The courts uniformly hold that an immaterial alteration should be
treated as no alteration and therefore does not avoid the instrument.

Altering words in the instrument without changing the legal sense or
altering immaterial words is an immaterial alteration.

Retracing a faded name with ink, or tracing a word with ink written
with pencil, is immaterial.

Alterations and additions in deeds are immaterial where neither the
rights or duties, interests or obligations, of either of the parties
to the instrument are in any manner changed or affected.

A promissory note made payable to a partnership under a certain name
was altered by the maker and the payee without the knowledge of the
surety so as to be payable to the same parties under another name and
the court held it to be immaterial.

But the effect of the correction must be that it makes the instrument
conform to the intention of the parties concerned, nor must they alter
the legal sense of the instrument. Memoranda made on the margin of the
note for the convenience of the holder and merely explanatory of some
circumstances connected with the note are immaterial. The erasure of
words immaterial to the legal sense of the instrument or inserted by
mistake, is also immaterial.

Where an alteration is in itself immaterial it will not void an
instrument even though made with fraudulent intent.

In Missouri it has been held that any alteration material or