diff --git a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/invocation/AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/invocation/AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
index 97c89b8fd6..e4e6b6632a 100644
--- a/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/invocation/AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
+++ b/spring-messaging/src/main/java/org/springframework/messaging/handler/invocation/AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.ConcurrentReferenceHashMap;
  *
  * @author Rossen Stoyanchev
  * @author Juergen Hoeller
+ * @author Sam Brannen
  * @since 4.0
  */
 public abstract class AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver {
@@ -138,7 +139,9 @@ public abstract class AbstractExceptionHandlerMethodResolver {
 			}
 		}
 		if (!matches.isEmpty()) {
-			matches.sort(new ExceptionDepthComparator(exceptionType));
+			if (matches.size() > 1) {
+				matches.sort(new ExceptionDepthComparator(exceptionType));
+			}
 			return this.mappedMethods.get(matches.get(0));
 		}
 		else {
diff --git a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/method/annotation/ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/method/annotation/ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
index 697092bc3a..3d5995ceae 100644
--- a/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/method/annotation/ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
+++ b/spring-web/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/method/annotation/ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.ExceptionHandler;
  *
  * @author Rossen Stoyanchev
  * @author Juergen Hoeller
+ * @author Sam Brannen
  * @since 3.1
  */
 public class ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver {
@@ -179,7 +180,9 @@ public class ExceptionHandlerMethodResolver {
 			}
 		}
 		if (!matches.isEmpty()) {
-			matches.sort(new ExceptionDepthComparator(exceptionType));
+			if (matches.size() > 1) {
+				matches.sort(new ExceptionDepthComparator(exceptionType));
+			}
 			return this.mappedMethods.get(matches.get(0));
 		}
 		else {