diff --git a/pandas/io/data.py b/pandas/io/data.py
index b0ee77f11a0a7..278fc2fc6dd4d 100644
--- a/pandas/io/data.py
+++ b/pandas/io/data.py
@@ -10,12 +10,12 @@
 import datetime as dt
 import urllib
 import time
+from collections import defaultdict
 from contextlib import closing
 from urllib2 import urlopen
 
 from zipfile import ZipFile
 from pandas.util.py3compat import StringIO, bytes_to_str
-
 from pandas import Panel, DataFrame, Series, read_csv, concat
 from pandas.io.parsers import TextParser
 
@@ -56,17 +56,17 @@ def DataReader(name, data_source=None, start=None, end=None,
     """
     start, end = _sanitize_dates(start, end)
 
-    if(data_source == "yahoo"):
+    if data_source == "yahoo":
         return get_data_yahoo(symbols=name, start=start, end=end,
                               adjust_price=False, chunk=25,
                               retry_count=retry_count, pause=pause)
-    elif(data_source == "google"):
+    elif data_source == "google":
         return get_data_google(symbols=name, start=start, end=end,
-                              adjust_price=False, chunk=25,
-                              retry_count=retry_count, pause=pause)
-    elif(data_source == "fred"):
+                               adjust_price=False, chunk=25,
+                               retry_count=retry_count, pause=pause)
+    elif data_source == "fred":
         return get_data_fred(name=name, start=start, end=end)
-    elif(data_source == "famafrench"):
+    elif data_source == "famafrench":
         return get_data_famafrench(name=name)
 
 
@@ -94,21 +94,21 @@ def get_quote_yahoo(symbols):
 
     Returns a DataFrame
     """
-    if isinstance(symbols, str):
+    if isinstance(symbols, basestring):
         sym_list = symbols
     elif not isinstance(symbols, Series):
-        symbols  = Series(symbols)
-        sym_list = str.join('+', symbols)
+        symbols = Series(symbols)
+        sym_list = '+'.join(symbols)
     else:
-        sym_list = str.join('+', symbols)
+        sym_list = '+'.join(symbols)
 
     # for codes see: http://www.gummy-stuff.org/Yahoo-data.htm
     codes = {'symbol': 's', 'last': 'l1', 'change_pct': 'p2', 'PE': 'r',
              'time': 't1', 'short_ratio': 's7'}
-    request = str.join('', codes.values())  # code request string
+    request = ''.join(codes.itervalues())  # code request string
     header = codes.keys()
 
-    data = dict(zip(codes.keys(), [[] for i in range(len(codes))]))
+    data = defaultdict(list)
 
     url_str = 'http://finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=%s&f=%s' % (sym_list,
                                                                    request)
@@ -120,14 +120,15 @@ def get_quote_yahoo(symbols):
         fields = line.decode('utf-8').strip().split(',')
         for i, field in enumerate(fields):
             if field[-2:] == '%"':
-                data[header[i]].append(float(field.strip('"%')))
+                v = float(field.strip('"%'))
             elif field[0] == '"':
-                data[header[i]].append(field.strip('"'))
+                v = field.strip('"')
             else:
                 try:
-                    data[header[i]].append(float(field))
+                    v = float(field)
                 except ValueError:
-                    data[header[i]].append(np.nan)
+                    v = np.nan
+            data[header[i]].append(v)
 
     idx = data.pop('symbol')
 
@@ -137,18 +138,15 @@ def get_quote_yahoo(symbols):
 def get_quote_google(symbols):
     raise NotImplementedError("Google Finance doesn't have this functionality")
 
-def _get_hist_yahoo(sym=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
-                    pause=0.001, **kwargs):
+
+def _get_hist_yahoo(sym, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3, pause=0.001,
+                    **kwargs):
     """
     Get historical data for the given name from yahoo.
     Date format is datetime
 
     Returns a DataFrame.
     """
-    if(sym is None):
-        warnings.warn("Need to provide a name.")
-        return None
-
     start, end = _sanitize_dates(start, end)
 
     yahoo_URL = 'http://ichart.yahoo.com/table.csv?'
@@ -179,22 +177,18 @@ def _get_hist_yahoo(sym=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
 
         time.sleep(pause)
 
-    raise Exception("after %d tries, Yahoo did not "
-                    "return a 200 for url %s" % (pause, url))
+    raise IOError("after %d tries, Yahoo did not "
+                  "return a 200 for url %r" % (retry_count, url))
 
 
-def _get_hist_google(sym=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
-                    pause=0.001, **kwargs):
+def _get_hist_google(sym, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3, pause=0.001,
+                     **kwargs):
     """
     Get historical data for the given name from google.
     Date format is datetime
 
