diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Alert.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Alert.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..12297ff3d50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Alert.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.ui.alert;
+
+/**
+ * Communicates an event of interest to the user.
+ * For example, an alert may inform a user of a web application a business rule was violated.
+ * TODO - should we introduce detail messages here
+ * @author Keith Donald
+ * @since 3.0
+ */
+public interface Alert {
+
+	/**
+	 * The user interface element this alert is associated with; for example, "registration.password"
+	 */
+	public String getElement();
+
+	/**
+	 * The code uniquely identifying this kind of alert; for example, "weakPassword".
+	 * May be used as a key to lookup additional alert details.
+	 */
+	public String getCode();
+
+	/**
+	 * The level of impact this alert has on the user.
+	 */
+	public Severity getSeverity();
+
+	/**
+	 * The localized message to display to the user; for example, "Please enter a stronger password".
+	 */
+	public String getMessage();
+
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/AlertContext.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/AlertContext.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..44554463e3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/AlertContext.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.ui.alert;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * A context for adding and getting alerts for display in a user interface.
+ * @author Keith Donald
+ * @since 3.0
+ */
+public interface AlertContext {
+
+	/**
+	 * Return all alerts in this context indexed by the UI element they are associated with.
+	 * @return the message map
+	 */
+	public Map<String, List<Alert>> getAlerts();
+	
+	/**
+	 * Get all alerts on the UI element provided.
+	 * Returns an empty list if no alerts have been added for the element.
+	 * Alerts are returned in the order they were added.
+	 * @param element the id of the element to lookup alerts against
+	 */
+	public List<Alert> getAlerts(String element);
+
+	/**
+	 * Add an alert to this context.
+	 * @param alert the alert to add
+	 */
+	public void add(Alert alert);
+
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Severity.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Severity.java
similarity index 86%
rename from org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Severity.java
rename to org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Severity.java
index 15d6abcfe19..fa58fd9a1ff 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Severity.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/Severity.java
@@ -13,14 +13,13 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-package org.springframework.ui.message;
+package org.springframework.ui.alert;
 
 /**
- * Enum exposing supported message severities.
- * 
+ * The set of alert severities.
  * @author Keith Donald
  * @since 3.0 
- * @see Message
+ * @see Alert
  */
 public enum Severity {
 
@@ -30,7 +29,7 @@ public enum Severity {
 	INFO,
 
 	/**
-	 * The "Warning" severity. Used to indicate there is a minor problem, or to inform the message receiver of possible
+	 * The "Warning" severity. Used to indicate there is a minor problem, or to inform the user of possible
 	 * misuse, or to indicate a problem may arise in the future.
 	 */
 	WARNING,
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ public enum Severity {
 	ERROR,
 
 	/**
-	 * The "Fatal" severity. Used to indicate a fatal problem like a system error.
+	 * The "Fatal" severity. Used to indicate a fatal problem like a system error or runtime exception.
 	 */
 	FATAL
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/package.html b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/package.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..478e1080e71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/package.html
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<html>
+<body>
+<p>
+An API for alerts to display in a user interface.
+</p>
+</body>
+</html>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/DefaultAlertContext.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/DefaultAlertContext.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e02bdb79e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/DefaultAlertContext.java
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.ui.alert.support;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.springframework.core.style.ToStringCreator;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Alert;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.AlertContext;
+import org.springframework.util.CachingMapDecorator;
+
+/**
+ * The default alert context implementation.
+ * @author Keith Donald
+ * @since 3.0
+ */
+public class DefaultAlertContext implements AlertContext {
+
+	@SuppressWarnings("serial")
+	private Map<String, List<Alert>> alertsByElement = new CachingMapDecorator<String, List<Alert>>(new LinkedHashMap<String, List<Alert>>()) {
+		protected List<Alert> create(String element) {
+			return new ArrayList<Alert>();
+		}
+	};
+
+	// implementing AlertContext
+
+	public Map<String, List<Alert>> getAlerts() {
+		return Collections.unmodifiableMap(alertsByElement);
+	}
+	
+	public List<Alert> getAlerts(String element) {
+		List<Alert> messages = alertsByElement.get(element);
+		if (messages.isEmpty()) {
+			return Collections.emptyList();
+		}
+		return Collections.unmodifiableList(messages);
+	}
+
+	public void add(Alert alert) {
+		List<Alert> alerts = alertsByElement.get(alert.getElement());
+		alerts.add(alert);
+	}
+
+	public String toString() {
+		return new ToStringCreator(this).append("alertsByElement", alertsByElement).toString();
+	}
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/package.html b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/package.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..44fd00ef3a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/support/package.html
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<html>
+<body>
+<p>
+Support implementation of the Alert API.
+</p>
+</body>
+</html>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/BindingResult.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/BindingResult.java
index 5135b38084f..c9e0957fd84 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/BindingResult.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/BindingResult.java
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ui.binding;
 
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Alert;
+
 /**
  * The result of a bind operation.
  * @author Keith Donald
@@ -28,32 +30,24 @@ public interface BindingResult {
 	 * The name of the model property associated with this binding result.
 	 */
 	String getProperty();
-	
-	/**
-	 * Indicates if this result is an error result.
-	 */
-	boolean isError();
-
-	/**
-	 * If an error result, the error code; for example, "invalidFormat" or "propertyNotFound".
-	 */
-	String getErrorCode();
-
-	/**
-	 * If an error, result returns a default message describing what went wrong.
-	 */
-	String getErrorMessage();
-
-
-	/**
-	 * If an error result, the cause of the error.
-	 */
-	Throwable getErrorCause();
 
