Here are a few of the common factors affecting the time it takes to receive your settlement check after a car accident:
Insurance Adjusters
Insurance company claim representatives or “adjusters” are often very particular about covering themselves before they issue a settlement check after a car accident. They will often want releases signed (and sometimes these must be notarized or signed before witnesses) before issuing and mailing the check.
Even after the insurance adjuster orders a check, it can still take days for the insurance company’s accounting department to actually write the check. After that, the mailing department must physically put the check in the mail, which can take even more time.
Out-of-State Banks
Because many car accident settlement checks are issued by insurance companies’ out-of-state banks, they can take time to clear.  In most cases, the time for clearing the bank is 7 business days, but some banks require 10 days in some cases.  This even applies to attorneys when checks are sent to lawyers because the NC State Bar requires attorneys to make sure that the checks have cleared the banks before they disburse funds to clients.
Medical Bills
In some cases, the insurance companies want to pay medical providers directly. This can also delay the final settlement check.
If Medicare, Medicaid, or another health insurance company has paid any bills for your treatment, the auto insurance company may decide to reimburse them directly. This can result in a major delay because coordinating payment to the government or large health insurance companies almost always takes time.  The amounts required to reimburse Medicaid, Medicare or the health insurance company can be difficult to nail down.