     Returns a DataFrame.
     """
-    if(sym is None):
-        warnings.warn("Need to provide a name.")
-        return None
-
     start, end = _sanitize_dates(start, end)
 
     google_URL = 'http://www.google.com/finance/historical?'
@@ -208,16 +202,15 @@ def _get_hist_google(sym=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
     for _ in xrange(retry_count):
         with closing(urlopen(url)) as resp:
             if resp.code == 200:
-                lines = resp.read()
-                rs = read_csv(StringIO(bytes_to_str(lines)), index_col=0,
+                rs = read_csv(StringIO(bytes_to_str(resp.read())), index_col=0,
                               parse_dates=True)[::-1]
 
                 return rs
 
         time.sleep(pause)
 
-    raise Exception("after %d tries, Google did not "
-                    "return a 200 for url %s" % (pause, url))
+    raise IOError("after %d tries, Google did not "
+                  "return a 200 for url %s" % (retry_count, url))
 
 
 def _adjust_prices(hist_data, price_list=['Open', 'High', 'Low', 'Close']):
@@ -244,9 +237,9 @@ def _calc_return_index(price_df):
     mask = ~df.ix[1].isnull() & df.ix[0].isnull()
     df.ix[0][mask] = 1
 
-    #Check for first stock listings after starting date of index in ret_index
-    #If True, find first_valid_index and set previous entry to 1.
-    if(~mask).any():
+    # Check for first stock listings after starting date of index in ret_index
+    # If True, find first_valid_index and set previous entry to 1.
+    if (~mask).any():
         for sym in mask.index[~mask]:
             tstamp = df[sym].first_valid_index()
             t_idx = df.index.get_loc(tstamp) - 1
@@ -278,10 +271,10 @@ def get_components_yahoo(idx_sym):
     idx_df : DataFrame
     """
     stats = 'snx'
-    #URL of form:
-    #http://download.finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=@%5EIXIC&f=snxl1d1t1c1ohgv
-    url = 'http://download.finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s={0}&f={1}' \
-          '&e=.csv&h={2}'
+    # URL of form:
+    # http://download.finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s=@%5EIXIC&f=snxl1d1t1c1ohgv
+    url = ('http://download.finance.yahoo.com/d/quotes.csv?s={0}&f={1}'
+           '&e=.csv&h={2}')
 
     idx_mod = idx_sym.replace('^', '@%5E')
     url_str = url.format(idx_mod, stats, 1)
@@ -310,9 +303,22 @@ def get_components_yahoo(idx_sym):
     return idx_df
 
 
-def get_data_yahoo(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3, pause=0.001,
-                   adjust_price=False, ret_index=False, chunksize=25,
-                   **kwargs):
+def _dl_mult_symbols(symbols, start, end, chunksize, pause, method, **kwargs):
+    stocks = {}
+    for sym_group in _in_chunks(symbols, chunksize):
+        for sym in sym_group:
+            try:
+                stocks[sym] = method(sym, start=start, end=end, pause=pause,
+                                     **kwargs)
+            except IOError:
+                warnings.warn('ERROR with symbol: {0}, skipping.'.format(sym))
+
+    return Panel(stocks).swapaxes('items', 'minor')
+
+
+def get_data_yahoo(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
+                   pause=0.001, adjust_price=False, ret_index=False,
+                   chunksize=25, **kwargs):
     """
     Returns DataFrame/Panel of historical stock prices from symbols, over date
     range, start to end. To avoid being penalized by Yahoo! Finance servers,
@@ -334,8 +340,8 @@ def get_data_yahoo(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3, pause=0.00
         Time, in seconds, to pause between consecutive queries of chunks. If
         single value given for symbol, represents the pause between retries.
     adjust_price : bool, default False
-        If True, adjusts all prices in hist_data ('Open', 'High', 'Low', 'Close')
-        based on 'Adj Close' price. Adds 'Adj_Ratio' column and drops
+        If True, adjusts all prices in hist_data ('Open', 'High', 'Low',
+        'Close') based on 'Adj Close' price. Adds 'Adj_Ratio' column and drops
         'Adj Close'.
     ret_index : bool, default False
         If True, includes a simple return index 'Ret_Index' in hist_data.
@@ -346,49 +352,30 @@ def get_data_yahoo(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3, pause=0.00
     -------
     hist_data : DataFrame (str) or Panel (array-like object, DataFrame)
     """
-
-    def dl_mult_symbols(symbols):
-        stocks = {}
-        for sym_group in _in_chunks(symbols, chunksize):
-            for sym in sym_group:
-                try:
-                    stocks[sym] = _get_hist_yahoo(sym, start=start,
-                                                  end=end, **kwargs)
-                except:
-                    warnings.warn('Error with sym: ' + sym + '... skipping.')
-
-            time.sleep(pause)
-
-        return Panel(stocks).swapaxes('items', 'minor')
-
     if 'name' in kwargs:
-        warnings.warn("Arg 'name' is deprecated, please use 'symbols' instead.",
-                      FutureWarning)
+        warnings.warn("Arg 'name' is deprecated, please use 'symbols' "
+                      "instead.", FutureWarning)
         symbols = kwargs['name']
 
