Filed under: Shopping , In the News What could computers, greeting cards and signature tees possibly have in common? Seems the stores that sell them — Apple Store , Hallmark and Polo Ralph Lauren — are three of the 14 brick-and-mortar stores that ranked among the 100 top-performing brands for customer experience in the Nunwood Customer Experience 100, a first-ever national study. Nunwood, which bills itself as a global customer experience specialist, recently conducted a study of 4,853 shoppers across the United States to gain insight about their experience with more than 250 of the country’s best-known brands

Filed under: Health , Travel , Consumer Ally , In the News Just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, the environmental watchdog group Natural Resources Defense Council released its 21st annual report card of 200 of the nation’s cleanest and dirtiest beaches based on water quality. While vacationers who booked beach places months in advance for this holiday weekend may not be able to change their plans, the report reveals which beaches could have issues with contaminated water, which may help keep beachgoers safe. This year’s report , “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches,” looked at the 2010 beach water testing results — the most recent results available — of more than 3,000 locations nationwide and gave star ratings to 200 beaches nationwide.

Filed under: Company News , Technology , Nokia , Qualcomm , Apple , Samsung , Market News Consumer electronics and cell phone companies frequently sue — and counter-sue — one another over patents, but the intellectual property battle between Samsung ( SSNLF ) and Apple ( AAPL ) has grown a bit more serious: Samsung has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission to block the importation of iPads, iPhones, and iPods into the United States .

Filed under: Economy , People , Special Report , Personal Finance It’s matrimony’s version of a financial stimulus program. The moment Jose Matos proposed to Juan Estrada after New York state approved same-sex marriage, the pair joined thousands of gay couples expected to boost an economy that has been on the rocks. Caterer

Filed under: Fraud , Consumer Ally A real estate investor and ringleader of an operation responsible for nearly $50 million of mortgage fraud pleaded guilty on June 20 in a federal court, the Justice Department announced . Brett Matheson, 46, president and CEO of Maricopa Property Investment Solutions Inc. of Phoenix, Ariz., admitted recruiting “straw buyers” during real estate seminars to submit false mortgage applications as part of a conspiracy to commit wire fraud