Stewart Names Independent Title Chief

George L. Houghton Jr. has been promoted to national independent title agency director at Stewart Title Guaranty Co., a new post the company said is designed to promote a smooth delivery system for its independent agency network.Mr. Houghton, a 30-year veteran of the title industry, came to Stewart Title of Houston in 1998 as senior vice president and downtown commercial office manager. In 2000, he became vice president and district agency manager for South and West Texas. Before joining Stewart, he was president, chief executive officer, and majority owner of Fort Bend Title Co., and later worked as assistant to the president of another underwriter, Stewart said. Stewart Title's parent company, Stewart Information Services Corp., can be found online at http://www.stewart.com.