-    #If a single symbol, (e.g., 'GOOG')
-    if isinstance(symbols, (str, int)):
-        sym = symbols
-        hist_data = _get_hist_yahoo(sym, start=start, end=end)
-    #Or multiple symbols, (e.g., ['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'MSFT'])
+    # If a single symbol, (e.g., 'GOOG')
+    if isinstance(symbols, (basestring, int)):
+        hist_data = _get_hist_yahoo(symbols, start=start, end=end)
+    # Or multiple symbols, (e.g., ['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'MSFT'])
     elif isinstance(symbols, DataFrame):
-        try:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(Series(symbols.index))
-        except ValueError:
-            raise
-    else: #Guess a Series
-        try:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(symbols)
-        except TypeError:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(Series(symbols))
+        hist_data = _dl_mult_symbols(symbols.index, start, end, chunksize,
+                                     pause, _get_hist_yahoo, **kwargs)
+    else:
+        hist_data = _dl_mult_symbols(symbols, start, end, chunksize, pause,
+                                     _get_hist_yahoo, **kwargs)
 
-    if(ret_index):
+    if ret_index:
         hist_data['Ret_Index'] = _calc_return_index(hist_data['Adj Close'])
-    if(adjust_price):
+    if adjust_price:
         hist_data = _adjust_prices(hist_data)
 
     return hist_data
 
+
 def get_data_google(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
                     pause=0.001, chunksize=25, **kwargs):
     """
@@ -418,45 +405,24 @@ def get_data_google(symbols=None, start=None, end=None, retry_count=3,
     -------
     hist_data : DataFrame (str) or Panel (array-like object, DataFrame)
     """
-
-    def dl_mult_symbols(symbols):
-        stocks = {}
-        for sym_group in _in_chunks(symbols, chunksize):
-            for sym in sym_group:
-                try:
-                    stocks[sym] = _get_hist_google(sym, start=start,
-                                                  end=end, **kwargs)
-                except:
-                    warnings.warn('Error with sym: ' + sym + '... skipping.')
-
-            time.sleep(pause)
-
-        return Panel(stocks).swapaxes('items', 'minor')
-
     if 'name' in kwargs:
-        warnings.warn("Arg 'name' is deprecated, please use 'symbols' instead.",
-                      FutureWarning)
+        warnings.warn("Arg 'name' is deprecated, please use 'symbols' "
+                      "instead.", FutureWarning)
         symbols = kwargs['name']
 
-    #If a single symbol, (e.g., 'GOOG')
-    if isinstance(symbols, (str, int)):
-        sym = symbols
-        hist_data = _get_hist_google(sym, start=start, end=end)
-    #Or multiple symbols, (e.g., ['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'MSFT'])
+    # If a single symbol, (e.g., 'GOOG')
+    if isinstance(symbols, (basestring, int)):
+        return _get_hist_google(symbols, start=start, end=end)
+    # Or multiple symbols, (e.g., ['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'MSFT'])
     elif isinstance(symbols, DataFrame):
-        try:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(Series(symbols.index))
-        except ValueError:
-            raise
-    else: #Guess a Series
-        try:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(symbols)
-        except TypeError:
-            hist_data = dl_mult_symbols(Series(symbols))
+        symbs = symbols.index
+    else:  # Guess a Series
+        symbs = symbols
+    return _dl_mult_symbols(symbs, start, end, chunksize, pause,
+                            _get_hist_google, **kwargs)
 
-    return hist_data
 
-def get_data_fred(name=None, start=dt.datetime(2010, 1, 1),
+def get_data_fred(name, start=dt.datetime(2010, 1, 1),
                   end=dt.datetime.today()):
     """
     Get data for the given name from the St. Louis FED (FRED).
@@ -466,10 +432,6 @@ def get_data_fred(name=None, start=dt.datetime(2010, 1, 1),
     """
     start, end = _sanitize_dates(start, end)
 
-    if(name is None):
-        print ("Need to provide a name")
-        return None
-
     fred_URL = "http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/"
 
     url = fred_URL + '%s' % name + '/downloaddata/%s' % name + '.csv'
@@ -481,11 +443,10 @@ def get_data_fred(name=None, start=dt.datetime(2010, 1, 1),
         return data.truncate(start, end)
     except KeyError:
         if data.ix[3].name[7:12] == 'Error':
-            raise Exception("Failed to get the data. "
-                            "Check that {0!r} is valid FRED "
-                            "series.".format(name))
-        else:
-            raise
+            raise IOError("Failed to get the data. Check that {0!r} is "
+                          "a valid FRED series.".format(name))
+        raise
+
 
 def get_data_famafrench(name, start=None, end=None):
     start, end = _sanitize_dates(start, end)
@@ -505,16 +466,17 @@ def get_data_famafrench(name, start=None, end=None):
     file_edges = np.where(np.array([len(d) for d in data]) == 2)[0]
 
     datasets = {}
-    for i in range(len(file_edges) - 1):
+    for i in xrange(len(file_edges) - 1):
         dataset = [d.split() for d in data[(file_edges[i] + 1):
                                            file_edges[i + 1]]]
-        if(len(dataset) > 10):
+        if len(dataset) > 10:
             ncol = np.median(np.array([len(d) for d in dataset]))
             header_index = np.where(
                 np.array([len(d) for d in dataset]) == (ncol - 1))[0][-1]
             header = dataset[header_index]
             # to ensure the header is unique
-            header = [str(j + 1) + " " + header[j] for j in range(len(header))]
+            header = ['{0} {1}'.format(j + 1, header_j) for j, header_j in
+                      enumerate(header)]
             index = np.array(
                 [d[0] for d in dataset[(header_index + 1):]], dtype=int)
             dataset = np.array(
@@ -524,24 +486,28 @@ def get_data_famafrench(name, start=None, end=None):
     return datasets
 
 # Items needed for options class
-cur_month = dt.datetime.now().month
-cur_year = dt.datetime.now().year
+CUR_MONTH = dt.datetime.now().month
+CUR_YEAR = dt.datetime.now().year
 
 
 def _unpack(row, kind='td'):
-    els = row.findall('.//%s' % kind)
-    return[val.text_content() for val in els]
+    els = row.xpath('.//%s' % kind)
+    return [val.text_content() for val in els]
 
 
 def _parse_options_data(table):
-    rows = table.findall('.//tr')
+    rows = table.xpath('.//tr')
     header = _unpack(rows[0], kind='th')
-    data = [_unpack(r) for r in rows[1:]]
+    data = map(_unpack, rows[1:])
     # Use ',' as a thousands separator as we're pulling from the US site.
     return TextParser(data, names=header, na_values=['N/A'],
                       thousands=',').get_chunk()
 
 
+def _two_char_month(s):
+    return '{0:0>2}'.format(s)
+
+
 class Options(object):
     """
     This class fetches call/put data for a given stock/expiry month.
@@ -549,11 +515,11 @@ class Options(object):
     It is instantiated with a string representing the ticker symbol.
 
     The class has the following methods:
-        get_options_data:(month, year)
-        get_call_data:(month, year)
-        get_put_data: (month, year)
+        get_options:(month, year)
+        get_calls:(month, year)
+        get_puts: (month, year)
         get_near_stock_price(opt_frame, above_below)
-        get_forward_data(months, call, put)
+        get_forward(months, call, put)
 
     Examples
     --------
@@ -561,13 +527,13 @@ class Options(object):
     >>> aapl = Options('aapl', 'yahoo')
 
     # Fetch September 2012 call data
-    >>> calls = aapl.get_call_data(9, 2012)
+    >>> calls = aapl.get_calls(9, 2012)
 
     # Can now access aapl.calls instance variable
     >>> aapl.calls
 
     # Fetch September 2012 put data
-    >>> puts = aapl.get_put_data(9, 2012)
+    >>> puts = aapl.get_puts(9, 2012)
 
     # Can now access aapl.puts instance variable
     >>> aapl.puts
@@ -580,15 +546,14 @@ class Options(object):
     ...                                              call=True, put=True)
 
     """
-
     def __init__(self, symbol, data_source=None):
         """ Instantiates options_data with a ticker saved as symbol """
-        self.symbol = str(symbol).upper()
-        if (data_source is None):
-            warnings.warn("Options(symbol) is deprecated, use Options(symbol, data_source) instead",
-                      FutureWarning)
+        self.symbol = symbol.upper()
+        if data_source is None:
+            warnings.warn("Options(symbol) is deprecated, use Options(symbol,"
+                          " data_source) instead", FutureWarning)
             data_source = "yahoo"
-        if (data_source != "yahoo"):
+        if data_source != "yahoo":
             raise NotImplementedError("currently only yahoo supported")
 
     def get_options_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
@@ -617,7 +582,7 @@ def get_options_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
 
