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) March 15, 2001
  
  
  
                           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 March 15, 2001, the Board of Directors of Electronic Clearing
            House, Inc. authorized the company to repurchase up to 1,000,000
            shares of the corporation's outstanding common stock for cash in
            open market transactions at market and as business conditions
            warrant, effective immediately through September 15, 2001.
  
  
  
  
  
  ITEM 7.   EXHIBITS
  
  
  Exhibit
  Number              Description of Document
  
   99.1               Press release issued and dated March 15, 2001.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
                                     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:  March 15, 2001
  
  
  
  
                                                                     EXHIBIT 99.1
  
  
  
  
       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       March 15, 2001
  
  
  
  
            ECHO AUTHORIZES 1 MILLION COMMON SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM
  
       Agoura Hills, Calif.-- Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO)
     today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to
     repurchase up to 1,000,000 shares of the corporation's outstanding common
     stock for cash in open market transactions at market and as business
     conditions warrant.  As of December 31, 2000, the company had 21.8 million
     shares outstanding.
  
       Joel M. Barry, ECHO's chairman and CEO, noted that the Board approved
     this course of action after a review of the company's financial position
     and investment alternatives. "We believe that the current valuation of our
     stock inadequately reflects the financial performance of our company and
     the performance expectation of our 2001 fiscal year and beyond," stated
     Barry.
  
       The stock repurchase is effective immediately through September 15, 2001.
     ECHO will buy back its stock "from time to time", depending on share price
     and general market conditions.  ECHO's stock price has been flat since
     November, 2000.  In May, 2000, the stock rose to a 52-week high of $5.50.
     The 52-week low was $0.50.
  
       About ECHO: Electronic Clearing House, Inc. provides debit and credit
     card processing, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion,
     check re-presentment, check collection, and inventory tracking to over
     58,000 retail merchants and U-Haul dealers across the nation.
  
       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 Rehman, Corporate Secretary
     URL:http://www.echo-inc.com
     818-706-8999, ext. 3033
      E-MAIL: corp@echo-inc.com
     Electronic Clearing House, Inc.
     Agoura Hills, Calif.
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "0001.txt", "secsgml_size_bytes": 4484}]
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": "1569282"}, "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) March 15, 2001
  
                           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 March 15, 2001, the Board of Directors of Electronic Clearing
            House, Inc. authorized the company to repurchase up to 1,000,000
            shares of the corporation's outstanding common stock for cash in
            open market transactions at market and as business conditions
            warrant, effective immediately through September 15, 2001.
  
  ITEM 7.   EXHIBITS
  
  Exhibit
  Number              Description of Document
  
   99.1               Press release issued and dated March 15, 2001.
  
                                     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:  March 15, 2001
  
                                                                     EXHIBIT 99.1
  
       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       March 15, 2001
  
            ECHO AUTHORIZES 1 MILLION COMMON SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM
  
       Agoura Hills, Calif.-- Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO)
     today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the company to
     repurchase up to 1,000,000 shares of the corporation's outstanding common
     stock for cash in open market transactions at market and as business
     conditions warrant.  As of December 31, 2000, the company had 21.8 million
     shares outstanding.
  
       Joel M. Barry, ECHO's chairman and CEO, noted that the Board approved
     this course of action after a review of the company's financial position
     and investment alternatives. "We believe that the current valuation of our
     stock inadequately reflects the financial performance of our company and
     the performance expectation of our 2001 fiscal year and beyond," stated
     Barry.
  
       The stock repurchase is effective immediately through September 15, 2001.
     ECHO will buy back its stock "from time to time", depending on share price
     and general market conditions.  ECHO's stock price has been flat since
     November, 2000.  In May, 2000, the stock rose to a 52-week high of $5.50.
     The 52-week low was $0.50.
  
       About ECHO: Electronic Clearing House, Inc. provides debit and credit
     card processing, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion,
     check re-presentment, check collection, and inventory tracking to over
     58,000 retail merchants and U-Haul dealers across the nation.
  
       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 Rehman, Corporate Secretary
     URL:http://www.echo-inc.com
     818-706-8999, ext. 3033
      E-MAIL: corp@echo-inc.com
     Electronic Clearing House, Inc.
     Agoura Hills, Calif.