diff --git a/app/scripts/keyring-controller.js b/app/scripts/keyring-controller.js
index c5ecac089..22ceec889 100644
--- a/app/scripts/keyring-controller.js
+++ b/app/scripts/keyring-controller.js
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@ class KeyringController extends EventEmitter {
     this.keyringTypes = keyringTypes
     this.store = new ObservableStore(initState)
     this.memStore = new ObservableStore({
-      keyrings: [],
       keyringTypes: this.keyringTypes.map(krt => krt.type),
+      keyrings: [],
+      identities: {},
     })
     this.configManager = opts.configManager
     this.ethStore = opts.ethStore
     this.encryptor = encryptor
     this.keyrings = []
-    this.identities = {} // Essentially a name hash
 
     this._unconfMsgCbs = {}
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class KeyringController extends EventEmitter {
       isUnlocked: (!!this.password),
       // memStore
       keyringTypes: memState.keyringTypes,
-      identities: this.identities,
+      identities: memState.identities,
       keyrings: memState.keyrings,
       // messageManager
       unconfMsgs: messageManager.unconfirmedMsgs(),
@@ -245,7 +245,9 @@ class KeyringController extends EventEmitter {
       walletNicknames[hexAddress] = label
       this.store.updateState({ walletNicknames })
       // update state on memStore
-      this.identities[hexAddress].name = label
+      const identities = this.memStore.getState().identities
+      identities[hexAddress].name = label
+      this.memStore.updateState({ identities })
       return Promise.resolve(label)
     } catch (err) {
       return Promise.reject(err)
@@ -439,14 +441,16 @@ class KeyringController extends EventEmitter {
   // Takes an address, and assigns it an incremented nickname, persisting it.
   createNickname (address) {
     const hexAddress = normalizeAddress(address)
-    const currentIdentityCount = Object.keys(this.identities).length + 1
+    const identities = this.memStore.getState().identities
+    const currentIdentityCount = Object.keys(identities).length + 1
     const nicknames = this.store.getState().walletNicknames || {}
     const existingNickname = nicknames[hexAddress]
     const name = existingNickname || `Account ${currentIdentityCount}`
-    this.identities[hexAddress] = {
+    identities[hexAddress] = {
       address: hexAddress,
       name,
     }
+    this.memStore.updateState({ identities })
     return this.saveAccountLabel(hexAddress, name)
   }
 
@@ -635,8 +639,12 @@ class KeyringController extends EventEmitter {
       this.ethStore.removeAccount(address)
     })
 
+    // clear keyrings from memory
     this.keyrings = []
-    this.identities = {}
+    this.memStore.updateState({
+      keyrings: [],
+      identities: {},
+    })
   }
 
   _updateMemStoreKeyrings() {
diff --git a/test/unit/keyring-controller-test.js b/test/unit/keyring-controller-test.js
index 347aa2bdf..aae4cdfd6 100644
--- a/test/unit/keyring-controller-test.js
+++ b/test/unit/keyring-controller-test.js
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ describe('KeyringController', function() {
     it('should add the address to the identities hash', function() {
       const fakeAddress = '0x12345678'
       keyringController.createNickname(fakeAddress)
-      const identities = keyringController.identities
+      const identities = keyringController.memStore.getState().identities
       const identity = identities[fakeAddress]
       assert.equal(identity.address, fakeAddress)
     })
@@ -114,7 +114,9 @@ describe('KeyringController', function() {
     it ('sets the nickname', function(done) {
       const account = addresses[0]
       var nick = 'Test nickname'
-      keyringController.identities[ethUtil.addHexPrefix(account)] = {}
+      const identities = keyringController.memStore.getState().identities
+      identities[ethUtil.addHexPrefix(account)] = {}
+      keyringController.memStore.updateState({ identities })
       keyringController.saveAccountLabel(account, nick)
       .then((label) => {
         try {