diff --git a/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog b/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
index a0eaa3ab0f05..4067599c5c91 100644
--- a/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/fortran/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2010-03-04  Janus Weil  <janus@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+	PR fortran/43244
+	* decl.c (gfc_match_final_decl): Make sure variable names starting with
+	'final...' are not misinterpreted as FINAL statements.
+
 2010-03-03  Paul Thomas  <pault@gcc.gnu.org>
 
 	PR fortran/43243
diff --git a/gcc/fortran/decl.c b/gcc/fortran/decl.c
index 0f3898f7844c..04669061bf86 100644
--- a/gcc/fortran/decl.c
+++ b/gcc/fortran/decl.c
@@ -7810,8 +7810,18 @@ gfc_match_final_decl (void)
   bool first, last;
   gfc_symbol* block;
 
+  if (gfc_current_form == FORM_FREE)
+    {
+      char c = gfc_peek_ascii_char ();
+      if (!gfc_is_whitespace (c) && c != ':')
+	return MATCH_NO;
+    }
+  
   if (gfc_state_stack->state != COMP_DERIVED_CONTAINS)
     {
+      if (gfc_current_form == FORM_FIXED)
+	return MATCH_NO;
+
       gfc_error ("FINAL declaration at %C must be inside a derived type "
 		 "CONTAINS section");
       return MATCH_ERROR;
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
index 6c81727ebb0a..1d382f160c3b 100644
--- a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2010-03-04  Janus Weil  <janus@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+	PR fortran/43244
+	* gfortran.dg/finalize_9.f90: New.
+
 2010-03-04  Tobias Burnus  <burnus@net-b.de>
 	    Ken Werner <ken@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
 
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/finalize_9.f90 b/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/finalize_9.f90
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a113026ed765
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gfortran.dg/finalize_9.f90
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+! { dg-do compile }
+!
+! PR 43244: Invalid statement misinterpreted as FINAL declaration
+!
+! Contributed by Janus Weil <janus@gcc.gnu.org>
+
+implicit none         
+type particle
+  integer :: ID
+end type
+type(particle), dimension(1,1:3)  :: finalState
+finalstate(1,(/1:2/))%ID = (/1,103/)  ! { dg-error "Syntax error in array constructor" }
+end