 	/**
 	 * The raw user-entered value for which binding was attempted.
-	 * If not an error result, this value was successfully bound to the model.
+	 * If not a failure, this value was successfully bound to the model.
+	 * @see #isFailure()
 	 */
 	Object getUserValue();
+	
+	/**
+	 * Indicates if the binding failed.
+	 */
+	boolean isFailure();
+
+	/**
+	 * Gets the alert for this binding result, appropriate for rendering the result to the user.
+	 * An alert describing a successful binding will have info severity.
+	 * An alert describing a failed binding will have either warning, error, or fatal severity.
+	 */
+	Alert getAlert();
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Bound.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Bound.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..120af93adc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Bound.java
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+package org.springframework.ui.binding;
+
+import java.lang.annotation.Documented;
+import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
+import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
+import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
+import java.lang.annotation.Target;
+
+@Target({ElementType.METHOD})
+@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
+@Documented
+public @interface Bound {
+
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Model.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Model.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dde5a9df323
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/Model.java
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package org.springframework.ui.binding;
+
+import java.lang.annotation.Documented;
+import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
+import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
+import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
+import java.lang.annotation.Target;
+
+@Target({ElementType.TYPE})
+@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
+@Documented
+public @interface Model {
+
+	/**
+	 * The name of the model
+	 */
+	String value() default "";
+
+	/**
+	 * Configures strict model binding.
+	 * @see Binder#setStrict(boolean)
+	 */
+	boolean strict() default false;
+
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinder.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinder.java
index f5b9ebf39d4..c964f4319c0 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinder.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinder.java
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ import org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpressionParser;
 import org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpressionParserConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardEvaluationContext;
 import org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardTypeConverter;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Alert;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Severity;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.Binder;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.Binding;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.BindingConfiguration;
@@ -58,9 +60,11 @@ import org.springframework.ui.binding.UserValue;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.UserValues;
 import org.springframework.ui.format.AnnotationFormatterFactory;
 import org.springframework.ui.format.Formatter;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
  * A generic {@link Binder binder} suitable for use in most environments.
+ * TODO - localization of alert messages using MessageResolver/MesageSource
  * @author Keith Donald
  * @since 3.0
  * @see #add(BindingConfiguration)
@@ -90,6 +94,7 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 	 * @param model the model object containing properties this binder will bind to
 	 */
 	public GenericBinder(Object model) {
+		Assert.notNull(model, "The model Object is reqyured");
 		this.model = model;
 		bindings = new HashMap<String, Binding>();
 		int parserConfig = SpelExpressionParserConfiguration.CreateListsOnAttemptToIndexIntoNull
@@ -106,6 +111,11 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 		this.strict = strict;
 	}
 
+	public void setFormatterRegistry(FormatterRegistry formatterRegistry) {
+		Assert.notNull(formatterRegistry, "The FormatterRegistry is required");
+		this.formatterRegistry = formatterRegistry;
+	}
+
 	public Binding add(BindingConfiguration binding) {
 		Binding newBinding;
 		try {
@@ -156,11 +166,11 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 	static class ArrayListBindingResults implements BindingResults {
 
 		private List<BindingResult> results;
-		
+
 		public ArrayListBindingResults() {
 			results = new ArrayList<BindingResult>();
 		}
-		
+
 		public ArrayListBindingResults(int size) {
 			results = new ArrayList<BindingResult>(size);
 		}
@@ -170,27 +180,27 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 		}
 
 		// implementing Iterable
-		
+
 		public Iterator<BindingResult> iterator() {
 			return results.iterator();
 		}
 
 		// implementing BindingResults
-		
+
 		public BindingResults successes() {
 			ArrayListBindingResults results = new ArrayListBindingResults();
 			for (BindingResult result : this) {
-				if (!result.isError()) {
+				if (!result.isFailure()) {
 					results.add(result);
 				}
 			}
 			return results;
 		}
-		
+
 		public BindingResults failures() {
 			ArrayListBindingResults results = new ArrayListBindingResults();
 			for (BindingResult result : this) {
-				if (result.isError()) {
+				if (result.isFailure()) {
 					results.add(result);
 				}
 			}
@@ -212,10 +222,9 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 		public int size() {
 			return results.size();
 		}
-		
+
 	}
-	
-	
+
 	class BindingImpl implements Binding {
 
 		private Expression property;
@@ -446,39 +455,47 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 
 		private Object formatted;
 
-		private ParseException e;
-
 		public InvalidFormatResult(String property, Object formatted, ParseException e) {
 			this.property = property;
 			this.formatted = formatted;
-			this.e = e;
 		}
 
 		public String getProperty() {
 			return property;
 		}
 
-		public boolean isError() {
-			return true;
-		}
-
-		public String getErrorCode() {
-			return "invalidFormat";
-		}
-
-		public String getErrorMessage() {
-			return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; the user value " + StylerUtils.style(formatted) + " has an invalid format and could no be parsed";
-		}
-		
-		public Throwable getErrorCause() {
-			return e;
-		}
-
 		public Object getUserValue() {
 			return formatted;
 		}
+
+		public boolean isFailure() {
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		public Alert getAlert() {
+			return new Alert() {
+				public String getElement() {
+					// TODO append model first? e.g. model.property
+					return getProperty();
+				}
+
+				public String getCode() {
+					return "invalidFormat";
+				}
+
+				public Severity getSeverity() {
+					return Severity.ERROR;
+				}
+
+				public String getMessage() {
+					return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; the user value "
+							+ StylerUtils.style(formatted) + " has an invalid format and could no be parsed";
+				}
+			};
+		}
 	}
 
+	// TODO the if branching in here is not very clean
 	static class ExpressionEvaluationErrorResult implements BindingResult {
 
 		private String property;
@@ -497,45 +514,76 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 			return property;
 		}
 
-		public boolean isError() {
+		public Object getUserValue() {
+			return formatted;
+		}
+
+		public boolean isFailure() {
 			return true;
 		}
 
