diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
index 9c0358258..650929ec7 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ filterJournalTransactionsByAccount apats j@Journal{jtxns=ts} = j{jtxns=filter tm
       tmatch t = (null positives || any positivepmatch ps) && (null negatives || not (any negativepmatch ps)) where ps = tpostings t
       positivepmatch p = any (`amatch` a) positives where a = paccount p
       negativepmatch p = any (`amatch` a) negatives where a = paccount p
-      amatch pat a = containsRegex (abspat pat) a
+      amatch pat a = regexMatches (abspat pat) a
       (negatives,positives) = partition isnegativepat apats
 
 -- | Keep only postings which affect accounts matched by the account patterns.
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ matchpats pats str =
     where
       (negatives,positives) = partition isnegativepat pats
       match "" = True
-      match pat = containsRegex (abspat pat) str
+      match pat = regexMatches (abspat pat) str
 
 negateprefix = "not:"
 
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
index 8380a787e..f92e08dfd 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ where
 import Codec.Binary.UTF8.String as UTF8 (decodeString, encodeString, isUTF8Encoded)
 import Data.Char
 import Data.List
+import Data.Maybe
 import Data.Time.Clock
 import Data.Time.LocalTime
 import Data.Tree
@@ -208,10 +209,31 @@ difforzero a b = maximum [(a - b), 0]
 
 -- regexps
 
-containsRegex :: String -> String -> Bool
-containsRegex r s = case matchRegexPR ("(?i)"++r) s of
-                      Just _ -> True
-                      _ -> False
+-- regexMatch :: String -> String -> MatchFun Maybe
+regexMatch r s = matchRegexPR r s
+
+-- regexMatchCI :: String -> String -> MatchFun Maybe
+regexMatchCI r s = regexMatch (regexToCaseInsensitive r) s
+
+regexMatches :: String -> String -> Bool
+regexMatches r s = isJust $ matchRegexPR r s
+
+regexMatchesCI :: String -> String -> Bool
+regexMatchesCI r s = regexMatches (regexToCaseInsensitive r) s
+
+containsRegex = regexMatchesCI
+
+regexReplace :: String -> String -> String -> String
+regexReplace r repl s = gsubRegexPR r repl s
+
+regexReplaceCI :: String -> String -> String -> String
+regexReplaceCI r s = regexReplace (regexToCaseInsensitive r) s
+
+regexReplaceBy :: String -> (String -> String) -> String -> String
+regexReplaceBy r replfn s = gsubRegexPRBy r replfn s
+
+regexToCaseInsensitive :: String -> String
+regexToCaseInsensitive r = "(?i)"++ r
 
 -- lists
 
@@ -273,7 +295,7 @@ treeany f t = f (root t) || any (treeany f) (branches t)
 
 -- | show a compact ascii representation of a tree
 showtree :: Show a => Tree a -> String
-showtree = unlines . filter (containsRegex "[^ \\|]") . lines . drawTree . treemap show
+showtree = unlines . filter (regexMatches "[^ \\|]") . lines . drawTree . treemap show
 
 -- | show a compact ascii representation of a forest
 showforest :: Show a => Forest a -> String
diff --git a/hledger-web/Handlers.hs b/hledger-web/Handlers.hs
index 55dbf6e7a..79413c618 100644
--- a/hledger-web/Handlers.hs
+++ b/hledger-web/Handlers.hs
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import System.FilePath (takeFileName, (</>))
 import System.IO.Storage (putValue, getValue)
 import Text.Hamlet hiding (hamletFile)
 import Text.Printf
-import Text.RegexPR
 import Yesod.Form
 import Yesod.Json
 