             >>> aapl = Options('aapl', 'yahoo')  # Create object
             >>> aapl.calls  # will give an AttributeError
-            >>> aapl.get_options_data()  # Get data and set ivars
+            >>> aapl.get_options()  # Get data and set ivars
             >>> aapl.calls  # Doesn't throw AttributeError
 
         Also note that aapl.calls and appl.puts will always be the calls
@@ -627,45 +592,47 @@ def get_options_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
         representations of the month and year for the expiry of the
         options.
         """
-        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year,month,expiry)
+        return [f(month, year, expiry) for f in (self.get_put_data,
+                                                 self.get_call_data)]
 
-        from lxml.html import parse
+    def _get_option_data(self, month, year, expiry, table_loc, name):
+        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year, month, expiry)
 
-        if month and year:  # try to get specified month from yahoo finance
-            m1 = month if len(str(month)) == 2 else '0' + str(month)
-            m2 = month
+        url = 'http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s={sym}'.format(sym=self.symbol)
 
-            if m1 != cur_month and m2 != cur_month:  # if this month use other url
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                          '&m=' + str(year) + '-' + str(m1))
+        if month and year:  # try to get specified month from yahoo finance
+            m1, m2 = _two_char_month(month), month
 
+            # if this month use other url
+            if m1 != CUR_MONTH and m2 != CUR_MONTH:
+                url += '&m={year}-{m1}'.format(year=year, m1=m1)
             else:
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
-
+                url += '+Options'
         else:  # Default to current month
-            url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
+            url += '+Options'
 
-        parsed = parse(url)
-        doc = parsed.getroot()
-        tables = doc.findall('.//table')
-        calls = tables[9]
-        puts = tables[13]
+        try:
+            from lxml.html import parse
+        except ImportError:
+            raise ImportError("Please install lxml if you want to use the "
+                              "{0} class".format(self.__class__.__name__))
+        try:
+            tables = parse(url).xpath('.//table')
+        except (AttributeError, IOError):
+            raise IndexError("Table location {0} invalid, unable to parse "
+                             "tables".format(table_loc))
+        else:
+            ntables = len(tables)
+            if table_loc - 1 > ntables:
+                raise IndexError("Table location {0} invalid, {1} tables"
+                                 " found".format(table_loc, ntables))
 
-        call_data = _parse_options_data(calls)
-        put_data = _parse_options_data(puts)
+        option_data = _parse_options_data(tables[table_loc])
 
         if month:
-            c_name = 'calls' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-            p_name = 'puts' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-            self.__setattr__(c_name, call_data)
-            self.__setattr__(p_name, put_data)
-        else:
-            self.calls = call_data
-            self.calls = put_data
-
-        return [call_data, put_data]
+            name += m1 + str(year)[-2:]
+        setattr(self, name, option_data)
+        return option_data
 
     def get_call_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
         """
@@ -698,40 +665,7 @@ def get_call_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
         repsectively, two digit representations of the month and year
         for the expiry of the options.
         """
-        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year,month,expiry)
-
-        from lxml.html import parse
-
-        if month and year:  # try to get specified month from yahoo finance
-            m1 = month if len(str(month)) == 2 else '0' + str(month)
-            m2 = month
-
-            if m1 != cur_month and m2 != cur_month:  # if this month use other url
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                          '&m=' + str(year) + '-' + str(m1))
-
-            else:
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
-
-        else:  # Default to current month
-            url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
-
-        parsed = parse(url)
-        doc = parsed.getroot()
-        tables = doc.findall('.//table')
-        calls = tables[9]
-
-        call_data = _parse_options_data(calls)
-
-        if month:
-            name = 'calls' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-            self.__setattr__(name, call_data)
-        else:
-            self.calls = call_data
-
-        return call_data
+        return self._get_option_data(month, year, expiry, 9, 'calls')
 
     def get_put_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
         """
@@ -766,40 +700,7 @@ def get_put_data(self, month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
         repsectively, two digit representations of the month and year
         for the expiry of the options.
         """
-        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year,month,expiry)
-
-        from lxml.html import parse
-
-        if month and year:  # try to get specified month from yahoo finance
-            m1 = month if len(str(month)) == 2 else '0' + str(month)
-            m2 = month
-
-            if m1 != cur_month and m2 != cur_month:  # if this month use other url
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                          '&m=' + str(year) + '-' + str(m1))
-
-            else:
-                url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
-
-        else:  # Default to current month
-            url = str('http://finance.yahoo.com/q/op?s=' + self.symbol +
-                                                            '+Options')
-
-        parsed = parse(url)
-        doc = parsed.getroot()
-        tables = doc.findall('.//table')
-        puts = tables[13]
-
-        put_data = _parse_options_data(puts)
-
-        if month:
-            name = 'puts' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-            self.__setattr__(name, put_data)
-        else:
-            self.puts = put_data
-
-        return put_data
+        return self._get_option_data(month, year, expiry, 13, 'puts')
 
