ECHO Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2001

ECHO AND PROVIDENT BANK SIGN MARKETING AGREEMENT TO JOINTLY OFFER CONSOLIDATED RETURNS SERVICES TO COMPANIES NATIONWIDE

Agoura Hills, Calif.-- Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO) announced that it has created a joint marketing alliance with Provident Bank to offer Consolidated Returns Services to ECHO's customers and prospects nationwide.  Consolidated Returns service is an effective method of consolidating a company's returned checks into one bank, even if the company has multiple depository banks nationwide.  This allows a company to better control their collection process by speeding the collection of returned checks through electronic re-presentment and provides significant cost savings on banking fees usually associated with NSF items.

Another major benefit of utilizing the Consolidated Returns Services is reducing the return check process to as little as 72 hours.  This gets the bad check writer into ECHO's NCIS negative database faster and eliminates the chances that any additional checks written by the same bad check writer will be approved.

"We are pleased to work with Provident Bank in offering Consolidated Returns Services.  This alliance will enhance our ability to offer merchants the most comprehensive check services in the country and also continue to strengthen our NCIS database", stated Joel M. Barry, CEO of ECHO.

About Provident Bank.  The Provident Bank is the main subsidiary of Provident Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PFGI), a Cincinnati-based company with $13.9 billion in on-balance sheet assets and $19.6 billion in managed assets.  The Provident Bank provides full-service retail and commercial banking operations regionally and nationally.  Additional company information is available at http://www.provident-bank.com.

Electronic Clearing House, Inc. provides debit and credit card processing, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion, 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
(818) 706-8999, ext. 3033 or corp@echo-inc.com

Press Releases are also available by calling (800) 233-0406 ext. 3033, or by email to corp@echo-inc.com

2001
2000

Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (ECHO)
28001 Dorothy Drive
Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Phone: (800) 233-0406
Fax: (818) 991-5973
E-Mail: echo@echo-inc.com
URL: http://www.echo-inc.com