diff --git a/app/models/branch.coffee b/app/models/branch.coffee
index 3ed2411d..3a8e6405 100644
--- a/app/models/branch.coffee
+++ b/app/models/branch.coffee
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 `import Model from 'travis/models/model'`
 
 Branch = Model.extend
+  name: DS.attr('string')
+  defaultBranch: DS.attr('boolean')
+
   lastBuild: DS.belongsTo('build')
+  builds: DS.hasMany('builds', inverse: 'branch')
+  repo:   DS.belongsTo('repo', inverse: 'defaultBranch')
 
 `export default Branch`
diff --git a/app/models/build.coffee b/app/models/build.coffee
index bc61ad4d..a4ceb34e 100644
--- a/app/models/build.coffee
+++ b/app/models/build.coffee
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ Build = Model.extend DurationCalculations,
 
   state:             DS.attr()
   number:            DS.attr('number')
-  branch:            DS.attr('string')
   message:           DS.attr('string')
   _duration:         DS.attr('number')
   _config:           DS.attr('object')
@@ -21,8 +20,9 @@ Build = Model.extend DurationCalculations,
   eventType:         DS.attr('string')
   repositoryId:      DS.attr('number')
 
+  branch: DS.belongsTo('branch', async: false, inverse: 'builds')
   repo:   DS.belongsTo('repo', async: true)
-  commit: DS.belongsTo('commit')
+  commit: DS.belongsTo('commit', async: false)
   jobs:   DS.hasMany('job', async: true)
 
   config: (->
diff --git a/app/models/job.coffee b/app/models/job.coffee
index 2c465693..b1cd747a 100644
--- a/app/models/job.coffee
+++ b/app/models/job.coffee
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ Job = Model.extend DurationCalculations,
   build:  DS.belongsTo('build', async: true)
   commit: DS.belongsTo('commit', async: true)
 
+  branch: Ember.computed.alias('build.branch')
+
   annotations: DS.hasMany('annotation')
 
   _config: DS.attr('object')
diff --git a/app/models/repo.coffee b/app/models/repo.coffee
index 764428bf..6467566e 100644
--- a/app/models/repo.coffee
+++ b/app/models/repo.coffee
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Repo = Model.extend
   active:              DS.attr()
 
   #lastBuild:     DS.belongsTo('build')
-  defaultBranch: DS.belongsTo('branch')
+  defaultBranch: DS.belongsTo('branch', async: false)
 
   withLastBuild: ->
     @filter( (repo) -> repo.get('defaultBranch.lastBuild') )
diff --git a/app/serializers/build.js b/app/serializers/build.js
index 94f878f1..c30cc424 100644
--- a/app/serializers/build.js
+++ b/app/serializers/build.js
@@ -54,6 +54,18 @@ var Serializer = V2FallbackSerializer.extend({
   normalize: function(modelClass, resourceHash) {
     var data, href, id, repoId, result;
 
+    // TODO: remove this after switching to V3 entirely
+    if(!resourceHash['@type']) {
+      let build = resourceHash.build,
+          commit = resourceHash.commit;
+      let branch = {
+        name: commit.branch,
+        default_branch: build.is_on_default_branch,
+        "@href": `/repo/${build.repository_id}/branch/${commit.branch}`
+      };
+      resourceHash.build.branch = branch;
+    }
+
     result = this._super(modelClass, resourceHash);
 
     data = result.data;
diff --git a/app/serializers/v2_fallback.js b/app/serializers/v2_fallback.js
index bb8dbbf1..b7d13fe2 100644
--- a/app/serializers/v2_fallback.js
+++ b/app/serializers/v2_fallback.js
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export default V3Serializer.extend({
         Object.keys(data.relationships).forEach(function (key) {
           let relationship = data.relationships[key];
           let process = function(data) {
-            if(Object.keys(data).sort()+'' !== 'id,type') {
+            if(Object.keys(data).sort()+'' !== 'id,type' || (data['@href'] && data.type == 'branch')) {
               // no need to add records if they have only id and type
               let type = key.singularize();
               let serializer = store.serializerFor(type);
diff --git a/app/serializers/v3.js b/app/serializers/v3.js
index 918d5933..943519f3 100644
--- a/app/serializers/v3.js
+++ b/app/serializers/v3.js
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ export default DS.JSONSerializer.extend({
   isNewSerializerAPI: true,
 
   extractRelationship(type, hash) {
+    if(!hash.id && hash['@href']) {
+      hash.id = hash['@href'];
+    }
+
     let relationshipHash = this._super(...arguments);
     if(relationshipHash && relationshipHash['@type']) {
       relationshipHash.type = relationshipHash['@type'];
diff --git a/app/templates/components/build-header.hbs b/app/templates/components/build-header.hbs
index b1c3c807..07a9e7ae 100644
--- a/app/templates/components/build-header.hbs
+++ b/app/templates/components/build-header.hbs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
       <small class="commit-branch" title={{item.pullRequestTitle}}>Pull Request #{{item.pullRequestNumber}}</small>
       {{item.pullRequestTitle}}
     {{else}}
-      <small class="commit-branch" title={{item.commit.branch}}>{{item.commit.branch}}</small>
+      <small class="commit-branch" title={{item.branch.name}}>{{item.branch.name}}</small>
       {{format-message item.commit.subject repo=item.repo}}
     {{/if}}
   </h2>