EJBException allows for the nesting of exceptions. Since EJBException indicates a system fault, it makes sense to display as much information as possible about it. When my application throws an EJBException, the browser displays a stack trace, but only for the EJBException. Would it not make sense to display the stack trace of the nested exception as well? It would be a simple matter of add the line: exception.getCausedByException().printStackTrace(); somewhere in some file, and it would help a lot.