Electronic Clearing House Inc., a point of sale systems and transaction processing company, reported a net loss for its fiscal year of $599,000 on $14.3 million of revenue.
The loss amounted to 5 cents a share and was up from a loss of $176,000, or 2 cents, in the year that ended Sept. 30, 1995.
Electronic Clearing House, known as Echo, attributed the latest red ink to a $70,000 increase in interest expenses and to research and development costs incurred for a pilot program for the U.S. Postal Service.
Echo said its loss on operations expanded to $184,000 from $137,000.
Fiscal 1995 revenue was inflated by $327,000 from settlement of a lawsuit.
"Processing revenues increased 44% to $3.6 million, and this growth is continuing," said chief executive officer Joel M. Barry.
"Our equipment sales were less than in fiscal 1995, but this segment of our business is cyclical; and with the recent $1.5 million order from U- Haul and the Postal Service terminal sales expected in fiscal 1997, we are seeing some positive trends."