     def get_near_stock_price(self, above_below=2, call=True, put=False,
                              month=None, year=None, expiry=None):
@@ -831,68 +732,42 @@ def get_near_stock_price(self, above_below=2, call=True, put=False,
             desired. If there isn't data as far out as the user has asked for
             then
         """
-        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year,month,expiry)
-
+        year, month = self._try_parse_dates(year, month, expiry)
         price = float(get_quote_yahoo([self.symbol])['last'])
 
-        if call:
-            try:
-                if month:
-                    m1 = month if len(str(month)) == 2 else '0' + str(month)
-                    name = 'calls' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-                    df_c = self.__getattribute__(name)
-                else:
-                    df_c = self.calls
-            except AttributeError:
-                df_c = self.get_call_data(month, year)
-
-            start_index = np.where(df_c['Strike'] > price)[0][0]
-
-            get_range = range(start_index - above_below,
-                              start_index + above_below + 1)
+        to_ret = Series({'calls': call, 'puts': put})
+        to_ret = to_ret[to_ret].index
 
-            chop_call = df_c.ix[get_range, :]
+        data = {}
 
-            chop_call = chop_call.dropna(how='all')
-            chop_call = chop_call.reset_index()
+        for nam in to_ret:
+            if month:
+                m1 = _two_char_month(month)
+                name = nam + m1 + str(year)[2:]
 
-        if put:
             try:
-                if month:
-                    m1 = month if len(str(month)) == 2 else '0' + str(month)
-                    name = 'puts' + str(m1) + str(year)[2:]
-                    df_p = self.__getattribute__(name)
-                else:
-                    df_p = self.puts
+                df = getattr(self, name)
             except AttributeError:
-                df_p = self.get_put_data(month, year)
+                meth_name = 'get_{0}_data'.format(nam[:-1])
+                df = getattr(self, meth_name)(month, year)
 
-            start_index = np.where(df_p.Strike > price)[0][0]
+            start_index = np.where(df['Strike'] > price)[0][0]
 
-            get_range = range(start_index - above_below,
+            get_range = slice(start_index - above_below,
                               start_index + above_below + 1)
-
-            chop_put = df_p.ix[get_range, :]
-
-            chop_put = chop_put.dropna(how='all')
-            chop_put = chop_put.reset_index()
-
-        if call and put:
-            return [chop_call, chop_put]
-        else:
-            if call:
-                return chop_call
-            else:
-                return chop_put
+            chop = df[get_range].dropna()
+            chop.reset_index(inplace=True)
+            data[nam] = chop
+        return [data[nam] for nam in sorted(to_ret)]
 
     def _try_parse_dates(self, year, month, expiry):
         if year is not None or month is not None:
-            warnings.warn("month, year arguments are deprecated, use expiry instead",
-                      FutureWarning)
+            warnings.warn("month, year arguments are deprecated, use expiry"
+                          " instead", FutureWarning)
 
         if expiry is not None:
-            year=expiry.year
-            month=expiry.month
+            year = expiry.year
+            month = expiry.month
         return year, month
 
     def get_forward_data(self, months, call=True, put=False, near=False,
@@ -923,106 +798,63 @@ def get_forward_data(self, months, call=True, put=False, near=False,
 
         Returns
         -------
-        all_calls: DataFrame
-            If asked for, a DataFrame containing call data from the current
-            month to the current month plus months.
-
-        all_puts: DataFrame
-            If asked for, a DataFrame containing put data from the current
-            month to the current month plus months.
+        data : dict of str, DataFrame
         """
         warnings.warn("get_forward_data() is deprecated", FutureWarning)
-        in_months = range(cur_month, cur_month + months + 1)
-        in_years = [cur_year] * (months + 1)
+        in_months = xrange(CUR_MONTH, CUR_MONTH + months + 1)
+        in_years = [CUR_YEAR] * (months + 1)
 
         # Figure out how many items in in_months go past 12
         to_change = 0
-        for i in range(months):
+        for i in xrange(months):
             if in_months[i] > 12:
                 in_months[i] -= 12
                 to_change += 1
 
         # Change the corresponding items in the in_years list.
-        for i in range(1, to_change + 1):
+        for i in xrange(1, to_change + 1):
             in_years[-i] += 1
 
