You've dodged the bullet; paying the funds into court and seeking a declaratory judgment was a wise move.
Had the wife moved a bit more slowly and taken the "correct" route, filing a formal claim, your bank would not have had a defense to the reclamation notice. Your bank needs to dramatically revise its proceedures for accepting government checks for deposit...
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In this world you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.