diff --git a/msp/identities.go b/msp/identities.go
index 262421bfd5e..33842e9d469 100644
--- a/msp/identities.go
+++ b/msp/identities.go
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"crypto/x509"
 	"fmt"
 
-	"encoding/asn1"
-
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/core/crypto/bccsp"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/core/crypto/bccsp/factory"
 	"github.com/hyperledger/fabric/core/crypto/bccsp/signer"
@@ -80,6 +78,7 @@ func (id *identity) VerifyAttributes(proof [][]byte, spec *AttributeProofSpec) (
 }
 
 func (id *identity) Serialize() ([]byte, error) {
+	/*
 	mspLogger.Infof("Serializing identity %s", id.id)
 
 	// We serialize identities by prepending the MSPID and appending the ASN.1 DER content of the cert
@@ -90,6 +89,8 @@ func (id *identity) Serialize() ([]byte, error) {
 	}
 
 	return idBytes, nil
+	*/
+	return id.cert.Raw, nil
 }
 
 type signingidentity struct {
diff --git a/msp/peermspmanager.go b/msp/peermspmanager.go
index 7607ac6ca40..43119692b5a 100644
--- a/msp/peermspmanager.go
+++ b/msp/peermspmanager.go
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 
-	"encoding/asn1"
-
 	"github.com/op/go-logging"
 )
 
@@ -139,6 +137,7 @@ func (mgr *peerMspManagerImpl) GetSigningIdentity(identifier *IdentityIdentifier
 }
 
 func (mgr *peerMspManagerImpl) DeserializeIdentity(serializedID []byte) (Identity, error) {
+	/*
 	// We first deserialize to a SerializedIdentity to get the MSP ID
 	sId := &SerializedIdentity{}
 	_, err := asn1.Unmarshal(serializedID, sId)
@@ -154,6 +153,8 @@ func (mgr *peerMspManagerImpl) DeserializeIdentity(serializedID []byte) (Identit
 
 	// if we have this MSP, we ask it to deserialize
 	return msp.DeserializeIdentity(sId.IdBytes)
+	*/
+	return mgr.mspsMap["DEFAULT"].DeserializeIdentity(serializedID) // FIXME!
 }
 
 func (mgr *peerMspManagerImpl) DeleteSigningIdentity(identifier string) (bool, error) {