@@ -442,7 +441,7 @@ accountNameToAccountRegex "" = ""
 accountNameToAccountRegex a = printf "^%s(:|$)" a
 
 accountRegexToAccountName :: String -> String
-accountRegexToAccountName = gsubRegexPR "^\\^(.*?)\\(:\\|\\$\\)$" "\\1"
+accountRegexToAccountName = regexReplace "^\\^(.*?)\\(:\\|\\$\\)$" "\\1"
 
 isAccountRegex  :: String -> Bool
 isAccountRegex s = take 1 s == "^" && (take 5 $ reverse s) == ")$|:("
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Convert.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Convert.hs
index a5cab97cb..d457f6798 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Convert.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Convert.hs
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import Test.HUnit
 import Text.CSV (parseCSV, parseCSVFromFile, printCSV, CSV)
 import Text.ParserCombinators.Parsec
 import Text.Printf (hPrintf)
-import Text.RegexPR (matchRegexPR, gsubRegexPR)
 
 import Hledger.Cli.Options (Opt(Debug), progname_cli, rulesFileFromOpts)
 import Hledger.Cli.Version (progversionstr)
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@ import Hledger.Data (Journal,AccountName,Transaction(..),Posting(..),PostingType
 import Hledger.Data.Amount (nullmixedamt, costOfMixedAmount)
 import Hledger.Data.Journal (nullctx)
 import Hledger.Read.JournalReader (someamount,ledgeraccountname)
-import Hledger.Utils (strip, spacenonewline, restofline, parseWithCtx, assertParse, assertParseEqual, error')
+import Hledger.Utils (strip, spacenonewline, restofline, parseWithCtx, assertParse, assertParseEqual, error', regexMatchesCI, regexReplaceCI)
 import Hledger.Utils.UTF8 (getContents)
 
 {- |
@@ -399,11 +398,11 @@ identify rules defacct desc | null matchingrules = (defacct,desc)
                             | otherwise = (acct,newdesc)
     where
       matchingrules = filter ismatch rules :: [AccountRule]
-          where ismatch = any (isJust . flip matchRegexPR (caseinsensitive desc) . fst) . fst
+          where ismatch = any ((`regexMatchesCI` desc) . fst) . fst
       (prs,acct) = head matchingrules
-      p_ms_r = filter (\(_,m,_) -> isJust m) $ map (\(p,r) -> (p, matchRegexPR (caseinsensitive p) desc, r)) prs
+      p_ms_r = filter (\(_,m,_) -> m) $ map (\(p,r) -> (p, p `regexMatchesCI` desc, r)) prs
       (p,_,r) = head p_ms_r
-      newdesc = case r of Just rpat -> gsubRegexPR (caseinsensitive p) rpat desc
+      newdesc = case r of Just repl -> regexReplaceCI p repl desc
                           Nothing   -> desc
 
 caseinsensitive = ("(?i)"++)
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
index 3bb8fef17..4669b8e95 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Options.hs
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import Data.Time.LocalTime
 import System.Console.GetOpt
 import System.Environment
 import Test.HUnit
-import Text.RegexPR
 
 import Hledger.Data
 import Hledger.Read (myJournalPath, myTimelogPath)
@@ -175,7 +174,7 @@ fixOptDates opts = do
     fixopt d (Begin s)   = Begin $ fixSmartDateStr d s
     fixopt d (End s)     = End $ fixSmartDateStr d s
     fixopt d (Display s) = -- hacky
-        Display $ gsubRegexPRBy "\\[.+?\\]" fixbracketeddatestr s
+        Display $ regexReplaceBy "\\[.+?\\]" fixbracketeddatestr s
         where fixbracketeddatestr s = "[" ++ fixSmartDateStr d (init $ tail s) ++ "]"
     fixopt _ o            = o
 
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
index 333e10878..3c226429e 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ import System.Process (readProcessWithExitCode)
 import System.Time (ClockTime, getClockTime, diffClockTimes, TimeDiff(TimeDiff))
 import Test.HUnit
 import Text.Printf
-import Text.RegexPR
 
 import Hledger.Cli.Options (Opt(..),journalFilePathFromOpts)
 import Hledger.Data
@@ -161,6 +160,6 @@ safeGetDirectoryContents fp = getDirectoryContents fp
 
 -- | Does the second file represent a backup of the first, and if so which version is it ?
 backupNumber :: FilePath -> FilePath -> Maybe Int
-backupNumber f g = case matchRegexPR ("^" ++ f ++ "\\.([0-9]+)$") g of
+backupNumber f g = case regexMatch ("^" ++ f ++ "\\.([0-9]+)$") g of
                         Just (_, ((_,suffix):_)) -> readMay suffix
                         _ -> Nothing