-		public String getErrorCode() {
-		    SpelMessage spelCode = ((SpelEvaluationException) e).getMessageCode();
-		    if (spelCode == SpelMessage.EXCEPTION_DURING_PROPERTY_WRITE) {
-		    	return "typeConversionFailure";                                 
-		    } else if (spelCode==SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE) {
-		    	return "propertyNotFound";                              
-		    } else {
-		    	// TODO return more specific code based on underlying EvaluationException error code
+		public Alert getAlert() {
+			return new Alert() {
+				public String getElement() {
+					// TODO append model first? e.g. model.property
+					return getProperty();
+				}
+
+				public String getCode() {
+					return getFailureCode();
+				}
+				
+				public Severity getSeverity() {
+					return getFailureSeverity();
+				}
+
+				public String getMessage() {
+					return getFailureMessage();
+				}
+			};
+		}
+
+		public String getFailureCode() {
+			SpelMessage spelCode = ((SpelEvaluationException) e).getMessageCode();
+			if (spelCode == SpelMessage.EXCEPTION_DURING_PROPERTY_WRITE) {
+				return "typeConversionFailure";
+			} else if (spelCode == SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE) {
+				return "propertyNotFound";
+			} else {
+				// TODO return more specific code based on underlying EvaluationException error code
 				return "couldNotSetValue";
-		    }
+			}
+		}
+		
+		public Severity getFailureSeverity() {
+			SpelMessage spelCode = ((SpelEvaluationException) e).getMessageCode();
+			if (spelCode == SpelMessage.EXCEPTION_DURING_PROPERTY_WRITE) {
+				return Severity.FATAL;
+			} else if (spelCode == SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE) {
+				return Severity.WARNING;
+			} else {
+				return Severity.FATAL;
+			}
 		}
 
-		public String getErrorMessage() {
-		    SpelMessage spelCode = ((SpelEvaluationException) e).getMessageCode();
-		    if (spelCode == SpelMessage.EXCEPTION_DURING_PROPERTY_WRITE) {
-		    	AccessException accessException = (AccessException) e.getCause();
-		    	if (accessException.getCause() != null) {
-		    		Throwable cause = accessException.getCause();
-		    		if (cause instanceof SpelEvaluationException && ((SpelEvaluationException)cause).getMessageCode() == SpelMessage.TYPE_CONVERSION_ERROR) {
-		    			ConversionFailedException failure = (ConversionFailedException) cause.getCause();
-		    			return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; user value " + StylerUtils.style(formatted) + " could not be converted to property type [" + failure.getTargetType() + "]";
-		    		}
-		    	}
-		    } else if (spelCode==SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE) {
-	    		return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; no such property exists on model";
-		    }
-    		return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; reason = " + e.getLocalizedMessage();
-		}
-
-		public Throwable getErrorCause() {
-			return e;
-		}
-
-		public Object getUserValue() {
-			return formatted;
+		public String getFailureMessage() {
+			SpelMessage spelCode = ((SpelEvaluationException) e).getMessageCode();
+			if (spelCode == SpelMessage.EXCEPTION_DURING_PROPERTY_WRITE) {
+				AccessException accessException = (AccessException) e.getCause();
+				if (accessException.getCause() != null) {
+					Throwable cause = accessException.getCause();
+					if (cause instanceof SpelEvaluationException
+							&& ((SpelEvaluationException) cause).getMessageCode() == SpelMessage.TYPE_CONVERSION_ERROR) {
+						ConversionFailedException failure = (ConversionFailedException) cause.getCause();
+						return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; user value "
+								+ StylerUtils.style(formatted) + " could not be converted to property type ["
+								+ failure.getTargetType().getName() + "]";
+					}
+				}
+			} else if (spelCode == SpelMessage.PROPERTY_OR_FIELD_NOT_READABLE) {
+				return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; no such property exists on model";
+			}
+			return "Failed to bind to property '" + property + "'; reason = " + e.getLocalizedMessage();
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -553,25 +601,35 @@ public class GenericBinder implements Binder {
 		public String getProperty() {
 			return property;
 		}
-
-		public boolean isError() {
-			return false;
-		}
-
-		public String getErrorCode() {
-			return null;
-		}
-
-		public String getErrorMessage() {
-			return null;
-		}
 		
-		public Throwable getErrorCause() {
-			return null;
-		}
-
 		public Object getUserValue() {
 			return formatted;
 		}
+		
+		public boolean isFailure() {
+			return false;
+		}
+		
+		public Alert getAlert() {
+			return new Alert() {
+				public String getElement() {
+					// TODO append model first? e.g. model.property					
+					return getProperty();
+				}
+
+				public String getCode() {
+					return "bindSuccess";
+				}
+
+				public Severity getSeverity() {
+					return Severity.INFO;
+				}
+
+				public String getMessage() {
+					return "Sucessfully bound user value " + StylerUtils.style(formatted) + "to property '" + property + "'";
+				}
+			};
+		}
+
 	}
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndValidateLifecycle.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndValidateLifecycle.java
index e58a90a1312..235141e0b1e 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndValidateLifecycle.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndValidateLifecycle.java
@@ -17,15 +17,12 @@ package org.springframework.ui.lifecycle;
 
 import java.util.Map;
 
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.AlertContext;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.BindingResult;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.BindingResults;
+import org.springframework.ui.binding.FormatterRegistry;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.UserValues;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.support.WebBinder;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.ResolvableArgument;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageBuilder;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageContext;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageResolver;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Severity;
 import org.springframework.ui.validation.Validator;
 
 /**
@@ -37,18 +34,22 @@ public class WebBindAndValidateLifecycle {
 
 	private final WebBinder binder;
 
-	private final MessageContext messageContext;
+	private final AlertContext alertContext;
 
 	private ValidationDecider validationDecider = ValidationDecider.ALWAYS_VALIDATE;
 
 	private Validator validator;
 
