MIG Executive Recognized for Outstanding Service and Leadership by Industry Peers

A top executive with Mortgage Investors Group has been recognized by his peers for long-standing leadership and service to the mortgage banking industry, company officials announced today.

Stephen R. Smith, MIG’s executive vice president of sales and production, received the Ernest P. Schumacher Lifetime Achievement Award on April 15 from the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association during this year’s Great River Mortgage Bankers Association Conference in Memphis. The annual conference brings mortgage banking professionals from four states, including Tennessee, together for professional development and continuing education opportunities.

The award, named after the association’s first president, recognizes former TNMBA presidents who have demonstrated outstanding service, advocacy and leadership within the mortgage banking industry at the local, statewide and national levels. Smith served as TNMBA president from 1999-2000 and has also been a legislative chair and board member during his career. He has also held various leadership positions within the Nashville Mortgage Bankers Association.

“I am truly honored to receive this recognition from my peers,” Smith said. “Working with the TNMBA on both a state and national basis has been very rewarding over the last 35 years. The combined effort of our members across the state has always been a key to a healthy real estate market for Tennesseans. The long-term impact on families of buying and owning a home is something that should not be underestimated. It is a privilege to be a part of that process.”

Since joining MIG in 2005, Smith has overseen all aspects of the firm’s retail sales and production efforts, including the company’s growth into new markets across Tennessee.

“Steve’s dedication to the mortgage banking industry and his many years of service to the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said MIG President and Co-Founder Chrissi Rhea. “Steve has devoted his professional life to doing things the right way throughout his 39 years as a mortgage banker. Mortgage Investors Group is incredibly proud and fortunate to have Steve’s leadership and dedication to our industry as a part of our team. We look forward to many more years of his focused passion and vision for our company.”

Smith is a 1977 graduate of the University of Tennessee, where he earned a Business Administration degree. He obtained the mortgage banking industry’s highest designation of Master Certified Mortgage Banker in 2004. He has served as a member of Fannie Mae’s National Advisory Council and as an advisory lender member for the Tennessee Housing Development Agency’s (THDA) first-time homebuyer program. In 1999, the Nashville MBA honored Smith with its Herschel Greer Memorial Award. The TNMBA awarded him in 2009 and 2014 with its President’s Award.

Smith, a member of the Brentwood Noon Rotary Club, lives in Brentwood with his wife, Debbie. They have two children and six grandchildren.

MIG is the #1 residential mortgage lender in the state of Tennessee. Since opening its doors in 1989, the Knoxville-based company has served more than 97,500 clients in excess of $14.5 billion. The firm has nearly 350 employees in 23 branch locations from Memphis to the Tri-Cities, and has also been the Tennessee Housing Development Agency’s (THDA) top lender for 13 successive years. For more information, please visit www.migonline.com.