diff --git a/autoload/syntastic/util.vim b/autoload/syntastic/util.vim
index 0a4d8cf1..85ec7c01 100644
--- a/autoload/syntastic/util.vim
+++ b/autoload/syntastic/util.vim
@@ -119,6 +119,28 @@ function! syntastic#util#bufIsActive(buffer)
     return 0
 endfunction
 
+" start in directory a:where and walk up the parent folders until it
+" finds a file matching a:what; return path to that file
+function! syntastic#util#findInParent(what, where)
+    let here = fnamemodify(a:where, ':p')
+
+    while !empty(here)
+        let p = split(globpath(here, a:what), '\n')
+
+        if !empty(p)
+            return fnamemodify(p[0], ':p')
+        elseif here == '/'
+            break
+        endif
+
+        " we use ':h:h' rather than ':h' since ':p' adds a trailing '/'
+        " if 'here' is a directory
+        let here = fnamemodify(here, ':p:h:h')
+    endwhile
+
+    return ''
+endfunction
+
 " Returns unique elements in a list
 function! syntastic#util#unique(list)
     let seen = {}
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/haxe/haxe.vim b/syntax_checkers/haxe/haxe.vim
index cffd5277..969a9369 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/haxe/haxe.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/haxe/haxe.vim
@@ -19,35 +19,13 @@ function! SyntaxCheckers_haxe_haxe_IsAvailable()
     return executable('haxe')
 endfunction
 
-" start in directory a:where and walk up the parent folders until it
-" finds a file matching a:what; return path to that file
-function! s:FindInParent(what, where)
-    let here = fnamemodify(a:where, ':p')
-
-    while !empty(here)
-        let p = split(globpath(here, a:what), '\n')
-
-        if !empty(p)
-            return fnamemodify(p[0], ':p')
-        elseif here == '/'
-            break
-        endif
-
-        " we use ':h:h' rather than ':h' since ':p' adds a trailing '/'
-        " if 'here' is a directory
-        let here = fnamemodify(here, ':p:h:h')
-    endwhile
-
-    return ''
-endfunction
-
 function! SyntaxCheckers_haxe_haxe_GetLocList()
     if exists('b:vaxe_hxml')
         let hxml = b:vaxe_hxml
     elseif exists('g:vaxe_hxml')
         let hxml = g:vaxe_hxml
     else
-        let hxml = s:FindInParent('*.hxml', expand('%:p:h'))
+        let hxml = syntastic#util#findInParent('*.hxml', expand('%:p:h'))
     endif
     let hxml = fnamemodify(hxml, ':p')