diff --git a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/API.java b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/API.java
index 14b1fd3ed3..8c84e071e3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/API.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/API.java
@@ -907,7 +907,7 @@ private AbstractResponse getNodeInfoStatement() throws Exception{
                 instance.tipsViewModel.size(),
                 instance.transactionRequester.numberOfTransactionsToRequest(),
                 features,
-                instance.configuration.getCoordinator());
+                instance.configuration.getCoordinator().toString());
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/milestone/impl/LatestMilestoneTrackerImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/milestone/impl/LatestMilestoneTrackerImpl.java
index be90f6453f..6ac95b9bdb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/milestone/impl/LatestMilestoneTrackerImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/milestone/impl/LatestMilestoneTrackerImpl.java
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ public LatestMilestoneTrackerImpl init(Tangle tangle, SnapshotProvider snapshotP
         this.milestoneService = milestoneService;
         this.milestoneSolidifier = milestoneSolidifier;
 
-        coordinatorAddress = HashFactory.ADDRESS.create(config.getCoordinator());
+        coordinatorAddress = config.getCoordinator();
 
         bootstrapLatestMilestoneValue();
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/spentaddresses/impl/SpentAddressesServiceImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/spentaddresses/impl/SpentAddressesServiceImpl.java
index 136bc566fb..0048dee6cc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/spentaddresses/impl/SpentAddressesServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/iota/iri/service/spentaddresses/impl/SpentAddressesServiceImpl.java
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ private void checkAddresses(Collection<Hash> addressesToCheck, Collection<Hash>
     }
 
     private Set<Hash> getInitialUnspentAddresses() {
-        return Stream.of(Hash.NULL_HASH, HashFactory.ADDRESS.create(config.getCoordinator()))
+        return Stream.of(Hash.NULL_HASH, config.getCoordinator())
                 .collect(Collectors.toSet());
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigFactoryTest.java b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigFactoryTest.java
index ff705a6de8..aac121837f 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigFactoryTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigFactoryTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 package com.iota.iri.conf;
 
+import com.iota.iri.model.Hash;
+import com.iota.iri.model.HashFactory;
+
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.rules.TemporaryFolder;
@@ -113,7 +116,8 @@ public void createFromFileTestnetWithTestnetFalseAndFalse() throws IOException {
     public void createFromFileTestnetWithTrailingSpaces() throws IOException {
         File configFile = createTestnetConfigFile("true");
         IotaConfig iotaConfig = ConfigFactory.createFromFile(configFile, true);
-        String expected = "NPCRMHDOMU9QHFFBKFCWFHFJNNQDRNDOGVPEVDVGWKHFUFEXLWJBHXDJFKQGYFRDZBQIFDSJMUCCQVICI";
+        Hash expected = HashFactory.ADDRESS.create(
+                "NPCRMHDOMU9QHFFBKFCWFHFJNNQDRNDOGVPEVDVGWKHFUFEXLWJBHXDJFKQGYFRDZBQIFDSJMUCCQVICI");
         assertEquals("Expected that leading and trailing spaces were trimmed.", expected, iotaConfig.getCoordinator());
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigTest.java b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigTest.java
index a4ef561dd3..f865147f8e 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/conf/ConfigTest.java
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonIgnore;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.PropertyNamingStrategy;
+
+import com.iota.iri.model.HashFactory;
 import com.iota.iri.utils.IotaUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.ArrayUtils;
@@ -177,7 +179,7 @@ public void testArgsParsingTestnet() {
         Assert.assertEquals("db path", "/db", iotaConfig.getDbPath());
         Assert.assertEquals("zmq enabled", true, iotaConfig.isZmqEnabled());
         Assert.assertEquals("mwm", 4, iotaConfig.getMwm());
-        Assert.assertEquals("coo", "TTTTTTTTT", iotaConfig.getCoordinator());
+        Assert.assertEquals("coo", HashFactory.ADDRESS.create("TTTTTTTTT"), iotaConfig.getCoordinator());
         Assert.assertEquals("--testnet-no-coo-validation", true,
                 iotaConfig.isDontValidateTestnetMilestoneSig());
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/service/NodeIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/service/NodeIntegrationTests.java
index 7ae9976f2c..47c93ad2c2 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/service/NodeIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/iota/iri/service/NodeIntegrationTests.java
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ private void newMilestone(API api, List<Hash> tips, long index) throws Exception
         transactions.add(new byte[TRINARY_SIZE]);
         Converter.copyTrits(index, transactions.get(0), OBSOLETE_TAG_TRINARY_OFFSET, OBSOLETE_TAG_TRINARY_SIZE);
         transactions.add(Arrays.copyOf(transactions.get(0), TRINARY_SIZE));
-        Hash coordinator = HashFactory.ADDRESS.create(new TestnetConfig().getCoordinator());
+        Hash coordinator = new TestnetConfig().getCoordinator();
         System.arraycopy(coordinator.trits(), 0, transactions.get(0), ADDRESS_TRINARY_OFFSET, ADDRESS_TRINARY_SIZE);
         setBundleHash(transactions, null);
         List<String> elements = api.attachToTangleStatement(tips.get(0), tips.get(0), 13, transactions.stream().map(Converter::trytes).collect(Collectors.toList()));