValid(false);
+        ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: red; }");
+        ui->lblStatus->setText(tr("The signature could not be decoded.") + QString(" ") + tr("Please check the signature and try again."));
+        return;
     }
 
+    CDataStream ss(SER_GETHASH, 0);
+    ss << strMessageMagic;
+    ss << ui->edMessage->document()->toPlainText().toStdString();
+
     CKey key;
-    if(!key.SetCompactSignature(hash, vchSig))
+    if (!key.SetCompactSignature(Hash(ss.begin(), ss.end()), vchSig))
     {
-        QMessageBox::warning(this, tr("Invalid Signature"), tr("The signature did not match the message digest. Please check the signature and try again."));
-        return false;
+        ui->lnSig->setValid(false);
+        ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: red; }");
+        ui->lblStatus->setText(tr("The signature did not match the message digest.")+ QString(" ") + tr("Please check the signature and try again."));
+        return;
     }
 
-    CBitcoinAddress address(key.GetPubKey().GetID());
-    QString qStringAddress = QString::fromStdString(address.ToString());
-    ui->lnAddress->setText(qStringAddress);
-    ui->copyToClipboard->setEnabled(true);
-
-    QString label = model->labelForAddress(qStringAddress);
-    ui->lblStatus->setText(label.isEmpty() ? tr("Address not found in address book.") : tr("Address found in address book: %1").arg(label));
-    return true;
-}
-
-void VerifyMessageDialog::on_verifyMessage_clicked()
-{
-    checkAddress();
-}
+    if (!(CBitcoinAddress(key.GetPubKey().GetID()) == addr))
+    {
+        ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: red; }");
+        ui->lblStatus->setText(QString("<nobr>") + tr("Message verification failed.") + QString("</nobr>"));
+        return;
+    }
 
-void VerifyMessageDialog::on_copyToClipboard_clicked()
-{
-    QApplication::clipboard()->setText(ui->lnAddress->text());
+    ui->lblStatus->setStyleSheet("QLabel { color: green; }");
+    ui->lblStatus->setText(QString("<nobr>") + tr("Message verified.") + QString("</nobr>"));
 }
 
 void VerifyMessageDialog::on_clearButton_clicked()
 {
-    ui->edMessage->clear();
-    ui->lnSig->clear();
     ui->lnAddress->clear();
+    ui->lnSig->clear();
+    ui->edMessage->clear();
     ui->lblStatus->clear();
 
     ui->edMessage->setFocus();
@@ -95,9 +107,11 @@ void VerifyMessageDialog::on_clearButton_clicked()
 
 bool VerifyMessageDialog::eventFilter(QObject *object, QEvent *event)
 {
-    if(object == ui->lnAddress && (event->type() == QEvent::MouseButtonPress ||
+    if (object == ui->lnAddress && (event->type() == QEvent::MouseButtonPress ||
                                    event->type() == QEvent::FocusIn))
     {
+        // set lnAddress to valid, as QEvent::FocusIn would not reach QValidatedLineEdit::focusInEvent
+        ui->lnAddress->setValid(true);
         ui->lnAddress->selectAll();
         return true;
     }
diff --git a/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.h b/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.h
index 9a3fb43415..0bed442d4c 100644
--- a/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.h
+++ b/src/qt/verifymessagedialog.h
@@ -16,21 +16,17 @@ class VerifyMessageDialog : public QDialog
     Q_OBJECT
 
 public:
-    explicit VerifyMessageDialog(AddressTableModel *addressModel, QWidget *parent = 0);
+    explicit VerifyMessageDialog(QWidget *parent);
     ~VerifyMessageDialog();
 
 protected:
     bool eventFilter(QObject *object, QEvent *event);
 
 private:
-    bool checkAddress();
-
     Ui::VerifyMessageDialog *ui;
-    AddressTableModel *model;
 
 private slots:
     void on_verifyMessage_clicked();
-    void on_copyToClipboard_clicked();
     void on_clearButton_clicked();
 };