diff --git a/ledger/transaction.go b/ledger/transaction.go
index a498440..dbafcf9 100644
--- a/ledger/transaction.go
+++ b/ledger/transaction.go
@@ -57,6 +57,23 @@ func (file File) transactions() ([]transaction, error) {
 }
 
 func readTransaction(r *bufio.Reader) (transaction, error) {
+	result, err := _readTransaction(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return result, err
+	}
+	if result.empty() {
+		return result, nil
+	}
+	if result.payee == "" && len(result.recipients) < 2 {
+		return result, fmt.Errorf("found a transaction with no payee and less than 2 recipeints: %+v", result)
+	}
+	if result.payee != "" && len(result.recipients) < 1 {
+		return result, fmt.Errorf("found a transaction with payee but no recipeints: %+v", result)
+	}
+	return result, nil
+}
+
+func _readTransaction(r *bufio.Reader) (transaction, error) {
 	readTransactionLeadingWhitespace(r)
 
 	firstLine, err := readTransactionLine(r)
@@ -155,7 +172,7 @@ func readTransactionAccount(r *bufio.Reader) (string, float64, string, error) {
 
 	if len(line) > 0 && !unicode.IsSpace(rune(line[0])) {
 		r2 := *r
-		*r = *bufio.NewReader(io.MultiReader(bytes.NewReader(line), &r2))
+		*r = *bufio.NewReader(io.MultiReader(bytes.NewReader(append(line, '\n')), &r2))
 		return "", 0, "", nil
 	}