Kerry A. Stith takes over the lead role for the subsidiary of Houston-based Stewart Information Services Corp. The e-title division is a centralized hub for national title, closing and funding functions performed for customer lenders.

Stith was vice president and senior operations manager for PNC Bank's consumer lending departments. He also did a stint as vice president of title operations for Lender's Services Inc. At Lender's services, he handled the departments responsible for assigning and following up with all field abstractors for title data, underwriting title searches and producing title policies. In all, Stith has more than 16 years in vendor management and mortgage banking.

"The skills and knowledge that Kerry has gained from his years in the business provide the perfect background for heading SMI's title and settlement services operations," says Kevin Gugenheim, COO of SMI. "He understands our business from both viewpoints as the vendor manager and the lender customer.