content: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                               Washington, D.C.  20549
  
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
  
  
                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                           Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
  
  Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 11, 2000
  
  
  
                           ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
  
  NEVADA                        0-15245             93-0946274
  (State or other jurisdiction  (Commission         (IRS Employer
   of incorporation)             File Number)        Identification No.)
  
  
  
          28001 Dorothy Drive,    Agoura Hills, California            91301
          (Address of principal executive offices)                (Zip Code)
  
  
  
          Registrant's telephone number, including area code (818) 706-8999
  
  
  
            (Former name or former address, if changes since last report)
  
  
  
  
  
  ITEM 5.   OTHER EVENTS
  
            On October 11, 2000, the Company filed a lawsuit against First
            Charter Bank ("FCB") due to FCB's failure to honor the terms of its
            processing agreement.  The Company also terminated this agreement
            with FCB.
  
  
  
  
  ITEM 7.   EXHIBITS
  
  
  Exhibit
  Number    Description of Document
  
   99.1     Press release issued and dated October 18, 2000.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
                                     SIGNATURES
  
  
  
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
  
  
  
  
                                ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
                                               (Registrant)
  
  
  
  
                                By   \s\Alice L. Cheung
                                  Alice L. Cheung, Treasurer &
                                  Chief Financial Officer
  
  
  
  Dated:  October 18, 2000
  
  
  
  
                                                                     EXHIBIT 99.1
  
  
  
  
  
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  October 18, 2000
  
  
  
                          ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
                    TERMINATES AGREEMENT WITH FIRST CHARTER BANK
                                AND INITIATES LAWSUIT
  
       Agoura Hills, Calif.-- Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO)
  announced the termination of its processing agreement with First Charter Bank
  ("FCB").  ECHO took this action due to FCB's failure to honor the terms of the
  agreement, which is the basis for a lawsuit that ECHO filed on October 11,
  2000.
  
       Merchants currently processing under the processing agreement with FCB
  have been contacted and will be electronically transferred to a processing
  arrangement with First Regional Bank, a bank ECHO has utilized to sponsor
  merchants for the past three years.  No disruption in merchant processing
  services is anticipated and all merchant-requested transfers are expected to
  be completed by October 31, 2000.
  
       Electronic Clearing House, Inc. provides credit card processing, cash
  advance services, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion,
  inventory tracking and/or various Internet services to over 41,000 retail
  merchants and U-Haul dealers across the nation.  ECHO also designs, develops
  and integrates software and point-of-sale hardware that is utilized as credit
  card processing terminals, automated money order dispensers, inventory
  tracking devices, and cash advance systems.
  
       To take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private
  Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, you are hereby cautioned that this
  release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current
  expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  Actual
  operations and results may differ materially from those expressed in the
  forward-looking statements made by the Company.
  
  #               #               #
  Media Contact:
  Donna Camras-Rehman, Corporate Secretary            URL:http://www.echo-inc.com
  818-706-8999, ext. 3033                               E-Mail: corp@echo-inc.com
  Agoura Hills, Calif.
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "0001.txt", "secsgml_size_bytes": 4135}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE INC", "cik": "0000721773", "assigned-sic": "6099", "irs-number": "930946274", "state-of-incorporation": "NV", "fiscal-year-end": "0930"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "000-15245", "film-number": "742129"}, "business-address": {"street1": "28001 DOROTHY DR", "city": "AGOURA HILLS", "state": "CA", "zip": "91301-2697", "phone": "8187068999"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "28001 DOROTHY DRIVE", "city": "AGOURA HILLS", "state": "CA", "zip": "91301"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "BIO RECOVERY TECHNOLOGY INC", "date-changed": "19860122"}}
text: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                               Washington, D.C.  20549
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
  
                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                           Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
  Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 11, 2000
  
                           ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
               (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  NEVADA                        0-15245             93-0946274
  (State or other jurisdiction  (Commission         (IRS Employer
   of incorporation)             File Number)        Identification No.)
  
          28001 Dorothy Drive,    Agoura Hills, California            91301
          (Address of principal executive offices)                (Zip Code)
  
          Registrant's telephone number, including area code (818) 706-8999
  
            (Former name or former address, if changes since last report)
  
  ITEM 5.   OTHER EVENTS
  
            On October 11, 2000, the Company filed a lawsuit against First
            Charter Bank ("FCB") due to FCB's failure to honor the terms of its
            processing agreement.  The Company also terminated this agreement
            with FCB.
  
  ITEM 7.   EXHIBITS
  
  Exhibit
  Number    Description of Document
  
   99.1     Press release issued and dated October 18, 2000.
  
                                     SIGNATURES
  
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
  undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
                                               (Registrant)
  
                                By   \s\Alice L. Cheung
                                  Alice L. Cheung, Treasurer &
                                  Chief Financial Officer
  
  Dated:  October 18, 2000
  
                                                                     EXHIBIT 99.1
  
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  October 18, 2000
  
                          ELECTRONIC CLEARING HOUSE, INC.
                    TERMINATES AGREEMENT WITH FIRST CHARTER BANK
                                AND INITIATES LAWSUIT
  
       Agoura Hills, Calif.-- Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO)
  announced the termination of its processing agreement with First Charter Bank
  ("FCB").  ECHO took this action due to FCB's failure to honor the terms of the
  agreement, which is the basis for a lawsuit that ECHO filed on October 11,
  2000.
  
       Merchants currently processing under the processing agreement with FCB
  have been contacted and will be electronically transferred to a processing
  arrangement with First Regional Bank, a bank ECHO has utilized to sponsor
  merchants for the past three years.  No disruption in merchant processing
  services is anticipated and all merchant-requested transfers are expected to
  be completed by October 31, 2000.
  
       Electronic Clearing House, Inc. provides credit card processing, cash
  advance services, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion,
  inventory tracking and/or various Internet services to over 41,000 retail
  merchants and U-Haul dealers across the nation.  ECHO also designs, develops
  and integrates software and point-of-sale hardware that is utilized as credit
  card processing terminals, automated money order dispensers, inventory
  tracking devices, and cash advance systems.
  
       To take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private
  Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, you are hereby cautioned that this
  release contains forward-looking statements that are based upon current
  expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  Actual
  operations and results may differ materially from those expressed in the
  forward-looking statements made by the Company.
  
  #               #               #
  Media Contact:
  Donna Camras-Rehman, Corporate Secretary            URL:http://www.echo-inc.com
  818-706-8999, ext. 3033                               E-Mail: corp@echo-inc.com
  Agoura Hills, Calif.