diff --git a/src/user/create.js b/src/user/create.js
index 6340b67f64..84f90dba3a 100644
--- a/src/user/create.js
+++ b/src/user/create.js
@@ -13,37 +13,142 @@ var async = require('async'),
 module.exports = function(User) {
 
 	User.create = function(data, callback) {
-		var gravatar = User.createGravatarURLFromEmail(data.email);
-		var timestamp = Date.now();
-		var password = data.password;
 
-		var userData = {
-			'username': data.username.trim(),
-			'email': data.email,
-			'joindate': timestamp,
-			'picture': gravatar,
-			'gravatarpicture': gravatar,
-			'fullname': '',
-			'location': '',
-			'birthday': '',
-			'website': '',
-			'signature': '',
-			'uploadedpicture': '',
-			'profileviews': 0,
-			'reputation': 0,
-			'postcount': 0,
-			'lastposttime': 0,
-			'banned': 0,
-			'status': 'online'
-		};
-
-		userData.userslug = utils.slugify(userData.username);
-
-		if (userData.email !== undefined) {
-			userData.email = userData.email.trim();
-			userData.email = validator.escape(userData.email);
+		data.username = data.username.trim();
+		data.userslug = utils.slugify(data.username);
+		if (data.email !== undefined) {
+			data.email = validator.escape(data.email.trim());
 		}
 