-        if call:
-            all_calls = DataFrame()
-            for mon in range(months):
-                m2 = in_months[mon]
-                y2 = in_years[mon]
-                try:  # This catches cases when there isn't data for a month
-                    if not near:
-                        try:  # Try to access the ivar if already instantiated
-
-                            m1 = m2 if len(str(m2)) == 2 else '0' + str(m2)
-                            name = 'calls' + str(m1) + str(y2)[2:]
-                            call_frame = self.__getattribute__(name)
-                        except:
-                            call_frame = self.get_call_data(in_months[mon],
-                                                        in_years[mon])
-
-                    else:
-                        call_frame = self.get_near_stock_price(call=True,
-                                                               put=False,
-                                                    above_below=above_below,
-                                                    month=m2, year=y2)
-
-                    tick = str(call_frame.Symbol[0])
-                    start = len(self.symbol)
-                    year = tick[start: start + 2]
-                    month = tick[start + 2: start + 4]
-                    day = tick[start + 4: start + 6]
-                    expiry = str(month + '-' + day + '-' + year)
-                    call_frame['Expiry'] = expiry
-                    if mon == 0:
-                        all_calls = all_calls.join(call_frame, how='right')
-                    else:
-                        all_calls = concat([all_calls, call_frame])
-                except:
-                    pass
-
-        if put:
-            all_puts = DataFrame()
-            for mon in range(months):
+        to_ret = Series({'calls': call, 'puts': put})
+        to_ret = to_ret[to_ret].index
+        data = {}
+
+        for name in to_ret:
+            all_data = DataFrame()
+
+            for mon in xrange(months):
                 m2 = in_months[mon]
                 y2 = in_years[mon]
-                try:  # This catches cases when there isn't data for a month
-                    if not near:
-                        try:  # Try to access the ivar if already instantiated
-                            m1 = m2 if len(str(m2)) == 2 else '0' + str(m2)
-                            name = 'puts' + str(m1) + str(y2)[2:]
-                            put_frame = self.__getattribute__(name)
-                        except:
-                            put_frame = self.get_call_data(in_months[mon],
-                                                        in_years[mon])
-
-                    else:
-                        put_frame = self.get_near_stock_price(call=False,
-                                                              put=True,
-                                                    above_below=above_below,
-                                                    month=m2, year=y2)
-
-                    # Add column with expiry data to this frame.
-                    tick = str(put_frame.Symbol[0])
-                    start = len(self.symbol)
-                    year = tick[start: start + 2]
-                    month = tick[start + 2: start + 4]
-                    day = tick[start + 4: start + 6]
-                    expiry = str(month + '-' + day + '-' + year)
-                    put_frame['Expiry'] = expiry
-
-                    if mon == 0:
-                        all_puts = all_puts.join(put_frame, how='right')
-                    else:
-                        all_puts = concat([all_puts, put_frame])
-                except:
-                    pass
-
-        if call and put:
-            return [all_calls, all_puts]
-        else:
-            if call:
-                return all_calls
-            else:
-                return all_puts
+
+                if not near:
+                    m1 = _two_char_month(m2)
+                    nam = name + str(m1) + str(y2)[2:]
+
+                    try:  # Try to access on the instance
+                        frame = getattr(self, nam)
+                    except AttributeError:
+                        meth_name = 'get_{0}_data'.format(name[:-1])
+                        frame = getattr(self, meth_name)(m2, y2)
+                else:
+                    frame = self.get_near_stock_price(call=call, put=put,
+                                                      above_below=above_below,
+                                                      month=m2, year=y2)
+                tick = str(frame.Symbol[0])
+                start = len(self.symbol)
+                year = tick[start:start + 2]
+                month = tick[start + 2:start + 4]
+                day = tick[start + 4:start + 6]
+                expiry = month + '-' + day + '-' + year
+                frame['Expiry'] = expiry
+
+                if not mon:
+                    all_data = all_data.join(frame, how='right')
+                else:
+                    all_data = concat([all_data, frame])
+            data[name] = all_data
+        ret = [data[k] for k in sorted(data.keys())]
+        if len(ret) == 1:
+            return ret.pop()
+        if len(ret) != 2:
+            raise AssertionError("should be len 2")
+        return ret
diff --git a/pandas/io/tests/test_yahoo.py b/pandas/io/tests/test_yahoo.py
index 3d4252f99cbd5..d6b65e7379d0a 100644
--- a/pandas/io/tests/test_yahoo.py
+++ b/pandas/io/tests/test_yahoo.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import unittest
+import warnings
 import nose
 from datetime import datetime
 
@@ -6,7 +7,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 import pandas.io.data as web
 from pandas.util.testing import (network, assert_series_equal,
-                                 assert_produces_warning)
+                                 assert_produces_warning, assert_frame_equal)
 from numpy.testing import assert_array_equal
 
