Bernanke Calls for More Help for Homeowners

By JACK HEALY

The Federal Reserve Board chairman said Thursday that the government and banks must do more to curb a flood of foreclosures that has devastated families and neighborhoods and now threatens to deepen the housing crisis.

The Fed chief, Ben S. Bernanke, said the government had made serious attempts to address the housing crisis and ease the rates of foreclosures. But Mr. Bernanke said some of those programs had so far been sparsely used, and might need bolstering.

“Despite good-faith efforts by both the private and public sectors, the foreclosure rate remains too high, with adverse consequences for both those directly involved and for the broader economy,” Mr. Bernanke said in a speech in Washington. “More needs to be done.”