-	public WebBindAndValidateLifecycle(Object model, MessageContext messageContext) {
+	public WebBindAndValidateLifecycle(Object model, AlertContext alertContext) {
 		// TODO allow binder to be configured with bindings from @Model metadata
 		// TODO support @Bound property annotation?
 		// TODO support @StrictBinding class-level annotation?
 		this.binder = new WebBinder(model);
-		this.messageContext = messageContext;
+		this.alertContext = alertContext;
+	}
+	
+	public void setFormatterRegistry(FormatterRegistry registry) {
+		binder.setFormatterRegistry(registry);
 	}
 
 	public void execute(Map<String, ? extends Object> userMap) {
@@ -58,54 +59,12 @@ public class WebBindAndValidateLifecycle {
 			// TODO get validation results
 			validator.validate(binder.getModel(), bindingResults.successes().properties());
 		}
-		// TODO make message translation pluggable
-		MessageBuilder builder = new MessageBuilder();
 		for (BindingResult result : bindingResults.failures()) {
-			MessageResolver message = builder.
-				severity(Severity.ERROR).
-				code(modelPropertyError(result)).
-				code(propertyError(result)).
-				code(typeError(result)).
-				code(error(result)).
-				arg("label", new ResolvableArgument(getModelProperty(result))).
-				arg("value", result.getUserValue()).
-				// TODO add binding el resolver allowing binding.format to be called
-				arg("binding", binder.getBinding(result.getProperty())).
-				defaultText(result.getErrorMessage()).
-				// TODO allow binding result to contribute additional arguments
-				build();
-			// TODO should model name be part of element id?
-			messageContext.add(message, result.getProperty());
+			alertContext.add(result.getAlert());
 		}
 		// TODO translate validation results into messages
 	}
 
-	private String modelPropertyError(BindingResult result) {
-		return getModelProperty(result) + "." + result.getErrorCode();
-	}
-
-	private String propertyError(BindingResult result) {
-		return result.getProperty() + "." + result.getErrorCode();
-	}
-
-	private String typeError(BindingResult result) {
-		return binder.getBinding(result.getProperty()).getType().getName() + "." + result.getErrorCode();
-	}
-
-	private String error(BindingResult result) {
-		return result.getErrorCode();
-	}
-
-	private String getModelProperty(BindingResult result) {
-		return getModel() + "." + result.getProperty();
-	}
-
-	private String getModel() {
-		// TODO would be nice if model name was module.ClassName by default where module is subpackage of app base package
-		// TODO model name should probably be specifiable using class-level annotation
-		return binder.getModel().getClass().getName();
-	}
-
 	interface ValidationDecider {
 
 		boolean shouldValidateAfter(BindingResults results);
@@ -116,4 +75,5 @@ public class WebBindAndValidateLifecycle {
 			}
 		};
 	}
+
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/DefaultMessageResolver.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/DefaultMessageResolver.java
index 5d36cd99226..f71342cb186 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/DefaultMessageResolver.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/DefaultMessageResolver.java
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ import org.springframework.expression.spel.support.StandardEvaluationContext;
 
 final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceResolvable {
 
-	private Severity severity;
-
 	private String[] codes;
 
 	private Map<String, Object> args;
@@ -45,9 +43,8 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 
 	private ExpressionParser expressionParser;
 
-	public DefaultMessageResolver(Severity severity, String[] codes, Map<String, Object> args, String defaultText,
+	public DefaultMessageResolver(String[] codes, Map<String, Object> args, String defaultText,
 			ExpressionParser expressionParser) {
-		this.severity = severity;
 		this.codes = codes;
 		this.args = args;
 		this.defaultText = defaultText;
@@ -56,8 +53,8 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 
 	// implementing MessageResolver
 
-	public Message resolveMessage(MessageSource messageSource, Locale locale) {
-		String messageString; 
+	public String resolveMessage(MessageSource messageSource, Locale locale) {
+		String messageString;
 		try {
 			messageString = messageSource.getMessage(this, locale);
 		} catch (NoSuchMessageException e) {
@@ -73,10 +70,10 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 			StandardEvaluationContext context = new StandardEvaluationContext();
 			context.setRootObject(args);
 			context.addPropertyAccessor(new MessageArgumentAccessor(messageSource, locale));
-			String text = (String) message.getValue(context);
-			return new TextMessage(severity, text);
+			return (String) message.getValue(context);
 		} catch (EvaluationException e) {
-			throw new MessageResolutionException("Failed to evaluate message expression '" + message.getExpressionString() + "' to generate final message text", e);
+			throw new MessageResolutionException("Failed to evaluate message expression '"
+					+ message.getExpressionString() + "' to generate final message text", e);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -95,36 +92,14 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 	}
 
 	public String toString() {
-		return new ToStringCreator(this).append("severity", severity).append("codes", codes).append("defaultText",
-				defaultText).toString();
-	}
-
-	private static class TextMessage implements Message {
-
-		private Severity severity;
-
-		private String text;
-
-		public TextMessage(Severity severity, String text) {
-			this.severity = severity;
-			this.text = text;
-		}
-
-		public Severity getSeverity() {
-			return severity;
-		}
-
-		public String getText() {
-			return text;
-		}
-
+		return new ToStringCreator(this).append("codes", codes).append("defaultText", defaultText).toString();
 	}
 
 	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 	static class MessageArgumentAccessor implements PropertyAccessor {
 
 		private MessageSource messageSource;
-		
+
 		private Locale locale;
 
 		public MessageArgumentAccessor(MessageSource messageSource, Locale locale) {
@@ -133,11 +108,16 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 		}
 
 		public boolean canRead(EvaluationContext context, Object target, String name) throws AccessException {
-			return (((Map) target).containsKey(name));
+			return true;
 		}
 
