diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucurr.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucurr.cpp
index 255abc5a9c7..e02cb8a6019 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucurr.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucurr.cpp
@@ -96,12 +96,18 @@ myUCharsToChars(char* resultOfLen4, const UChar* currency) {
  * units of 10^(-fraction_digits).
  */
 static const int32_t*
-_findMetaData(const UChar* currency) {
+_findMetaData(const UChar* currency, UErrorCode& ec) {
+
+    if (currency == 0 || *currency == 0) {
+        if (U_SUCCESS(ec)) {
+            ec = U_ILLEGAL_ARGUMENT_ERROR;
+        }
+        return LAST_RESORT_DATA;
+    }
 
     // Get CurrencyMeta resource out of root locale file.  [This may
     // move out of the root locale file later; if it does, update this
     // code.]
-    UErrorCode ec = U_ZERO_ERROR;
     ResourceBundle currencyMeta =
         ResourceBundle((char*)0, Locale(""), ec).get(CURRENCY_META, ec);
 
@@ -112,8 +118,9 @@ _findMetaData(const UChar* currency) {
 
     // Look up our currency, or if that's not available, then DEFAULT
     char buf[ISO_COUNTRY_CODE_LENGTH+1];
-    ResourceBundle rb = currencyMeta.get(myUCharsToChars(buf, currency), ec);
-    if (U_FAILURE(ec)) {
+    UErrorCode ec2 = U_ZERO_ERROR; // local error code: soft failure
+    ResourceBundle rb = currencyMeta.get(myUCharsToChars(buf, currency), ec2);
+    if (U_FAILURE(ec2)) {
         rb = currencyMeta.get(DEFAULT_META, ec);
         if (U_FAILURE(ec)) {
             // Config/build error; return hard-coded defaults
@@ -123,8 +130,11 @@ _findMetaData(const UChar* currency) {
 
     int32_t len;
     const int32_t *data = rb.getIntVector(len, ec);
-    if (U_FAILURE(ec) || len < 2) {
+    if (U_FAILURE(ec) || len != 2) {
         // Config/build error; return hard-coded defaults
+        if (U_SUCCESS(ec)) {
+            ec = U_INVALID_FORMAT_ERROR;
+        }
         return LAST_RESORT_DATA;
     }
 
@@ -239,22 +249,22 @@ struct CReg : public UMemory {
  * @see VARIANT_IS_PREEURO
  */
 static uint32_t
-idForLocale(const char* locale, char* buffer, int capacity, UErrorCode* ec)
+idForLocale(const char* locale, char* countryAndVariant, int capacity, UErrorCode* ec)
 {
     uint32_t variantType = 0;
     // !!! this is internal only, assumes buffer is not null and capacity is sufficient
     // Extract the country name and variant name.  We only
     // recognize two variant names, EURO and PREEURO.
     char variant[ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY];
-    uloc_getCountry(locale, buffer, capacity, ec);
+    uloc_getCountry(locale, countryAndVariant, capacity, ec);
     uloc_getVariant(locale, variant, sizeof(variant), ec);
     if (variant[0] != 0) {
         variantType = (0 == uprv_strcmp(variant, VAR_EURO))
                    | ((0 == uprv_strcmp(variant, VAR_PRE_EURO)) << 1);
         if (variantType)
         {
-            uprv_strcat(buffer, VAR_DELIM);
-            uprv_strcat(buffer, variant);
+            uprv_strcat(countryAndVariant, VAR_DELIM);
+            uprv_strcat(countryAndVariant, variant);
         }
     }
     return variantType;
@@ -304,6 +314,7 @@ ucurr_forLocale(const char* locale,
                     u_charsToUChars(id, buff, resLen);
                 }
             } else {
+                // get country or country_variant in `id'
                 uint32_t variantType = idForLocale(locale, id, sizeof(id), ec);
 
                 if (U_FAILURE(*ec)) {
@@ -512,18 +523,25 @@ uprv_getStaticCurrencyName(const UChar* iso, const char* loc,
 }
 
 U_CAPI int32_t U_EXPORT2
-ucurr_getDefaultFractionDigits(const UChar* currency) {
-    return (_findMetaData(currency))[0];
+ucurr_getDefaultFractionDigits(const UChar* currency, UErrorCode* ec) {
+    return (_findMetaData(currency, *ec))[0];
 }
 
 U_CAPI double U_EXPORT2
-ucurr_getRoundingIncrement(const UChar* currency) {
-    const int32_t *data = _findMetaData(currency);
+ucurr_getRoundingIncrement(const UChar* currency, UErrorCode* ec) {
+    const int32_t *data = _findMetaData(currency, *ec);
 
-    // If there is no rounding, or if the meta data is invalid,
-    // return 0.0 to indicate no rounding.  A rounding value
-    // (data[1]) of 0 or 1 indicates no rounding.
-    if (data[1] < 2 || data[0] < 0 || data[0] > MAX_POW10) {
+    // If the meta data is invalid, return 0.0.
+    if (data[0] < 0 || data[0] > MAX_POW10) {
+        if (U_SUCCESS(*ec)) {
+            *ec = U_INVALID_FORMAT_ERROR;
+        }
+        return 0.0;
+    }
+
+    // If there is no rounding, return 0.0 to indicate no rounding.  A
+    // rounding value (data[1]) of 0 or 1 indicates no rounding.
+    if (data[1] < 2) {
         return 0.0;
     }
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/ucurr.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/ucurr.h
index 160565069c8..83a1eab787a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/ucurr.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/ucurr.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 * Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 **********************************************************************
 * $Source: /xsrl/Nsvn/icu/icu/source/i18n/unicode/ucurr.h,v $ 
-* $Revision: 1.11 $
+* $Revision: 1.12 $
 **********************************************************************
 */
 #ifndef _UCURR_H_
@@ -133,22 +133,27 @@ ucurr_getName(const UChar* currency,
  * Returns the number of the number of fraction digits that should
  * be displayed for the given currency.
  * @param currency null-terminated 3-letter ISO 4217 code
+ * @param ec input-output error code
  * @return a non-negative number of fraction digits to be
- * displayed
- * @draft ICU 2.2 Not stable yet, see Jitterbug 3399.
+ * displayed, or 0 if there is an error
+ * @draft ICU 3.0
  */
 U_CAPI int32_t U_EXPORT2
-ucurr_getDefaultFractionDigits(const UChar* currency);
+ucurr_getDefaultFractionDigits(const UChar* currency,
+                               UErrorCode* ec);
 
 /**
  * Returns the rounding increment for the given currency, or 0.0 if no
  * rounding is done by the currency.
  * @param currency null-terminated 3-letter ISO 4217 code
- * @return the non-negative rounding increment, or 0.0 if none
- * @draft ICU 2.2 Not stable yet, see Jitterbug 3399.
+ * @param ec input-output error code
+ * @return the non-negative rounding increment, or 0.0 if none,
+ * or 0.0 if there is an error
+ * @draft ICU 3.0
  */
 U_CAPI double U_EXPORT2
-ucurr_getRoundingIncrement(const UChar* currency);
+ucurr_getRoundingIncrement(const UChar* currency,
+                           UErrorCode* ec);
 
 #endif /* #if !UCONFIG_NO_FORMATTING */