Google had recently informed users about the improvements they have made on the payments page. The new improvements were aimed at improving your overall experience; this was done after taking into account all the feedback they received. Google promises that such upgrades will continue and they will make their payment system even better and easy for publishers.
In case of countries where Google offers payments via the EFT or electronic funds transfer route they have made it easier for publishers to access their earnings. Once publishers have upgraded to the new system all EFT payments will appear in their bank accounts within days of posting on the Payments page. The benefit for publishers is that EFT payments are error free, free of charge, and more efficient. More importantly they are eco-friendly as paper is not involved anywhere in this process.
However, you have to bear in mind that in the new system check payments will be discontinued in countries where Google offers EFT. Therefore if you are in a country where EFT is offered you will no longer receive check payments and it is necessary that you upgrade your account accordingly. It is a fairly easy procedure and you only need to take a few steps to upgrade. Once the account is shifted to the new system you will receive an email notification which will have all the instructions on how you go about setting up EFT payments.
As for people where Google still does not support EFT, Google is making all efforts to ensure that they receive their checks in double quick time. In case you are in a place where such facility is still not offered you can send in your suggestions, to improve the delivery of checks, to your AdSense account. Please go to the Help Center and then go to the Payments section to get more information.