Filed under: Cisco Systems (CSCO) Cisco Systems Inc., (CSCO) the world’s largest maker of computer networking gear, on Tuesday said it’s killing its Flip camcorder business as part of a reversal of years of efforts at diversifying into consumer products. The about-face comes after several quarters of disappointing results and challenges in its core businesses. Analysts say the company has been trying to do too many different things.

Filed under: Food , In the News If I were to have guessed the results of a study comparing the loyalty of fast-food customers to their favorite chains, I would have guessed the most loyal would be Dunkin’ Donuts coffee lovers. Customers of that chain — and Northeastern U.S./Canadian restaurant chain Tim Horton’s — are always the most vocal in any post I write discussing the comparative merits of Starbucks, McDonald’s, or other chain restaurants. But based on the way the designers of the CustomersDNA LLC study defined loyalty, I would have been wrong: They call McDonald’s coffee lovers the most loyal because they don’t “roam” as much.

Filed under: Fraud , Consumer Ally , Mortgages The Federal Trade Commission has mailed refund checks to 1,410 consumers swindled by Home Assure LLC, a mortgage relief scam that charged consumers an upfront fee to save their homes from foreclosure but did little or nothing to help them. The defrauded consumers will receive roughly $2.3 million in refunds, which represents the total amount of money they were cheated out of by Home Assure. The amount of each check will vary depending upon the amount each consumer paid the scheme.

Filed under: Economy , People Despite numerous claims that the institution of marriage is on its way out, the wedding industry is still booming : In 2009, just over two million American couples pledged their eternal troth to each other. In the course of their trips to the altar, these happy newlyweds spent more than $40 billion. With an average cost currently topping $24,000, weddings can be a brutal expense, especially for young couples who are just starting their lives together.

Filed under: Columns , Economy , People Americans love to watch hoarders. Style Channel’s Clean House , the grande dame of hoarding shows, is now in its ninth season, while upstarts Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive are each finishing up their third. With no lack of viewers — or participants — it seems likely that TV’s parade of packrats will continue for the foreseeable future