 		public TypedValue read(EvaluationContext context, Object target, String name) throws AccessException {
-			Object o = ((Map) target).get(name);
+			Map map = (Map) target;
+			Object o = map.get(name);
+			if (o == null) {
+				throw new AccessException("No message argument named '" + name
+						+ "' is defined in the argument map; arguments available are " + map.keySet(), null);
+			}
 			if (o instanceof MessageSourceResolvable) {
 				String message = messageSource.getMessage((MessageSourceResolvable) o, locale);
 				return new TypedValue(message);
@@ -145,7 +125,7 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 				return new TypedValue(o);
 			}
 		}
-		
+
 		public boolean canWrite(EvaluationContext context, Object target, String name) throws AccessException {
 			return false;
 		}
@@ -154,7 +134,7 @@ final class DefaultMessageResolver implements MessageResolver, MessageSourceReso
 				throws AccessException {
 			throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Should not be called");
 		}
-		
+
 		public Class[] getSpecificTargetClasses() {
 			return new Class[] { Map.class };
 		}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Message.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Message.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 5eb465978d6..00000000000
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/Message.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.springframework.ui.message;
-
-/**
- * Communicates information of interest to the user.
- * For example, a error message may inform a user of a web application a business rule was violated.
- * TODO - should we introduce summary/detail fields instead of just text
- * @author Keith Donald
- * @since 3.0
- */
-public interface Message {
-
-	/**
-	 * The severity of this message.
-	 * The severity indicates the intensity or priority of the message.
-	 * @return the message severity
-	 */
-	public Severity getSeverity();
-
-	/**
-	 * The message text.
-	 * The text is the message's communication payload.
-	 * @return the message text
-	 */
-	public String getText();
-
-}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageContext.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageContext.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 47f92c5f5a2..00000000000
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageContext.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.springframework.ui.message;
-
-import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
-
-/**
- * A context for recording and retrieving messages for display in a user interface.
- * @author Keith Donald
- * @since 3.0
- */
-public interface MessageContext {
-
-	/**
-	 * Return all messages in this context indexed by the UI element they are associated with.
-	 * @return the message map
-	 */
-	public Map<String, List<Message>> getMessages();
-	
-	/**
-	 * Get all messages on the UI element provided.
-	 * Returns an empty list if no messages have been recorded against the element.
-	 * Messages are returned in the order they were added.
-	 * @param element the id of the element to lookup messages against
-	 */
-	public List<Message> getMessages(String element);
-
-	/**
-	 * Add a new message to an element.
-	 * @param message the resolver that will resolve the message to be added; typically constructed by a {@link MessageBuilder}.
-	 * @param element the id of the UI element the message should be associated with
-	 */
-	public void add(MessageResolver message, String element);
-
-}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolver.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolver.java
index 6746878e105..d628c5a8c1d 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolver.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolver.java
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ import java.util.Locale;
 import org.springframework.context.MessageSource;
 
 /**
- * A factory for a localized Message.
+ * A factory for a localized message.
+ * TODO - consider putting this abstraction together with MessageSource; does it need to be in its own package?
  * @author Keith Donald
  * @since 3.0
- * @see Message
  * @see MessageSource
  */
 public interface MessageResolver {
@@ -35,5 +35,5 @@ public interface MessageResolver {
 	 * @return the resolved message
 	 * @throws MessageResolutionException if a resolution failure occurs
 	 */
-	public Message resolveMessage(MessageSource messageSource, Locale locale);
+	public String resolveMessage(MessageSource messageSource, Locale locale);
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilder.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilder.java
similarity index 54%
rename from org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilder.java
rename to org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilder.java
index eb6e39ca42e..f67eb381a3f 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilder.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilder.java
@@ -20,25 +20,23 @@ import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 
-import org.springframework.context.MessageSource;
 import org.springframework.expression.ExpressionParser;
 import org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpressionParser;
 
 /**
- * A builder for building {@link MessageResolver} objects.
- * Typically used by Controllers to {@link MessageContext#add(MessageResolver, String) add} messages to display in a user interface.
- * Supports MessageResolvers that hard-code the message text, as well as MessageResolvers that resolve the message text from a localized {@link MessageSource}.
- * Also supports named arguments whose values can be inserted into messages using #{eval expressions}.
+ * Builds a {@link MessageResolver} that can resolve a localized message for display in a user interface.
+ * Allows convenient specification of the codes to try to resolve the message.
+ * Also supports named arguments that can inserted into a message template using eval #{expressions}.
  * <p>
  * Usage example: 
  * <pre>
- * new MessageBuilder().
- *     severity(Severity.ERROR).
+ * MessageResolver resolver = new MessageResolverBuilder().
  *     code("invalidFormat").
- *     arg("label", new LocalizedArgumentValue("mathForm.decimalField")).
+ *     arg("label", new ResolvableArgument("mathForm.decimalField")).
  *     arg("format", "#,###.##").
- *     defaultText("The decimal field must be in format #,###.##").
+ *     defaultMessage("The decimal field must be in format #,###.##").
  *     build();
+ * String message = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, locale);
  * </pre>
  * Example messages.properties loaded by the MessageSource:
  * <pre>
@@ -46,86 +44,75 @@ import org.springframework.expression.spel.standard.SpelExpressionParser;
  * mathForm.decimalField=Decimal Field
  * </pre>
  * @author Keith Donald
- * @since 3.0 
- * @see MessageContext#add(MessageResolver, String)
+ * @since 3.0
+ * @see #code(String)
+ * @see #arg(String, Object)
+ * @see #defaultMessage(String)
  */
-public class MessageBuilder {
+public class MessageResolverBuilder {
 
-	private Severity severity;
-	
 	private Set<String> codes = new LinkedHashSet<String>();
 
 	private Map<String, Object> args = new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
 
-	private String defaultText;
+	private String defaultMessage;
 
 	private ExpressionParser expressionParser = new SpelExpressionParser();
 	
