Simple solution: have a Wells Fargo bank account. They are nationwide and their customer service is excellent. Since they aren't The First National Bank and Chicken Farm of Eastern Southern North Dakota at Burnt Tree Junction, they will deposit and clear your checks with a minimum of fuss and delay (the FNBCFESND survives on the revenue from the float on all those delayed checks; the truth is that NO check takes longer than 24 hours to actually clear, meaning that for 13 of those 14 days before they let you have access to your money, they're earning interest on it).
Also, open up a PayVampire account (they call themselves PayPal, but they ain't nobody's pal, not with the fees they charge). You can often get people to remit funds to your PayVampire account. You get hit with a steep 3% fee to get your own money back out, but that might be better than waiting for all eternity for a check to clear.
Basically, one method is a backup for when the other doesn't work.
