From www.irs.gov website:  IRS TAX TIP 2012-24
Direct deposit is the fastest, safest way to receive your tax refund. When a taxpayer combines e-file and direct deposit, the IRS will likely issue your refund in as few as 10 days.
Here are four reasons more than 79 million taxpayers chose direct deposit in 2011:
1. Security Thousands of paper checks are returned to the IRS by the U.S. Post Office every year as undeliverable mail. Direct deposit eliminates the possibility of your refund check being lost, stolen or returned to the IRS …