 	/**
-	 * Set the severity of the message.
-	 * @return this, for fluent API usage
-	 */
-	public MessageBuilder severity(Severity severity) {
-		this.severity = severity;
-		return this;
-	}
-	
-	/**
-	 * Add a code to use to resolve the template for generating the localized message text.
+	 * Add a code that will be tried to lookup the message template used to create the localized message.
      * Successive calls to this method add additional codes.
 	 * Codes are tried in the order they are added.
-	 * @param code the message code
+	 * @param code a message code to try
 	 * @return this, for fluent API usage
 	 */
-	public MessageBuilder code(String code) {
+	public MessageResolverBuilder code(String code) {
 		codes.add(code);
 		return this;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Add a message argument to insert into the message text.
-	 * Named message arguments are inserted by eval expressions denoted within the resolved message template.
+	 * Add an argument to insert into the message.
+	 * Named arguments are inserted by eval #{expressions} denoted within the message template.
 	 * For example, the value of the 'format' argument would be inserted where a corresponding #{format} expression is defined in the message template.
 	 * Successive calls to this method add additional arguments.
-	 * May also add {@link ResolvableArgument resolvable arguments} whose values are resolved against the MessageSource passed to the {@link MessageResolver}.
+	 * May also add {@link ResolvableArgument resolvable arguments} whose values are resolved against the MessageSource passed to
+	 * {@link MessageResolver#resolveMessage(org.springframework.context.MessageSource, java.util.Locale)}.
 	 * @param name the argument name
 	 * @param value the argument value
 	 * @return this, for fluent API usage
 	 * @see ResolvableArgument
 	 */
-	public MessageBuilder arg(String name, Object value) {
+	public MessageResolverBuilder arg(String name, Object value) {
 		args.put(name, value);
 		return this;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Set the fallback text for the message.
-	 * If the message has no codes, this will always be used as the text.
-	 * If the message has codes but none can be resolved, this will always be used as the text.
-	 * @param text the default text
+	 * Set the default message.
+	 * If the MessageResolver has no codes to try, this will be used as the message.
+	 * If the MessageResolver has codes to try but none of those resolve to a message, this will be used as the message.
+	 * @param message the default text
 	 * @return this, for fluent API usage
 	 */
-	public MessageBuilder defaultText(String text) {
-		defaultText = text;
+	public MessageResolverBuilder defaultMessage(String message) {
+		defaultMessage = message;
 		return this;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Builds the message that will be resolved.
+	 * Builds the resolver for the message.
 	 * Call after recording all builder instructions.
 	 * @return the built message resolver
-	 * @throws Illegal
+	 * @throws IllegalStateException if no codes have been added and there is no default message
 	 */
 	public MessageResolver build() {
-		if (severity == null) {
-			severity = Severity.INFO;
-		}
-		if (codes == null && defaultText == null) {
+		if (codes == null && defaultMessage == null) {
 			throw new IllegalStateException(
 					"A message code or the message text is required to build this message resolver");
 		}
 		String[] codesArray = (String[]) codes.toArray(new String[codes.size()]);
-		return new DefaultMessageResolver(severity, codesArray, args, defaultText, expressionParser);
+		return new DefaultMessageResolver(codesArray, args, defaultMessage, expressionParser);
 	}
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/package.html b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/package.html
index e13cbb51fec..8e7dcdd2311 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/package.html
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/package.html
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <html>
 <body>
 <p>
-An API for creating and managing localized messages to display in a UI.
+An API for creating localized messages to display in a user interface.
 </p>
 </body>
 </html>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContext.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContext.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 50b975a0b30..00000000000
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContext.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,118 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright 2004-2009 the original author or authors.
- *
- * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
- * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
- * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
- * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
- * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
- * limitations under the License.
- */
-package org.springframework.ui.message.support;
-
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
-import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
-
-import org.springframework.context.MessageSource;
-import org.springframework.context.i18n.LocaleContextHolder;
-import org.springframework.core.style.ToStringCreator;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Message;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageContext;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageResolver;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Severity;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
-import org.springframework.util.CachingMapDecorator;
-
-/**
- * The default message context implementation.
- * Uses a {@link MessageSource} to resolve messages that are added by callers.
- * @author Keith Donald
- * @since 3.0
- */
-public class DefaultMessageContext implements MessageContext {
-
-	private final MessageSource messageSource;
-
-	@SuppressWarnings("serial")
-	private Map<String, List<Message>> messagesByElement = new CachingMapDecorator<String, List<Message>>(new LinkedHashMap<String, List<Message>>()) {
-		protected List<Message> create(String element) {
-			return new ArrayList<Message>();
-		}
-	};
-
-	/**
-	 * Creates a new default message context.
-	 * @param messageSource the message source to resolve messages added to this context
-	 */
-	public DefaultMessageContext(MessageSource messageSource) {
-		Assert.notNull(messageSource, "The MessageSource is required");
-		this.messageSource = messageSource;
-	}
-
-	/**
-	 * The message source configured to resolve message text.
-	 * @return the message source
-	 */
-	public MessageSource getMessageSource() {
-		return messageSource;
-	}
-
-	// implementing message context
-
-	public Map<String, List<Message>> getMessages() {
-		return Collections.unmodifiableMap(messagesByElement);
-	}
-	
-	public List<Message> getMessages(String element) {
-		List<Message> messages = messagesByElement.get(element);
-		if (messages.isEmpty()) {
-			return Collections.emptyList();
-		}
-		return Collections.unmodifiableList(messages);
-	}
-
-	public void add(MessageResolver messageResolver, String element) {
-		List<Message> messages = messagesByElement.get(element);
-		messages.add(new ResolvableMessage(messageResolver));
-	}
-
-	public String toString() {
-		return new ToStringCreator(this).append("messagesByElement", messagesByElement).toString();
-	}
-
-	// internal helpers
-
-	class ResolvableMessage implements Message {
-
-		private MessageResolver resolver;
-		
-		private Message resolvedMessage;
-		
-		public ResolvableMessage(MessageResolver resolver) {
-			this.resolver = resolver;
-		}
-		
-		public Severity getSeverity() {
-			return getMessage().getSeverity();
-		}
-
-		public String getText() {
-			return getMessage().getText();
-		}
-
-		public Message getMessage() {
-			if (resolvedMessage == null) {
-				resolvedMessage = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, LocaleContextHolder.getLocale());
-			}
-			return resolvedMessage;
-		}
-	}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/package.html b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/package.html
deleted file mode 100644
index e52c72dae17..00000000000
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/package.html
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-<html>
-<body>
-<p>
-Support implementation of the MessageContext API.
-</p>
-</body>
-</html>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/DefaultMessageContextTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/DefaultMessageContextTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..41ced47d0f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/alert/DefaultMessageContextTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package org.springframework.ui.alert;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Alert;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Severity;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.support.DefaultAlertContext;
+
+public class DefaultMessageContextTests {
+	
+	private DefaultAlertContext context;
+
+	@Before
+	public void setUp() {
+		context = new DefaultAlertContext();
+	}
+	
+	@Test
+	public void addAlert() {
+		Alert alert = new Alert() {
+			public String getElement() {
+				return "form.property";
+			}
+
+			public String getCode() {
+				return "invalidFormat";
+			}
+
+			public String getMessage() {
+				return "Please enter a value in format yyy-dd-mm";
+			}
+
+			public Severity getSeverity() {
+				return Severity.ERROR;
+			}
+		};
+		context.add(alert);
+		assertEquals(1, context.getAlerts().size());
+		assertEquals("invalidFormat", context.getAlerts("form.property").get(0).getCode());
+	}
+}
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinderTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinderTests.java
index 4fa62d94e9e..8c2c7aa231c 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinderTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/binding/support/GenericBinderTests.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.context.i18n.LocaleContextHolder;
-import org.springframework.expression.EvaluationException;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.Binder;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.Binding;
 import org.springframework.ui.binding.BindingConfiguration;
@@ -61,18 +60,15 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 		assertEquals(3, results.size());
 		
