diff --git a/apps/s_cb.c b/apps/s_cb.c
index af57c34558..705550b676 100644
--- a/apps/s_cb.c
+++ b/apps/s_cb.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 
 #define COOKIE_SECRET_LENGTH    16
 
-VERIFY_CB_ARGS verify_args = { 0, 0, X509_V_OK, 0 };
+VERIFY_CB_ARGS verify_args = { -1, 0, X509_V_OK, 0 };
 
 #ifndef OPENSSL_NO_SOCK
 static unsigned char cookie_secret[COOKIE_SECRET_LENGTH];
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ int verify_callback(int ok, X509_STORE_CTX *ctx)
     if (!ok) {
         BIO_printf(bio_err, "verify error:num=%d:%s\n", err,
                    X509_verify_cert_error_string(err));
-        if (verify_args.depth >= depth) {
+        if (verify_args.depth < 0 || verify_args.depth >= depth) {
             if (!verify_args.return_error)
                 ok = 1;
             verify_args.error = err;
diff --git a/apps/s_client.c b/apps/s_client.c
index 2a8313d7f4..a30dff44cf 100644
--- a/apps/s_client.c
+++ b/apps/s_client.c
@@ -1138,6 +1138,7 @@ int s_client_main(int argc, char **argv)
                 goto opthelp;
             break;
         case OPT_VERIFY_RET_ERROR:
+            verify = SSL_VERIFY_PEER;
             verify_args.return_error = 1;
             break;
         case OPT_VERIFY_QUIET: