Driving to the local bank branch might cost more in the use of gasoline than the value of the check.

FORBES: Bank of America Settlement Postcard Checks

Latest buildup: a low-cost regional branch network starting in Egypt and running up the Balkans through Macedonia to Romania.

FORBES: Athens At The Crossroads

Banks have traditionally struggled to find a profitable business model in impoverished areas, where the cost of operating a branch office usually outweighs whatever profits it can achieve.

CNN: Mobile money transfers may infuse developing world