+		isDataValid(data, function(err) {
+			if (err)  {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+			var gravatar = User.createGravatarURLFromEmail(data.email);
+			var timestamp = Date.now();
+
+			var userData = {
+				'username': data.username.trim(),
+				'userslug': data.userslug,
+				'email': data.email,
+				'joindate': timestamp,
+				'picture': gravatar,
+				'gravatarpicture': gravatar,
+				'fullname': '',
+				'location': '',
+				'birthday': '',
+				'website': '',
+				'signature': '',
+				'uploadedpicture': '',
+				'profileviews': 0,
+				'reputation': 0,
+				'postcount': 0,
+				'lastposttime': 0,
+				'banned': 0,
+				'status': 'online'
+			};
+
+			async.parallel({
+				renamedUsername: function(next) {
+					renameUsername(userData, next);
+				},
+				customFields: function(next) {
+					plugins.fireHook('filter:user.custom_fields', [], next);
+				},
+				userData: function(next) {
+					plugins.fireHook('filter:user.create', userData, next);
+				}
+			}, function(err, results) {
+				if (err) {
+					return callback(err);
+				}
+
+				var customData = {};
+				results.customFields.forEach(function(customField) {
+					if (data[customField]) {
+						customData[customField] = data[customField];
+					}
+				});
+
+				userData = utils.merge(results.userData, customData);
+
+				var userNameChanged = !!results.renamedUsername;
+
+				if (userNameChanged) {
+					userData.username = results.renamedUsername;
+					userData.userslug = utils.slugify(results.renamedUsername);
+				}
+
+				async.waterfall([
+					function(next) {
+						db.incrObjectField('global', 'nextUid', next);
+					},
+					function(uid, next) {
+						userData.uid = uid;
+						db.setObject('user:' + uid, userData, next);
+					}
+				], function(err) {
+					if (err) {
+						return callback(err);
+					}
+
+					async.parallel([
+						function(next) {
+							db.incrObjectField('global', 'userCount', next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							db.setObjectField('username:uid', userData.username, userData.uid, next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							db.setObjectField('userslug:uid', userData.userslug, userData.uid, next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							db.sortedSetAdd('users:joindate', timestamp, userData.uid, next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							db.sortedSetsAdd(['users:postcount', 'users:reputation'], 0, userData.uid, next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							groups.join('registered-users', userData.uid, next);
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							if (userData.email !== undefined) {
+								db.setObjectField('email:uid', userData.email.toLowerCase(), userData.uid, next);
+								if (parseInt(userData.uid, 10) !== 1 && parseInt(meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation, 10) === 1) {
+									User.email.verify(userData.uid, userData.email);
+								}
+							} else {
+								next();
+							}
+						},
+						function(next) {
+							if (!data.password) {
+								return next();
+							}
+							User.hashPassword(data.password, function(err, hash) {
+								if (err) {
+									return next(err);
+								}
+
+								User.setUserField(userData.uid, 'password', hash, next);
+							});
+						}
+					], function(err) {
+						if (err) {
+							return callback(err);
+						}
+						if (userNameChanged) {
+							User.notifications.sendNameChangeNotification(userData.uid, userData.username);
+						}
+						plugins.fireHook('action:user.create', userData);
+						callback(null, userData.uid);
+					});
+				});
+			});
+		});
+	};
+
+	function isDataValid(userData, callback) {
 		async.parallel({
 			emailValid: function(next) {
 				if (userData.email) {
@@ -56,40 +161,12 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 				next((!utils.isUserNameValid(userData.username) || !userData.userslug) ? new Error('[[error:invalid-username]]') : null);
 			},
 			passwordValid: function(next) {
-				if (password) {
-					next(!utils.isPasswordValid(password) ? new Error('[[error:invalid-password]]') : null);
+				if (userData.password) {
+					next(!utils.isPasswordValid(userData.password) ? new Error('[[error:invalid-password]]') : null);
 				} else {
 					next();
 				}
 			},
-			renamedUsername: function(next) {
-				meta.userOrGroupExists(userData.userslug, function(err, exists) {
-					if (err) {
-						return next(err);
-					}
-
-					if (exists) {
-						var	newUsername = '';
-						async.forever(function(next) {
-							newUsername = userData.username + (Math.floor(Math.random() * 255) + 1);
-							User.exists(newUsername, function(err, exists) {
-								if (err) {
-									return callback(err);
-								}
-								if (!exists) {
-									next(newUsername);
-								} else {
-									next();
-								}
-							});
-						}, function(username) {
-							next(null, username);
-						});
-					} else {
-						next();
-					}
-				});
-			},
 			emailAvailable: function(next) {
 				if (userData.email) {
 					User.email.available(userData.email, function(err, available) {
@@ -101,92 +178,33 @@ module.exports = function(User) {
 				} else {
 					next();
 				}
-			},
-			customFields: function(next) {
-				plugins.fireHook('filter:user.custom_fields', [], next);
-			},
-			userData: function(next) {
-				plugins.fireHook('filter:user.create', userData, next);
 			}
-		}, function(err, results) {
-			if (err) {
+		}, callback);
+	}
+
+	function renameUsername(userData, callback) {
+		meta.userOrGroupExists(userData.userslug, function(err, exists) {
+			if (err || !exists) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
-			var customData = {};
-			results.customFields.forEach(function(customField) {
-				if (data[customField]) {
-					customData[customField] = data[customField];
-				}
-			});
-
-			userData = utils.merge(results.userData, customData);
-
-			var userNameChanged = !!results.renamedUsername;
-
-			if (userNameChanged) {
-				userData.username = results.renamedUsername;
-				userData.userslug = utils.slugify(results.renamedUsername);
-			}
-
-			db.incrObjectField('global', 'nextUid', function(err, uid) {
-				if (err) {
-					return callback(err);
-				}
-
-				userData.uid = uid;
-
-				db.setObject('user:' + uid, userData, function(err) {
+			var	newUsername = '';
+			async.forever(function(next) {
+				newUsername = userData.username + (Math.floor(Math.random() * 255) + 1);
+				User.exists(newUsername, function(err, exists) {
 					if (err) {
 						return callback(err);
 					}
-
-					db.setObjectField('username:uid', userData.username, uid);
-					db.setObjectField('userslug:uid', userData.userslug, uid);
-
-					if (userData.email !== undefined) {
-						db.setObjectField('email:uid', userData.email.toLowerCase(), uid);
-						if (parseInt(uid, 10) !== 1 && parseInt(meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation, 10) === 1) {
-							User.email.verify(uid, userData.email);
-						}
-					}
-
-					plugins.fireHook('action:user.create', userData);
-					db.incrObjectField('global', 'userCount');
-
-					db.sortedSetAdd('users:joindate', timestamp, uid);
-					db.sortedSetAdd('users:postcount', 0, uid);
-					db.sortedSetAdd('users:reputation', 0, uid);
-
-					groups.join('registered-users', uid);
-
-					if (userNameChanged) {
-						notifications.create({
-							bodyShort: '[[user:username_taken_workaround, ' + userData.username + ']]',
-							image: 'brand:logo',
-							nid: 'username_taken:' + uid,
-							datetime: Date.now()
-						}, function(err, notification) {
-							if (!err && notification) {
-								notifications.push(notification, uid);
-							}
-						});
-					}
-
-					if (password) {
-						User.hashPassword(password, function(err, hash) {
-							if(err) {
-								return callback(err);
-							}
-
-							User.setUserField(uid, 'password', hash);
-							callback(null, uid);
-						});
+					if (!exists) {
+						next(newUsername);
 					} else {
-						callback(null, uid);
+						next();
 					}
 				});
+			}, function(username) {
+				callback(null, username);
 			});
 		});
-	};
+	}
+
 };
diff --git a/src/user/notifications.js b/src/user/notifications.js
index afffcb58e9..7b356b8f88 100644
--- a/src/user/notifications.js
+++ b/src/user/notifications.js
@@ -280,6 +280,19 @@ var async = require('async'),
 		});
 	};
 
+	UserNotifications.sendNameChangeNotification = function(uid, username) {
+		notifications.create({
+			bodyShort: '[[user:username_taken_workaround, ' + username + ']]',
+			image: 'brand:logo',
+			nid: 'username_taken:' + uid,
+			datetime: Date.now()
+		}, function(err, notification) {
+			if (!err && notification) {
+				notifications.push(notification, uid);
+			}
+		});
+	};
+
 	UserNotifications.pushCount = function(uid) {
 		var websockets = require('./../socket.io');
 		UserNotifications.getUnreadCount(uid, function(err, count) {