diff --git a/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/Bill/StoreRequest.php b/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/Bill/StoreRequest.php
index d6f7aa5652..856e2c029f 100644
--- a/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/Bill/StoreRequest.php
+++ b/app/Api/V1/Requests/Models/Bill/StoreRequest.php
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ class StoreRequest extends FormRequest
         $validator->after(
             static function (Validator $validator) {
                 $data = $validator->getData();
-                $min  = $data['amount_min'] ?? '0';
-                $max  = $data['amount_max'] ?? '0';
+                $min  = (string) ($data['amount_min'] ?? '0');
+                $max  = (string) ($data['amount_max'] ?? '0');
 
                 if (1 === bccomp($min, $max)) {
                     $validator->errors()->add('amount_min', (string)trans('validation.amount_min_over_max'));
diff --git a/app/Factory/AccountFactory.php b/app/Factory/AccountFactory.php
index 63a12229de..c126156134 100644
--- a/app/Factory/AccountFactory.php
+++ b/app/Factory/AccountFactory.php
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ class AccountFactory
      */
     public function create(array $data): Account
     {
+        Log::debug('Now in AccountFactory::create()');
         $type         = $this->getAccountType($data);
         $data['iban'] = $this->filterIban($data['iban'] ?? null);
 
@@ -174,6 +175,7 @@ class AccountFactory
      */
     public function find(string $accountName, string $accountType): ?Account
     {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now in AccountFactory::find("%s", "%s")', $accountName, $accountType));
         $type = AccountType::whereType($accountType)->first();
 
         return $this->user->accounts()->where('account_type_id', $type->id)->where('name', $accountName)->first();
diff --git a/app/Validation/FireflyValidator.php b/app/Validation/FireflyValidator.php
index 14a4169835..6e8ebdd106 100644
--- a/app/Validation/FireflyValidator.php
+++ b/app/Validation/FireflyValidator.php
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ use FireflyIII\TransactionRules\Triggers\TriggerInterface;
 use FireflyIII\User;
 use Google2FA;
 use Illuminate\Support\Collection;
-use Illuminate\Validation\Validator;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;
+use Illuminate\Validation\Validator;
 use PragmaRX\Google2FA\Exceptions\IncompatibleWithGoogleAuthenticatorException;
 use PragmaRX\Google2FA\Exceptions\InvalidCharactersException;
 use PragmaRX\Google2FA\Exceptions\SecretKeyTooShortException;
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
      */
     public function validate2faCode($attribute, $value): bool
     {
-        if (null === $value || !is_string($value) || 6 !== strlen($value)) {
+        if (!is_string($value) || 6 !== strlen($value)) {
             return false;
         }
         $user = auth()->user();
@@ -475,26 +475,33 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
     {
         // because a user does not have to be logged in (tests and what-not).
         if (!auth()->check()) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::anon');
             return $this->validateAccountAnonymously();
         }
         if (array_key_exists('objectType', $this->data)) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::typeString');
             return $this->validateByAccountTypeString($value, $parameters, $this->data['objectType']);
         }
         if (array_key_exists('type', $this->data)) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::typeString');
             return $this->validateByAccountTypeString($value, $parameters, (string)$this->data['type']);
         }
         if (array_key_exists('account_type_id', $this->data)) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::typeId');
             return $this->validateByAccountTypeId($value, $parameters);
         }
         $parameterId = $parameters[0] ?? null;
         if (null !== $parameterId) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::paramId');
             return $this->validateByParameterId((int)$parameterId, $value);
         }
         if (array_key_exists('id', $this->data)) {
+            Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::accountId');
             return $this->validateByAccountId($value);
         }
 
         // without type, just try to validate the name.
+        Log::debug('validateUniqueAccountForUser::accountName');
         return $this->validateByAccountName($value);
     }
 
@@ -511,12 +518,8 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
         $type  = AccountType::find($this->data['account_type_id'])->first();
         $value = $this->data['name'];
 
-        $set    = $user->accounts()->where('account_type_id', $type->id)->get();
-        $result = $set->first(
-            function (Account $account) use ($value) {
-                return $account->name === $value;
-            }
-        );
+        /** @var Account|null $result */
+        $result    = $user->accounts()->where('account_type_id', $type->id)->where('name', $value)->first();
 
         return null === $result;
     }
@@ -540,14 +543,10 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
         $accountTypes   = AccountType::whereIn('type', $search)->get();
         $ignore         = (int)($parameters[0] ?? 0.0);
         $accountTypeIds = $accountTypes->pluck('id')->toArray();
-        /** @var Collection $set */
-        $set    = auth()->user()->accounts()->whereIn('account_type_id', $accountTypeIds)->where('id', '!=', $ignore)->get();
-        $result = $set->first(
-            function (Account $account) use ($value) {
-                return $account->name === $value;
-            }
-        );
-
+        /** @var Account|null $result */
+        $result = auth()->user()->accounts()->whereIn('account_type_id', $accountTypeIds)->where('id', '!=', $ignore)
+                        ->where('name', $value)
+                        ->first();
         return null === $result;
     }
 
@@ -562,14 +561,10 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
         $type   = AccountType::find($this->data['account_type_id'])->first();
         $ignore = (int)($parameters[0] ?? 0.0);
 
-        /** @var Collection $set */
-        $set = auth()->user()->accounts()->where('account_type_id', $type->id)->where('id', '!=', $ignore)->get();
-
-        $result = $set->first(
-            function (Account $account) use ($value) {
-                return $account->name === $value;
-            }
-        );
+        /** @var Account|null $result */
+        $result = auth()->user()->accounts()->where('account_type_id', $type->id)->where('id', '!=', $ignore)
+            ->where('name', $value)
+            ->first();
 
         return null === $result;
     }
@@ -795,18 +790,15 @@ class FireflyValidator extends Validator
             $exclude = (int)$data['id'];
         }
         // get entries from table
-        $set = DB::table($table)->where('user_id', auth()->user()->id)->whereNull('deleted_at')
-                 ->where('id', '!=', $exclude)->get([$field]);
-
-        foreach ($set as $entry) {
-            $fieldValue = $entry->$field;
-
-            if ($fieldValue === $value) {
-                return false;
-            }
+        $result = DB::table($table)->where('user_id', auth()->user()->id)->whereNull('deleted_at')
+                 ->where('id', '!=', $exclude)
+                 ->where($field, $value)
+                 ->first([$field]);
+        if (null === $result) {
+            return true; // not found, so true.
         }
-
-        return true;
+        // found, so not unique.
+        return false;
     }
 
     /**