 		assertEquals("string", results.get(0).getProperty());
-		assertFalse(results.get(0).isError());
-		assertNull(results.get(0).getErrorCause());
+		assertFalse(results.get(0).isFailure());
 		assertEquals("test", results.get(0).getUserValue());
 
 		assertEquals("integer", results.get(1).getProperty());
-		assertFalse(results.get(1).isError());
-		assertNull(results.get(1).getErrorCause());
+		assertFalse(results.get(1).isFailure());
 		assertEquals("3", results.get(1).getUserValue());
 
 		assertEquals("foo", results.get(2).getProperty());
-		assertFalse(results.get(2).isError());
-		assertNull(results.get(2).getErrorCause());		
+		assertFalse(results.get(2).isFailure());
 		assertEquals("BAR", results.get(2).getUserValue());
 		
 		assertEquals("test", bean.getString());
@@ -89,8 +85,8 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 		values.add("foo", "BAR");
 		BindingResults results = binder.bind(values);
 		assertEquals(3, results.size());
-		assertTrue(results.get(1).isError());
-		assertEquals("typeConversionFailure", results.get(1).getErrorCode());
+		assertTrue(results.get(1).isFailure());
+		assertEquals("typeConversionFailure", results.get(1).getAlert().getCode());
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -131,8 +127,8 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 	public void bindSingleValuePropertyNotFound() throws ParseException {
 		BindingResults results = binder.bind(UserValues.single("bogus", "2009-06-01"));
 		assertEquals(1, results.size());
-		assertTrue(results.get(0).isError());
-		assertEquals("propertyNotFound", results.get(0).getErrorCode());
+		assertTrue(results.get(0).isFailure());
+		assertEquals("propertyNotFound", results.get(0).getAlert().getCode());
 	}
 	
 	@Test
@@ -156,7 +152,7 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 		assertEquals("0", b.getValue());
 		BindingResult result = b.setValue("5");
 		assertEquals("5", b.getValue());
-		assertFalse(result.isError());
+		assertFalse(result.isFailure());
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -170,7 +166,7 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 		assertEquals("0", b.getValue());
 		BindingResult result = b.setValue("5");
 		assertEquals("5", b.getValue());
-		assertFalse(result.isError());
+		assertFalse(result.isFailure());
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -214,9 +210,8 @@ public class GenericBinderTests {
 		assertTrue(b.isCollection());
 		assertEquals(0, b.getCollectionValues().length);
 		BindingResult result = b.setValue(new String[] { "BAR", "BOGUS", "BOOP" });
-		assertTrue(result.isError());
-		assertTrue(result.getErrorCause() instanceof EvaluationException);
-		assertEquals("typeConversionFailure", result.getErrorCode());
+		assertTrue(result.isFailure());
+		assertEquals("typeConversionFailure", result.getAlert().getCode());
 	}
 
 	@Test
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndLifecycleTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndLifecycleTests.java
index 2039dede44f..6575bc83ca9 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndLifecycleTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/lifecycle/WebBindAndLifecycleTests.java
@@ -6,38 +6,29 @@ import java.math.BigDecimal;
 import java.util.Date;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
-import org.junit.Ignore;
 import org.junit.Test;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.Severity;
+import org.springframework.ui.alert.support.DefaultAlertContext;
+import org.springframework.ui.binding.support.GenericFormatterRegistry;
 import org.springframework.ui.format.number.CurrencyFormat;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MockMessageSource;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Severity;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.support.DefaultMessageContext;
+import org.springframework.ui.format.number.IntegerFormatter;
 
 public class WebBindAndLifecycleTests {
 
 	private WebBindAndValidateLifecycle lifecycle;
 
-	private DefaultMessageContext messages;
+	private TestBean model;
+	
+	private DefaultAlertContext alertContext;
 
 	@Before
 	public void setUp() {
-		MockMessageSource messageSource = new MockMessageSource();
-		messageSource
-				.addMessage(
-						"invalidFormat",
-						Locale.US,
-						"#{label} must be a ${objectType} in format #{format}; parsing of your value '#{value}' failed at the #{errorPosition} character");
-		messageSource.addMessage("typeConversionFailure", Locale.US,
-				"The value '#{value}' entered into the #{label} field could not be converted");
-		messageSource.addMessage("org.springframework.ui.lifecycle.WebBindAndLifecycleTests$TestBean.integer",
-				Locale.US, "Integer");
-		messages = new DefaultMessageContext(messageSource);
-		TestBean model = new TestBean();
-		lifecycle = new WebBindAndValidateLifecycle(model, messages);
+		model = new TestBean();
+		alertContext = new DefaultAlertContext();
+		lifecycle = new WebBindAndValidateLifecycle(model, alertContext);
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -47,10 +38,9 @@ public class WebBindAndLifecycleTests {
 		userMap.put("integer", "3");
 		userMap.put("foo", "BAR");
 		lifecycle.execute(userMap);
-		assertEquals(0, messages.getMessages().size());
+		assertEquals(0, alertContext.getAlerts().size());
 	}
 
