September 25, 2002, Agoura Hills CA., – Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECHO), a leading provider of electronic payment services, today announced the release of a freeware payment module for the Interchange open-source e-commerce shopping cart. The new feature allows users of Interchange to process real-time payments using credit cards and electronic checks through ECHO's online payment gateway.

"Increasingly merchants are using open-source web infrastructure services to manage their online businesses," said Rusty Russell, ECHO's Internet Marketing Director. "ECHO has been developing e-commerce payment solutions for the Linux open-source community since 2001 and our services are designed to enable merchants to operate as cost-efficiently as possible. Our latest release of real-time credit card and check processing software presents a low-cost, yet comprehensive, online payment processing alternative for merchants using the Interchange application."

The new Interchange module integrates seamlessly with ECHO's platform of payment processing services. In addition to the credit card and electronic check payment services supported by ECHO, the new software includes real-time address verification, security code capture, check verification and electronic check processing through the Automated Clearing House (ACH).

Russell continued, "Similar applications can cost from $199 to $699 and tie the merchant to a third-party platform with monthly gateway access fees. By offering free software modules and a low $99 set-up fee for online processing, the cost advantage and simplicity of processing with ECHO is clear."

Interchange is an open-source alternative to commercial commerce servers, which uses publicly available computer language that can be readily downloaded and either used as is or customized by web developers. To explore ECHO's open-source solutions for e-commerce websites, interested parties should visit www.openecho.com and to deploy the ECHO freeware payment module for Interchange users, interested parties should visit www.icdevgroup.org for a free download from the Interchange development area.

About ECHO:

Electronic Clearing House, Inc. (www.echo-inc.com) provides a complete solution to the payment processing needs of merchants, banks and collection agencies. ECHO’s services include debit and credit card processing, check guarantee, check verification, check conversion, check re-presentment, check collection, and inventory tracking.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth above that are not historical facts re forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as fluctuations in demand for the Company’s products and services, the introduction of new products and services, the Company’s ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, technological advancements, impact of competitive products and services and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Company’s liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, and other information detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor Contacts:

Donna Rehman, Corporate Secretary 
Electronic Clearing House, Inc.
818-706-8999, ext. 3033 
Agoura Hills, Calif. 
E-MAIL: corp@ECHO-inc.com
URL: http://www.ECHO-inc.com

Crocker Coulson, Partner
Coffin Communications Group
818-789-0100
E-MAIL: crocker.coulson@coffincg.com

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

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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