 
@@ -37,10 +38,21 @@ def test_yahoo_fails(self):
                           'yahoo', start, end)
 
     @network
-    def test_get_quote(self):
+    def test_get_quote_series(self):
         df = web.get_quote_yahoo(pd.Series(['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'GOOG']))
         assert_series_equal(df.ix[0], df.ix[2])
 
+    @network
+    def test_get_quote_string(self):
+        df = web.get_quote_yahoo('GOOG')
+        df2 = web.get_quote_yahoo('GOOG')
+        assert_frame_equal(df, df2)
+
+    @network
+    def test_get_quote_stringlist(self):
+        df = web.get_quote_yahoo(['GOOG', 'AAPL', 'GOOG'])
+        assert_series_equal(df.ix[0], df.ix[2])
+
     @network
     def test_get_components_dow_jones(self):
         df = web.get_components_yahoo('^DJI') #Dow Jones
@@ -139,26 +151,42 @@ def tearDownClass(cls):
 
     @network
     def test_get_options_data(self):
-        calls, puts = self.aapl.get_options_data(expiry=self.expiry)
-        assert len(calls)>1
-        assert len(puts)>1
+        try:
+            calls, puts = self.aapl.get_options_data(expiry=self.expiry)
+        except IndexError:
+            warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
+        else:
+            assert len(calls)>1
+            assert len(puts)>1
 
     @network
     def test_get_near_stock_price(self):
-        calls, puts = self.aapl.get_near_stock_price(call=True, put=True,
-                                                     expiry=self.expiry)
-        self.assertEqual(len(calls), 5)
-        self.assertEqual(len(puts), 5)
+        try:
+            calls, puts = self.aapl.get_near_stock_price(call=True, put=True,
+                                                        expiry=self.expiry)
+        except IndexError:
+            warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
+        else:
+            self.assertEqual(len(calls), 5)
+            self.assertEqual(len(puts), 5)
 
     @network
     def test_get_call_data(self):
-        calls = self.aapl.get_call_data(expiry=self.expiry)
-        assert len(calls)>1
+        try:
+            calls = self.aapl.get_call_data(expiry=self.expiry)
+        except IndexError:
+            warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
+        else:
+            assert len(calls)>1
 
     @network
     def test_get_put_data(self):
-        puts = self.aapl.get_put_data(expiry=self.expiry)
-        assert len(puts)>1
+        try:
+            puts = self.aapl.get_put_data(expiry=self.expiry)
+        except IndexError:
+            warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
+        else:
+            assert len(puts)>1
 
 
 class TestOptionsWarnings(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -169,7 +197,7 @@ def setUpClass(cls):
         except ImportError:
             raise nose.SkipTest
 
-        with assert_produces_warning(FutureWarning):
+        with assert_produces_warning():
             cls.aapl = web.Options('aapl')
 
         today = datetime.today()
@@ -185,30 +213,42 @@ def tearDownClass(cls):
 
     @network
     def test_get_options_data_warning(self):
-        with assert_produces_warning(FutureWarning):
+        with assert_produces_warning():
             print('month: {0}, year: {1}'.format(self.month, self.year))
-            self.aapl.get_options_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            try:
+                self.aapl.get_options_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            except IndexError:
+                warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
 
     @network
     def test_get_near_stock_price_warning(self):
-        with assert_produces_warning(FutureWarning):
+        with assert_produces_warning():
             print('month: {0}, year: {1}'.format(self.month, self.year))
-            calls_near, puts_near = self.aapl.get_near_stock_price(call=True,
-                                                                   put=True,
-                                                                   month=self.month,
-                                                                   year=self.year)
+            try:
+                calls_near, puts_near = self.aapl.get_near_stock_price(call=True,
+                                                                    put=True,
+                                                                    month=self.month,
+                                                                    year=self.year)
+            except IndexError:
+                warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
 
     @network
     def test_get_call_data_warning(self):
-        with assert_produces_warning(FutureWarning):
+        with assert_produces_warning():
             print('month: {0}, year: {1}'.format(self.month, self.year))
-            self.aapl.get_call_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            try:
+                self.aapl.get_call_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            except IndexError:
+                warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
 
     @network
     def test_get_put_data_warning(self):
-        with assert_produces_warning(FutureWarning):
+        with assert_produces_warning():
             print('month: {0}, year: {1}'.format(self.month, self.year))
-            self.aapl.get_put_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            try:
+                self.aapl.get_put_data(month=self.month, year=self.year)
+            except IndexError:
+                warnings.warn("IndexError thrown no tables found")
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':