Violations of agreements either to provide goods or services, or to compensate for them, occur in numerous ways. A binding written agreement, that is, a contract with legal force, stipulates the terms of the transaction which may be between private individuals or organizations, or between either and public agencies of government. Violations or breaches of contract provisions are one of the most frequent causes of legal actions. Any business transaction, therefore, involving contractual obligations, can be tainted with suspicion, if not apprehension, that breach is all too likely. This increases the rigidity of contract terms and increases interest rates to cover risk, which adds to the cost of doing business.