I promised to report how this plays out, so here it is:
Today is 5/16/2013
8 months ago I closed the account and requested full withdrawal.
About 3 weeks ago I finally received a check, but for $25 less than my balance, even though they have promised me one free withdrawal per month.
Since the check was issued by a foreign bank, none of my banks would allow the deposit, so I had to open a new one at local Chase office.
The check has just cleared.
End of report. All's well what ends (relatively) well.