diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/BeanTypeRegistry.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/BeanTypeRegistry.java
index 39b7348eca4..013991b20f0 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/BeanTypeRegistry.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/BeanTypeRegistry.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
  * </ul>
  *
  * @author Phillip Webb
+ * @author Andy Wilkinson
  * @since 1.2.0
  */
 abstract class BeanTypeRegistry {
@@ -115,13 +116,26 @@ abstract class BeanTypeRegistry {
 				definition.getFactoryMethodName());
 		Class<?> generic = ResolvableType.forMethodReturnType(method)
 				.as(FactoryBean.class).resolveGeneric();
-		if ((generic == null || generic.equals(Object.class))
-				&& definition.hasAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE)) {
-			generic = (Class<?>) definition.getAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE);
+		if (generic == null || generic.equals(Object.class)) {
+			generic = determineTypeFromDefinitionAttribute(factoryDefinition);
 		}
 		return generic;
 	}
 
+	private Class<?> determineTypeFromDefinitionAttribute(BeanDefinition definition)
+			throws ClassNotFoundException, LinkageError {
+		if (definition.hasAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE)) {
+			Object attributeObject = definition.getAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE);
+			if (attributeObject instanceof Class<?>) {
+				return (Class<?>) attributeObject;
+			}
+			else if (attributeObject instanceof String) {
+				return ClassUtils.forName((String) attributeObject, null);
+			}
+		}
+		return Object.class;
+	}
+
 	private Class<?> getDirectFactoryBeanGeneric(
 			ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory, BeanDefinition definition,
 			String name) throws ClassNotFoundException, LinkageError {
@@ -129,9 +143,8 @@ abstract class BeanTypeRegistry {
 				beanFactory.getBeanClassLoader());
 		Class<?> generic = ResolvableType.forClass(factoryBeanClass)
 				.as(FactoryBean.class).resolveGeneric();
-		if ((generic == null || generic.equals(Object.class))
-				&& definition.hasAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE)) {
-			generic = (Class<?>) definition.getAttribute(FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE);
+		if (generic == null || generic.equals(Object.class)) {
+			generic = determineTypeFromDefinitionAttribute(definition);
 		}
 		return generic;
 	}
diff --git a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests.java b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests.java
index 80ef06f9a71..507c2549aa5 100644
--- a/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot-autoconfigure/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/autoconfigure/condition/ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2012-2013 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2012-2015 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
  * @author Dave Syer
  * @author Phillip Webb
  * @author Jakub Kubrynski
+ * @author Andy Wilkinson
  */
 @SuppressWarnings("resource")
 public class ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests {
@@ -157,8 +158,18 @@ public class ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests {
 	}
 
 	@Test
-	public void testOnMissingBeanConditionWithNonspecificFactoryBean() {
-		this.context.register(NonspecificFactoryBeanConfiguration.class,
+	public void testOnMissingBeanConditionWithNonspecificFactoryBeanWithClassAttribute() {
+		this.context.register(NonspecificFactoryBeanClassAttributeConfiguration.class,
+				ConditionalOnFactoryBean.class,
+				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
+		this.context.refresh();
+		assertThat(this.context.getBean(ExampleBean.class).toString(),
+				equalTo("fromFactory"));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testOnMissingBeanConditionWithNonspecificFactoryBeanWithStringAttribute() {
+		this.context.register(NonspecificFactoryBeanStringAttributeConfiguration.class,
 				ConditionalOnFactoryBean.class,
 				PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class);
 		this.context.refresh();
@@ -211,11 +222,11 @@ public class ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests {
 	}
 
 	@Configuration
-	@Import(NonspecificFactoryBeanRegistrar.class)
-	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanConfiguration {
+	@Import(NonspecificFactoryBeanClassAttributeRegistrar.class)
+	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanClassAttributeConfiguration {
 	}
 
-	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanRegistrar implements
+	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanClassAttributeRegistrar implements
 			ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar {
 
 		@Override
@@ -232,6 +243,29 @@ public class ConditionalOnMissingBeanTests {
 
 	}
 
+	@Configuration
+	@Import(NonspecificFactoryBeanClassAttributeRegistrar.class)
+	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanStringAttributeConfiguration {
+	}
+
+	protected static class NonspecificFactoryBeanStringAttributeRegistrar implements
+			ImportBeanDefinitionRegistrar {
+
+		@Override
+		public void registerBeanDefinitions(AnnotationMetadata meta,
+				BeanDefinitionRegistry registry) {
+			BeanDefinitionBuilder builder = BeanDefinitionBuilder
+					.genericBeanDefinition(NonspecificFactoryBean.class);
+			builder.addConstructorArgValue("foo");
+			builder.getBeanDefinition()
+					.setAttribute(OnBeanCondition.FACTORY_BEAN_OBJECT_TYPE,
+							ExampleBean.class.getName());
+			registry.registerBeanDefinition("exampleBeanFactoryBean",
+					builder.getBeanDefinition());
+		}
+
+	}
+
 	@Configuration
 	@Import(FactoryBeanRegistrar.class)
 	protected static class RegisteredFactoryBeanConfiguration {