diff --git a/ccm-core/src/main/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtils.java b/ccm-core/src/main/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtils.java
index 93fbfe6db..593fa342b 100644
--- a/ccm-core/src/main/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtils.java
+++ b/ccm-core/src/main/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtils.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package com.arsdigita.util;
 
 import java.io.PrintWriter;
 import java.io.StringWriter;
+import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
@@ -34,6 +35,8 @@ import org.apache.log4j.Logger;
  *
  * @author Bill Schneider
  */
+@SuppressWarnings({"PMD.GodClass",
+    "PMD.ExcessiveClassLength", "PMD.TooManyMethods", "PMD.CyclomaticComplexity"})
 public final class StringUtils {
 
     private static final Logger S_LOG = Logger.getLogger(StringUtils.class);
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ public final class StringUtils {
         final Pattern plus = Pattern.compile("^\\+");
         final Pattern word = Pattern.compile(".*[a-zA-Z_0-9\\*\\+].*"); // \\w
 
-        final StringBuffer html = new StringBuffer("");
+        final StringBuffer html = new StringBuffer(20);
         final Iterator iter = blocks.iterator();
         while (iter.hasNext()) {
             final String block = (String) iter.next();
@@ -260,7 +263,7 @@ public final class StringUtils {
         if (S_LOG.isDebugEnabled()) {
             S_LOG.debug("Input {" + str + "}");
         }
-        
+
         // We're going to use the octal characters \u0001 and \u0002 for
         // escaping stuff, so we'd better make sure there aren't any
         // in the text.
@@ -327,21 +330,6 @@ public final class StringUtils {
         return result;
     }
 
-    /**
-     *
-     * @param subst
-     * @param pattern
-     * @param str
-     * @return
-     */
-    private static String smartTextReplace(final String subst,
-            final String pattern,
-            final String str) {
-        final String result = str.replaceAll(pattern, subst);
-
-        return result;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Convert a string of items separated by a separator character to an
      * (string)array of the items. sep is the separator character. Example:
@@ -638,7 +626,8 @@ public final class StringUtils {
                     .invoke(obj, new Object[0]);
         } catch (NoSuchMethodException e) {
             return obj.toString();
-        } catch (Exception e) {
+            
+        } catch (IllegalAccessException | InvocationTargetException e) {
             throw new UncheckedWrapperException("Invoking asString() on an " + obj.getClass(), e);
         }
     }
@@ -797,7 +786,7 @@ public final class StringUtils {
      * @param str the String
      * @return the String without whitespaces
      */
-    public final static String trimleft(final String str) {
+    public static String trimleft(final String str) {
         for (int i = 0; i < str.length(); i++) {
             if (!Character.isWhitespace(str.charAt(i))) {
                 return str.substring(i);
@@ -887,7 +876,7 @@ public final class StringUtils {
 
         while (startOfLine < formattedInput.length()) {
 
-         final String line = formattedInput.substring(startOfLine, Math.min(formattedInput.length(),
+            final String line = formattedInput.substring(startOfLine, Math.min(formattedInput.length(),
                     startOfLine + maxLength));
 
             if ("".equals(line)) {
@@ -1027,11 +1016,11 @@ public final class StringUtils {
     }
 
     /**
-     * @throws NullPointerException if <code>throwable</code> is null
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if <code>throwable</code> is null
      */
     public static String getStackTrace(final Throwable throwable) {
         if (throwable == null) {
-            throw new NullPointerException("throwable");
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException();
         }
 
         final StringWriter strw = new StringWriter();
diff --git a/ccm-core/src/test/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtilsTest.java b/ccm-core/src/test/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtilsTest.java
index 09f803b54..c1f0c753c 100644
--- a/ccm-core/src/test/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtilsTest.java
+++ b/ccm-core/src/test/java/com/arsdigita/util/StringUtilsTest.java
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ public class StringUtilsTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void testPlaceholders() {
+    public void testInterpolate() {
         String in = "foo ::bar:: wizz";
         String expected_out = "foo eek wizz";
         String actual_out = StringUtils.interpolate(in, "bar", "eek");
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ public class StringUtilsTest {
         assertEquals(errMsg, expected, found);
     }
 
-    @Test(expected = NullPointerException.class)
+    @Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
     public void testIfGetStackTraceFails() {
         StringUtils.getStackTrace(null);
     }
@@ -679,42 +679,4 @@ public class StringUtilsTest {
         assertEquals(StringUtils.textToHtml("line1\n\nline2"), "line1<p>line2");
     }
 
-//    @Test
-//    public void testInterpolateMap() {
-//
-//        HashMap<String, String> hm = new HashMap<String, String>();
-//        hm.put("Email", "email@adressse.de");
-//        hm.put("Forename", "Hans");
-//        hm.put("Surename", "im Glück");
-//        hm.put("foo-fighters", "bar");
-//        hm.put("pf.ad", "/files/blabla/");
-//        hm.put("keyword", "value");
-//        hm.put("key:word", "value");
-//        hm.put("::::keyword::", "value");
-//
-//        String src1 = "this is his E-Mailadress: ::Email::";
-//        String src2 = "The name is ::Surename:: , ::Forename::";
-//        String src3 = "We'll meet at the ::foo-fighters::";
-//        String src4 = "blub ::pf.ad:: right?";
-//        String src5 = ":::keyword::: got extra colons";
-//        String src6 = ":::keyword:: got 3 colons at the start";
-//        String src7 = "::::keyword:: got 4 colons at start";
-//        String src8 = "::Email:: , ::Forename:: , ::keyword:: , ::foo-fighters::";
-//
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src1, hm), "this is his E-Mailadress: email@adressse.de");
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src2, hm), "The name is im Glück , Hans");
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src3, hm), "We'll meet at the bar");
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src4, hm), "blub /files/blabla/ right?");
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src8, hm), "email@adressse.de , Hans , value , bar");
-////        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src5, hm), "value got extra colons");
-////        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src6, hm), "value got 3 colons at start");
-////        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src7, hm), "value got 4 colons at start");
-////          assertEquals("key with two words transforms to one word", StringUtils.interpolate(src5, hm) );
-//    }
-//
-//    @Test
-//    public void testInterpolate() {
-//        String src = "this is a ::sample:: text";
-//        assertEquals(StringUtils.interpolate(src, "sample", "value"), "this is a value text");
-//    }
 }