diff --git a/awkward/array/chunked.py b/awkward/array/chunked.py
index daa9928a..89588b6c 100644
--- a/awkward/array/chunked.py
+++ b/awkward/array/chunked.py
@@ -291,13 +291,6 @@ def __getitem__(self, where):
         self._valid()
 
         if self._util_isstringslice(where):
-            if isinstance(where, awkward.util.string):
-                if not self.type.hascolumn(where):
-                    raise ValueError("no column named {0}".format(repr(where)))
-            else:
-                for x in where:
-                    if not self.type.hascolumn(x):
-                        raise ValueError("no column named {0}".format(repr(x)))
             chunks = []
             counts = []
             for chunk in self._chunks:
@@ -480,8 +473,9 @@ def _aligned(self, what):
 
     def __setitem__(self, where, what):
         if isinstance(what, ChunkedArray) and self._aligned(what):
-            for mine, theirs in zip(self._chunks, what._chunks):
+            for i, (mine, theirs) in enumerate(zip(self._chunks, what._chunks)):
                 mine[where] = theirs
+                self._types[i] = mine.type.to
         else:
             raise ValueError("only ChunkedArrays with the same chunk sizes can be assigned to columns of a ChunkedArray")
 
diff --git a/awkward/type.py b/awkward/type.py
index b37ce0ff..8783005e 100644
--- a/awkward/type.py
+++ b/awkward/type.py
@@ -189,6 +189,17 @@ def __eq__(self, other):
     def __ne__(self, other):
         return not self.__eq__(other)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _eq2(one, two, seen, ignoremask=False):
+        if isinstance(one, Type):
+            return one._eq(two, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask)
+        elif one == two:
+            return True
+        elif callable(one) and callable(two):
+            return True
+        else:
+            return False
+
     @staticmethod
     def _finaltype(x):
         if isinstance(x, type) and issubclass(x, (numbers.Number, numpy.generic)):
@@ -287,8 +298,10 @@ def _hascolumn(self, name, seen):
             return False
         elif isinstance(self._to, numpy.dtype):
             return name in self._to.names
-        else:
+        elif isinstance(self._to, Type):
             return self._to._hascolumn(name, seen)
+        else:
+            return False
 
     def _subrepr(self, labeled, seen):
         if isinstance(self._to, Type):
@@ -315,10 +328,7 @@ def _eq(self, other, seen, ignoremask=False):
         else:
             seen.add(id(self))
             if isinstance(other, ArrayType) and self._takes == other._takes:
-                if isinstance(self._to, Type):
-                    return self._to._eq(other._to, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask)
-                else:
-                    return self._to == other._to
+                return self._eq2(self._to, other._to, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask)
             else:
                 return False
 
@@ -410,12 +420,8 @@ def _eq(self, other, seen, ignoremask=False):
             seen.add(id(self))
             if isinstance(other, TableType) and sorted(self._fields) == sorted(other._fields):
                 for n in self._fields:
-                    if isinstance(self._fields[n], Type):
-                        if not self._fields[n]._eq(other._fields[n], seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
-                            return False
-                    else:
-                        if not self._fields[n] == other._fields[n]:
-                            return False
+                    if not self._eq2(self._fields[n], other._fields[n], seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
+                        return False
                 else:
                     return True    # nothing failed in the loop over fields
             else:
@@ -445,7 +451,13 @@ def _hascolumn(self, name, seen):
         if id(self) in seen:
             return False
         seen.add(id(self))
-        return any(x._to._hascolumn(name, seen) for x in self._possibilities)
+        for x in self._possibilities:
+            if isinstance(x, numpy.dtype) and x.names is not None and name in x.names:
+                return True
+            elif isinstance(x, Type) and x._hascolumn(name, seen):
+                return True
+        else:
+            return False
 
     def __len__(self):
         return len(self._possibilities)
@@ -491,12 +503,8 @@ def _eq(self, other, seen, ignoremask=False):
             seen.add(id(self))
             if isinstance(other, UnionType) and len(self._possibilities) == len(other._possibilities):
                 for x, y in zip(sorted(self._possibilities), sorted(self._possibilities)):
-                    if isinstance(x, Type):
-                        if not x._eq(y, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
-                            return False
-                    else:
-                        if not x == y:
-                            return False
+                    if not self._eq2(x, y, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
+                        return False
                 else:
                     return True    # nothing failed in the loop over possibilities
             else:
@@ -571,16 +579,10 @@ def _eq(self, other, seen, ignoremask=False):
         else:
             seen.add(id(self))
             if isinstance(other, OptionType):
-                if isinstance(self._type, Type) and self._type._eq(other._type, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
-                    return True
-                elif not isinstance(self._type, Type) and self._type == other._type:
+                if self._eq2(self._type, other._type, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask):
                     return True
-
             if ignoremask:    # applied asymmetrically; only the left can ignore mask
-                if isinstance(self._type, Type):
-                    return self._type._eq(other, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask)
-                else:
-                    return self._type == other
+                return self._eq2(self._type, other, seen, ignoremask=ignoremask)
             else:
                 return False
 
diff --git a/awkward/version.py b/awkward/version.py
index 3e62626c..153257c6 100644
--- a/awkward/version.py
+++ b/awkward/version.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 import re
 
-__version__ = "0.10.2"
+__version__ = "0.10.3"
 version = __version__
 version_info = tuple(re.split(r"[-\.]", __version__))