Update footprint is changing refdes size and location

Application: pcbnew
Version: (2017-01-18 revision 7534332)-master, debug build
Libraries: wxWidgets 3.0.2
           libcurl/7.47.0 OpenSSL/1.0.2g zlib/1.2.8 libidn/1.32 librtmp/2.3
Platform: Linux 4.4.0-60-generic x86_64, 64 bit, Little endian, wxGTK
- Build Info -
wxWidgets: 3.0.2 (wchar_t,wx containers,compatible with 2.8)
Boost: 1.58.0
Curl: 7.47.0
KiCad - Compiler: GCC 5.4.0 with C++ ABI 1009
        Settings: USE_WX_GRAPHICS_CONTEXT=OFF
                  USE_WX_OVERLAY=OFF
                  KICAD_SCRIPTING=OFF
                  KICAD_SCRIPTING_MODULES=OFF
                  KICAD_SCRIPTING_WXPYTHON=OFF
                  BUILD_GITHUB_PLUGIN=ON
                  KICAD_USE_SCH_IO_MANAGER=OFF
                  KICAD_USE_OCE=OFF

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Changing footprints in a board, either via netlist loading or via single updates using right mouse click causes:

1) Reference font to change size.
2) Reference location to change size.

I am quite sure this was not the case in the past. I thought JP and I had worked out a solution where both font and position of the fields was preserved while updating a board's footprint.

The use case was an older board with footprint names missing the nickname of the FPID, and when loading a netlist I chose
the "Change" footprint radio button. The basename of all my footprints and their shape and structure was unchanged. After
the import I see all my references (which are on the silkscreen layer) are moved and resized, creating a mess many hundreds large in nature.

Isn't this a bug?