In response to OkLAAhoma:

" can a US Postal Money Order be purchased at a bank ? "

No, and Yes. No, a US Postal Money Order cannot be purchased from an Bank in North America. That is the jurisdiction of the USPS, correctly mentioned above.

As explained to me a few years ago, this requirement was made to ensure that visas processed by mail had a common source of funds secured by a known institution.

Following that logic, the bank across the street at Wilshire Blvd. and La Cienega is also a known institution, specifically to to the Consulate General of Brasil in Los Angeles. I found this out one morning when along with my other documents, I had taken along an associate's passport package to obtain a visa for processing. I went to pay with cash, forgetting the rules.

With a smile, the consulate officer asked politely if I wouldn't mind going to the bank across the street and obtaining a cashier's cheque for the processing fee. I believe it took me 20 minutes total, which included a single expresso on the corner ( Probably the least expensive purchase one can make today in Beverly Hills ).

My associate (now a friend) had her visa issued that week, and then headed South with her sparkling new Rimowa 4-wheeler, as we saw her off at LAX. Years later she still retains her Rimowa, and now owns ( and enjoys ) her new condo in Porto Das Dunas, a beach community in Fortaleza, Brasil.