-	@Ignore("Disabled test until it passes consistently in the Ant build on Mac OS X")
 	@Test
 	public void testExecuteLifecycleBindingErrors() {
 		Map<String, Object> userMap = new HashMap<String, Object>();
@@ -58,10 +48,24 @@ public class WebBindAndLifecycleTests {
 		userMap.put("integer", "bogus");
 		userMap.put("foo", "BAR");
 		lifecycle.execute(userMap);
-		assertEquals(1, messages.getMessages().size());
-		assertEquals(Severity.ERROR, messages.getMessages("integer").get(0).getSeverity());
-		assertEquals("The value 'bogus' entered into the Integer field could not be converted", messages.getMessages(
-				"integer").get(0).getText());
+		assertEquals(1, alertContext.getAlerts().size());
+		assertEquals(Severity.FATAL, alertContext.getAlerts("integer").get(0).getSeverity());
+		assertEquals("Failed to bind to property 'integer'; user value 'bogus' could not be converted to property type [java.lang.Integer]", alertContext.getAlerts("integer").get(0).getMessage());
+	}
+	
+	@Test
+	public void testExecuteLifecycleInvalidFormatBindingErrors() {
+		Map<String, Object> userMap = new HashMap<String, Object>();
+		GenericFormatterRegistry registry = new GenericFormatterRegistry();
+		registry.add(new IntegerFormatter(), Integer.class);
+		lifecycle.setFormatterRegistry(registry);
+		userMap.put("string", "test");
+		userMap.put("integer", "bogus");
+		userMap.put("foo", "BAR");
+		lifecycle.execute(userMap);
+		assertEquals(1, alertContext.getAlerts().size());
+		assertEquals(Severity.ERROR, alertContext.getAlerts("integer").get(0).getSeverity());
+		assertEquals("Failed to bind to property 'integer'; the user value 'bogus' has an invalid format and could no be parsed", alertContext.getAlerts("integer").get(0).getMessage());
 	}
 
 	public static enum FooEnum {
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilderTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilderTests.java
similarity index 50%
rename from org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
rename to org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilderTests.java
index d9273709bbb..f8c4a9af821 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MessageResolverBuilderTests.java
@@ -6,19 +6,18 @@ import java.util.Locale;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
-public class MessageBuilderTests {
+public class MessageResolverBuilderTests {
 	
-	private MessageBuilder builder = new MessageBuilder();
+	private MessageResolverBuilder builder = new MessageResolverBuilder();
 
 	@Test
 	public void buildMessage() {
-		MessageResolver resolver = builder.severity(Severity.ERROR).code("invalidFormat").arg("label", new ResolvableArgument("mathForm.decimalField"))
-				.arg("format", "#,###.##").defaultText("Field must be in format #,###.##").build();
+		MessageResolver resolver = builder.code("invalidFormat").arg("label", new ResolvableArgument("mathForm.decimalField"))
+				.arg("format", "#,###.##").defaultMessage("Field must be in format #,###.##").build();
 		MockMessageSource messageSource = new MockMessageSource();
 		messageSource.addMessage("invalidFormat", Locale.US, "#{label} must be in format #{format}");
 		messageSource.addMessage("mathForm.decimalField", Locale.US, "Decimal Field");
-		Message message = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, Locale.US);
-		assertEquals(Severity.ERROR, message.getSeverity());
-		assertEquals("Decimal Field must be in format #,###.##", message.getText());
+		String message = resolver.resolveMessage(messageSource, Locale.US);
+		assertEquals("Decimal Field must be in format #,###.##", message);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MockMessageSource.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MockMessageSource.java
index 6327bd1e500..87d8d2b851b 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MockMessageSource.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/MockMessageSource.java
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 import org.springframework.context.support.AbstractMessageSource;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
-public class MockMessageSource extends AbstractMessageSource {
+class MockMessageSource extends AbstractMessageSource {
 
 	/** Map from 'code + locale' keys to message Strings */
 	private final Map<String, String> messages = new HashMap<String, String>();
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContextTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContextTests.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 474cbcd7c94..00000000000
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/ui/message/support/DefaultMessageContextTests.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-package org.springframework.ui.message.support;
-
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
-
-import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Locale;
-import java.util.Map;
-
-import org.junit.After;
-import org.junit.Before;
-import org.junit.Test;
-import org.springframework.context.i18n.LocaleContextHolder;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.ResolvableArgument;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Message;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageBuilder;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MessageResolver;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.MockMessageSource;
-import org.springframework.ui.message.Severity;
-
-public class DefaultMessageContextTests {
-	
-	private DefaultMessageContext context;
-
-	@Before
-	public void setUp() {
-		MockMessageSource messageSource = new MockMessageSource();
-		messageSource.addMessage("invalidFormat", Locale.US, "#{label} must be in format #{format}");
-		messageSource.addMessage("mathForm.decimalField", Locale.US, "Decimal Field");
-		context = new DefaultMessageContext(messageSource);
-		LocaleContextHolder.setLocale(Locale.US);
-	}
-	
-	@After
-	public void tearDown() {
-		LocaleContextHolder.setLocale(null);
-	}
-
-	@Test
-	public void addMessage() {
-		MessageBuilder builder = new MessageBuilder();
-		MessageResolver message = builder.severity(Severity.ERROR).code("invalidFormat").arg("label", new ResolvableArgument("mathForm.decimalField")).
-			arg("format", "#,###.##").defaultText("Field must be in format #,###.##").build();
-		context.add(message, "mathForm.decimalField");
-		Map<String, List<Message>> messages = context.getMessages();
-		assertEquals(1, messages.size());
-		assertEquals("Decimal Field must be in format #,###.##", messages.get("mathForm.decimalField").get(0).getText());
-		assertEquals("Decimal Field must be in format #,###.##", context.getMessages("mathForm.decimalField").get(0).getText());
-	}
-}