Look, more than likely, it's just a matter of your location and the location to where the letter was mailed. For instance, I could mail a letter first class, or, in the larger size Priority envelope early in the day from a mailbox or post office on Pacific Coast Hwy in Malibu, and either one would be delivered halfway across the country to particular Houston or Austin, TX, zip codes on the second day. Same for Vegas to those zip codes. Great postal service, but I had learned where and what time of day the outgoing mail would be most expeditious. However, the same letter mailed from the same facilities to The Woodlands - just 30 miles north of Houston, would usually take three days - maybe even four days once in a while. Same for a letter from the Houston or Austin zip code to Solana Beach - just 17 miles or so up I-5 north of San Diego. I could mail a first class letter from the same postal facilities to New York City - including mailing from Houston to NYC - and it would take four days, even five days at times. Mailing a letter from Houston to Conroe - just 35 miles up I-45 north - could easily take three days to be delivered, at times! If one is mailing the same letter from a more out of the way city or town to any of the cities above, it can easily take another day - especially if the mail leaves your facility only once or twice a day - and longer if mailed to another out of the way location. And, arrival day can also depend on what day of the week you mailed it. Did it go out on a Friday or Saturday?... Hope those scenarios helped. After all, you mailed a check, not something of unusual size or weight for the envelope.
Next time wire the money from your back directly to your broker. If done by your bank's cutoff, should show up in 1-2 business days in your account, if not sooner.
I have lived in Houston all of my life and I have come to expect that any letter I mail to another location within the city limits should take no longer than a day and any letter I mail to another location within the state should take no longer than 2 days and any letter I mail to another location within the US but outside of the state should take no longer than 3 days. Priority Mail, on the other hand, is a whole different animal. I never know what to expect. I have mailed first class mail to my broker in the past and have had my funds registered within 48 hours of the mailing. What a waste of postage! I could have gotten my letter to them quicker and for 10 times less the cost if I had slapped a stamp on it! LIVE AND LEARN.
I giant 'Big Red' Kangaroo once jumped over my motorcycle on the Nullabor Plain just past Adelaide (stay away from this shithole city!) I couldn't believe how high they bound...incredible sight
Actually, you can. Certified Mail @$2.40 provides both proof of mailing and Delivery Confirmation. Can be added to either First Class ($2.79 total) or Priority Mail. Also, if you need DC with your PM, as you know, it's $.50 extra ($4.55 total for a flat mailer). Unless you generate your label online via usps.com or a subscription to a third-party service like Stamps.com, Endicia, etc., in which case electronic DC is free.
I did recall there was another way to get proof of delivery, but I can't locate an online way to generate the label. The page I use at usps.gov does not have a first class option. https://sss-web.usps.com/cns/landing.do Do you know how to do this entirely online, if I have to go to the post office its not worth it.