1. Check take pretty long. About a week even though they are using courier services.. actually they take days to sign your cheque
2. Bank Wire is instant. As long as your swift code is correct. You will receive it within 2 working days maximum. They're safe & fast and I'm use that method
3. Bank do charge some charges for clearing overseas check. The case now is they are buying your cheque based on FOREX exchange rate. So USD should be 3.7 plus a little commision depends on the bank. Won't be a lot
4. The fastest way to clear your cheque is to sell it to your bank Asap.