diff --git a/configure b/configure
index ba05cc2c8..093caca03 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -171,7 +171,6 @@ print_usage()
 	echo "                 it no longer needs to call malloc() or free(), even"
 	echo "                 across many separate level-3 operation invocations."
 	echo " "
-	echo " "
 	echo "   --enable-mem-tracing, --disable-mem-tracing"
 	echo " "
 	echo "                 Enable (disable by default) output to stdout that traces"
diff --git a/frame/base/bli_apool.c b/frame/base/bli_apool.c
index 542c4275a..4a98a090c 100644
--- a/frame/base/bli_apool.c
+++ b/frame/base/bli_apool.c
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ pool_t* bli_apool_array_elem
 		// Settle on the parameters to use when initializing the pool_t for
 		// the current index within the array_t.
 		const siz_t num_blocks     = 1;
-		const siz_t block_ptrs_len = 10;
+		const siz_t block_ptrs_len = 25;
 		const siz_t align_size     = 16;
 		malloc_ft   malloc_fp      = BLIS_MALLOC_INTL;
 		free_ft     free_fp        = BLIS_FREE_INTL;
diff --git a/frame/base/bli_malloc.c b/frame/base/bli_malloc.c
index 4ce5926a2..b6ee6ebd4 100644
--- a/frame/base/bli_malloc.c
+++ b/frame/base/bli_malloc.c
@@ -155,8 +155,9 @@ void* bli_fmalloc_align
 	// Call the allocation function.
 	p_orig = f( size );
 
-	// If NULL was returned, something is probably very wrong.
-	if ( p_orig == NULL ) bli_abort();
+	// Check the pointer returned by malloc().
+	if ( bli_error_checking_is_enabled() )
+		bli_fmalloc_align_post_check( p_orig );
 
 	// Advance the pointer by one pointer element.
 	p_byte = p_orig;
@@ -254,4 +255,16 @@ void bli_fmalloc_align_check
 	bli_check_error_code( e_val );
 }
 
+void bli_fmalloc_align_post_check
+     (
+       void* p
+     )
+{
+	err_t e_val;
+
+	// Check for valid values from malloc().
+
+	e_val = bli_check_valid_malloc_buf( p );
+	bli_check_error_code( e_val );
+}
 
diff --git a/frame/base/bli_malloc.h b/frame/base/bli_malloc.h
index baa2de048..7945ebdf5 100644
--- a/frame/base/bli_malloc.h
+++ b/frame/base/bli_malloc.h
@@ -58,4 +58,5 @@ void* bli_fmalloc_noalign( malloc_ft f, size_t size );
 void  bli_ffree_noalign( free_ft f, void* p );
 
 void  bli_fmalloc_align_check( malloc_ft f, size_t size, size_t align_size );
+void  bli_fmalloc_align_post_check( void* p );