yum update or install fails with error message "<package> was supposed to be installed but is not!"

Issue

• yum update is failing with following error message:

# yum upgrade alsa-utils
Loaded plugins: product-id, rhnplugin, security
Setting up Upgrade Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package alsa-utils.x86_64 0:1.0.22-3.el6 will be updated
---> Package alsa-utils.x86_64 0:1.0.22-5.el6 will be an update
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

===============================================================================================
 Package             Arch            Version               Repository                     Size
===============================================================================================
Updating:
 alsa-utils          x86_64          1.0.22-5.el6          rhel-x86_64-server-6          2.0 M

Transaction Summary
===============================================================================================
Upgrade       1 Package(s)

Total size: 2.0 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Installed products updated.
alsa-utils-1.0.22-5.el6.x86_64 was supposed to be installed but is not!
  Verifying  : alsa-utils-1.0.22-5.el6.x86_64                                              1/2 
  Verifying  : alsa-utils-1.0.22-5.el6.x86_64                                              2/2 
alsa-utils-1.0.22-3.el6.x86_64 was supposed to be removed but is not!
  Verifying  : alsa-utils-1.0.22-3.el6.x86_64                                              3/2 

Failed:
  alsa-utils.x86_64 0:1.0.22-3.el6               alsa-utils.x86_64 0:1.0.22-5.el6              

Complete!